Hot Stuff

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

THE MORNING AFTER the fire, the dank smell of smoke still permeated Vaughn's office just as it did in his dreams. The officials pinpointed the source of the fire as a lit cigarette and if not for the previous incidents of sabotage, this would merely be classified as an unfortunate accident. But it was anything but an accident.

Meanwhile nobody was admitting to smoking or seeing anyone light up on the premises. They didn't have to. Detective Ross had just turned to Vaughn and asked one question. Did Laura smoke?

She hadn't when Vaughn had met her. She'd started later on. The detective had immediately set out to find Laura's whereabouts last night and it turned out she didn't have an alibi. Agitated from the credit problems she was having, Laura said she'd taken a sleeping pill and crawled into bed. Alone. All night long. The police continued to follow up leads but Ross was convinced Laura was the culprit.

Vaughn couldn't buy into the theory. Divorce and ugly words were one thing. Outright destroying him was something else and Vaughn just felt sick.

"Earth to Vaughn."

He turned to see Annabelle standing in the office doorway, a breath of fresh air in an otherwise sooty, smelly place. She wore her trademark miniskirt but, thanks to the combination of construction and fire damage, she'd traded her flimsy sneakers for bulky sheepskin boots. In pink to match her bright lipstick and skirt. Enjoying the combination, he let his gaze travel downward. Damn but she had sexy legs no matter what she wore.

And he vividly remembered those long limbs wrapped around him as he drove deep inside her body. He shivered at the memory and a sudden realization struck him. He'd never have enough of her.

Ever.

Though he recognized his obsession with Annabelle had taken him away from the lodge at a crucial time, he couldn't deny he was glad to see her now. So much so that even Laura's potential betrayal didn't affect his trust of or feelings for Annabelle.

"Hi there." He welcomed her with a big grin.

"Mind if I come in?" She didn't smile in return.

He shook his head. "Not at all."

"Where is everyone?" she asked as she stepped inside and glanced around the otherwise empty office.

"Nick's with the insurance guy and Mara's home sick today."

She placed her purse down on Mara's desk. "I dropped Boris off at the house. I didn't want him inhaling the smoke."

"Not a problem."

She seated herself at the desk farthest from him and he suspected she was taking her cues from him. His biggest one being that he'd left her alone in New York City after promising he'd be there for her after her family meeting. He'd gone over that move in his mind and still wasn't sure whom he'd been protecting, but he suspected if he looked deeply enough he wouldn't like what he saw.

"Look, Annie-"

"What's the damage assessment and what do the police say?" she asked, briskly cutting him off.

He cleared his throat. Talking about the lodge hurt badly, the pain slicing through him each time he thought about it. It hurt almost as much as her cool demeanor did now. "The bad news is that the north section is completely destroyed."

"Oh, Vaughn." She reacted instinctively, the sympathy and caring in her gaze and in her tone overwhelming. Touching. Comforting in a way he needed badly. She rose from her seat and he could almost feel her arms around him. Then just as suddenly she sat down, obviously rethinking her decision as she clasped her hands tightly in front of her.

Something inside him froze as he realized he'd caused the change. He'd pushed her away. Leaving her in New York had seemed prudent at the time but he hadn't expected to feel so empty now.

"What's the good news?" she asked, all business.

Thrown by his emotional reaction to her distance, he decided business was best. "As you can see, no damage to the main part of the lodge. We'll have to rebuild what's been destroyed and we'll lose a good number of bookings as a result, but because there are rooms in the main section, too, we can still open on time."

"That's fantastic!" she said, her voice rising, her pleasure obvious.

He was nearly drawn in by her enthusiasm until he realized she'd grabbed a pad and a pen and had begun to take notes and scribble down ideas. Deep in PR mode, she'd found a damn good way of avoiding discussing anything personal between them.

She glanced up. "Any solid leads on who might have started the fire?"

"The police think Laura's the best suspect. She has no alibi."

Annabelle frowned. "I don't know. That sounds like an awfully flimsy tie in to me."

"Yesterday I'd have agreed with you. Today I'll grasp, any lead or possibility if it means this being over." He swept his arm around him.

She nodded in understanding.

"It's like this person is either a genius or so damn lucky it defies description. Either way he-or she- is winning." He slammed his hand against the desk as he'd done too many times before.

"Interesting analogy." She cocked her head to one side. "Do you look at everything in terms of win or lose?"

"Pretty much."

"Do you think the person responsible views things the same way?"

"Meaning?"

She tapped the pen against the desk. "Well, it's similar to Detective Ross's theory. Laura wouldn't want you to win while she's suffering defeat." Annabelle paused in thought. "I just wonder if whoever's doing this thinks maybe you took something away from them and so they're trying to take something from you in return."

He frowned. "If that's the case, Laura or not, I'm definitely being hit where it hurts."

As she listened to Vaughn's reply, she wondered if the lodge wasn't just his most obvious weak spot, but his only one. Certainly nothing else in his life mattered to him as much as the lodge.

Did anyone matter as much? Could anyone?

She licked her glossed lips, trying not to let her emotions show as she performed her job. After all, her reasons for being in Greenlawn revolved around Vaughn's need for PR support. When that need ended, she would return home to New York since any supplemental work could be accomplished from there.

She'd waited until this morning to return because professionally, that was the smartest time to begin work. Though she'd taken Micki's advice and not run from her feelings, the initiation of anything personal between them would have to come from Vaughn. She'd met him halfway by coming here at all.

She reached into her bag. "I've prepared a press release I need you to okay." She handed him the paper with the words she'd come up with while working late into the night. "If you have any changes, let me know."

"I will. Thanks."

She rose from her seat and pulled her keys from her purse.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"I assume you've done no food shopping since I've been gone?" The fridge was near empty before she'd left for New York.

"That would be a good assumption."

"I figured as much. So even though it's not in my job description I'm going to see to it you're well fed."

She could also use some breathing space that didn't include the smoky air and Vaughn's imposing presence.

She couldn't be surrounded by the devastation from the fire and not be compelled to take him in her arms and tell him she understood his pain. That she'd be there for him always. Suddenly she understood why Lola had decided to pack up and leave. Except Annabelle refused to devote a lifetime to unrequited love.

Vaughn made her want on so many different levels she couldn't name them all. He also knew how to withhold, thereby deepening her yearning. His parents had taught him not to count on anyone and to withdraw when things were tough. She hadn't had parents to teach her a damn thing.

She wondered where that left them now.

AFTER LEAVING THE LODGE, Annabelle stopped at Vaughn's to pick up Boris. She placed him in his carrier and headed for town. Now that she had her car, she also had the freedom to explore and she took advantage.

She passed the high school and its legendary football field, since renamed Brandon Vaughn field. She drove by Vaughn's parents' house and was struck by the fairy-tale quality of the house and its surroundings, the white picket fence, daisies blooming all around and the veranda with a porch swing built for two. How could two people, two parents, live in such a perfect place to raise a child and turn his life into an unhappy, unhealthy nightmare? She wondered sadly.

Instead of making a right turn, which would take her directly into town, she drove the long way around the outskirts just so she could pass Vaughn's present residence. The house he'd purchased so he could have peace, quiet and space. But the house gave him none of those things and merely reinforced all that was lacking in his life-unlike the warmth of the lodge, which filled at least a portion of the aching emptiness he had deep inside.

She thought she understood him a little better now. The desire to keep himself apart from the family that hurt him had led him to buy on the outskirts of town. The neverending hope that those parents would come around kept him from making his home somewhere far away. But he'd chosen the most unwelcome home he could find and had done nothing to make it warmer. Not, she suspected, because he didn't know how, but because never having experienced love, he was too afraid to embrace it. She pulled into the parking lot of the supermarket, no closer to figuring out how or if Vaughn would ever come around.

Before she'd barely stepped out of the car she heard someone call her name. She glanced over her shoulder, shocked when she realized Estelle Vaughn was waving and striding toward her, a welcoming smile on her face.

"Looks like things are about to get interesting," she whispered to Boris whose head stuck out of the carrier so he could look around.

"Miss, um…Annabelle, I'd like to have a word with you."

Annabelle turned and waited for the other woman to walk over. "What can I do for you?" she asked Vaughn's mother.

"Would you like to get a cup of coffee?" she asked, taking Annabelle by surprise. "There's a place just around the corner. My treat."

She added the last quickly, as if she was afraid Annabelle had been about to say no.

"I suppose food shopping can wait." She treated his mother to a welcoming smile, hoping to ease her obvious discomfort. "I hope you don't mind Boris here." She swung around to show the dog's sweet face.

"Oh! Well, no. Not at all." She reached out tentatively.

"Go on. He doesn't bite."

Mrs. Vaughn patted Boris on the head and he responded by attempting to crawl out of his carrier.

"Stay," Annabelle said.

Five minutes later, she found herself seated in Cozy Cups across from Estelle, as she'd asked Annabelle to call her. Joanne was obviously attempting to listen shamelessly but incoming customers kept her too busy to remain near their back table.

Annabelle wrapped her hand around the frozen Macchiato she'd ordered and waited to hear what Estelle had to say, but the other woman merely sat and unnecessarily stirred her coffee, staring into the dark liquid.

Annabelle decided she had no choice but to break the ice and begin conversation. "Nice weather we're having," she murmured politely.

"Is Brandon okay?" Estelle asked right after. "I woke up this morning and heard the news of the fire. I've been trying to reach him all morning. Nobody's picking up the phone at the lodge and I've left half a dozen messages on his answering machine at home. I've been worried sick and so has his father."

You see, Annabelle silently said to Boris. I told you this was going to be interesting.

"He's fine. In fact he was nowhere near the fire because he was in New York City at my firm's party last night," she assured Vaughn's mother.

"Oh thank goodness." She looked visibly relieved, her shoulders relaxing and her tension easing a bit.

"If it makes you feel any better, I doubt Vaughn's been home much since last night and the lines are down at the lodge. The phone company hopes to have things up and running by tomorrow at the latest." Though Annabelle doubted Vaughn would any effort to return his parents' calls regardless.

