Читать книгу Straight from the Heart - Linda Warren, Linda Warren - Страница 8

WITHIN MINUTES she was in a rental car and on the way to her apartment. She’d told Roger she wasn’t afraid; now all she had to do was to convince herself of that. She purposely kept the horrid message out of her mind as she showered, dressed and headed to River Oaks. She had learned that trick years ago and it had saved her so many times.

She drove up to the big gates and saw that Horace was on duty. Horace was the groundskeeper and handyman who had worked for her father for years. Tonight he was manning the gate, which meant there were other guests besides family. She waved and drove through. Usually a code had to be punched in for the gate to open. Her family had moved here after the attack, and an up-to-date security system had been installed for their safety. The large two-story chateau-style house had been a haven during the healing years, and it was always a pleasure to come home—even though she knew there was still tension between her father and brother. How long could her father keep blaming Blake for not becoming a lawyer?

She drove to the garages and used her remote control to open the door for her parking spot. Since she was more than fashionably late, she planned to sneak in through the kitchen so her mother wouldn’t see her. She felt as though she was fourteen again and trying to put something over on her mom. Greta, the housekeeper, met her at the kitchen door. Greta wore her black uniform with the white frilly apron, which confirmed that tonight was a formal occasion.

“Miss Blair, what are you doing coming in through the back door?” Greta chided.

Blair held a finger to her lips to silence her.

“I see you, Blair,” Ava Logan called from the kitchen. “So you can stop trying to sneak past me.”

Blair smiled at her mother, knowing it was useless even to try to fool her. She hadn’t been able to do it in thirty-two years and she wasn’t going to do it now. She gave her mother a hug and a kiss as Ava meticulously placed hors d’oeuvres on a silver tray. Hors d’oeuvres she had made herself, Blair knew. Her mother was a gourmet cook and either supervised or did most of the cooking.

At sixty-two, Ava Logan possessed a timeless beauty. Her hair, a golden blond that now came out of a bottle, hung in a pageboy around her dainty features and emphasized her light-brown eyes. She wore a peach silk dress, presently covered by a white apron. Blair was always amazed at her mother’s ability to remain cool and collected in times of stress. Her mother’s calm had been invaluable to her after the attack. Her father thought he was the backbone of the family, but it was her mother with her gentle ways and dedication to family that held them together.

“I had a busy day at the courthouse,” Blair said in her own defense. She didn’t plan to tell her parents about the message on her windshield. It would only worry them and they’d worried enough about her. Besides, tonight was a night for fun.

“Yes, I heard.” Her mother glanced at her. “Congratulations, darling.”

Before Ava turned away, Blair caught a glimmer of something unexpected in her eyes. Apprehension? But why?

“Mom, is everything okay?” Blair asked tentatively.

Ava slowly removed her apron and placed it carefully on the counter. “We have a houseful of guests, good food and wine, so what could be wrong?”

Her mother’s words sounded forced.

“I don’t know. You tell me, because you’re acting strangely.”

“It’s nothing.” Ava dismissed her daughter’s concern with a shake of her head. “It’s just that your father has to turn every party into a business meeting. I was hoping we could have only family tonight.”

That didn’t ring true, because she knew her mother enjoyed parties and cooking and everything connected to them. And she was used to her father springing extra guests on her. So what was going on? It was increasingly clear that her mother was nervous about something.

“Who’s here?” Blair asked as a way to get some answers.

“The Johnsons, the Manns, the Barkers and Calvin, Natalie and Tiffany,” her mother answered.

That didn’t give Blair any clues. Her dad’s business associates were frequent guests. Natalie was her father’s sister, and Calvin her husband. Tiffany was their daughter. Calvin was also the firm’s accountant, so their presence wasn’t out of the ordinary. Besides, they were family.

“How’s Tiffany doing?” Blair asked. Her cousin, a year younger than her, was going through a bad divorce.

“Still bitter.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So is Tiffany, but Nat felt that company might cheer her up.”

Poor Tiff, Blair thought. After five years of marriage, she’d come home one day to find her husband in bed with another woman. Joel, Tiffany’s husband, had seemed like a nice guy, but apparently he wasn’t satisfied with just one woman. He had hurt Tiffany very badly.

