Czytaj książkę: «Captive In Eden»

CHAPTER ONE

BY THE time they arrived at the old Virginia plantation house for the cocktail party, Sky was clenching her teeth and her stomach churned. She should have waited to tell Sean the news until later, only she’d been so excited and she’d hoped so much he’d understand and be excited too.

But he wasn’t.

She let the anger squash down the pain. Anger was easier to deal with for the moment.

‘We’ll discuss this later,’ he said now as he parked the car. His voice was coldly businesslike and it made her furious. She was not one of his employees who were being paid to do what he told them to. She was her own person with her own life and her own dreams and she had the right to make her own decisions.

He held the car door open for her and she swung her legs to the side and got out, giving his handsome face a stony stare as she did so.

Silently they walked the short way up to the front doors of the plantation house. It was a beautiful historic building with a large wrap-around porch and formally landscaped gardens. It was worth a ton of money, but the owners of the Montana Group had tons of money, according to Sean.

A butler ushered them into a marble-floored foyer and into a large, high-ceilinged room where the cocktail party was in full swing. Men in sober suits and women in elegant dresses stood around in small groups, talking and smiling. Diamonds glittered and champagne flowed. Waiters weaved around with trays of drinks and platters of beautifully presented food.

‘There he is,’ said Sean. ‘The man rubbing his chin.’

The man rubbing his chin looked just as Sky had expected—tall, sophisticated, sleek and ruthless. His dark suit was impeccable, his dress shirt blindingly white, his hair combed back and trimmed immaculately. He had striking green eyes that had a predatory glint in them as he glanced around the room. Looking for prey, she thought with a spark of amusement, the assessment instinctive. Here was a man with power and money, one of the owners of the Montana Group, a family company that owned luxury hotels and tourist resorts the world over. And they were here to celebrate one more project—a large tourist hotel in the Ecuadorian rainforest. She didn’t like the sound of it one bit.

The green eyes clashed with hers. An electric spark tingled through her nervous system and her heart missed a beat. No wonder—she didn’t like that arrogant self-possession he emanated; it made the hair prickle at the back of her neck. His eyes not leaving her face, he came towards them, moving forward with an economy of movement, weaving through the crowd of people, easily and confidently—a man at home in his own body.

And a good body it was, she had no doubt. Just watching him move told her that.

His smile was polite. ‘Sean, glad you could make it,’ he said in a deep, utterly masculine voice that had a faint, elegant southern lilt. But his tone was cool, as were his eyes as he looked at Sean.

He doesn’t like Sean, she thought, and then the penetrating green gaze was full on her face and he extended his hand to her. ‘Chase Montana,’ he said, not giving Sean the chance to introduce them.

His hand was firm as he grasped hers. Her heart began to gallop at the look of interest in his eyes. No, not mere interest—it was more intense than that. Perhaps it was only because of the green of his eyes, compelling eyes that missed nothing.

His hair was a rich, dark brown. He had a nose with a bump on it—Roman, or Greek—she wasn’t sure what they called it. Or maybe somebody had broken his nose in a rage. She could well imagine such a possibility. He was a man who could evoke extremes of emotion, she was quite sure. Unaccountably, a shiver went down her spine. It was an odd experience to have such an instant, strong reaction to a stranger.

‘Sky Malone,’ she told him and tried to extract her hand. He was holding on just a bit too long for comfort.

One dark brow arched fractionally. ‘Sky…an interesting name. I like it.’

‘Thank you,’ she said politely. ‘So do I.’

His mouth quirked. ‘Please, come in and have a drink.’

Sean went straight for the Scotch. Sky kept to a glass of champagne and slipped away from Sean into a small adjoining room where a table in the middle held a miniature version of the hotel and grounds that would be constructed in Ecuador. Maps, photographs, blueprints and artist renderings were displayed on the walls.

Twenty-five acres of primal rainforest would be cleared for the project. Roads would be built, hiking paths hacked through the jungle, a boating dock built at the river’s edge.

Wealthy tourists would flock to the hotel from where they could discover the miracle that was the rainforest, and gawk at the indigenous people living there, who, of course, would gawk back.

