Pierce (Halliday Hotels Book 4)

Elizabeth Lennox
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 Pierce
By Elizabeth Lennox

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Copyright 2023
All rights reserved

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the
product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Any duplication of this material, either
electronic or any other format, either currently in use or a future invention, is strictly prohibited,
unless you have the direct consent of the author.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Epilogue
Excerpt for “The Sheik’s Dagger”
Chapter 1

“What have you done?” Kelly gasped, staring at the tall stranger standing by the sofa. With enormous
willpower, she pulled her gaze away from the alluring man so that she could look into her
grandfather’s weathered, grey eyes. “Grandfather, what have you done?”
The elderly man had the grace to look abashed, confirming Kelly’s suspicions.
Kelly Rushmond wanted to scream as frustration and betrayal hit her like a double whammy.
She looked around but she didn’t see the expensive furniture or the bright sunshine streaming in
through the windows behind her grandfather. All she saw were her hopes and dreams dying, crashing
around her feet like shattered diamonds.
Had the last two decades of her life been for nothing? Was her grandfather really about to…
he couldn’t!
Lifting her head, she looked directly at her grandfather, trying to hide the pain stabbing at her
heart. “Please don’t do it!” she begged.
Clark Rushmond, her beloved grandfather, pushed himself to his feet to stand next to the
stranger. She was already angry, but seeing the handsome, rugged, impressively muscular man
standing nearly a foot taller than her precious grandfather, Kelly wanted to…she wanted to scratch his
eyes out! She wanted to scream at him to get out, to never come back. She wanted him to go to hell!
She hated the man on sight! And yes, she had immediately recognized the starkly handsome
man…everyone recognized Pierce Halliday. The man was in the news regularly, either for his
business maneuvers or because of the beautiful women he escorted to the fabulous social events in
Seattle!
But the jerk wasn’t going to destroy everything she’d worked to achieve over the past several
years! She wouldn’t let him!
Dumping the files she’d been carrying onto her grandfather’s enormous, wooden desk, she
rushed over to the taller man, stabbing him in the chest with her finger. “He’s not selling to you! You
can’t gobble up Rushmond Hotels! You’ve bought up plenty of hotels around the world and you’re
not getting this one!” She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. “Don’t you have enough,
already?”
“Kelly!” her grandfather snapped, his tone revealing his outrage at her behavior. “What’s
gotten into you?”
She swung around to face her grandfather. She was smaller than average, and her diminutive
height, even with her three inch heels, made her feel miniscule next to Pierce Halliday. The man was
several inches over six feet with dark hair and crystal blue eyes. In her bare feet, Kelly barely
measured four inches over five feet. With her heels, she was eye to eye with her grandfather, but not
Pierce Halliday! Oh no! He had to tower over everyone! He had to be better and faster and…and
whatever! She couldn’t think clearly with this anger surging through her.
Turning her glare back on the man she’d hated for…well, thirty seconds…she sneered up at
him. “You can’t buy us!”
“Kelly!” her grandfather snapped again, louder this time. “Stop speaking like that! I’ve
taught you better!”
Kelly clenched her teeth and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Anger only blurred
one’s thinking and she needed all of her wits about her to deal with this arrogant bastard! Pierce
Halliday ran a hotel empire that constantly swallowed up smaller chains, like Rushmond Hotels.
Halliday Hotels set the standard and that just…she hated him for it!
“Why is he here, Grandfather?” she demanded. Then something occurred to her. Something
even more terrifying than her grandfather selling out to Halliday!
“Are you sick? Is that why he’s here?” Panic almost choked her. She reached out, touching
her grandfather’s arm. “Have you seen a doctor?”
“I’m not sick,” he replied gently, his eyes instantly softening at her concern. “And no, I’m not
selling the business to Mr. Halliday. Right now, we’re just talking and having a drink.” He lifted his
glass of bourbon in the air, showing Kelly. “Just a drink, honey.”
Kelly relaxed, her eyes sliding over to the giant man. Relief almost made her dizzy. Her
grandfather wasn’t selling to Halliday Hotels! She wasn’t losing the future she’d worked so hard to
create!
With a sigh, Kelly forced her lips into a semblance of a smile as she turned back to the man.
“I apologize,” she murmured, then straightened her shoulders. “That was incredibly…unprofessional
of me.” She extended her hand. “May I please start over? It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Halliday.”

Pierce had watched the woman surreptitiously during her tirade, fascinated by the beauty and
vitality inside of the feisty, enticingly feminine package. The flashing green eyes and the loose curl
that danced around her head, a delicate curl that had slipped out of the twist behind her head, made
his fingers itch to reach out to touch it. Hell, he wanted to touch all of her! Not just the adorable,
defiant curl!
She was…stunning! Fascinating. How could such a tiny woman have so much energy? Even
now, as she tried to calm down, Kelly Rushmond was still practically vibrating with vivaciousness
and sparkle.
Then she smiled and Pierce valiantly tried to hide his gasp of…pain? Pleasure? He wasn’t
sure since he’d never experienced anything quite like it before. The impact to his gut, to his entire
body, was the equivalent of a nuclear explosion. White hot need hit him, nearly doubling him over.
Would Kelly Rushmond bring all of that energy to bed? And what would that be like?
Woah! Why the hell was he even asking that question? This was only a business meeting!
And the woman was Kelly Rushmond, vice president of operations for Rushmond Hotels. Rumor in
the industry was that Kelly was the power behind the hotel chain. She was the one who had
transformed the Rushmond Hotels from a bunch of roadside hotels that were mostly empty, into the
preferred hotel for truckers and family travelers alike. She’d raised the standard of cleanliness and
efficiency so that families actively searched for a Rushmond hotel while traveling. And she’d created
a network and price system for the truckers, so they would willingly drive the extra few miles, just so
they could stay at a Rushmond hotel.
It was a niche that Halliday Hotels hadn’t yet broken into. The Halliday business model was
to capture the tourist industry. So, most Halliday hotels were located in large cities, in walkable
downtown areas, or in a resort environment where the guests didn’t have to leave. Halliday Hotels
specialized in pampering their guests, while Rushmond Hotels concentrated on providing a clean,
safe night’s rest and an easy route to get back on the road in the morning.
Now he understood the Rushmond Hotel’s rise in popularity. Standing in front of Kelly
Rushmond, everything made a lot more sense.
“Will you join us?” he asked, eager to hear her speak. Her voice…he could imagine her
telling him what she liked, how to touch her, how to kiss her. And where to kiss her. Her voice was
soft, and slightly husky. Like she’d just had a sip of scotch and the warmth was soothing her from the
inside out.
Except her voice didn’t soothe him. Not even a little!
She shook her head and backed up a step. He noticed with fascination as the blush staining
her cheeks highlighted her soft, sexy beauty. She was so damn alluring!
That loose curl danced around her features, but her words stopped his fantasies. “No, but
thank you for the offer. I was just…” she paused, indicating the files she’d set down on her
grandfather’s desk. “I have some work to finish up.”
“Another time,” Pierce replied, tilting his head slightly in acknowledgement.
“Yes. That would be nice.”

