Nerd Gone Wild (25 page)

Maybe it was the cold whipping at them. Where she pressed against him, he was warm, so warm. But it was more than that. She molded herself to his back as if she relished the perfect fit, too.

Women had different styles when it came to riding behind a guy on a bike. Some women held themselves apart, and some didn’t mesh, even though they tried. Ally meshed without even trying.

He made the trip home semi-aroused. Too bad Ally hadn’t loved the snowmobiling, because with her nestled against him, he felt as if he could drive until the gas ran out. The only reason not to do that was the condom that he’d tucked in the pocket of his pants and the possibility that the ride had eliminated the last of her resistance.

But as they turned down the main drag of Porcupine, his elation over the excellent snowmobile trip and the possibilities for the night ahead vanished. A silver truck pulling an ostentatious fifth wheel was parked in front of the Loose Moose. No doubt about it, Kurt Jarrett was in town.

He felt the change in Ally immediately. She went from relaxed and in tune with him to stiff and distant. In that moment he knew that she’d been expecting Kurt all along, and she hadn’t wanted him to know anything about it. She might have hoped he’d leave before Kurt showed up.

Dammit. She had been in contact with Kurt and Mitch hadn’t picked up on that. He felt the prick of failure. He’d monitored her calls, her mail, even her e-mail. Obviously not well enough. She, and possibly Kurt, had deliberately covered up whatever communication they’d had in the past few months.

Okay, the gloves were off now. She might have been playing sexy little games with him, but she hadn’t trusted him with the most critical information, that her stepuncle was due in Porcupine the minute weather permitted. She’d guessed correctly that he wouldn’t welcome that information.

“That’s a real fancy rig,” Rudy said as they parked the snowmobiles in front of the Top Hat.

There was no room to park in front of the Loose Moose. Kurt had pulled in parallel to the curb, taking up at least five diagonal parking spaces. Mitch thought that said something about the guy.

Ally hopped off the snowmobile the moment Mitch brought it to a stop. “I… think I know who might own that truck and fifth wheel,” she said, not looking at him. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go see if I’m right. Thanks for the ride, Rudy!” She hurried off, her steps eager.

Rudy gazed after her. “What’s that all about?”

“Long-lost relative, I expect.”

“You don’t look so happy about it, Mitch.”

Mitch glanced at him, thinking he could use some friends in this struggle. “Sometimes relatives take advantage.”

Rudy nodded. “I’ve known that to happen. So you think whoever drove this outfit into Porcupine might try to take advantage of Ally?”

“He might. Before Ally’s grandmother died, she warned me about this guy. She was afraid he might be a problem.”

Rudy seemed to puff up and grow bigger, like an animal under attack. And because Rudy was big to begin with, a puffed-up version was very scary. “He’d better not be a problem,” Rudy said. “No offense, Mitch, but I’m not sure you’re up to the challenge. I think you need me to handle this dude.”

“You know, Rudy, I’ll take all the help I can get. Thanks for the offer.”

“Just say the word, Mitch. I’m meaner than I look.”

“That’s good to know.” In that case, Rudy would be unstoppable. Mitch was glad to have the guy on his side.

“Don’t worry about the snowmobiles,” Rudy said. “You just go on in there and check out what’s happening. I’ll head over to the Top Hat. If you need me, you know where to find me.”

“I appreciate that, Rudy.” Mitch climbed off the snowmobile. “And thanks for the ride. I loved it.”

“You ever ride a motorcycle?”

“Why would you say that?” Mitch didn’t want to admit to anything that would possibly get back to Ally.

“Just the way you sat the snowmobile. Like you were right at home. I thought maybe you’d straddled a hunk of machinery like this before, either one of them wave-runners or a motorcycle, didn’t know which.”

“You can’t be a teenager in America without taking a few motorcycle rides.”

“I guess that’s true. I rode my share. Anyway, you looked good out there.”

“Thanks.” But the compliment didn’t make up for his sense of failure where Ally was concerned. He hated playing catch-up. Mentally sweeping any cobwebs from his brain, he headed for the front door of the Loose Moose. He didn’t plan on getting a warm greeting from either Ally or Kurt. In fact, he expected to be as welcome as a turd in a punch bowl.

Betsy held forth behind the registration counter. Ally stood in front of it next to a man who was probably in his fifties. If the man was Kurt Jarrett, Mitch knew exactly how old he was—fifty-nine.