The other woman nodded, obviously grateful for any information.

"Have you tried his cell?" Annabelle asked.

Estelle shook her head. "I don't have the number." Obviously embarrassed, she didn't meet Annabelle's gaze.

Annabelle poked her straw into the creamy liquid in front of her while she tried to figure out how much to pry into Vaughn and his parents' relationship. Since his mother had sought Annabelle out, she decided to dig deeper than she probably should,

"Pardon me for commenting on something so personal, but it seems to me you care about Vaughn lot more than you let on."

"Of course I care!" Estelle said. "He's my child.”

"Then why not show it?" Annabelle couldn't help but challenge Estelle's assertion, but she softened the blow with a personal revelation of her own. "My parents died when I was twelve," she began.

"How awful!" Estelle patted Annabelle's hand awkwardly, then withdrew her touch.

Obviously maternal caring wasn't her forte. Annabelle wondered if she even realized her shortcomings.

"I'd have given anything to have my parents around while I was growing up," she continued. "Instead I had my Uncle Yank and Lola, two people who did their best to compensate for my loss and give my sisters and I lots of love and attention."

Estelle's eyes brightened with curiosity. "You have sisters?"

"Two. We're all very close."

"Theodore and I couldn't have any more kids after Brandon." Estelle's voice dropped to a whisper.

Annabelle wasn't sure whether to offer condolences or thanks that they couldn't subject another child to neglect the way they'd done to Vaughn.

"I'm not used to explaining myself to anyone, but you seem genuinely fond of Brandon and for that reason, I'm going to try."

"I do care about your son."

Estelle drew a deep breath before beginning to talk. "I'm not sure if you know this but I'm what you'd call from the wrong side of the tracks. My father ran off and my mother cleaned homes for a living. When I met Brandon's father he was studying to be a professor. Imagine my shock that he fell in love with me! I was so grateful I promised myself I'd do everything I could to support him and make certain he succeeded."

"Because if he succeeded, you succeeded," Annabelle guessed without much difficulty,

"Exactly. With Theodore I have respectability, a solid home, and the love of a good man. Everything I was denied growing up."

Annabelle noticed she didn't mention a loving family or a wonderful son but she refrained from commenting.

"Then Brandon was born and he was the most wonderful child." Love sparkled in her eyes at the memory.

"Until he started school?" Annabelle guessed.

Estelle blushed and at least had the grace to look ashamed. "I didn't know anything about dyslexia or learning disabilities. The teachers said he was antsy, that he didn't pay attention. As he got older, his grades were poor."

"And he was a disappointment to his father." Annabelle pushed aside her cup. The sweet drink would only make her feel sicker.

Estelle inclined her head. "Theodore never understood Brandon. He was an academic while his son was an athlete. The two never mixed."

"Did Theodore even try? Did you try to find a common bond between father and son?"

She shook her head. "I'd carved out my path a long time before. I was the supportive wife. I guess I let being a mother come second and I failed at it." Her voice dropped an octave, her ever-present pride nowhere to be found.

On impulse, Annabelle reached out and took the woman's hand. "Look, it's not my place to judge the past. But you seem to care now. Maybe it's not too late to take steps to repair your relationship."

Heaven knew, Vaughn would benefit if his mother took even baby steps toward a normal family life and offered some sort of acceptance from at least one of his parents. Not that Annabelle expected him to welcome any overture immediately, but anything good in life took time.

"Every time I try he closes me out."

"I’m going out on a limb here, but did you ever think of accepting who he is and what he wants out of life?"

Estelle leaned back in her seat, silently thinking for a moment, and then sighed. "You're a wise woman and I hope my son realizes how lucky he is."

Annabelle murmured a thanks and opted not to touch the statement. Her problems with Vaughn weren't anything a conversation could solve.

As Estelle rose to leave, Annabelle popped the top off the drink and let Boris lick the frothy top. As she was getting ready to leave, she caught sight of the construction crew from the lodge coming in for their coffee, Roy at the head of the pack.

"He wasn't at the party," Annabelle realized aloud.

"Excuse me?" Estelle turned.

"Oh. Nothing important. I just realized that Roy wasn't at my firm's party in New York City." She explained to Estelle why she'd invited Vaughn's work force and the woman seemed impressed with her way of thinking.

"Would you like to walk out with me?" Estelle asked.

Annabelle shook her head. "I think I'll let Boris finish the drink while I talk to Joanne for a bit."

"Well I'm so glad we had this opportunity to chat. And I appreciate your honesty, young lady."

Estelle walked off, leaving Annabelle alone.

She patted Boris on the head. "Will wonders never cease?" she asked aloud. She'd never thought Estelle would come around and she prayed Vaughn could find it in his heart to do the same.

Not in the mood to talk to Roy, Annabelle started for the door but he called out her name, giving her no choice but to acknowledge him.

"Hi, Roy." She waved and kept walking.

"Don't go. At least let me buy you a drink for the road. The boss would never forgive me if I wasn't nice to his lady. Besides it's hot out there and something cold will wet your whistle."

Annabelle had no desire to have a drink or anything else with Roy and since the rest of the men had been served and since left, she wasn't about to hang around with just him.

She shook her head. "No, thanks, I just finished an iced coffee."

Unfortunately he didn't take a hint and strode up to her, getting into her personal space. "So how's it going?" he asked.

"Fine." She forced a smile. "Why did you miss our party last night?"

He glanced from side to side and looked uncomfortable as he fumbled for an answer. "I-uh-"

"Was your wife under the weather?"

"My son, actually. Injured his wrist playing ball at the last practice," he said, warming to his subject. "Vaughn said Todd's a natural just like Vaughn would be a natural college coach. He'd guarantee my boy entry into the pros, that much I know."

"Vaughn's the best," she agreed, but she was unable to get his first statement out of her mind. His reason for missing the party was a bald-faced lie. "I saw the last football practice. Nobody got hurt."

Roy paled and glanced at his watch. "I gotta get going. Work calls."

She nodded in understanding. "You must be busier than ever between the last break-in and now the fire damage."

"Like I said, busy, busy." Roy stepped backward in a sudden rush to leave.

Since she hadn't been the one to initiate the conversation, Annabelle let him go. She stopped at the counter for a brief conversation with Joanne before heading outside..

Just in time to see Roy puffing on a cigarette beside his car. And for a brief second, his gaze met hers. Right before he dropped the butt and ground it out beneath the toe of his boot.

ANNABELLE'S THOUGHTS spun more quickly than the tires on her hooker mobile. Roy. Cigarettes. Fire. She needed to talk to someone about her suspicions, but immediately dismissed Vaughn from her list.

He had enough on his mind without having to cope with her half-baked assumptions about his head foreman, too. And surely that's all they were-ridiculous assumptions about a lecherous but otherwise harmless man. Still, needing someone to bounce things off of, she drove directly to Mara's apartment and began to bang on her door.

She heard sounds from inside but nobody answered. She knocked louder.

"Okay, okay, maybe I should just give you a key after all." Mara yanked the door open wide. "Annabelle," she said, clearly surprised.

"I guess you were expecting Nick?"

Mara ran a hand through her disheveled hair. "Yeah. Well no I wasn't expecting anyone, but with all the banging, I thought he'd come back. Never mind. Come in." She waved Annabelle inside.

She walked into the small but pretty apartment with enough windows to provide lots of sunlight and enough plants for Annabelle's liking. "I'm sorry to barge in when you're home sick but it's important."

Mara shook her head. "It's just a cold. I woke up with it this morning. But between the fire, the smoke and all, I thought I could get more paperwork done here. What's up?"

Annabelle twisted her hands together, feeling ridiculous. "It's about the fire. The marshalls said it was caused by a cigarette, right?"

Mara nodded.

"Let me ask you something. Did you know Vaughn's ex-wife?"

Mara shook her head. "They didn't live in town but from what I understand, she was a mistake he hates to talk about. Why?"

"The police think she could be a suspect but I have another idea I need to run by you."

"Shoot."

"If you count everyone we sent invitations to, who didn't show up last night?"

"Hmm. Let's sit down a minute so I can think. Want something to drink?"

"No, thanks."

Mara poured herself a large glass of orange juice and joined Annabelle at a small white kitchen table. "It's hard to know since it was so last minute. There were no place cards and no official RSVP was required. Off the top of my head, the only two noticeably missing were Roy Murray and Fred O'Grady. Fred's wife went into labor and the only time Roy's predictable is when he's hitting on women or pushing his son's athletic agenda."

Annabelle nodded. "See? That's motive right there," she said, her voice rising.

"What's motive? And for what?" Mara sneezed.

"Bless you."

"Thanks." Mara grabbed a tissue from the box she'd been carrying around with her. "Have Kleenex, will travel," she said laughing. "Now talk to me. What are you thinking?"

"You have to promise not to laugh."

Mara nodded. "Swear."

"Well, I ran into Roy at the coffee shop. I wanted to leave, he tried to buy me a drink, I said no, but he made me stay and talk. Until I mentioned he'd missed the party. Then he couldn't wait to be gone."

Mara rolled her eyes. "There's no doubt about it, Roy's an odd duck."

"But there's more. He lied about why he wasn't at the party and when I walked outside he was grinding a cigarette butt into the ground." Her stomach jumping, her nerves rioting, Annabelle tapped her fingers against the Formica tabletop.

"Look, I understand why you're upset, but with Roy it could be as simple as the fact that he was cheating on his wife last night and doesn't want to get caught." Mara paused to blow her nose. "Rumor has it Roy's wife told him if he strayed again, he'd be out on his ass and she'd file for sole custody. And you know how much his son means to him."

Once again, Annabelle's hunch was strengthened. "That's just it! If the lodge were destroyed, Vaughn would be free to take the coaching job. It's Roy's dream for his son to go pro and he thinks the boy needs Vaughn to do it."

Mara frowned. "Even without the lodge, Vaughn wouldn't take that job. He'd rather help in his own way."

