The Black Sheep
Author
Carolyn Andrews
Reads
16.1K
Chapters
11
Chapter 1
“DID MY UNCLE NICK forget about us?” Sarah asked.
It was her own thought exactly, but Andie managed to mask her anger with a smile as she turned to wink at the young girl. “No way. We’re unforgettable.”
Sarah didn’t look entirely convinced. She appeared as she always did, perfectly composed and much too serious for a nine-year-old girl. The four-hour train ride from Boston hadn’t left even one wrinkle in her white linen suit
Andie didn’t bother to waste time checking her own attire. The moment they’d stepped off the train, the muggy August heat had slammed into her. Her slacks stuck to her legs the same way her blouse was clinging to her back. And she was sure that her blazer had that trendy rumpled look that had faded from the fashion magazines about five years ago. Not that she was a big fashion magazine fan. But during her ten years on the Boston police force, she’d read everything she could lay her hands on to keep herself awake during stakeouts.
As the train behind them hissed and groaned and then lurched forward along the rails, Andie stood on the station platform scanning the parking lot once more for a gray sedan. That’s what Nick Heagerty’s assistant, a gravelly voiced man named Grady, had said they’d be driving. But there was still no sign of it
Taking a deep breath, Andie shoved down the surge of temper. To say that she was unhappy with Nick Heagerty was understating it by a mile. It had annoyed her when he hadn’t found the time to attend his sister-in-law’s funeral. But after thinking it over, she’d decided to cut him some slack. The last time he’d seen his ruece had been five years earlier. And the occasion had been another funeral—her father’s, his brother’s. Perhaps he’d been right to postpone this first meeting with Sarah. The Heagerty Vineyards on Seneca Lake was a much more cheerful place to renew an acquaintanceship than the Boston mausoleum where Rose Heagerty had recently lost her battle with cancer.
But to be late in picking up the little girl who’d been entrusted to his care—a girl who’d just lost her mother! Andie took another deep breath and exhaled on a count of ten. She had to keep her emotions under control, not only for Sarah’s sake, but also for her own. If she were going to keep the promise she’d made to her friend Rose on her deathbed, she had to keep a cool head. Sarah’s entire future hung in the balance.
As the heiress to an estate worth millions, Sarah had a number of relatives who wanted to be her guardian. Of course her maternal grandmother and her uncle Conrad believed they had the inside track. But in her will, Rose Heagerty had surprised everyone by naming her brother-in-law Nick as Sarah’s guardian. Now all Andie had to do was to make very sure he was the right man for the job.
The initial background check she’d run on him had raised as many questions as it had answered. Nick Heagerty was a man of curious contrasts. There was the rebellious teenage runaway who’d served his country for ten years as a navy SEAL. And then there was the laid-back captain of a charter sailing business in the Caribbean who’d come home when his brother died and saved his family’s winery from financial ruin. Any lingering doubts she’d had about Nick’s qualifications as a father had faded in the face of Rose’s complete trust in her brother-in-law.
With a frown, Andie glanced at her watch. It just didn’t make any sense that he was late. A man with a military background should be punctual if nothing else. As she searched the parking lot again, she quickly went over in her mind everything that Grady had said to her on the phone
His instructions had been very precise. Nick had a meeting at the state fairgrounds and so she and Sarah were to get off the train in Syracuse. That way he and Grady could be waiting on the platform to make Sarah feel welcome when they arrived.
The platform had been deserted when the train had pulled in. The station had been empty, too, except for the man behind the counter, and he’d had no message to pass along from Nick.
She and Sarah were essentially alone now. In front of them, the parking lot held a few vacant cars Behind them, beyond the tracks, fields choked with tall grass and wildflowers spread to a distant line of trees. The only sound was the steady drone of insects.
Andie felt a shiver of unease. It was too quiet, and she and Sarah were too isolated. For the first time the weight of the gun in the pouch she wore around her waist gave her some comfort. Not that she thought she’d need it. In fact, she’d debated whether or not to bring it with her at all. As a cop, she’d long ago come to terms with using her gun. She made a point of never firing it carelessly or unnecessarily.
But delivering Sarah to her uncle was more than a favor she was doing for her best friend. Rose had hired her to investigate Nick Heagerty, to make sure he was the right person to raise Sarah. And she always took her gun when she was on a job. In the end, she’d decided to bring it for backup. Better to be safe than sorry.
And for some reason, right now, she didn’t feel exactly safe. As a cop, she’d also come to terms with trusting her instincts.
Squeezing Sarah’s hand, she said, “Your uncle Nick’s probably running late at that meeting How about we give him five more minutes? Then we’ll call a cab, check into the best motel in Syracuse and order up pizza and movies.”
Sarah’s expression brightened. “Really? Grandmother never let me watch movies. She says they’re filled with trash”
“Of course they are. That’s why they’re fun.” Out of the corn of her eye, Andie saw a gray sedan turn in off the highway. “Oh, hold on. I think Grady and your uncle Nick are here.” She brushed Sarah’s long, honey-blond hair off her shoulders. “There, I think you’ll pass inspection.”
Sarah reached for one of Andie’s hands. “I think I’d rather watch movies.”