The guy was dressed like everybody else around here in a big quilted coat. But he didn’t have on boots, and Mitch noticed water stains on the bottom of his pants. His pricey shoes looked as if they’d taken a hit, too. According to what Mitch knew about Kurt, he was more comfortable in the city than in rural areas like Porcupine. It might be the single thing that Mitch had in common with him.

But the most interesting part of this gathering in the lobby of the Loose Moose was Kurt’s companion. Mitch hadn’t expected anyone else, and here was a woman, tall and slim with a blond braid hanging down her back. She also wore a heavy parka and carried a large but narrow tote over her shoulder. Girlfriend? She didn’t act like one. No touching or familiarity between her and Kurt.

Ally—and Betsy, too, for that matter—seemed awestruck by this blond woman. They were so absorbed that they hadn’t even noticed him come in the door. Considering the blast of cold air that came along with him, that was saying something.

Oddly enough, it was the blonde who became aware of him first. She turned her head, glanced in his direction and smiled. “Hello, there,” she said.

He caught a quick flash of something predatory and sexual in her eyes. Or at least he thought he did. Why she’d be preying on a geek with glasses he didn’t know, unless she got excited about anybody who buttoned his shirts from the opposite side.

Ally glanced his way. If she didn’t look happy to see him, she at least looked resigned to his presence. “Mitchell, I’ve just had the most wonderful surprise! This is my uncle Kurt, and he’s brought with him, if you can believe it, Tanya Mandell.”

She said the name the way Mitch might have said
Michael Jordan
, as if she couldn’t believe this person was standing right next to her. Then she gestured toward Mitch. “This is Mitchell J. Carruthers, Jr. He’s… he was Grammy’s personal assistant.”

“Nice to meet you.” Mitch stepped forward and shook hands with Tanya first, and then Kurt. He got a strange reading from both of them. He’d never met a world-renowned wildlife photographer before, so maybe his expectations were off. But the sexual-predator thing seemed stronger now, and he’d have thought that someone with her reputation would have a classier approach.

Kurt might have been good-looking once, but he hadn’t aged particularly well. What could have been a boyish, even cherubic face thirty years ago had become pudgy. His eyes seemed too small and he’d acquired a couple of chins he probably wasn’t too happy about. Kurt didn’t look particularly happy, period.

But he made an effort to smile and be loving whenever he turned to Ally. “I’ve waited years to reunite with my niece,” he said, putting an arm around her shoulders. “This is a dream come true for me.”

“Me, too,” Ally said, smiling up at him.

Reunite? Sounded like the jerk had made contact with Ally some time in the past. Mitch fought the urge to go over and remove Kurt’s slimy hand from Ally’s shoulder. He’d checked out Madeline’s story with the only other person who would know the truth, a maid who’d been a young employee at the mansion during the brief time Kurt had been welcome there.

The maid had been reluctant to talk to Mitch. Years ago Madeline had told her she’d be fired if she ever mentioned Kurt, and she’d seen how quickly another employee had been sacked for allowing a phone call from the black sheep of the family. But eventually she’d told Mitch what she knew, and it had jibed perfectly with Madeline’s account.

Mitch wouldn’t be ready to judge a guy for one bad incident, but Kurt’s years following that hadn’t been sterling, either. He’d been involved in several shady business deals, although he’d managed to avoid doing jail time. When his father had died twenty years ago, Kurt had continued to receive his monthly allowance, but the rest of the estate had gone to Madeline.

Considering how much money that represented, Mitch figured Kurt had been nursing a grudge ever since. Madeline’s fears for Ally seemed totally justified. And yet the guy had brought Ally the perfect gift, a world-renowned wildlife photographer as a mentor. Gestures of family feeling didn’t get much grander than that.

“Ally’s uncle will be using his fifth wheel accommodations,” Betsy said. “But Ms. Mandell will be staying here with us at the lodge.” Betsy spoke the photographer’s name with the same reverence Ally had used. “Under the circumstances, I’ve decided that she should have the parlor suite.”

Mitch glanced at Betsy in surprise. “But that’s your—”

“Our finest room, that’s right,” Betsy said, warning him off with a glance. “And that’s what someone like Ms. Mandell deserves.”

That parlor might suit the woman with the predatory stare perfectly, Mitch thought. Talk about your wildlife habitat. “Will the fifth wheel be staying where it is, then?” he asked. He didn’t have any stake in all those parking spaces being blocked, but he objected to greedy people in general.