Blair was thankful she’d never have to deal with a situation like that. Years ago, she’d decided she didn’t care for men all that much, so the odds of her getting married were very slim. She knew she had a problem in that area, but it was her problem and her business.

Oh, God. She closed her eyes for a second. She didn’t want to be a frigid old maid. She needed to get out more, resolve those emotions that were tied to the past. Suddenly she remembered Lucas and his charming smile and— She quickly opened her eyes. Why couldn’t she stop thinking about him?

“You look beautiful,” her mother was saying. “I’m glad you didn’t wear one of those dreary suits.”

Shaking Lucas from her mind, Blair glanced down at her dress. It was deep blue with a square neck and cap sleeves that showed off her neck and long slender arms. The hem came two inches above her knees and showed more leg than she liked, but in her rush, she’d grabbed the dress at random. She didn’t want to be later than she absolutely had to.

“Darling, promise me something.” Ava’s concerned voice caught her attention.

“Sure,” Blair answered immediately.

“Don’t let your personal feelings get involved tonight. Be an adult and—”

“Hey, sis,” her brother interrupted as he came into the kitchen. “You’re finally home.”

She hugged Blake, still thinking about Ava’s odd request. She had no idea what her mother was talking about and she didn’t have time to figure it out.

Ava wrapped an arm around each of them. “My two children both at home. I can’t tell you how good that makes me feel.”

“Me, too,” Blair and Blake chorused, then laughed.

“I wish you’d stay home for good, Blake. London’s so far away,” Ava said plaintively.

“Now, Mom, don’t start.” Blake sighed. “You know that’s not possible.”

“But Blake,” Blair started, then stopped as Blake raised a hand.

“No pressure, ladies. Besides, we have a family member who’s desperately in need of our attention. Tiff can’t stop talking about Joel and the divorce, and it’s really more than I want to hear. She only drops that subject long enough to talk about—” Blake looked hesitantly at his mother, then at Blair.

“What?” Blair asked. He was hiding something from her; she’d sensed it earlier and now she was sure of it.

“Nothing.” Blake shrugged and took her hand. “Let’s join the guests.”

Blair trailed behind him into the living room and Ava followed. “I’ve brought reinforcements,” Blake announced, and glanced warily down the hall.

Everyone was acting strangely, Blair decided as she spoke to Meg Johnson, Nancy Mann and Beth Barker. She hugged her aunt and Tiffany.

“I guess Blake’s tired of listening to me,” Tiffany said.

“Never mind Blake.” Blair smiled at her beautiful cousin, who had pale blond hair and green eyes. As a young teen, she used to envy Tiffany’s hair because she’d heard that blondes had more fun. But now she was satisfied with her darker coloring.

“How’re you doing?” Blair asked sympathetically, giving her cousin another hug.

“Terrible,” Tiffany admitted, swirling wine around in her glass. “But I’m sure Blake’s already told you that. You two used to tell each other everything, and I’m sure that hasn’t changed.”

“A little,” Blair had to confess, and noticed that Blake kept looking toward the hallway leading to her father’s study. Was he nervous about seeing their dad? Their father was obviously holed up in the study with his cronies.

“But I’m feeling much better since I met that gorgeous hunk your father invited,” Tiffany said, smoothing a hand over her slim hips. “Oh, yes, I’m feeling much better.”

“For heaven’s sake, Tiff,” Natalie spoke up. “Remember your manners.” Natalie’s dark hair was now almost completely gray, but her blue eyes were as vivid as ever. Blair had always been told that she resembled her father’s sister, and she knew she had the Logan hair and eyes, but she had her mother’s dainty features.

“Mother, I’m entitled to some fun,” Tiffany reminded her.

“Just be careful. This man’s a complete stranger and we know nothing about him.”

Voices in the hall put an end to the conversation. Blair wondered who Tiffany was talking about. All the men gathered in her father’s study were married. Had he invited someone else? Her mother hadn’t said.

“Remember your promise,” Ava whispered as the men entered the living room.

