Текст книги "Truly Madly Yours "

Автор книги: Рэйчел Гибсон

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Текущая страница: 1 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

“WHY DID YOU KISS ME?

Nicks gaze slid to her mouth. “Curious.

“Curious to see if Id let you?

“No, he said, as if rejection had never occurred to him. “Curious to see if you taste as sweet as you look.

“What did you decide?

He crooked his finger at her and said in a low, sensual voice, “You taste like my uncles huckleberry wine. Definitely sweet, but with a warm kick.

She hid her smile. “Is that bad?

“Depends. He placed two fingers beneath her chin and stared into her eyes. “Has anyone ever kissed you until you were so hot you were burning up? Until you didnt care about anything else?

She didnt answer, not wanting to admit that shed never been so consumed or burned up with passion that shed lost her head. Even her best friend assumed she was a prude. But apparently not Nick. Nick saw what no one else did, and she let herself fall headfirst into the dizzy heat burning her flesh.

Other Avon Books by Rachel Gibson

Simply Irresistible

True Confessions

Truly Madly Yours

Coming Soon

Lola Carlyle Reveals All

Truly Madly Yours

Rachel Gibson

AVON BOOKS

ISBN: 0-380-80121-3

With love to my mother and father, Al and Mary Reed. Late at night when my mind is quiet, I can still remember the scent of my mothers skin and the texture of my fathers spiky crewcut, and I know that I have been blessed.

Prologue

The red glow from a space heater touched the creases and folds of Henry Shaws face, while the nicker of his beloved Appaloosas called to him on the warm spring breeze. He plugged an old eight-track cassette into its player, and the deep, whiskey-rough voice of Johnny Cash filled the small tack shed. Before Johnny had found religion, hed been one kick-ass carouser. A mans man, and Henry liked that. Then Johnny had found Jesus and June and his career had gone to hell in a hand basket. Life didnt always go according to plan. God and women and disease had a way of interfering. Henry hated anything that interfered with his plans.

He hated not being in control.

He poured himself a bourbon and looked out the small window above his work bench. The setting sun hung just above Shaw Mountain, named after Henrys ancestors whod settled the rich valley below. Sharp gray shadows sliced across the valley toward Lake Mary, named for Henrys great-great-grandmother, Mary Shaw.

More than Henry hated God and disease and not being in control, he hated friggin doctors. They poked and prodded until they found something wrong, and none of them had ever said a damn thing hed wanted to hear. Each time hed tried to prove them wrong, but in the end he never had.

Henry splashed linseed oil on some old cotton rags and set them in a cardboard box. Hed always planned to have a passel of grandchildren by now, but he didnt have a one. He was the last Shaw. The last in a long line of an old and respected family. The Shaws were nearly extinct, and it ate a hole in his gut. There was no one to carry his blood after he was gone ... no one except Nick.

He sat down in an old office chair and raised the bourbon to his lips. He would be the first to admit hed wronged that boy. For several years now, hed tried to make it up to his son. But Nick was a stubborn, unforgiving man. Just as hed been a defiant unlovable boy.

If Henry had more time, he was sure he and his son could have come to some sort of understanding. But he didnt have time, and Nick didnt make it easy. In fact, Nick made it damn hard to even like him.

He remembered the day Nicks mother, Benita Allegrezza, had pounded on his front door, claiming Henry had fathered the black-haired baby in her arms. Henry had turned his attention from Benitas dark gaze to the big blue eyes of his wife, Ruth, who had stood beside him.

Hed denied it like hell. Of course, there had been a real good chance that what Benita claimed was true, but hed denied even the possibility. Even if Henry hadnt been married, he never would have chosen to have a child with a Basque woman. Those people were too dark, too volatile, and too religious for his taste. Hed wanted white, blond-haired babies. He didnt want his kids confused for wet-backs. Oh, he knew Basques werent Mexicans, but they all looked alike to him.

If it hadnt been for Benitas brother, Josu, no one would have known about his affair with the young widow. But that sheep-loving bastard had tried to blackmail him into recognizing Nick as his son. Hed thought Josu had been bluffing when the man had come to him and threatened to tell everyone in town that Henry had taken advantage of his grieving sister and had knocked her up. Hed ignored the threat, but Josu hadnt been bluffing. Again Henry had denied paternity.

But by the time Nick was five, he looked enough like a Shaw that no one believed Henry anymore. Not even Ruth. Shed divorced him and taken half his money.

But back then, hed still had time. Hed been in his late thirties. Still a young man.

