Part 13 (2/2)
Her heart rate accelerated again. She waited, breathless, to hear him ask, Did you watch for me?
Instead his eyes warmed with a very civilized appreciation.
She knew what he saw; she had carefully cultivated the laid-back, comfortable image the spa demanded from its staff.
Her blue gown was loose-fitting, sleeveless, knee-length and casual, and ”casual” perfectly described her flat, strappy brown sandals and bare, tanned legs. Her brown hair was streaked with blond, some natural, some not, and stylish in a layered cut that swept her shoulders.
She looked like what she wasa”the events coordinator at a small, very exclusive hotel in a high-desert canyon outside of Sedona.
She put out her hand. ”Mr. Wilder, itas good to meet you.”
He took her hand and shook it with businesslike briefness.
That surprised hera”possibly because she was still half-convinced this man was Warlord. Probably because shead expected that wild, electric thrill of recognition at his touch.
”Itas good to meet you, Karen. I canat wait to enjoy whatever occasions you set up for us.” He smiled, his teeth clean, white, and sharp.
Sharp . . .
Warlord kissed her. Turned away. Ran toward the front of the tent. Pushed the tent flap open. Leaped off the platform and into the melee, a pistol blazing in each hand.
She shuddered, then shook off the memory, the madness, and nodded her greeting.
”Excuse me. Iave got to check in and change into something more casual.” He nodded at all of them, and smiled at her again.
As he strode away, Mrs. Burstrom said in satisfaction, ”That was the smile of a man who likes what he sees.”
”Karen, youare in trouble now. My darling girl has that matchmaking gleam in her eyes.” Mr. Burstrom laughed, his jowls s.h.i.+vering.
”Hush up, Chisholm.” Mrs. Burstrom linked her arm with Karenas and fluttered her fingers at him. ”I work under the cover of discretion.”
In a polite tone that hid her faint flicker of alarm, Karen said, ”Mrs. Burstrom, I donat fraternize with the guests.” Her pager vibrated, and she glanced down. Saved by the bell. ”The caterers have a question, so if youall excuse me . . .”
”Is there a rule forbidding it?” Mrs. Burstrom walked with her.
So much for ”saved by the bell.”
Mrs. Burstrom said she trusted Karenas expertise, and Karen thought that probably she did, but she was the kind of hostess who verified every detail, from the welcome baskets in the guest rooms to the flower arrangements on the buffet. Shead worked with Chisholm Burstrom to make this company a success, and she expected this gathering to tie their loyal employees closer to them and bring their honored guests into the fold.
And Karen had worked with her to make sure that happened.
”Is there a rule forbidding fraternization with the guests? No, but wouldnat I be asking for heartache to fall for a guest whoas leaving in a week?” Karen gave the same droll answer she always gave to kindhearted inquiries and direct pa.s.ses.
”Youare never tempted?”
”No.”
”Not even by a pair of green eyes shot with gold?” Mrs. Burstrom coaxed.
”He has very nice eyes.” Eyes that looked positively normal. ”But no.”
”Itas not natural for a girl your age to live alone.”
”Iam hardly a girl, Mrs. Burstrom. Iam thirty years old, and except for a yearlong break almost a year ago, Iave been in the hotel business full-time for eight years. You wouldnat be the first matchmaker Iave thwarted.”
”A challenge!”
Karen stopped in the middle of the hallway. ”No. Please. My break from the hotel business coincided with the end of a bad relations.h.i.+p. I figure those weeks with him contained enough s.e.x, rage, anguish, and arguments to make up for years of a normal relations.h.i.+p, and Iam not interested in trying again.”
”Two years is time enough to heal.”
”I havenat felt a niggle of interest since then.”
”Yet you looked at Rick hard enough.”
Mrs. Burstrom wasnat going to give up, so Karen told more than she usually did. ”He reminded me of my ex. I always jump when I see a man like that. It wasnat a healthy relations.h.i.+p. ”
”Did he beat you?” Mrs. Burstrom asked sharply.
Karen matched her frankness. ”Almost as bad. He tied me up.”
”All right. I wonat push the issue.” They started toward the kitchen again. ”I want you to know that Rick is an upright, honorable young man who has spent time overseasa””
That quiver of alarm went up Karenas spine again. ”Really? Where?”
”India and j.a.pan, and then Italy and Spain.”
Karen had to stop jumping to conclusions.
Mrs. Burstrom continued, ”Heas smart as a whip, speaks a lot of languages, and he developed a computer game that weare marketing in the States and then internationally.”
”Really?” Karen couldnat care less about computer games. ”Whatas it called?”
”Warlord.”
Chapter Fifteen.
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