Eddi was a job. An assignment…

Doug reminded himself of this fact as his eyes feasted on the way she moved. She was an assignment, yes, but she was also the most fascinating woman he’d ever met.

“Swear you won’t leave my side for an instant? Swear it or I won’t go,” Eddi said. “As long as you’re with me, I can do this.”

Ignoring the warning in his brain, Doug reached for her hand. He held it tenderly and reveled in the rush of desire that burned through him. “I’ll be right there with you every step of the way.”

Before he could fathom her intent, she leaned across and kissed his cheek. In that infinitesimal moment before she drew away, it took every ounce of discipline he possessed not to kiss her back. Not to draw her into his arms and kiss her the way she deserved to be kissed…

Guarding the Heiress
Debra Webb

www.millsandboon.co.uk

This book is dedicated to a bright, beautiful young lady who never lets anything stop her from reaching her goals. No matter what life has thrown her way, she always triumphs while showing kindness and generosity to all those around her. My niece, Tanya Kimble Turley, this book is for you and your very own Knight in Shining Armor, your husband, Ray.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debra Webb was born in Scottsboro, Alabama, to parents who taught her that anything is possible if you want it badly enough. She began writing at age nine. Eventually she met and married the man of her dreams and tried some other occupations, including selling vacuum cleaners and working in a factory, a day-care center, a hospital and a department store. When her husband joined the military, they moved to Berlin, Germany, and Debra became a secretary in the commanding general’s office. By 1985 they were back in the States, and they finally moved to Tennessee, to a small town where everyone knows everyone else. With the support of her husband and two beautiful daughters, Debra took up writing again, looking to mystery and movies for inspiration. In 1998 her dream of writing for Harlequin came true. You can write to Debra with your comments at P.O. Box 64, Huntland, Tennessee 37345, or visit her Web site at www.DebraWebb.com.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Epilogue

Prologue

“Are you sure this young woman is indeed a D’Martine heir?” The man studied him closely, as if he were some kind of bug under a microscope. “I need absolute certainty here. If what you say is true, then—”

“I know what I saw,” Joe said sharply. “And I know what it means. I’ve had twenty long years in the state penitentiary to think about it. That’s the only reason I went back there first thing when I got out.” He snorted, a disgustingly crude sound judging by the other man’s flinch. “You think I bagged that kid twenty-five years ago because I was lucky?”

The other man just stared at him with obvious impatience and no small amount of distaste.

“I bagged him so easy because he was distracted by his girlfriend. He was in love,” Joe added with an emphatic wave of his arms. “So damned in love he didn’t even notice I was following him until I’d nailed him.”

Another flinch from the guy who’d been his partner twenty-five years ago. A partner who hadn’t spent a solitary day behind bars and, from the looks of him, had suffered little considering their deal had gone so far south it had burned out somewhere in the vicinity of the equator. Instead of landing a ten-million-dollar ransom as they had planned, they’d ended up with a body to dispose of and nothing to show for their trouble.

He—the silent partner—had insisted they were never to see each other, or even to speak to each other, again. After all, it was his hind end in the sling. The high-and-mighty partner was the mastermind behind the whole plan. Course it wasn’t his fault the package had gotten damaged.

Old Joe had no one to blame for that except himself. He’d screwed up. Had too much to drink and the young heir had died as a result, leaving Joe and his partner nothing to do but dump the body and make sure no evidence pointed toward either of them. They’d gotten away with it, by George. Not a soul on earth knew they had been the ones. If Joe hadn’t gotten into that other trouble a little later, he’d have walked away clean with a number of crimes to his credit.

But, fact was, he’d spent twenty years in prison. The whole time he’d thought of little else except what he’d missed by screwing up that kidnapping. He could have been drinking tequila down in Cancún; instead, he was wasting away in a cell. Then it had dawned on him that maybe there was hope for a second chance. He’d seen how crazy that rich boy had been over the waitress he’d sneaked away from his hotshot college every weekend to see. A girl like that had no hopes in hell of snagging herself a rich boy without a little leverage, planned or not. Joe had thought on it ever since. The very day the state released him from prison he’d gotten on a bus and headed straight for Meadowbrook, Maryland. He’d hung out for a few days, laying low and acting nonchalant. And, lo and behold, he’d been right.

There was another D’Martine heir. No way could he be wrong. The girl was the spitting image of her daddy. All Joe needed was his old partner to make it happen. To have a second chance at the rest of his life in the land of luxury and pleasure. Damned D’Martines had too much money anyhow. It wouldn’t hurt them to share a little. This time he’d make sure nobody got damaged until he had what he wanted.

“All right,” his partner finally relented. “I’ll set things in motion.” He started to turn away, then hesitated. His face turned as hard as the rock wall that surrounded the prison Joe had only recently departed. “But this time there will be no mistakes.”

Joe smiled. “No mistakes.”

Old Joe might be a little slow, but he never, ever made the same mistake twice.

History was about to repeat itself.

And no one would see it coming.

Chapter One

Doug Cooper waited impatiently in Victoria Colby’s office, his anticipation mounting. He’d been stuck on desk duty since taking that bullet six weeks ago. Lucky for him it hadn’t hit anything vital, just put him out of commission temporarily.

But now he was ready to get back to work. He was immensely bored with reading reports and studying case scenarios. He was ready for some action. Victoria had briefed him last week on the first case in which he would serve as lead investigator. He wasn’t particularly thrilled with the assignment, but he would deal with it. The case, as Victoria had said, was somewhat sensitive and required an investigator with a certain background. Doug understood all that. But that didn’t mean he liked it.

He preferred to keep his background exactly there—in the background. He’d worked too hard to put that past behind him. But, as Victoria had said, that very past was pertinent to the case. And Doug wanted his first assignment as a lead investigator. Wanted it badly enough that he was willing to do whatever was required of him. If his roots as the middle son of one of the wealthiest families in America today—one which had been called the last American royal family—would ensure his ability to complete this assignment, he would utilize the highbrow upbringing and sophisticated education that came with the DNA sequence to which he’d been born.

He thought of the poor unsuspecting female whose life was about to change and felt a twinge of regret. Edwinna Harper had no idea what was about to come her way. Some would say she’d been blessed by fate, but Doug knew better. The gene pool lottery she’d just won carried a high price.

Solange D’Martine was long thought to be the final member of the wealthy D’Martine family line. The last heir to an international jewelry empire that went back for half a dozen generations. Solange, however, was a D’Martine by marriage, not by blood. Still, since there was no one else, she was it. Nearly seventy and agoraphobic, the woman had little in the way of a real life. A nudge of sympathy made Doug sigh. He was certain the lady was lonely. The discovery of an heir would have a dramatic impact on her life. Not to mention it would ensure that the family tradition of designing and trading jewels would, perhaps, carry on despite a tragic past.

Doug had read the file on the devastating events that had befallen the family. The son, Edouard D’Martine, had been the sole heir to the empire, which had its roots in France. During his final year of law school, Edouard had been kidnapped and held for ransom and something had gone terribly wrong. The body was found but the case was never solved. His father had died a short time later from a heart attack, brought on, most believed, by the tragedy. Solange D’Martine had suffered her losses alone. There were some things money simply could not buy and she had learned that the hardest way of all.

Now, a granddaughter, one Edwinna Harper, had been discovered by a close family confidant. The young woman lived in Meadowbrook, Maryland, and worked with her father—or, at least, the man she thought to be her father—in his family-owned hardware store. Edwinna’s mother, Millicent, had abruptly married Harvey Harper nearly twenty-six years ago after discovering she was pregnant. Doug wondered why, if in fact Edwinna was Edouard D’Martine’s biological child, Millicent hadn’t come forward and announced to the world that she carried the child of the recently deceased sole heir to such a massive fortune. Proving paternity, even twenty-five years ago, wasn’t that difficult. But Millicent, better known as Milly, had remained oddly silent.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Douglas,” Victoria said as she entered the large office that overlooked the heart of Chicago from the fourth floor of the twenty-story skyscraper that sat only two blocks from the Magnificent Mile. At this hour of the morning shoppers would already be milling about the sidewalks, rushing from one prestigious department store to the next. As she settled behind her wide, polished oak desk, Victoria continued, “I received a call this morning from the D’Martine attorney, Mr. Thurston. Mrs. D’Martine would like us to proceed immediately.”

Doug nodded. “I’m ready. I can leave this afternoon.”

“Fine. You should arrange a rendezvous time with Mr. Thurston.” Victoria studied Doug a moment before adding, “I know that the threat to Miss Harper is only theory, but I want you to approach this assignment as if it were fact.”

