Chapter Fourteen
Max paced his brother’s office at the hotel as he told Cordell how Goldie had unloaded on him at the park. “I’m terrified at what I’ve driven Goldie to do.”
“You have made a mess of things, that’s for sure,” his brother agreed. “Did you take my advice and finally tell her how you feel?”
“I planned to, but every time I try, she gets so upset—” His cell rang.
“I have to take this. Rance? What did you find out?” He listened for a few moments before he thanked his deputy and disconnected.
Rance had run the plates on the large black SUV from Wyoming parked in front of the hotel. “Lolly Mandeville is in town.”
“She just rented a room. She’s the crime boss’s daughter?”
Max nodded. “Something is going on, and all trails seem to lead back to Donovan Cole and now the new owner of the café, who is also connected to Mandeville. I’m scared that Goldie is right in the middle of whatever it is.
She seems to have fallen for this man, and I fear she has no idea what she’s gotten involved in. ”
“I shouldn’t be telling you this, but under the circumstances…” His brother hesitated. “Goldie paid Donovan’s hotel bill for a week in advance.”
Max stared at him. “What?”
“She made the reservation and paid the day before Donovan arrived in Dry Gulch.”
He swore. How was that possible? Where would she have met him? This didn’t make any sense unless… “I need to talk to Josie.” If Goldie had confided in anyone, it would’ve been her best friend. “Unless you know what’s going on with Goldie and this man.”
Cordell lifted both hands. “Boundaries. Josie probably knows, but she isn’t telling me.”
“Hopefully, she’ll tell me,” Max said, heading for the door.
WITH HIS MOUTH dry as sawdust, Donovan stood flat-footed staring at Lolly. He’d been surprised when Arnie had shown up here. Hadn’t he feared Lolly and her father wouldn’t be far behind? He’d convinced himself that she didn’t care enough about him to track him down.
“Lolly?” His voice broke, making him sound guilty. Guilty didn’t even describe it. “Lolly,” he said and took a step toward her.
She waved a hand through the air. “You have a room here?” He nodded. “Let’s see it.”
He hesitated, unsure what she was doing here and why she’d want to go to his room. The one thing he knew for sure was that she had a gun in her purse. She didn’t go anywhere without it. But if she was going to kill him, it probably wouldn’t be in his hotel room. “Right this way.”
They rode up in the elevator, both keeping their distance, neither speaking. He figured, knowing Lolly, she would fill him in on what she was doing here once they were alone. Holding her tongue had never been something Lolly Mandeville had needed to manage. He doubted she was going to start now.
Stepping off the elevator, he led the way down to his room on the third floor. “It has a nice view of the swimming pools the owner is putting in,” he said, hating how nervous he sounded as he opened the door. But how could he not be nervous considering what he was letting into his room?
The moment she stepped in, she let out a sigh, but said nothing.
He waited, not sure what to expect as he closed the door behind him. “What are you doing here?”
She turned to face him. “My father sent me.”
Oh, that doesn’t sound good. Nor did she look any happier about it than he felt.
She lifted one dark eyebrow, tilting her head. “But you wouldn’t know anything about that, right?”
He shook his head. No one was more in the dark than he was. He’d thought he’d gotten away from the Mandeville family free and clear—until Arnie showed up in town. Now the crime boss had sent his daughter after him?
“He wanted me to deliver a message to you.”
Suddenly Donovan felt as if he needed to sit down. He offered Lolly a chair that she declined before he stumbled to the end of the bed and dropped onto it as she reached into her bag. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she had come out with the gun and shot him.
“He wanted me to give you this.” He blinked as she pulled out a long white envelope and held it toward him. “He wrote it, whatever it is.”
Donovan cleared his throat. “Your father wrote me a letter?”
She walked over, shoving the envelope with his name printed on it at him. “Want to tell me why he’d do that?”
“Trust me, I’m more surprised than you are.” He took the envelope with trembling fingers as he thought about Arnie’s visit. He couldn’t imagine what was inside it, but whatever it was, it couldn’t possibly be good.
“I’m sorry for leaving the way I did,” he said, looking up at her. “I—”
“I’m pregnant.”
He couldn’t even pretend right now not to know.
“You knew?” She looked mildly surprised. “Weren’t you worried it was yours?” She laughed. “Of course you weren’t. Did you tell my father?”
He looked hurt in answer. “Is that what this is about? He found out?”
She shrugged. “If so, he might think it’s yours.”
“But I’m sure you’ll straighten him out, right?” He saw her stubborn expression and swore. “Come on, Lolly, we both know it isn’t mine. Who’s—”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Oh, I think it does,” Donovan said. This was worse than he’d thought.
With another sigh, Lolly stepped to the window to peer out. “Just open the envelope and put us both out of our misery.”
He hated that his hands shook as he tore open the letter while telling himself, How bad can it be? As he unfolded the paper inside, he blinked at the few words printed on the large sheet of white paper. Malcolm had always been a man of few words.
