quick. He waited in
delicious anticipation of what she'd come up with. He wasn't
disappointed.
"Erin is rather spoiled, you see."
Annabelle raised a warning eyebrow to Erin who was about to protest
this slander. "When Lucas wouldn't agree to marry her immediately,
she pushed him out of the car and locked the doors and refused to
let him back in. Lucas went to get help to open the car. Erin
worked herself up to such a state that her screams and crying
brought the police. When they couldn't get anything out of her,
they brought her here."
Out of the corner of his eye, Gaelen
saw Erin's eyebrows knit together in silent, impotent
rage.
It was such a bravura performance
Gaelen had trouble playing along. But Annabelle wasn't
finished.
"She'll throw a tantrum over nothing,
and this time poor Lucas was on the receiving end."
Gaelen glanced at the furious
Erin.
"She looks fairly calm now," he
offered.
"Does she?" Annabelle smiled at her
sister. "Wait until they bring her dinner. I've seen her throw her
supper at the wall rather than eat something she doesn't
like."
"Miss Tinker, I fear you do Erin an
injustice. She certainly doesn't give the impression of a spoiled
brat."
"Thank you, Gaelen," Erin
said.
"Isn't what I've said true, Erin?"
Annabelle asked, her eyes wide with feigned innocence. "Maybe the
truth isn't so bad as I'd thought. What is it? Did you just have a
nightmare in a drunken stupor?"
"No!"
"Drug-induced hallucinations?"
Annabelle's warm husky voice carried just the right touch of
horror.
"No!"
"Well, what?"
Erin's mouth opened, then snapped shut.
Gaelen knew she was testing and discarding answers, and he could
tell exactly when she decided Annabelle's story was the most
innocent one they could come up with on the spur of the moment to
even begin to explain the situation.
"I'm so embarrassed," Erin said. "I
acted like a fool, and now I'm stuck here like a nut
case."
"So, you don't know where he
is?"
"Uh-umm." Annabelle shook her
head.
Erin just looked away.
Gaelen's mouth twitched with the urge
to smile. If he'd had time--and if Annabelle Tinker hadn't been
human...
"Well, then. I suppose I'll have to
call his apartment and check on him. When he drops by, would you
pass on that I'd like to see him? There's a minor family matter I
need to discuss with him. Meantime-" He raised Erin's hand and
lightly kissed the back. "I've enjoyed meeting you, Erin." Turning
to Annabelle, he waited for her to offer her hand for a courtesy
shake and was unaccountably disappointed when she didn't. "I've
also enjoyed meeting you, Miss Tinker. I hope we meet
again."
Annabelle gave him a noncommittal tip
of the head and a wan smile.
Neither woman spoke as he left the
room.
The door clicked shut behind
him.
"Why didn't you tell him Lucas was
waiting in your car?" Erin asked.
"I don't know. I just didn't think it
would be a good idea."
Erin smiled. "You do believe in Lucas,
don't you?"
Believe?
Daddy had always said, "You've got to
believe in something, Annabelle."
"Annabelle, what's wrong?" Erin asked,
her voice heavy with worry. "You're not going crazy, too, are
you?"
"You're not crazy, Erin, and neither am
I," she replied, pushing the too tall and too gorgeous Gaelen Riley
out of her mind. He'd be great fodder for some nice dreams, but a
man who looked like him wouldn't glance twice at a homely duck like
her. She gently tucked Erin's covers around her. "Now, you get some
sleep. Since it appears aliens didn't take Lucas, we'll try to get
you sprung tomorrow."
"All right, I'll try." Erin snuggled
down in the bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin. "Gaelen is
very handsome, isn't he? He reminds me of your man in the tool
shed, don't you think?"
As she acknowledged the truth of Erin's
statement, Annabelle wished she'd never shared that particular
fantasy with her sister.
* * * *
Gaelen wandered down the long hallway,
looking for a stairwell where he could squoosh and get back on
Lucas's trail. He'd been in
delicious anticipation of what she'd come up with. He wasn't
disappointed.
