Chapter Eleven #3
Suzanna sprang to her feet. “I’ll head them off.” But she was a bit late as both children came barreling into the room.
“Cheat, cheat, cheat,” Jenny accused, eyes brimming.
“Crybaby.” But Alex was near tears himself as he gave her a brotherly shove.
“Who are these hooligans?” Colleen asked, interest perking.
“These hooligans are my children.” Suzanna studied them both and saw that though she had tidied them herself less than twenty minutes before, they were both grimy and grim faced. Obviously her idea that they spend a quiet hour playing a board game had been a disaster.
Colleen swirled her brandy. “Bring them here. I’ll have a look at them.”
“Alex, Jenny.” The warning tone worked very well. “Come meet Aunt Colleen.”
“She isn’t going to kiss us, is she?” Alex muttered as he dragged his feet across the room.
“I certainly will not. I don’t kiss grubby little boys.” She had to swallow. He looked so like her baby brother, Sean. Formally she offered a hand. “How do you do?”
“Okay.” Flushing a bit, he touched the thin-boned hand.
“You’re awfully old,” Jenny observed.
“Quite right,” Colleen agreed before Suzanna could speak.
“If you’re lucky, the same problem will be yours one day.
” She would have liked to have stroked the girl’s shiny blond hair, but it would have shattered her image.
“I’ll expect you to refrain from shouting and clattering about while I’m in the house.
Furthermore...” She trailed off when something brushed her leg.
Glancing down, she saw Fred sniffing the carpet for crumbs. “What is that?”
“That’s our dog.” Seized with inspiration, Alex reached down to heft the fat puppy in his arms. “If you’re mean to us, he’ll bite you.”
“He’ll do no such thing.” Suzanna put a hand on Alex’s shoulder.
“He might.” Alex pouted. “He doesn’t like bad people. Do you, Fred?”
Colleen’s skin went even whiter. “What is his name?”
“His name is Fred,” Jenny said gaily. “Trent found him on the cliffs and brought him home for us.” She struggled the dog away from her brother to hold him out. “And he doesn’t bite. He’s a good dog.”
“Jenny, put him down before he—”
“No.” Colleen waved Suzanna’s warning aside.
“Let me see him.” Fred wriggled, smearing dirt on Colleen’s pristine white suit as she sat him in her lap.
Her hands shook as they stroked his fur.
“I had a dog named Fred once.” A single tear spilled over and down her pale cheek.
“I only had him for a little while, but I loved him very much.”
Saying nothing, Lilah groped for Max’s hand and held tight.
“You can play with him, if you want,” Alex told her, appalled that someone so old would cry. “He doesn’t really bite.”
“Of course he won’t bite.” Recovering, Colleen set the dog on the floor, then straightened painfully. “He knows I’d just bite him back. Isn’t someone going to show me to my room, or do I have to sit here all day and half the damn night?”
“We’ll take you up.” Lilah tugged on Max’s hand so that he rose to help her to her feet.
“Bring the brandy,” Colleen said imperiously, and started out stumping with her cane.
“Delightful relatives you have, Calhoun,” Sloan murmured.
“Too late to back out now, O’Riley.” Amanda heaved a relieved breath. “Come on, Aunt Coco, I’ll help you in the kitchen.”
“Which room have you stuck me in?” Only slightly breathless, Colleen paused on the second-floor landing.
“The first one, here.” Max opened the door, then stepped back.
The terrace doors had been opened to let in the breeze.
The furniture had been hastily polished, a few extra pieces dragged in from storage.
Fresh flowers sat atop the rosewood bureau.
The wallpaper was peeling, but paintings had been culled from other rooms to hide the worst of it.
A delicate lace spread had been unfolded from a cedar chest and adorned the heavy four-poster.
“It’ll do,” Colleen muttered, determined to fight the nostalgia. “Make sure there are fresh towels, girl. And you, Quartermain, is it? Pour me another dose of that brandy and don’t be stingy.”
Lilah peeked into the adjoining bath and saw all was as it should be. “Is there anything else, Auntie?”
“Mind your tone, and don’t call me ‘Auntie.’ You can send a maid up when it’s time for dinner.”
Lilah stuck her tongue in her cheek. “I’m afraid it’s the staff’s year off.”
“Unconscionable.” Colleen leaned heavily on her cane. “Are you telling me you haven’t even day help?”
“You know very well we’ve been under the financial gun for some time.”
“And you’ll still not get a penny from me to put into this cursed place.” She walked stiffly to the open doors and looked out. God, the view, she thought. It never changed. How many times over how many years had she envisioned it? “Who has my mother’s room?”
“I do,” Lilah said, lifting her chin.
Very slowly, Colleen turned. “Of course, you would.” Her voice had softened. “Do you know how much you favor her?”
“Yes. Max found a picture in a book.”
“A picture in a book.” Now the bitterness. “That’s all that’s left of her.”
“No. No, there’s much more. A part of her is still here, will always be here.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Ghosts, spirits—that’s Cordelia’s influence, and it’s a load of hogwash. Dead’s dead, girl. When you’re as close to it as I am, you’ll know that.”
“If you’d felt her as I’ve felt her, you’d know differently.”
Colleen closed herself in. “Shut the door behind you. I like my privacy.”
Lilah waited until they were out in the hall to swear. “Rude, bad-tempered old bat.” Then with a lazy shrug, she tucked her arm through Max’s. “Let’s go get some air. To think I’d actually felt something for her downstairs when she held Fred.”
“She’s not so bad, Lilah.” They passed through his room and onto the terrace. “You may be just as crotchety when you’re eighty-something.”
“I’ll never be crotchety.” She closed her eyes, tossed back her hair and smiled. “I’ll have a nice rocking chair set in the sun and sleep old age away.” She ran a hand up his arm. “Are you ever going to kiss me hello?”
“Yes.” He cupped her face and did so thoroughly. “Hello. How was your day?”
“Hot and busy.” But now she felt delightfully cool and relaxed. “That teacher I told you about was back. He seems overly earnest to me. Gives me the willies.”
Max’s smile disappeared. “You should report him to one of the rangers.”
“What, for sending off bad vibrations?” She laughed and hugged him. “No, there’s just something about him that hits me wrong. He’s always wearing dark glasses, as if I might see something he didn’t want seen if he took them off.”
“You’re letting your...” His grip tightened. “What does he look like?”
“Nothing special. Why don’t we take a nap before dinner? Aunt Colleen exhausted me.”
“What,” Max said very precisely, “does he look like?”
“He’s about your height, trim. Somewhere around thirty, I’d guess.
Wears the hiker’s uniform of T-shirt and ripped jeans.
He doesn’t have a tan,” she said, frowning suddenly.
“Which is odd seeing as he said he’d been camping for a couple of weeks.
Average sort of brown hair, well over the collar. A very neat beard and mustache.”
“It could be him.” His fingers dug in as the possibility iced through him. “My God, he’s been with you.”
“You think—you think it’s Caufield.” The idea left her shaken so that she leaned back against the wall.
“What an idiot I’ve been. I had the same feeling, the same feeling with this man as I did when Livingston came to take Amanda out for dinner.
” She ran both hands through her hair. “I must be losing my touch.”
Max’s eyes were dark as he stared out at the cliffs. “If he comes back, I’ll be ready for him.”
“Don’t start playing hero.” Alarmed, she grabbed his arms. “He’s dangerous.”
“He’s not getting near you again.” The complete and focused intensity was back on his face. “I’ll be taking your shift with you tomorrow.”