STARTING OVER (24 page)

They walked around the garage, inspected the damage, then peered into the murky pool.

"It doesn't look too bad, all things considered. There was a tornado that wiped out a trailer court in Freeport, and a few houses were flooded when the Brazos River swelled out of its banks." Al made a few more notations on the form in front of him. "You might tell Kate she'd better contract some repairmen right away, especially for that roof. Once people start making repairs there won't be a carpenter or roofer available for months."

"I'll tell her," Rusty agreed.

"Oh, by the way, since you work for Kate and are aware of the company's business, I suppose you might be able to help me."

Rusty shrugged. "Sure, I will if I can."

"Well, I haven't been able to locate Vicki Young."

The name didn't mean anything to Rusty, but an alarm bell went off in his brain. "What did you want her for?"

"I need to find her so I can pay her the portion of Doug's policy that was left to her."

"Doug left Vicki some money? How much?"

Al shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not supposed to reveal exact figures. But it was a substantial amount. Miss Young moved and we have a forwarding address. But it's in Jamaica, and according to the authorities there, her apartment was destroyed when Cesar hit it earlier this week. And we can't just mail her the check. Since she's not related by blood or marriage, there are a couple of forms she must sign."

"Does Kate know about this?"

Slowly Al turned. "She signed the policy giving her approval to the beneficiaries."

"Did you see her sign it?" Rusty persisted.

"Well, no. I left the forms at her house one evening and picked them up the next day."

"By any chance was Doug here when you did that?"

"Yes, he was. Kate was out shopping or something." A look of alarm hovered in his brown eyes.

"Oh God." Rusty raked his fingers through his hair. "Jamaica..." he echoed thoughtfully. He realized he had heard the name Vicki Young before; she had been the secretary who had quit her job at C-Breeze before Doug's death. A big insurance settlement . . . a missing secretary . . . a forwarding address outside the country . . . a policy that Kate may or may not have signed.

"Surely it isn't possible," Al whispered as if he was afraid someone might overhear his thoughts.

Rusty shook his head, but it was more of a gesture of frustration than a negative response. "I hope not, for Kate's sake. But there are a lot of things that just aren't adding up. I thought Doug might have committed suicide. It never occurred to me that he might still be alive."

Chapter Thirteen

"Is something wrong?"

Rusty looked up from his plate.
"No, Why?"

"Because you've tortured that piece of steak long enough," Kate replied wryly. "Didn't it taste okay? I tried to pick the best steak I had."

He pierced the bite-size piece with his fork and put it in his mouth. After chewing it a few times, he smiled and said, "It tastes terrific. It was a great idea to barbecue tonight."

"All the meat in the freezer is going to ruin, so I figured we should eat what we could."

"It's good. Really."

She watched him a few more minutes, and he obligingly kept eating. It was more to keep his mouth full so he wouldn't have to speak rather than because he was hungry. Rusty had lost his appetite.

He wished she wouldn't look at him with her big blue-green eyes so filled with adoring concern. It made him want to pick her up and carry her away, far away, and protect her from all the bad things and bad people in the world.

He was so afraid his suspicions might be true. Kate would be shocked, hurt, perhaps devastated. If Doug had faked his death because he was running off with another woman, Rusty didn't want Kate to ever find out. However, if Doug's accident had caused amnesia or had somehow prevented him from coming home, then Rusty would be the one who was hurt and devastated. Because, of course, Kate would run into her husband's open arms and welcome him back into her life.

That would leave no room for Rusty. Kate and Shanna would be taken away from him forever.

It left him with a moral dilemma. Should he keep silent and go on with things as they were? In all likelihood his and Kate's relationship would soon become more intimate. Rusty knew that when he made love to her, the moment he felt himself lovingly buried inside her, the first time he filled her with his heat, he would be lost. She would be a part of him.

But Doug could show up, claiming it was all an accident, and Rusty would be the odd man out.

So if he was to pursue the possibility that Doug had intentionally disappeared, and if he was found, Kate's whole world would turn upside down again. She was finally learning to cope and accept Doug's death. Should he be alive, basking in the sun in Jamaica with a bimbo named Vicki, Kate would be crushed. And of all the things Rusty had ever promised, the vow to protect her was the one he wanted most to keep.

Maybe, in that case, it would be better that she never know the truth. If he was truly out of her life forever, what good would it do to dig up old skeletons?

But Rusty knew that would be awful. If he were to marry Kate, as he had every intention of doing, Rusty would go through the rest of his life suspecting that Doug was out there somewhere,
alive and well, still legally married to Kate, still legally the father of Shanna and still capable of stepping in and destroying Rusty's family at any time.

Of course, there was still the very strong probability that Doug was truly dead. It would have taken a miracle for Doug to survive that crash. Everything else might be mere coincidence. Maybe Kate did know about the insurance policy. Possibly that woman, Vicki, was an old and dear friend.

But to ask Kate would be to take a chance. And Rusty wasn't sure he was willing to risk it all just yet.

Rusty could do a little sleuthing. He hadn't done more than glance at the books, but now he felt they deserved a deeper investigation. There might be some sort of clue that Kate had overlooked or that Doug had buried so deep only someone who suspected the worst would find it.

And Rusty suspected the worst.

KATE PUSHED HER TOE against the floor, rocking the chair as she held the bottle for Shanna. The baby's body was warm and soft, a precious weight in Kate's arms. It was so good to have her back home.

