Return of the Prodigal Son Read online

  Andi stared into her coffee. “That’s putting it mildly. They’ve closed ranks. Refused all interviews. But they’ve also shut us out.” She sighed. “I don’t mind for myself. My brother has been great. Champ has been at my side from the first day. But my heart aches for my children. They haven’t seen their grandparents since the funeral a year ago.”

  “Adam’s family is blaming you?”

  She sighed again. “They need someone to blame. And since their son is dead, they prefer to think that I probably hounded him to leave the family business and make more money somewhere else.” She looked up and met Donovan’s eyes. “The truth is I knew Adam was unhappy in the family business. I just wanted his happiness. Money never entered into the equation.” She shook her head. “I guess my mother was right all those years ago.”

  “Right about what?”

  “She used to shake her head and call me her beautiful dreamer. I was the child who always believed in happy endings. And now look at my life.” She fell silent, looking as though she might break down and cry at any moment.

  To give her time to compose herself, Donovan stood up and crossed to the stove, returning with the coffeepot. After topping off their cups he returned to his seat at the table.

  “Did you ever notice any sudden change in your husband’s behavior? Something to indicate that he was unhappy with the way things were going at the new firm?”

  She shook her head. “Oh, he and Neil had their differences. Neil was always at the office. He was the first one there in the morning, and the last one to leave at night. He would spend entire weekends working on his clients’ portfolios, while Adam wanted his weekends free to be with me and the children. But their discussions never seemed as heated as the ones Adam had with his father and uncles, before leaving the banking business.”

  “So there was bad blood between Adam and his family when he left?”

  “He was the heir apparent. When he left, they realized they would have to bring nonfamily members into positions that had once been held only by blood.”

  Donovan paused a moment, considering the enormity of his next question. “Could Adam have been angry enough with his family to want to do something that would hurt them?”

  “Are you asking if Adam would steal from his own clients, just to bring shame to his family? The answer is emphatically no. Donovan, my husband was a good, decent, honorable man.”

  “And you believe in his innocence?”

  She nodded and lowered her head, but not before he saw the shadow of doubt that flickered in her eyes.

  He decided to change directions.

  “Did he and Neil often fly together to client meetings?”

  “Not often. Usually one of them would conduct the meeting, while the other would remain in town. But the meeting in Chicago was a luncheon for a group of potential clients who were bringing a great deal of money to the firm. Neil and Adam thought it best if they both attended.”

  “Did they usually lease a private jet?”

  “Most of the time they used commercial carriers. But Cory had a soccer playoff. Adam told Neil that he needed to be home for it. So Neil arranged for a private plane that could get them back in plenty of time for the game.”

  “Neil made the arrangements?”

  She nodded, before passing a hand over her eyes in a gesture of weariness.

  At once Donovan was on his feet. “You need your rest. We can do this another time.”

  “No.” As he started toward the back door she placed a hand on his sleeve. “It…it helps to talk. My family and friends avoided any mention of it, for fear of causing more pain. So many of my former friends turned away from me after the funeral….” She took in a long, deep breath. “I’ve gone over this so many times in my mind, looking for something, anything, that would restore Adam’s good name. Especially for the sake of my children. Taylor’s still too young to understand the implications. But Cory’s so hurt. And I don’t know how to reach him.”

  Donovan placed a hand over hers and struggled to ignore the rush of heat. But there was no denying what he felt each time they touched. “I can understand some of what he’s going through. There’s so much anger when the person you love is snatched away without warning. But Cory has the added burden of being forced to hear and read some pretty lousy things being said about his father. It isn’t bad enough he has a hole in his heart that will never be filled, but now it’s being rubbed raw with all that pain and anguish.”

  She took a step back. “Champ said you lost your father at about the same age.”

  He nodded.

  Andi looked up hopefully. “When did you stop missing him?”

  “I’ll let you know when that happens.”