Henry picked up a .357 and slipped six bullets into the cylinder. After Ruth, hed found his second wife, Gwen. Even though Gwen had been a poor unwed mother of questionable parentage, hed married her for several reasons. She obviously wasnt barren, as hed suspected of Ruth, and she was so beautiful she made him ache. She and her daughter had been so grateful to him, and so easy to mold into what he wanted. But in the end, his stepdaughter had disappointed him bitterly, and the one thing he wanted most from Gwen, she had failed to give him. After years of marriage, she hadnt given him a legitimate heir.

Henry spun the cylinder then looked down at the revolver in his hand. With the barrel of the pistol, he pushed the box of linseed rags closer to the space heater. He didnt want anyone to clean up the mess after he was gone. The song hed been waiting to hear crackled through the speakers, and he cranked up the eight-track player as Johnny sang about falling into a burning ring of fire.

His eyes got a little misty when he thought of his life and the people he would leave behind. It was a damn shame he wouldnt be around to see the looks on their faces when they discovered what hed done.

Chapter One

“Death comes, as it must, to all men, and with it the inevitable separation from loved ones, Reverend Tippet droned in his flat solemn tone. “We will miss Henry Shaw, beloved husband, father, and prominent member of our community. The reverend paused and glanced about the large group gathered to bid their final farewell. “Henry would be pleased to see so many friends here today.

Henry Shaw would have taken one look at the line of cars backed up to the gated entrance of Salvation Cemetery, and he would have regarded the respectable turnout as somewhat less than his due. Until hed been voted out of office last year in favor of that yellow-dog Democrat George Tanasee, hed been mayor of Truly, Idaho for over twenty-four years.

Henry had been a big man in the small community. Hed owned half the businesses and had more money then the whole town combined. Shortly after his first wife had divorced him twenty-six years ago, hed gone out and replaced her with the prettiest woman he could find. Hed owned the finest pair of Weimaraners in the state, Duke and Dolores, and until recently, hed lived in the biggest house in town. But that had been before those Allegrezza boys had started building all over the damn place. Hed had a stepdaughter too, but he hadnt talked about her in years.

Henry had loved his position in the community. Hed been warm and generous to the people whod agreed with his opinions, but if you werent Henrys friend, you were his enemy. Those whod dared to challenge him usually regretted it. Hed been a pompous, redneck son of a bitch, and when theyd pulled his charred remains from the inferno which had claimed his life, there were some members of the community who felt that Henry Shaw got exactly what he deserved.

“To the earth we give the body of our loved one. Henrys life ...

Delaney Shaw, Henrys stepdaughter, listened to the bland Muzak quality in Reverend Tippets voice and cast a sideways glance at her mother. The soft shadows of bereavement looked good on Gwen Shaw, but Delaney wasnt surprised. Her mother looked good in everything. She always had. Delaney returned her gaze to the spray of yellow roses on Henrys casket. The bright June sun shot sparks off the polished mahogany and shiny brass hardware. She reached inside the pocket of the mint green suit shed borrowed from her mother and found her sunglasses. Sliding the tortoiseshell frame onto her face, she hid from the suns stabbing rays and the curious glances of the people around her. She straightened her shoulders and took several long deep breaths. She hadnt been home for ten years. Shed always meant to come back and make her peace with Henry. Now it was too late.

A light breeze tossed red and gold streaked curls about her face, and she pushed her chin-length hair behind her ears. She should have tried. She shouldnt have stayed away for so long. She shouldnt have allowed so many years to pass, but shed never thought hed die. Not Henry. The last time shed seen him, theyd said some horrible things to each other. His anger had been so fierce, she could still remember it clearly.

A sound like the wrath of God rolled in the distance, and Delaney raised her gaze to the heavens, half expecting to see thunder and lightning bolts, certain the arrival of a man like Henry had created turbulence in paradise. The sky remained a clear blue, but the rumbling continued, drawing her attention to the iron gates of the cemetery.

Straddling gleaming black lacquer and shimmering chrome, windblown hair tousled about broad shoulders, a lone biker bore down on the crowd gathered to bid their farewells. The monster engine vibrated the ground and shook the air, the act of committal suffocated by a set of bad-dog pipes. Dressed in faded jeans and a soft white T-shirt, the biker slowed and brought the Harley to a rumbling stop in front of the gray hearse. The engine died, and his boot heel scraped the asphalt as he laid the bike on its kickstand. Then in one smooth motion, he rose. Several days growth of beard darkened a strong jaw and cheeks, drawing attention to a firm mouth. A small gold hoop pierced his earlobe while a pair of platinum Oakleys concealed his eyes.