“Of course.”

Something changed in Victoria Colby’s eyes then. He’d seen it before anytime the case of a missing child came up. “It would be impossible to properly communicate the depth of pain involved with the loss of a child.” She swallowed with difficulty and moistened her lips. “I can fully understand Mrs. D’Martine’s desire to be particularly cautious. This young woman is all that remains of her son. Whatever is required for you to protect Miss Harper from harm and to prepare her for the change that is about to take place in her life, you will have this agency’s full support. Don’t hesitate to follow your instincts. Whatever is necessary.”

Doug nodded again. “Rest assured. I won’t disappoint Mrs. D’Martine or this agency.”

Victoria’s somber expression relaxed into a smile. “I’m quite certain you won’t disappoint us.”

After discussing a few additional minor details, Doug took his leave. A final arrangement or two remained unsettled, such as packing for an indefinite stay in Meadowbrook, Maryland. But only one thing actually concerned him, the ability to keep his true identity secret. If the media got wind of the D’Martine story, especially the tabloids, they would be on it like starving predators going in for the kill. Keeping his face out of the limelight might just prove impossible. His jaw clenched automatically. Somehow he had to do it. Though Doug loved his family, he had no intention of going back to that life. His family might not understand his decision but they respected it. The media, however, respected very little when it came to a hot story.

Edwinna Harper, known to her friends as Eddi, wasn’t the only one in danger of losing control of her life here.

Douglas Jamison Cooper-Smith, aka Doug Cooper, had a few secrets of his own.

“I’LL SEE YOUR TEN and raise you twenty.”

Eddi Harper paused, wrench midturn, and eyed the card-playing foursome from her position beneath the kitchen sink. This friendly little game of poker had just gotten serious. Ms. Minnie never, ever bet more than ten dollars. A fat droplet of water from the leaking s-trap hit Eddi smack in the middle of her forehead and reminded her of what she was supposed to be doing. She swiped her forehead with her sleeve, then quickly gave the ring another turn, her gaze still glued to the elderly ladies seated around the antique dining table belonging to Ms. Ella Brown.

Mattie Caruthers, Minnie’s fraternal twin, raised a speculative eyebrow at her sister. “Call,” she stated crossly as she slapped her wager down.

“Now, Mattie, no need to get your knickers in a wad,” Ella scolded teasingly before placing her own twenty atop the others. “Adventure is good for the soul.”

Irene Marlowe looked up from her splay of cards and smiled at her friends, then placed her bill in the growing pot. “Before we reveal what we’re holding,” she began in that lusty voice that had once made her a small fortune on the silver screen, “we have another matter to discuss.” Irene flicked an assessing glance in Eddi’s direction.

Eddi frowned. She twisted the ring one final turn, visually checked her work, then scooted from under the sink. After reaching up and turning on the faucet, she squatted between the open cabinet doors and watched the s-trap for any leaks while the water flowed through the newly installed pipes. She kept a careful watch on the ladies from the corner of her eye. Eddi had a feeling that she was about to hear the down and dirty on some poor unsuspecting Meadowbrook citizen.

“You all may have forgotten, but at the end of this month our Eddi turns twenty-five,” Irene reminded. Three properly horrified gazes flitted to Eddi then back to Irene.

Eddi cringed inwardly as she got to her feet. So, she was the poor unsuspecting citizen. Ms. Irene made it sound as if she had developed some terminal illness rather than simply having grown another year older. “All done here, Ms. Ella,” Eddi announced as if neither she nor her birthday had been mentioned. Maybe she could derail wherever this was going. And maybe the tooth fairy was real.

“Put it on my account at the hardware,” Ella told her quickly, not wanting to spare too much attention from the discussion that was no doubt about to blossom.

“This is not good,” Minnie said knowingly. She shook her head slowly from side to side. “Not good at all.”

“We have to do something,” Mattie chimed in. “Before it’s too late.”

Too late? Eddi made a face as she rounded up her tools. Sure, she didn’t have a romantic prospect in sight, but she hadn’t really looked. Who had the time? And it wasn’t as if Meadowbrook was brimming with young, single males. But “too late” somehow sounded like a bit of overkill.

Ella took a long, thoughtful draw from her illegally imported Cuban cigar, then tilted her head and blew out the resulting smoke. “You’re right,” she offered finally. “We have to do something, otherwise our Eddi is doomed.”

Eddi glared at the foursome and opened her mouth to argue, but Minnie spoke before she could. “Here, Ella, dear, have some more Remedy.” Minnie freshened Ella’s iced tea by adding a little of what Eddi knew to be moonshine from the mason jar sitting next to the tea pitcher.

“Thank you.” Ella took a hearty swallow and gingerly patted her ample bosom. She sighed. “That’s just what I needed.”

“The way I see it,” Irene said, garnering the group’s attention once more, “a prime opportunity has fallen into our laps.”

“Oh, do tell,” Mattie crooned.

Eddi looked from one blue-haired lady to the next, then shrugged and turned to finish packing up her tools. It was useless to try to stop them. This wouldn’t be the first time, or the last, Eddi would bet, that her marital status, or lack thereof, would be discussed by Meadowbrook’s most respected matriarchs. The women loved playing Cupid.

“What opportunity?” Minnie asked eagerly of Irene’s enigmatic announcement.

“I saw a very handsome young man checking into Ms. Ada’s boardinghouse this morning,” Irene explained with a dreamy look on her well-preserved face. “He reminded me instantly of JFK Jr. Devilishly handsome, I tell you. My heart hasn’t reacted like that since my first on-screen kiss.”

Eddi stilled, her fingers on the latches of her bright red toolbox. In a small town like this no stranger went unnoticed. Eddi’d seen the guy. He was the kind of man who inspired phrases like drop-dead gorgeous. At just over six feet, she estimated, and one hundred seventy pounds, the man appeared lean and solid. Not that she made it a habit of sizing up men, especially strangers, but there was just something about this one that aroused her natural curiosity. Thick, dark hair and piercing blue eyes adorned a face that was chiseled to sinfully handsome proportions.

Eddi blinked away the image. The man had rolled into town in his black SUV at nine this morning, all mysterious and good-looking, and, she glanced at her wristwatch, at only two-fifteen, the Club was already talking about him. She glanced at the members in question. No one knew exactly what this “club” did. It was anyone’s guess. However, their matchmaking was legendary in these parts. She doubted a soul in town knew what the subject of their discussion did for a living or where he’d come from as of yet, and still she’d bet they had already reached a number of conclusions.

But, Eddi admitted as she chewed her lower lip, there was something that bothered her about the man. It wasn’t anything in particular. Maybe something about the way he carried himself. Though she was far from world wise, the one word that came to mind was dangerous. The man was like no other she had ever seen, in real life anyway. And Eddi had every intention of giving him a wide berth if their paths crossed. Assuming he stayed in town longer than the night.

“Oh, I saw him, too,” Mattie and Minnie chimed simultaneously. Ella nodded, “So did I.”

For goodness’ sake. Eddi suppressed the urge to heave a sigh and shake her head. Did these ladies do nothing but peek out their windows all day long? Well, she amended, when they weren’t playing cards and sipping Remedy. She felt immediately contrite. The elderly foursome was harmless and well-meaning. She should just cut them some slack.

“The only two bachelors the right age left in Meadowbrook think of Eddi as just another one of the boys,” Irene was saying with all the drama she had honed over the past half century as an actress. “We certainly can’t match her up with either of them, and frankly, ladies, our time is running out.”

Eddi snapped shut the latches on her toolbox and pushed to her feet. “Ms. Irene, I appreciate your concern,” she began, “but I—”

“But what do we know about the gentleman?” Mattie interjected, cutting Eddi off. “He could be a drifter.” Her expression sparkled with renewed interest. “Or…a spy.”

Ella rolled her eyes and demanded, “What’s to know?” She took another drag from her cigar. “No wedding ring, so he’s single. Handsome as they come. And Ada said he used one of those credit cards that have no spending limit. He’s probably loaded.”

Eddi’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. No ring didn’t mean anything and a high credit line certainly didn’t equate to wealth. These ladies were shameless! Their conclusions were foolish and unfounded. And they thought Eddi was naive. Enough was enough. “Ms. Ella, I—”

“Run along now, Eddi,” Ella scolded gently. “We’ll take care of this little problem for you.”

“He could be an ax murderer for all we know,” Minnie countered suddenly, as if the idea had only just occurred to her. “He had that…that look, you know.”

