Czytaj książkę: «A Gift For Baby»

One

“Hey, Mitch. Look at that. It’s the Ice Princess, come into town.” The tall, handsome cowboy rapped his knuckles against the glass of the telephone booth to get his friend’s attention. “Whachya say we go over and make ourselves helpful?”

Mitch Harper turned in the tiny booth, with the receiver still against his ear, more annoyed at the interruption from Larry than interested in seeing Hailey Kingston emerge from her low-slung sports car. Glancing at her, he shrugged and gestured his disinterest.

“I’m on the phone,” he told Larry. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

Larry nodded good-naturedly and started across the street toward where Hailey stood adjusting a scarf she’d worn over her hair in the open car. Mitch watched her for a moment, his eyes narrowing, then his gaze focused on a pair of brightly attired men getting out of a gray sedan half a block away, and he shook his head, going back to his call.

“You really ought to do something about those two excops they’ve got covering her,” he said softly into the receiver. “They stick out like sore thumbs.”

“Aren’t they dressed for the area?” asked the gruff voice on the other end of the line.

“Sure. Circa 1950. They look like Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.”

There was a pause. “Aren’t they both guys?”

“Yup.”

“Oh.” The man on the line gave a snort of quick laughter. “I’ll say something to the surveillance coordinator.” He snickered again. “They don’t suspect you, do they?”

“Those two?” Mitch smiled. “They don’t have a clue. They think I’m a cowboy, just like everyone else does. Just another ranch hand.”

“Good. I thought you would fit in pretty easily.”

“Don’t worry about me. I grew up not far from here. I know the area.”

“But do they know you?”

“No. Not in this end of the valley.”

“Good. Be careful.” His voice got more businesslike. “Got anything for me?” he asked.

“Not yet,” Mitch replied. “She’s barely left the side of the pool for the past four days.” He glanced across the street at where Hailey Kingston was still talking to Larry. As he watched, she began to walk into the store, and he had to admit, her walk had something to it, something a man couldn’t ignore. Good thing he wasn’t affected by things like that.

Yeah, right. Pulling himself together, he returned to his call. “If she’s got anything inside that pretty head besides fluff, she’s pretty good at hiding it.”

“Don’t underestimate her. She’s the apple of her daddy’s eye. If he’s told anyone where the money is, it’ll be her.”

Mitch shook his head and his mouth turned down at the corners. The signs were not auspicious as far as he was concerned. “If she knows anything, she’s a great bluffer.”

“Hey, the best of them always seem innocent. Just keep an eye on her and give me a call if she does anything suspicious.”

“Like booking a cruise or buying a diamond?”

“Like that, and any number of other things.”

“You got it. And hey, Donagan.” A smile crept into Mitch’s voice. “Next assignment is back in the real world again—you got that? No more baby-sitting jobs.”

“Hey, the next suicide mission is yours, Harper. You got my word on it.”

After an exchange of friendly obscenities, Mitch rang off and made his way out of the booth, starting across the street toward where Larry was attempting to charm the lovely young woman in the sky blue jumper whose blond hair tumbled about her shoulders like surf on a rocky shore.

There was no doubt she was beautiful, and he was only human. But despite the reluctant admiration he couldn’t help but have for her looks, he had nothing but contempt for everything else about her. The virtuous act didn’t fool him for a moment. He’d been on a lot of these cases over the years, and it was his experience that these women were usually into things up to their delicately trimmed eyebrows, no matter how much innocence they pretended.

He hung back a bit, not wanting to draw attention his way. He’d decided not to get to know her from the start. Each job was unique. In some cases, the closer you got, the more you learned about the subject of the investigation. In others, it paid to stay back as an anonymous observer. That was the way he’d been playing it so far. Of course, it hadn’t paid off with much information as yet, had it? Still, his instincts told him to keep his distance. He would just as soon she didn’t notice him at all.

But he realized, with a wry twinge of humor, that he needn’t have bothered to worry in this instance. Hailey Kingston’s attention was focused fully on Larry Bartelli’s handsome face as he helped her with the packages she was picking up at the local dress shop.

