Falling For Ken (Blueprint to Love Book 2) (13 page)

But . . . would normal ever be good enough anymore?

Chapter 7

Harrison was quiet as Kendall drove them to her office. Breakfast had been awkward as well. Shelving her disappointment, she kept her gaze on the narrow road. He'd disappeared the previous night, not bothering to say goodnight. She'd known the attraction was only one-sided. Had known in her heart he couldn't possibly be interested in someone like her. Obviously, the camaraderie she'd thought they'd developed had been solely on her part as well. Traynor had a job to do– and today he would finish.

"We're almost there," she said in an effort to break the silence. "It shouldn't take long to run the reports. Then I'll drive you back to Stafford and get you settled at your place."

"We have plenty of time." He kept his gaze to the window, studiously avoiding eye contact.

"I'll have someone deliver your car." Pulling into the driveway, Ken frowned when she spotted another truck. "That's odd."

"Who's here?" He leaned forward in his seat.

"My stepbrother. But– he rarely shows up for work before noon." Pocketing the keys, she sighed, annoyed that she'd have to contend with Lance this early. The last thing she needed was a verbal sparring match– especially with Traynor as witness. It would only confirm her troubles were worse than simply financial.

"Did you ever get along?"

"I was willing to try," she admitted. "Since I was stuck with him." Keys jostling, she took the steps two at a time. "But despite his knowing nothing about construction, Lance's attitude from the beginning was that he was in charge."

The office was quiet and still. The reception area smelled stale, as though the windows hadn't been opened in days. These days Claire was spending all her time at their largest project. Kendall wondered what else wasn't getting done in the office. "Funny– he's not here. This place needs some air."

"Why did your father give him part of the company?" Harry slipped in the question he'd been dying to ask.

"My father is fond of games." Kendall met his surprised gaze. "No matter how I distance myself, he likes to remind me I can't go far."

"I thought you said the company was yours."

"He still holds a stake. Just enough to keep his foot in the door."

Harrison shook his head. "I don't get it-"

"Your father wasn't a control freak, Traynor,” she interrupted. "Senior didn't want me to be too successful. So he planted a few time bombs in the contract. The last one went off six months ago."

"When Lance arrived."

"My lawyer tried to line out the clauses. But his terms were non-negotiable. It was Ken's way or no deal." She followed his gaze around the small reception area, wondering at his thoughts. A& R wasn't fancy– certainly nothing like what he was accustomed to.  

"How long can he keep interfering?"

"Lance was the last of the damage. My father can't hurt me anymore."

***

The hurt in her voice confirmed Harry's doubt over her statement. The old man sounded like a bastard. How had Kendall survived unscathed? No wonder she was a fighter. Her small, determined body was protected by a tough veneer– coating layers of pain and betrayal. Yet she still managed to find happiness– on her terms. He thought of her music . . . her pets. . . her garden. Kenny allowed entry into her solitary life only to those who would never hurt her. Who would love her. Unconditionally.

Suddenly uncomfortable, he swallowed around the restriction in his throat. "I guess we should get started."

Drifting around the scuffed receptionist desk, Ken nodded for him to follow her down the narrow hallway. "I hate the thought of losing, but I'll be glad when this chapter is finished," she admitted. "At least when I start over, it'll be on my terms."

"You don't know it's over,” he reminded. “This could be a simple coding error. If we clear up the missing check you're still in business."

Tossing her keys on a desk in the cramped office, she shrugged out of her jacket. "I'm starting to think shutting down might be best. I get rid of Lance and my father."

She waved him to her desk. "You can sit here. I'll borrow Lance's office next door to catch up on some paperwork."

Harry set his briefcase on her crowded desk, resisting the urge to straighten the clutter into organized piles. He was pretty sure Kendall wouldn't appreciate it.

A few hours later Harry printed the last of the reports he wanted to study.
For now
. Something was wrong at A&R. Adrenaline and certainty surged through him. The problem was not knowing exactly what he was searching for. He'd been working steadily for nearly three hours. Though Kendall had finished long ago, she hadn't disturbed him. He'd sensed her growing impatience through the thin wall separating them.

For him, the thrill of the hunt had just begun. Harry would've been content to pore over her records for the rest of the day. Kendall's numbers didn't add up and he wanted to know why. But the day was steadily evaporating and Ken probably wanted to be rid of him so she could get back to her own life.

Downloading her ledgers onto a flash drive, he squeezed as much financial information as he could absorb from her computer. Whether Kendall ever broke down and asked for his help, he would provide it anyway. The least he could do was make some sense out of the jumbled confusion of her records.

Hearing the scrape of the front door, he snapped his briefcase shut. "Ken? I'm ready if you are."

She poked her head around the corner. "Let's go." Acknowledging the noise in the reception area, she sighed. "Damn, that's probably Lance. I'd hoped to avoid him."

"I'll be right out." Harry checked the flash drive one last time before he snapped off the computer. He'd pulled enough information to get started, but knew that a meticulous analysis would require a second visit.  

Frustration was evident in Kenny's raised voice when Harry rounded the desk a minute later. He remembered to scoop up her keys and grab her jacket before he snapped off the light. The man in the reception area was loud, his tone clearly hostile.

". . . I don't like you messin' with stuff in here when I'm not around."

"Unfortunately, the rest of the world operates on a full-time schedule."

"Look, smartass . . . you ain't doing anything without my knowin' it. You hear? That's my money you're screwin' with."

Harry's blood pressure spiked over her stepbrother's antagonistic tone. Rounding the corner, he discovered the burly man's grubby hand on Kendall's wrist. Annoyance flashed over to fury when her cry of pain caught him straight in the gut.