Having had a good look around, Sky left the room. Sean was deep in conversation with two other men, smiling and looking animated.

Sean was handsome, charming and smart. She’d liked the charming part of him the best, at least when she’d first met him a few months ago. Lately it was beginning to annoy her. He liked being charming a little too much. The smart part had some problems too, as far as Sky was concerned. She hadn’t immediately noticed this, but it had become more and more obvious that Sean was manipulative and controlling, character traits that made her want to run screaming for the woods.

During the drive over to the party, the atmosphere had soured as soon as she had mentioned her trip to Mexico. He had stiffened and waves of disapproval had billowed forth from him.

‘A month?’ he’d said, incredulous.

‘Yes.’

‘Sky, you can’t leave for a whole month. I need you.’

This was supposed to make her feel good—loved, wanted.

It made her furious.

She didn’t get angry easily and she’d stared rigidly out of the car window trying to stay calm, trying to find the humour in the situation. But Sean was being selfish and it simply wasn’t humorous.

She watched him now as he was being his charming self, feeling her heart contract. It was going wrong. Again it was going wrong. Again there was that terrible sense of loneliness at the realisation that she had to do her dreaming and hoping by herself.

With Josh she had shared everything and together they had planned and dreamed. He had thought everything she did with her camera was magic; she’d thought everything he wrote with his pen was magic.

She sighed and took a drink from her champagne. She was twenty-seven years old and she was never, never going to find another man she could love. She was going to end up sad, single and childless—lonely and unfulfilled. She looked down at the bubbly champagne in her glass and grinned at her own melodrama. Sometimes, making fun of her own fears made them easier to face.

Still, eight years was a long time to be alone, a long time to be lonely. None of the other men she had known since Josh had been able to fill up the emptiness. Maybe something was wrong with her. Maybe subconsciously she picked the wrong men, for whatever perverse, hidden reason.

The large French doors stood open and the outside gardens beckoned. The wildlife outside was much more interesting than the wildlife inside, so she slipped out into the cool evening air.

It was a lovely spring night with lots of stars and a half-moon. Discreetly hidden outdoor lights illuminated the gardens, creating a romantic, fairytale atmosphere. Being outside made her feel better. Cocktail parties were not exactly her scene, and certainly not this kind. The people in the room represented a lot of power and wealth and the very air was charged with it. It was a bit intimidating, especially when you were more used to communing with spiders and squirrels than with people. She was afraid she’d say the wrong thing to the wrong person. One of her flaws was that her mouth sometimes got away from her. She’d say things before thinking about them. This was not always appreciated, and when she was wrong it was mortifying.

Footsteps came down the path and she recognised Chase Montana. She felt her body tense for no reason that made any sense except that he had a magnetism she reacted to involuntarily. She didn’t like it. She didn’t want to react to this man.

‘Nice night,’ he said, taking a sip from his drink.

‘Yes,’ she said. He was awfully tall. Of course, almost anybody was tall next to her five feet two.

‘Did you see the mock-up?’ he asked.

‘Yes.’

‘What did you think?’ He looked at her with interest, as if it mattered what she thought. It mattered nothing. She was not a potential investor in the project and had no connections with it one way or another. Was he just making conversation?

Not for a minute, came the automatic answer. He was not a man who wasted time making idle chit-chat. He was talking to her for a reason, whatever it was, and what he wanted to know was what she thought of the project.

She hesitated. Watch your mouth, she admonished herself. He glanced down at her and smiled faintly.

‘Go ahead.’

‘It’s going to be a beautiful hotel, and I’m sure the grounds are going to be magnificent.’ This was true enough.

‘But?’

‘I didn’t say but.’

His eyes studied her face. ‘Ah, but there is a but,’ he said slowly. ‘I can see it in your eyes. You do not altogether approve.’

No, not altogether. She scrambled for appropriately polite words.

‘I don’t know all the details and circumstances and I’ve never been to Ecuador. I don’t like giving uninformed opinions.’ Boy, that sounded good. She was proud of herself.

His mouth quirked. ‘Very commendable. However, you do have an opinion?’