“Listen.” Andie cupped the little girl’s chin with her free hand. “Your mom loved you very much. And she put a lot of thought into choosing the very best person to be your guardian. I think we have to trust her on this But just in case she was wrong, remember our deal?”
Sarah nodded. “You’ll stay for two weeks.”
“And if Uncle Nick turns out to be a jerk, or a dweeb...”
Sarah giggled
Encouraged, Andie rolled her eyes. “Or even worse, if he’s a nerd, we’re outta here.” She held up her hand and waited for Sarah to give her a high five.
“What if he doesn’t like me?” Sarah asked.
Andie’s eyebrows rose. “That would make him a real dunce cap. I don’t think your mom would have wanted your guardian to be a dummy, do you?”
Shaking her head, Sarah slapped Andie’s hand. Then they both turned to watch the gray car pull into a spot near the center of the parking lot A heavyset woman climbed out of the passenger side. Her blond hair was pulled back into a bun, and she was wearing a white pantsuit that fit like a second skin.
A nurse? With a frown, Andie turned her attention to the man circling around the front of the car. Medium tall and thin, he was wearing a chauffeur’s uniform. Andie’s frown deepened. Could this be Grady? She’d guessed from the deep voice with its hint of a brogue that Grady’d be older, with a little more girth. But the odd-looking couple was walking straight toward them. Andie edged slightly in front of Sarah as they drew close.
“You must be Sarah.” Beaming a smile at the little girl, the woman extended her hand. “I’m Elaine, your new nanny ”
Andie reached over and gripped the woman’s hand. “And I’m the old nanny,” she lied. “Where are Grady and Nick?”
“I’m Grady,” the thin man said in a high-pitched voice that matched his physique.
In a pig’s eye, Andie thought as she watched him pull a fat envelope out of his pocket.
“Nick’s tied up at the fairgrounds. He sent Elaine in his place. That way she and Sarah can start getting acquainted, and we won’t have to trouble you any further.” He handed her the envelope. “This should more than compensate for any inconvenience.”
Andie glanced at the neat stack of bills inside the flap. Then, slipping the money into her pocket, she smiled at Skinny. “Very generous. Why wasn’t I informed of the change in plans?”
“When I called, you’d already left for the station.”
Shifting her weight to the balls of her feet, Andie reached behind her back to give Sarah’s arm one quick squeeze. “Run! Get help in the station!”
Elaine grabbed for Sarah as she dashed past and got a fistful of air. Then Andie launched herself into the woman and together they tumbled to the ground, rolling over and over. At the edge of the platform Andie managed to scramble on top of the larger woman, but then she was jerked to her feet and the thin man pinned her against his chest.
“Don’t move.”
Andie gasped as his arm tightened around her throat.
“I have a gun.” He shoved it into her side, then swore at the chubby, blond woman. “Get up, stupid. Get the girl.”
As soon as Elaine struggled to her feet, Andie went perfectly still. Sarah had covered half the distance to the station, but precious seconds would be lost when the little girl reached the door. Already Elaine was picking up speed.
Andie brought her foot down hard on the man’s instep at the same moment that she jabbed her elbow into his stomach. Then pivoting, she gripped both hands together and slammed them into his jaw. The gun hit the platform a second before the man did. Andie kicked the weapon onto the tracks, then raced after Sarah.
“To the car, Elaine!” The hoarse shout came from behind Andie as she gained on the nurse. Elaine didn’t bother to glance back. She merely veered right and headed for the sedan. Andie didn’t change direction until she saw Sarah disappear through the station doors. Then, satisfied that her charge was safe, she skidded to a stop and whirled in time to see the chauffer jump the small hedge that bordered the parking lot.
As she raced after the man, Andie unzipped the pouch she wore around her waist and pulled out her gun. She fired a shot into the air. The woman picked up speed and the man ducked low as he dodged behind a car.
So much for persuading them to stop, Andie thought as she lowered the gun and leapt over the hedge. Other than as a means of persuasion, she would only fire her gun to save a life. And Skinny was not posing a sufficient threat. Narrowing her eyes, she focused on overtaking him as she followed his zigzagging path through the parking lot. He still had twenty yards on her when he yanked open the car door and threw himself behind the wheel. Elaine barely managed to join him before the car peeled into reverse.
Andie was ten yards away, close enough to be sprayed with gravel as the gray sedan shot past her. For the next few seconds she concentrated on running. And breathing. Keeping clear of the dust that the car stirred up as it accelerated, she focused all her energy on a final sprint. Just before the car squealed onto the highway, she made the license plate.
Then she slowed, gasping for breath, and circled to begin a slow jog back to the station. She’d just caught a glimpse of Sarah through the sliding-glass doors when a second gray sedan pulled up beside her. Signaling the little girl to stay where she was, Andie turned to face the man getting out of the passenger side. Nick Heagerty.
She’d spent hours studying the picture she’d clipped to his file. But the photo hadn’t captured the essence of the man standing in front of her.
Oh, the features were similar enough. Thick, dark hair that curled a bit over the ears, strong, angled cheekbones. The scar beneath his left eye hadn’t shown up in the photo, though it looked old. And the mouth was different, too. The photographer had captured it curved halfway between a grin and a smirk. Appealing and annoying at the same time. But at the moment Nick Heagerty’s lips had thinned into a grim, disapproving line.