Mattie pooh-poohed her sister’s suggestion. “What would an ax murderer be doing in Meadowbrook?” She glared at Minnie. “That look you’re referring to is intrigue. The man’s a regular Pierce Brosnan.”

“Ladies,” Eddi said more firmly. She set her hands on her hips and strode to the dining table so that she could glare down at the meddling old biddies more effectively. “I’m not looking for a husband.”

Ella tipped her cigar ashes into a nearby ashtray. “It’s the curse,” she announced solemnly.

Confusion swiftly replaced Eddi’s irritation. “Curse?” A bad feeling edged into the back of her mind.

Minnie nodded gravely and looked from one to the other until her gaze came to rest steadily on Eddi. “It’s affected the Harper women, as well as the Talkingtons on your momma’s side, for generations.”

“Every female who didn’t marry by the age of twenty-five, never married,” Ella explained. “Your aunt Jess, your great-aunt Rosie, your cousin Mildred.” Ella shrugged. “The list goes on and on. Your momma scarcely made it herself.” The four shared another knowing look.

“Come on,” Eddi countered. “You don’t really believe that stuff.” She looked to Irene, usually the most levelheaded one of the matchmaking group. “Those are just coincidences.” This was ridiculous. How could they believe this nonsense? It was laughable. Eddi licked her suddenly dry lips.

Almost.

She quickly ran down the history of the named relatives, then considered her own unattached, uninvolved, admittedly romanceless state and dread pooled in her tummy. Maybe they were right. Maybe she was doomed to live a life alone, struggling to keep the hardware from going under.

“Eddi, honey, I’m afraid my friends are right,” Irene soothed. “I’m not a suspicious person by nature, but the facts speak for themselves.”

Eddi threw up her hands and waved them back and forth as if she could erase the whole subject. “This is the new millennium, ladies, it’s okay to be twenty-five and single.”

Ella lifted one finely arched gray eyebrow. “But how many twenty-five-year-old virgins do you know?”

The blush started at her toes and rushed all the way to the roots of Eddi’s carefully braided hair. “Have a nice afternoon, ladies,” she said pointedly. “I think that’s my cue to go.” Eddi pivoted and strode toward her waiting toolbox.

“Come on, Eddi,” Irene cajoled. “It’s not your fault your father had to have your help every spare moment since you turned thirteen. Your mother’s accident didn’t permit her to provide the extra set of hands he needed. All you’ve ever known is that hardware store. When other little girls were playing dolls and dress-up, you were learning how to handle a wrench and to swing a hammer. You played baseball and basketball when you were a teenager instead of wearing cheerleader skirts or taking dance lessons.”

Minnie nodded her agreement. “Your male peers were all too in awe of your athletic ability to ask you for a date.”

Eddi snatched up her toolbox. “It’s not like I’ve never had a date,” she snapped.

“Don’t get yourself worked up, girlie,” Mattie put in sternly. “Everything is going to be just fine.” She smiled then and winked at Eddi. “You’ll see.”

Eddi blew out a breath of frustration. “Have a nice day, ladies.” The well-painted smiles plastered across those sweet, wrinkled faces did nothing to set Eddi at ease as she let herself out the back door. She loaded her toolbox into the back of her pickup truck, dusted her hands on her faded overalls and slid behind the steering wheel. The ancient engine started on the first turn of the key in the ignition. Eddi shifted into reverse and backed up far enough to turn around. She had a full day ahead of her. She didn’t have time to waste worrying about husbands or boyfriends, or even dates.

A choked laugh slipped past her lips. So what if she was about to turn twenty-five? There would be plenty of time for her to find a husband and start a family of her own later. With the supercenters located only a few miles away in Aberdeen, keeping the family hardware going was all she could manage, and she accomplished that by the skin of her teeth.

Besides, a good-looking stranger was about as far from husband material, in her opinion, as a member of the male species could get. She knew nothing about the man. So what if he was intriguing? Handsome?

Eddi shivered and pressed harder on the accelerator as she pulled onto the street. She headed toward the town’s square and the hardware store. She didn’t need a husband. All she needed was the promise of plenty of work to make ends meet the rest of the month.

A little tingle beneath her belly button instantly belied her words.

Eddi stiffened her spine and put a stop to that foolishness. Irene and her buddies were getting to her, that’s all. No tall, dark and handsome stranger was going to roll into town and sweep her off her feet. She’d been a good girl her whole life, she wasn’t about to start making mistakes now. It didn’t take experience in the “sex” department to know that knights in shining armor didn’t exist.

She parked in front of the hardware and shut off the truck’s engine. The best she could hope for from the handsome stranger was that he’d have some sort of plumbing emergency that required her expertise. With a dry laugh that was a touch too brittle, Eddi strolled through the old-fashioned double doors and into Harper’s Hardware, established 1918 by her great-grandfather.

“Hey, Dad.” Eddi stepped behind the scarred counter and pressed a kiss to her father’s waiting cheek. “Been busy?”

She knew the answer before she asked the question. Small-town hardware stores were nearly a thing of the past. The supercenters had all but put them out of business. But the Harpers hung on, just barely. They weren’t going down without a fight. Not as long as Eddi was still breathing.

“’Bout the same as usual,” her dad offered his routine reply as he handed her a couple of messages.

Eddi stared at him for a long while before her gaze moved down to the messages in her hand. His gray hair was cut short, his brown eyes more solemn than usual. Her father had always been such a pleasant and jovial man, but when bills piled up, his expression grew more and more grave. She knew he worried, even more so lately. He was worried particularly now. Another three months like the past three and they’d have to consider selling out. She did all she could, just as he did, and most times it managed to be enough. But that little bit of luck had run entirely too thin of late. They’d never make it through the winter if business didn’t pick up. There would be no more loans from the bank. Barring a miracle, this time next year…well, she wasn’t going to think about that.

She would not give up. Knowing how her father worried always got to her, but she had to be strong. She inhaled a big, bolstering breath. Now was not the time to be a wimp.

She gave her father the brightest smile in her repertoire of masks and produced an optimistic tone. “Well, I’ve been busy all morning. If this keeps up, by the end of the week we’ll be in good shape.”

His smile was slow in coming, but it came. “We always get by. Thanks to you.”

Eddi quickly shifted her focus to the messages so her father wouldn’t see the tears shining in her eyes. They would make it, she would see to it. Mrs. Fairbanks’s commode tank probably still wasn’t filling properly. Sometimes those fill valves could be a major pain. Eddi shuffled to the next message. Colleen Patterson needed a leak stopped in her bathtub faucet. Eddi could handle those before calling it a day, making today’s tally pretty darned good.

She gathered a new fill valve and the seals Mrs. Patterson’s faucet most likely needed. Before too long Mrs. Patterson was going to have to surrender to the inevitable and spend the money for a new faucet. Eddi wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep that ancient contraption working. But she’d give it her best shot.

“Almost forgot,” her dad said abruptly. “Your mom called. She needs you to come by the house before you go anywhere else.” He frowned. “She sounded a little odd. Swore there was nothing wrong, but insisted I send you home the next time you stopped in for your messages.”

Eddi nodded and beamed another smile. “I’m on my way.” She gave her father a little salute and headed for the door. Her forced smile slipped into a frown. Her mother rarely interrupted Eddi’s workday. She hoped nothing was wrong. Three days after Eddi’s thirteenth birthday her mother had been involved in a horrendous car crash. Though she’d survived, the accident left her with debilitating physical consequences. She could walk with a cane and only short distances at that. Even after dozens of surgeries and years of therapy she couldn’t manage any of the housecleaning or cooking that involved more than a minimal amount of walking or standing. She was, however, a woman of perpetual optimism. Eddi scarcely remembered a day in her life that her mother hadn’t worn a smile.

Eddi clung to that optimism, made it her own. It was all that got her through the really tough days since she’d learned a long time ago that fairy godmothers didn’t exist any more than knights in shining armor did and that all the wishes in the world wouldn’t change what was meant to be.

DOUG PRESSED THE DOORBELL a third time and waited for an answer. Next to him on the wide veranda, Mr. Thurston, the D’Martine attorney, adjusted his tie and looked immensely put out by having to wait past the first summons of the home’s door chimes.

“I knew we shouldn’t have called to warn the woman that we were coming,” Thurston muttered. “She’s probably made a run for it already.”

Choosing to ignore the pretentious attorney, Doug used the time to catalog his surroundings. The Harper home was a small craftsman bungalow with an inviting veranda and a neat, well-kept appearance that made one feel immediately at ease. Well, Doug amended, perhaps anyone but a man like Thurston who likely equated time with money and had already tallied a significant total since leaving Martha’s Vineyard.