  At his words she understood the shadow of pain that was always there whenever she looked into his eyes.

  “Oh, Donovan.” She instinctively reached a hand to his cheek. “I’m sorry. Here I am telling you about our troubles, when you’re still dealing with your own.”

  At her tenderness he absorbed a blow to the heart and had to take in a quick breath. “It happened a long time ago, Andi.”

  “And it still hurts.”

  “Yeah.” He looked down into her eyes and knew he had to kiss her. Walking away, right this minute, would have been the smart thing to do. But for Donovan, it wasn’t even an option.

  He reached out instinctively, drawing her close as he lowered his head, capturing her mouth with his. There was nothing soft or inviting about his kiss. In the space of a single heartbeat he drew her fully into it.

  She thought about pulling back, but she was frozen to the spot. It was impossible to move.

  Heat poured between them as they slipped deeper into the kiss.

  He thought he’d been prepared for this. But as his mouth moved over hers, the sensations that ripped through him had him dragging her closer, until her body was imprinting itself on his. He longed to touch her everywhere. But all he permitted himself was the brush of his hand along her back. Even that simple movement had him aching for more.

  Andi absorbed the shock as his touch sent sparks dancing along her spine. She’d known, of course, that he was attracted to her. A woman could tell those things. And the attraction was returned. What woman wouldn’t be attracted to a sexy, dangerous man like Donovan Lassiter? But she hadn’t thought beyond the attraction. It had been too many years since she’d flirted. As for kissing a man, there had been no one except Adam from the day they’d become engaged. Now here she was, letting this man kiss her. What shamed her even more was that she was returning his kiss.

  And what a kiss. It took all her willpower to keep from wrapping her arms around his neck and begging for more. Still, she kept her arms firmly at her sides, her hands clenched into tight fists to keep from touching him.

  What had she gotten herself into? She’d wanted this. Wanted desperately to feel his mouth on hers. And yet she was afraid. Afraid of where it might lead. She wasn’t ready for this. Especially with a man like Donovan Lassiter.

  He lingered over her mouth as long as he dared, wishing he could take more. The thought of lying with her, loving her, had his head spinning and his world tilting at a crazy angle.

  He was playing with fire here. This wasn’t a woman he could simply love and leave. Andi Brady was the kind of woman a man loved for a lifetime. She had responsibilities. Commitments. None of those things were even considerations in his life.

  He gathered her so close against him she cried out. That had him lifting his head and staring down at her in stunned surprise.

  His eyes narrowed as he rubbed his hands along the tops of her arms in a motion meant to soothe. “Sorry.”

  She wondered if he had any idea just what his touch was doing to her. It took her a moment to find her voice. “Apology accepted.”

  His smile was quick and dangerous. “I wasn’t apologizing for the kiss. If I have the opportunity, I’ll do it again.”

  “Is that—” she marveled that she could get any words
out over a throat so constricted “—a promise or a threat?”

  “Take it any way you want. I’m just giving you fair warning. But I didn’t mean to be so rough.” He ran his fingers lightly up and down her arms.

  Andi couldn’t control the shiver that raced up her spine. If he kissed her again, she’d be completely lost.

  She was relieved when he took a step back, breaking contact.

  “I’d better go.”

  As he walked away she crossed her arms over her chest, struggling to hold herself together.

  He put a hand on the door and turned. “Most folks up here don’t lock their doors.” He gave her a smoldering look that said more than words. “In your case, it might be wise to use the locks.”

  Andi stood where she was, listening to the sound of his footsteps on the gravel path.

  When she was certain her legs would carry her, she walked to the back door and turned the lock. Not that it mattered, she thought. He looked like a man who wouldn’t be stopped by a locked door.

  She pressed her forehead to the cool glass and waited for her heart to return to its normal rhythm.

  It shamed her to admit that she had been completely lost the moment his mouth touched hers. If he hadn’t had the sense to put an end to that kiss, this night might have taken a very different turn.

