Embezzled Love (10 page)

"Why shouldn't I?" she asked. "You just admitted you were involved in one of the complaints they found."

"Yes, but I'm innocent. He walked around the table and knelt in front of her. "You have to know that. You can't think everything bad on the Internet under the name of Evan Dennis is about me."

What of the other cases she'd been shown? Dare she ask? She had to know.

"Evan, there was also a case in Reno, Nevada. Do you know anything about that one?"

He sat flat on the floor and lowered his head into his hands. "Christ, not again. I'm going to be haunted by that one for life." He lifted his chin. "Are you sure you want to hear what happened?"

She nodded. "Of course. I have to know that Frank and Alaine are wrong about you."

The story was similar to the first Evan told. He fell victim to another person who took advantage of his talents. After contracting to take part in building houses, Evan refused to instruct his crew to follow sub-standard procedures and produce less-than-safe homes. The money in question had already been spent on supplies when Evan walked away. The backer of the project phoned Evan and informed him he was filing charges.

Evan's tale provided a simple and logical explanation. "And that was it?"

He nodded.

The tension in Cassie's shoulders disappeared. "I'm so sorry," she said, touching his cheek. "I apologize for letting my sister and brother plant seeds of doubt in my mind. Don't pay them any attention. I certainly don't intend to from now on."

Evan clambered to his knees and pulled her close. "I'm glad I had a chance to discuss these things with you. I haven't always done the right thing, but I try. If you ever want to know anything about me, all you have to do is ask. I don't want no secrets between us."

She chuckled to lighten the moment. "I think you told me everything else during our lengthy phone conversations. You've been married, divorced, have two children…did you leave anything out?"

He smiled. "No, that about sums up my life, but please promise me one thing."

"What's that?"

"If you hear anything else bad about me, no matter the source, give me a chance to defend myself.

"I promise." She leaned in for a kiss.

* * *

In deep thought, Cassie poured over the insurance agreement on her desk. The shrill ring of the phone made her jump.

"Cassie Fremont."

"Cass, it's Alaine. I received another phone call from the police about that damned watch. What's going on?"

"I don't have a clue. I haven't heard anything since Carson filed the report."

"Well, it seems they are investigating my husband as the prime suspect."

"I'm sorry, Lainie. I never imagined things would go this far."

"Well, they have." Ice laced her tone. "Have they questioned Evan yet?"

"No, why would they?"

"He was there and had just as much access to the watch as Jay."

"Honestly, Alaine, you can't believe Evan would steal Carson's Rolex. How would he know it was there? Jay was the one who lounged in Carson's room all day, watching TV."

"So, you believe in Evan's innocence on all counts, but you think Jay's capable of stealing, right?"

Cassie paused. Her sister had been through enough already, and Cass didn't want to add to her stress. Still, Alaine hadn't seemed one bit upset when she dug up lies on Evan.

"Do you?" Alaine pressed."

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. The whole family knows Jay has a hard time keeping a job, and I believe he does drugs, too. Do you deny it?"

"How dare you! You point a finger at my husband when you know you have a fugitive from justice living under your roof. Frank and I gave you proof that Evan's a con man. He's taking you for a ride, Cassie. Why don't you wise up?"

"I dare because you don't know the whole story, missy. Evan and I discussed the things you and Frank found on the Web, and Evan explained everything to my satisfaction. You're wrong about him."

"Oh, my God. You are so pathetic. Since you didn't see fit to provide Evan's name to the cops, I'll do it for you. Seems only fair. If he's so innocent then you shouldn't mind.

Cassie glanced at the wall clock. She had an appointment in five minutes but didn't want to leave Alaine so angry. "I can't talk about this right now, I have a mandatory meeting to attend, but please don't involve Evan in this mess."

"You have to be kidding?" Alaine's voice elevated. "You implicate Jay, but I can't mention the person who most likely did the crime? Ha! Watch me."

"Please," Cassie tried one last time. "Don't do this. Let's talk about it later."

"There's nothing further to say. You've made your choice, now I'm making mine. I don't want to hear from you until you come to your senses about Evan."

The resulting slam of the phone caused Cassie to yank the receiver from her ear.

Chapter Eleven

"Hello?"

"Gloria, it's Cass. I need your advice." She perched in the middle of her bed. "I'm so confused."

"What's up, sis? You sound depressed. That's not like you. Is it Evan?"

"No, but the problem centers around him. Frank and Alaine are convinced Evan's conning me."

"And how did they come to that conclusion?"

"They researched the Internet and dug up everything they could on Evan Dennis. Of course, they found tons of things, some even listing the same middle name. They had me doubting him, Glo."

"Had? Do you still?"

"No, of course not. We talked, and he confessed he'd had some problems in the past, but his explanations made sense. I'm sure he's telling me the truth."

"Do you want me to call Frank and Alaine? I will, although we both know it probably won't fix anything. They're both so opinionated."

Cassie chuckled. "You hit the nail on the head. I knew Frank wouldn't like Evan because Frank never likes anyone I've brought around, but I never thought he'd go to such lengths to make Evan look bad…even drag Alaine into his crucifixion."

"I know Frank can be a pain at times, but…." Worry sounded in Gloria's voice.

"I know, I know. You want me to be certain Evan is who and what he claims to be."

"Please do. You know Cal and I both like Evan. He's a fun guy, but you do have to protect yourself."

"Cal likes him too?" Cassie ignored Gloria's warning.