Like the Harper home, the yard was immaculately maintained. Autumn’s first castoffs lay sprinkled about on the lush green grass and bursts of colorful pansies overflowed several pots bordering the four steps that divided the lawn from the veranda.

Finally, the painted door swung inward and a frail woman, wholly dependent upon the cane in her right hand to stay vertical, peered guardedly at them. “Why are you here?”

Millicent Harper. He recognized her from the case files he had reviewed. Her once honey-colored hair was now gray and her brown eyes looked dull with worry as if she expected the worst news. Doug suffered a moment of regret for what he was about to be a party to. But, unfortunately, it was necessary. Edwinna Harper could be in danger when the media discovered her true identity. If someone close to the family had recognized her and rushed to tell Mrs. D’Martine, it was only a matter of time before the right person from the media circus that followed the rich and famous stumbled into Meadowbrook and did the same.

“Mrs. Harper,” Thurston said, manufacturing a smile that made his face look as if it were about to crack. He extended one well-manicured hand and added, “I’m Brandon Thurston, attorney for the D’Martine family. My associate, Mr. Cooper—” he gestured vaguely to Doug “—phoned you earlier.”

Millicent Harper’s demeanor grew even more guarded at the mention of the D’Martine name. She made no move to shake the attorney’s outstretched hand. “What do you want?”

“Mr. Cooper is an investigator from Chicago,” Thurston said pointedly, leaving out the pertinent details for intimidation purposes. “Mrs. Harper, we’d like to come in. We have a very important matter that should be discussed in private. I think you know the subject.”

She nodded, the gesture seemingly dazed. Doug imagined she felt just that way. A ghost from a twenty-five-year-old past had just invaded her present. It couldn’t be a good feeling, especially when she had so obviously built her life well away from that past.

Once they were inside and seated, Doug quickly surveyed the room. Same as the outside, neat, well-maintained, comfortable-looking. Pictures of Edwinna Harper dotted the mantel and walls. The Harpers were clearly proud of their one and only child.

“What is it you want from me?” There was no mistaking the fear in her voice or the wariness.

“Mrs. Harper,” Doug said before the mouthpiece next to him on the sofa could screw things up any worse. “We’re here about your daughter, Edwinna.”

Millicent’s eyes widened slightly and her breath caught audibly. “Oh?”

Doug nodded. “Yes, ma’am. We believe Edwinna is the daughter of the late Edouard D’Martine. Can you tell us if that assessment is correct?” Before she could speak, Doug added, “Please be aware that certain steps have already been taken to reach that conclusion.” A DNA sample had been taken without Edwinna’s knowledge. It was not exactly on the up-and-up, but the deed was done and had been relatively easy to do for whomever the D’Martines had hired for the job. All one needed was a glass the person had used or an envelope with a licked and sealed flap. Hell, even a toothbrush would work just fine. In this case, a soft-drink bottle had been obtained.

Something like defeat stole across Millicent Harper’s face. She stared at the floor a moment before meeting Doug’s eyes once more. “Before I can tell you anything I have to talk to my daughter first.”

“Mrs. Harper,” Thurston pressed, “we know all we need to. But, there are things you need to know.”

She shook her head, tears shining in her eyes. Doug hated himself for being a party to this. They were about to unravel this woman’s carefully constructed life. What if her husband didn’t know? But, then, how could he not? Doug’s gut clenched in sympathy. “We’re not here to cause trouble, ma’am,” he put in quickly, hoping to allay her fears. “We want to help your daughter.”

She held up both hands in a plea for silence. “I have to talk to my daughter first. We can have this discussion later.” Her gaze collided with Doug’s. “Please.”

Doug tried to reassure her with his eyes as he stood. “Of course.” He stared down at Thurston and gave him a look that dared him to argue otherwise. “You can find us at the boardinghouse.”

Millicent nodded, relief evident in her face. “I’ll call you after I’ve told my daughter.”

“Told me what?”

All eyes shifted to the front of the room where Edwinna Harper stood in the doorway.

Edwinna, her expression fiercely guarded, looked from Thurston, who only then pushed to his feet, to Doug and then to her mother. “Who are these people? And what is it you have to tell me?”

Chapter Two

Dead silence filled the room for the space of three beats.

Millicent’s gaze swung to Doug’s. “Please,” she urged.

Knowing full well what she wanted, Doug nodded and offered both Millicent and Edwinna a smile. “You know where to reach us,” he reminded the mother. Then he ushered a still-speechless Thurston toward the door. Thurston stalled there, apparently unable to tear his startled gaze from the young woman standing to one side waiting for them to pass.

“My God,” Thurston murmured.

“Let’s go,” Doug insisted, giving Thurston another nudge toward the entry hall. The resemblance between Edwinna and her grandmother D’Martine was uncanny to say the least. But now was not the time to hang around and gawk.

Eddi watched the two strangers exit through the front door with a mixture of anxiety and fear tangling in her belly. Part of it, she confessed, was from the up-close encounter with the gorgeous guy Irene and her pals had gone on so about. The other part, however, was something she couldn’t quite label. What were these men talking to her mother about? Her gaze moved back to where her mom still sat in her favorite rocker-recliner, and the knot of anxiety tightened. Milly looked more frightened than Eddi had ever seen her in her entire life.

“What’s wrong? What did those men want?” She hurried to her mother’s side before she put herself through the physical rigor of getting up. If those guys were bill collectors she was going to teach them a thing or two about manners. The Harpers might be a little late on payments now and then, but they never failed to pay.

Crouching near Milly’s chair, she searched those usually smiling brown eyes and found only pain. “Please, Momma, tell me what’s happened.”

Milly nodded. “I want you to sit down over there.” She gestured to the couch. “I have some things to explain to you.”

Feeling her own tension heighten, but needing desperately to hear what her mother had to say, Eddi obediently settled on the couch. She wondered briefly how long those men had been here pestering Milly. Then she chastised herself for not coming sooner. If she hadn’t piddled so at Ms. Ella’s house to listen to the matchmaking plot, she could have been here already.

Milly Harper moistened her lips and blinked away the tears in her eyes. The strength Eddi knew her mother to possess visibly surged and the uncertainty she’d seen moments ago all but vanished.

“There are things I should have told you long ago.” She cleared her throat and propped both hands on her cane. “But, selfishly, I chose not to. Now it will be all the more difficult.”

Eddi’s confusion mounted with each passing second. “What on earth are you talking about?”

Milly took a big breath and began, “Twenty-six years ago I graduated high school and thought I had the world by the tail.” She shrugged one shoulder. “My family didn’t have any money to speak of, but that wasn’t going to stop me. I’d won a scholarship, enough to pay my tuition and such. So, off I went to Boston, to a school I never dreamed I’d have the opportunity to attend. I picked up a waitressing job to keep a little money in my pocket.” Her gaze took on a distant look. “I was on my way.”

For a long while Milly said nothing else. Eddi knew that she was remembering. She couldn’t imagine why she’d never heard this story before. She hadn’t even known her mother had attended college, much less some fancy Boston institution.

“I met someone.” She fidgeted a bit, the uncertainty creeping back. “He was a little older than me and in his final year of law school.” She smiled through the layer of emotion that now shimmered in her eyes. “We fell in love immediately.” She shook her head. “It was just like a fairy tale. He was this handsome prince and I was the lowly peasant who’d captured his fancy and his heart.”

Eddi was suddenly enthralled by the story, having forgotten all about the strangers she’d found in her own living room. “Mother, you never told me you’d been in love with someone else before Dad.”

Milly’s eyes met Eddi’s briefly. “Well, we all have our secrets.”

Another moment of taut silence lapsed between them.

“We had it all planned out. As soon as he graduated we planned to marry.” Her gaze flicked to Eddi’s. “His parents would never have approved of him marrying a small-town girl like me. But he didn’t care. We were in love and that’s all that mattered.”

The fervor in her mother’s voice emphasized the truth in her words. She had been in love with the young man of which she spoke. Deeply in love. Eddi’s heart rate picked up its pace in anticipation of more of the story.

“He was about to go home for spring break, his graduation was only weeks away.” She smiled sadly. “And we were so happy. I told him then…he was going home to break the news to his parents and then he was coming back for me. He wasn’t even going to wait for his graduation….” Her voice trembled then trailed off for a time. When she spoke again, her words were strained. “But he never made it home. Someone, we don’t know who since the crime was never solved, kidnapped him…held him for ransom.”