  Despite the heat of the summer night, she shivered as she made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. The thought of being loved by Donovan Lassiter was every bit as tempting now as it had been when she’d been a schoolgirl.

  And every bit as foolish.

  If his reputation was to be believed, Donovan didn’t love; he simply took his pleasures, whenever, wherever he pleased. He plundered. He collected trophies. And then he moved on, never to be seen again.

  She had no intention of being any man’s conquest. In fact, she had no intention of being any man’s anything, ever again. She had her hands full just getting through her days as a mother. She’d leave the fanciful romances to others.

  She slipped into bed, determined to put all thought of Donovan Lassiter out of her mind.

  Chapter 6

  Donovan typed some words on his keyboard, initiated the search engine and sat back, watching as dozens of pages of information began flashing across the screen.

  It had been three days since he’d seen Andi Brady or her children. He ought to be grateful for that little scene at her place. It had pushed him into an orgy of work to keep from thinking about her.

  When he wasn’t working on his book, or on the Adam Brady file, he was sleeping. The last time he’d crashed into bed, he’d slept for fourteen hours. At the moment he felt like a new man. Of course, he hadn’t shaved for days. And there was no food in the house. But getting food would have required getting dressed, driving into town and shopping. None of which appealed to him. He much preferred to subsist on dry cereal, since he was out of milk, and peanut butter, eaten directly out of the jar, since he had no bread or crackers left to spread it on.

  He was nearly out of clean clothes, as well. He would soon have to deal with dirty laundry. But not just yet. Today he was wearing a pair of khaki shorts that had been new ten years ago and a faded camp shirt he’d won in a poker game in Ghana from an old pal, Joe Bentley. He frowned, remembering the friend who had gone down in a helicopter over San Salvador. Too young. So many of them had died too young.

  He glanced at the crash investigator’s report and noted Adam Brady’s age. Thirty-four. Another one gone too soon.

  Donovan leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Only the good die young. It had been a favorite phrase among the group of brash young government agents who had called themselves The Lost. If the saying proved to be true, he could hope to live a very long life.

  Suddenly something on the monitor caught his eye. He hit a button, stopped the scroll, and read through the page. Satisfied that this was what he’d been searching for, he printed it out and added it to the growing pile of documents on his desk.

  The sound of voices had him strolling to the window.

  Cory and Taylor were stalking something in the bushes. Donovan stepped out onto his front porch.

  “There he is.”

  “Keep your voice down, Taylor.” Cory was wearing his usual frown. “Mom’ll skin us if we bother Donovan.”

  Donovan crept up behind them and said in his best whisper, “Not to mention what Donovan will do to you.”

  “Oh.” Taylor gave a shriek and ducked behind her big brother, then peered out from behind him.

  Cory lifted his chin as he faced Donovan. “We weren’t being loud.”

  “That’s right. You weren’t. But why are you whispering?”

  “Mom said we couldn’t bother you.”

  Taylor’s voice trembled. “Are we bothering you, Donovan?”

  “No. I needed to take a break from my work. This is the perfect time to get some fresh air.” He nodded toward the bushes. “You chasing that woodchuck again?”

  “Uh-huh.” Taylor was quick to defend herself. “I don’t want to put him in a cage. I just want to get close enough to give him some food.”

  “He’s pretty good at getting his own. What did you want to feed him?”

  Taylor held out her hand. In it were some carrot sticks. “Mama said he’s probably a veginarian.”

  He tried not to laugh. “Vegetarian.”

  “Uh-huh.” Taylor’s smile grew. “But Cory said he probably eats bugs and stuff. What do you think, Donovan?”

  “I think he eats both. Bugs and vegetables.”

  “If I sit right here in the grass and hold out a carrot, do you think he’ll come up and take it from my hand?”

  “I doubt it, honey.” Donovan gave her a gentle smile. “He’s a little bit shy. Do you know what that means?”