Clark Rushmond watched the pair carefully. The awareness was there. Their attraction was
nearly palpable! Mentally, Clark rubbed his hands with delight. Finally, Kelly had found someone
who might distract her from work. She was such a dynamo, but she worked too hard, rarely dated,
and was too consumed by making Rushmond Hotels the best in the world. She forgot about the
smaller things, the emotions and family, that made life worth living sometimes.
He watched as his granddaughter left his office, forgetting the files she’d just claimed she
needed to work on.
Yep! His Kelly was smitten! Turning to Pierce, he swallowed a chuckle at the stunned
expression on his face. Pierce Halliday was just as smitten as his granddaughter. Pierce, the brilliant
strategist of the hospitality industry was only slightly better at hiding his reaction.
Yes, these two would make an excellent couple! And maybe, if Clark was very lucky and
very careful, he would get some grandbabies in the bargain before he passed out of this world!
“So, tell me more about your terms,” Clark urged, resuming his seat and taking another sip of
his scotch. “I’m not saying that I’m going to sell to Halliday,” he cautioned. “But I have heard, from
another source, that my company is ripe for a sale to the right buyer.”
Chapter 2

Kelly added another file onto the enormous stack, thoroughly annoyed with herself for losing her
temper like she had in her grandfather’s office. She was better than that! She was the calm,
controlled, rational member of this family. Like her grandfather. Well, and her mother, too.
Okay, so the only member of her family that wasn’t rational was her father. But still, Kelly
always felt an enormous swell of pride when she was able to emulate her grandfather’s professional
demeanor. Thankfully, she’d inherited her mother’s calmly sublime nature, as well as her
grandfather’s business sense. She adored the challenge of managing this business! And losing her
temper at the first sight of a competitor definitely wasn’t good form.
“You’re working late again.”
Kelly looked up and smiled welcomingly as her grandfather stepped into her office. She
leaned back in her leather chair, lacing her fingers over her not-exactly-flat stomach. She’d hit the
gym tomorrow morning and silently cursed the delicious Reuben sandwich that had enticed her
earlier. Minus the sauerkraut, of course. No need to mix her butter-grilled corned beef on rye with
Swiss cheese and Russian dressing, with anything that might be considered even remotely healthy.
She’d scarfed down the entire bag of chips that came with it too.
“As are you,” she pointed out. “What’s going on with Halliday?” she demanded, asking the
question that had been on her mind all afternoon.
He chuckled, taking the seat in front of her desk. “Never one to ease into a conversation, are
ye?”
She shrugged. “I learned from the best, Grandpa. What’s going on?”
He sighed and rubbed age-weathered hands over his face. “I’m thinking about selling the
business,” he admitted.
Kelly closed her eyes, her shoulders slumping in defeat. It took her a moment to regroup.
When she opened her eyes, she couldn’t stop the sadness from coming out in her voice. “Why?”
He leaned forward, clasping his arthritically gnarled fingers lightly together. “Because I
don’t want you to grow up to be as unhappy as I am.”
She blinked and shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense, Grampa. You’re happy!” She
threw her hand in the air. “You have everything! You have a thriving business, a beautiful house, your
gorgeous garden! What more could you ask for in life? You’re a huge success by literally any
standard.”
Her grandfather’s bushy, white eyebrows lowered over grey eyes so similar to her own.
“I’m alone, Kelly. I’m a lonely, grumpy ass. I married a woman who left me because I worked too
much. I have one son who is a constant disappointment.” He smiled and his eyes sparkled as he
looked across the desk at her. “You, my dear, are my only success. The business, the hotels, the
house…all of it is nothing compared to how proud I am of you.”
 She blinked back tears, her heart aching for him. “You’re not too old to find someone,” she
whispered. “And I can move back in with you. If you’re so lonely, I can come back home.”
He chuckled and Kelly heard the slight wheezing emanating from his aging lungs. “Don’t you
dare, my dear. You have your house and I know that you love it.”
He was right; she absolutely adored her house. But she loved him more. “But Grampa, your
house is massive. We wouldn’t be on top of each other. You know that I could–”
He lifted a hand, stopping her. “No, my dear. As I said, you love your house. It’s adorable
and suits you perfectly.” He cleared his throat and leaned back with a chuckle. “Besides, your
tomato plants are better than mine and I don’t like competition.”
Normally, Kelly would have laughed at the ongoing joke between them. They were both
fantastic gardeners. But they were so alike that they couldn’t help but compete, each trying to
outgrow the other, especially when it came to their tomato plants. And their hydrangeas. And their
azaleas. Whatever one planted, the other tried to grow as well. Then the friendly competition began
all over again.
“No, dear, you need your own home so that you can bring men back without your old
grandfather accidentally sticking his nose into your business.”
Her lips twisted into a grimace and she wrinkled her nose at him. “I don’t date, Grandpa.
You know that.”
“Yes,’ he sighed, nodding his head wearily. “And that’s my fault, dear. You love this
business and,” he again lifted a hand in the air as she drew breath to respond. “Yes, you have done
exceptionally well at improving our hotels. Rushmond Hotels is competitive now, because of what
you’ve accomplished. Kelly, I’ll be the first to admit that you saved the business. It was going
downhill until you started working with me.” He gave her a self-deprecating smile. “You were only
twelve when you demanded that I let you start working. I should have said no, but…well, I spoiled
you.”
Kelly groaned. “You didn’t spoil me, Grandpa. You just didn’t want me to turn out like my
dad.”
Clark Rushmond nearly spat on the floor, his disgust in his son so great. “Your father is…”
he stopped and took a breath. “Never mind. The point is, you’ve let this company become your
world. Just like I did. And it’s time that you had a life of your own. That’s why I’m selling the
company.”
It took a moment, but Kelly eventually swallowed past the lump in her throat. “To Halliday
Hotels? Really, Grandpa? But, they’re the enemy!”
“Halliday isn’t the only interested party.”
Kelly’s anger simmered. “Who? Who else is sniffing around?”
Clark leaned back in the leather chair, watching her carefully. “Your boyfriend, for one.
Sheldon brought me a proposal recently. It was…” he tilted his head slightly. “Interesting.”
 “Sheldon is not my boyfriend,” she replied smoothly, hiding her revulsion at the creep.
A bushy, grey eyebrow shot up. “You went out to dinner with him. Twice!”
Kelly shrugged dismissively. “The first dinner was just to get to know him. He was mildly
good looking, seemed intelligent enough, and…” she sighed, reaching out to grab a pen so she could
fiddle with it. “I was bored.”
Clark chuckled. “And did Sheldon ease your boredom?”
Kelly grimaced. “No. He increased my boredom. The man might have graduated from
Harvard, but he has roughly the same intelligence as a brick.”
His eyes dimmed. “That’s unfortunate.”
“Why? What kind of a proposal did he bring to you?”
He lifted a hand, rubbing his thumb along his jawline. “He has a friend in the distillery
business. He suggested that merging our hotels with an alcohol company would benefit both of us.”
Kelly considered that for a moment, then shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense. The two
industries are worlds apart. We don’t know anything about the distillery process. We don’t have any
kind of distribution network in place. The distilling laws probably vary across the states, not to
mention internationally.”
“That’s all true,” Clark replied.
“And how would a distillery company take over Rushmond Hotels? They don’t know the
routines, the legalities…even the customer service issues are completely different. Why would an
alcohol distribution company want to join forces with a hotel company?”
Clark chuckled. “Those were my thoughts as well. But he made one excellent point.”
“Which is?”
“Well, both companies need clients. And people on vacation drink more alcohol.”
Kelly snorted. “The people who stay at our hotels are primarily families or those who travel
the highways. We’re not a destination where people sit back and relax, have a couple drinks and get
to bed late, Grandpa. We’re the in-between. Our niche is to service the people that are going
somewhere. The people who stay at our hotels have a beer or a glass of wine after being on the
road. They then wake up and do it again the next day.” She tapped her pen against her notebook. “A
distillery and a hotel?” She shrugged. “Maybe if we were Halliday Hotels, the answer would be
different.”
“You’re right,” he grumbled as he pushed out of the chair. “It was just an interesting thought
process. But you’re right, a merger between Rushmond Hotels and a company that distills gin doesn’t
make a whole lot of sense. But I’m not rejecting anything at this point.”
“You really should let me take over the business, Grandpa.”
“Not a chance, my dear. I’m not going to make you as miserable as I am. I love you too
much.”
 Clark left his granddaughter’s office, praying that she would understand. He just couldn’t do
it to her. He couldn’t do it to anyone. He wasn’t a sexist pig either. If Kelly were male, he still
wouldn’t want his grandson to let his job become his entire world. He’d leave Kelly his money,
which was vast and secure. He’d leave her his house, although selling the damn monstrosity would
be a better idea. It was too big, the maintenance, heating and cooling costs, the gardens, and…well, it
was all too big. It was ten bedrooms, two kitchens, five acres of land and too many other rooms to
count. He’d bought it as a way to show off his success thirty years ago. It had brought him nothing
but misery ever since. At seventy-five, he wanted to stop working. He wanted to play with his great
grandchildren and teach them to fish and hike and take them camping.
All the things he’d taught Kelly.
The never-ending sadness made his joints ache even more as he ambled down the hallway to
his office. He’d sleep in his office again tonight. No reason to head back to that miserable, lonely
house.