There was something vaguely familiar about the bad-ass biker. Something about his smooth olive skin and black hair, but Delaney couldnt place him.

“Oh, my God, her mother gasped beside her. “I cant believe he dared to show up dressed like that.

Her incredulity was shared by other mourners who had the bad manners to break into loud whispers.

“Hes trouble.

“Always has been bad to the bone.

Levis caressed his firm thighs, cupped his crotch, and covered his long legs in soft denim. The warm breeze flattened his shirt against his broad muscular chest. Delaney lifted her gaze to his face again. Slowly he removed the sunglasses from the bridge of his straight nose and shoved them into the front pocket of his T-shirt. His light gray eyes stared directly back at her.

Delaneys heart stopped and her bones fused. She recognized those eyes burning a hole in her. They were the exact copy of his Irish fathers but much more startling because they were set in a face typical of his Basque heritage.

Nick Allegrezza, the source of her girlhood fascinations and the origin of her disillusions. Nick, the slick-talking, smooth-tongued snake. He stood with his weight on one foot as if he didnt notice the stir hed caused. More than likely he did notice and simply didnt care. Delaney had been gone ten years, but some things obviously hadnt changed. Nick had filled out and his features had matured, but his presence still attracted attention.

Reverend Tippet bowed his head. “Let us pray for Henry Shaw, he began. Delaney tucked her chin and closed her eyes. Even as a child, Nick had attracted more than his share of attention. His older brother Louie had been wild too, but Louie had never been as wild as Nick. Everyone knew the Allegrezza brothers were crazy, impulsive Bascos, quick-fingered and as horny as parolees.

Every girl in town had been warned to stay far away from the brothers, but like lemmings to the sea, many had succumbed to the call of the wild and thrown themselves at “those Basque boys. Nick had earned the added reputation for charming virgins out of their undies. But he hadnt charmed Delaney. Contrary to popular belief, she hadnt knocked boots with Nick Allegrezza. He hadnt taken her virginity.

Not technically anyway.

“Amen, the mourners recited as one.

“Yeah. Amen, Delaney uttered, feeling a bit guilty for her irreverent thoughts during a prayer to God. She glanced over the top of her sunglasses, and her eyes narrowed. She watched Nicks lips move as he made a quick sign of the cross. He was Catholic of course, like the other Basque families in the area. Still, it seemed sacrilegious to see such an overtly sexual, long-haired, earring-wearing biker cross himself as if he were a priest. Then as if he had all day, he lifted his gaze up the front of Delaneys suit to her face. For an instant, something flickered in his eyes, but just as quickly it was gone, and his attention was drawn to a blond woman in a pink slip dress by his side. She raised on her toes and whispered something into his ear.

Mourners crowded around Delaney and her mother, stopping to give their condolences before moving toward their cars. She lost sight of Nick and turned to people passing in front of her. She recognized most of Henrys friends, who paused to speak to her, but saw very few faces under the age of fifty. She smiled and nodded and shook hands, hating every minute of their close scrutiny. She wanted to be alone. She wanted to be by herself so she could think about Henry and the good times. She wanted to remember Henry before theyd disappointed each other so terribly. But she knew she wouldnt get the opportunity until much later. She was emotionally exhausted, and by the time she and her mother made their way to the limousine that would take them back home, she wanted nothing more than to hibernate.

The rumble of Nicks Harley drew her attention and she glanced over her shoulder at him. He revved the engine twice then flipped a U and gunned the big bike. Delaneys brows lowered as she watch him shoot past, her eyes focused on the blond pressed against his back like a human suction cup. Hed picked up a woman at Henrys funeral, picked her up as if he were out trolling bars. Delaney didnt recognize her, but she wasnt really surprised to see a woman leaving the funeral with Nick. Nothing was sacred to him. Nothing off limits.

She climbed into the limousine and sank into plush velvet seats. Henry was dead, but nothing had changed.

“That was a real nice service, dont you think?

Gwen asked, interrupting Delaneys thoughts as the car pulled away from the gravesite and headed toward Highway 55.

Delaney kept her gaze on the blue flashes of Lake Mary barely visible through dense pine forest. “Yes, she answered, then turned her attention to her mother. “It was real nice.

“Henry loved you. He just didnt know how to compromise.

