Karen Woods Read online

  The door closed before Mary Kate could correct the housekeeper as to her identity.

  She rang the bell again.

  “I told you to use the staff entrance,” the older woman chided. “Go on, off with you! If you can't follow directions any better than that, I'll call the agency and have you replaced. It's bad enough that they've sent me a young nanny, but to send an impudent one to boot is far too much.”

  Nanny? Mary Kate questioned in her mind. But she let that slide for a moment.

  “Just one minute,” Mary Kate replied, her voice reflecting humor, “I think we have some sort of case of mistaken identity here. My name is Devlin, Mary Kate Devlin.”

  “Mary Kate?” The older woman queried softly, a puzzled expression coming over her face. “Oh, my, my, my, Miss Mary Katherine, you aren't anything like what I expected.”

  “Obviously.”

  “Well, child, come in,” the older woman said in a suddenly kind voice. “I'm Billie Green, the housekeeper.”

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  “Hello, Billie. Would you please inform my fa... Mr. Devlin that I am here?” Mary Kate asked as she stepped inside.

  “Mr. Devlin is away on business today. He's not expected back until dinnertime. Mrs. Devlin is in the parlor, but she’ll be leaving shortly. No one else is at home. Except Mr. Jason and he's down at the stables.”

  “I suppose I could come back later,” Mary Kate said with a small yawn as she wondered who Mr. Jason was. “Could you direct me to a respectable, inexpensive, hotel?”

  “Now, Harry Devlin would have my head, if I did that,” Billie replied with a laugh. “Your rooms have been ready for you for the last three weeks. I've got orders to make sure that you feel at home here. Follow me.”

  The housekeeper led Mary Kate through the gray marble walled entryway that featured an incredibly beautiful black marble stairway. A sparkling lead crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Large arrangements of red roses in cut lead crystal vases sat on various Queen Anne tables. It was a visually pleasing room that stated loudly the wealth of the owner, but it lacked the warm feel of a home.

  Or maybe, it only lacked the feel of the only home that she had ever known, Mary Kate thought. There was nothing of the shabby, down at the heels, feeling about this house. And she couldn't imagine the scent of fresh gingerbread, or a freshly baked apple pie, reaching these rooms from the kitchen. In spite of that, Mary Kate had to admit that she liked the look of the room, of the house.

  Her father inhabited a world that she had never really known. She wondered if she really wanted to know anything about it.

  Billie Green led her into a formal sitting room where a perfectly coifed, immaculately dressed, blonde woman, whom Mary Kate judged to be somewhere in her late fifties, was having coffee.

  “Missus Devlin, this young woman is your stepdaughter, Mary Katherine,” the housekeeper replied with some degree of relish. Mary Kate caught the tension between the women, although she didn't understand the cause.

  “Thank you, Billie. That will be all,” the blonde woman stated, in a regal tone.

  Mary Kate watched as the housekeeper smiled, winked at her, then walked from the room with a decided spring in her step.

  “Mary Katherine,” the blonde woman addressed Mary Kate coolly, acknowledging her presence with a slight nod and motioning for her to take a seat. “Please sit. Would you care for a cup of coffee?”

  “Please. That would be very nice, Mrs. Devlin.”

  Mrs. Devlin? Mary Kate wondered. Somehow, she hadn't expected that her father would have remarried. Her mother had never even dated. That Harrison Devlin had married again made her feel uneasy.

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  How long had this woman been married to her father? Did they have children together? What was her father like?

  “Call me Audra, or even Audie. We might as well be on a first name basis, since I'm your stepmama. How do you take your coffee?” The blonde woman replied in a more friendly tone. The difference in the woman's attitude when the housekeeper was present and now was quite disconcerting. There was tension in this house. Tension which wasn't directly related to her, but which Mary Kate suspected her presence was aggravating.

  Audra poured Mary Kate a cup of the steaming black liquid from the silver service on the cherry table. “Black, thank you,” Mary Kate answered as she tried not to let her uneasiness show.