“Oh my God.” Eddi rushed to her mother’s side, crouching next to her and taking her hand in hers in a show of comfort. “That’s horrible.”

“The ransom was never picked up and no one could understand why, until the…body was found.” Her lips trembled and she had to take a second to compose herself. “Whatever went wrong, he wound up dead.”

“I’m so sorry, Momma,” Eddi soothed. Something niggled at her and she asked, “What did you mean when you said you told him then? Told him what? What made him decide he wasn’t going to wait for graduation to speak to his parents?”

Milly’s gaze connected with hers and Eddi knew the truth even before she spoke. “That I was pregnant with his child…with you. That’s why we were so happy.”

Eddi went ice cold then fiery hot. Her head shook of its own volition. She thought of the man she knew as her father…of all that he’d done for her…all that he’d been to her. “That can’t be true. Daddy—”

“Knows the truth,” Milly put in. “He knew right up front. But he’d loved me since the third grade. He knew I was in love with Edouard, but he was gone. Your father was willing to play second fiddle if it meant spending the rest of his life with me. He loved me that much. I thank God for him every day. He’s all that kept me from losing my mind.”

Eddi managed to make her way to the couch. She wasn’t sure she could have stayed upright just then, her legs felt too unsteady. She had to sit down. This was crazy. She was Eddi Harper, daughter of Milly and Harvey Harper. The story she’d just heard simply couldn’t be.

Then all the signs hit her at once. The fact that everyone always tried to come up with the name of some Harper ancestor who looked like Eddi. The shock of white hair that started at the center of her forehead and cut a path through her strawberry-blond hair. The fact that her mother had light brown hair and her father had black, well, they were both pretty gray now, but that was beside the point. The brown eyes of her parents when she had blue. Oh, the traits had been blamed on some Harper far in the past, or maybe a Talkington on her mother’s side. There was always an excuse.

Now, all that coalesced into an epiphany that pulled the rug a little farther out from under Eddi’s feet.

“So, you’re saying that this Edouard was really my father and that Dad just kind of stepped in to play the part.” She shook her head. “Why didn’t you tell me? I’m almost twenty-five years old. Did you think I couldn’t handle the truth? Did Daddy worry that I wouldn’t love him as much? My God, he’s my father. This isn’t going to change how I feel about him.” She looked straight at her mother then. “Or you.”

Tears rolled down Milly’s cheeks and Eddi felt immediately contrite for her cross tone. She would have moved back to her mother’s side except she still didn’t trust her legs to hold her steady.

“I’m sorry, Momma. Please, tell me the rest.”

Milly nodded and swiped at her tears. “The reason I didn’t tell you or anyone else was because I was afraid.”

Eddi frowned. “Afraid of what? That Edouard’s parents might give you trouble about custody or something?” That was Eddi’s first thought.

Her mother shook her head. “I didn’t have time to even think of that.” She exhaled a heavy breath. “When Edouard was murdered, I feared for your life as well. You see, Edouard was the one and only heir to huge wealth. With him dead, that left only you. I couldn’t risk the same sort of thing happening to you that happened to him.”

That reality slammed into Eddi like an unexpected fist to the gut.

“The rich are often targets,” her mother went on. “I didn’t want to thrust you in the middle of that kind of danger. I couldn’t bear the thought of someone coming after you.”

“I have to go.” Eddi lunged to her feet with surprising agility. A second ago she wasn’t sure she could stand, but now…now the fire of fury burned inside her. This…all of this was uncalled for. She had to stop this runaway train before it became a full-fledged wreck. “I’ll be back.”

She hurried from the room without looking back. She couldn’t bear to see the pain on her mother’s face. Milly had been plagued with enough pain in the past. Eddi would allow no one to add to her suffering. She would stop this now.

Three minutes later she parked her truck in front of Ada’s Boardinghouse. An old Victorian home that had been in the Garrett family for several generations was well restored and the only thing remotely resembling a bed-and-breakfast in town. Meadowbrook had no hotels. The closest one would be over in Aberdeen. The boardinghouse was really more of a bed-and-breakfast save for two exceptions—Jesse Partin and Mavis Reynolds. The two were permanent residents of the boardinghouse. Had been for nearly half a century. According to Ada, taking in permanent boarders was something the Garretts had done for generations to support the community. Most folks around town were pretty sure Ada just liked the extra cash.

Eddi suddenly stalled halfway to the big old front porch. What if the story about her biological father had already spread around town? If either of the men had told Ada…well, they didn’t call her “The Radio” for nothing.

Taking a deep breath for courage, Eddi marched up the steps and across the porch. She didn’t hesitate as she entered the front door and smiled as Ada herself looked up from the antique desk stationed in the entry hall that served as the reception area.

“Why, good afternoon, Eddi,” Ada crooned. “What brings you here?” Her pleasant smile instantly reversed into a scowl. “Did that confounded Jesse Partin call you about his toilet again? I swear I’m going to boot that man out yet. There’s not a blasted thing wrong with that toilet except he doesn’t flush it right. Gotta give this old plumbing a little TLC. You said so yourself the last time you were here.”

Eddi worked up a smile. “That’s right, Ms. Ada. But don’t worry, Mr. Partin didn’t call. I’m here to see your two out-of-town guests.”

One fine white eyebrow winged up her forehead. “You don’t say.” She studied Eddi with a critical eye for one long moment. “Which one you want to see? The young fella or the one in the fancy suit? I gave them the two best rooms we have. Surely neither of them has a complaint.”

Ignoring the ploy for information, Eddi said, “The young one.” She had noted a look of sympathy in the younger man’s eyes. She couldn’t say the same for the older guy. In fact, he gave her the willies.

Ada smiled conspiratorially. “First door on the right.”

Eddi nodded her thanks and quickly rounded the newel post to head up the staircase.

“Where’s your toolbox?” Ms. Ada asked abruptly.

Eddi stalled, considered her options and told the truth. “I won’t need my toolbox for this.”

“You tell that big-city fella he’s supposed to let me know when something’s not working,” Ada called after her.

“I sure will,” Eddi called back. She planned to tell him a great deal more than that, but Ada didn’t need to know.

She wanted him and his hotshot friend out of this town now.

Eddi knocked firmly on the door. She considered how strange fate could be. Only an hour or so ago she was in Ms. Ella’s kitchen listening to the matchmakers go on about her nonexistent social life and the handsome stranger in town. Little did she know that this stranger had come here to ruin her entire life.

Speak of the devil, he opened the door precisely then. Eddi held her ground, didn’t step back as her mind ordered when her gaze settled on the shoulder holster and mean-looking gun he wore. She would tell this guy the way it was and demand that he take his friend and go. Maybe confronting him wasn’t smart, especially considering the gun, but she had to do something.

“Miss Harper,” he said as if he hadn’t expected to see her. He glanced past her, then right and left. “You came alone?”

What’d he expect? A posse? Maybe she should have brought the police chief. Maybe someone official would carry more weight with a guy like this, but she was here now, might as well see her plan through.

“I’d like to talk to you.” She waited for him to step aside, but he didn’t. He just stared at her, which irritated Eddi all the more. “Privately.”

He looked surprised, but quickly recovered. “Of course.” He stepped back. “Come in.”

Eddi glanced around the room as the door closed behind her. A seating area with a small television was arranged at one end of the room and backlit by two double windows. On the opposite side of the room a queen-size bed flanked by tables and a lovely bureau filled the space. Between a homemade quilt on the bed and lacy curtains on the windows, the place looked downright comfortable with lots of homey touches. The perfect foil for a man who looked every bit the international spy the ladies in the Club had deemed him to be.

“Please have a seat,” the man suggested with a wave of his hand toward the overstuffed chairs arranged neatly around a small table.

The bottom abruptly dropped out of Eddi’s stomach. Her knees went weak once more. The fire that had sent her barging over here died like the hot coals of a family barbecue beneath an unexpected summer rain.

She sat down with as much decorum as a rock thrown from a mountaintop.

“Would you like me to order something to drink,” he offered. “I believe iced tea, lemonade and coffee are on the room-service menu.”

She shook her head. Told herself that her sudden loss of fortitude was the unexpected news her mother had broken, but some part of her knew that it was more than that. Yes, she was startled by what her mother had told her and infuriated that this man had come here to upset her life, but there was more. It was him. Something about him put her off balance.

Okay, enough madness, she railed silently. The thought of how much this story getting out would hurt both her father and her mother rekindled the fire that had so suddenly extinguished when she came face-to-face with this enigmatic stranger.