Almost three weeks had passed since the hurricane. It had taken a week for the power to be fully restored. Rusty had spent most of his time in the air, shuttling inspection teams, cleanup crews, start-up specialists and, finally, all of the regular crewmen back to the rigs.

After a few days, the soreness had faded from Kate's breasts as her milk dried up. Rusty had been kind and considerate, taking care of her as no one other than her mother ever had.

He had installed new dead bolt locks on all her doors and a security bar on the patio door. But even then, he continued to sleep on her couch until the electricity was turned back on, the refrigerator restocked, and she left to pick up Shanna.

One of the rigs had an emergency, and Rusty hadn't been able to pick her up right away, so she had been at her parents a few days longer than she planned. By the time she was back in her own house, the roof had been replaced, the pool cleaned and the garage repairs started.

Through it all, Rusty had been there for her, But in some intangible, unexplainable way, he hadn't been there.

Kate could tell he was distracted. At first, she had assumed it was because of all the things that had to be done. The helicopter had sustained only minor damage to the horizontal stabilizer on the tail, and one of the windows in the cockpit had been broken. But it had been a rush against time to do the repairs and check the instrument panel and controls for water damage before the oil companies wanted him to ferry the different crews back to the rigs.

She could understand why Rusty hadn't wanted to miss out on the added flights. He was a shrewd and savvy businessman. He knew this was the perfect opportunity to prove C-Breeze's dependability and bolster their bank account.

What she couldn't understand was why he had made no other move to make love to her. Oh, he had kissed her, usually with such passion and longing that she felt as if she would melt out of his arms and lie puddled on the floor. But he seemed determined not to let it go any further.

Originally, his excuse had been that she wasn't physically ready yet. But Shanna was almost two months old now, the business had settled down to routine runs, and still he kept his distance.

Kate knew he wanted her. He responded to her as quickly as she did to him. And it had to be painful for him, too.

The waiting was driving her crazy.

Shanna finished her bottle, and Kate lifted her to her shoulder. As she patted the baby on her back, Kate nuzzled her face against Shanna's smooth, powder-scented skin.

After an obedient burp, Shanna lay in her mother's arms. The baby had started to sleep less and be more alert, and Kate enjoyed listening to her gurgly coos. Shanna smiled often and seemed to get great pleasure from watching her hands or kicking her feet.

It was time to finish preparing dinner when Kate finally put Shanna to bed for a nap. The roast had been cooking for almost two hours, so all she had to do was prepare some vegetables to go with it and set the table.

Because it was Saturday, Rusty had no flights scheduled. But he had gone to the office to give the helicopter a tune-up. He knew dinner would be ready at six o'clock and had promised to be back on time.

Kate noticed the sky was overcast, and she walked to the patio door to see if it looked as if a thunderstorm were approaching. Rebel, who had been sleeping on the cool concrete of the patio, lifted his head and thumped his tail on the ground in a lazy greeting.

Since the storm, Rusty had left the dog at Kate's house. Although it wasn't actually discussed, both of them felt safer knowing the dog was there to sound an alarm in case the prowler returned.

Kate had to admit that she was still more than a little nervous about that night. She hadn't enjoyed living alone just after Doug's death, but she hadn't been afraid. Now, every time she heard a noise or saw a shadow, her heart would leap into her throat until she was convinced it was not someone breaking in. She had even moved Shanna's portable crib into her bedroom, so she could lock the door at night. The last thing she wanted to do was to wake up and have a man standing by her bed.

The only man she wanted in her bedroom was Rusty.

With a bemused sigh, Kate opened the door and stepped outside. For a mature, thirty-six-year-old mother, she sure had a one-track mind. She'd never spent that much time thinking about making love with Doug.

Shame on you, she scolded herself. Of course you didn't think about making love with Doug, because he was in your bed every night. Well, not every night. He had spent quite a few nights on the road during the last year before his death.

It was funny how Rusty seemed to be able to generate business without spending so much as an afternoon out of town. His connections must really be impressive to be able to bring in so many contracts with only a few phone calls.

She heard his truck drive up, and she went to the gate to greet him. He looked tired, a hint of a frown hovering above his eyebrows. But his expression lightened, softened as soon as he saw her. His slow, sexy grin stretched his lips before he bent over and gave her a lingering kiss.

"Trouble with the
helo?" she asked as she took his hand and walked with him to the house.

"No, she's running great. I'm going to get the rest of the glass in the cockpit changed out. I didn't realize the old windshields were so pitted and clouded until I looked through that new panel of glass."

She knew he was telling her rather than asking her permission, so she just nodded. "I know what you mean. The windshield on my car is getting pretty bad."

"You know," he said, stopping so abruptly that she was jerked around to face him, "I think you deserve a reward for all the scrimping and saving you've been doing to get C-Breeze back on its feet. Thanks to you—"

"And you," she interrupted.

He shrugged modestly but continued without hesitation, "...there's several thousand dollars in the bank, and a check arrived today from Centex for the hurricane transport, which was like a bonus." He pulled several pieces of paper out of his pocket, separated one from the rest and handed it to her before putting the others back into his pocket. "What do you think of this?"

Kate blinked, unable to believe the upper five-figure amount she saw printed on the check. Since she had been in Austin, Rusty had handled the billing, so the size of the payment surprised her.

"And we should be getting another one just like that from South oil," he went on. "So, my proposal is that we put a little of this money back into circulation."

"That sounds fine with me." Kate was delighted at the suggestion. "I could get a baby-sitter. We could go out to dinner and maybe see a movie, if you're not too exhausted."