Page 2 (2/2)
Today, he had claiht, he would claim the woman And if he was lucky, he would not tire of either until it was tio back to Boston, to the house on Beacon Hill and to the brokerage firm that bore his name
Anybut a fool
Thirteen hours and another world away, Eve Palmer yawned as she eles apartment complex to her front door
It o in theand she was tired to the bone
She had risen before six, fought the freeway traffic in her beautiful but ailing sports car and taken the first of a day’s worth of rabbed a sandhile she viewed the dailies of Triad’s currentof a film she’d inherited from her predecessor
At nine o’clock she’d fixed her one to a cocktail party At eleven, she’d let Dex Burton, Hollywood’s newest up-and-coht supper so they could talk business At least, that hat Dex had claimed
Eve made a face as she jabbed her key into the lock of the front door and stepped into her tiny living room But the only business Dex had wanted to do was in bed
“You give a little, you get a little, lover,” he’d said, flashing her a toothy grin
It had infuriated her but it hadn’t surprised her She’d learned the lesson early, thatpower for sex If it was more obvious in Hollywood than it had been in foster homes back in Minnesota, it was only because Hollywood had more powerful men and beautiful women per square mile than any other place on the planet
Eve had , to pretend she didn’t understand Dex’s sleazy e But when his hand had slipped under the table and slid casually up her thigh, her self-control had vanished She’d told Dex what he could do with his charm and his nonexistent talent, and now here she was, still without a lead for Hollywood Wedding, the film that would determine the course of Triad’s future, and hers
The apartment arht for the air conditioner, sighing as the first cool blast cah the vents
A shower, then bed, she thought as she took off her jacket It wasn’t just the long day that had tired her, it had been standing around at that cocktail party, putting on a bright face to convince the world that ruerated
At least the other ruued her after fate had brought Triad into her life
No That wasn’t quite accurate, Eve thought as she undressed It wasn’t fate that had handed her the top spot at Triad It was Charles Landon, and that hy the rumors had flown
Struggling filrass, but for a multimillionaire to put a woman at the head of such a company when she had never held that kind of job before—that wasn’t common at all
That Charles had done it on little ers couldn’t comprehend In her better moments, Eve had to ad it herself, she thought as she pulled the clips from her hair
Her chin lifted in an unconscious gesture of defiance as a cascade of pale golden curls tumbled down her back
But her relationship with Charles had been strictly business She had not wangled responsibility for Triad froame played out between satin sheets She had siht time, and Charles had taken it from there
Soo’s, bang on a water glass and announce that to the world
But she never had
One of life’s ave it the aura of truth
Eve had learned that at seventeen, when her foster father had tried to , someone had finally believed her Eve had almost ith relief, but it had been short-lived Her foster father had pointed an accusing finger at her and convinced his wife and the social worker that it was Eve who’d come on to him
No, Eve thought as she switched on the bathroo the ruht thing The whispers had faded, then died—to be replaced by whispers about Triad and speculation about how long the company would take to fail
But it wasn’t going to fail She wouldn’t let it Hollywood Wedding would save Triad, Eve was sure of it All she needed was the right cast and location…
The breath sighed froh, all
Eve lifted her head and looked into the bathrooaze She could do it She would do it Charles Landon had handed her a once-in-a-lifeti to let it slip away
Absolutely nothing, and no one, was going to keep her fro
Deep in the Himalayas, Zach and Keri entered the inn
“I’ll e for drinks and dinner after I’ve showered,” he said,
with a little smile
Keri linked her arms around his neck
“Wouldn’t you rather shower in ne, and——”
“Mr Landon?” Zach turned The innkeeper stood a few feet away, his expression solemn “Sir, this just came for you over the wireless”
Zach se from the man’s outstretched hand
“Don’t look so down in theme that the market’s crashed…” His voice faded to silence as he scanned the slip of paper again When he looked up, his sone “Hell,” he said softly
Keri frowned “What’s the matter?”
Zach ignored her “I’ll need access to your wireless,” he said sharply to the innkeeper “And I’ll expect the copter to be ready to leave in five minutes”
“Of course, Mr Landon I’m terribly sorry, sir May I offer my condolences?”
“Zach?” The woman’s voice called after him as he hurried up the stairs “What’s happened? Where are you going?”
He paused at the top of the steps and looked down at her, his expression blank Her naone clear out of his head
“Sorry,” he said, “but I’m afraid our plans are off”
A pout spread across her pretty face “What do you mean, off? You said——”
“I’ve got to fly back to the States I just got word that my old man died”
“Oh Oh, I’m so sorry”
She waited Zach kneas supposed to show so But it was too late for that It was years too late
All there was ti journey home
CHAPTER ONE
SOMEWHERE above the Rocky Mountains, the wild cry of a hawk rose on the earlyair The sound awakened Zach instantly, just as it always had when he was a boy