Then there was the sheer size of the man. Though he wasn’t that tall, perhaps not even six feet. Still, there was something about him—a solidness, a strength that testified to his military background and contrasted sharply with the playboy image that the picture in the charter sailing brochure had projected. Face-to-face, Andie knew that this playboy was no one to play around with. And he was certainly not a boy.
She stepped up to him. “You’re late.”
“And you are?” Nick asked.
“Andie Field. Someone just tried to kidnap your niece.” It was only as she lifted her hand that she remembered she was still holding the gun. The instant Nick’s fingers clamped on her wrist, Andie’s throat went dry. Not because his grip was painful. No, it was the look in his eyes. The photo hadn’t done them justice, either. They were caught somewhere between green and gray, piercing, fascinating. For a second her mind went completely blank.
In that same second Nick slipped the gun from her hand.
“Is there a problem?” a man approaching them asked.
A big problem was the first thought that popped into Andie’s mind, though she was sure she hadn’t spoken the words. With some difficulty she tore her gaze away from Nick. The voice had been deep, gravelly, and it fit the large man with iron-gray hair who now stood at Nick’s side.
“Someone tried to kidnap Sarah? Where is she?” Nick asked.
“She’s safe in the station.” Relieved at how normal her own voice sounded, Andie continued,. “And if you don’t mind, I’d like my gun and my hand back.”
Through the glass doors, Nick saw a young girl with long blond hair. He switched his gaze back to Andie with a frown. Absolutely nothing that he saw reminded him of the cool and rather terrifyingly efficient letter she’d sent him outlining Rose’s instructions for Sarah’s new guardian. He’d pictured Ms. Field as a more matronly type, someone he could have sent packing, along with her charge, without a second’s hesitation.
Not that the slender waif standing in front of him was going to make him change his plans. Sarah, his niece, was the only one he was concerned about, now even more so, if what Ms. Field said was true. She certainly deserved better than what life was dishing out to her, and he was going to make sure she got it. Rose, of all people, should have known better than to send Sarah to him. Heagerty Vineyards was the wrong place to raise a child. And he was the wrong man to do the job.
And if Ms. Field chose to argue with his decision? For a moment he studied her. She wasn’t at all as he’d imagined. For one thing, the woman packed a gun. And her hair, instead of being iron-gray and clamped back in a bun, was dark as night and mussed as if a man had just run his hands through it... But something had happened here, he reminded himself, and Andie Field had been in the middle of it Ten years in the navy had taught him to never underestimate a possible opponent. His hand tightened briefly on her wrist before he released her to examine the weapon. He intended to find out what was going on here.
“Why are you armed?” he asked.
“I’m a private investigator. I have a license to carry it.”
“It’s been fired.”
“I shot into the air to frighten them.”
Satisfied, Nick handed her the gun and watched her slip it back into the pouch she wore around her waist. “What exactly happened?”
“A couple in a gray sedan arrived about five minutes ago. They claimed to be your assistant Grady and a nanny, and they tried to pay me off and kidnap Sarah. Why were you late?”
“A flat tire,” Grady said as he strode to the car.
“You’ll never catch them,” Andie said. “The police will have a better chance. I got a plate number and hopefully a set of prints. I kicked his gun onto the tracks.”
Nick stared at her. “The man was armed?”
“Briefly,” she said.
He removed a cellular phone from his pocket and tossed it to Grady. “Call Mendoza.” Then taking Andie’s arm, he pulled her toward the station doors. Sarah stepped through them as they opened automatically.
“I called the police,” she announced, looking from Andie to her uncle Nick.
“Good girl.” Nick rested his hands on her shoulders, then stooped down so that his eyes were level with hers. “You’re coolheaded, just like your father. Your dad always knew exactly what to do in a crisis.” He rose, leading her into the station. “C’mon. We’ll wait for the police inside where it’s cool. You and Ms. Field can tell me what happened ”
AN HOUR LATER Sarah was still telling her story, this time to a brusque, solidly built police lieutenant in a rumpled sport coat. Lieutenant Mendoza.
Though she was grateful that Grady’s call had summoned someone of Mendoza’s rank to the scene, Andie wasn’t entirely comfortable with the bear hug Nick and the lieutenant had exchanged amid much back thumping. She would have preferred that the lieutenant be totally objective when it came to the Heagerty family. The attempted kidnapping could only have been plotted by someone who’d known of the plans she and Grady had made. That suggested it was an “inside” job.
Still, Andie couldn’t find any fault with the way Lieutenant Mendoza was handling the case so far. He’d been gruff when he’d questioned her, and more impressed with her previous job on the Boston police force than he was with her present one as a private investigator. For her part, she was pleased that he’d asked all the right questions and listened to the answers. He was visibly disturbed when he’d learned that Sarah was an heiress. The wrinkled jacket worked in his favor, too It meant he did more than sit behind a desk and push paper.
She’d even seen a hint of approval in Mendoza’s eyes when he’d learned about the gun on the tracks and when she’d handed him the envelope the chauffeur had given her. “Skinny” hadn’t been wearing gloves. If he had a record, they’d have a name.
“Mendoza’s a good man. He works hard.”