Blair’s eyes swung from her father, to Derek Johnson, to Frank Mann, to Theo Barker, to Uncle Calvin—and settled on the sixth man. He was dressed stylishly in a dark brown suit, light brown shirt and darker tie. He was smiling devilishly at her, and everything in Blair exploded with a rage she hadn’t felt in a long time. How dare he! How dare he come into her home! What was Lucas Culver doing here?

She hadn’t even realized she’d spoken the words aloud until her father put an arm around her shoulder and answered, “I invited him, sweetie.”

“You invited him?” Blair repeated in an incredulous tone. “You invited Lucas Culver to dinner?”

Blair’s reaction didn’t surprise Lucas. He’d expected it. He not only saw her anger, he felt it. There was pure fire coming from those beautiful blue eyes and it was aimed directly at him. He’d seen Blair out of her element earlier, but this Blair was completely different. She was woman—all woman—from the dark hair hanging around her shoulders to the high heels. Her blue dress magnified her eyes and clung to her curves—curves that drew his eyes like a magnet.

He’d always considered Blair a petite person, but her legs were long and shapely and had his full attention. He was losing it, he told himself. The woman was furious at him, and he was mentally undressing her. Yep, he was losing it.

“Now, Blair, be reasonable,” Sam was imploring.

“Reasonable?” Blair pushed out of his arms and stared at her mother. “You knew,” she cried, then pinned her gaze on Blake. “And so did you.”

Ava and Blake had the grace to look ashamed, but it didn’t mollify Blair in the least. “No one thought to tell me. No one considered my feelings.”

“Blair, darling, don’t make a scene,” her mother begged.

“Okay, Mother,” Blair snapped. “I’ll leave, so you can get on with your party.” Having said that, she turned and stormed out of the room.

Voices followed her. “Jeez, what’s got her so riled up?” Tiffany said.

“I told you, Sam. I told you,” her mother declared.

Blake caught her in the kitchen. “Sis, don’t leave, please.”

“Why is my kitchen all of a sudden Grand Central Station?” Greta asked, putting the finishing touches on spinach salads.

“We’ll be out of your way in a sec,” Blake told her.

“Elsa and I will be in the dining room,” Greta said as she and the maid loaded salads onto a tray. “So talk all you want.”

When they left, Blake pleaded, “Try to understand.”

“All I understand is that you let me walk in there without any warning,” she said angrily. “In the old days you’d never have done that to me.”

“Blair, it was a business meeting—an important business meeting. And frankly, we didn’t know how to tell you. You have such a short fuse these days.”

“Now it’s my fault,” she choked out, taking a long breath. “I hadn’t even realized it, but I came here tonight hoping Dad was going to say, ‘Great job, Blair. I’m proud of you.’ Instead, he invites Lucas to dinner. That’s like a slap in my face.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t intended that way,” Lucas said from the doorway. He knew he was taking his life in his hands, but somehow he had to make this right.

Blair quickly turned around, unable to look at Lucas. She didn’t want to talk to him—not now, not ever.

“Mr. Culver, I don’t think this—”

Lucas stopped him. “It’s all right, Blake. I just want to explain.” Lucas motioned for Blake to leave the room.

Blake hesitated.

Blair couldn’t see him, but she knew from Blake’s silence that he was deciding whether or not to leave. Don’t you dare, she was thinking, but the sound of his receding footsteps told her that hope was in vain.

“I’m sorry if my presence upsets you,” Lucas started, wishing he could ease her hurt, which surprised him since this was business and he shouldn’t care about her feelings. But he did.

Blair counted to ten and turned around again, staring down at her hands instead of at Lucas. “I find that hard to believe,” she said sarcastically.

Lucas noticed she wasn’t looking at him and realized he had some apologizing to do. He’d embarrassed her in her office today, and it was clearly still on her mind.

“Well, I am,” he told her. “And I’m also sorry for not knocking on your door today. As you said, common courtesy dictates that I should have.”

Common courtesy and Lucas Culver. The thought made her want to laugh. Courtesy had nothing to do with Lucas. He’d been through so many women he should be in The Guinness Book of Records. She frowned; why was she thinking that? This wasn’t about Lucas and his women; it had to do with respect and dignity, and everyone in her family was conspiring to deprive her of those—even Lucas, with whom she had no personal relationship. But his voice sounded sincere and she was so tired after this horrendous day and she just wanted to go home.