Theyd had this same discussion many times, and Delaney didnt feel like talking about it. The conversation always began and ended the same, yet nothing ever got resolved. “How many people do you think will show up? she asked, referring to the after-funeral buffet.

“Most everyone, I imagine. Gwen reached across the distance that separated them and pushed the sides of Delaneys hair behind her ears.

Delaney half expected her mother to wet her fingers and make spit curls on her forehead as shed done when Delaney had been a child. Shed hated it then, and she hated it now. The constant fixing, as if she wasnt good enough the way she was. The constant fussing, as if she could be made into something she wasnt.

No. Nothing had changed.

“Im so glad youre home, Laney.

Delaney felt suffocated and pressed the electric window switch. She breathed in the fresh mountain air and let it out slowly. Two days, she told herself. She could go home in two days.

Last week, shed received notification that she was named in Henrys will. After the way theyd parted, she couldnt imagine why hed included her. She wondered if hed included Nick, too, or if he would ignore his son, even after his death.

Briefly she wondered if Henry had left her money or property. More than likely it was some kind of a gag gift, like an old rusted fishing boat or a stuffed mackinaw. Whatever it was didnt matter, she was leaving directly after the will was read. Now all she had to do was gather the courage to tell her mother. Maybe shed call her from a pay phone somewhere around Salt Lake City. Until then, she planned to look up some of her old girlfriends, hit a few local bars, and wait it out until she could head home to the big city where she could breathe. She knew if she stayed more than a few days, shed lose her mind—or worse, herself.

“Well, look whos back.

Delaney set a plate of stuffed mushrooms on the buffet table then looked into the eyes of her childhood adversary, Helen Schnupp. Growing up, Helen had been a thorn in Delaneys side, a rock in her shoe, and a colossal pain in the ass. Every time Delaney had turned around, Helen had been there, usually one step ahead. Helen had been prettier, faster in track, and better in basketball. In the second grade Helen had unseated her for first place in the county spelling bee. In the eighth grade Helen had beaten her out for head cheerleader, and in the eleventh shed been caught at the drive-in with Delaneys boyfriend, Tommy Markham, riding the bologna pony in the back of the Markham family station wagon. A girl didnt forget a thing like that, and Delaney took silent pleasure in Helens split ends and over processed highlights.

“Helen Schnupp, she said, hating to admit to herself that except for the hair, her old nemesis was still pretty.

“Its Markham now. Helen grabbed a croissant and stuffed it with sliced ham. “Tommy and I have been happily married for seven years.

Delaney forced a smile. “Isnt that just great? She told herself she didnt give a damn about either one of them, but shed always entertained the fantasy of a Bonnie and Clyde style ending for Helen and Tommy. The fact that she still harbored such animosity didnt bother her as much as she thought it probably should. Maybe it was time for that psychotherapy shed been putting off.

“Are you married?

“No.

Helen gave her a look filled with pity. “Your mother tells me you live in Scottsdale.

Delaney fought an urge to shove Helens croissant up her nose. “I live in Phoenix.

“Oh? Helen reached for a mushroom and scooted down the line. “I must not have heard her right.

Delaney doubted there was anything wrong with Helens hearing. Her hair was another matter, however, and if Delaney hadnt already planned to leave in a few days, and if she were a nicer person, she might have offered to snip some of the damage. She might have even slapped a protein pack on Helens frizzy hair and wrapped her whole head in cellophane. But she wasnt that nice.

Her gaze scanned the dining room filled with people until she located her mother. Surrounded by friends, every blond hair in perfect order, her makeup flawless, Gwen Shaw looked like a queen holding court. Gwen had always been the Grace Kelly of Truly, Idaho. She even resembled her somewhat. At forty-four, she could pass for thirty-nine and, as she was fond of saying, looked much too young to have a daughter who was twenty-nine.

Anywhere else, a fifteen-year age difference between mother and daughter might have raised more than a few brows, but in small-town Idaho, it wasnt uncommon for high school sweethearts to marry the day after graduation, sometimes because the bride was about to go into labor. No one thought anything of teenage pregnancy, unless of course the teen wasnt married. That sort of scandal fueled the gossip fires for years.

Everyone in Truly believed the mayors young wife had been widowed shortly after shed married Delaneys biological father, but it was all a lie. At fifteen, Gwen had been involved with a married man, and when hed found out she was pregnant, he dumped her and she left town.

“I see you came back. I thought you might be dead.