"Yes. You know men don't say much about each other, but Cal told me Evan seemed like an all right guy. They did get along well, but then I don't know of anyone Cal doesn't like."

"Evan really liked you guys, too." Excitement turned the conversation in a totally different direction. "Let's get together soon. Seems pretty evident I'm not going to be socializing with anyone else in the family."

"Does that include Mom?" Gloria sounded shocked.

"Of course not. Mom doesn't judge. She only wants me to be happy. You know how she is. If we're happy, then she is, too."

"Give her our love. Try not to worry, but please make sure you do some research about Evan's background. I know you prefer to be safe rather than sorry."

"You always have a cliché for everything, don't you?"

Gloria laughed. "That's me, the cliché queen. Talk to you soon, sis…and keep me posted."

Tension-free, Cassie's shoulders relaxed after she hung up. At least the entire family didn't assume Evan was a scoundrel out to bilk her. Frank and Alaine were wrong. Evan couldn't possibly be the person they believed, and as Gloria suggested, a little of Cass' own research would prove him innocent.

She crossed to the window, pushed aside the drapes and peered outside. Her sexy cowboy busied himself, etching lines in the lawn where mow strips would go. Today, rather than his Stetson, he wore a baseball cap. Maybe California had already rubbed off on him. Her heart fluttered with a rush of emotion that just watching him stirred.

He'd worked outside all morning, planting new shrubs and putting in landscape lights. His muscular forearms strained against his shirt fabric, and even from the second story window, the sweat glistening on his brow clearly showed how hard he toiled. One didn't build guns like his by being lazy, and how could anyone doubt him when he worked so hard to make improvements on her home?

As if Evan sensed her watching, he looked up and waved. She blew him a kiss, then backed away from the window and let the curtain fall back into place. She nibbled the inside of her lip, questioning the need for any investigation of him. Any doubts had had been squelched as far as she was concerned, so what was the problem? Didn't everyone have a skeleton or two in their closet? Her secret indiscretion involved shoplifting two bathing suits in her teens, but surely Evan didn't need to know.

She rolled her eyes. Maybe he did. He'd promised a relationship based on honestly, so maybe at dinner, she'd tell him about her sordid past.

* * *

Cassie trudged in the back door, kicked off her shoes and dropped her bag on the sofa. What a day it'd been. Takeda called another unnecessary meeting, and out-of-town executives popped in, requiring Cassie to give them a guided tour and take them to lunch. On top of her busy schedule, she received a call from the police about that stupid watch. True to Alaine's word, she'd notified them of Evan's presence when the theft occurred.

When she returned the call to the detective, Cassie claimed a lapse in memory, assured them Evan was a houseguest with no access to upstairs or the Rolex. Detective Green seemed satisfied with her story. Perhaps the little bit of flirting she added to the conversation had helped. He actually confessed disappointment at hearing she had a boyfriend.

She sat, curled on the couch, when Evan entered the room, clad in only a bath towel. Water droplets, remaining from his recent shower, glistened on his chest hairs. He struck a sexy pose for her benefit. "Hi there, sexy lady. Wanna join me upstairs for a little Texas recreation?"

Cassie shook her head and stifled a giggle. "Thanks goodness Mom isn't home to see this. She might have a stroke."

"Hell, that's right!" he whipped off the towel and snuggled up against Cassie. "We don't even have to go upstairs."

"Evan!" She pushed him away. "What if Mom was home? You can't make a habit of parading around in the buff."

"Oh, purdy girl, I knew all along she wasn't here. Why else do you think I came downstairs wearing nothing but my birthday suit and terrycloth?" He leaned in and trailed his lips alongside her neck.

Arching her back, she craned away. "Not tonight, Evan. I've had a rough day."

His eyes widened. "Gee, I must be losing my touch. You've never turned me down before."

"Don't take it personally; I'm super tired tonight, both mentally and physically." She relaxed and stretched her legs across his lap. "Besides, putting up with Takeda and my job, I had to deal with the police over that crummy Rolex. Hell, I should have just bought Carson a new one and told him to forget filing the friggin' insurance claim. That would have saved a whole lot of trouble for everyone."

Evan's eyebrow arched. "What did the cops want this time?"

"I guess I forgot to tell you about the argument between me and Alaine. She wasn't happy that I didn't include your name in the police report, so she made sure you got added as a suspect."

"You forgot?" His eyes narrowed.

"Okay, I purposely didn't mention the exchange because I didn't want to worry you."

He pushed her legs aside, leaned forward, and hung his head into his palms. "Great, just great. That's all I need with my track record. If I so much as get a traffic ticket, I'm in trouble."

"What do you mean?" She straightened and clung to his arm.

He glanced up. "Those complaints out there have warrants attached to them. I didn't have the money for an attorney to fight the charges, so I moved away and hoped the law would forget about me. Having them investigate me is just gonna dredge up everything all over again."

"What if I pay for an attorney? We can clear you name and prove Frank and Alaine wrong."

"I can't let you do that. You've done so much already. I'm just thankful you believe in me."

"But, I want to do this for you…for us."

He massaged his chin and thought. "Okay, but only until we get this business going, and then you'll get every penny of your money back."

"Deal." She extended her hand. "I have connections at work. Let me make some calls tomorrow and see if I can set an appointment to speak to a good attorney."

Evan pulled her close and nuzzled her neck. "You're the best. How about I run you a warm bath? You relax while I fix us some dinner."

"That sounds wonderful." Cassie unfolded into a huge stretch. "My muscles are so tense they feel like they're going to snap."