"You know that. I know that. Any sane person knows that, but is Roy sane?" Annabelle pressed her fingers against her pounding temples. "I just don't know what to do with this theory of mine. I'm afraid the police will laugh me out of the building, and Vaughn and Nick have enough on their plate without me adding stupid ideas to their list of problems."

"Obviously you don't think it's all that stupid or you wouldn't be this upset," Mara said softly. "And really how much more lame is your idea than blaming Vaughn's ex-wife?"

Annabelle bit down on the inside of her cheek. "If I do something about it and I'm wrong, I've accused an innocent man. Innocent of arson, anyway. His cheating is a foregone conclusion. But if I'm right about the fire and I say nothing, the lodge is still at risk."

Mara touched her hand. "The lodge is at risk until whoever it is is caught," Mara reminded her.

She rose and shook her head. "It's probably my imagination acting overtime. I'm going to go."

Mara stood. "Annabelle, wait. You're upset. Let's talk some more."

"You need your rest. Besides, Roy was going back to work. I can talk to him there. I need to get a feeling one way or another before saying anything to Vaughn. Besides both Vaughn and Nick are watching everyone right now. It'll be okay," she said as much for Mara's benefit as her own.

"Well I'm here if you need me."

"Would you watch Boris for me?"

Mara nodded.

"Thank you. And don't worry." Annabelle forced a smile. "It'll be okay," she said, hoping to convince herself and relieve the gnawing gut feeling that just wouldn't disappear.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

VAUGHN RUBBED HIS FISTS against his burning eyes. He hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours and was so exhausted he could barely concentrate. Yet hours after Annabelle had left his office, he still couldn't stop thinking about her. He had financial statements to go through, he would have to put thousands of his personal money into the lodge to keep it afloat, and yet the only thing on his mind was Annabelle.

She never ceased to surprise him. From showing up here this morning, to covering any emotional reaction to his disappearing act the night before, to making sure he had food in the fridge, the woman simply blew him away. So much so he hadn't had the heart to tell her he wouldn't be home to share meals because he planned to live, eat and sleep at the lodge until the culprit was caught. He'd just have to arrange to have the contents of his full refrigerator delivered to him here. As for Annabelle…

He reminded himself he couldn't afford any more distractions if he didn't want to end up bankrupt, his dream gone up in smoke. Literally.

"The insurance adjuster thinks we'll recoup enough to rebuild," Nick said as he strode into the office.

Vaughn glanced up at his partner and friend. "That's good news. In the meantime I've arranged to liquidate some stock and CDs to cover us until the money comes through."

Nick nodded. "I've done the same."

Vaughn blinked, startled. "You already put in the amount of cash we agreed upon. I'm not going to let you-"

"Shut the hell up, will you?" Nick shoved nisi hands into his front pockets. "We may not be equal in all things, but I can damn well help out my partner in a crisis. It's our investment," he reminded Vaughn.

Not wanting to insult his best friend and too grateful to speak anyway, Vaughn merely nodded.

Nick headed for his desk and they worked in silence for a few minutes, until Vaughn couldn't hold in his thoughts any longer. "What did you mean when you said we may not be equal in all things?"

Nick didn't lift his head from the paperwork in front of him. "Never mind that."

Vaughn thought back over the last few weeks. To things Nick and Mara had said and done, and to Annabelle's accusations against Nick when she'd first come to town. "You can't possibly think you aren't my equal in all ways, Nick." There weren't many people Vaughn would give life and limb for but Nick was one of them.

Nick tossed down his pen and glanced up. "Do you not realize? You're a living legend. In the eyes of the ladies and this town, you're the man."

Vaughn couldn't help but smirk at the ridiculous irony. He was a man who looked in the mirror and saw inadequacy day in and day out. Football had been his only salvation and those days were long gone. He didn't know how to explain any of this to Nick though. "I'm nobody's hero. Just ask Estelle and Theodore," he said wryly.

Nick grinned. "Hell, if you thought or acted like you were God's gift, I wouldn't be in business with you. I wouldn't consider you like a brother. Now can we drop this? I feel like a whiny kid and that does nothing for my self-esteem."

Vaughn let out a laugh. "We're a pair."

"That we are."

Both men turned at the sound of footsteps just outside the door. "Oh good, you're both here." Mara burst in, out of breath at a dead run.

Nick stepped forward, catching her before she practically fell. "I thought I told you to stay in bed," he said, his gruff voice barely disguising his concern.

She rolled her eyes. "This is important."

"Ever heard of a phone?" Nick growled.

"It's not working," Vaughn and Mara reminded him at the same time.

"Have either of you seen Annabelle?" Mara asked.

"Not me," Nick said.

At the sound of Annabelle’s name, Vaughn cocked an eyebrow, on instant alert. "She went food shopping last I heard. Why?"

"Well she came by my apartment earlier and she was very upset. She had this theory about the sabotage and the fire. It involved Roy." Mara went on to explain Annabelle's hunch regarding Roy, backing up her instinct with motive and opportunity.

Vaughn knew the man also had easy access to the job site.

"Why didn't she come to me?" he asked aloud.

Vaughn didn't think the theory was as far-fetched as Annabelle might believe. In fact the more Vaughn mulled things over, the more he realized that Roy as the culprit made more sense than Laura if only because he had opportunity. Then again, the man's only crime they knew of was cheating on his wife, which was a far cry from arson.

"Annabelle didn't go food shopping," Mara said, interrupting his thoughts. "When she left my apartment a little while ago, she said she planned to talk to Roy. She asked me to watch her dog so she could come here."

An uneasy feeling trickled along Vaughn's nerve endings. He strode to the window and glanced out to the parking lot. "Damn. Her car's there. Where's Roy scheduled to work this morning?"

Mara checked her clipboard. "Pre-fire he was overseeing the repairs to the last round of sabotage. Today things are so off schedule, he could be anywhere."

Vaughn began barking out orders. "Nick, check the north section. I'll take the main section. Mara, you stay here. And call the police. My gut tells me not to blow this off as some sort of asinine theory."

ANNABELLE FOUND ROY in the main section, working with the men who were repairing the damage. He stood by a stack of boxes he was opening with a box cutter. She stepped carefully into the construction area, grateful she'd worn her Ugg boots instead of heels. As she marched in, all appraising eyes turned her way.

Used to attention, she trained her gaze on her target. "Roy, I'd like to have a word with you."

He glanced around at the stares of the other men. "Take a break, boys. The pretty lady wants to talk to me."

The room emptied out. "What can I do for you?" he asked, stepping too close to her.

The stench of cigarette smoke and body odor assaulted her but she didn’t want to risk offending him by backing off. "I just thought you and I could finish our conversation from this morning."

"I don't have anything else to say." He folded his arms across his chest.

"That's not like you. How about we talk about your son?" She chose his favorite topic, knowing he'd couldn't stay silent for long.

"What about him?" Roy asked warily.

"I thought we could revisit how much he'd benefit from Vaughn's taking that coaching position."

Roy tossed the box cutter onto a windowsill and Annabelle breathed easier. He rolled his head from side to side as he contemplated her topic. Finally he nodded. "So I'm not the only one who thinks it Vaughn's life is football. He ought to make coaching a full-time job."

"So you thought you'd make your point, right?” she asked gently, hoping Roy was more delusional and misguided than violent. "You thought if you could just get Vaughn frustrated enough to give up on the lodge, he'd come to his senses and coach."

Roy narrowed his gaze.

"I know, Roy. When I saw you smoking, it clicked into place."

"You're just a dumb broad and you don't know what you're talking about." He spat on the floor her feet.

She stepped backward. "Unfortunately for you, I do. What do you think would happen if I gave the police the cigarette butt you crushed outside Cozy Cups and they compared it to the one they found at the fire's point of origin?" she asked, hoping she sounded sure of herself when she was anything but.

For one thing, she hadn't picked up Roy's butt this morning, and for another, she had no idea how a fire marshall determined what started a blaze. She didn't even know if they'd found the actual cigarette butt at the lodge. The only thing she was suddenly certain of was Roy's guilt.

His current pale coloring confirmed her already strong hunch. "Talk to me, Roy. Because you seem like a decent man. You love your son and you want what's best for him. Nobody can fault you for that."

His hands shook as his bravado and arrogant demeanor began to falter. "I didn't mean for it to go so far."

"I know you didn't." She reached out a hand but he didn't take it.

"Do you really understand? 'Cause all I meant was for little things to happen. Like missed deliveries, people not showing up for work. Even cutting the wires before the inspection was ingenious, wasn't it?"

"I'm not sure I'd call it that," she murmured.

Roy wasn't really listening. Though his expression was sheepish, his eyes glittered with barely veiled pride at his plan. "I knew I could get the place up and running again after that damage but I figured I wouldn't have to. That Vaughn would see he was meant to coach and that the lodge was nothing but one big hassle and not worth the headaches."

Annabelle nodded. "But it didn't work, did it? Vaughn was more dedicated to his dream than you thought, so you decided to torch the whole thing and end it once and for all?" Her mouth ran dry at the thought.I

"Hell, no!" Roy said, actually affronted.

From the corner of her eye, Annabelle saw Vaughn approach and quietly enter the room. She couldn't signal him to remain silent so she kept focused on Roy and prayed Vaughn would stay in the background.

"What really happened last night? Tell me so I can help you."

Roy's hands waved fast and furious as he tried to explain. "It was supposed to be a small fire. Just a warning. A final frustration. But the wood's dry and it caught faster than I thought. By the time I got to my car to call the fire department from my cell phone, the north side was nearly gone and the fire engines were roaring in." He shook as he explained. "I never meant for it to be so bad. I felt so guilty and-"

Vaughn chose that moment to move forward. His boots creaked against the floorboards.

Roy lurched around, took one look at the man he admired staring at him as if he were pond scum, and all Annabelle's hard work drawing him out vanished in an instant.

In the second it took for Annabelle to look from Roy to Vaughn and back again, Roy had reached for his box cutter and pulled her tight against him.

She froze at the realization a frightened man had a blade against her throat.

"I never meant it to go this far. I swear I didn't." Roy's voice shook and Annabelle didn't know whether it was his sweat or tears she felt against her skin.