Sheldon watched from across the street, sipping a glass of red wine. That bastard, Pierce
Halliday, couldn’t be allowed to mess up this deal with Rushmond! He’d read the writing on the wall
at his firm back in Manhattan. This was his last deal. If he couldn’t make this work, he would be
fired.
He was a freaking Harvard graduate! His parents had both attended Harvard! Yes, Sheldon
knew that the main reason he’d gotten into Harvard was because his parents were alumni. But he’d
graduated. Not at the top of his class, but not at the bottom either.
Sheldon didn’t have an inferiority complex. He wasn’t inferior to anyone! Especially not
some up-from-poverty upstart like Pierce Halliday!
“What are you brooding about now?” Candice asked, her tone sharp as she slid onto the seat
beside him.
“I’m not brooding,” he growled, putting the wine glass down too firmly.
“Of course you are,” she countered, picking up the bottle of red wine and emptying what
remained into her own glass. “You’re glaring at Pierce Halliday’s office, acting like you’d shoot
lasers through the window if you could.” She sipped thoughtfully, closing her eyes to better enjoy the
burst of flavors from the delicious wine. “Oh, that’s good! You might be a shmuck, Sheldon, but you
know how to pick wine!”
Sheldon glared at her. “Why are you here, Candice?’ he demanded.
She shrugged, leaning forward in the chair so her cleavage was on full display. “Oh, I just
thought I’d poke my nose into your business. You have that delightful trust fund that I’d love to take
shopping.”
Sheldon didn’t mention that his trust fund was currently on hold. His parents were furious
with him after hearing about the previous three deals that had fallen through. They’d said something
about “not wasting good money on an imbecile that doesn’t know how to spend it wisely”. Or
something along those lines.
“You’re a pain in the ass, Candice.”
She laughed and took a longer sip of her wine. “Yeah, but you like me because I’ll have sex
with you. Not many women will, eh?”
He rolled his eyes. She was right, but he wasn’t going to say so. He didn’t understand why
women didn’t flock to him. He appeared wealthy, always mentioned he was a Harvard graduate, and
dropped the name of his firm, just to impress potential women.
It only worked about twenty-five percent of the time. Those credentials should work ninety-
nine percent of the time, damn it!
“So, what’s on the agenda today? Why are you glowering at your former classmate?”
“He wasn’t in my class.”
Candice snorted. “Only because he graduated a year early, while it took you five years to
graduate. And even then, you barely managed to make it through.”
“Shut up, Candice.”
The obnoxious woman laughed, then drained the rest of her glass of wine. “Wanna have
sex?”
He looked at her. Damn, she was disgusting. But instead of telling her to go to hell, he
nodded. “Yeah. I have a room upstairs.”
“Why didn’t you get a room at the Halliday across the street? The rooms are so much nicer
there.” She slid off the stool anyway, obviously not feeling too particular about the hotel. Or the
man, he thought with irritation.
Not that he wanted Candice to be his woman. No way! He wanted someone…his thoughts
drifted to Kelly Rushmond. She was adorable, he thought. A bit too ambitious for his taste, but he
wondered if he could woo her to his side of the equation regarding the merger. Top Shelf Spirits and
Rushmond Hotels…the idea made so much sense. The distillery would gain a new client with
expanded distribution and the hotel business would get cheaper booze. It’s a win for both sides. He
couldn’t believe that no one had thought about it before now.
“Come on,” he snapped and tossed down some money to cover the bottle of wine. The wine
had been nine hundred dollars and he tossed nine hundred and five bucks onto the table. If the
waitress wasn’t fast enough to grab the cash, it wasn’t his problem.
Chapter 3

“You need me to do what?” Kelly gasped. Her gaze moved from her grandfather to the man towering
behind him.
“Just take him around to the Rushmond hotels surrounding Seattle. There are only three of
them. You can show him around, point out all of the good aspects of our operation, then take him to
dinner and answer his questions.”
Kelly looked at Pierce warily. He wasn’t wearing a suit today. But, he always wore a suit!
Out of the thousand or so pictures she’d seen of him while surfing the internet last night, he was
always wearing a dark suit. There were no pictures of him in casual clothing, no bathing suit, no
tennis shorts, or even an open necked shirt with a sports jacket. Always a suit with a tie. The suits
were always dark shades, either dark brown, black, or navy blue. The black might have been
“charcoal” but that was a term used only in reference to men’s suits and she wasn’t sure what the
difference was between charcoal and black. They seemed the same to her.
“Why me?”
Her grandfather’s eyes narrowed slightly. Always a bad sign, Kelly knew.
“Because no one knows this operation like you. Because you are the vice president in charge
of operations. Because you have worked in every department in the Rushmond umbrella. And,” he
paused, his wrinkled features tightening with disapproval, “because I asked you to.”
Kelly swallowed painfully. That last one was the only reason she acquiesced. “Fine,” she
sighed and reached into her desk drawer to get her purse. “Which sites do you want to see?” she
asked, looking past her grandfather to the man leaning casually against the door jamb of her office.
“All of them, but we could start with the sites closest to the city,” he replied with a smile.
“And I appreciate your gracious help in touring them.”
Kelly ignored the teasing light in those startling blue eyes. No one should have eyes that
blue, she thought with resentment. Her non-descript grey eyes were just…blah. She’d love to have
blue eyes. Or brown. Yeah, brown eyes would be interesting. No, violet! Violet eyes were
interesting and rare. Elizabeth Taylor had been famous for her gorgeous, violet eyes!
Kelly pushed her resentment at her average appearance away. There wasn’t much about her
that could be considered “rare”.
“Why does he need my help?” she asked belligerently, trying to pull her eyes away from the
intensity of Pierce’s blue gaze. But she was caught, like a moth fluttering around a flame, only with a
grumpy grampa nudging her closer and closer to said flame.
“Because you know the hotel sites better than anyone,” her grandfather pointed out smoothly,
folding his weathered hands in front of him. “And because I am asking you. Nicely. What other
reason could you need?”
Kelly tried. She really did. But she was dazzled by those blue eyes! Did the guy have some
sort of brain-sizzling blue-laser-beam thing going on with those eyes?
“Fine!” she grumbled, trying to sound angry in a valiant effort to cover her nervousness.
The man had the audacity to laugh, even as he bowed as if in front of royalty. “That’s very
gracious of you, Kelly.”
She heard the sarcasm and rolled her eyes. “Let’s get this over with.”
Kelly fished her car keys out of her purse. If she had to do this tour thing, she would be
driving. “This way.”
“I’ll drive.”
“No need,” she countered, waving her car keys, jingling them lightly.