‘Of course I have an opinion.’ For some reason, his questions made her uneasy. She sipped her drink and looked off into the shadowed gardens. She was truly making an effort to keep control over her tongue but he was not making it easy.

He looked at her questioningly. ‘Are you going to tell me?’

The man was impossible. She sighed. ‘To tell you the truth, Mr Montana, it bothers me. The hotel is very large. It will hold a lot of people.’

‘The better to make money.’

Irritation flared up inside her. Money. As if that excused everything.

‘Yes. But that’s not what bothers me.’

‘The making money part?’

‘No. There’s nothing wrong with making money. What matters is how, and at what cost, and to whom.’

His eyes narrowed and he studied her for a moment. ‘And you have your doubts as to whether this project will be making money in a responsible manner,’ he stated slowly.

She looked straight into his eyes and threw caution to the winds. ‘Yes. From the information I got from the display, I understand that the hotel will be put in quite an isolated area of primal rainforest. From the photos and that anthropological little blurb on the wall it is obvious that the indigenous people there live very traditional lives and have had little contact with the outside world. Bringing in large numbers of wealthy westerners into a place like that is irresponsible.’ So there, she’d said it. He’d asked for it.

His face was shadowed in the dim light. ‘Rainforests are big tourist attractions these days,’ he commented.

His attitude aggravated her no end. ‘I understand that,’ she said tightly, ‘but a hotel full of people with cameras and video recorders and watches and sunglasses is going to have a big impact on the place and not all positive!’ She took a deep breath. ‘Everywhere in the world we can see the damage tourists do!’ She was off and going. ‘In Kenya the wildlife is suffering because too many tourists disturb their natural living rhythms. Tropical reefs are damaged and fish species become extinct because there are too many divers! We’re wiping out traditional cultures, sometimes entire tribes by introducing them to the joys and comforts of modern civilisation!’

She stopped herself and drew in a deep breath and stared into the shadowed garden. Protection of the environment was a subject close to her heart, but she did not want to sound like a ranting zealot.

‘You cannot hold back progress,’ he said mildly.

What a lousy excuse, she wanted to say, but swallowed the words. ‘There’s progress and progress,’ she said stubbornly, trying to keep her cool. ‘There’s doing it responsibly and doing it irresponsibly. And going by what I’ve seen and heard about your project I can only conclude that it’s not responsible.’ This was an understatement, of course. She thought it was a disgrace. She looked at his shadowed face, unwavering. ‘And I’m sure I’m not the only one who has voiced these sentiments.’

He inclined his head slightly, his face inscrutable. ‘No, indeed, you are not.’ He gestured at the house. ‘However, none of the people who has done so is present here, so I suggest you keep your opinion to yourself.’

The gall of the man! ‘I would have kept it to myself had you not pushed me! You very specifically asked for my opinion and I gave it!’

His mouth curved crookedly. ‘Indeed you did. And I compliment you on your very diplomatic language. I have heard the same opinion expressed in much less flattering words.’ He took a sip from his drink, his eyes on her face. ‘I’d better go inside and tend to my other guests. Enjoy the scenery.’

She watched him stride into the house. Had she made him angry? She couldn’t tell and she didn’t care. He’d asked for her opinion and she’d given it.

‘Enjoy the scenery’, he had said. Well, she would. She was in no mood to converse with people who destroyed nature for the sole purpose of adding on to their wealth. She took a deep breath of the fragrant air and glanced around. Massive old trees—oaks and hickories and hemlocks—shaded the house. Delicate Japanese maples with their wine-red foliage added elegance and large azaleas brightened the grounds with splashes of bright colour.

She was not meant to have peace and quiet, because Sean appeared minutes after Chase had gone back into the house. He draped an arm possessively around her and she stiffened instinctively. She had never done that before and she knew it was a sign, clear and immutable in its meaning. It was over between them. She did not love him. She could not love him. Her throat ached and she swallowed painfully.

‘I was looking for you,’ he said, dropping a kiss on her cheek. ‘Nice party. What are you doing out here?’

‘I just wanted a little fresh air.’ Obviously his anger towards her had cooled, but she could not ignore the significance of the incident in the car. She couldn’t stay blind to Sean’s selfish and disrespectful attitude towards her.

