Part 2 (2/2)
She nodded.
”Go on up, then,” he said. ”I'll be ready in a few minutes.”
Even she could tell the aircraft was state of the art as she settled in and fastened her seat belt. The instrument panel meant nothing to her. When Reed climbed inside, she gave him a tentative smile. ”Do you do much of this?”
”Are you worrying about how experienced I am?”
The glimmer of amus.e.m.e.nt in his eyes made her blush. She'd bet he was experienced in more than flying an airplane. ”Do you fly in Australia?”
”As often as I can. I fly jets now and then on excursions, and we have a twin engine on the Crown Peak.”
”The Crown Peak?”
”The name of my family's ranch. Both Ryan and my dad, like all the Fortunes, have a hereditary birthmark in the shape of a crown.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask if Reed did. She'd tried so hard not to look at his naked body this morning.... Keeping her lips firmly closed to keep herself out of trouble, she stared straight ahead.
After Reed had done everything necessary for take-off and spoken with the tower, they taxied to the runway, then waited until he received a go-ahead. Looking over at her, he said, ”Here we go. Are you nervous?”
She shook her head. ”Excited.”
With that slip of a smile that made her stomach flip-flop, he focused his attention and they took off.
Leaving the Sierra Nevada behind them, Mallory couldn't help glancing at Reed as well as at the scenery. His hands were large and capable, his movements quick and deft. He'd taken off his Stetson and was wearing a headset. His profile was strong and defined. She might not remember marrying him, but she sure remembered kissing him, drowning in the sensuality of it- Turning his head, he caught her looking. She quickly looked away.
After a few moments Reed remarked, ”I suppose you saw the articles about the Fortunes in the newspapers and tabloids that Bentley referred to.”
”About Ryan Fortune's grandson being kidnapped? Or about his fiancee, Lily Ca.s.sidy, being accused of murdering the wife he was divorcing? Sophia, I think.”
Reed grimaced. ”Unfortunately, the Fortunes are newsworthy without the crises the family has been through.”
”The baby was returned unharmed, wasn't he?”
Reed nodded. ”And Lily was cleared of Sophia's murder.”
”From what I read, Lily and your uncle Ryan knew each other when they were younger, before his two marriages.”
”They were much younger. Did Dawson tell you about the scandals?”
”Some. He said he knew Lily could never murder anyone. He was relieved when Clint Lockhart was arrested for murdering Sophia.”
”Lockhart had revenge on his mind for years. Another dangerous man.”
Mallory knew Reed was referring to Winston. She'd never suspected he'd try to kidnap her.
Reed must have been thinking about what had happened that morning, too, because he asked, ”Did you manage to reach Dawson from the airport?”
”No. I still got his machine, and the Fortune offices are closed on Sat.u.r.day.”
”Maybe he's at the Double Crown. He has an open invitation to visit anytime he wants. My uncle is like that with people he trusts. But I guess you know that.”
”You mean, because of Dawson?”
Reed nodded.
”He's mentioned going riding at the Double Crown.” Wis.h.i.+ng she knew much more about her half brother, her voice was a bit wistful.
”Are you and Dawson close?” Reed asked.
”Not as close as I'd like. We have the same father. But Dad left Dawson's mother for mine and created so much bitterness that my mother did everything she could to dissuade contact between us. My dad, on the other hand, tried to bring Dawson and me together now and then. We'd go to Disneyland or have lunch. Dawson used to tell me if I needed him I could call him, so when he was in college, I did. But whenever my mother saw the bill, she had a fit.”
”What about more recently?”
For some reason it seemed natural to talk to Reed about her family. ”My life was as hectic as Dawson's and it was hard to connect. Since I was still living with my mother and stepfather, I tried to keep peace. I should have moved out after college. But I was doing an apprentices.h.i.+p, which Mother and George were totally against. They didn't like the idea of my working at all. So to calm the waters somewhat, I stayed with them.”
Reed glanced at her briefly. ”What about your father?”
”He died when I was seventeen,” she said softly. She still missed him desperately. They'd been close and when he'd died, she'd felt cut adrift. Her mother's remarriage a year later hadn't helped.
Giving her a quick look, Reed didn't pursue the conversation any further. After another stretch of silence when the only sound was the hum of the engine, Reed picked up a phone from between their seats and quickly punched in a number. ”I'm going to check to see if Dawson is at the Double Crown.”
When someone answered, Reed asked, ”Rosita, it's Reed. Is Dawson there this weekend?” After a pause he said, ”I see. Is Zane around? Maybe he can tell me.” Turning toward Mallory, Reed explained, ”Dawson's not there. But Zane, Ryan's son, works with him at the Fortune offices. He should know what's going on.”
Anxiety tightened Mallory's chest. What if no one knew where Dawson was?
Reed asked his cousin about Dawson's whereabouts and then listened. Finally he responded, ”Are you going to be there for a while? Either I'll call you back or I'll answer your questions after I land. Talk to you soon.” Putting the phone back on its holder, Reed readjusted his headset, then said matter-of-factly, ”You have a problem.”
”Dawson?” she asked.
”He's away on business and Zane doesn't expect him back for two weeks. He flew to Europe to check on new investment possibilities. Zane has his itinerary, if you want to call him, but I get the impression that he has meetings scheduled daily for the time he's there. Even if he came back to help you get settled, he'd have to leave again. The way I see it, you have three options.”
”Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like any of them?” she murmured.
He gave her a wry look. ”You can go back to San Francisco and forget about this whole adventure.”
”That one's out,” she responded quickly.
”You could stay at Dawson's place and be a sitting duck if Winston comes calling again.”
”I'm not particularly fond of that one, either.”
”Or finally, we could pretend to have a real marriage and you could stay with me.”
With all that had happened, she didn't think anything Reed could say would shock her, but that came close. Besides the fact that ”pretend” and ”real” didn't seem to go together in the same sentence. ”Explain 'pretend to have a real marriage.'”
”We have a marriage certificate. All I have to do is tell Zane to spread the word and everyone will know we're married. I'm staying in a cabin on the Double Crown property. No one has to know what you and I do when we're alone.”
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