Vaughn raised both his hands in blatant supplication. "Do not do anything stupid, Roy."

"You mean don't do nothing dumber than what I've done so far? Tell me you didn't hear everything. That this bitch didn't set me up by bringing you here."

"I didn't!" If anything she'd gone out of her way to avoid telling Vaughn until she was sure.

"Shut up." Roy pulled her tighter against him. "I gotta think and I can't think when you're talking. It's like my wife. Talk, talk, talk."

"I agree with, you on nagging women, Roy." Vaughn looked paler than Annabelle felt at the moment. "Come on. We've known each other a long time and you'd never intentionally hurt anyone."

She felt Roy nod but he was tense and his knife; was still against her throat. She shut her eyes and assessed her situation. Her legs were too close to Roy for her to get a good kick in. She had one arm locked between her body and Roy's.

"I'm so sorry," Roy muttered. "One day I think you're incredible for all you do for my kid and the next I'm so jealous I could spit because Todd loves you and can't stand being around me." He'd begun to ramble.

Vaughn still stood, hands in front of him. "That's not true and you know it. All kids go through a period when their parents embarrass them. I remember it, don't you?"

Roy was silent.

"And I understand Todd because I'm dyslexic, too. Did you know that?" Vaughn asked Roy, admitting his biggest weakness to this man. "And I'm sure that's why he thinks he can talk to me. But it doesn't leave you out in the cold, Roy. You're his dad."

"I am, aren't I?" Roy asked, sounding almost dazed.

With the man's focus on Vaughn, his idol, Annabelle took a deep breath for courage and with her hand, she grabbed him by the balls and squeezed hard.

He yelled in pain and Annabelle let her body go slack so she fell out of his arms and to the floor at the moment he let her go.

VAUGHN'S GAZE NEVER LEFT Annabelle's and though she caught him off guard, he dove for Roy, knocking him to the floor and wrestling him for the weapon. He'd taken control of both the box cutter and Roy at the same time the police barged in. They quickly took over, leaving Vaughn free to go to Annabelle.

She glanced over his shoulder to where the police were subduing Roy with handcuffs and reading him his rights. "Don't hurt him," she called as the police led him away.

"Don't you think you ought to be worrying more about yourself than Roy?" Vaughn asked her as he pulled her to her feet. "And what the hell were you thinking by confronting him alone?" he asked her, all the fear he'd felt on seeing Roy grab her descending upon him.

"I know how much damage he caused but he isn't dangerous. He just needs psychiatric help." She stared at him, those deep blue eyes begging him to understand.

He doubted he could invest that much faith but he wasn't about to argue over it either. "You call holding a box cutter to your throat not dangerous?"

"I think he just panicked. And I-"

"Didn't believe in me enough to come to me with your theory? You didn't think I'd trust you or your instincts?"

She shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous. I didn't want to burden you with a crazy notion that might not be true. You had enough to worry about, what with the police suspecting Laura, her asking you for money, and the lodge still at risk." Annabelle sighed and lifted her hand to her neck.

For the first time he realized she'd been grazed by Roy's blade. He reached out and touched a finger to the reddened skin bruising her flesh.

"He hurt you." The thought caused anger and a primal feeling of possessiveness to sweep through him. As if no one had the right to touch this woman but him. Ever. Such an instinctive desire to protect and to cherish was as alien to him as love.

Love.

Love?

"I'm really okay," she said, unaware of the emotional turmoil taking place inside of him.

"Vaughn?" Nick interrupted, coming up beside them. "The cops want a word with you and Annabelle."

"Not now. She was hurt and shook up. I'll bring her by to talk to them later."

"But I'm fine," she insisted.

He ignored her protests and grabbed her hand.

"We're going home." He wanted, no needed, to see for himself how fine she was.

ANNABELLE HAD NEVER seen Vaughn in such an intense, dark mood before. And though she won the argument and they gave their statements to the police before leaving the lodge, she let him take charge afterward. Despite that she was more than okay, he insisted on leaving his car and driving hers back to his house for her. If she didn't know better she'd think the incident with Roy had shaken him up more than it had her.

They drove home in silence and Annabelle assumed he was contemplating the unexpected resolution to his problems. A man he'd trusted had turned on him.

But at least now he was free to finish the job at the lodge without worrying about sabotage or delays- and without the need for further crisis management from her. Beyond a statement that they'd succeeded in catching the culprit as they'd anticipated they would all along, Annabelle's job here was complete. If Vaughn wanted basic PR for the lodge, she'd be happy to continue working on his behalf but she didn't need to do that from here. Her heart squeezed tight as she accepted the fact that it was time to go home.

They walked into the house and Vaughn kicked the door closed behind them. Because things had wrapped up so quickly, she hadn't had time to run a few more ideas by him and she wanted him to know there was so much more he could do to make his dream for the needy kids a success.

He'd been so quiet, so withdrawn, she hadn't looked at him straight on since they'd arrived here and was almost afraid to do so now.

"Listen, I had one more idea I'd like you to let me implement," she said, talking fast and not turning to see his face. "Since I doubt the college will release the names of its students for a mailing, I've put together a letter and a brochure suggesting your hotel for their lodging needs during the school year. You can ask the college to send it out with their welcome package to the families."

When he didn't answer, she forced herself to turn and face him, possibly one last time. He stood leaning against the wall, studying her in silence. He still had that dark, brooding look and she couldn't see past the mask he'd put in place or read the emotions deep inside.

Her heart pounded fast and furious and her chesthurt at his lack of expression. Was he pulling back because their work and time together was over and he didn't know how to tell her to leave?

Without any clue from him, she grasped on to her business proposition. "If you don't like the college letter idea, we can just call it a day-"

With a low growl from deep in his throat, he stepped forward and, shocking her, he pulled her into his arms.

Once again Annabelle didn't argue with the man. After all, these were probably the last moments with him that she'd have. So when his lips came down hard on hers, Annabelle shut her eyes and gave herself up to sensation. She wanted to feel everything he did to her and imprint it on her memory, to last her for years to come.

He brushed his lips back and forth over hers, tantalizing and arousing her with each seductive caress, but the teasing wasn't enough. She thread her fingers through his hair, tugging his scalp and pulling him closer until he backed her up against the wall. His body flush with hers, her breasts pressed hard against his chest while his solid erection thrust between her legs.

She sucked in a breath and rolled her hips from side to side so his hard member created friction that built, waves of desire rocking her body. He thrust his tongue inside her mouth, mimicking the action they both so desperately desired while his hands wreaked havoc with her breasts. Over her shirt, beneath her shirt, she couldn't keep track of all the sensations buffeting her body.

She wanted him now and began to tug on his jeans in an effort to free him so he could push inside her and fill her the way she wanted. Needed.

"Slow down, baby," he murmured as his lips slid over the sensitized skin of her cheek.

She shook her head. "The hell with slow." She reached between them and pulled her T-shirt over her head and tossed it onto the floor.

His heavy lidded gaze met hers before traveling lower. As he took in the lace covering her breasts and taut nipples, his pupils dilated and his eyes glazed over. She had him now and while he watched, she reached up and released the front clasp of her bra, then slowly, teasingly parted the cups, revealing her full, aching breasts for him to see.

"You think you can tempt me into moving at your pace?" he asked in a voice gruff with desire.

She straightened her shoulders, thrusting her breasts toward him. "I don't know. Can I tempt you?"

He cupped her breasts in his hands, his warm flesh palming her heavy mounds and then he lowered his mouth, encircling one nipple with his tongue. His touch reverberated between her thighs, the emptiness more engulfing than ever before.

With deliberate care, he teased her with his teeth, then with his silken tongue slowly lapped at the same place he'd grazed. Different textures, different feelings, but one thing never changed. He took his time, until her hips bucked and she writhed with the need to have him fill her hard and fast.

"You made your point," she gasped. "You have way more control than I do."

He raised his head, his dark gaze meeting hers. "That wasn't the point I had in mind."

She leaned her head against the wall, trying not to weep or beg. "Then what was it?"

"That I can't resist you. All of you." He picked her up in his arms and carried her down the hall to his bedroom.

After laying her on the bed, he pulled off first one boot, then the other. Next he slid his hands beneath her short skirt, letting his palms skim her thighs as he hooked his fingers in her panties and pulled them down and off her legs.

"I'm really not into slow, either." He stood beside the bed and undressed quickly before rejoining her on the mattress where she'd propped herself against the pillows. Then as if to prove his words, he moved between her thighs and lifted her, unveiling her to his heated stare.

Her own gaze was just as hot as she took in his erection. Long and hard, the head of his penis was poised at her moist entrance. She pulsed there, dewy and empty, her desire for him surpassing the physical. She was in love with him. But she feared if she said the words aloud, she'd scare him away for good.

She was an open, honest person, as she'd told him from the beginning, and she didn't plan to leave without making her feelings known. But she wasn't about to frighten him off before she^’d expressed those feelings in the ultimate act one more time.

His hands pushed her skirt up higher. His palms then encircled her thighs, his deep stare never leaving hers at the same time he thrust deep, giving her absolutely everything she physically needed.

Emotionally she wondered if she was always destined to lose.

Buried deep in Annabelle's body, looking down at her beautiful face, Vaughn understood that he'd never made love before. Not like this. The distinction between that and sex had never been so great. But he knew he couldn't handle that emotion at the moment when the rest of his life was in pure upheaval.

He pulsed inside her, feeling her slick walls around him. He needed her now and she was here, alive, unharmed and all his. Lacing his fingers through hers, he raised her arms above her head and eased himself out of her body, then in. Out and in. Until they picked up the rhythm that was all their own and he lost himself in everything that was uniquely Annabelle.

Afterward they slept, woke and ordered in dinner, and made love once more. To Vaughn's relief, not once did Annabelle look for any sort of deep discussion or insist they dissect their feelings.

As she slept beside him, he felt the clock ticking away. Now that Roy had been arrested, there was no need for Annabelle to remain in Greenlawn. Though he'd need her expertise to get the lodge up and running, there was no unknown crisis to contemplate dealing with the next morning. She could treat him like any other client and return to work from her Manhattan office. The thought caused his stomach to twist in tight knots.