Pierce turned to look at Clark, eyebrows raised. “Is she seriously going to drive me
around?”
Clark grimaced. “She’s a bit…independent,” he replied, trying to excuse his granddaughter.
What Clark didn’t realize was that Pierce was more than slightly turned on by Kelly’s
attitude. She wasn’t someone who took crap from anyone. She didn’t hide her feelings. He would
always, always, know if she was mad or upset about something. How many times had one of his past
lovers silently pouted her way through dinner, trying to get him to spend more time with her, or get
tickets to the latest concert, or fly them to Paris or New York for a shopping expedition.
Pierce turned and started to follow the petite dynamo. For a moment, he simply stood in the
middle of the hallway, watching Kelly’s adorable ass shimmy in her tight slacks. Damn, she was hot!
Of course, she was absolutely beautiful too. Those soft, grey eyes that showcased every emotion that
flitted through her mind and her perfectly pale skin that tinted rosy pink whenever her thoughts turned
to something sexual, which he suspected they did quite often. And her body! Dear heaven, her body
was full and lush! Her tiny waist and full breasts, gently rounded hips…she was the perfect nineteen
fifties pinup model! She’d never be accepted in New York or Paris, not with those feminine curves.
But she was the image of every red-blooded man’s dreams!
Add in the obvious intelligence and her take-no-prisoners attitude, and Pierce was hooked!
He wanted her! He’d dreamed about her last night, her rosebud lips doing things to him that…well,
he should probably be ashamed of all the things that mouth had done to him in his dreams. But he
wasn’t.
She was so damn adorable. And feisty! He enjoyed her prickly nature. From the brief
interactions he’d had with her so far, Pierce could tell this was going to be an interesting day!
Pierce grinned, eager to mess with her. Oh yes, he was going to mess with her. In so many
wonderful, intriguing ways!
Kelly reached the bank of elevators, then turned to glare back over her shoulder at him,
daring him to continue ogling her.
 He dared! Yep, he would accept every challenge she threw his way. And enjoy it!
Maybe he’d toss a few right back at her. This was going to be a great afternoon!

“We’re here,” she announced and sprang out of her Mini after parking in front of the
receptionist lobby.
During the drive over to the nearest hotel site, she’d wondered if she’d made a mistake. His
broad shoulders and hard, muscled arms were so big and wide, he’d had to shift his body in the
passenger seat to close the door. She was a smallish woman, so the car was perfect for her. But she
hadn’t considered how difficult it would be to concentrate driving down the highway with him so
close. She normally rested her arm on the small console between the driver’s seat and the passenger
seat. But not this time! Nope, she had to angle her body so that his shoulder wasn’t touching hers.
And his arm? Good grief, the man’s arm was long. She’d gotten one light, illicit touch before she’d
pulled back as if her skin was scorched. Then she’d gone out of her way to not touch him again
during the thirty minute drive.
Kelly parked her Mini Copper between two giant SUVs because…well it was one of the
useful ways she’d learned to find her tiny car. She got out and hurried around to the other side, just in
time to watch him open the door. One leg came out at a time. Then she glimpsed a powerful arm, one
of his hands braced on the roof of the car. It seemed to require a great deal of effort to extract the rest
of him from the vehicle.
Meanwhile, Kelly watched in fascination, unaware that her mouth was hanging open as she
viewed the man’s tight butt. He closed the door, then walked casually over to her, stopping in front of
her.
“Was that as good for you as it was for me?”
Kelly blushed painfully. Then he reached out with one finger, lifting her chin so that her
mouth closed.
Gritting her teeth, she spun on her heel and went inside. Automatically, she scanned the
entryway, assessing the vitality of the plants and the cleanliness of the doors, the greeting of the
reception staff and the tidiness of the lobby area. “This isn’t as grand as the lobbies of the Halliday
Hotels, but we take a great deal of pride in our public spaces. Right, Jenny?” she asked, greeting the
afternoon reception manager.
“Absolutely!” she replied with a warm, friendly smile. “Are you checking in or just doing a
walk through?”
“Just a walk through,” Kelly explained. “Is Mark working today?”
“Yep. He should be doing the laundry about now.”
Kelly nodded. “I know you’re going to send a group text warning the staff that I’m here, but
tell everyone not to stress, okay?” she offered. “It’s not an official visit.”
Jenny smiled and nodded. “Will do.”
 Kelly gestured for Pierce to follow her. “I’ll take you through the back rooms first. Jenny is
in charge of the afternoon to midnight shift. She has three people on duty until about ten o’clock, then
just one person on duty from ten until around five o’clock in the morning.” She led him through the
cleaning facilities, introducing him to each of the housekeeping staff, explaining their duties and why
they are doing one task versus another, wondering how their operation differed from the Halliday
processes. Anything different might dissuade him from going through with the sale.
“There’s a crack in the wall that needs to be fixed,” she said, pointing to a crack just above
the doorway in the stucco. It could be fixed with a tube of caulk and wasn’t a major issue. But she
played it up. “It’s a lateral crack, which probably means a foundation issue.” She glared over her
shoulder at him. “Normally, I would call in a structural engineer to get an estimate on fixing that
problem. But I’ll wait until the sale goes through and then your team can bear the expense of the
repair.”
She turned away from him before he could scowl at her. Kelly wasn’t in the mood to hear his
complaints.
They walked down another long hallway and up the stairs to the second level. “These
carpets are old. They need to be replaced.” She kept on walking, pretending to not pay attention to
him. Except that she couldn’t help it. There was no way a man like Pierce, with his enormous size
and her hyper-awareness of him, could be ignored. Darn it!
“The bathrooms on this level need to be renovated. I think there are water leaks that haven’t
been investigated.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s expensive,” she lied. “We try to get as much money as possible out of each
building, then just move on.”
He laughed, still following behind her. She used her passkey to get into a room. “This is an
example of one of our regular rooms.” She glared up at him again. “We don’t have double suites or
penthouse suites where royalty might stay.” She pointed to a doorway on the back wall. “The most
we offer is a connecting door to the next room.”
“Is that so.”
She heard the amusement in his tone, but ignored it. “What else would you like to see?”
“Lunch.”
Kelly froze, not sure she’d heard him correctly. “I’m sorry?”
He stepped closer and she held her breath. He took another step. Kelly tilted her head
further back, unwilling to break eye contact. His look felt like a dare, she thought. A challenge. Who
would win?
“Lunch. The meal that most people eat in the middle of the day.” He brushed a lock of hair
off her forehead. “We’re not enemies, Kelly.”
She fought down the sudden, and unexpected, threat of tears, her chin lifting a notch higher.
“You’re taking my job away from me.”
“How so?”
For a long moment, neither spoke. Neither moved. She almost felt like she was drowning in
his icy blue gaze. She wondered if Pierce could see straight into her soul and poke at all of her
worries and fears.
“You want to buy Rushmond Hotels. I’m the vice president of operations. If there’s no
Rushmond Hotels anymore, then I don’t have any operations to oversee.”
He moved closer still. “First of all, it would be a merger, not a sale. And secondly, why do
you think there isn’t a place for you in the new organization?”
She wanted to breathe in his scent. But didn’t dare!
“Are you saying that the new entity would be Halliday-Rushmond Hotels?”
“Not a chance,” he replied, his eyes sparkling with amusement at her suggestion. “It would
still be Halliday.”
She backed up a step, shaking her head. “Then don’t try to convince me that it would be a
merger. My grandfather wants to sell his business.” She turned and walked back into the hallway.
“You want to buy it.”
“I might want to merge your hotels into our corporate umbrella.”
She paused uncertainly. “You want to buy it,” she argued, not bothering with the semantics of
“buy” vs “merge”. “You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t. Please don’t treat me like I’m stupid.”
“I don’t think you’re stupid, Kelly. In fact, from everything I’ve read, you are the force that
turned these hotels around. Before you started working full time at the corporate level, they were just
roadside stops. You’ve given your grandfather’s company life and freshness.”
Kelly crossed her arms, frowning up at him. “That and clean sheets will get me…nothing,”
she snapped and turned around, heading to the opposite set of stairs. “You’re a gorgeous man, Pierce
Halliday. But–”
She stopped when he grabbed her arm, swinging her back around to face him. “You think I’m
gorgeous?” he asked, his voice low and husky. She felt his breath wash over her face and the hand
holding her arm gentled.
Kelly gasped, shocked at the intimacy. “You know you’re gorgeous. Stop teasing me.”
His gaze turned questioning. “Why do you think I’m teasing you?”
Kelly jerked her arm away, backing up several steps. She took a deep breath, trying to
compose herself, then glared up at him. “Let’s keep going. There are still two other sites to visit.”