  “You look quite weary, Mary Katherine,” her stepmother observed as she handed Mary Kate the bone china cup and saucer.

  A single place setting of this china, Mary Kate knew from when she had been engaged to Edward and had registered a china pattern, would have cost Mary Kate, at least a week's wages. Yet, Audra treated it as casually as Mary Kate might treat a cheap ceramic mug from the dollar store.

  “I am tired. I left Illinois yesterday afternoon. It was a very long drive,” she admitted after she sipped the coffee. The brew was strong, but far from bitter.

  Audra was clearly surprised. “Goodness, you must have driven straight through from Illinois. What is it, an eighteen or nineteen hour drive?”

  “Something like that,” Mary Kate said after sipping the coffee. “Allowing for a few stops.”

  “You drove all the way from Illinois, at night, alone?” Audra asked, horror in her voice. “Do you have any idea of the trouble you could have gotten into?”

  Mary Kate smiled, but the expression didn't reach her eyes. “I can take care of myself,” she said. “But thanks for the concern.”

  “It's tempting fate for a young woman to be out alone on a highway at night. What if you had a flat tire? Or what if an assailant had cornered you at a deserted rest area?”

  “In the case of a flat, I would have changed it,” Mary Kate replied. “Then I would have simply gone on. And I don't stop at deserted rest areas. I'm not in the habit of putting myself in dangerous situations. But I'd have no hesitation in defending myself. Count on it.”

  Audra shook her head. “I just don't understand you. Don't you have any appreciation for the danger that you put yourself in by driving here alone? Harry would have a fit if anything had happened to you.”

  Mary Kate yawned. “I wouldn't have been too happy about that, either.”

  “I should imagine not. Why didn't you simply fly?”

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  “Do you have any idea of the cost of an airline ticket? Four times what I paid for gas, or more.>” “I would have wired you the money,” Audra offered. “Your father would have gladly paid your fare.” “No, thank you, Audra. I pay my own bills. I don't owe anyone anything. And I prefer to keep it that

  way. Thank you very much,” Mary Kate said with a hint of sharpness to her voice. “Besides, flying means renting a car at one's destination or depending on someone else for transportation. Neither of those options were particularly appealing.”

  Audra nodded. “Especially when you weren't certain of your reception and money is tight?” “That's about the size of it,” Mary Kate answered, not quite managing to squelch another yawn. “So, you drove straight through. You didn't stop to rest, at all?” “Oh, I stopped when I bought gas and to get coffee. Occasionally, just to stretch my legs. I had a good

  sleep before I left. Don't worry about it.” “I've had your rooms made ready for you. They've been waiting for you for the last three weeks.” “I had to finish out my contract with the school district,” Mary Kate explained. “I honor my

  obligations.” “Of course. That's what you told your father in your note,” Audra allowed. “You could probably use a nap. Let me show you up. I'll have lunch sent up for you.” Mary Kate smiled. “Frankly, Mrs... er... Audra, I'd rather just see my father. But I'm told he's not at home?” Audra shook her head. “Harry's out of town today on business. I don't expect him home until six.

  You’re going to be quite a shock for him. Do you know that?” Mary Kate sipped her coffee. “I can well imagine.” She wasn't about to tell anyone here that her mother had told her that Harrison Devlin had died before<
br />
  Mary Kate was born. That would reflect too poorly upon her mother. Besides, she didn't want to disclose that bit of information to anyone. Not yet, at any rate. First, she had to decide just what sort of man her father was. And try to determine why her mother had chosen to live a life of borderline poverty instead of this luxury.

  “Come along,” Audra urged. “I'll show you your room.” “I really hadn't planned on staying here. I had thought I would take a hotel room.” “Nonsense. Harry wouldn't hear of you staying anywhere else. Gracious, we have more bedrooms than

  we will ever need unless they are eventually filled with grandchildren,” Audra replied. “Trust me, it's not an imposition.” “Grandchildren? Do you and my father have children?”

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  Audra hesitated for just a second too long. Mary Kate didn’t know what to make of that momentary lag. But she knew it was significant.