Delaneys attention was drawn to Old Mrs. Van Damme hunched over an aluminum walker and teetering toward a deviled egg, her white hair plastered with finger waves just as Delaney remembered. She couldnt recall the womans first name. She didnt know if shed ever heard it used. Everyone had always referred to her as Old Mrs. Van Damme. The woman was so ancient now, her back bowed with age and osteoporosis, she was turning into a human fossil.

“Can I help you get something to eat? Delaney offered, standing a little straighter while counting back to the last time shed had a glass of milk, or at the very least a calcium-enriched Tums.

Mrs. Van Damme snagged an egg, then handed Delaney her plate. “Some of that and that, she directed, pointing to several different dishes.

“Would you like salad?

“Makes me gassy, Mrs. Van Damme whispered, then pointed at a bowl of ambrosia. “That looks good, and some of those chicken wings, too. Theyre hot, but I brought my Pepto.

For such a frail little thing, Old Mrs. Van Damme ate like a lumberjack. “Are you related to Jean-Claude? Delaney joked, attempting to interject a little levity in the otherwise somber occasion.

“Who?

“Jean-Claude Van Damme, the kickboxer.

“No, I dont know any Jean-Claude, but maybe they got one living in Emmett. Those Emmett Van Dammes are always in trouble, always kicking up about something or another. Last year Teddy—my late brothers middle grandchild—got arrested for stealing that big Smokey the Bear they had standing in front of the forest service building. Whyd he want something like that, anyway?

“Maybe because his name is Teddy.

“Huh?

Delaney frowned. “Never mind. She shouldnt have tried. Shed forgotten that her sense of humor wasnt appreciated in redneck towns where men tended to use their shirt pockets for ashtrays. She sat Mrs. Van Damme at a table near the buffet, then she headed for the bar.

Shed often thought the whole after-the-funeral ritual of gathering to eat like hogs and get drunk was a bit odd, but she supposed it existed to give the family comfort. Delaney didnt feel comforted in the least. She felt on display, but shed always felt that way living in Truly. Shed grown up as the daughter of the mayor and his very beautiful wife. Delaney had always fallen a little short somehow. Shed never been outgoing or boisterous like Henry, and shed never been beautiful like Gwen.

She walked into the parlor where Henrys cronies from the Moose Lodge were holding down the bar and reeking of Johnnie Walker. They paid her little attention as she poured herself a glass of wine and stepped out of the low heels her mother had insisted she borrow.

Even though Delaney knew that she was sometimes compulsive, she really had only one addiction. She was a shoe-aholic. She thought Imelda Marcos got a bad rap. Delaney loved shoes. All shoes. Except little pumps with stubby heels. Too boring. Her tastes leaned toward stilettoes, funky boots, or Hercules sandals. Her clothes werent exactly conventional, either. For the last few years shed worked at Valentina, an upscale salon where customers paid a hundred dollars to get their hair cut and expected to see their stylist in trendsetting clothes. For their money, Delaneys customers wanted to see short vinyl skirts, leather pants, or sheer blouses with black bras. Not exactly proper funeral attire for the stepdaughter of a man whod ruled the small town for many years.

Delaney was just about to exit the room when the conversation stopped her.

“Don says he looked like a charcoal briquette by the time they got him out.

“Hellva way to die.

The men shook their collective heads and drank their scotch. Delaney knew the fire had occurred in a shed Henry had built across town. According to Gwen, hed taken a recent interest in breeding Appaloosas, but he hadnt cared for the smell of manure near his house.

“Henry loved those horses, said a Moose in a cowboy-cut leisure suit. “I heard tell a spark caught the barn on fire, too. There wasnt much left of those Appaloosas, just some femur bones and a hoof or two.

“Do you think it was arson?

Delaney rolled her eyes. Arson . In a town that had yet to plug into cable television, Truly loved nothing more than listening to gossip and spreading intrigue. They lived for it. Ate it up like a fifth food group.

“The investigators from Boise dont really think so, but it hasnt been ruled out.

There was a pause in the conversation before someone said, “I doubt the fire was intentional. Who would do that to Henry?

“Maybe Allegrezza.

“Nick?

“He hated Henry.

“So did a lotta people, if the truth be told. Burning a man and his horses is a helluva lotta hate. I dont know if Allegrezza hated Henry that much.

“Henry was plenty ticked about those condos Nick is buildin out on Crescent Bay, and the two of them almost got into a fistfight about it down at the Chevron a month or two ago. I dont know how he got that piece of property from Henry, but he sure as hell did. Then he went and built condos all over the damn place.