"Erin is rather spoiled, you see."
Annabelle raised a warning eyebrow to Erin who was about to protest
this slander. "When Lucas wouldn't agree to marry her immediately,
she pushed him out of the car and locked the doors and refused to
let him back in. Lucas went to get help to open the car. Erin
worked herself up to such a state that her screams and crying
brought the police. When they couldn't get anything out of her,
they brought her here."
Out of the corner of his eye, Gaelen
saw Erin's eyebrows knit together in silent, impotent
rage.
It was such a bravura performance
Gaelen had trouble playing along. But Annabelle wasn't
finished.
"She'll throw a tantrum over nothing,
and this time poor Lucas was on the receiving end."
Gaelen glanced at the furious
Erin.
"She looks fairly calm now," he
offered.
"Does she?" Annabelle smiled at her
sister. "Wait until they bring her dinner. I've seen her throw her
supper at the wall rather than eat something she doesn't
like."
"Miss Tinker, I fear you do Erin an
injustice. She certainly doesn't give the impression of a spoiled
brat."
"Thank you, Gaelen," Erin
said.
"Isn't what I've said true, Erin?"
Annabelle asked, her eyes wide with feigned innocence. "Maybe the
truth isn't so bad as I'd thought. What is it? Did you just have a
nightmare in a drunken stupor?"
"No!"
"Drug-induced hallucinations?"
Annabelle's warm husky voice carried just the right touch of
horror.
"No!"
"Well, what?"
Erin's mouth opened, then snapped shut.
Gaelen knew she was testing and discarding answers, and he could
tell exactly when she decided Annabelle's story was the most
innocent one they could come up with on the spur of the moment to
even begin to explain the situation.
"I'm so embarrassed," Erin said. "I
acted like a fool, and now I'm stuck here like a nut
case."
"So, you don't know where he
is?"
"Uh-umm." Annabelle shook her
head.
Erin just looked away.
Gaelen's mouth twitched with the urge
to smile. If he'd had time--and if Annabelle Tinker hadn't been
human...
"Well, then. I suppose I'll have to
call his apartment and check on him. When he drops by, would you
pass on that I'd like to see him? There's a minor family matter I
need to discuss with him. Meantime-" He raised Erin's hand and
lightly kissed the back. "I've enjoyed meeting you, Erin." Turning
to Annabelle, he waited for her to offer her hand for a courtesy
shake and was unaccountably disappointed when she didn't. "I've
also enjoyed meeting you, Miss Tinker. I hope we meet
again."
Annabelle gave him a noncommittal tip
of the head and a wan smile.
Neither woman spoke as he left the
room.
The door clicked shut behind
him.
"Why didn't you tell him Lucas was
waiting in your car?" Erin asked.
"I don't know. I just didn't think it
would be a good idea."
Erin smiled. "You do believe in Lucas,
don't you?"
Believe?
Daddy had always said, "You've got to
believe in something, Annabelle."
"Annabelle, what's wrong?" Erin asked,
her voice heavy with worry. "You're not going crazy, too, are
you?"
"You're not crazy, Erin, and neither am
I," she replied, pushing the too tall and too gorgeous Gaelen Riley
out of her mind. He'd be great fodder for some nice dreams, but a
man who looked like him wouldn't glance twice at a homely duck like
her. She gently tucked Erin's covers around her. "Now, you get some
sleep. Since it appears aliens didn't take Lucas, we'll try to get
you sprung tomorrow."
"All right, I'll try." Erin snuggled
down in the bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin. "Gaelen is
very handsome, isn't he? He reminds me of your man in the tool
shed, don't you think?"
As she acknowledged the truth of Erin's
statement, Annabelle wished she'd never shared that particular
fantasy with her sister.
* * * *
Gaelen wandered down the long hallway,
looking for a stairwell where he could squoosh and get back on
Lucas's trail. He'd been in
Similar Books