“Who are you?” she demanded. The first sensible thing she’d said since he opened the door.

He sat down adjacent to her, only with a great deal more grace than she had shown. His khaki slacks and blue shirt, even at this hour of the afternoon, looked as fresh and wrinkle free as if they’d just been professionally laundered. Just a hint of shadow darkened his chiseled jaw. And, of course, every perfect hair was in place. All in stark contrast to her plain, slightly disheveled appearance.

“My name is Doug Cooper,” he said quietly. His voice was rich and smooth, but laced with sincerity and even what sounded like kindness. “I’m with the Colby Agency, a private investigation agency based in Chicago.”

Another jolt of confusion shattered the last of her rational thought. What in the world would a private investigation agency want with her? The answer struck as quickly as the question had. The D’Martines were wealthy. They had obviously hired someone to find her and her mother. At least that explained the gun.

“What do you want?”

The words came out just as emotionlessly as she had intended them. Her whole mind and body felt oddly numb. She wanted to rant and rave…and cry…but the energy to do so was curiously absent.

“Your mother told you about your biological father,” he suggested.

She was glad he used the term “biological father” since Harvey Harper was her father, and nothing, certainly not genetics, was going to change that. “Yes.”

Mr. Cooper nodded once and actually looked relieved. Eddi didn’t even try to figure that one out.

“Then you know that he was the heir to a vast fortune and that his murder remains unsolved.”

She had to confess to some regret…sympathy, even, for that tragedy. No one deserved to be murdered. But, other than being the sperm donor and her mother’s first love, she still didn’t understand what this had to do with her.

“What does this have to do with me, other than the obvious?” she demanded, voicing her thoughts.

Doug studied the woman seated next to him for a time before he answered her question. She had a right to know the whole truth and on her own terms, whether Thurston agreed or not. She was strong, he could see that. She wasn’t going to back down until she had the whole story. He respected that.

But, he had a job to do. His first loyalty was to his client. “Solange D’Martine, your paternal grandmother, wants to be a part of your life. You’re all that’s left of her son.”

Fury whipped across that pretty face. “It’s a fine time for her to show an interest now,” Edwinna snapped. “Where was she when my appendix had to be removed and my father missed three days’ work and the medical costs piled up? Or when my mother almost died in an automobile accident?”

Doug understood her anger. She was confused and hurt, at a number of people. She was doing the only thing she could, lashing out. “Your grandmother just recently learned of your existence.”

She made a disgusted sound. “And that’s my mother’s fault, right? I hope she also knows that my mom was only trying to protect me.”

“Mrs. D’Martine, above all others, will understand that,” Doug hastened to assure her. “That’s why I’m here.”

Edwinna narrowed the gaze that looked so damned much like her grandmother D’Martine’s. The young woman was in for a hell of a shock. The streak of white hair that highlighted her strawberry blond mane. That penetrating blue gaze. The nose…the chin. Everything. Edwinna Harper was the spitting image of her grandmother and she didn’t even know it.

“What do you mean, that’s why you’re here,” she prodded. She was no dummy. She wanted to know the whole deal. Now.

“When your grandmother learned of your existence she immediately feared that if the media found out, they would have a field day. Considering that your father’s murder was never solved, she worries that either the original kidnappers or perhaps copycats might try to do the same to you.”

Uneasiness slid through Edwinna. Doug watched her posture stiffen and her expression grow more wary. “Why would anyone do that?” Even her tone had grown smaller, more alarmed.

Once the initial shock wore off, she would be far more skeptical, far less receptive to his strategy. He had to somehow make her understand all that could be at stake here, including her life.

“The D’Martine fortune amounts to billions. We’re not talking about a paltry sum here. As the heiress to this fortune, your security becomes top priority. There are a lot of people out there who’d like to have a piece of that kind of money. When the word gets out, and trust me, it will, you’ll be a walking target.”

He’d watched her eyes go wider with each word he’d spoken. Finally, she shook her head and made a face, something between disbelief and consternation.

“Heiress?” She opened her mouth and splayed her hands as if at a loss as to what to say. “I’m no heiress. I’m just a plumber. I don’t want to be an heiress. I just want my family to be left alone.”

Doug braced his forearms on his widespread knees and leaned a little in her direction. “I’m afraid you don’t understand, Miss Harper. It’s not a matter of what you want or don’t want. You are the heiress to the D’Martine jewelry empire. It’s your birthright.”

Drawing back just in time as she rocketed from her seat, Doug watched her pace the room. He didn’t envy her this battle. The whole money thing was enough to contend with, but to suddenly know that your father wasn’t your father and that the man who was your father had been murdered…well, it was simply a lot to digest in one sitting.

She stopped abruptly and looked at him. “What about the other man? The suit?”

Doug relaxed a fraction. At least she wasn’t going to plunge into denial or run for the door…not yet anyway. “Mr. Thurston. He’s the D’Martine family attorney. His job is to inform you of your legal rights and obligations as a member of the D’Martine family.”

She looked taken aback. “Obligations? What obligations?”

Doug lifted one shoulder in a noncommittal shrug. “Your grandmother D’Martine wishes to get to know you and to familiarize you with the family business.”

She was shaking her head even before he finished. “I already have one family business to take care of. I don’t need another.”

Doug had had a feeling that this was where the sticking point would be. He pushed to his feet and tucked his hands into his pockets in hopes of keeping things casual, relaxed.

“I understand, as I’m sure Mrs. D’Martine will. However, you should consider long and hard your options. You and your family here would be financially secure for the rest of your lives.” He almost laughed at the way he’d automatically minimized the situation. But he needed her cooperative. “The reality is, Miss Harper—”

“Eddi,” she corrected.

He nodded once in acknowledgment. “Eddi. Your grandchildren’s grandchildren won’t even have to worry about money. I’m not sure you quite comprehend the complete picture. When I use the term heiress, I use it in its most literal sense. The matter is not something you can simply dismiss.”

The vulnerability in those blue eyes tugged at something deep inside him. Made him want to share his own story with her and assure her that he, of all people, understood exactly what she was going through. But he couldn’t take that chance. Wouldn’t take that chance. He’d worked too hard to separate himself from his past. He couldn’t blow it for Eddi Harper, no matter how he wanted to just now. She was strong, self-reliant, she would find her way. His only job was to keep her safe and to give her a few pointers about fitting in along the way.

“I have to talk to my father,” she said and turned toward the door. Now she would run…maybe even deny all she’d heard.

“I’ll need to go with you,” Doug insisted, reaching for his sport jacket.

A frown marred her pretty face when she looked back at him. “I need to do this alone.”

He shouldered into his jacket, concealing the gun, which made her feel lots better. “Don’t worry, I’ll give you plenty of space. But Mrs. D’Martine hired me to keep you safe and I take my work very seriously.”

The frown morphed into a look of disbelief. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I never kid about my work, Eddi.” He moved up next to her at the door. “Until further notice from my employer, I’m your personal bodyguard 24/7.”

Eddi sighed loudly, defeatedly. “Ms. Mattie was right,” she said wearily. “You are a spy.”

Chapter Three

“What is the meaning of this?”

Eddi stared at the lawyer currently blocking her path and wished him away, but it did no good. She glanced at Mr. Cooper as he came up alongside her in the corridor outside his room and prayed he had a plan to get rid of this guy. She wasn’t ready to speak to the D’Martine family’s legally appointed representative just yet. She had matters to settle with her own family first.

“Where are you going?” Thurston demanded. “Why wasn’t I informed that she—” he cut Eddi an annoyed look “—was here?”

Doug held up a hand to quiet him. Thank God, Eddi thought disparagingly. No doubt Ms. Ada was at the bottom of the stairs straining her ears to hear every single word.

“This is not the time or place,” Doug said firmly. “We’ll be back in a few hours and perhaps Miss Harper will be ready to speak with you then.”

“I beg your pardon,” Thurston protested, incensed. “As the authorized representative of your employer—”

Doug leaned slightly toward him, which forced him to look down at the man since he was a good two inches taller. “Not…now.” He stepped back and motioned for Eddi to precede him to the staircase. “I’ll call you as soon as she’s ready for a meeting.”

Eddi didn’t have to look back to know that the lawyer was not a happy camper. A smile lifted the corners of her lips. One prayer answered, she mused. Now, if the good Lord would just help her get through the rest.

“Well, that didn’t take very long,” Ada said triumphantly as the two descended the stairs. She gifted Mr. Cooper with a suspicious look. “I certainly hope all was in order.”