Slowly she raised her eyes. Lucas could see that the storm in their blue depths had calmed.

“What are you doing here?” she asked point-blank.

“Your father invited me.”

“Why?”

“He’s offered me a position in his firm and he wanted me to meet his associates.”

“What?” She blinked in confusion. “Let me get this straight. I beat you in court so my father offers you a job.”

“The offer didn’t have anything to do with the trial.”

“Really?” She raised a dark eyebrow. “I have a habit of forgetting that my life is very unimportant to my father. If you mentioned the trial to him, I know exactly what he said. Any A.D.A. could have won that case. Raye was guilty. Enough said.”

Lucas suspected that Blair had probably been striving all her life for Sam Logan’s approval, and today she thought she’d finally achieved it. Now he’d turned it upside down for her. God, he shouldn’t have come. He should be in Jennifer’s apartment, enjoying something a whole lot better than this hollow feeling.

He told Jennifer he had an unexpected business meeting. She’d been annoyed at first, but he’d promised to make it up to her. If he was completely honest with himself, though, he’d have to admit that Blair was the main reason he was here tonight. He was curious about Sam’s offer, but seeing Blair somewhere other than the courtroom was the big selling point. Now he’d hurt her, and that was the last thing he’d wanted to do. He had to resolve this.

“It doesn’t matter what your father said or didn’t say,” he told her. “You don’t need his approval.”

“You don’t know anything about me,” Blair muttered, and bit down on her lip to keep more words from tumbling out.

“I know what it’s like to seek approval from someone you love. I used to do everything I could to gain my brother’s approval. Then I grew up and realized it was always there. I just chose not to see that.”

“You don’t know anything about my relationship with my father,” she said tersely. “Any more than you know about me.”

“No, I don’t,” Lucas conceded. “And I regret my decision to come here tonight.”

“Then why did you?”

“Curiosity got the best of me.”

She frowned. “Curiosity?”

Curiosity about you, Blair.

“Yeah.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I wanted to find out why Sam was offering me a job. It’s not like I campaigned for it.”

“Did you find out?” she asked quietly.

“No, I’m still in the dark.”

Besides his desire to see Blair in a different context, he had decided to accept Sam’s invitation because he couldn’t stand not knowing. He had to find out the truth, but he wasn’t any closer to that than before he got here. Derek, Frank and Theo were all enthusiastically backing Sam in saying that they needed new blood. Even Calvin, the accountant, had shown him some impressive figures and encouraged him to join the Logan team. They were feeding him a line of crap, and Lucas knew crap when he heard it. But why were they pursuing him? He still hadn’t figured that out, and now he didn’t really care.

Blair took a step toward him. “I’ll tell you why, Lucas,” she said cryptically. “It’s because you’re a cutthroat attorney like he is. You don’t care about the law or about human consequences—just the big bucks. That’s what my father admires. So congratulations, you’re in the big leagues.”

He was trying to be conciliatory, to apologize for a bad error in judgment, but her words angered him, and suddenly he’d had enough. As she started to walk past him, he grabbed her arm. “Someday, Blair, someday I’m—”

He stopped as he saw fear flash into her eyes. Was she afraid of him? That possibility took him aback. They stared at each other for a long, silent moment, and then Lucas saw the pulse in her neck beating erratically. Other feelings started to surface and all he could think about was touching it with his lips and…

Blair tried to say something, but for once, words stuck in her throat. His hand was still closed around her arm, his fingers warm and firm. She felt the heat as it rushed up her arm to various parts of her body, and she was experiencing all sorts of emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her. Emotions she’d only read about—and all because of a touch. How many other women had felt this way about Lucas? she wondered. She was well aware that it should be irrelevant to her, and yet the thought infuriated her.

She looked at his hand. “Let go of my arm,” she said coolly.

He saw the desperation in her eyes but didn’t relent. “I don’t think so,” he said just as coolly. “I’m not through. I’m tired of justifying my career to you—a career that I’m good at—and I’m also tired of having my apologies thrown back in my face.”