Where the hell was she? Sheldon looked around, wondering why Kelly hadn’t come down to
grab a sandwich from the deli as she always did. It was the one part in her daily routine that he could
count on. So, where the hell was she?
 Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, he dialed her office number. No answer. He dialed
her cell phone. The call went straight to voice mail.
Damn it! He walked across the street and peered into the parking garage. The space reserved
for Kelly’s ridiculously small car was empty! Where was she?
For several moments, Sheldon paced the sidewalk, ignoring the grumbles and glares of the
other pedestrians. Where the hell had Kelly gone? She was a creature of habit, always following an
almost rigid schedule.
He looked back at the parking garage and noticed another car, a more expensive vehicle,
which looked somewhat familiar. Was that…? It couldn’t be!
He climbed the concrete barrier into the parking garage and peered through the windows of
the black sedan. Sheldon’s teeth nearly shattered under the pressure of his clenched jaw. The owner
of that expensive vehicle was none other than Pierce Halliday! He recognized the tie draped over the
backseat, having seen it in a picture the day before. Halliday had been the key speaker at some
business meeting with lots of other powerful business leaders.
Clenching his hands into fists, he turned around, searching the ground for something he could
use to smash the car’s windows. But the damn parking lot was unexpectedly clean!
Had Halliday done something to his future wife? Yeah, he was contemplating proposing to
Kelly. When this deal went through, Kelly would be a wealthy woman. Sheldon would earn a very
healthy commission as well, but not as much as Kelly would get from the sale. So it only made sense
that he and Kelly would marry. They could combine their resources and become a “power couple”.
At least, that’s how he’d explained it to his mother last night when she’d called to check in
with him. His mother hadn’t been as enthusiastic as Sheldon had been when he’d realized how
perfect the plan was, but she’d eventually see the brilliance of his idea.
Hurrying out of the parking garage, Sheldon stalked across the street to a bar. “Bourbon!” he
demanded before he even sat down at the bar. “A double!”
The bartender, who was busy serving up sodas and lemonades to the business lunch crowd,
was startled by the demand for hard spirits so early in the afternoon. But he poured the bourbon into
a glass and slid it across the counter. Sheldon slammed it back, and slapped the glass back onto the
counter.
“That’s fifteen bucks, buddy,” the bartender snarled.
Sheldon toyed with the idea of simply walking out without paying, but this was the business
district of Seattle. He might need to patronize this establishment later in his business dealings. So, he
pulled a twenty dollar bill out of his wallet and handed it over.
When the bartender gave back his change, five one dollar bills, Sheldon swept all of the
money up, not bothering with a tip. All the guy had done was spend five seconds pouring a drink. He
didn’t deserve a tip!
Leaving the bar, he moved down the street, working on a new plan. Now that Pierce
Halliday was competing, and that was obviously what was happening, because there was no other
reason why Halliday would visit Rushmond Hotels headquarters…winning this competition had
suddenly become even more necessary. Pierce Halliday won every damn thing he did!
When they’d both been at Harvard, Sheldon had tried to malign the ass for being a
scholarship kid, labeling him a charity case. But the others had ignored that label, befriending him
despite Sheldon’s snarling objections. Halliday had then gone on to take over his family’s hotel
business and grown it into a freaking empire! That’s what Sheldon should have done! Sheldon
wanted an empire! He wanted to be coddled and respected by the entire business world!
It wasn’t fair that Pierce Halliday had won. Sheldon glared out at the expanse of green
parkland, vowing that this would be his chance to knock Halliday off his pedestal!