If he'd read the emotion in her eyes correctly, there was every possibility that with one word from him, the right word, Annabelle would stay by his side. But he needed to have the courage to believe. Believe someone like Annabelle could invest in him for the long haul and not be disappointed in the end. Obviously much of his past still haunted him but Annabelle wasn't just anyone and his heart told him to trust in her. He just didn't know if he could believe that deeply in himself.

ANNABELLE DRESSED and stood beside a sleeping Vaughn. Her bags were packed and loaded in her car. The animals, including the cat who loved to sleep on Vaughn's pillow, waited for her to start the long drive back to Manhattan.

Her heart pounded hard in her chest as she leaned down and brushed a kiss on his forehead. A deep sleeper, he rolled over but didn't wake up. She smiled and studied his profile for the last time.

He was such a good man. He'd even bared his greatest embarrassment to Roy in an effort to make the man understand why Todd would bond with Vaughn more than his father. He'd done it to save Annabelle's life. She'd loved him before and she loved him even more now.

Unlike the other relationships where she'd invested emotion but gotten nothing back in return, Annabelle couldn't regret a minute of her time with Brandon Vaughn.But during their brief relationship she'd learned much about herself, not the least of which was that no matter how much she loved, she wasn't going to follow in Lola's footsteps. She wasn't about to spend her life pining for a commitment from someone who felt too unsure to provide one.

She reached out and stroked his cheek. "I love you."

She thought he smiled or maybe she just wished he had. Either way Annabelle had enough self-respect to walk away now with her head held high.

She could survive without Vaughn, even if she wished she didn't have to.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

VAUGHN AWOKE and discovered Annabelle was gone, leaving him alone in his large bed and even bigger house. He couldn't think of a day that had started worse. The words I love you rang in his ears, but he didn't know if they were real, a figment of his imagination, or part of a foolish dream.

He stormed through the house in a foul mood. He checked her room only to find she'd packed and taken everything that belonged to her. Natasha the rabbit was gone as was the cat who'd begun to curl up on top of Vaughn's pillow whenever he was around. A quick phone call told him Annabelle had even stopped by Mara's to collect Q-Tip, a sure sign she didn't plan on coming back.

He ought to be pleased that his life was back to normal. He had a truckload of work ahead of him if he wanted to step up the construction schedule. He'd never make up the time lost caused by the fire but at least he wasn't waiting for the next incident of sabotage. And he no longer had Annabelle here as a tempting distraction.

Vaughn's head pounded and he slung back two aspirin, then called Nick for a ride to the lodge where he'd left his truck. Half an hour later, the doorbell rang and though Nick was early, Vaughn went to let him inside.:

Instead he had a shock waiting for him when he opened the door. Estelle stood on his front step with a bag from Cozy Cups in her hand.

His headache increased. "Hello, Mother. What brings you by?" Because Estelle's visits were few and far between. To come bearing food was even more unusual.

"I heard about the awful incident at the lodge. That dreadful man pulling a knife on poor Annabelle. She must be so shaken up. I came to see how she was doing. And I brought both of you breakfast." She offered him the bag, shifting from foot to foot, clearly as uncomfortable as he was with this surprising visit.

"Annabelle's gone." Certain Estelle hadn't planned to stay long, especially now that she knew he was the only one home, he didn't ask her to come in.

"Oh my, she went to work already? She's certainly made of strong stuff."

"Annabelle's gone back to New York." He ran a hand through his hair. He was exhausted and his mother was the last person he wanted to deal with at the moment. "Look, I don't know what your angle is or what you want with Annabelle, but she isn't here, so you can turn around and go home."

Estelle drew a visibly deep breath. "But you're here and I'd like to come in and share breakfast," she said, her voice trembling.

Vaughn narrowed his gaze. She wanted to have breakfast with him? "What's going on?"

She blinked. "Did Annabelle tell you we had coffee yesterday?"

He took the news like a punch in the gut. "No, she didn't. But we didn't have the chance to talk much." They'd done everything but talk.

And like a fool, he'd been ridiculously relieved at the notion. Yet he didn't miss the irony that Annabelle apparently talked in depth to his mother, a woman who'd never bothered to talk much to him at all.

Vaughn studied Estelle, really seeing her for the first time. She seemed more subdued, less uptight and arrogant than usual. What had caused the change, he didn't know but something made him step back and gesture for her to come inside.

Feeling awkward-he couldn't remember having breakfast with her as a teenager-he poured two glasses of orange juice, the only drink left in the house since Annabelle had never made it to the store. Then he sat down across from his mother.

"The fire changed a lot of things," Estelle said at last.

Vaughn raised an eyebrow but didn't reply.

"We-and I do mean we-panicked. Your father and I couldn't reach you by phone. He drove up to the lodge but you weren't there, either. At that point the firemen didn't know if you had been inside." She spoke, her voice low and subdued.

"I wasn't in town. Annabelle's firm threw a party and I was in Manhattan."

His mother nodded. "Annabelle told me. And I realized I didn't even have your cell phone number. What kind of mother am I?" She didn't meet his gaze.

Vaughn didn't know how to answer her question. "We don't understand each other, that much is a fact. And I'm not sure you ever bothered to try. Or to accept that I wasn't the kind of son you wanted."

The words burned the back of his throat but he forced himself to say them anyway. Not with hatred or anger this time, but as a means of baring his soul and maybe cleansing himself of the bad feelings he'd harbored for so long.

"That's all true,” she admitted, shocking him. "Your father had dedicated his life to academia and I'd dedicated my life to him. An athlete wasn't… didn't-"

"Fit into your plans," he finished for her. "Neither did a kid with a learning disability, but that's what I had. That's who I was," he continued, his voice rising as he spoke. "It's not a goddamn choice I made to make your lives more difficult." He slammed his hand against the tabletop and started to rise.

Then catching sight of his mother's glassy eyes and hearing Annabelle's voice in his head saying, give her a chance, he forced himself to remain seated.

"I was wrong," Estelle said. "We were wrong. We didn't know any better. I'm not making excuses, Brandon. Your father was raised that way by his father before him and you've seen where my parents came from. I was lucky to get out and not end up washing someone's toilets for a living like my mother did." She reached for a napkin and blotted her eyes. "But as I said, we were wrong and you paid the price. So did we, missing out on celebrating all your achievements and accomplishments because we had tunnel vision."

He pressed a hand to his pounding temples. "I don't suppose I made it any easier," he admitted. He'd been a pain-in-the-ass kid from the moment he'd realized he didn't understand school and never would.

Amazingly she laughed. "No, you didn't. But it wasn't your job to make our lives easier. It was ours to be more accepting. Now I'm not saying peace can come overnight or that we can all just wave a wand and forget the past and our differences, but I was hoping maybe we could try. You know, make a start toward trying to be a family."

Damn, but he just didn't know. Old habits were hard to break. Old resentments even harder.

"I don't know where to go from here," he admitted.

"I'm just glad we made a start." Rising, she offered him a tentative smile. "I'm glad I took Annabelle's advice."

Her words caught him up short. "What advice?"

Estelle shook her head. "Nothing specific. Just some words on how to bridge the gap between us. She's a very special woman, Brandon."

They hadn't discussed girls when he lived at home and he felt ridiculous starting now. Especially since he'd let this particular special woman walk out of his life without a word from him to try and stop her.

He started to lead Estelle to the door when he paused by the kitchen counter and scribbled on a sheet of notepaper.

"Before you go," he said, feeling more off-kilter than he could ever remember. "Take this."

She accepted the paper and looked at him questioningly.

"It's my cell phone number."

Her look of gratitude said it all.

THREE DAYS AFTER leaving Vaughn behind, Annabelle sat in her office sorting through a stack of messages and piles of important documents. For an hour, she tried to concentrate but thoughts of Vaughn and their time together continued to intrude. Missing him was enough to distract her but the thumping that had started from her uncle's office next door was driving her insane.

The entire atmosphere here had changed because, true to her word, Lola had packed up and gone, leaving The Hot Zone in the hands of temporary help. There never would be a good time for Lola to quit and without her presence, the office felt vacant and empty. At her desk sat the third temp in as many days. Competent or not, each woman had quit after one of Uncle Yank's yelling tantrums.

Another loud thump sounded from her uncle's office. Annabelle picked up the phone and buzzed for their new assistant but nobody answered. She tried Sophie next.

"What's up, Annie?"

'That's what I want to know. Can you come in here?'

Sophie entered the office seconds later and shut the door at the same time another loud, jolting sound came from next door.

"That!" Annabelle pointed to the wall adjoining her and Yank's office. "What the hell is going on in there?"

Since Lola's departure, which had coincided with Annabelle's return, Yank had been more out of sorts than usual and Annabelle had no intention of checking things out on her own.

Sophie shook her head. "You really don't want to know."

"Yes, I do. Just break it to me gently."

Before Sophie could explain, Annabelle's office door opened and Micki stormed inside. "I can't take it anymore!" she screamed.

Since Micki's office bordered Yank's on the other side, Annabelle didn't have to ask what her sister meant.

"Shut the door and join us," Sophie said, then turned back to Annabelle. "Uncle Yank is in his office and he's practicing."

"Practicing what?" Annabelle asked, wincing even before she heard the answer.

"Being blind. He's got a bandanna tied around his eyes and he's trying to see if he can navigate his office."

"Oh my God." Annabelle laid her head down on her desk and groaned. She raised her gaze and looked at her sisters. "Wait a minute. I've done Internet research on macular degeneration. There are some very promising treatments and it could be years before he has a serious vision problem. Am I right?"

"Completely correct," Sophie said. "In fact, he may retain much of his peripheral vision. Right now he's operating on pure fear."

Micki nodded. "Lola's leaving didn't help, not that I blame her. The man's impossible! I think we should keep him blindfolded until he admits he needs and loves Lola. Then he'll be reasonable again and we can deal with his eyesight and the future of the agency."