Andie turned to find Grady at her side with several soft drink cans clasped in his large hands. Nick’s assistant had been serving up refreshments from the vending machine ever since the police had arrived. Standing well over six feet tall with the build of a linebacker, the “real” Grady, even at forty-something, looked more like a bodyguard than a butler or chauffeur. Andie knew from Nick’s file that the two men had been together since their navy days and that Jeremiah Grady was a full-fledged partner in the charter sailing business. Carefully, she plucked one of the soda cans free. “Plus, he’s an old friend of the family.”
Grady chuckled. “Old rival is more like it. But he helped us out with some problems at the winery.”
“What kind of problems?”
Grady’s grin faded, and Andie could have sworn that his face flushed as he shot a quick look at Nick. Then he cleared his throat. “Some vandalism. More annoying than anything. A month ago some visitors got sick on wine in the tasting room. Mendoza got a friend of his to design our new security system.”
She stared at him as he moved on to offer drinks to the two uniformed men who had responded to Sarah’s phone call. There’d been no hint of problems at the winery when she’d done a background check on Nick. And she’d have bet her old shield Grady was sorry he’d brought the subject up.
Flipping up the metal tab on the soft drink can, Andie took a long swallow and shifted her gaze to Nick. She hadn’t looked at him since they’d walked into the station. All because of her reaction when he’d touched her. She could still recall how weak she’d felt, breathless, and her train of thought had evaporated into thin air. No man had ever made her feel that way before.
And he’d taken her weapon. She might have been transformed into a statue for all the protest she’d made. It was only when the soda can suddenly snapped in protest that she realized how tightly she was gripping it. Slowly she relaxed her fingers.
Instead of worrying about Mendoza’s objectivity, she might better worry about her own when it came to Nick Heagerty.
She studied him through narrowed eyes. Since he’d first taken Sarah’s hand in his, he’d been acting the role of the caring and concerned uncle. But Andie had learned that Nick Heagerty was a man who’d played many different roles in his life.
He’d aroused her curiosity ever since Rose had announced that he was her choice for Sarah’s guardian. At first glance, Nick seemed a highly unlikely candidate for a Dad. Even Rose admitted that his family considered him a “black sheep.” He’d been sent away to a fancy prep school after his junior year in high school. The details concerning the incident that had plunged him into disgrace had been vague, and then he’d chosen not to redeem himself. Instead he’d run away before graduation to join the navy. Ten years later, with a college degree and an honorable discharge on his résumé, he’d used an inheritance from his grandmother to purchase a sailboat, which he’d christened Nomad. And until his brother’s and parents’ untimely deaths, he and Grady had run a successful charter business in the Caribbean.
In the first report from the operative that she’d hired in the Virgin Islands, Nick’s sailing bum persona had checked out. However, when she’d asked the investigator to check further, he’d come back with more.
Not that Nick had been involved in anything illegal. No, it was the investigator’s opinion, based on the number of blank walls and dead ends he’d run into, that Nick had been involved in some secret work for the government. Andie hadn’t pursued it any further at the time because, since Nick had taken over the reins at Heagerty Vineyards, he’d been a model citizen and become a respected winemaker. With several gold medals won at prestigious wine competitions, sales had doubled, and for the first time in ten years, the family business was operating at a profit
Andie’s gaze dropped to his hand still so protectively clasped around Sarah’s. Strong hands, she thought. Even now she could recall the pressure of each one of his fingers when he’d gripped her wrist His other hand rested on Sarah’s shoulder. The palms were wide, the fingers long and lean. In addition to strength, they were capable of offering comfort. And pleasure.
Andie blinked when she realized where her tram of thought had led her. Her head snapped up, and she met Nick’s gaze. The little tingle of awareness that had begun when she’d started looking at his hands grew until she felt a pull, sudden and strong. What in the world...
“Ms. Field?”
It was only when she found Lieutenant Mendoza blocking her path that she realized she’d taken a step forward.
“There’s nothing more we can do here,” Mendoza said. “I told Nick I’ll be in touch just as soon as we get any information on the license plate or the gun.”
“And in the meantime, what are you going to do to protect Sarah?”
“The safest place for her right now is at Heagerty Vineyards. They have a state-of-the-art security system.” He gave her a reassuring smile. “A good friend of mine designed it. He’s an ex-cop just like you.”
The second that Mendoza and the policemen left, Andie walked over to Nick. “I have a few questions.”
He met her eyes squarely. “So do L but I think that they can wait until we get Sarah safely settled at Heagerty House.”
MUCH TO ANDIE’S SURPRISE, the forty-five-minute drive to Sarah’s new home passed very quickly. Once inside the gray sedan, she’d expected the atmosphere to be strained. But Nick managed to diffuse the tension almost immediately by keeping up a steady stream of conversation with his niece.
Sensitivity wasn’t a quality that she’d expected to find in Nick Heagerty. She studied him over the top of Sarah’s head. Perhaps she hadn’t given enough consideration to the nomadic existence he’d lived since he’d been sent away from home at sixteen. Maybe he was just the kind of man who would understand the kind of turmoil his niece was going through right now. This was the second time in Sarah’s short life that she’d been uprooted and faced with adjusting to a new home, a new family The little girl had barely been four when her father had died in a boating accident and her mother had made the decision to live with her family in Boston.