‘What do you think of Chase?’ he asked.

‘Very imposing. Consummately self-confident.’

Sean laughed. ‘Too bad his brother Breck isn’t here. He’s in the Far East negotiating another deal. The two of them make quite a combo. I think I’m going to make out like a bandit on this one,’ he said with smug satisfaction. ‘Everybody and his dog wants to see the rainforest these days.’

Sean was one of the potential investors of the project, be it a small one, but his enthusiasm was large. He hadn’t told her many details and she hadn’t understood the extent of the project until she’d seen the mock-up and other displays this evening. She didn’t feel like talking to him about it and getting into another argument. One argument with him in a day was quite enough. She said nothing.

His hand stroked the nape of her neck. ‘I’m sorry I upset you earlier,’ he went on. ‘But please be reasonable about this trip.’

Fresh anger rose to her head. She moved away from him, gritting her teeth. Sean’s definition of reasonable was giving in to his wishes.

‘You don’t have to go, do you?’ he asked when she did not reply.

Despair mixed itself with her anger—a bitter concoction. He had not changed his mind. He didn’t take her seriously. She swallowed hard. ‘The answer is yes and no. Yes, of course I have to go. This is a fantastic opportunity. And no, I don’t have to go—not as in being obliged to because I’m being ordered by a superior.’

‘So it comes down to the fact that you want to go.’

Anger was taking the upper hand now. ‘Of course I want to go! It’ll be good for my career. You don’t get it, do you? Tell me honestly why you don’t want me to go on this trip!’

‘It’s dangerous, camping out in the wilds like that. You might catch something.’ He was looking the other way as he said it, as if he didn’t quite dare to look her in the face.

She gave a mocking little laugh. ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake! Don’t make me laugh.’ He was making excuses, as if his objection stemmed from his concern for her welfare rather than his own self-interest.

‘You’ll be gone a long time.’ He looked grim.

‘A month. Surely you can survive a month without me.’

‘We’ll have to cancel next weekend.’

‘Yes. I am sorry about that.’ They’d been invited by one of his friends to spend a weekend on his luxury yacht cruising the Chesapeake Bay. She’d looked forward to it, but sacrifices had to be made sometimes. Was it too much to ask from a man that on occasion he accommodate a woman’s career needs?

Sean sighed impatiently. ‘Sky, I needed the time off! I’ve worked at neck-breaking speed lately and I need some relaxation!’

‘You can go without me, Sean.’ She felt a wave of fatigue wash over her. She didn’t want to have this conversation. It was hopeless and useless, and he simply refused to understand.

His jaw went rigid. His grey eyes looked icy. ‘That wasn’t the plan. I want you with me.’

‘I know, but sometimes plans need to be changed,’ she said wearily. He was acting like a spoiled brat. Not an endearing quality in a manor anyone else, for that matter.

‘I thought you’d want to be with me. I thought we…had something.’

You’re wrong, she thought, feeling sadness overwhelm her. ‘I think you’re being extremely selfish, Sean. Why can’t you see that this trip is important for my career?’

He said nothing. It was a very eloquent silence and she felt her heart sink.

‘You don’t really think my career is important, do you?’ She heard the dull resignation in her own voice. She’d recognised the truth, but had resisted putting it into words until now. ‘You seem to think it’s some sort of hobby.’

‘Very few photographers ever make it big, Sky. You know that.’

She tensed. ‘I’ll make it, Sean. I am making it. I’ve done very well this past year.’ Her Hope series had been exhibited in the Benedict gallery in Washington D.C. She’d had several very good assignments. It just took time and perseverence in this business. And a lot of hard work. ‘I support myself, I pay taxes, I have no debts and I own my own house.’

‘A barn, Sky,’ he said with a dismissive gesture. ‘You live in a barn.’ He said it as if she slept in the straw with the pigs.

However, she did live in a barn—a remodelled old red barn—and she loved it. It was certainly an eccentric place to live, but it was spacious, comfortable, unique and it suited her needs perfectly. It was, obviously, not up to Sean’s sophisticated standards. Well, she’d had enough of Sean and his sophisticated standards.

