Passion's Law (7 page)

“Look, Meredith.” He kept his tone easy, his touch gentle as he tilted up her face, forcing her to look into his eyes. “I feel a sense of responsibility
about you and Teddy. And I've always prided myself on being a man who takes care of his own. If you'll agree to two million, I can manage it, as long as you let me pay you a little at a time.”

Her eyes glittered with greed. “How little?”

He felt a thrill of victory and struggled not to gloat. “How about a hundred thousand now, and the rest later?”

She pretended to consider. In fact, it was more than she'd hoped for. After a moment she nodded. “All right. I want it in cash.”

“Of course. You don't think I want to leave a trail of checks, do you?”

Patsy patted his cheek. “That's what I've always loved about you, Graham. You and I are on the same wavelength.” She pressed herself closer. “Want to seal the bargain?”

He glanced toward the door, relieved to hear the sound of someone coming. “You know I'd love to, but not here in Joe's house.”

“It's my house, too.”

“Yes, of course.” He stepped back and actually smiled when the housekeeper entered. “I'll have that package delivered inside of a couple of weeks.”

As he beat a hasty retreat to the door, Patsy called after him, “Make it sooner.”

“A week, then.” He drained his Scotch in one long swallow and went off in search of friendlier company.

“Y
ou're leaving?” Joe was enjoying morning coffee in the courtyard when his brother entered at the same moment that he spotted Jackson carrying luggage to his car.

Graham helped himself to a cup and struggled to paste on a thin smile. After his encounter last night with Meredith, he couldn't wait to escape. “We've enjoyed your hospitality long enough. Besides, I really just wanted to see for myself that you were all right after this latest incident. Now that I know you're in the capable hands of Detective Law, I think it's time to get back to work.”

He saw his son stop to chat with Heather and nodded toward the two young people. “They make a handsome couple, don't you think?”

Joe shrugged. “I doubt that it matters what you or I think. It's what they think that counts.” He arched a brow. “Is Jackson interested in Heather?”

Graham frowned. “Who knows with kids today. He hasn't said one way or the other.”

“I wouldn't worry.” Joe drained his cup. “They'll have plenty of opportunities to get together. If they're meant to be, it'll happen in its own sweet time.”

“Thanks for that bit of wisdom.” Graham stuck out his hand. “Time to go. We've got a long drive ahead of us.” He set aside his coffee, eager to be on his way.

“I'll walk with you to the car.” Joe and his brother made their way to where Jackson and Heather were waiting.

After handshakes all around, and hugs between Jackson and Heather, Graham and his son settled themselves into separate cars. Minutes later Joe and Heather stood watching as they sped along the drive.

Joe glanced at his watch. “I'm going to be spending most of the afternoon in conference calls. Let's see if we can clear the last of the paperwork off my desk in the next hour or so.” He sighed. “Thanks
to you, we've managed to work our way through the bulk of it these past weeks.”

“I told you.” Heather kept pace beside him. “We make a great team.”

He grinned. “That we do, sweetheart. But for the next couple of days there won't be much work for the team.”

“Why?”

“Because one member is going to be spending an awful lot of time on the phone.”

“Then I'll just have to find something to occupy my time.”

Joe held his office door for her, then followed her inside. “There's always Diablo.”

Heather gave him an impish grin. “That's exactly what I was thinking.”

 

Heather waved to Joe as she walked out of his office. From the tone of his conversation, he would be tied up for the next hour or more with executives from Colton Enterprises.

She wandered to the kitchen and helped herself to iced tea before heading out the door. As she walked into the fresh air she breathed deeply and tipped back her head to take a long swallow. With a sigh of contentment she set the tall glass on the porch railing. As she did, she caught sight of a little
girl dancing through the garden, chasing after a butterfly.

A little girl?

Heather glanced around for the child's mother. Seeing no one nearby, she walked closer and dropped to her knees in front of the child.

“Hello. Aren't you beautiful!”

And she was. With long raven ringlets that fell to her shoulders and big eyes the color of cobalt. Added to that were the sweetest dimples when she smiled, making her absolutely stunning.

She was dressed in an adorable little dress of ice-blue. On her feet were canvas sneakers.

“What's your name?”

“Brittany,” the little girl said softly.

“Brittany. Oh, that suits you. It's as beautiful as you are.”