But four was old enough to be frightened by the change, old enough to be almost overwhelmed by the challenge of making new friends. Andie knew the feelings very well. As the daughter of a happy-go-lucky gypsy who’d believed that all of life’s problems could be solved by pulling up stakes and starting over again in a new town, Andie had never known what it had meant to feel “at home” until she’d shared a room with Rose in college.
Rose. As her eyes misted, Andie turned and tried to focus on the blur of trees whipping past the window. It still hurt to recall those happier times with her friend. She and Rose couldn’t have been more mismatched as college roommates. The rich girl with her last name carved in granite above the massive library doors and the poor girl who’d been lucky enough to get a full financial aid package.
Sarah’s sudden laughter brought Andie’s attention back to the present.
“You got thrown off a horse? You’re kidding!”
“Scout’s honor,” Nick said. “And it gets worse. I landed on a barbed-wire fence. I had to get a tetanus shot, and I couldn’t lift my right arm for days.”
“Nasty,” Sarah said.
“Not nearly as nasty as the black eye I gave your father when I found out he’d put a burr under my saddle.”
“He did that?” Sarah asked, wide-eyed.
“Confessed the whole thing. Under pressure, of course.” He paused to flex his arm. “Maybe that’s why my arm hurt so bad.”
For a second Andie’s eyes met Nick’s. His were filled with laughter. Even as she smiled in response, she was suddenly as aware of him as she’d been when he’d touched her. She stared at him. Could minds meet, thoughts mingle?
Nick was the first to break the contact. Shifting his gaze out the window, he leaned forward. “Slow down a little, Grady.” Then he pointed. “See those two piles of stones over there?”
Both Andie and Sarah looked at the piles, turning to keep them in view even after the car whipped past.
“That’s one of the old Erie Canal locks. You’ll have to get Grady to tell you about them. He claims one of his great-great-uncles helped build the canal.” For one moment Grady’s hearty laughter filled the car, but the instant it faded, Sarah had questions. As his niece and Andie leaned forward to hear Grady’s story, Nick took a moment to study the formidable Ms. Field. Within twenty-four hours he intended to know everything about her. Already he knew she was competent. Mendoza had been very impressed. And why shouldn’t he be? He’d left the train station with a gun, several sets of prints, a detailed description of the two suspects and a license plate number. She was probably telling the truth about her ten years on the Boston police force. It was Mendoza’s job to check that part out.
They had discussed that his own job would be to keep a close eye on Andie Field, until Mendoza could report back. “Tough job, but somebody’s got to do it,” was Mendoza’s low-voiced comment as he’d left the station. And it wasn’t bad work, Nick thought as he watched Andie push her hair back. Under other circumstances, he would have thoroughly enjoyed it. Her skin was pale, and the delicate line of her cheekbone added to the fragile look she had. Except for her chin. It showed strength. The skinny chauffeur probably hadn’t noticed her chin. Nick had to prevent a smile as he thought of the confrontation. She’d given very few details, but he could picture it quite clearly. And it gave him a good deal of satisfaction to imagine the frustration the skinny chauffeur must have felt watching his weapon sail out of reach onto the tracks.
It was the one image that had helped him control the icy mixture of anger and fear he’d been feeling since Andie and Sarah had described what had happened on the platform.
He had to hand it to her. She was clever, too, kicking the gun out of play. That part of her story alone had nearly convinced him that she was telling the truth. A cop who’d spent time on the streets would know the danger of a gun going off. And she hadn’t pulled her own weapon until Sarah was safe in the station.
It occurred to him that he already knew quite a bit about Ms. Field. She was competent, tough and clever. Clever enough to have come up with a foolproof plan to kidnap his niece for money? That was the question. The would-be kidnappers had known exactly where and when Sarah would arrive. As far as he knew, that information had been shared by only Grady, himself, and Ms. Field. Foiling the first attempt to snatch Sarah might be a part of her strategy. Who would suspect her the next time?
She glanced up at him then, her eyes brimming with amusement over something Grady or Sarah had said, and for a moment Nick lost his train of thought completely. His suspicions slipped away, and he was aware of no one but Andie.
“There it is, Sarah. Heagerty House.” Nick heard Grady speak. The words began to make sense only as he felt Sarah’s hand slip into his.
“It’s big,” she said.
“Huge,” Nick said as he tugged her closer. “We’ll have to put a bell around your neck so that you don’t get lost.”
As they turned off the highway, he pointed out the winery and the wine-tasting store, nestled close to the driveway.
Heagerty Vineyards was indeed very impressive. The house itself sat on the top of a hill overlooking Seneca Lake. Fanning out from it on three sides were acres of vines forming a criss-cross pattern on gently sloping hills. Andie noticed that Grady pressed a button in the car to open the wrought-iron gates that marked the entrance to a tree-lined drive. Less impressive were the low rock walls that surrounded the estate.
As if reading her thoughts, Nick explained to Sarah that the walls were wired and tied into a security system. “You’ll be perfectly safe here,” he said, squeezing the little girl’s hand.
A woman was waiting for them in the foyer. She was almost as tall as Nick, thin, and meticulously made up. Not one curl of the silver-gray hair that framed her face was out of place. And her eyes, framed in designer glasses, almost exactly matched the icy blue color of her dress.