“There is another problem with Sheldon,” Adelaide Simmons announced as she walked into
her husband’s study. Normally, she avoided this room as if it were slithering with venomous snakes.
She glanced at her husband and almost laughed. Perhaps it was. “Our son might be in trouble again.”
Martin Simmons lowered the newspaper two inches, glancing briefly at his wife. “What
now?” he sighed, then lifted the paper back up to return his attention to the article he’d been reading.
“Well, first of all, Sheldon doesn’t like taking his meds, so I suggested that he give his body a
rest for a few days. However, he might need to go back on them if he’s proposing again.” She
twisted the gold and diamond chain dangling from her wrist. “And yes,” she sighed with annoyance,
“he is proposing.”
Martin couldn’t hide his exasperation. “Is this latest one even remotely appropriate?”
Adelaide rolled her eyes. “Does he ever choose an appropriate fiancée, Martin? And does
he ever make appropriate decisions when he’s not on his meds?”
He groaned and put the paper down. “You’re right, as usual.” He pinched the bridge of his
nose. “Has he given her the ring yet?”
Adelaide examined her manicure, thinking it was time to find a new salon. The one she’d
been using was becoming too chatty. She didn’t like subordinates becoming overly familiar. “I doubt
it or we would have gotten a call already. You know his pattern. He finds a woman, proposes, brings
her home to meet mommy and daddy and then…!” She waved a hand. “Thankfully, all of the others
have been appropriately dealt with.” She gave her husband a rare smile, then continued. “Why don’t
we fly out to Seattle and just nip this problem in the bud before it becomes a bother?”
Martin pulled up his schedule on his cell phone and nodded. “We could fly out this week and
deal with it.”
Adelaide gazed up at the ceiling, pondering the issue, then shook her head. “No, I have a
fitting for that gown I’m wearing to the Hattersol charity event next month. What’s your schedule like
next week?”
Martin scowled at her. “From past experience, you know it is better to handle these
situations earlier rather than later. We can’t have our boy become overly fond of whoever she is.”
Adelaide huffed with impatience. “Why does he get himself into these peccadillos all the
time?” Since that was a rhetorical questions, she didn’t wait for an answer. “Fine,” she replied,
flinging her hands in the air with impatience. “I’ll reschedule my fitting.” She pointed a beringed
finger at him. “But if the dress doesn’t fit because of Sheldon’s latest stupidity, I’m blaming you!”
With that, she turned on her Jimmy Choo heel and left her husband’s study, ignoring the
muttered, “You always do, dear.” Adelaide slammed the door, just to be annoying, then went to her
own office on the other side of the house. She and her husband had been married for thirty years and
the success of their “brilliant” marriage was down to one thing; hatred. Adelaide and Martin hated
each other right down to the marrow of their bones. They’d hated each other ever since they’d first
discussed marrying each other during their senior year at Harvard. But overshadowing their hatred
was a mutual all-consuming desire to succeed and rise higher than their classmates. So, they’d
married. And succeeded in every venture.
Except for their son! The boy was a pathetic and constantly embarrassing failure! Adelaide
and Martin were forced to clean up his messes regularly. Now, she was hearing that he was about to
be fired from his job.
Something had to be done about Sheldon. He wasn’t living up to their expectations. The
question was; what to do about the boy!

“I hate Seattle!” Martin muttered as they descended the stairs to the airport terminal. “It’s
always so dark and dreary!”
“Don’t be dull, dear,” Adelaide admonished, adjusting the Hermes scarf around her neck.
“We’re only here to extricate our son from his latest nonsense. After that, we’ll head right back to
New York.”
Martin didn’t reply as he put his hand to the small of her back. He knew the gesture
portrayed concern and caring. The gesture also made it easier to hide his loathing for her. Whenever
he put his hand on her back, he imagined having a knife and sliding it between her ribs, then watching
her crumple in a heap at his feet. However, he didn’t want Adelaide to die. She was too helpful of
an asset. She managed one of the largest hedge funds in the country. For his contribution to the
marriage, he was the senior manager at the most powerful law firm in the country. Between them,
they had the financial and legal worlds under their control. He wasn’t going to mess up the advantage
of having Adelaide by his side by killing her off. And Adelaide wouldn’t hurt him either, for the
exact same reason.
They were a team. They worked well together and were envied by all of their acquaintances
because of their supposed “love match”. To the rest of the world, they were the power couple that
everyone else wanted to be.
Meanwhile, they lived on opposite sides of the same house, rarely venturing into the other’s
domain.
 “We need to be back in New York for the Winston’s dinner party this weekend,” he
commented.
“I know, dear,” she snapped, adding a smile as she slipped on her sunglasses.
Martin didn’t roll his eyes at the idea of wearing sunglasses in Seattle. Not visibly. They
were in one of the cloudiest cities in the freaking country! There was no visible sun here in the city.
The only reason she wore the sunglasses was to hide the venom in her eyes.
“Where is Sheldon staying this time?” he asked, hoping to change the subject.
“I have no idea.” She pulled her phone out and dialed their son’s number. With
exasperation, she ended the call. “He’s not answering.”
“What a surprise.”
“Don’t be dull, darling,” Adelaide muttered again, lifting up on her toes to kiss his cheek,
smiling as she left a red smudge from her lipstick. It was right above the hint of maroon lipstick on
his collar – most likely left over from his whore of a mistress. But Adelaide didn’t care if Martin had
fifty mistresses. Lord knew that she wasn’t sleeping with the revolting man. “We’ll find him. I had
my assistant book us a suite at the Halliday Hotel downtown.” She pointed towards the exit. “That
should be our driver.”
Chapter 4

Kelly glared at the man striding towards her. The overhead ballroom lights shimmered on his dark
hair, making his tan skin look almost swarthy. The other gala participants saw him and moved out of
his way, which was yet another annoying trait. Why did everyone part like the Red Sea when he
walked through a room?
Kelly also wished that her heart wasn’t pounding like a timpani drum with every step he
took. He watched her carefully, those thin lips curved ever so slightly into a knowing smile that some
might call arrogant. Others would call it sexy.
She didn’t call his almost-smile anything because in the grand scheme of things, Pierce
Halliday didn’t matter!
At least, that’s what she told herself. Just because she’d dreamed about him touching her, just
because her lonely heart fervently wished that he thought about her as an attractive woman, and not
the potential merger-that’s-really-a-sale…yeah, just because of those two big problems, her heart
really shouldn’t be pounding this hard!
Kelly was trying very hard to pretend that she hadn’t thought about Pierce Halliday today.
She would love to say that she hadn’t dreamed about him touching and kissing her. It would be
wonderful to tell herself that she hadn’t thought about him when she’d woken up or when she’d made
her coffee in the morning. And it really would be lovely to not be wondering if he drank coffee
before or after he worked out…because any man with that many muscles had to be an avid gym rat.
Oh, and that was yet another point against him, she thought as she smoothed a hand down over
her blue cocktail dress. The muscles filling out that tailored suit were obviously from regular hard
workouts at the gym.
Kelly abhorred the gym. Every once in a while, she felt a smidge of guilt over her lack of an
exercise routine, so she’d promise herself that she’s wake up early the following morning to go for a
brisk walk. But…it never happened. Soft, comfy pillows were the enemy of a brisk walk. And
warm blankets. Oh, and mornings! As she mentally listed out the problems, Kelly added mattresses
to that list. Hmmm…and a good cup of coffee. Yep, every one of those glorious items could be
labeled “enemies” that conspired to keep her from exercising.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded as soon as Pierce, with all of his annoyingly
appealing muscles, was standing before her.
“I’m here to support your charity, of course,” he replied, turning so that he was standing next
to her, but with his body angled slightly. Anyone looking on would think that they were a couple!
“Nice tux,” she said, wishing the comment sounded sarcastic. But he really did look hot in a
tuxedo. The stupid thing was probably tailored just for him!
“Thank you,” Pierce replied with a glance down at her. “I like your dress as well.”
Kelly wished she’d chosen a more conservative dress now that he was here. The blue dress
with the fitted, V neck bodice was a bit more revealing than she’d prefer while standing next to such a
tall man like Pierce Halliday. The man seemed to ooze sexual vitality. Meanwhile, she wasn’t sure
she even remembered how to have sex.
“Do you enjoy camping, Mr. Halliday?”
“Hell no!” he replied, looking down at her as if she’d just asked if he wanted his left thumb
bitten off by a rabid tiger.
It took a great deal of effort to stop herself from laughing at his emphatic response. He was
so stern looking most of the time, but at this moment, he looked…cute.
Stifling that thought, she drained the last of her champagne, then gazed out at the crowd.
“When was the last time you went camping?”
He laughed softly, shaking his head as he lifted two glasses of champagne off of the tray of a
passing waiter. “I don’t think I’ve ever officially gone camping.” He handed her one of the glasses.
“I don’t know why anyone would choose to go camping, although I know that it’s a thing for some
people.”
“And hiking? Do you enjoy hiking through the mountains? Maybe along a river?”
He shrugged and looked out at the crowd, taking a sip of his champagne. “Can’t say that I
have a great deal of time in my schedule, and hiking has never been a high priority for me.”
Kelly sighed, then turned to face him. “So I ask again, why are you here?”