Annabelle rolled her eyes. "If only it were that simple," she murmured. "Sometimes a woman's love isn't enough. Sometimes a man hasn't been given the foundation to enable him to express his feelings in return."

Sophie cocked an eyebrow, then strode over to Annabelle's desk. Leaning down, she got right into Annabelle's face. "Are you talking about Uncle Yank or Brandon Vaughn?" she asked bluntly.

Annabelle dropped her head against her desk once more. "Argh!"

"She's talking about Vaughn," she heard Micki say.

Annabelle peeked up from above her folded arms. "I really blew it this time. Me, Miss I Can Handle Him Without Getting Attached'," she said wryly. "Not a chance."

"I'm sorry, sis." Sophie shot her a sympathetic glance. "Can I take that to mean you're over Randy, though?" she asked, her expression showing she cared just a little too much about Annabelle's response.

Annabelle glanced from Micki to Sophie. "I knew it. Even Vaughn sensed it at the party. You are involved with him, aren't you? Sophie, are you insane? I couldn't care less about Randy but I'm worried about you." She cocked her head. "Besides I thought you didn't like athletes."

"I don't." Her sister glanced at her long fingernails. "That's what makes him safe."

"Sophie," Micki groaned.

"What? Did you think I could be around all these guys and never, well, you know."

Annabelle glanced at her sisters, grateful for their closeness, even grateful for their disagreements. As long as they had each other, they could weather outside storms.

And Vaughn was Annabelle's most turbulent.

Another loud crash followed. They forgot the girl talk and ran for Yank's office. Annabelle got there first and opened the door to find he'd knocked his private black phone off its special stand with a cane he held in his hand.

"Dammit!" He ripped a ridiculous-looking pink bandanna off his eyes and tossed it to the ground. Blinking as his eyes adjusted to the light again, he looked at the girls. 'To hell with the cane. Annie, call and get me one of those Seeing Eye dogs," he yelled at her.

"This is ridiculous. You don't need any of these things," Micki yelled as if he were losing his hearing, not his eyesight. "You need Lola!"

"I don't need anyone. Annie, you gonna get me a dog or what?"

She rubbed her hands against her pounding temples. "You hate dogs that shed," she reminded him, buying time.

"I just read about a new breed," Sophie said, spouting from memory at a really bad time. "It was bred for blind people who have allergy issues but still need a canine companion."

"Uncle Yank isn't blind," Annabelle reminded her. "And we're going to set up appointments with specialists to understand his condition before we do anything drastic." Like get the man who couldn't make a commitment a dog that he'd have to take care of for a good ten years or more.

"What's the breed called so I can look into one myself?" Uncle Yank asked.

"It's a Labradoodle," Sophie supplied with a smile. She often got so caught up in her explanations that she forgot the important things going on around her. Like the fact that they didn't want to encourage their uncle's behavior.

This time Annabelle leaned backward, so she could hit her head against the wall in complete frustration. Because despite the utter family chaos surrounding her, one important question floated in her brain.

If Vaughn were here, what would he do in order to get through to Uncle Yank? It seemed no matter how hard she tried, all roads led back to Vaughn. Too bad those roads seemed to be Ml of potholes, including the fact that he hadn't called her. And she didn't know if he ever would.

EVERYTHING WAS frigging perfect, Vaughn thought. So perfect that the construction and reconstruction crews didn't need him to oversee every small step anymore. In the one short week since Roy's arrest, everything that had been failing before fell into place now.

Laura had called to thank him for helping to bail her out of the financial mess she'd gotten herself into. She wasn't even upset that the police had grilled her and looked into her business. She was just grateful everything was over now. She even accepted his criticism on how she'd screwed up the bars and his advice on how to whip them back into shape. You 're smarter than I gave you credit for, Brandon, she'd told him. Unbelievable.

Then there was Todd. The kid was devastated about his father's involvement in the lodge's problems and even more messed up now that the man was being evaluated by a psychiatrist and would probably do time either in a hospital or jail. Vaughn had made it his mission to see that Todd remained on track both for football and his last year of high school. After all, that's what had motivated Roy, no matter how misguided he'd been.

But with everything running smoothly now, Vaughn could actually afford to take time for himself. And what did he normally do when he had free time? He picked up the phone and dialed Nick's cell.

The phone rang and rang and just as he was about to hang up, Nick's voice came on the line. "What the hell do you want, Vaughn? And it better be important."

"Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"Uh, you could say that."

Vaughn heard giggling in the background and Mara's distinctive whisper to Nick.

"I don't suppose you want to go get a beer?" Vaughn asked, feeling like an ass and an unwanted third party at the same time.

"Give me the phone," Mara said in the background.

What sounded like a wrestling session followed as Nick and Mara struggled for control of the receiver.

"Vaughn?"

"Hey, Mara. I guess we know who's gonna wear the pants in the family."

"Ha, ha, ha. Now shut up and listen. How are you?" she asked.

He scowled. "I'm fine."

"Oh, really? Is that why you're calling Nick to go for a beer at seven o'clock on a work night?"

"What the hell's wrong with that? We always go for a beer after work."

"That was before Nick had me in his life. What, or should I ask who, exactly do you have in your life, Vaughn?"

For the love of- "Put Nick back on the phone."

"I can't. He's busy." She giggled and whispered something that sounded like "Cut that out."

"I get the point, Mara. Nick's whipped now. No more boys' nights out." Vaughn paced his small kitchen.

"I'll ignore that. I'm serious. You've got your lodge and your volunteer work and the kids you help practice on the side, but what's your personal life consist of?"

Before he could answer, Mara kept right on going. "In other words have you spoken with Annabelle?" she asked, getting to the crux of things.

"Way to tread lightly," Nick called out in the background.

"Well have you?" Mara asked Vaughn.

"No," he grumbled, more irritable now that she'd pointed out his life's shortcomings.

Mara groaned. "You're an idiot, Vaughn. And if you aren't careful and you don't do something soon, you're going to end up alone."

Vaughn let out a hard exhale. "Jeez, thanks for being a friend."

"I am your friend and you know it. I love you and I don't want to see you screw up the best thing to happen to you. She's special, Vaughn."

He raised his gaze to the ceiling. "Now you sound like my mother," he muttered.

"You've been talking to your mother?" Mara asked sounding stunned. "Nick, Vaughn's been talking to his mother!"

"Don't go hiring a skywriter to announce it or anything."

"That's a fantastic idea!" Mara's voice rose in excitement.

"Hey. Don't get carried away."

"Both of you listen. We should hire one of those airplanes with a banner to advertise the lodge! I'll put it on my list of things to do."

He nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Since you two are busy, I'm gonna let you go."

"Promise to think about one thing for me. If you're talking with your mother, you've made strides you don't even realize. And remember, you're just as special as Annabelle is," Mara said.

An awkward silence followed.

"So don't let her get away," Mara said before. Vaughn heard the click ending their connection.

And leaving him alone.

So alone, he climbed into his truck and took a ride to the football field where it had all started. His career. His life. It was the place he'd first found something he excelled at and where he felt worthwhile.

During and after a game, the cheers of the crowd had always sustained him, but never enough to compensate for the fact that his parents weren't in the stands. He thought he'd come to terms with that. Just as he thought he'd come to terms with misjudging Laura and how she'd belittled his abilities. But had he come to terms or was he still running away?

He couldn't believe the way he'd come full circle. He'd made peace with everyone from Yank to Laura, and had even made strides with his parents. He'd suffered through an awkward family dinner, one where everyone had discussed what was going on in their lives and actually acted interested in each other's answers. Both his mother and father had proclaimed to accept the lodge as Vaughn's dream for the future.

A dream, he realized, that wouldn't mean a damn thing to him if he had to live it alone. Without Annabelle.

Yet to bring her into his life, he had to know he believed in himself. That he had come to terms with everything. Which meant an end to the running. Running from both the boy he'd been and the man he'd become.

He parked his truck and walked to the field which was as empty as his house felt with Annabelle and her pets gone. As he stared over the vast landscape, he couldn't help but take Mara's words to heart.

Was he just as special as Annabelle? Worthy of her love and spirit and generosity? He didn't know if he'd ever completely believe in himself that way but, dammit, she did and for Annabelle, for them, he had to try.

ANNABELLE WALKED into her uncle's office. He greeted her with a loud catcall, followed by a frown. "Go home and change. No niece of mine is going out of the house dressed like a damn floozy."

Annabelle grinned and twirled around. "What's wrong with Oscar de la Renta?" she asked of her pale pink, strapless cocktail-length dress. "Sarah Jessica Parker wore this dress. I saw the picture in Vogue magazine."

He snorted. "I don't care if Sarah Bernhardt wore the damn thing. You'll have the young buck drooling. The twins are fallin' out, for God's sake," he muttered, speaking of her breasts.

If she hadn't grown up with his frank talk, she'd blush now. "I have a very supportive bra. It's fine. Can we change the subject, please? So tell me, have you spoken to Lola?" she asked him.

"Have you spoken to Vaughn?" Uncle Yank shot J back.

"Nice comeback," she said through clenched teeth. "I came by to look through the list of people who'll be at the event tonight. I like to know who I can hit up for client coverage."

Tonight was a party hosted by Oakleys and covered by Entertainment TV. She'd gotten a ticket to the A-list event for a new client she'd recently taken on-a young baseball player who'd been brought up from the Minors and who would benefit from meeting key sponsors. He'd asked her to join him.

At first she'd declined. She was through with men and though she'd sung this tune once before, she meant it even more now. Because now she understood the difference between ego bruising and devastating heartache.

Thank you, Brandon Vaughn.

But she wasn't an antisocial person and she wouldn't be happy sulking in her apartment every night. So here she was, covering her hurt by attending a charity event with a client. The man wanted arm candy and arm candy was what she did best. In the meantime, she'd make and renew contacts to help all clients of The Hot Zone.

A win-win situation if only she weren't so unhappy inside.

"What are you doing here so late?" she asked her uncle.

He glanced down. "I got nothing better to do."

Annabelle knelt beside his chair. "Call her. All Lola wants is you. That's a simple, easy thing to give if you feel the same way in return."