Again they shook their heads and tipped their glasses. Delaney had spent a lot of hours lying on the white sands and swimming in the clear blue water of Crescent Bay. Coveted by most everyone in town, the Bay was a prime piece of real estate located on a large expanse of undeveloped beach. The property had been in Henrys family for generations, and Delaney wondered how Nick had gotten his hands on it.

“Last I heard, those condos are making Allegrezza a fortune.

“Yep. Theyre being snapped up by Californians. Next thing you know, well be overrun by latte-sippin, dope-smokin pantywaists.

“Or worse—actors.

“Nothin worse then a do-gooder like Bruce Willis moving in and trying to change everything. Hes the worse thing that ever happened to Hailey. Hell, he moves up there, renovates a few buildings, then thinks he can tell everyone in the whole damn state how to vote.

The men concurred with a mutual nod and disgruntled scoff. When the conversation turned to movie stars and action films, Delaney walked unnoticed from the room. She moved down the hall to Henrys study and closed the pocket doors behind her. On the wall behind his massive mahogany desk, Henrys face stared down at her. Delaney remembered when hed had the portrait painted. Shed been thirteen, about the time shed first attempted to exert a little independence. Shed wanted to pierce her ears. Henry had said no. It was neither the first nor certainly the last time hed exercised his control over her. Henry had always had to have control.

Delaney sat in the huge leather chair and was surprised to see a picture of herself sitting on the desk. She recalled the day Henry had taken the photograph. It was the day her whole life had changed. Shed been seven and her mother had just married Henry. It was the day shed walked out of a single wide on the outskirts of Las Vegas and, after a short flight, into a three-story Victorian in Truly.

The first time shed seen the house, with its twin turrets and gabled roof, shed thought she was moving into a palace, which meant Henry was obviously a king. The mansion was surrounded by forest on three sides, cut back to allow beautifully landscaped lawn while the backyard gently sloped toward the cool waters of Lake Mary.

Within hours, Delaney had departed poverty and landed in a storybook. Her mother was happy and Delaney felt like a princess. And on that day, sitting on the steps in a frilly white dress her mother had forced her to wear, shed fallen in love with Henry Shaw. He was older than the other men in her mothers life had been—nicer, too. He didnt yell at Delaney, and he didnt make her mother cry. He made her feel safe and secure, something shed felt all too infrequently in her young life. Hed adopted her and he was the only father shed ever known. For those reasons, she loved Henry and she always would.

It was also the first time shed laid eyes on Nick Allegrezza. Hed popped out of the bushes in Henrys yard, his gray eyes blazing hatred, his cheeks mottled with anger. Hed scared her, yet shed been fascinated by him at the same time. Nick had been a beautiful boy, black hair, smooth tan skin, and eyes like smoke.

Hed stood in the buckbrush, his arms at his sides, stiff with rage and defiance. All that rebellious Basque and Irish blood raging within his veins. Hed looked at the two of them, then hed spoken to Henry. Years later Delaney couldnt remember the exact words, but she would never forget the angry sentiment.

“You make sure you steer clear of him, Henry had said as theyd watched him turn and leave, his chin up, back straight.

It wouldnt be the last time he would warn her to stay away from Nick, but years later, it was one warning she wished shed listened to.

Nick shoved his legs into his Levis, then stood to button the fly. He glanced over his shoulder at the woman tangled in motel sheets. Her blond hair fanned about her head. Her eyes were closed, her breathing slow and easy. Gail Oliver was the daughter of a judge and the recently divorced mother of a young son. To celebrate the end of her marriage, shed had her tummy tucked and her breasts implanted with saline. At Henrys funeral shed walked up to him as bold as brass and announced she wanted him to be the first to see her new body. He could tell by the look in her eyes that shed thought he should feel flattered. He wasnt. Hed wanted a distraction, and shed offered it. Shed acted offended when hed pulled the Harley to a stop in front of the Starlight Motel, but she hadnt asked him to take her back home.

Nick turned from the woman in bed and moved across green carpet to a sliding glass door that led onto a small deck overlooking Highway 55. He hadnt planned on attending the old mans funeral. He still didnt know exactly how it had happened. One minute hed been standing on Crescent Beach going over some specs with a subcontractor, then the next thing he knew, he was on his Harley heading for the cemetery. He hadnt meant to go. Hed known he was persona non grata , but hed gone anyway. For some reason he didnt want to examine too closely, hed had to say good-bye.