Pierce pulled his eyes away from a man who looked as if he was considering approaching
Kelly. One glare in the man’s direction had him looking at the other women in the room for his
romantic inclinations. Satisfied that the other men were getting the message that Kelly was his, he
returned his focus to her.
She really did look amazing. The blue dress hugged her magnificent breasts and that hair…
all of her dark, curling hair was somehow piled high on her head, exposing the soft, pale curve of her
neck. He wanted to bite her neck, to feel her shiver against him. Was she more sensitive just under
her ear? Or did she prefer a nibble along the base of her neck.
He was utterly fascinated. For the past few days he’d been irritated that he hadn’t been able
to get her out of his mind. But seeing her now, he knew that he didn’t want to keep trying. There was
something between them and he wanted to explore it. Kelly might be resisting this attraction between
them, but he was going to get to know her and understand why she was resistant.
Was it just the potential sale of her grandfather’s company that was holding her back? He
doubted it. For some reason, he suspected that there was more to it. So, he was going to get to know
her, then eliminate all of the reasons she might have against a relationship with him.
“Mr. Halliday?” she prompted.
Pierce realized that she’d asked him a question. He pulled his eyes higher, trying to keep his
eyes away from her luscious breasts. Later, he vowed.
 “Camping?” she prompted again. “Hiking?”
“Do you enjoy those activities?” he asked, wondering why in the hell anyone would choose
to go out into the woods and get dirty. He’d done enough of that as a kid. He wouldn’t choose to do
that now.
“Because…” she started off, waving her hand towards the crowd mingling in the ballroom,
“that’s what this charity is all about?”
Pierce silently cursed. He probably should have done a bit more research on the charity.
He’d heard that she was sponsoring a big gala and he’d gotten himself on the guest list. His goal was
more about getting to know Kelly better rather than concern about yet another charity. He donated
vast sums of money to various charities every year, plus the hotels around the world donated space
and resources to charity events. This was just one more in a long line of charities.
“The Outdoor Society raises money to help inner city kids get out into the woods for a week
of camping and hiking during their summer breaks. Any of this sound familiar?”
It didn’t, but he wasn’t going to admit it. “I love the idea of sending kids out into the woods.
Gets them out of the city and lets them breathe some fresh, country air.” It sounded annoying to him.
Not the kids getting out of the city part. Just the country aspect.
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You’ve never actually been camping, have you, Mr.
Halliday?”
He turned and faced her, standing between her and the rest of the room. “I’ve spent a great
deal of time in the woods,” he told her with complete honesty. “I know the trees and vegetation to
avoid, which plants are edible, where to find berries and avoid bears and I used to climb a tree faster
than any of my friends or siblings,” he explained. “Does that ease your anxiety over my presence here
tonight?”
He saw her relax slightly. “Yes. I suppose.” She tilted her head. “How do you know so
much about the woods?”
Pierce debated simply brushing off her question with an ambiguous reply. But he suspected
that honesty might be better. Kelly was the kind who would see through a brush-off answer and pester
him until she was satisfied.
“Because I grew up in the woods. Our first hotel was situated beside a huge lake about
twenty miles outside of Seattle. We didn’t have tents, but I learned fast how to fashion a shelter out of
whatever materials I could find.” That was the truth. There were several nights when he and Felix
had slept outside in order to avoid sleeping on the uncomfortable, lumpy sofa in the lobby of the hotel
reception office. During the summer months, it was safer to sleep in the woods. A kick to the ribs
was always a possibility if a hotel guest arrived late at night and their dad didn’t feel like checking
them in.
She smiled and Pierce felt as if the stars sparkled a bit brighter all of a sudden. “That sounds
like fun. My father never allowed me to go camping.”
“So, why are you an advocate for camping and hiking?”
 Her smile turned devious. “Oh, my father wasn’t around much. It was my grandfather who
taught me how to camp. We’d spend long weekends out in the woods fishing and hiking. I guarantee
that there is nothing as delicious as something cooked over a campfire.”
Pierce doubted that, but he enjoyed the dreamy look in her pretty, grey eyes as she thought
about those memories. “Where did you hike?”
“Oh, everywhere!” she sighed. “We’ve done just about every trail around Seattle. But
we’ve also hiked in just about every state, including Alaska.”
“How often do you and your grandfather go out?”
Her smile turned sad. “Not as often anymore. Things got busy.” She sighed. “And Grandpa
got older. He doesn’t walk as well anymore, so hiking is a bit too dangerous for him these days.”
“I’m sorry,” Pierce murmured, and meant it. She looked so forlorn at the thought of never
again hiking through dirt and mud. Pierce wanted to pull her into his arms and promise her that the
best in life is yet to come.
She pulled herself together and smiled, taking another sip of her champagne. “Well, that’s
why I think this charity is so important. I want to share those memories with these kids. I want them
to know that there’s more to the world than the buildings that surround them every day. There’s life
outside of the city. Some of the kids haven’t ever seen Mount Rannier because the buildings block the
view. They weren’t even aware that there was a magnificent landscape just waiting to be explored!”
Pierce saw the excitement, the passion, light up her eyes. It wasn’t sexual now. This energy,
this passion, was the reason she was such a vital person. She was just…shockingly lit up from the
inside out, all because of dirt and bugs!
“I’ll make sure to increase my donation, now that I’ve heard your vision.”
Kelly blinked and seemed to come back to the present. “That would be wonderful. I know
that the kids will appreciate any amount that you are willing to donate.”
“Will you dance with me?”
She glanced over at the dance floor, longing in her eyes. But she shook her head. “I don’t
think so. I should mingle a bit.”
He took her now-empty glass of champagne and placed it on one of the high tables
surrounding the ballroom, then tucked her hand onto his arm. “There is plenty of time for mingling
and pleading your case to the other doners. Right now, you need to dance.”
She went willingly and Pierce was a little surprised. But he wasn’t going to question his
good luck.
The song was a slow one and Pierce deftly pulled her into his arms. She fit against him
perfectly! He couldn’t believe how wonderful she felt as their bodies shifted in time to the music.
Pierce lowered his head and growled, “You smell good,” into her ear. He wanted to bite that
ear, but held back, knowing that she was still wary around him.
 “Thank you,” she replied. Her voice sounded choked. Pulling back, he looked into her eyes.
“What’s wrong?” he asked gently, turning slightly so that she wasn’t bumped by the careless
couple behind her.
“Nothing.”
She bit her lip and looked away, staring at his shoulder.
“Something is wrong. Talk to me, Kelly. We can’t make this work if we don’t
communicate.”
The woman sighed and the movement pressed her lush breasts against his chest. “I’m fine,”
she reiterated. Then her eyes flashed up at him. “Why do you want to buy Rushmond Hotels? Don’t
you have enough sites under the Halliday empire? Why do you need ours?”
He spun her around, holding her closely so that she had to lean into him for balance.
“Kelly, your grandfather is ready to retire. He’s in his seventies and wants to relax.”
“I would gladly take over. Hell, I’ve been running the business for years now!”
He blinked down at her with a confused expression. “I thought your father was the
president?”
She snorted. “My father uses his position as an excuse to travel, pretending to monitor the
competition and spending enormous amounts of money.” She sighed. “He is the president of the
company in name only.”
“Meanwhile, you’re stuck with the vice president title and all of the responsibility.”
She lifted a soft, pretty shoulder in a dismissive shrug. “Isn’t that the case with many women
in the workforce?”
“I would have thought your grandfather would be better at protecting women’s rights,
especially when you’re the one who revitalized the company.”
She groaned. “My grandfather thinks I should be married and have lots of babies so that he
can…well, he’s a sexist. No doubt about it.” She looked away. “I love him though. He was always
there for me.” She looked up at him and something shifted deep within him. “My father wasn’t ever
around and, after divorcing my mother, I wasn’t allowed to see her either. So my grandfather is my
world. My grandfather and my job are what motivate me every morning. I love both of them, and I’m
angry that, whatever you’re doing, is going to take everything away from me.” She stepped back,
easily slipping out of his arms as the song came to an end. “Thank you for the dance. I’m going to
mingle now, and try to raise a bit more money for the kids.”
Normally, Pierce would have some teasing comment or quip at the ready that would,
hopefully, cause her to smile.
But he was speechless. She was right. He was the bad guy that was going to take everything
away from her. Not that he could stop it from happening. If Clark Rushmond didn’t sell his hotels to
Halliday Hotels, then Kelly’s grandfather would find another buyer. At least if Clark sold to
Halliday, Pierce could ensure that the hotels weren’t run into the ground. Perhaps it was time to do a
bit more research. He hadn’t made a decision about purchasing Rushmond hotels yet. He'd had one
meeting with Clark. Granted, Pierce was intrigued. The highway hotels would open up a whole new
market for Halliday Hotels.
But something felt off, he thought. The hairs on the back of his neck were warning him that
something was wrong. He’d learned early on in life to pay attention to that feeling. Thirty years ago,
the warning might be that his father was approaching. Or maybe it had warned him about something
as benign as a snake or a bear coming towards him or his siblings. Either way, he knew that he
needed to figure out what that warning sign was about.