“Thank you,” she told him as he stowed the parcels away in the boot of her foreign car. “I appreciate the help.”

“My pleasure,” Larry responded with a smile that he obviously hoped exuded raw seductive appeal. “Anytime you need me, you just call. I’m at your service.”

“How comforting,” she said after a pause. She reached into her purse. “Here, let me give you something for…”

“Oh, no, ma’am.” Larry waved away her offer. “I don’t need money. You can pay me back with just one of your pretty smiles. That’s all I need.”

She looked up at him and laughed softly. “If feminine smiles were really worth something, I have a feeling you’d be rich,” she told him.

“Oh, no, Miss Kingston,” he insisted earnestly. “Your smile is the only one that means anything to me.”

She laughed again, tucking her purse under her arm For just a moment, she glanced at Mitch, but he had his Stetson pushed down low over his eyes, and she didn’t seem to see anything there worth lingering over.

“You’re a lucky man, cowboy,” she said, regarding Larry again with her head cocked to the side. “To be happy with such a simple gesture.” She gave him a quick grin. “Especially since that’s all you’re ever going to get from me,” she noted dryly under her breath. As she spoke, her two bodyguards approached the car, one walking with an exaggerated swagger, the other with a scowl.

“Move along, boys,” the swaggerer barked at the two cowboys. “You know you’re not supposed to bother Miss Kingston.”

“No fraternization. That’s the rules,” the scowler added for good measure.

“It’s all right,” she said, turning to give them both a winning smile. “I asked for help. It’s my fault.”

The swaggerer looked aghast. “But we’re here to help you, Miss Kingston. That’s what they set up through the D. A.’s office. We’re always here.”

“Yes, I know.” Her dry tone belied her feelings on the matter, and for a split second, her gaze met Mitch’s and he saw the frustration in her eyes. But before he had time to connect with her look, she’d already turned and was sliding behind the wheel of her small car. Identical looks of panic crossed the faces of the two guards and they ran for their gray sedan. It was obvious they were afraid of losing her.

“She’s ditched them before, I’ll wager,” Mitch muttered to himself with a smile as they roared off, chasing her dust.

But Larry wasn’t listening. Sidling up to his friend, he clapped him on the back with a hearty pat. “Hey, she loves me,” he announced happily.

If Larry had been looking, he might have noticed that the twist to Mitch’s wide, hard mouth held more than a hint of sarcasm. “Is that right?”

“Yeah, can’t you tell? Didn’t you see the way she looked at me? She’s crazy about me.”

Mitch turned back toward the truck where they’d left it parked down the street a half block.

“Lucky you,” he said dismissively. “But in the meantime, we’ve got things to do. We’ve still got to stop in and see the vet about those vitamins for that pregnant mare.”

Larry fell into step beside him, his eyes sparkling from the encounter with Hailey. “She’s gorgeous, isn’t she? On a scale of one to ten, I’d give her a twenty. What do you think?”

Mitch was beginning to lose interest in the subject. “Personally, I’d give her a pass,” he said shortly.

“You know what’s wrong with you?” Larry babbled on happily. “You’ve got no romance in your soul.”

Mitch nodded, in complete agreement on that score, and proud of it. He glanced at Larry. “And you’ve got no brain in your head if you think the powers that be are going to let you get anywhere near that woman.”

Larry’s smile was still just as broad. “Don’t worry, pal. Love will find a way.”

Mitch grunted a noncommittal sound and turned back toward the truck.

“Hey, man,” Larry insisted, as though he felt he had to prove something to his companion. “I’ve got a knack with the girls, pal. They go for me in a big way.”

Mitch gave him a pitying look. “Yes, I can tell girls like you a lot.” He coughed carefully. “You might have a little more of a problem with real women, however,” he murmured.

“Huh?” Larry frowned. “What does that mean?”

Mitch shrugged. “Never mind. Let’s get out of here.” He pulled open the door of the truck, ready to climb behind the wheel, but Larry couldn’t let the subject go.