Before Eddi could respond, Mr. Cooper said in a voice silky with charm, “Everything is perfect, Ms. Garrett.” He paused at the door where Eddi waited. “Especially since Miss Harper has agreed to have dinner with me.”

Ada’s eyes immediately bulged and Eddi was sure she saw her ears perk. “Dinner? Oh, my. Well.” Her right hand flew to her cheek. “You two have a nice time.”

This time Eddi’s prayer went unanswered. She’d asked God to let the floor crack open and swallow her up. But it didn’t. Instead, Mr. Cooper opened the front door for her like the gentleman he was. She couldn’t stop staring at him as they strolled down the sidewalk toward the curb. He looked pleased with himself, as if he’d just managed some coup. She imagined that he believed he’d headed off any gossip related to why he was really here.

The sad thing was he’d done something far worse. He’d just set Meadowbrook’s infamous matchmakers in motion. Eddi could almost hear Ada on the telephone now putting a call through to Ella or Irene or maybe Minnie and Mattie. Eddi looked up at the overhead power and telephone lines strung along the street. News that she had a dinner “date” with the stranger in town was no doubt buzzing along that very line right this moment.

Mr. Cooper paused where the boardinghouse sidewalk intersected the one along the street. “I hope you don’t mind my taking that liberty. I felt sure you wanted to keep the real story under wraps for the moment. Feeding Ms. Garrett that misleading information should provide an acceptable cover for our real business here. A distraction, so to speak.”

It took every ounce of willpower Eddi possessed not to laugh out loud. She just wagged her head back and forth. “You have no idea.”

Doug was still a little confused by Eddi’s remark as he pulled up behind her truck in front of the Harper residence. Maybe she didn’t approve of his methods. She had called him a spy. It was possible she didn’t fully grasp why he was here. Right now she wanted to check on her mother before going to the hardware to speak to her father.

Going to the hardware store wouldn’t be necessary, it seemed. Her father sat on the front steps of his home, his head hung between hunched shoulders.

Doug blocked the memory of the hurt he’d seen in Millicent Harper’s eyes. Though Doug felt sympathetic toward his employer, this whole affair was going to change so many lives, perhaps do irreversible damage. It was almost heartless, ruthless even.

But the decision had not been his. He watched Eddi take a seat next to her dad on the top stone step. Already Doug had lost his objectivity. Empathized with her far too much…respected her more than he’d anticipated. He couldn’t say for sure what he’d expected when he read her profile, but this earnest young woman was not it.

And she was a plumber. A smile tugged the corners of his mouth upward. She wore overalls, for Pete’s sake. Overalls and sneakers and a plain old white T-shirt. The long braid of strawberry-blond hair mixed with the blue eyes and scattering of freckles across her pert little nose personified the all-American-girl look. The getup she wore lent a tom-boyish quality to the package. But the streak of white hair that blazed a narrow trail from her forehead to the tip of her braid spoke of breeding and elegance. Though Solange D’Martine didn’t wear her hair in a braid, she had the same strawberry blond tresses with that shock of sophistication. The perfect balance between the set of her eyes and the tilt of her nose, and those high-boned cheeks were exactly the same.

The father, Edouard, had had the same coloring, only his hair had been slightly darker, redder. The case file contained a picture of the father as well as the grandmother for showing to Eddi when the time was right. There were documents, all of which the attorney kept safely tucked in his leather briefcase.

Doug sighed, tired. He made no move to get out of his vehicle, but watched his principal from there. This carefree young woman had no idea how very much her life was about to change. Nothing would ever be the same again. With the kind of wealth possessed by the D’Martines came a certain level of public scrutiny. There would be no escaping it. Eddi needed to enjoy her final few days of true privacy, because as soon as the media got wind of her existence any real privacy would be a thing of the past.

“ISN’T YOUR FRIEND getting out?” her dad asked.

Eddi shook her head and refrained from correcting her father as to the friend remark. “He said he’d give me some space.”

She was really glad Mr. Cooper had stuck by his word. She needed these few moments with her father. Needed to reassure him and herself.

“So Mom’s taking this okay,” she ventured. When she’d first arrived home and found her father sitting on the front steps she’d almost panicked. The thought that something could have happened to her mother while she was selfishly demanding answers from Mr. Cooper hadn’t occurred to her. And it should have. Usually Eddi wasn’t as thoughtless as that. But today had been a little extreme all the way around.

“She’s okay,” her father said quietly. “She’s lying down now.”

Eddi nodded. “That’s good.” She bent her knees and clasped her arms around them, then braced her chin there. “You know this is all just absolutely bizarre, don’t you?”

Her father nodded. “But it’s true. Your mother and I wanted to protect you, but maybe we should have told you a long time ago.”

“I don’t want to know now,” Eddi argued. “Why would I have wanted to know before?”

Her father smiled and her heavy heart lifted just a little. “Well, now, I don’t think I could have put it any better myself. It’s a bit of a thorny patch, that’s a fact.” He rested his gaze on hers. “But we love you. We’ve always loved you. If we made a mistake, it was in the name of love.”

She hugged her father then. Hugged him with all her might. “You didn’t make a mistake.” She drew back and blinked away the confounded mist that clouded her vision. She didn’t want him to see her cry. “Don’t ever think it, not for a second. Okay?”

He nodded hesitantly. “But your grandmother Solange could have offered you much more than we have.”

Eddi laughed to keep from crying. “Now, what would I do with a jewelry empire? If it won’t stop a leak in old Mrs. Fairbanks’s toilet, what good is it?”

Her father managed a strained laugh at that. “I guess you have a point there, girlie.”

His expression turned somber once more and the silence lengthened. Eddi felt certain that he didn’t know where to take the conversation from here any more than she did. What did one say at a time like this?

“You know this isn’t going to go away just because you want it to,” he said eventually, his tone as grim as she felt at the moment.

She nodded. “I know.” She hugged her knees to her chest once more. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Well.” Her father scratched his head and considered the question for a time. “It seems to me that you owe it to yourself as well as your grandmother to get to know her.”

“I already have the best two grandmothers anyone could want,” Eddi protested. “What do I need with another?”

“Look here, girlie.” Her father looped an arm around her slumped shoulders. “You deserve better than to be a plumber the rest of your life.” He shushed her with a firm look when she would have rebutted. “Slaving away at that hardware isn’t the answer either. I want better for you same as my daddy wanted better for me. We’re scarcely hanging on to that old place anyway. It’s past time I sold out and retired.” He lifted one shoulder and let it fall. “Truth is, I’ve only hung on so I wouldn’t let you down. What do I need with that old place to fool with day in and day out? Your mother and I could take up gardening or some such.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Whatever happens, I know you’ll do the right thing.”

Knots of anxiety tangled in her stomach once more. She knew what he was doing. He wanted to give her an out. Her father loved that old hardware store and she knew it. He’d be lost without it to go to every day. Her mother hated gardening other than a pot or two of flowers. She had preferred knitting or needlepoint over gardening even before her accident.

Out of the blue, inspiration struck. A slow smile slid across Eddi’s face. Why hadn’t she thought of that already?

Eddi threw her arms around her father and hugged him again. “Dad, you’re a genius!” She shot to her feet and beamed a smile down at him. “Tell Mom I won’t be by for dinner tonight. I have something to do.”

Her father waved a goodbye as she loped out to Mr. Cooper’s SUV. “Are we still on for dinner?” she asked the handsome man watching her so steadily.

“Absolutely.” He allowed her one of those smiles that literally oozed with magnetism.

Before she melted right there on the sidewalk, she said, “Follow me to my place. I need to change.”

Three traffic lights and five turns later, she pulled into the driveway of her small cottage. The little house had once belonged to her grandmother and grandfather Harper, but since they’d relocated to the retirement home, she’d moved in. She loved the place. Even as a child she’d known that one day she wanted to live here.

The small stone cottage sat amid a cluster of shady trees with only a small patch of grass to mow out front and nothing but flagstone pavers and flower beds out back. Two tiny bedrooms and only one bath, along with a nice-size living-dining room combination and kitchen made up the interior. She even had her own little fireplace.

Exhaling a satisfied sigh at being home at last, Eddi hopped out of her truck and practically skipped up the path that led to her front door. The answer was so simple. Relief was like a soothing balm, she felt immensely better already. Before going inside, she reached in the box hanging by the door and retrieved the day’s mail. “Bills, bills, bills,” she muttered. Nothing she wanted to see tonight.

“Nice place,” Mr. Cooper commented as he moved up behind her.