‘You don’t respect my work and you belittle my efforts and you don’t like where I live,’ she said bitterly. ‘I have no idea at all why you’re interested in me and why you can’t live without me for a month.’

‘Don’t start, Sky,’ he warned.

She gave a derisive little laugh and suddenly the weariness was gone and anger gushed from her. ‘I’m starting nothing! I’m finishing something! I cannot tolerate that kind of disrespect from you, Mr Managing Director! You may have a big title and a huge income, but you have a very small mind!’ She whirled around and marched away, her legs unsteady. What was it that gave him the right to feel so damned superior? She stormed inside the large party-room, and out of the first door that came into view, straight into a hard, broad chest.

The impact stopped her in her tracks. Her face was pressed against the smooth cotton fabric of a shirt. Her gasp drew in a clean, male scent. Her cheek took in the warmth that came through the shirt. Her body flooded with a tingling, intoxicating warmth.

‘Well, well,’ Chase drawled. ‘Are you running out on my party?’ He had an arm around her in an effort to steady her.

She struggled out of his embrace, fighting for composure. ‘I’d like to,’ she said tightly, ‘but I’ll have to wait for my ride.’ It was not going to be a pleasure trip home. Sean’s anger would not suddenly disappear.

He lifted a quizzical brow. ‘Not enjoying yourself? Something wrong with the food perhaps?’

‘No. Something’s wrong with men.’

‘That’s quite a sweeping statement.’

‘I’m sweeping mad.’

He laughed. It was a deep, rich sound, and suddenly she found herself cracking a smile, her sense of humour getting the better of her. His eyes gleamed into hers.

‘You have a way with words. So what’s wrong with men?’

‘They’re selfish, manipulative, arrogant and into control,’ she said loftily. ‘Haven’t you watched Oprah lately?’

‘I can’t say that I have, but I don’t consider myself too old to learn. How about a drink to calm you down?’

He wanted to calm her down. She smiled nicely. ‘Would you say that to one of your male business friends when he was angry?’ Her tone was light.

He frowned, thinking. ‘Not exactly like that.’

‘You’d slap him on the shoulder and say, You need a drink, man; let’s go.’

‘I’m afraid if I slapped you on the shoulder you’d crumple.’

She groaned. It was hopeless, hopeless. She couldn’t help being small and blonde. She evoked in people protective feelings, which was nice if you came down with galloping pneumonia and needed nursing, but in normal life it was infuriating.

‘I don’t crumple. I’m very strong, actually, and yes, I would like a drink. Something more potent than champagne—anything.’

Chase studied her with amused curiosity. ‘Coming up.’

Moments later she had a glass of whisky soda in her hand and she took a grateful swallow. She wasn’t much of a drinker of strong stuff, but on occasion she liked it.

‘I like your dress,’ he said as his eyes skimmed over her. ‘It’s very—er—woodsy.’

It was short and supremely simple in line and would have been discreetly elegant had it not been for the exotic pattern of the silk fabric. Its leafy design of many shades of green contrasted with small splashes of vivid red, yellow and blue, which on closer inspection could be identified as parrots hiding in the greenery.

‘Thank you,’ she said brightly. She wondered if he meant what he said. ‘Not everyone shares your opinion.’ Sean had been less than enthusiastic and asked why she couldn’t have worn something not quite so flamboyant, like basic black. She was not fond of basic black. It made her feel very depressed and depression was not an uplifting emotion.

‘Black would look more elegant and sophisticated,’ he’d instructed her.

She’d laughed. ‘Sean, I thought you’d have noticed by now that I am not the elegant, sophisticated type. I crawl around in the woods and commune with bugs and birds. I feel at home in this dress.’ She liked being surrounded by trees and bushes and birds, and she loved parrots. And in view of the rainforest hotel project she’d thought the dress eminently appropriate. She’d bought the dress in a sale. It had originally been very expensive, but apparently women with a lot of money had considered the dress too wild for their taste.

Chase’s eyes gleamed. ‘The parrots I find especially intriguing.’

‘Papuan King Parrots,’ she informed him. ‘Alisterus chloropterus.’