“You’re late,” she said, addressing Nick.
Nick ignored her comment and made the introductions. “Sarah, meet your great-aunt Maggie.”
“Aunt Marguerite,” she corrected, aiming a frown at Nick.
“And this is Ms. Field,” Nick continued, “Rose’s dear friend who has been kind enough to bring Sarah to us.”
Marguerite’s ringed fingers barely brushed Andie’s, and her gaze never left Nick. “How much longer should I hold dinner? Or should I have trays sent to their rooms?”
“No,” Nick replied. “Ms. Field and Sarah will dine with us as long as they’re our guests. Grady—” he turned to the older man “—show the ladies to their rooms while I explain to Aunt Maggie why we were delayed.”
“We dress for dinner,” Marguerite said over her shoulder as Nick accompanied her down the hall
“Relax,” Nick said. “They’re not going to show up naked.”
Andie had to bite down hard on the inside of her cheek as she followed Grady up the stairs to the suite of rooms that she would share with Sarah. She didn’t dare look at the girl until Grady had closed the door behind him. Then she drew in a deep breath and assumed a haughty expression. “We dress for dinner.”
Sarah giggled. “She reminds me of Grandmother.”
“Well, she certainly ruined any thought I had of changing into my jeans. Thank heavens your mom filled in some of the gaps in my wardrobe. But you...” She walked to the little girl and brushed her hair back over her shoulder. “You have so many clothes. How will you possibly make a decision?”
“I’ll wear my blue dress. I think it’s the same shade as Great-aunt Marguerite’s.”
Though Sarah’s expression was perfectly serious, Andie didn’t miss the glint of mischief in her eyes. “way to go! Show ’em you’re not a pushover.”
“What do you think of Uncle Nick?”
Andie gave the little girl’s shoulder a squeeze. “The important question is, what do you think of him?”
“He’s funny.”
“Yes.” Without even wanting to, Andie could picture the fan of wrinkles at the corners of Nick’s eyes when he smiled.
“Do you think he likes me?”
Andie’s heart turned over at the hint of uncertainty she saw in Sarah’s eyes. “Absolutely.” And if he didn’t.... “I’m going to stay until we’re certain of that. Remember our deal?”
They were interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Our luggage,” Andie said, moving to the door. “Last one dressed is a rotten egg.”
NICK STOOD on the deck of the Nomad and watched the crimson streaks in the western sky fade to pink. He’d promised himself thirty minutes of solitude before he kept his ten o’clock appointment with Andie Field. He’d hoped to postpone their meeting until after Mendoza had checked her out. But she’d cornered him in the dining room and pmned him down to a time and a place before he’d had a chance to escape
Determination was a quality he admired. And it went with the competence he’d already noticed. As for her loyalty to his niece and to Rose, he could admire that, too, if it turned out to be real. But if he’d learned one thing from life, it was not to trust the persona a man or woman presented to the world. It could be put on and discarded as easily as a Halloween mask.
One thing he didn’t need Mendoza to tell him was how Sarah and Andie felt about each other. The affection between them was almost palpable. Nick’s lips curved as he recalled the way they’d walked hand in hand into the parlor, a ready-to-do-battle set to their shoulders and smiles on their faces as if they’d made a secret pact to win over the enemy. Not only had Marguerite stopped pontificating in midsentence, but she’d actually smiled when Sarah curtsied in front of her. Since he was sure that Andie was the brains behind the battle plan, his admiration for her had shot up several notches.
Shutting Marguerite up was a trick Nick hadn’t often accomplished himself. Tricking her into a smile was an even bigger challenge.
On the other hand, the fact that Andie loved Sarah didn’t mean that she didn’t like Sarah’s money, too. Frowning, Nick began to pace back and forth across the deck of the Nomad. What he needed from Mendoza was confirmation that the very bright and competent P.I. hadn’t been behind the attempted kidnapping. If Ms. Andie Field did check out to be everything she appeared to be, and she truly cared about his niece, it should be even easier to stick to his plans. So why in hell was he worried?
No. Not worried Just restless He’d stayed too long in one sport If it hadn’t been for the problems at the winery, he’d have been back in the Caribbean six months ago, and Rose would never have sent Sarah to him there.
With a sigh, Nick leaned against the railing. Sarah was a complication, something he had to take care of before he left. He looked out over the water The lake’s surface was as smooth as tinted glass, not a ripple anywhere. If there was any sign of wind, he’d have gone for a sail. Instead he’d had to settle for sitting on the deck of the moored boat. Too bad, because sailing always cleared his head.
Turning, he glanced up at Heagerty House. His niece and her companion had been assigned to the corn suite of rooms above the sloping roof of the back porch. The lights were still on. The sound of a laugh—Sarah’s, he was almost sure—carried through the open window and over the water. In a moment it came again. He could picture Sarah and Andie quite clearly, their heads dose, giggling over something.
Women rarely took him by surprise. But Andie Field had certainly done that. And it was more than her appearance. Though there was nothing to complain about in that department. Those long legs. He’d noticed them right away when he’d spotted her racing across the parking lot at the train station. Then there was her hair. Mussed, it made a man’s hands itch to straighten the tangles out. Smooth and shiny, the way she’d worn it at dinner, it tempted a man to mess it up.