Despite all that had happened and knowing that he had brought this unsettling news upon her, Eddi shivered at the sound of his voice. As smooth as satin and every bit as rich. She shook off the thought and jammed her key into the lock.

“Thank you. It belongs to my grandparents. They let me use it since they live at the retirement home now.”

See, she wanted to add, my family already takes good care of itself. We don’t need anything from the D’Martines.

She tucked her key back into her pocket and pushed open the door. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Still, she had to approach this logically. She couldn’t let emotions play into it at all. And that would be difficult. She’d always been ruled by her heart ensuring that she’d been faced with difficult before. She could handle this.

She flipped on the light and held the door for Mr. Cooper to come on inside. She found herself holding her breath as he passed then stood in the middle of the room and took in the cozy living area. Never once had she imagined how this place would look to a stranger. She’d never had a stranger over before. She tried to see the room from his eyes, with its high ceilings and thick crown moldings. Her grandfather had loved working with his hands and had detailed every square inch of woodwork in this house himself. The floors were hardwood, but thick rugs covered most of it. The furniture was worn comfortable and a vintage she couldn’t name…early fifties maybe. An interior designer or decorator she wasn’t. But line up faucets in front of her and she could name the year and the manufacturer.

“I’ll just be a moment, Mr. Cooper,” she said, breaking into his careful study of her natural habitat. “Make yourself at home.”

He turned to her then. “Doug. Please, call me Doug.”

She nodded and forced a smile. “Be back in two shakes, Doug.”

In her bedroom she closed the door and suddenly wondered what on earth she would wear. Okay, she told herself, it wasn’t as if it was a date. She could wear any old thing.

But where would they go?

She mentally ticked off all four of the local restaurants and finally decided on Randy’s. The place was the nicest in town and served a wide variety of entrées. Though she didn’t expect Mr. Cooper—Doug, she amended—to be impressed, at least he wouldn’t go hungry.

Clothes…what to wear? She chewed her lower lip and tried to decide if she even still owned a dress other than the ones she wore to church, which were sorely out of date and totally unflattering. She had gone to her five-year high-school reunion a couple of years ago. Hadn’t she bought something then?

Sixty seconds later she’d gone through her entire closet to finally find the dress in question on the last hanger on the opposite side from where she’d started. Just her luck.

The dress was black…that was good. She’d seen ladies wear little black dresses into Randy’s. The problem was, it had long sleeves and it was unseasonably warm out tonight and the hem was just a smidgen on the long side with a floppy ruffle. But that had been the style two years ago. Or maybe it was simply the one dress on the clearance rack she’d liked.

Oh, well. It wasn’t as though she had a lot of choices.

She couldn’t keep her guest waiting forever. With that in mind she rushed through a sponge bath and twisted her hair up into a bun of sorts. No kind of makeup ever looked good with her complexion so she didn’t even bother. A spritz of fruit-scented spray and she was ready.

But the dress…well, it looked kind of pitiful. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table and realized twenty minutes had passed. She didn’t have time for this…but this was her first sort of date in two years. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t been out since her five-year reunion. How pathetic was that? And she remembered well the looks her dress had gotten that night. The best description she could call to mind was pained. Her friends had lied and said she looked great but she hadn’t missed the uncomfortable expressions on their faces when they said it. Okay, so the dress sucked in its current state.

She couldn’t take those kind of looks tonight…especially not from Doug Cooper, bodyguard…spy…or whatever. She’d had too much dumped on her today already. Any more sympathy from the guy and she might just throw up.

Holding her breath, she did the only thing she could. She ripped off the left sleeve. Just tugged it clean loose from the shoulder of the dress and off her arm. She looked at her bare arm and then the covered one. Minus the sleeve was definitely better. With a firm hand she did the same to the right sleeve.

“Not bad,” she murmured as she leaned closer to the mirror and picked away the remnants of thread clinging here and there where the sleeves had previously attached. She stood back and looked herself up and down once more. The neckline was a little high, which couldn’t be changed, and the dress was still too long. The ruffle had to go.

Eddi reached for the edge of the ruffle and a soft rap echoed at her door. Her breath caught and she almost toppled over.

“Is everything all right?”

She glanced at the clock once more and noted the time. Thirty minutes. No wonder he’d gotten worried. “I’ll be right out.”

Scarcely breathing, she listened for the telltale footfalls as he moved back to the living room before she snagged the edge of the ruffle. The ruffle didn’t want to come off quite so easily. By the time she’d pulled it off all the way around, she’d almost broken a sweat. After picking away the thread remnants, she eyed her reflection one last time. Now the hem of the dress hit just below midthigh. She smiled, pleased with what she had achieved. The dress actually looked like the typical black sheath one would purchase for a cocktail party or any other number of social affairs.

And it hadn’t cost her a dime.

Pleased with her ingenuity, she smoothed her hands over the fabric, enjoying the way it clung to her body. Okay. Now she was ready. Shedding a little of her “good girl” image would boost her self-confidence in this stranger’s presence. At least she hoped it would.

DOUG HAD SURVEYED every photograph and piece of needlepoint displayed in the quaint living room. He had even scanned the evening paper. By the time Eddi had finally come out of her room, he’d been contemplating turning on the television to catch the evening news.

But, he had to admit, she was indubitably worth the wait.

Never in a million years had he expected the plumber to clean up so well, but she definitely did.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” she offered as she breezed into the room.

The creamy, smooth look of her skin combined with the fiery highlights of her hair and the curve-hugging little black dress was nothing short of inspiring. Unfortunately the thoughts it inspired were way out of line.

“What’s wrong?” she teased. “Didn’t you expect me to own a dress?”

Not quite that dress, he said to himself before saying to her, “I never underestimate a lady. I’m only surprised that you would bother on my account.”

She moved toward the door a little slower than what was normal for her. The shoes, he decided. The heels weren’t stilettos, but they were high-heeled when compared to the sneakers she seemed to prefer. Once at the door she turned back to him and smiled, a calculated twist of her lips that fell just shy of seductive. Another surprise. Or maybe she simply didn’t realize just how appealing she looked when she tried.

“No bother.” She lifted a speculative eyebrow. “Besides, this has certainly been the day for surprises.”

Indeed, he mused.

After settling Eddi into the passenger seat of his SUV, Doug moved around to the other side and climbed in. “Where to?”

“A place called Randy’s.” She quickly spouted off the directions, which weren’t complicated since Meadowbrook was a small town.

Within minutes of their arrival at the restaurant they were seated and their orders taken. Doug conceded that the place was better than he’d hoped for. On a Wednesday night the crowd was light, but the atmosphere was pleasant and private.

He waited for her to start firing questions at him but it didn’t happen. She seemed content just to sit and enjoy their relaxing surroundings. Maybe she expected him to make the first move.

“Do you have any questions regarding what I’ve told you so far?”

She studied him for a long moment as if contemplating how to proceed. He couldn’t quite read the emotion in her eyes but there was something there. Trepidation perhaps.

“I only have one question,” she said, her tone carefully devoid of inflection.

Doug’s instincts went on point. “What would that be?”

“What precisely is it that Mrs. D’Mar—my grandmother,” she amended, “wants from me?”

He inclined his head and quoted the agenda he’d been given. “She wants to be a part of your life. She wants to know you and for you to know the family business.”

That blue gaze narrowed slightly. “I don’t believe that’s all there is to it.”

Their server arrived and Doug waited until he’d placed the salads in front of them and hurried away before continuing, “What makes you say that?”

Eddi stared at her salad a moment then shifted that penetrating focus back to him. “That’s just too simple. She must want more. Surely she doesn’t expect me to actually handle business affairs. The only thing I know about jewelry is that I can’t afford any of the good stuff.”

Doug leaned back more fully in his chair and considered the lovely woman across the table for a moment before he replied, “A board of directors and a very savvy CEO run the day-to-day business. With that aside, what do you want or expect? It seems to me that you’ve come to some sort of decision.” And he did have that feeling. After she’d spoken to her father she appeared to have reached some conclusion. He felt a certain ease about her that hadn’t been there before. That’s why she’d agreed to dinner, he surmised.

“I’ve decided that if, in fact, I am heiress to such a great fortune that the least I can do is help my family.” She looked directly at him then. “My real family.”

Clarification hadn’t been necessary. He knew who she meant. “I can’t imagine that Mrs. D’Martine would expect otherwise.”

“Good, because that’s the only way I will get involved is if it helps my family.”

Doug figured that was as close to an agreement as they were going to get for the time being.

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