“Ah, you’re just jealous,” he ribbed as they got in and Mitch started the engine. “I know females. She’s dreaming about me right now.”

Maybe he was right, Mitch thought rather grumpily as they drove toward the office of the veterinarian. After all, he hadn’t seen much evidence that she was much more than the bubbleheaded type who would go for a lightweight like Larry. And if she was dreaming about him, she probably deserved the fate that lay in wait for her. He certainly would do nothing to intervene. He just wanted to get this job over with and go back to something with a little more substance than this boring stint of surveillance.

“You’re probably right,” he muttered to Larry, to quiet him down. “You’re probably right.”

But Larry was wrong. Hailey’s thoughts, as she drove toward the ranch, were a thousand miles away. They were centered somewhere outside of Denver at the moment.

“I could just keep driving,” she was whispering to herself. “I could just go and go until dark.” Looking in her rearview mirror, she could tell her bodyguards hadn’t caught up with her dust trail as yet. “I could take a side road and lose them in minutes. No one would ever catch me.”

But she laughed ruefully, knowing it was only a fantasy. She’d promised her father that she would stay put, and that was what she was going to have to do, no matter how agonizingly boring it became.

The first two weeks hadn’t been too bad. She’d spent a lot of time catching up on her reading and her sleeping and her sunbathing. But now time was dragging, lengthening before her eyes, and she desperately needed something new to do.

She’d come here reluctantly. “Daddy,” she’d insisted when her father had first brought it up. “I can handle myself. I’ve lived in the big city for too many years to be scared off because some sleazy mob guy is on my tail.”

“It’s more than that, sugar,” he’d told her, shaking his shaggy white head of hair. “Much more. If someone got hold of you, they could buy my silence in a minute, and they’re going to know it.”

“Oh, Daddy.” She loved the man so much. Ever since she’d lost her mother when she was entering her teen years, she’d depended on him in ways her friends never seemed to depend on their fathers. He was her confidante, her staunchest supporter, her buddy, her rock in a sea of uncertainty. The fact that he’d disappointed her in major ways in the past didn’t matter. Her love went beyond that. She looked at his handsome, aging face and sighed. “Oh, Daddy,” she said again softly.

“I mean it, honey. These guys play rough.”

By now it was a foregone conclusion. Of course she was going to do as he asked. But she didn’t tell him yet. Instead she played for time. “But…how did you get involved with these people in the first place?” she asked him.

“Doing business, sugar. My restaurants have been three of the most popular places in San Francisco for the past ten years. When you have success like that, the jackals start to circle. There are always people who try to horn in and get a share.”

“But…”

He shook his head decisively. “I’m not going to listen to any more opposition on this, Hailey. I’ve found a place for you. It’s a resort, really—horses, swimming, peace and quiet. You’ll have time to read all those books you keep telling me you’ve been putting off reading because you just don’t have time. You’ll be in the nice warm sunshine while the rest of us are still dealing with winter. You’ll have the time of your life.”

She knew she was going. Still there were loose ends to tie up. “But my job…” she reminded him. She worked as a buyer for Ganby’s Department Store, and she loved the career she was blazing for herself. It would be hard to put it on hold.

She might have known he would already have that problem taken care of. “I’ve talked to Warren. He understands the situation and he’s willing to give you a leave of absence. He’ll hold your job for you.”

There had been times when she’d cursed the fact that her boss and her father were good friends, but this seemed to be an instance when it would help rather than hinder. She sighed. They were ganging up on her, weren’t they?

“How long will it take?” she asked, her submission already clear in her voice.

He smiled at her. “I don’t imagine it will be for longer than three or four weeks at the most.”

“Oh, Daddy.”

He put an arm around her shoulders and drew her closer. “Sugar, I hate to be dictatorial, but you’ve got to do this. If you don’t, I won’t be able to testify, and I might have to leave the country.”