‘Ah, an ornithologist,’ he stated.

She shook her head. ‘A photographer.’ She smiled innocently. ‘Every time I hike through the woods, I keep looking for parrots. I never see one.’

His mouth quirked. ‘Let me do you a favour,’ he said. ‘Looking for tropical parrots in a forest in Virginia is a losing proposition.’

She bit her lip, trying not to smile. She was not successful. ‘It’s not nice to shatter someone’s dreams, you know.’ Her voice was light, yet the atmosphere between them was anything but casual. Something was in the air—something reflected in his eyes, the tone of his voice.

His green eyes did not leave her face. ‘Somehow I don’t think that’s what I’m doing.’

She sipped her drink, saying nothing, feeling her pulse quicken, feeling a strange apprehension.

‘So, what else are you interested in, apart from photographing parrots?’ he asked casually.

Why didn’t she believe he was as casual as he sounded? As if his question had some hidden purpose?

‘I like travelling, but I haven’t had many chances, and I like hiking and camping and white-water rafting.’

He cocked an eyebrow. ‘Really?’

She nodded. ‘Yes, really.’ She was used to people’s surprise. She didn’t look the sporty type. She was too small and too blonde and too feminine, and even her short, sporty hairstyle did nothing to dispel that image.

‘And you?’ she asked. ‘What do you do in your spare time? Play golf? Ride horses?’

He inclined his head. ‘Of course.’ He tossed back the last of his drink, and then someone claimed his attention and she gratefully slipped away.

She wanted to go home. She’d had enough of smiling politely and making conversation for the sake of making conversation. Of course Sean would want to stay. He loved this sort of thing. Networking, it was called—making contacts. She should be networking herself. After all, you could never know where a new assignment could originate, and there were a lot of influential types prancing around here. But tonight she didn’t feel up to it. She wanted to go home and cry and wallow in self-pity.

She clenched her hands involuntarily and swallowed at the lump in her throat. When she was nineteen her life had been perfect and she’d thought it was going to be perfect for the rest of her life. By the time she’d turned twenty her world had crumbled around her.

She’d been so young, so idealistic, so full of dreams. It seemed like another lifetime. Now, sometimes, she felt wise and old and cynical. It was not a nice feeling, and not one she intended to cultivate.

She glanced around the room, finding no Sean. She had a raging headache, which was not so surprising considering the circumstances. She’d been up very late last night doing paperwork and reading up on Mexico. The little bit of sleep she’d caught had been fitful and full of confusing dreams. And now this confrontation with Sean…She rubbed her forehead, feeling physically exhausted and emotionally drained.

Where was he? Impatiently she roamed around, her feet hurting. She wasn’t used to wearing high heels, although it did give her an enjoyable sense of being a bit taller, and more elegant. Ten minutes later there still was no sign of him. She was beginning to feel uneasy and her head throbbed painfully. On impulse she slipped out of the front door and went in search of Sean’s car, a white Pontiac Fiero. She wished she’d come in her own car, an ancient little sky-blue Jeep, so that she wouldn’t have been dependent on Sean to see her home. Not that her little Jeep would have felt at home among the lofty vehicles in the parking area, she thought as she scanned the impressive collection of expensive cars. There was no sign of Sean’s Fiero.

It was gone, leaving an open space between a shiny charcoal Mercedes Benz and a metallic blue BMW.

For a moment she stood very still, incredulous.

He had left! He had left without her! The swine!

She didn’t know a soul at the party. They were miles out in the countryside in an isolated historic plantation house. She didn’t even know where she was exactly. Sean had been driving and she hadn’t paid much attention.

She’d been dumped. There was no other word for it. Leaving her stranded was Sean’s revenge, no doubt. She should have known. She’d told him he had a small mind, and this was proof. No class, no manners. How could she possibly ever have liked the man? It was frightening to think how blind she had been. How hopeful. How stupid. She swallowed painfully.

Her head throbbed and she rubbed her temples. She went back into the house and headed for the bar. She needed a drink, some juice or water. She needed to get rid of this headache—she was beginning to see stars. She was beginning to feel dizzy.