  “I have two grown children, Jason and Melissa. And a grandson, Jaime,” Audra stated. “Melissa and Jaime live here. Jase lives in town, but we keep rooms for him here as well. Trust me, we have plenty of room for you. Harry’s had your suite standing ready since he received your note.”

  “Okay. If you’re certain you want me to stay here,” Mary Kate finally agreed. “I'll go get my case.”

  “Dinner is at eight. We assemble here for drinks at seven,” Audra said as she rose from the chair. “Don't worry about dressing. We do, but...”

  “Define dressing for dinner. White tie, black tie, or something less formal?”

  “Just black tie. It's only family tonight, so there is no need for anything more formal.”

  “I won't embarrass anyone, including myself, by coming down in jeans,” Mary Kate replied. Just black tie? Only a family dinner. God, what have I gotten myself into? Just who is Harrison Devlin?

  Audra smiled. “Somehow, I didn't think you would. You're a Devlin to the bone. Aren't you?”

  “Mother always said so.”

  Audra's smile became sad. “I was so sorry to hear about Nancy's death. I liked her.”

  “Most people did. Thank you. I think I will take a nap, if you really don't mind.”

  “Not at all. Billie will show you to your room,” Audra said. “You just get some rest. I'm sorry that I won't be home this afternoon to entertain you. I've a committee luncheon I expect to last well into the afternoon. Then it's my afternoon to pick up Jaime, my grandson, at his playgroup. I'm taking him to get his first pony. He doesn't know that yet.”

  “No problem. I can't expect you to rearrange your life on my account,” Mary Kate answered. “Getting a pony is a big event in the life of a boy.”

  “Yes,” Audra answered with a smile. Then her face became a mask of concern. “Are you certain that you’ll be happy to be left alone?”

  “I could really use the nap,” Mary Kate answered. “Thank you for your concern.”

  Her stepmother sighed at the sound of a Grandfather's clock ringing out the quarter hour. Audra's forehead wrinkled into a frown. She looked at her watch and sighed. “I declare, I would be late for my own funeral. I'm so sorry that I must leave you to your own devices this afternoon.”

  “No problem. Have a good time at your meeting.”

  Audra smiled, making her a truly beautiful woman. “Truthfully, I rather doubt it. We're planning our late fall fundraiser. It's always the same event, a subscription ball. And we always have the same arguments.

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  I'm about ready to list them, assign each a number, hand out copies, and let people reference them by number.

  It would cut down on the time that we spend in the meetings.”

  In spite of herself, Mary Kate was coming to like this woman who shared her father's life.

  “Billie, please show Mary Kate to her rooms,” Audra said as the housekeeper returned to the room.

  “Would you like some lunch first?” Billie asked after Audra left.

  Mary Kate shook her head. “No. Frankly, I could use a nap more than a meal.”

  “You look tired.”

  “A little. It was a long drive.”

  “A little?”

  Mary Kate smiled. “Okay, I'm a lot tired.”

  “Go get your bags. I'll show you to your room. While you’re getting ready to take a nap, I'll bring you

  up a sandwich and a pot of herbal tea.” Mary Kate smiled. “Don't go to the trouble, please. I'm not really hungry. When did you say that Mister…er my father was due home?” “Probably not until after 6:00. They assemble in the sitting room at 7:00 for drinks, I serve dinner promptly at 8:00.” * * * “Billie,” Jason Wilton asked in consternation as he stepped into the entryway about 12:30, “what is that hunk of rusty metal on wheels doing sitting out front of the house?” “Miss Mary Katherine has finally arrived,” Billie Greene, the housekeeper, told him. “That antique VW

  is her car.”

  Jase rolled his eyes. “Damn! This is all I need today.”

  “She’s a sweet girl,” Billie defended. “You be nice to her.”

  “I thought you had better sense than to be taken in by a con woman, Billie! I suppose you installed her in the rooms Harry set aside for her?”

  “Of course.”

  Jase shook his head. “This is all I need to make my day complete.”

  “Starchild?”

  “It was a difficult time. But mother and colt are both doing well.”