Oh, there were all sorts of pleasurable possibilities that he might wish to explore with Ms. Andie Field if she weren’t a gun-toting private eye, who’d appointed herself both advocate and guardian angel to his niece. As it was, the lady spelled trouble, and they were headed on a collision course. Just as soon as he was sure she hadn’t masterminded the kidnapping attempt on Sarah, he fully intended to send her packing.
“You still here?” Grady asked, ducking his head to clear the overhang as he climbed up from the galley. “I thought you had an appointment with Ms Field.”
Nick glanced at his watch. “In fifteen minutes. I told her to come out here as soon as Sarah fell asleep.”
“If you’ve got some time to kill, how about giving me a hand with the cookies?”
“Cookies?” Nick’s brows rose as he followed Grady down a short flight of steps.
“Cooking clears my head.” Grady poured a bag of chocolate pieces into a bowl of dough. “Same way sailing clears yours.”
“Cut the crap. You’re making chocolate chip cookies because my niece happened to mention that they were her favorite.”
Nonplussed, Grady began to drop spoon-size dollops of dough into neat rows on a cookie sheet. “It’s a cinch your aunt Marguerite isn’t going to ask that fancy French chef of hers to whip up a batch”
Nick pulled two beers out of the refrigerator and handed one to Grady. “We’ve discussed this before. It’s not going to make it easier on any of us if Sarah starts to feel too much at home here.”
Grady met Nick’s eyes squarely. “Miss Sarah belongs with you, lad. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to accept that. And don’t waste your breath trying to convince me otherwise.”
Nick didn’t. Sarah was a subject on which they’d agreed to disagree. Instead he asked, “What do you think of Ms. Field?”
“I like her.”
“You always were a sucker for a pretty face.”
Grady settled a filled tray in the oven and twisted a timer. “She’s a bit more than a pretty face, I’d say. Single-handedly, she kept your niece from being kidnapped.”
With one finger Nick traced a line through the condensation on his bottle of beer. “What if she set it up?”
Grady stared at him. “You don’t believe that”
“Sarah’s a very rich little girl.”
“Why should she set it up and then prevent it?”
“So no one will suspect her the next time.”
“You’ve got a suspicious mind, lad.” Grady frowned. “I’m not saying it hasn’t served you well in the past. But you’re wrong about Ms. Field. Unless...” Suddenly, Grady grinned.
“What?”
“You’re attracted to her!” Grady’s grin widened. “That would explain why your brain’s gone a little mushy. But at least there’s nothing wrong with your taste.”
Footsteps overhead prevented Nick’s reply. Seconds later Andie climbed down the steps to the galley.
Still grinning from ear to ear, Grady unfastened his apron and lifted it over his head. “Evening, Ms. Field. I know you’ll want to speak privately with Nick. I’ll just go on up to the house and keep an eye on Miss Sarah. That way you won’t have to worry about rushing back.” Turning his head, he winked at Nick. “When the buzzer goes off, take the cookies out. I’ll finish this up later.”
Andie let her gaze take in the small, fully equipped galley. The last rays of the sun slanted in through the porthole, intensifying the rich gleam of wood and the duller shine of stainless steel. “Nice boat.” She climbed up on the stool across from Nick. “You couldn’t have sailed her all the way from the Caribbean.”
“Most of it. Grady and I came up the coastline and then down the St. Lawrence and through the canal locks. We only had to transport her over land for about the last fifty miles.”
Andie glanced around the galley again. “I can see why you wouldn’t want to leave her behind.”
“It’s home,” Nick said.
She shot him a quick look. “You prefer this to the house?”
“As I said, it’s home. I haven’t felt that way about Heagerty House in a very long time.”
“Why not?”
“It’s a long and very boring story, Ms. Field.”
“Andie, please. Between your aunt Marguerite and Grady I’ve been Ms. Fielded to death.”
She was wiped out, Nick suddenly realized. Not that the fatigue was easy to spot. But it was there in the smudges under her eyes and in the way her shoulders sagged just a little. She hadn’t eaten much at dinner, but he’d blamed that on the undercurrents in the room. Not that she hadn’t handled herself well with Aunt Maggie, but he’d often felt his own appetite slip away in the older woman’s frigid presence. “Would you like a beer?” he asked.
“surge.”
He moved to the refrigerator, then glanced back over his shoulder. “Unless you’d rather have wine. We do happen to make a very nice Chardonnay.”
Andie wrinkled her nose. “I’m not big on wine.”
“We’ll have to educate your palate,” Nick said as he opened the bottle and handed it to her.
“Before we do that, I’d prefer to talk about who might have tried to kidnap Sarah this afternoon. If it will set your mind at ease, I didn’t do it.”
The lady was full of surprises, it seemed. Nick was grateful that the buzzer went off. As soon as he silenced it, Andie went on. “In your shoes, I’d have put me on the top of the suspect list. You were certainly at the top of mine.”
She had guts, too. He had to admire that To buy himself some time, Nick took the tray out of the oven and began to transfer the cookies to a wire rack. Above the rich, sweet aroma, he could still catch her scent. Spring flowers.
“Are those chocolate chip cookies?”