You work for me now. You can still do your job flirting with the pretty blonde and keeping the sheriff distracted until I need you. Make sure you’re free next Tuesday on the day of the grand opening of Arnie’s. You wouldn’t want to let me down.
Donovan looked up to find Lolly watching him, waiting.
“Well, what does it say?” she demanded as she closed the distance between them.
He thought about keeping it from her. But her father had sent Lolly to bring the message and right now he would love for her to decipher it for him. Wordlessly, he handed her the sheet of paper and watched her read what was written on it.
Her fiery gaze came up to shoot daggers at him. “You work for my father?”
“Seems I do now,” Donovan said with a curse.
“Are you sure you weren’t hired to spy on me all this time?” she demanded, her voice rising dangerously.
He rolled his eyes. “I didn’t have to spy on you.
I figured out who you’ve been seeing. You’re the one who picked me up, remember?
And now we all know why. I sensed that your father wanted me to keep you away from some other man, but we never discussed it.
Nor did he ask me who it was. More than likely he’s figured it out for himself.
Or will soon enough. Luca’s the baby’s daddy, right? ”
“If you suspected all that, why didn’t you tell my father? He would have rewarded you for the information.”
“Maybe. Or he could have put a bullet in my head, so no thanks.”
“Well, you can’t tell him now. He can’t know about the baby yet.”
Donovan chuckled. “If I were a gambling man, I’d say he already knows or at least suspects. Here’s a suggestion. Tell him about the baby before he kills someone.”
“You know what you can do with your suggestions.”
He did. “What I want to know is what your father is planning to do here in Dry Gulch and why he wants me to stand by for the grand opening of the café.”
“I already told you. I have no idea what his interest is in this town,” she said and thrust her father’s note back at him. “Good luck. You’re going to need it.”
He couldn’t argue with that as he grabbed the letter, balled it up and threw it across the room. “I need a drink,” he said and rose to head for the door. But before he could reach it, there was a knock. He froze and glanced from the door to Lolly. She gave him a How should I know who’s there? look.
He started to answer the knock when he heard Goldie’s voice. “Donovan? It’s me.” She sounded upset. He turned to see that Lolly had both hands on her hips and the fire was back in her eyes.
“Your girlfriend?” she demanded. He motioned for her to keep her voice down. “She’s the pretty blonde my father mentioned and why you’re here.”
“I’m doing her a favor. That’s all, then I planned to move on.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I know how you move on.” A laugh escaped her lips as she shook her head. “And what’s with all this concern about me being in your room? You aren’t falling for her, are you?”
“Of course not. It’s just a job, so how about you don’t get me fired? Your father really wouldn’t like it.” Opening the door a crack, he saw Goldie standing there. He could see that she’d been crying and could only guess why she’d come up here to his hotel room. Terrible timing, he thought.
“I can’t talk right now,” he said, but barely got the words out before Lolly pushed past him, shoving the door all the way open. The door banged against the wall as she started to storm out only to stop in front of a surprised Goldie.
“I’m Lolly Mandeville, but don’t let me spoil your fun,” she said as she gave Goldie a quick once-over, then shot Donovan a knowing look before disappearing down the hall.
GOLDIE WISHED SHE could just disappear on the spot. She’d forgotten about the woman she’d seen going into the hotel. Lolly Mandeville. She thought of what Max had told her. The look on Donovan’s face confirmed it. The two had a past that went far beyond being old friends.
She took another step back, feeling her face heat with embarrassment. She’d come here to convince Donovan to have sex with her, to convince herself that she was over Max and ready to move on. Or had she been merely trying to fool herself?
Not that it mattered now. It had been a horrible idea, impulsive, nothing like her old self. Then again, being impulsive was what had lost her café and brought Donovan to town. As much as she needed to move on from Max, it wasn’t going to be with Donovan.
“I’m sorry. I…” She turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm to stop her.
“No, don’t go. Stay. Please.”
She locked eyes with him. “I…” She realized she didn’t have to tell him what she’d come here for since she was now standing outside his hotel room. But having sex with him wasn’t going to change anything. This had been a mistake from the beginning. “I can’t do this anymore.”
“Come on in. We can talk—” His cell phone rang. He cursed under his breath, clearly needing to take the call.
“I don’t know what I was thinking.” Pulling free, Goldie turned on her heel and went down the hall in the same direction Lolly Mandeville had gone. But at the elevator, she changed her mind and took the stairs. She heard Donovan’s phone ring two more times before it stopped.
Plunging into the stairwell, she raced down the steps as if the place was on fire.
As she came flying out the door into the lobby, she spotted Lolly leaving just as the sheriff was coming into the hotel.
Had Max followed her here? Her heart gave that silly little bump of hope at just the sight of him.
But then she saw Cordell come out of his office and usher him inside.
Heart dropping, she realized that Max was here to see his brother. He hadn’t followed her.
Neither had Donovan.