  “He’s shy?” Her eyes grew round, and he could see that she was feeling a real kinship toward the woodchuck.

  “That’s right. I think you’d have to leave the carrots here in the grass and walk away before he’d come up and help himself.”

  “Then I’ll put them right here.” She carefully arranged the carrots in a circle before stepping back.

  “Cory. Taylor.” Andi’s voice drifted up from the gravel drive. When she rounded the bend and found her children with Donovan, two bright spots of color appeared on her cheeks.

  “I’m sorry.” The first sight of him was a shock. How could any man who hadn’t shaved and was wearing a wrinkled shirt and shorts do such strange things to her heart? She knew men who wouldn’t look that good if they were dressed in black tie. Yet here he was, barefoot and rumpled, making her blush like a schoolgirl. “Cory and Taylor, I told you not to bother Donovan.”

  “He said we aren’t bothering him, Mama.” Taylor caught her mother’s hand and led her toward the tall grass. “Donovan says the woodchuck is shy, so I left him some carrots to eat when we’re gone.”

  “That’s nice, honey.” Andi turned to Cory. “Time to go.”

  “Where?” Her son had his arms crossed over his chest, the way he did when he was ready to give her a hard time.

  “Into town. I have to get some groceries and run some errands.”

  “I don’t want to go.”

  “You have no choice. I’m going, and you can’t stay alone.”

  “Why? I’m not a baby, Mom.”

  “I know you aren’t.” She tried to keep her tone light, but it wasn’t easy. “I wouldn’t be much of a mother if I didn’t look out for your safety. So I guess you’ll just have to come along with me while I run my errands, whether you like it or not.”

  Donovan could see that Cory was about to dig in his heels and make a scene. “Why don’t you let him stay with me?”

  The boy couldn’t hide his surprise. “You mean it?”

  “Sure.”

  “Can I stay, too?” Taylor pulled away from her mother and hurried over to stand beside her brother.

  “Now, Taylor…”

  Before Andi could refuse, Do
novan nodded. “You can both stay. I’m thinking it’s time I unpacked, anyway. You two can give me a hand. If you can stand the clutter, that is.”

  “You’re sure?” Andi seemed torn between relief at not having to drag her reluctant children along and regret at leaving them in Donovan’s pigsty.

  “Yeah. We’ll be fine.”

  “Is there anything you need while I’m in town?”

  “As long as you’re offering…” Donovan dug into his pockets and came up with a handful of money. “I don’t need much. Some milk, bread, eggs and fresh fruit.” As he handed it over he caught a whiff of perfume. It seemed ironic that someone who looked as sweet and fresh and vibrant as a spring morning could smell so sinful.

  “All right.” As she accepted the money from his hand, she felt the heat of his gaze and stepped back, as though sensing she needed to get out of harm’s way. “Well. I guess I’ll see you later.”

  “Oh, wow.” Cory’s anger of the past few days was forgotten. “Come on, Donovan. Let’s get started. You’ve got all that great junk.”

  “Yeah. May as well.” Donovan stood a minute more, watching the sway of Andi’s hips in the knit, ankle-hugging dress that flattered every line and curve of her body. She looked like a fashion model with those strappy sandals and that little sweater tossed carelessly over her shoulders. All she needed was one of those wide-brimmed hats to look as if she was going to a garden party.

  He turned away, grateful for the distraction of the boy and girl. At least with them around he wouldn’t have time to torment himself with thoughts of what he’d like to do with their mother.

  “Where are you going to put all this stuff?” Cory was already attacking the first box.

  “I’ve got those shelves and cabinets over there.” Donovan pointed to the two wall units. “And there are more shelves in the kitchen and in my bedroom.”

  “You’ve got a bedroom?” Cory glanced at the sofa. “I figured you slept there.”

  “I do. Sometimes. But only when my bed is covered with too much stuff.”

  Taylor looked up. “Didn’t your mama make you hang your clothes when you were little?”