occurred to her that she was hearing this from a virtual stranger, and that she had every reason to doubt what he was telling her. Except that he seemed about to hand her three million dollars, and she couldn’t imagine how that could be part of some tangled deception. And—he looked like Thomas. He looked so damned much like Thomas.
“Rachel? Are you all right?”
“No, I’m not.”
He hesitated, then said reassuringly, “I’m sure there’s no reason for you to be concerned. Duncan may have routed some of his funds through Geneva temporarily for some tax reason. If the account still existed, you surely would have found some record of it among his papers.”
“Would I? I found no record of a three-million-dollar investment, so I would say nothing’s certain where my father is concerned.”
Adam hesitated once again before saying, “He wouldn’t have wanted you to miss getting part of your inheritance, so I’m sure he would have left some kind of word for you if he had money … put aside somewhere you wouldn’t expect it to be.”
“You mean if he had money hidden somewhere.”
“I didn’t want to put it that way,” he murmured.
“My father,” she told him fiercely, “was an honest man. He earned every nickel he had. Every last one. There was no reason for him to hide money.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” Adam shook his head. “Look, Rachel, I’m sorry I’ve upset you. It wasn’t my intention to do that. I just wanted to let you know that Duncan’s investment will be repaid this year. You might want to talk to whoever advises you financially. That’s a pretty large chunk of money.”
“No kidding.” It was Rachel’s turn to shake her head. “And how do I explain it? How will
you
explain it?”
“Repayment of a personal loan,” he said promptly. “It started my business, so I’ve had to be fairly specific in my own paperwork, but since the repayment is coming out of clear and already taxed personal profit, I don’t expect there’ll be many questions.”
Obviously, his “dreamed-up” design and new company had proven to be enormously successful if he could repay three million dollars from his personal bank account. “Simple for you, but I know enough about finance to be fairly certain that if I can’t prove that loan was made to you out of already taxed earnings, I’m going to have problems. Somehow, I doubt that’s the way Dad planned it.”
“So do I,” Adam agreed with a slight frown. “Which means he must have left some record somewhere, if only a notation about making a personal loan and where the funds came from. Have you gone through all his personal papers?”
“Not all of them, not yet.”
“There you go. Until you do and nothing turns up, let’s not borrow trouble.”
Rachel managed a smile, even though too many questions remained unanswered. “I guess you’re right. Besides,an hour ago this money didn’t even exist for me. Anything realized from it is more than I expected.”
“That sounds like a sensible way of looking at it.” Adam got to his feet. “And now, since I’ve taken up enough of your time, I’ll be going.”
Rachel got to her feet as well, and hoped her voice didn’t sound as anxious to him as it did to her when she asked “Back to California?”
“No, not yet. I plan to stay in Richmond another week or two. I’ll be at the Sheraton if you … need to get in touch.” He took a step toward her and held out his hand.
Rachel hesitated only an instant before giving him her hand, and as braced for it as she was, the touch of him was still a little shocking.
He isn’t Thomas. He isn’t.
But that certainty didn’t have the power to change what she felt. She gazed up into his eyes and felt stirrings of sensations she hadn’t experienced in a long, long time.
This is wrong. I don’t know him. I know only what he looks like.
“I realize I’m a stranger to you,” he said abruptly, still holding her hand, “but—I’d
“Rachel? Are you all right?”
“No, I’m not.”
He hesitated, then said reassuringly, “I’m sure there’s no reason for you to be concerned. Duncan may have routed some of his funds through Geneva temporarily for some tax reason. If the account still existed, you surely would have found some record of it among his papers.”
“Would I? I found no record of a three-million-dollar investment, so I would say nothing’s certain where my father is concerned.”
Adam hesitated once again before saying, “He wouldn’t have wanted you to miss getting part of your inheritance, so I’m sure he would have left some kind of word for you if he had money … put aside somewhere you wouldn’t expect it to be.”
“You mean if he had money hidden somewhere.”
“I didn’t want to put it that way,” he murmured.
“My father,” she told him fiercely, “was an honest man. He earned every nickel he had. Every last one. There was no reason for him to hide money.”
“I’m sure you’re right.” Adam shook his head. “Look, Rachel, I’m sorry I’ve upset you. It wasn’t my intention to do that. I just wanted to let you know that Duncan’s investment will be repaid this year. You might want to talk to whoever advises you financially. That’s a pretty large chunk of money.”
“No kidding.” It was Rachel’s turn to shake her head. “And how do I explain it? How will
you
explain it?”
“Repayment of a personal loan,” he said promptly. “It started my business, so I’ve had to be fairly specific in my own paperwork, but since the repayment is coming out of clear and already taxed personal profit, I don’t expect there’ll be many questions.”
Obviously, his “dreamed-up” design and new company had proven to be enormously successful if he could repay three million dollars from his personal bank account. “Simple for you, but I know enough about finance to be fairly certain that if I can’t prove that loan was made to you out of already taxed earnings, I’m going to have problems. Somehow, I doubt that’s the way Dad planned it.”
“So do I,” Adam agreed with a slight frown. “Which means he must have left some record somewhere, if only a notation about making a personal loan and where the funds came from. Have you gone through all his personal papers?”
“Not all of them, not yet.”
“There you go. Until you do and nothing turns up, let’s not borrow trouble.”
Rachel managed a smile, even though too many questions remained unanswered. “I guess you’re right. Besides,an hour ago this money didn’t even exist for me. Anything realized from it is more than I expected.”
“That sounds like a sensible way of looking at it.” Adam got to his feet. “And now, since I’ve taken up enough of your time, I’ll be going.”
Rachel got to her feet as well, and hoped her voice didn’t sound as anxious to him as it did to her when she asked “Back to California?”
“No, not yet. I plan to stay in Richmond another week or two. I’ll be at the Sheraton if you … need to get in touch.” He took a step toward her and held out his hand.
Rachel hesitated only an instant before giving him her hand, and as braced for it as she was, the touch of him was still a little shocking.
He isn’t Thomas. He isn’t.
But that certainty didn’t have the power to change what she felt. She gazed up into his eyes and felt stirrings of sensations she hadn’t experienced in a long, long time.
This is wrong. I don’t know him. I know only what he looks like.
“I realize I’m a stranger to you,” he said abruptly, still holding her hand, “but—I’d
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