Woodlands (33 page)

As Leah walked briskly to the elevator, her emotions ran at a frenzied pace. The moment she entered her room, the phone was ringing.

Come on, Collin, give me a little space here!

Opting for a warm shower to remove the scent of the mineral pools before calling Jessica’s lawyer, Leah let the phone ring and turned the water on full force.

Once she had showered, changed, and dried her hair, she felt more centered. She called Jessica and wrote down the number for her lawyer. She also told Jessica what had happened with Seth and that she was at the hot springs. Leah thought it best not to mention Collin was there as well.

“I spoke with my lawyer today,” Jessica said. “Greg said he
tried to call you several times and that people at work told him you had taken a few sick days. I was concerned about you. I’m glad you called.”

“I’m going to call Mr. Fletcher now,” Leah said. “I didn’t think I needed a second lawyer’s opinion, but maybe I do.”

“Sounds wise,” Jessica said. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I think so. I went for a hike this morning, and that helped to clear my thoughts. Only you know what? I tried to sing, and I don’t have a song.”

Jessica paused. “What do you mean?”

“You know, ‘See! The winter is passed … the season of singing has come.’ I know that winter has passed. God has done amazing springtime planting in my life, but I’m not singing yet.”

After another pause Jessica said slowly, “Well, I don’t know if you’re the one who is supposed to be singing.”

Before Leah could process that comment, she heard a knock on the door. “I have to go, Jess. I’ll call you later.”

Leah hung up and hurried to the door, certain Collin would be standing there. She didn’t want to talk to him. Not yet.

“Room service,” the voice behind the door called out.

Leah opened the door and smiled at the uniformed woman. “I’ve already had my room cleaned, thank you.”

“I’m here to restock the minibar,” the woman said.

“I haven’t even opened it.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

Just then the phone rang again, and once again, Leah let it ring. “I’m not ready for you to smooth talk me, Collin,” she muttered. “Let me have some space.”

She flipped the gas lighter switch on the wall, and instantly the logs in the fireplace began to heat up, taking the chill off the room.

Leah checked the clock. 4:20. She dialed the number for Gregory Fletcher, and his assistant answered.

“Yes, Leah,” the assistant said. “Mr. Fletcher is available. He asked that I put you through if you called.”

“Leah, hello, this is Greg Fletcher.”

“I’m sorry you had to make several calls today trying to track me down. I just spoke with Jessica, and she told me.”

“No problem,” Greg said. “How can I help you?”

“I’m not exactly sure,” Leah said, adjusting her position on the end of the bed. “I have a lawyer who is helping me with an inheritance situation, but I’m thinking I might need a second opinion.”

“Yes, Jessica told me your lawyer was Collin Radcliffe.”

“That’s right.”

Mr. Fletcher paused.

Leah sensed something in his silence. “Do you know Collin?”

“Yes. His office used to be in the same building as mine. As a matter of fact, one of my clients married his first wife.”

“Collin told me about her,” Leah said. “It was tragic the way he lost her and their child in the car accident.”

“Their child?” Greg echoed.

“Yes, Collin said his wife was five months pregnant at the time of the accident.”

“His wife?”

“Yes.” Leah didn’t like the tone in Greg’s voice. “She was his wife, wasn’t she? I mean they were married, right?”

“Actually, Collin and DeeDee had been divorced for two years before she married my friend, Bryan. She was carrying Bryan’s child when she died.”

Leah could only think of one response. “Oh. I’m so sorry.”

“Yes. Well, Collin is a competent lawyer. He tends to get what he goes after so I’m sure he’ll work hard for you.”

Now Leah was the one pausing. “Mr. Fletcher, would it be
all right if I called you back? I think I need a little time to pull my thoughts together.”

“Certainly. You have my numbers. Feel free to call me when you’re ready to talk.”

“You’ve already helped me more than you can know.”

Leah sat on the edge of the bed staring into the fire that danced in the fireplace.

Collin lied. He slanted the details so I’d feel sympathy for him. I can’t trust him. If he lied about his “wife,” he also could have lied about Seth and Seth’s records
.

Leah felt her heart racing. She might have condemned Seth unfairly.
But why did Seth admit to the bankruptcy and the police record?

Suddenly she felt very sure that Collin had slanted the facts in Seth’s file to manipulate her opinion of Seth. She had been brutally unfair not to let Seth explain.

How could I have been so blind? For all I know, Collin is the one scheming to marry me after I claim Franklin’s fortune and then dump me and take it all. What was it Mr. Fletcher just said? “Collin tends to get what he goes after.”

“Well, he’s not getting me!” Leah spouted, jumping up and heading for the door. She planned to march down to the mineral pools and tell Collin exactly what she thought of him. However, an urgent knock on the door caused her to pause for a moment.

So much the better! I’m ready for you now, Collin!
Leah’s fingers flew to unclasp the locks, and she yanked open the door, spewing out the first thing that came to her. “I don’t take it very well when people lie to me!”

“So I noticed.” The man at her door stood with his arms covering his face as if expecting Leah to throw something at him. “But I haven’t lied to you about anything.” He lowered his arms.

“Seth!” Leah rushed to him and threw her arms around him. “Seth, I can’t believe you’re here. Will you forgive me? I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

“Of course I forgive you,” he said. “Now will you forgive me?”

“Forgive you? For what?”

“For not telling you what you wanted to know when you wanted to know it.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong. I was the one who had it all mixed up. I misunderstood everything.” Leah pulled back and looked up at his unshaven face and his red eyes. “Seth, you look exhausted. Come in. How did you know I was here?”

Seth went over to a chair by the fireplace. “I called you last night a dozen times. Then I called you again this morning at work. They told me you were out sick. I went by your house, and when you weren’t there I guessed that if I could find Collin, I’d find you since you were with him last night.”