She looked at him sideways. He sounded quite sincere and she truly wanted to believe him. He’d lied to her before, lied in ways that had cut into their relationship and almost ruined it. But that was in the past. She’d dealt with it, accepted that he was what he was, and moved on. He was her father. She loved him. And there was absolutely no reason she could think of that he would be hiding anything from her. She decided he had to be telling the truth. This time.

There was nothing left to do but agree. So here she was, and the desert that had once looked magically mysterious now looked hypnotically tedious.

The wind tugged at her scarf as she made the turn onto the ranch roads. Ahead she saw the ranch house, a large, imposing building atop a gentle hill.

“Home sweet home,” she murmured to herself sardonically as she pulled up before the entryway. She jumped out of the car and turned to wave as the gray sedan came sliding into the yard. But before the men reached her, she’d opened the boot of her car and pulled out her packages and was starting up the steps into the house.

“With all due respect, you drive too darn fast, Miss Kingston,” one of them called to her.

She waved again, laughing, and took the steps two at a time. “Jen?” she called, knowing the house should be empty except for the household staff.

Dressed in the pale blue uniform all the house help wore, Jen came clattering down the stairs, ebony hair flying behind her. “Did you get it?” she cried, her dark eyes sparkling.

“Shh!” Hailey glanced at the back of the hall and put her finger to her lips. “Yes, I got it. Let’s go and try it on.”

Jen gave her a grin, snatched a couple of her bags from her and whirled. “Great,” she said, leading the way back up the stairs. “I can hardly wait to see the transformation.”

Hailey followed a bit more slowly. She had struck up something of a friendship with the younger woman who was working as a housekeeper’s assistant to pay her way through the nearby college. Together they had hatched a plot to get Hailey out of the house for an evening. The packages she’d picked up m town were the first step. The two of them made their way into the bedroom at the corner of the house and carefully closed the door.

“Here goes nothing,” Hailey breathed to herself as she pulled open one of her parcels, a round box, and extracted a dark wig styled in a pixieish cut, holding it up. “Me as an Italian. What do you think?”

“It’s darling,” Jen cried, fingering the silky hair. “But what are you going to do with all that blond stuff you’ve got on the top of your head?”

“You’ll see,” Hailey promised lightly, dropping down before her mirror and deftly pulling strands of her own hair into coils that she expertly pinned to her scalp. Taking the wig in both hands, she carefully tugged it down over the pinned tresses.

“Gosh.” Jen shook her head in awe. “Wow, that makes all the difference, doesn’t it? I wouldn’t have recognized you.”

Hailey nodded, looking at her reflection speculatively. “That’s the point, isn’t it?” she murmured. But it was true. Her thick, gorgeous blond hair had always been her trademark. With the black hair in a pixie cut, she looked like a completely different person. For just a moment, she wondered if it was going to make her act differently, too. “Wild?” she mused to herself. “Daring?”

“It’s going to be fun tonight,” Jen promised. “You’re sure you want to do it?”

“Absolutely.” Hailey smiled at her in the mirror, her eyes dancing with anticipation. “If I can get away from my everpresent shadows. They pride themselves on watching every move I make. It is getting really old.”

Jen nodded her sympathy. “We’ll fool them, don’t worry. I got a uniform for you. It’s hanging in your closet. It should fit.”

“Oh, thanks, Jen.” She smiled at the girl. “You’re really going to a lot of trouble just to help me get a night out.”

Jen smiled back warmly. “It’s my pleasure, believe me. Those two cops have been driving us all crazy, ordering us around like we were their servants or something. If we can put this over on Tweedledum and Tweedledummer, it’ll be worth every minute.”

Hailey laughed. “Okay. Here’s the game plan. At dinner, I’m going to whine and howl about the horrible headache I’ve suddenly come down with. And when I go up to bed, I’m going to warn everyone not to bother me until morning on pain of death.”

“Then you’ll slip into the wig and uniform and meet me in the kitchen at eight. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Jen started for the door, and Hailey called after her.

“Jen…thank you again. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem,” the younger woman said, laughing as she turned and left the room.

“No problem,” Hailey echoed, pulling off the wig and looking at herself in the mirror. Of course not. What could go wrong?