"Get your hands off her." Harry dropped his briefcase with controlled violence, anger throbbing through him.

Releasing her, Lance took a menacing step toward him. Kendall fell back against the desk before catching her balance.

"Who's the gimp?"

The squat, little bully was smart enough to shout the belligerent question at Kendall, unwilling to shift his gaze from him.
Wise move, asshole
.

"Touch her again and I'll break your hand."

Lance chuckled, giving him the once-over. "I'd like to see you try."

Hot, volcanic fury surged through him as he hobbled closer to her stepbrother. The relief that flashed in Kendall's eyes did nothing to assuage him. The glint of tears only served to inflame him. How long had she dealt with Lance's ugly temper? And why hadn't she said anything?    

"Why don't we find out?" Harry taunted, knowing full well he shouldn't egg the bastard on, but the urge to beat Lance senseless proved too great to resist.

Hurtling in front of him to block his next step, Kendall's warm body thrust back against his as she tried to halt his progress.

"Lance. . . this is Harrison Traynor– as in Specialty Construction? The mall we're building?" Her voice held barely controlled anger. "The mall we need to finish digging if we're gonna get paid?"

Lance struggled to contort his mouth into a smile of civility. Harry watched him fail miserably in the process. "I can't say it's nice to meet you."

"You'd get aggravated too, dealin' with her." Lance's tone shifted, becoming oily and ingratiating. "If you'd like to sit down and discuss the progress, I'd be happy to review the schedule with you."

Kendall's snort of disbelief nearly made him smile. Her prickly armor back in place, she'd obviously recovered. Lance was smart enough not to extend his hand in greeting. Given the opportunity, Harry would rather break it.

"I think Miss Adams has filled me in on all I need to know."

"Did you tell him we intend to sell? As soon as we finish your dig, that is," Lance added hastily.

"Specialty is our client, Lance. He cares about the project– that's all."

"Specialty's a big player. I bet he'd know of interested buyers, wouldn't ya, Traynor?"

"Once you complete this project, I'd be happy to assist you– if that's what Miss Adams wants."

"She don't know what she wants. But she will– real soon." Lance's chuckle grated over his nerves. Suddenly, Harry couldn't wait to get outside . . . to breathe fresh air and dispel the tension that had arrived with her step-brother.

"Kendall, are you ready?" Her grateful expression only served to infuriate him when she nodded and moved past her stepbrother. The damned deck was stacked against her. Was anyone on her side?

***

"Did he hurt you?"

"Dammit, Traynor." Kendall skidded to a stop in the parking lot. "What were you thinking– picking a fight with him? You can barely stand up."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Harry chuckled at her outrage. "Should I have let him break your arm while I stood there? That's quite a brother. You should check your coffee for rat poison."

"My food taster quit last week." Absently massaging her bruised arm, Kendall absorbed a shiver of apprehension. What if Traynor hadn't been there? Lance was out of control. Jimmy had prevented him from hitting her at the site. Like it or not, she'd have to start taking precautions. She hated feeling vulnerable, but if Lance chose to, he could make her life miserable. Just the thought of him near her home. Her pets. . .

"How long has he harassed you?"

Her cheeks heating with embarrassment, she averted her eyes when he climbed into the truck. "I can handle him."

"How about a restraining order?"

The hostility brimming in his voice made her smile. How long had it been since someone had defended her? "I can see why Deborah hangs on to you. Under that steely reserve, you're just a big, strong teddy bear."

He turned to stare at her, emerald eyes flashing anger. "I'm serious."

Without ever realizing it, Harrison could damage her spirit more than Lance could accomplish in a lifetime. Because Harry made her feel hopeful. He made her wish for foolish things. He made her vulnerable in a way Lance never could.

Kendall turned the engine over, smiling as it revved to life. "Just be glad you get to head back home today, Harry."
And leave her in the rearview mirror
. "You'll be safely back to your comfort zone."

"Just because I'm back in Stafford doesn't mean I won't help you. It's in both our interests to get to the bottom of your cash flow issue."

As she shifted the truck into reverse, a dim corner of her subconscious recognized something wasn't right. Where was Lance's truck? Frowning, she checked the rearview mirror. If he was still upstairs in the office, why wasn't his truck parked near hers? And where had he been earlier?

When she parked it again, Harry turned to her. "Forget something?"

"It's probably nothing." He'd already begun the laborious task of climbing down from his seat. "Stay here. I'll just be a minute."

His response was a scowl. "If you think I'm leaving you alone with that psychopath, you're mistaken. Now, tell me what the problem is."

Exasperated, Ken blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. "I was just wondering where his truck is. It was here before and
he
wasn't. Now,
he's
here and the truck's gone."

"You're right. That doesn't make sense." He hobbled around the hood of her dusty Chevy. His progress slow and methodical, he stopped a few feet away and waited.

"You need to get off that ankle."

Harry leaned on his cane. "As soon as we're done here."

"I am capable of handling that idiot."

He started across the lot. "C'mon, let's go back upstairs and check it out."

"You are so stubborn." Kendall strode past him, launching up the stairs.

"Don't even think about opening that door before I get there."

She turned back to glare at him and heard him whistling. "The orthopedist is going to have my head on a platter next week. You've done nothing the doctor ordered." 

"I'll talk my way out of it."

"What about your party tomorrow? You'll show up limping and your family will hate me."

"Mona will hover over me and I'll milk it because she loves me," he added with a wicked grin.

"If I were her, I'd kick your butt." Traynor was baiting her, pure and simple. But she was in no mood for him to turn whimsical. Where had Mr. Conservative gone– the sexy stuffed shirt who would put her out of business? The beautiful eyed enigma who'd kissed her senseless, then couldn't look her in the face?