Again that smile that could melt glaciers.

“Where's your mama and daddy, Brittany?”

The little girl shrugged, then pointed at the butterfly, flitting from branch to branch of a nearby tree. “Oh, look. Isn't it pretty?”

“Yes, it is.” Heather picked up the little girl so that she could reach the branches. “See?”

The butterfly swooped, almost touching the outstretched hand, before flying away.

“Is it gone?” Brittany asked.

“Yes. I'm afraid it's gone. But maybe we'll find
another.” Heather set the child on her feet and caught her little hand in hers, leading her toward the house. “Are you hungry?”

Brittany nodded.

“All right.” At the porch Heather lifted her in her arms and carried her into the kitchen, setting her on a chair at the table. “You sit here and I'll try to figure out what you can eat. But first, we'd better tie a bib over that pretty little outfit.”

Taking a tea towel from a kitchen drawer, Heather fashioned a bib.

It didn't take too much effort to learn that little Brittany liked almost anything. Heather fixed a plate containing cereal in the shape of letters, pieces of cheese, and slices of red, ripe strawberries. Between bites, the child was happy to sip from a glass of apple juice.

They looked up as the door was yanked open and Thad Law stood scowling at the two of them.

“Daddy,” the little girl chirped.

“Daddy?” Heather knew her mouth was open, but she couldn't seem to close it. “She's…yours?”

For a moment Thad was beyond words. He simply scooped up the little girl and hugged her fiercely, closing his eyes as his ragged breathing subsided and the pounding of his heart gradually slowed.

But as his fear drained away, a newer, stronger emotion replaced it. A dark, blinding fury.

Very carefully he set down his daughter before lashing out at Heather. “What gives you the right to touch her? How dare you take her out of my car without my permission?”

“Your car?” She stared at him, trying to keep up with his shift in moods. “Are you saying you left this little girl in your car?”

“Don't play coy with me. Just answer the question.”

“And just what is your question, Detective Law?”

Surprise overcame anger. He gaped at her, then tried again. “Wait a minute. You didn't take her from my car?”

“I found her wandering around in the garden. So I brought her in and fixed her something to eat.” She glanced at the child who was now happily eating the rest of her strawberries.

Thad did the same and could see that she'd been carefully tended.

“Are you telling me Brittany got out of my car by herself?”

“If she didn't, there must be a genie nearby.” Now it was Heather's turn to lose her temper. “I can't believe anybody with even half a brain would leave a child alone in a car. Especially a man trained in safety. What did you expect her to do all day?”

“I didn't intend to be here all day. More like half
an hour. I wouldn't have come at all except that there was a report that one of the silent alarms went off at headquarters.”

“But why would you bring a baby along?”

“I'm not a baby,” the little girl called.

Both Heather and Thad glanced down to see her looking up at them.

“I'm a big girl, Daddy. You said so.”

“Yes, you are, honey.” He lifted her up and pressed a kiss to her hand. “Would you show Daddy how you got out of his car?”

“Okay.” She was laughing up into his eyes as he turned away.

Heather started after him. “This I've got to see.”

When they reached his car he opened the back door and set Brittany in her child seat, handing her a teddy bear before fastening the seat belt.

“That's all she had to occupy her time?”

He gave Heather a withering look. “I told you. I expected to be no more than half an hour.”

“To a child, that could seem like eternity.”

Her remark went right to his heart, since he knew it was the truth. To spare himself he decided to ignore it.

He turned back to his daughter. “Show Daddy what you did, honey.”

Brittany's little lips turned into a pout. “Teddy fell down.” She dropped the bear to the floor. “So
I had to get him.” She pressed the release on her seat belt, then climbed down and picked up the bear, setting it in her seat. “Teddy said he wanted to take a nap, so I let him.” With her fingers to her lips, to indicate that she would be quiet, she climbed into the front seat and jiggled the buttons on the door until the locks clicked. Then she opened the door.

“See, Daddy?” She was so proud of her accomplishment, he had no choice but to pick her up and kiss her little mouth.

Over her head he said to Heather, “I'm really sorry about that scene back there. I was scared out of my mind when I found my car empty. I was terrified that someone had snatched her.”

“Apology accepted. I don't blame you for being half-mad with fear. I would be, too.” She paused. “Why did you bring her with you?”