He patted her head like he used to do when she was a little girl. "When'd you get to be so smart?"

"Same time you got to be so stubborn. Just think about it, okay? Lola doesn't want perfection. She just wants you." Hearing her words, Annabelle laughed and jumped back before Uncle Yank could react to that comment.

"I love you, Annie," he said gruffly.

"I love you, too."

His smile faltered as he said, "If Vaughn hurt you I'm going to go after him with my Mickey Mantle Louisville Slugger."

Annabelle shivered. Vaughn had swallowed too much of his pride and made too much progress with her uncle to lose ground because of her.

She shook her head. "Vaughn's fine. The job ended and I came home. That's that."

"Bull. I know something was going on between the two of you."

Not for the first time, Uncle Yank actually made her blush. "Well I was the one that ended it, not him," she lied. "If anyone's hurt, it's Vaughn not me."

Uncle Yank nodded slowly and Annabelle hoped he accepted her answer.

He might never know it, but Annabelle considered that fib her farewell gift to Brandon Vaughn.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

VAUGHN SHOWERED, changed and drove into Manhattan, arriving late at night. He'd long since finished with the city scene but just knowing Annabelle was. here gave him a jolt of anticipation and excitement. For the first time in his life, he allowed himself to admit that he needed someone and he was damn well going after her. But he had one obstacle to overcome first.

He stopped at Yank's New York apartment, then the old guy's favorite sports bar and even Lola's place, with no luck. Finally he pulled into The Hot Zone's building, and seeing Yank's vehicle in his VIP spot, Vaughn headed up the elevators. He didn't know why the older man would be here so late at night but he figured that, like Vaughn, Yank was running from his fears.

The elevator doors opened and Vaughn stepped inside. The reception area was fit with its fluorescent rights but devoid of people. The other offices were dark except for Yank's, squelching the hope he might find Annabelle here as well. Vaughn supposed it was for the best though. He had business to take care off here first.

He rapped on the door to make Yank, who was dozing with his feet propped up on his desk, aware of his presence.

Yank snapped to attention. "I've never seen those panties before," he said as he dropped his legs to the floor and sat up straight in the chair.

"Sounds to me like you got caught cheating once or twice in your life," Vaughn said laughing.

"Oh, hell. I was dreaming." The other man ran his-hand over his scruffy beard. "Every man's worst; nightmare, you know? It's come more often lately,” he muttered.

"It's guilt," Vaughn said with certainty, "You let the woman of your life walk out and you can't live with it."

Yank waved for him to come in and have a seat. "I'm gonna assume that's yourself you're talking about, my boy."

Vaughn let Yank appraise him with those all knowing eyes. "You'd be right," he dmitted.

"I knew Annie was lying through her pearly' whites."

"What'd she say?" Vaughn asked as he leaned forward in his seat.

"That you didn't hurt her, she hurt you when she dumped your ass back in Greenlawn. But I knew better. I could see in her eyes she was protecting you, not that you deserve it you lowlife, sorry excuse for a-"

Vaughn held up a hand to stop him. "I think we've been here before. And I'm not going to argue with you this time either. I just want to make things right."

"Just how do you propose to do that?" Yank asked.

"By going after Annabelle. But I had to come to you first." Embarrassed but certain, Vaughn shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. "You're like a father to me and I'm sorry I screwed you all those years ago. I'm grateful to have you back in my life now. To prove it, I'd do anything you asked of me except for one thing. I can't leave Annabelle alone. I love her, I need her and I want to marry her," he said in a rush, getting the words out before he lost his courage.

Yank rose and strode up to him, glaring. "You won't leave her alone. Well isn't that swell."

Vaughn's mouth grew dry. The last thing he wanted was to make a choice between his mentor and the woman he loved but there'd be no contest as to who would win. Unlike the beginning of their relationship when he'd sworn to himself he'd keep his hands off Annabelle, Vaughn refused to walk away from her now.

"I have one question," Yank said, sounding good and pissed.

"What?"

"Who the hell asked you to stay away? As I recall, I told you my niece needed a good man. One who'd care for her and not abandon her because that's her greatest fear." Yank shoved Vaughn's shoulder with-one hand, pushing him hard. "When I said those words I meant that you were that man. But true to form, you didn't see yourself that way. Never have, never will." He snorted and shrugged. "Actually that's probably what makes you such a decent guy."

A good man. Vaughn shook his head in disbelief. "Are you saying you want me with Annabelle?"

"Give the man a cigar," Yank said laughing. "It takes you a while but at least you aren't permanently dense. So are you going to sit here talking to me all night? Or are you going to rescue Annie from that baseball player who isn't out of diapers yet?"

Vaughn narrowed his gaze. "What baseball player?"

Yank shrugged. "All I know is she was dressed to the nines and her twins were hanging out."

“Twins?" Vaughn asked but he was afraid he already knew what Yank meant.

"Urn, juggs, boobs, breasts, for God's sake," Yank muttered. "This is my niece so can we keep it clean?"

Vaughn rolled his eyes. He'd seen Annabelle dressed for big-time events and knew exactly what her uncle meant. "I'm guessing she's gone out with a client, so just give me the address, okay?"

He remained calm because he knew better than to think Annabelle would go out with another guy so soon after leaving him. But that didn't mean he liked her attending anything with another man, especially with her twins on display.

Yank handed him a sheet of paper with the address. "Go get her, son."

Vaughn choked up. He'd waited years to have Yank call him that again.

Yank pulled him into a bear hug and when Vaughn stepped back, he grabbed Yank's arm. "I love you, Pops, and I want you to enjoy your life, not sit around alone at night feeling sorry for yourself. So if I'm going to go after Annabelle, you'd better go after Lola."

Yank shook his head. "I had my chance years ago and I blew it."

"Stubborn old man. I'll deal with you later," Vaughn promised. "Right now I have a lady to rescue."

And that lady had captured not just his heart but everything Vaughn was.

As he headed back for his car, he replayed his talk with Yank in his mind, one part in particular. His heart pounded hard in his chest as he recalled Yank telling him that Annabelle had defended him to her uncle.

Vaughn couldn't get over that fact. She'd told Yank she'd broken up with him when it was completely untrue. Yeah she'd left him in Greenlawn, but he knew damn well it was because she wanted to avoid an awkward goodbye, because she also knew he wouldn't be asking her to stay. At the time she'd have been right. Yet knowing Yank would skin him alive if he knew Vaughn had hurt her, Annabelle had looked out for his relationship with her uncle anyway.

Vaughn hadn't been looking for proof of her love or commitment to him. He'd come to New York without either and he would have laid his soul bare for her and risked all the protective barriers he'd spent years erecting on pure hope alone. He still planned to do just that, only now he had some proof that Annabelle loved him as much as he loved her.

He just hoped love was enough and that he hadn't finally, irrevocably pushed her away for good.

KEEPING A FAKE SMILE pasted on her face was getting more difficult by the minute. The charity event wasn't the problem. Annabelle liked mingling with other industry professionals. She enjoyed meeting the athletes, models and actresses also attending the event. She also liked the fact that Oakley sportswear and sunglasses was sponsoring such a good cause- the Lighthouse Foundation. And she was definitely enjoying the champagne punch. Unfortunately it was her client, Russell Bruno, who had her on edge.

The man had huge teeth-made brighter thanks to the contrast with his black tuxedo jacket-a huge smile and an even bigger ego. To make matters worse, he also had large, groping hands and he liked to settle his palm on her ass. Clearly the man didn't understand the term professional association. She was tired of it and tired of him. So tired she was ready to go home.

Unfortunately she'd let Russ, as he liked to be called, pick her up from The Hot Zone and now she was stuck here until he was ready to leave. But she was loathe to call his attention to her since he was finally, blessedly involved in conversation with someone else. A pretty brunette soap opera actress who was obviously impressed with his physique and pretty-boy face.

Annabelle motioned to the bartender and he refilled her punch but before she could take a sip, she yawned and a loud sound escaped from the back of her throat by mistake.

Russ turned around fast. "Oh, I’ve been ignoring my date." His attention back on Annabelle, he shot a regretful glance at the other woman by his side.

"Not a problem for me," Annabelle muttered.

Russ chuckled clearly not taking her seriously. "I get carried away telling the story of how I was called up from the Minors, but I'm back now," he promised_: Annabelle and followed up his comment with a bold slide of his wandering palm from her back to her bottom.

His other female companion took off in a huff.

Russ let out an exaggerated exhale of relief. "I thought she'd never leave. I'm so sorry, sugar."

Annabelle gritted her teeth but kept a smile for appearances. First thing tomorrow she was informing her sisters that this stud muffin was officially Annabelle's ex-client and could be shuffled to the new PR person The Hot Zone had yet to hire.

In the meantime, he was still her problem. "Russ, either you take your hand off my ass or I break your arm. The choice is yours," she said with saccharine sweetness.

"You heard the lady, Bruno."

Uh-oh. Annabelle knew that voice as well as she knew her own. Her heart soared but she immediately squelched the emotion, reminding herself she had no idea why he was here.

"Brandon Vaughn, well I'll be damned!" Russ quickly removed his hand and extended it so he could greet the football legend.

But a quick glance at Vaughn's strained expression and Annabelle knew this wouldn't be an easy, friendly how do you do. "Russell Bruno meet Brandon Vaughn."

She performed the perfunctory introductions but doubted it would make Vaughn soften.

She was right.

He ignored Bruno and his outstretched hand. "Time to go home, Annie."

She raised an eyebrow. Going home, and with Vaughn at that, seemed like the best idea she'd heard all night. However she wasn't about to let him show up out of nowhere and call the shots as if he owned her. Especially after he'd been silent and out of her life for the last week.

He certainly knew how to make a re-entrance. Wearing denim jeans, a black T-shirt and sport jacket, he was completely underdressed compared to the tuxedoed men surrounding them. Still he was the sexiest, most gorgeous sight Annabelle had ever seen.

He was also royally ticked off.