“No, no. I’ll be moving it,” Kurt said. “I just need to get Tanya’s things unloaded.” Both he and Tanya stood there as if expecting a bellhop to appear.

Betsy suddenly snapped to attention. “I’ll be glad to bring them in for you if you’ll show me where—”

“No, no, I’ll help,” Ally said. “It would be an honor.”

“
I’ll
help,” Mitch said. “Betsy and Ally, stay inside where it’s warm.” He started for the door, cutting Ally off at the pass. For some reason the notion of Ally groveling at this woman’s feet made him cranky. Tanya might take marvy pictures, but after only a few minutes in her presence, he had reservations about her as a human being.

In his view, a person who schlepped herself around the wilderness taking pictures of savage beasts would be the kind of self-sufficient person who would carry her own luggage into the hotel, luggage that probably included several valuable cameras. If he made his living with equipment like that, he’d want to be in charge of it. But not Tanya, apparently. She stood there and let everyone else rush around getting her stuff.

Even Kurt hurried toward the door. “I’ll show you what belongs to her. It’s in the fifth wheel.”

So Mitch ended up going out to the fifth wheel with Kurt, who was obviously bursting with questions.

“Madeline’s personal assistant,” he said the minute they were out the door. “Not to be rude, but why are you still hanging around? I would figure your job ended when Madeline died.”

“Not exactly.” Mitch zipped his coat against the bitter cold and put his gloves on. “My contract with Madeline called for me to handle the details of the estate after she died. She knew Ally would be too upset to deal with it.”

“Yeah, I bet. Poor kid.” Kurt opened the back door of the fifth wheel. “I’m sure it was rough on her.”

Where was a lie detector when you needed one? Mitch wanted Kurt to repeat those words of concern while Mitch watched the needle jump.

“But that still doesn’t explain why you’re in Alaska.” Kurt paused and turned back to Mitch. “I assume all the details you were hired to handle are back in Bel Air.”

“I had a few things come up, things that required Ally’s signature. I decided not to trust the mail.”

“Hm.” Kurt’s expression said he wasn’t buying it. “FedEx would’ve been a hell of a lot cheaper. But maybe price is no object. Then again, maybe you had other reasons for coming up here.”

“Strictly business.” He kept his expression blank as he met Kurt’s gaze.

“That better be all it is.” Kurt’s eyes glittered. “Because if you have some idea of marrying into all that money, think again. I’m looking out for her interests, and no gold diggers are getting past me.”

Talk about the fox guarding the henhouse. Mitch had to work hard not to laugh in Kurt’s face. “Or me,” he said.

“Then I guess we both want the same thing.”

Not even close.
“Let’s hope so,” he said. “For the record, I think it’s great that you arranged for Tanya Mandell to work with Ally. I know how much that will mean to her.”

“It’s the least I can do for my only living relative.” He climbed into the fifth wheel. Soon he returned with a black leather suitcase and a large backpack with all sorts of zippered compartments, obviously for camera gear. He handed that to Mitch and climbed down holding the suitcase.

Mitch hoisted the heavy backpack to his shoulder. “So this is what helps make the magic?”

“Excuse me?” Kurt locked up the fifth wheel and turned to him. “What magic?”

“The award-winning photography. I assume her equipment is in here.”

“Oh! That magic. Yep, that’s her camera bag.”

“Looks really new. You’d think after she’d hauled it all over the world it would be kind of beat up.”

Kurt grunted as he picked up the leather suitcase. “She got rid of her old one and bought herself this new job just the other day.”

“Sounds like you know her pretty well.” Mitch was having a tough time making it all add up. The scoop on Kurt was that he generally hung around with shifty characters, none of whom were world famous. Mitch couldn’t imagine Kurt moving in the same circles as a woman like Tanya Mandell.

“Yeah, we’re good friends.”

“How did you happen to meet her?”

“At a party.”

If that wasn’t a non-answer, Mitch had never heard one. He needed to check with Pete and get some info on Tanya Mandell. Maybe once he knew more about her, he’d understand the connection. Right now, it was a mystery.

They returned to the lobby, Mitch well ahead of Kurt, who was straggling along with the heavy black suitcase. Mitch didn’t have much sympathy for him. He’d chosen which of the two he’d carry.