Leah sat on the raised hearth and reached over to take Seth’s hands in hers.

“Collin’s secretary told me he was staying here. I called the front desk, and they said you were registered here, too. I know people at work must think I’m a maniac, but I turned in my truck at noon and said I had to leave on an emergency. I drove straight here, and when I arrived, I tried to call your room from the lobby.”

“I thought it was Collin. That’s why I didn’t answer.”

“I think the hotel operator slipped up when she told me there was no answer in room 145. That’s how I found out your room number. I hope you don’t mind my barging in on you like this. I was so concerned.”

“I’m glad you’re here, Seth.”

His expression softened. “I’m glad I’m here, too. Leah, I apologize for handling everything so poorly yesterday. The
roses and the suggestion that we get married.… I can imagine how that must have looked to you. I don’t know why it seemed like a good idea.”

Leah searched his expression for the deeper meaning behind his words.

“No, no! I don’t mean that marrying you isn’t a good idea. I mean coming on so strong like that after we’ve only known each other a few weeks. I can see how it would seem as if I were reacting to the condition of the will. I didn’t realize that at the time. I didn’t understand why you were so upset. And then all that information you had about the bankruptcy and the police record. How did you find out about that?”

“Collin.”

Seth’s expression turned grim. “What else did he tell you?”

“He has a whole file on you, but that was all he showed me.”

Seth let go of Leah’s hand. He began to pace the floor. “Man, that is really the lowest. Let me guess. He wanted to find a way to get the will switched back into your name only.”

Leah nodded. “Tell me about the police record, Seth.”

“It was in college. I had three roommates my senior year. One of the guys I didn’t know until he moved into our apartment. He borrowed my car on a pretty consistent basis, which was fine. We all helped each other out. But then, because of Warren’s excessive parking violations, my car was impounded, and the police found some drug paraphernalia under the seat. Warren said he was holding it for a friend, but it was all recorded in my name because it was my car.”

Leah shook her head. “That’s awful.” She felt worse than ever for doubting Seth.

“And the bankruptcy issue is a very painful subject for me.”

“You don’t have to tell me about it if you don’t want to,
Seth. I trust you.” Leah was surprised to hear those last three words come out of her mouth. Trust was such an issue to her she might as well have just said, “I love you.”

“No, I don’t mind telling you. It was stupidity on my part. I received a credit card in the mail my last year of college. You know how they do those promotional deals. I activated it, but then I never used it. I kept it in my desk drawer at the apartment. When I moved out, I didn’t notice it was missing. That is, until a credit bureau tracked me down in Costa Rica and said I’d run up debt of more than $28,000 plus more than a year’s interest at 22 percent.”

Leah let out a low whistle.

“I told them my card had been stolen, but I had nothing to stand on because I hadn’t reported it lost or stolen. I had no way of paying it off. I had nothing. I followed my dad’s lawyer’s advice and filed bankruptcy.”

“Seth, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I doubted you and jumped to conclusions.”

He moved over to the hearth beside Leah and drew her close. His voice mellowed. “What matters now is that we’ve cleared all this up. We’re together. I couldn’t sleep last night thinking I’d lost you, Leah.”

“I trust you, Seth,” Leah said firmly.

He drew away and looked into her eyes. She knew he understood the deeper meaning behind her words. “And I love you,” he answered.

“I’ll never let someone else influence my opinion of you again.”

“Speaking of ‘someone else,’ ” Seth said. “Is he still here at the hotel?”

“Yes, he’s at the mineral pools now.”

“I’d like to have a word with him,” Seth said sharply.

“So would I. It just so happens I’ve learned that Collin has
been manipulating all kinds of facts.”

The phone’s ringing interrupted Leah. She knew Collin was calling to see if she would take him up on his dinner invitation. “Seth, do you trust me?”

Seth’s clear blue eyes opened wide. “Yes.”

“Then don’t say anything when I answer the phone. I have an idea.”

L
eah hung up the phone and said to Seth, “We have an appointment to meet Collin for dinner at six o’clock.”

“What did he say when you asked him to change the reservations to three people instead of two?”

“Nothing. I think it confused him, but I don’t think he suspects you’re the third party.”

Seth checked his watch. “It’s five o’clock now. I have some clothes in my car. I should probably change before dinner.”

“Why don’t you use my shower, and I’ll go downstairs? A library is on the other side of the gift shop. I saw in the brochure that they serve tea in the library until six.”

“You don’t mind my taking over your space?”

Leah couldn’t help but think how different it felt to have Seth in her “space” compared to Collin crowding in on her.

“No, I like having you here. You feel like you belong in my space.”

Seth smiled. “And you belong in my space. In my galaxy. In my universe.”

Leah laughed. “Does this mean we’ve ended up on Pluto together?”

Seth kissed her on the end of her nose. “And who says wishes don’t come true?”

Leah’s heart felt full. She knew what needed to come next for her. Grabbing her purse, she gave the room key to Seth. “I’ll be in the library. I have some reading to do.”

“I’ll walk you down so I can get the stuff from my car.”

Hand in hand, Leah and Seth headed for the elevator. Seth let go and pushed the down button. Then he put his arm around Leah’s shoulders. “Did I ever tell you that you’re exactly the right height?”

Leah put her arm around Seth’s middle and said, “We do fit together nicely, don’t we?”

“Perfectly.” He leaned over and gave Leah a tender kiss on the lips.

The elevator door opened, and Leah shyly pulled away. Then she froze. Before them stood Collin Radcliffe in the elevator.

“Seth,” Collin said with a nod. “Leah.”

Neither Seth nor Leah responded right away.

The door began to close, and Collin stepped out, dressed in his poolside apparel. “I take it this is our mystery guest for dinner.” Collin’s voice was anything but friendly.