She flicked a glance to his left hand—no sign of a ring she noted—then castigated herself for even caring. He’d made his antipathy toward her quite clear. Besides, the new Piper Mitchell had determined to make amends for her past transgressions. Transgressions that included how she’d treated Wade, how she’d let her love for him make her selfish, demanding—wanting more from him than he was willing to give. She was so sorry now for the way she’d behaved, the choice she’d forced him to make between her and her father. Those amends needed to start now.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I know how much Dad meant to you, how close the two of you were. It must have been tough for you.”
Wade looked at her, genuine surprise on his face. “Thank you,” he answered.
There were fine lines of strain around his slate gray eyes that had never been there before. He looked thoroughly worn out.
“Did he suffer?”
Wade shook his head sharply. “Only inasmuch as he couldn’t do what he wanted to do. The medical staff worked hard to keep him comfortable. He stayed here, at home, right to the end. We installed a hospital bed in the morning room and he had round-the-clock professional care.”
“Thank you for being there for him.”
“He’d have done it for me,” Wade answered simply. “Besides, there was no place else I would rather have been.”
And there it was again. The subtle slap. The reminder that she hadn’t been there. Piper clamped down on her instinctive need to justify herself, her choices, her behavior. She was past that now. There was no way she could turn back time and rewrite history, but she could make a new beginning and that started here and now.
“I’m really grateful to know that he had you there. It must have meant a lot him. He always respected you.”
“The feeling was mutual.”
“So what happens now with the company?”
“What do you mean?” Wade looked surprised that she’d even asked.
“Well, you know, without Dad at the helm. Will everything be okay?”
“Yes, everything will be fine. Rex and I had a stable management plan in place before we knew he wasn’t going to beat the cancer. I basically took over operations about a year and a half ago.”
“Really?” Piper was surprised. “He let go that early?”
“It was a case of having to. The treatments, both here and overseas, left him pretty wiped out. But he maintained a keen interest in everything almost until the end. You know what Rex was like.”
And where had she been a year and a half ago? Somalia? No, Kenya. She’d been helping at a women’s clinic there. After that had been flood relief in Asia, then volunteering to help reconnect victims with their families after an earthquake in another devastated land. Everywhere but where she’d really needed to be. The one place where she should have made a difference.
Piper was suddenly hit with a massive weariness. She fought back a yawn and failed miserably.
“Still tired?” Wade asked.
“Yeah, when I got here I’d been traveling for about thirty-six hours. I don’t think my body clock has caught up with the fact that I’m stationary yet.”
“Why don’t you go on up to your room? I’ll get Mrs. Dexter to bring you a tray if you’re hungry.”
Despite all her good intentions, Piper bristled. This was her home, so who’d appointed him to the role of gracious host? If anything she should be offering him her hospitality under her father’s roof. Reminding herself of her determination to be a better person, she swallowed the retort that hovered on the tip of her tongue. Instead she unfolded herself from the chair and stood up.
“Don’t bother Dexie. I’ll grab something from the kitchen on my way up.”
She stretched slowly, easing out muscles that had been unused for far too long with all the travel she’d endured. She halted midstretch, suddenly aware of Wade’s eyes locked onto her body. A long-suppressed, yet still familiar, tingle started deep inside and tendrils of heat began to unfurl from her core, radiating out to her extremities. She swallowed against the lump of tension that formed in her throat.
That old attraction was still there. Just as strong as ever. Did he feel the same way, too? Her eyes met his—for a moment seeing the same heat that had infused her body and now painted a faint flush against her suddenly warm cheeks. Then in an instant his eyes were the cool gray of indifference that had met her at the front door only a couple hours ago.
Stung by the clear rejection, Piper summoned every last ounce of dignity and offered him her hand.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done today.”
Wade stood, his six feet two inches eclipsing her barefooted five feet eight. He took her hand in a brief clasp.
“I did it for Rex.”
“I know that, and I appreciate it. Really.”
He let go her hand as if the idea of holding it for a moment longer than necessary was abhorrent to him.
“Well,” she said, gathering courage to her like a cloak, “I’ll see you out and then I think I’ll have an early night. No doubt I’ll have plenty to do with the legal side of things tomorrow.”
When Wade didn’t make a move for the door, she speared him with a glance. “Is there something else you wanted to discuss?”
A slow smile, somewhat lacking in humor, spread across his handsome face.
“No,” he replied. “I’ll say good-night, then.”
She watched as he left the room, but rather than heading toward the front vestibule he turned and made for the sweeping staircase that led to the upper floor.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“To my room.”
“To your room?”
His response was short and sweet. “I live here.”
“Look, I appreciate that you probably stayed here for a while with Dad but that’s not necessary now and, quite frankly, I’d really appreciate a bit of space and privacy to come to terms with everything.”
“No problem. You’re welcome to stay as long as you need to.”
His answer left her baffled. “I beg your pardon?”
“I think you heard me, Piper. Despite your current appearance I’m sure you’re not entirely stupid.”
“How dare you!”
Better person be damned. That was quite enough. She’d already had to bear facing Wade for the first time since she had left him, not to mention hearing the news about her father’s death. She wasn’t about to stay and listen to him put her down, too.
“Look,” she sputtered. “I think we both know there’s enough history between us that your staying here is not a good idea.”
“Probably.” He shrugged. “But I think you may have misunderstood what I meant when I said I live here. Piper, I own the house. You’re here as my guest.”
Two
“You what?”
He owned the house? How could that be? The house had been built by her forebears in the mid-1800s. Passed on, generation by generation. Had Wade somehow finagled the property from her father while he was weakened by his illness? It seemed unlike him, but what else was she to think? His voice broke through her chaotic thoughts.
“Look,