Nick glanced at her, distracted by the mixture of accusation and longing in her voice. “Grady’s idea. He thinks the quickest way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach.”
“He could be right.”
“Go ahead, take one,” Nick offered.
“Oh, no. I can’t If I eat one, I could easily eat a dozen. Or more.”
Nick grinned. “A weakness?”
“Of catastrophic proportions.”
She was sitting with her hands clasped tightly in front of her, and it was only as she finished speaking that she dragged her gaze away from the cookies. So she wasn’t as self-contained as she appeared. It occurred to Nick that he might be developing a weakness of his own for a delicate-looking brunette with soft, brown eyes... But there were things he needed to know about Andie Field besides her weaknesses. “You said I was at the top of your list of suspects. You’ve eliminated me?”
Andie took a sip of her beer. “When Rose died, Sarah inherited a lot of money. Nothing I turned up in the check I ran on you suggests that you need any. Plus, as Sarah’s guardian, you already have control of her fortune until she’s twenty-one. And then there’s the fact that it was a very sloppy kidnapping attempt. From what I know about you, if you’d wanted to kidnap Sarah, you’d have succeeded.”
Nick studied her for a moment. Could she possibly be as ingenuous and straightforward as she seemed? Experience led him to doubt it. “I don’t yet know enough about you to eliminate you from my suspect list.”
“I assume that Lieutenant Mendoza is running a background check on me. What he’ll find is that I resigned from the Boston police force and recently opened my own private investigations office just outside of Boston. I’m in debt, but not more than I can handle. And if I had tried to kidnap Sarah, I wouldn’t have failed, either. But of course, you have to take my word on that.”
“What I’m really curious about is why my sister-in-law hired a private investigator to escort Sarah to Syracuse.”
“Rose and I were roommates in college. Mismatched to be sure. We joke’d that her family was probably paying my way. But we became friends. When she learned she was dying, she asked me to help her out.”
“And just what was it she asked you to do?”
“Rose had decided that you would make the best guardian for Sarah. I think what she wanted at first was a stamp of approval.”
“And you gave it?”
“No. First, I ran a check on you.”
She sat very still, he noted. No nervous gestures. But when she reached for the bottle of beer, her hand shook slightly. So she wasn’t as cool as she appeared. “You must have missed some of the good stuff.”
“Parts of your career with the navy were classified. That in itself answered some of my questions about your real business in the Caribbean. All in all, I was able to give Rose a fairly accurate picture. She called you the prodigal son.”
Nick’s eyes narrowed. He was impressed that she’d discovered or guessed as much as she had. “And the reason I left Heagerty Vineyards in the first place? Did Rose fill you in on that?”
“Not the details. But she seemed to think that you’d more than paid your debt.” Andie leaned toward him with a smile. “She was so pleased with your success here.”
“The prodigal son only wasted his inheritance, as I recall I’m guilty of much more than that. I’m the last person she should have assumed would take on the responsibility of raising a young girl. The least she could have done was ask me.”
“She did. She told me...she must have.”
When he merely shook his head, Andie opened her mouth, then closed it. Slipping from her stool, she began to pace.
It was the first time Nick had seen her control slip, if only slightly, but it gave him little satisfaction.
“I know she told me she asked you.” She walked back to the table as she searched her memory, recalling bits and pieces of her conversations with Rose. Of all the problems she’d expected to face, this wasn’t one of them. “I asked her right at the beginning if you’d be willing. She said ..” Andie, paused trying to remember Rose’s exact words. “Making a home for a child would be your salvation.”
“Not exactly a direct answer,” Nick commented.
“But it seemed... I assumed—”
“Much more than you should have. Not that I’m blaming you. Rose surely would have anticipated my answer.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re going to have to give Sarah to Rose’s second choice.”
“I can’t.” In the space between the table and the wall of the galley, she began to pace again “Maybe I should describe the runners-up. There’s her grandmother, a clone of your aunt Maggie. Rosamund Forrester believes that children should be perfectly behaved little dolls. She won’t even let Sarah watch movies! And Conrad, Rose’s brother! He’s a real beauty! He has a slight gambling addiction and views Sarah as a temporary respite from his financial difficulties, just until his mother dies. Damn it!” She slammed her hands down on the table. “Sarah’s a wonderful little girl. You can’t send her away.”
“I mean to do just that.”
“I won’t let you. She’s lost both her parents. And she’s just nine. Not that you’d notice, because she tries to act older. Too old. Have you even taken one minute to think about how she must feel? Betrayed. Deserted. And a little guilty, perhaps, because her mother died and she’s still alive.” Andie raised her hands and dropped them. “You can’t send her away. She thinks you’re funny, and her biggest worry right now is whether or not you like her.”
“Whether I like her or not doesn’t matter. I’m not fit to be Sarah’s guardian. And do you want to know why?” He took a deep breath. “Because twenty years ago, I was responsible for a little girl’s death.”
Andie simply stared at Nick. Before a single word came to her mind, a phone rang. Nick took it out of his pocket and flipped it open. “Yeah?... She’ll be right there.” He glanced at her. “Grady says Sarah’s having a nightmare. She’s asking for you.”
Halfway up the galley stairs, Andie turned back. “We’re not finished yet, Nick Heagerty.”