Blair didn’t answer. She couldn’t. She was too consumed with the new reactions that were tripping through her body.

When she remained silent, Lucas went on, “I’m not sure why your father invited me tonight. In hindsight, I see that I shouldn’t have accepted, but I’m sure he thought you were mature enough to handle it.”

Mature enough! The words jarred her already shaky composure and she felt like screaming. She was mature enough to handle the sexual banter between Lucas and her earlier that day. She was mature enough to handle Hector Raye’s threat on her life. She was mature enough to handle Lucas in her home. Or was she? No, she wasn’t that mature, answered a tiny voice inside her head.

Her head started to throb, and she touched her forehead to still the pain. She knew she was acting irrational, and she also knew she had to get away from him to sort through her emotions, regain her sanity.

Blair jerked her arm free, eyes blazing. “Hindsight is always twenty-twenty and I really don’t care why you’re here or why my father invited you, because I’m leaving.”

Lucas stepped in front of her. The woman just didn’t know when to quit and she certainly didn’t know how to accept an apology. “You don’t have to leave. I’m going.” He turned toward the door. “Tell your father thanks but no thanks for the job offer. Never mind, I’ll tell him on my way out.”

At the door, he looked back at her. She was rubbing her arm where he’d held her. Had he hurt her? God, she made him crazy and he was acting so out of character. The sooner he distanced himself from the Logan family, the better off he’d be.

“Are you all right?” he couldn’t help asking.

The gentleness in his voice made her answer more abruptly than she’d intended. “I don’t need your concern.”

Instant anger surged through him, and just as quickly it cooled. He was beginning to see that Blair had a spontaneous defense mechanism—her sharp tongue. It was just as Roger had said; she never let anyone get close to her. Well, she didn’t have to worry about him.

His dark eyes swept over her. “Don’t worry, Blair, you won’t get it again.” Without glancing back, he disappeared through the door.

Blair stood there trembling from so many emotions—new, alien emotions that she’d denied for a very long time. How did she deal with all of this? she asked herself as she unconsciously rubbed her arm. She didn’t know. She only knew that she was hurt and confused…and afraid. Not of Lucas but the feelings he engendered, feelings she didn’t want to experience.

Stay out of my life, Lucas Culver.

Please stay out of my life.

EVAN HOLT SAT at his desk studying the latest putter he’d purchased.

Carl Wright, his chief prosecutor, entered his office, followed by two detectives.

“Anything new?” Evan asked the lead detective, Mike Wilson.

“Logan was over at Lucas Culver’s office this afternoon and Culver had dinner with him tonight,” Mike answered.

“Dammit.” Evan slammed the putter onto his desk and got to his feet.

“What do you think that means?” Carl asked.

“He’s trying to recruit Culver—that’s the only explanation.”

“Why? He’s got his own team.”

“Sam knows we can handle Johnson, Mann and Barker, but Culver—that’s a whole different situation.”

“What do you mean?”

“Culver has a way of controlling a jury, and this case is all going to come down to the jury.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Mike said, placing a folder on his desk. “The DNA is a perfect match.”

Evan quickly leafed through the papers and a smile spread across his face. “This will be the nail in Sam Logan’s coffin, and even Culver won’t be able to save him. Logan should’ve tied up these loose ends sixteen years ago. Now I’m going to.”

“What about Blair?” Carl asked.

Evan closed the folder and sat in his chair. “Are you ready to make the arrest?” he asked Mike.

“As soon as you give me the word.”

“I want the element of surprise, so do it first thing in the morning.”

“Yes, sir,” Mike said, and left the room with the other detective.

“What about Blair?” Carl asked again.

“I hope Sam has the good sense to tell her before this breaks. If he doesn’t, I’ll let her know before it hits the press.”

“I don’t like hurting Blair,” Carl admitted.

“Well, you’d better put those feelings where I won’t see them,” Evan told him. “This case will be the hardest you’ve ever tried and you can’t let emotions sway your thinking.”

“I won’t, Evan. You know that.”

“I do, but having Blair in our office makes it difficult. She’ll have to choose between her job and her family. I guess we’ll see whether she hates defense attorneys as much as she claims.”