  “Praise God for small miracles.”

  “I’m going up to see her.”

  “Leave Miss Mary Kathrine alone. She drove straight through from Illinois. She hasn’t been here an

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  “I hear you, Billie.”

  “Go clean yourself up. You smell like a stable,” the housekeeper told him with affection. “I’ll have

  some lunch for you when you come down.” * * * Mary Kate unpacked her few belongings and put them away in the closet and dresser. Her cheap things didn’t belong in this elegant house any more than she herself did. She didn’t know what to do with the pistol she had bought after the fire. So she put it in the holster, with the two boxes of ammo, under the other pillow on the queen-sized bed.

  Hanging her one formal dress in the bathroom so that the wrinkles would steam out when she took a shower seemed like a good idea as her father’s second wife informed her that the family dressed for dinner before the housekeeper showed her to her rooms.

  Housekeeper. Dress for dinner. This was a different world from her normal life.

  She stepped into the large shower in the bathroom off her bedroom. The shower stall itself was larger than the bathroom in the tiny house where she had been raised. Multiple nozzles sprayed her with pulsating water from three directions and several levels. It felt heavenly.

  It was funny, she thought as she looked at the dress hanging on the back of the door. If it hadn’t been at the cleaners when the fire happened, she wouldn’t have still had it. The dress wasn’t much by the standards of high fashion, she supposed. But it would do for dinner just as it had sufficed when she was a faculty chaperone for the Senior Prom this past spring. The lines of the black silk dress were simple. It was cut along the Regency style--high waist, fairly low neckline and cap sleeves.

  She decided to wear her hair up and to wear Grandmother’s pearls. She wouldn’t have still had them either, if they hadn’t been in her safe deposit box down at the bank.

  The hot, pulsating spray of the shower felt wonderful against the tight, tired muscles of her back. She could feel the tension begin to ease. She began to think that she just might be able to get some sleep after all.

  Mary Kate stepped out of the shower and wrapped one of the oversized, plush bath sheets around her sarong style. She took off her shower cap and loosened her braid before she vigorously brushed her hair, leaving it loose to flow down in waves past her hips. She planned to braid it again before she lay down for her nap. Then she went back into her bedroom.

  Standing there in profile, looking into her closet, was a
tall, very dirty, dark haired man. Threads of silver were just starting to show in his hair, either that or he’d gotten into cobwebs. His face was strong, almost as if carved from marble. He wore an old, faded, chambray shirt. Her gaze slid down his long legs down to his

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  well-worn boots. Here and there, under a spotty coat of stable muck, faded denim peaked through. The man stood about six foot two. Yet, he seemed much larger.

  He had the build of an athlete, broad shoulders, narrow waist, and strong. He had hard muscles in places where most men didn’t even know they had muscles. She hadn’t seen such a well-developed physique since her human anatomy class or the art class she had taken in life studies, back in college. She decided he was somewhere in his late thirties. There was an air of power around him, as though he was well used to giving orders and being unquestioningly obeyed.

  Hearing the bathroom door open, he turned his head to look at her. A shiver of fear went down Mary Kate’s spine as she saw the open antagonism in his piercing blue eyes.

  She doubted there were many people who would fail to back away under the fierce look he was giving her. She suspected he had purposefully, carefully, cultivated the ability to appear that forbidding as a means of achieving control.

  Mary Kate wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of seeing her buckle under as a result of his quelling glare. She lifted her chin and met his eyes boldly, challengingly, as if to tell him she knew that she was every bit as good as he. Mary Kate told herself that if the man wanted a fight, she was just in the mood to give him one.

  “Find anything interesting when you rifled through my things?”

  His lips quirked into a sardonic half-smile. “Not what I expected to find. Not what I expected to find at all.”

  “I’d hate to hazard a guess as to what you expected. I don’t have much worth stealing. Sorry to disappoint you.”

  “As though I’d be interested in your clothes. Speaking of clothes, put some on, woman. We have to talk.”

  “You want to tell me just who you are?” She demanded. “Before I scream the house down?”