Jeopardy Read Online Free PDF Page A

corrected herself. He must have guessed.
    She was surrounded by contradictions and puzzles. A French Impressionist painting and a show saddle. A crystal bowl and a collection of arrowheads. An electric train and Oriental carpets. And heading the list of contradictions and puzzles was Amarillo.
    She turned to him. “You grew up in West Texas, didn’t you?”
    “That’s right.”
    “I’ve never been there. I’ve seen pictures of it, though.”
    “No photograph could begin to capture what it’s like.”
    There was a tone akin to reverence in his deep voice. Her better judgment told her she couldn’t afford to be any more intrigued with him than she already was, but her curiosity was strong. “Then tell me.”
    “Telling is easy. It’s miles of nothing but wind and barbed wire, sand and dust, mesquite and coyotes. But you can’t understand its immensity or its spirit unless you go there and see for yourself.”
    “You sound as if you really love it.”
    “I do. West Texas is cruel and elemental, but it also has a very special kind of beauty.”
    And using all those elements, it had formed a man like Amarillo, she thought.
    She wanted to ask why he had left, but she already knew at least part of the story, enough to know she shouldn’t ask more. Nico had once told her that Amarillo had married a girl he had met in college. A year later his wife had been killed in a tragic accident, and he had moved to Boston, where her elderly parents lived, to be near them and care for them. She had heard that they had both died within the last two years.
    “I go back as often as I can," he said continuing. “I have business interests there.”
    She hadn’t known, but then, there was no reason she should. She usually made an effort to stay away from him. That’s why she was amazed when she heard herself saying, “You’re coming to the ball, aren’t you? I’m counting on you to buy a table. It’s for the Children’s Fund.”
    His lids dropped to half veil his eyes. “How about I just give you the money?”
    “You’re not coming?” She set her coffee aside; he did the same.
    “With Nico away, I don’t feel I should leave things unattended here. We have a number of ongoing cases at the moment. ...”
    “I also happen to know that you have a large staff of very competent people."
    “I guess I’m arrogant enough to think that things won’t be done properly unless I’m at the office to oversee them.”
    He was giving her a polite, socially acceptable excuse, she reflected. She should accept it. He obviously did not want to be at SwanSea at the same time she was, at least not without the buffer of Caitlin and Nico. She was relieved, she told herself. With a glance at her watch, she stood. “It’s midnight. It’s time I was going.”
    He didn’t argue with her. “I’ll walk you to your car."
    * * *
    A fog had moved in since they had been inside. It swirled around them in feathery patterns, parting as they moved through it, then closing behind them again. Water lapped, a boat moved up the river, a foghorn sounded in the distance.
    To Angelica, the night had an otherworldly feel about It, but then again, the whole evening had been out of the ordinary for her.
    She opened the car door. Amarillo leaned in, put the cake box in the seat next to hers, then straightened.
    “Thank you for this evening,” she said. “I had a lovely time.”
    He nodded without expression.
    “Give me a good report when you talk to Nico.”
    “I will."
    He was waiting for her to get in the car and drive away, but she couldn’t quite make herself leave him yet. She knew the next time she saw him, they would be surrounded by other people. He would be with someone else, as she would. The two of them would probably never again be alone together in just this way, wrapped in night and fog.
    On Impulse, she stood on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
    The touch of her lips on his skin was a shock to his entire system. His hand came out