Beside her, Russ began to sweat and he glared at Annabelle. "I thought you came with me. I mean if I'd known she was with you, man, I never, not even as a professional courtesy, which this date was. Not that it was a date at all," he said, rambling.

"Do you always park your hand on a lady's ass, Russ? Or is it just your way of finding common ground?" Vaughn asked.

Annabelle stifled a laugh.

"I've really got to get going." Russ glanced at Vaughn. "Good to meet you, man." He took off at a near run, never looking back.

Annabelle lifted her eyes toward the chandelier on the ceiling. "Another man who backs off at the mere sight of Brandon Vaughn," she said in disgust. "What am I-back in Greenlawn?"

Vaughn's gaze devoured her, his eyes glittering with so many mixed emotions she couldn't read them all. She'd start with basic understanding.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"Can we discuss this somewhere more private?" He tilted his head, indicating the television cameras and reporters circling the room. Certainly some of their encounter had already been caught on tape.

She didn't care. He'd put her through the ringer and she wasn't about to make this easy for him. "Before I go anywhere I want to know why you're here."

He shrugged out of his jacket. "I had a feeling you weren't going to make this easy, not that I deserve it. Isn't it obvious what I'm doing here?" he asked. "I came to see you."

He took his sport jacket and lay it over her shoulders so the broad garment draped her back. Then he pulled the lapels together in front in an obvious attempt to cover her cleavage.

Leaning forward, he whispered in her ear. "You're gorgeous, sweetheart, but I'd rather you save the show for me and me alone, if you don't mind,"

"What is it with men and their obsession with breasts?" she asked, realizing he'd obviously gone to visit with Uncle Yank before coming here. How else would he know where to find her?

She stepped out of his grasp. "It'll be a cold day in hell before you see these babies again, Vaughn. That is unless you have some fancy footwork to show me that'll compensate for the hell you put me through."

He treated her to that sexy, cocky grin she'd come to adore. "I'm known for my footwork, love."

Her heart tripped at his word choice and her gaze flew to his to judge if he meant the word or if he'd tossed out a flippant term of endearment. But his expression wasn't giving anything away.

She swallowed hard. "Start showing me and you'd better not put that foot in your mouth."

"Not here." He wrapped his arm around her and led her toward the door but they didn't make it far before Entertainment's star reporter cornered them with her cameraman and microphone.

"Brandon Vaughn, what an unexpected surprise. Are you and Miss Jordan an item?" Vanessa Fulton leaned toward them as if she were about to get the scoop of the year. "Come on and give my viewers something to discuss over the water cooler tomorrow."

Annabelle stiffened as she waited for his answer. She expected a defensive word or a terse "no comment." Instead Vaughn's grin was as big as his colossal ego. Or at least the ego he used for public appearances, Annabelle thought. Unfortunately for her she'd gotten to know the real man, the vulnerable man, and that had been her undoing.

"You're going to have to ask Ms. Jordan the current status of our relationship. I'm open to whatever she desires," Vaughn said, obviously playing for the camera.

The louse.

Annabelle had seconds to contemplate her options. No publicity is bad publicity? Not a good choice because that mantra had come back to bite her with Randy Dalton. Instead of the wounded party, she'd come off as the spoiled, jilted brat. Discreet silence? Also not a possibility since it'd leave the viewer in control of perception and result in Annabelle looking as if she were Vaughn's latest conquest of the moment.

Perception, she thought to herself again. That was the key. She smiled big and wide for Vanessa and her viewers. "You heard the man. He's open to anything." She winked at the reporter in a woman to woman sort of way.

Then she gave the perception that she was one hundred percent in control by hooking her finger into Vaughn's belt buckle. "If you'll excuse us now, we have important issues to discuss." And with that, she pulled Vaughn toward the door, leading him by the front of his pants, laughing as the swinging ballroom doors closed behind them.

"That was low, Annie," he said in her ear.

She shrugged. "Next time wear a tie."

Vaughn growled. He was finished playing games. He lifted her around the waist, tossed her over his shoulder and refused to put her down until the valet brought his truck around. He buckled her in and locked the doors, including the childproof locks so she couldn't run out on him.

Late at night, no traffic. Man, sometimes he loved New York City and how close everything was, since not five minutes later, he pulled up to her apartment building. Fate was definitely on his side as a parting spot waited out front. He pulled in, then strode around to help her out.

He couldn't read her mind, but he knew she was less than pleased with him at the moment. He wasn't pleased with himself and wouldn't be until he had her alone in her apartment where she could yell, he could talk and they both could lay things on the line.

She stormed into the building and he followed her into one of the elevators. "Aren't you going to thank me for saving you from Bruno's wandering hands?"

She hit the eighth-floor button. "I could have handled him."

"I know," he told her.

That seemed to take her off guard and she glanced at him warily.

"It's just that I couldn't handle that SOB's hands on you. He's lucky his arm's still in its socket," Vaughn muttered.

They stepped out of the elevator and she stopped at the second door on the right.

"Tell me one thing," she said as she turned the key in the lock, then glanced over her shoulder at him. "What the hell gives you the right to act as if you have any rights over me at all?"

He leaned an arm against the wall beside her. From his perspective he had a clear view between her breasts, inside her dress. His heart pounded in his chest as he realized how badly he wanted what she'd just said. The right to claim her, all of her, as his own. "Nothing gives me that right. Not a damn thing. At least not yet but I'm hoping by the time I'm through talking, you'll give me that and more."

She pushed the door open and whispered in a shaken voice, "Come on in."

He took that as a positive sign and followed her inside. Leaving nothing to chance, he kicked the door closed behind them, then immediately turned the lock and slid the chain through the holder.

Boris greeted him, coming to a skidding halt at his feet and jumping up and down on his hind legs begging for attention. Vaughn couldn't believe how damn happy he was to see the fuzzy mutt.

He knelt down and patted him on the head. "Hey, Q-Tip, how're you doing?" he asked. "I missed you, boy."

As Vaughn rose to his feet, he glanced at Annabelle. Shoulders stiff, she walked to a large couch and shrugged his jacket off her shoulders, acting as if she didn't have a care in the world.

He knew better. He could almost hear her thinking, "What about me? Did you miss me, too?" Very soon she'd have her answer.

He drew a deep breath before joining her in what looked like a garden rather than a living room. He was surrounded by plants, by the cat who was curled on the windowsill, by the rabbit who stared from inside the cage. By everything that was important to Annabelle because these things gave her unconditional love. The love her parents' deaths had denied her and the love she'd been seeking all her life. Vaughn knew this because they had that in common.

He paused in front of her and took her face in his hands. Her eyes were wide, her cheeks damp and her hands, though clutched in front of her, were shaking.

She was afraid to believe. Something else he understood because he'd been there too.

He brushed a stray tear with his thumb. "I'm not going anywhere ever again," he said, his gaze never leaving hers. "I know this, I'm sure of this and I wouldn't be here unless I had no doubts." He tried to answer her unasked questions.

"What changed?" she asked him. "Because I can't let myself believe. I can't open up and trust-"

Her voice caught and he felt as if his heart were being torn apart, so deeply did he understand her fears.

She grasped his wrists hard. "I lost my parents. I lived in fear of being separated from my sisters. In the middle of the night, that fear still lives inside me. And though I told myself I'd been in love before, it was all an illusion until I met you." She bit down on her trembling lower lip.

"Go on." He needed her to be so honest, there could be no misunderstandings, no leaving ever again.

"I love you. I said it before I left, but you were half asleep."

She squeezed him even tighter, probably stopping his circulation. Which was okay since he knew she'd get his blood flowing again soon. "I thought I dreamt the words."

She shook her head. "You didn't. But saying them while you were asleep was safe. Saying them now is the biggest risk I've ever taken. You have my heart, Vaughn and if you abandon me or leave me, I'll hurt you worse than I hurt Roy and if you remember, he doubled over clutching the family jewels."

Vaughn smoothed his thumbs over her cheeks, caressing, soothing, silently asking her to believe in him.

He was rewarded when ever so slowly she loosened her grip on his wrists.

"It's funny-" he began.

"I'm not laughing." But her gaze seemed lighter, more open.

"It's just that I came here thinking I'd be the one to slice open a vein and beg you to take me back, but here you are as scared as I am of being left behind." He shook his head at the unexpected way this evening was playing out.

"Vaughn?"

"Hmm?"

Annabelle smiled. "It'd be a good time for you to open that vein about now."

Grinning but knowing he wasn't out of the woods yet, he pulled her down to settle on the couch with him. "I love you, Annie. And I only let you go because it was easier than facing myself."

She threw herself into his arms and kissed him hard on the lips. Kissed him for a good long time until, finally, she pulled back, but her arms remained hooked around his neck.

"Tell me more. Tell me something I don't know. Tell me how we got to this point because I never thought it would come, you know."

He completely understood. "My mother came by looking for you. She had breakfast in one hand and a peace pipe in the other. So to speak, anyway."

Her mouth opened then closed again.

It was good to see he still had some surprises left for her. "She said you'd helped her approach me. I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful you protected me from your uncle even when I hadn't done a damn thing to deserve your faith."

Her eyes opened wide. "You know about that?"

Vaughn shrugged. "Your uncle isn't the discreet type. Anyway, I'm not really sure I can give you an explanation as to what changed except I missed you like crazy."

"I missed you, too."

He glanced into her warm, welcoming eyes and decided she was right. Now was the time to open that vein. "I'm still not sure I believe I'm worthy of you, but you seem to think I am and that's all that counts. Besides, without you, the lodge, my dream-it all meant nothing."

"Oh, Vaughn."

"And now that Nick's tied up with Mara, I had nobody to hang out with after work."

Laughing, she pushed him against the couch so they lay down, their bodies aligned. "I love you, Brandon Vaughn."

Knowing he'd found love and complete acceptance at last, he relaxed. His heart pounded hard in his chest but it was from excitement and desire, not anxiety over the future. Not anymore.

"I want to open up my huge house and fill it with our babies. We can live in the city and make the house our summer home. Or we can sell it and live wherever you want. Because I love you, too, Hot Stuff. And I always will."