“Because the neighbor who usually sits for her had to fly out to be with her daughter, who's about to have a baby. And the girl who was supposed to replace her didn't show. I had no option.”

“Where's Brittany's mother?”

“She's dead.”

It was the last thing Heather had expected to hear. For the space of a moment she was too stunned to speak. Then she touched a hand to his arm. “Oh, Thad. I'm sorry.”

“It was three years ago. Brittany was only a year old. She doesn't even remember her mother.”

“And you've been taking care of Brittany alone?”

“Yeah.” He turned toward the car. “Thanks for rescuing her. But I think we'd better go home now.”

Heather surprised even herself by saying, “If you have something more to do here, I could take care of her.”

“You?” He turned back, staring at her as though she'd just announced she was an ax murderer.

She looked slightly embarrassed. “I don't know much about very young children. But we seemed to be getting along just fine before you came storming in.”

“What about your own work?”

She shrugged. “Uncle Joe said we were through for the day. And since I have nothing else planned…” Her voice trailed off.

He was studying her so closely she felt the heat rise to her cheeks.

“You're serious, aren't you?”

“Of course I am.”

He considered for a moment longer. Then he said to Brittany, “Would you like to stay with Heather for a while, honey?”

The little girl clapped her hands in delight, then held out her arms.

For a moment it was a toss-up as to which of them was more shocked—Thad or Heather.

Thad reluctantly handed her over to Heather and the little girl wrapped her chubby arms around her neck. “Can I have more berries?”

“If your daddy says so.” Heather glanced over at him.

It took Thad a minute to compose himself. It gave him the oddest feeling to see his daughter in the arms of this woman.

When he didn't answer, Heather said, “Thad, is it okay?”

He blinked. “Is what okay?”

“If Brittany has more strawberries?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Good.” She arched a brow. “Is something wrong?”

He shook his head. “No. Nothing's wrong. And, Heather?”

She turned to look at him, and he was struck by the two pair of eyes watching him. One pair soft sky-blue, the other the same midnight-blue as his own.

“Thanks. I really appreciate this.”

She laughed. “Maybe you'd better not thank me yet. You'd be wise to wait and see if I'm up to the task.”

 

It was after five o'clock when Thad finally wrote up his report and headed toward the house. Along the way he stopped at his car and tossed his suit jacket and tie into the back seat. Then, rolling the sleeves of his white shirt, he crossed the yard and paused at the kitchen.

Inez directed him to the courtyard, where he found Heather seated in a rocker with Brittany on her lap. Both were asleep. The little girl's head was resting in the crook of Heather's bent arm. A children's storybook had dropped to the floor at their feet. On a table beside them was a sweating glass of lemonade. Since all the ice had melted, Thad decided they'd both been sleeping for some time.

He knelt in front of them, feeling such a welling of love and peace in his heart. A far cry from what he'd felt when he'd first discovered his daughter missing from his car. He'd never known such icy terror in all his life.

He supposed it went with the territory. As a police detective, he was forced to deal with the dregs of humanity. He knew, more than most, just what unspeakable things man could do to man.

But as a father, he would do anything, pay any price, even at the cost of his own life, to spare his child even the smallest pain. There had been a few moments when he'd been almost blind with fear.

The relief he'd felt when he saw his daughter calmly eating had been the most overwhelming feeling he'd ever experienced.

He studied the woman holding his daughter in the circle of her arms. Her head was bent to one side, her lips pressed to Brittany's forehead. A diamond and emerald tennis bracelet winking at her wrist was almost hidden by Brittany's long black curls. The slacks she was wearing had probably cost what he earned in a day. Yet she seemed oblivious to the fact that they would be sweaty and wrinkled when she relinquished her hold on his little girl. The same was true of her silk blouse. It bore the evidence of berry stains and tiny hand smudges. Yet, if the smile on her face was any indication, she didn't seem to mind in the least.

As he watched the way the woman and child were breathing in a slow, steady rhythm, he felt the strangest ache around his heart.

At that moment Heather awoke. For the space of a single moment she looked confused. Then she glanced over at the little girl in her arms and smiled at him.

“I was reading her a story.”

“Yeah.” Needing something to do, he pretended that he'd been retrieving the book. He looked at the cover. “Goldilocks and the Three Bears?”

Heather chuckled. “It was the only one I could
find in Teddy's room that was suitable for a little girl.”