No Risk Refused. Cara Summers

He turned to pick up his duffel, and his hand collided with something else. A stoneware pitcher. It had to have been what she’d clubbed him with. “Way to go, Princess. I’ve never been taken out by a pitcher before.”

      “My pleasure,” she said as she led the way up the staircase.

      “I’ll bet.” But he didn’t say it out loud, nor did he let the chuckle escape as he followed her.

      “YOU’RE WILLING TO share your recipe for these delicious scones?” Bunny Maitland sprang from her chair, excitement clear in her voice.

      “I’ll do more than that,” Vi said. “I’ll demonstrate. Follow me.”

      Adair watched her Aunt Vi usher Bunny Maitland out of her office right on schedule and willed away the headache that was throbbing at the back of her skull.

      Then she shifted her attention to Rexie. The bride-to-be hadn’t talked much during their meeting.

      There hadn’t been much chance for anyone to talk while Bunny was sharing the good news like a weather reporter on a sunny day. The wedding would go on as scheduled. A good night’s sleep with all that magic mountain air and quiet—blah, blah, blah—had settled Rexie’s nerves.

      Adair sorely wished the “magic” air had settled her own. Fat chance of that after her run-in with Cam, which had fueled more fantasies than the ones she’d already written down.

      She hadn’t been able to catch more than a few winks of sleep. Not with her mind racing at full speed, imagining what might have happened if she hadn’t let him up from the foyer floor.

      Thank heavens her arms hadn’t been working.

      Too bad her arms hadn’t been working.

      Adair pressed a hand to her stomach in an attempt to quell the heat that had centered there, but it was already radiating out to her fingers and toes.

      Cam had clearly felt nothing at all. According to Aunt Vi, he’d left her a note that he’d left the castle early to visit the library in Glen Loch. Research on the missing sapphire jewels. He was obviously totally focused on his purpose in coming to the castle.

      And she had to focus on hers. Reaching for her mug, she took a long swallow of her cooled coffee and shifted her full attention to Rexie. She wasn’t sure how long Vi could distract Bunny, and this might be her only opportunity to discover what was bothering the young girl.

      The best description Adair could come up with for the expression on Rexie’s face was resignation.

      So she asked the question that she might not want the answer to. “Rexie, do you want to marry Lawrence?”

      “Of course.” The answer came quickly but Rexie didn’t meet her eyes.

      Not good.

      “Why do you want to marry him?”

      Rexie’s eyes lifted to hers. “Because I want to do something right. I messed up my first marriage because I didn’t choose the right person. Lawrence is perfect for me.”

      The fact that Rexie’s answer sounded memorized only increased the intensity of Adair’s headache. “How is Lawrence perfect?”

      “My father and mother like him—he’s been such a good friend to them. And our marriage will help solidify the merger between Maitland Enterprises and Banes Ltd. This is my chance to help with that. My duty. Lawrence has already bought a beautiful estate for us on Long Island. He has memberships in two very prestigious golf and tennis clubs nearby. He’s going to hire a pro to help me improve my game. And his estate has a stable. He’s going to let me keep a horse. I used to show horses when I was younger.”

      Adair studied Rexie. As she’d listed all the advantages of marrying Lawrence Banes, it reminded her of all the reasons she’d listed for herself when she’d decided to date Baxter DuBois exclusively. Of course, he’d pointed them out to her. They’d already teamed up on several projects at the office, and becoming a “team” outside the office would only enhance that. It would put them on the fast track for promotions. And the plan had worked at first. But then Bax’s career had begun to advance faster than hers.

      She hadn’t seen it at first because she’d trusted him. More than that, she’d trusted her own judgment. It wasn’t until she’d had that final meeting with her supervisor that she’d learned how wrong she’d been. Bax had been taking all the credit for their success, even for the last client that she had brought in. She’d trusted him, and he’d dumped her the same day she’d been fired. He’d explained in his email that it might tarnish his image at the company if he continued to be seen with her. She of all people had to know how important perception was in the cutthroat world of career advancement.

      She certainly did now. In Rexie’s perception Lawrence Banes was the perfect husband. Was he? “Rexie, are you in love with Lawrence?”

      Panic flashed into the young girl’s eyes. “If I marry him beneath the stone arch, I will be. And I’ll be happy. Won’t I?”

      Adair heard Bunny’s voice, her aunt’s laughter. She needed more time with the young bride-to-be, and she needed some help. “Why don’t we go down there right now? You didn’t have time to check it out yesterday—what with the storm and all. That way you can get a better feeling about it.”

      “Could we do that?” Rexie smiled for the first time since her arrival at the castle.

      “Follow me.” Adair rose and quickly led the way through the open French doors. The path to their right led around the front of the house to the gardens. With any luck at all, Vi would distract Bunny long enough that she could get what she needed from Rexie. Perhaps Rexie would get what she needed, too.

      The morning was a beautiful one, the sky blue, the breeze cool, and this early in the morning the sun had risen just high enough in the sky to shoot bright lances of light off the surface of the lake. Pansies bordered the path and behind them peonies bloomed in various shades of pink.

      Wesley Pinter, Glen Loch’s gardener and landscaper, a man who’d been handling the maintenance of the castle’s gardens since she was a child, was unloading the last planter from his truck. She noted he’d settled them temporarily on either side of the stone arch. The chairs that they’d set up for the rehearsal the day before were still there and Adair led Rexie to the first row. She gestured her into one and sat beside her.