anymore,” Lucas said. “I’ll take good care of her.”
His eyes shone so warmly, so deeply, so compellingly, they took her speech away. She would not give in.
Ella grinned. “Yes, it’s about time.” She hitched her purse strap squarely onto her shoulder and plodded back up the stairs. “Why don’t you take her into town then? I’ll tell Albert about the change in plans. He’ll keep an ear out for the phone. Don’t worry, I’ll have dinner ready when you get back.”
“I’ll take care of the phone. I brought a recording device. It’ll trap and trace any incoming phone call and forward the results to me.” He glanced down at Juliana. “If that’s all right with you.”
Dumbfounded, she nodded.
“It’s so nice to have you here,” Ella said.
Juliana huffed. As if simply having a man around was going to make everything all right!
“I just know you’ll get our Briana back for us.” Ella disappeared inside her half of the duplex.
In no time at all, Lucas set up the device. He phoned Ella and had her call back to test the functions. With a satisfied nod, he reset the buttons.
“Ready, Juliana?”
She didn’t want him along, Juliana thought as she locked the front door. She didn’t want to mix her business and personal lives. These separate parts of herself needed to stay that way. But what else could she do? If he stayed here, he’d have Ella talking in no time. Juliana had to control what information he received and when.
“My car keys,” she said, turning her palm up.
“I’ll drive.”
Before she could argue, he slid into the driver’s seat.
“Where to?” He turned the key and the engine purred to life.
“South Nashua. My shop is near the Pheasant Lane Mall.”
He made no move to turn on the radio, or make conversation, and the silence weighed heavily. She slipped her thumbs under her thighs and curled her fingers around the seat’s edge to keep them from drumming her anxiety. He was doing the silence thing on purpose, she just knew it.
“Aren’t you going to drill me with more questions?” she snapped.
He cocked his head and frowned. “Do you have the Nadyenka Sapphire with you?”
As if she’d let it out of her possession. “I can’t risk anything happening to it before I get Briana back.”
Concentrating once more on the road, he nodded. “Good.”
She waited. Nothing more came—just the relentless humming of the tires on asphalt.
“That’s it?!”
“Why, what did you expect?”
“I thought… you were so persistent before, I thought…”
“Nope, I’m leaving it up to you, Jewel.” He smiled, showing her straight white teeth and a curve of lip that made her think of his kisses and how good they had felt. She looked away.
And of course, the latitude tortured her more than the questions because it left her with nothing at all to do, except stew and simmer in her own bleak thoughts.
This day had lasted a lifetime already. Would it ever end?
* * *
Juliana tried to finish Brent Horton’s engagement ring, but couldn’t. Thoughts of Briana, and Lucas’s unrelenting presence distracted her to no end. He pretended to ignore her, subtly questioning her assistants under the guise of conversation, increasing her edginess.
After having lost her hold on the ring twice while polishing it, misshaping the band, and scratching an emerald in the process, she decided to stop before she ruined the whole piece.
No sense putting off the inevitable, either. She stowed the ring into the safe, then dialed Brent Horton’s number, hoping he’d be out and she could leave a message, bracing herself for his bellow in case he wasn’t. Of course, he was in, and his secretary put her right through.
“Juliana! How good to hear from you! I’ll need to pick up Meredith’s ring before six.”
“I won’t have have it ready by tonight.”
“Why not?” His indignant growl roared across the telephone line.
She closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. The
His eyes shone so warmly, so deeply, so compellingly, they took her speech away. She would not give in.
Ella grinned. “Yes, it’s about time.” She hitched her purse strap squarely onto her shoulder and plodded back up the stairs. “Why don’t you take her into town then? I’ll tell Albert about the change in plans. He’ll keep an ear out for the phone. Don’t worry, I’ll have dinner ready when you get back.”
“I’ll take care of the phone. I brought a recording device. It’ll trap and trace any incoming phone call and forward the results to me.” He glanced down at Juliana. “If that’s all right with you.”
Dumbfounded, she nodded.
“It’s so nice to have you here,” Ella said.
Juliana huffed. As if simply having a man around was going to make everything all right!
“I just know you’ll get our Briana back for us.” Ella disappeared inside her half of the duplex.
In no time at all, Lucas set up the device. He phoned Ella and had her call back to test the functions. With a satisfied nod, he reset the buttons.
“Ready, Juliana?”
She didn’t want him along, Juliana thought as she locked the front door. She didn’t want to mix her business and personal lives. These separate parts of herself needed to stay that way. But what else could she do? If he stayed here, he’d have Ella talking in no time. Juliana had to control what information he received and when.
“My car keys,” she said, turning her palm up.
“I’ll drive.”
Before she could argue, he slid into the driver’s seat.
“Where to?” He turned the key and the engine purred to life.
“South Nashua. My shop is near the Pheasant Lane Mall.”
He made no move to turn on the radio, or make conversation, and the silence weighed heavily. She slipped her thumbs under her thighs and curled her fingers around the seat’s edge to keep them from drumming her anxiety. He was doing the silence thing on purpose, she just knew it.
“Aren’t you going to drill me with more questions?” she snapped.
He cocked his head and frowned. “Do you have the Nadyenka Sapphire with you?”
As if she’d let it out of her possession. “I can’t risk anything happening to it before I get Briana back.”
Concentrating once more on the road, he nodded. “Good.”
She waited. Nothing more came—just the relentless humming of the tires on asphalt.
“That’s it?!”
“Why, what did you expect?”
“I thought… you were so persistent before, I thought…”
“Nope, I’m leaving it up to you, Jewel.” He smiled, showing her straight white teeth and a curve of lip that made her think of his kisses and how good they had felt. She looked away.
And of course, the latitude tortured her more than the questions because it left her with nothing at all to do, except stew and simmer in her own bleak thoughts.
This day had lasted a lifetime already. Would it ever end?
* * *
Juliana tried to finish Brent Horton’s engagement ring, but couldn’t. Thoughts of Briana, and Lucas’s unrelenting presence distracted her to no end. He pretended to ignore her, subtly questioning her assistants under the guise of conversation, increasing her edginess.
After having lost her hold on the ring twice while polishing it, misshaping the band, and scratching an emerald in the process, she decided to stop before she ruined the whole piece.
No sense putting off the inevitable, either. She stowed the ring into the safe, then dialed Brent Horton’s number, hoping he’d be out and she could leave a message, bracing herself for his bellow in case he wasn’t. Of course, he was in, and his secretary put her right through.
“Juliana! How good to hear from you! I’ll need to pick up Meredith’s ring before six.”
“I won’t have have it ready by tonight.”
“Why not?” His indignant growl roared across the telephone line.
She closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. The
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