Sheldon watched the pair dance. His jaw ached from clenching it so tightly. He should walk
over there and cut in, he thought resentfully. But from past experience, he knew that no woman would
walk away from Pierce Halliday. Back at Harvard, the women hadn’t cared that the guy was dirt
poor. They’d just liked the muscles and the aura of determination that surrounded the ass, even back
then.
Sheldon had the money, but he’d never been able to mimic the other man’s confidence.
Pierce just had a look that told people that he was in charge.
Perhaps that was why Sheldon hated him so much.
Regardless of the past, Pierce Halliday would not be allowed to intrude on his future
success. That was something Sheldon would stop. He wasn’t coming in second on this deal. He
couldn’t!
His eyes followed Kelly as she walked away from Pierce. The blue dress floated around her
legs, which were very impressive. But it was the woman’s breasts that he couldn’t seem to tear his
eyes away from. They truly were magnificent. In that blue dress, those breasts were on full display,
unlike the stern suits she normally wore to the office. Those suits made her appear almost chubby, but
now that she was wearing something more form fitting, Sheldon could see she wasn’t chubby at all.
Just…bodacious!
Transfixed by the visual, he downed his champagne, then reached for another from a passing
waiter. He wasn’t drunk, he told himself as he leaned against the wall so that he didn’t fall down. He
was just…happy. Yes, that was the right word. He was happy now that he had a plan in place.
Okay, not a plan. He had the beginnings of a plan. He would ask the lovely lady out for
dinner. Perhaps Sheldon should meet with Clark Rushmond in private, instead of going to the
Rushmond offices. Yeah, that could work out better. He could wine and dine Kelly in a social
atmosphere so that, when it came down to a choice between Halliday and his client, Kelly could
sway the old man towards Sheldon’s offer. Hell, he might even toss in a marriage proposal! Kelly
was thirty years old. She was probably desperate to find a husband.
Maybe he wouldn’t marry her. The idea of becoming a power couple had a certain appeal,
but maybe Kelly wasn’t the “right” woman for him. Most of her family’s hotels were on the west
coast. New York City was where all of the action was.
 Maybe he’d just dangle a pretty ring in front of her, then after the deal went through, he’d
explain to Kelly that he wasn’t good enough for her. Or maybe he’d make up some tragic story about
his past that kept him from giving her his heart.
Women loved that crap. They always wanted to “heal” him. And an engagement ring always
got their legs to spread wide for him. Every woman loved the idea of marriage. As soon as that
diamond ring was on their finger, the ladies started planning a wedding. He snorted, then spewed a
bit of the champagne when the liquid went down the wrong way. Several people standing nearby
turned to shoot odd looks his way, curious about the unexpected sounds.
Sheldon ignored them. It was time to put his plan in place. Maybe he’d even come up with
some elaborate marriage proposal that would endear her to him until after the papers were signed and
he got his bonus for the merger.
He laughed as he walked away. He’d played this game several times over the years.
Sheldon wondered why women were so gullible when it came to marriage.
Chapter 5

Pierce stared at the text message, trying to read between the lines. Lunch? With Kelly? She’d
initiated the offer, but it seemed so out of the blue. After Saturday night’s charity ball, he’d figured
he’d have to make the first move. So, this was an unexpected treat.
Pierce replied back immediately. “Today. 1pm at the Halliday downtown site.”
He’d just set his phone down, expecting her to make him wait for a response. So he was
again surprised when she texted back almost immediately.
“Make it noon.”
He laughed out loud, just as Felix walked into his office. “You can’t do that, big brother.”
Felix draped himself in the chair in front of Pierce’s desk, holding several large rolls of
paper, which Pierce assumed were architectural designs.
“What can’t I do?” Pierce asked, feeling satisfied now that he was going to see Kelly again.
He leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers together and resting them against his flat stomach. He
glanced at his brother and grinned since they were relaxed in the exact same position. Blood always
tells, he thought.
“You can’t look so smug and happy.”
“I can’t? Why not?”
“You just can’t. Jenna used to be the grouch of our clan. But she’s gone all googly eyed now
that she’s married to Zahir. Plus, we don’t see her scowling countenance in the hallways now, since
she works from Sanaab. So Ava and I nominated you to become the new grouch.” He nodded as if
that made perfect sense.
Pierce lifted a dark eyebrow briefly, then rolled his eyes. “I will…uh…endeavor to become
more grouch-like,” he replied, sarcasm dripping from his tone.
Felix nodded firmly in approval, then lifted the rolls of paper. “You want to see what I’ve
come up with for the Rushmond sites?”
“You’re done already?”
He shrugged and stood up, heading towards the conference table set up on one side of
Pierce’s office. “They have a completely different expansion plan than we do. When we buy a site,
we try to make it unique so that it becomes a tourist destination. But Rushmond Hotels are basically
all the same. The only difference is in the number of rooms, but even that is scripted based on the
topography of each site.”
He spread out the papers and, for the next hour, Felix and Pierce discussed possible changes
to the Rushmond hotels. But since this was a new sort of market for them, and the purchase of the
company was not a sure thing, no final decisions were made.
Felix pushed back from the table and stood up, pulling the plans towards him as he rolled
them up. “I don’t think there would be much we’d change structurally, other than fixing any issues.
But from what I’ve gathered, the maintenance on the buildings is good. They don’t let problems
linger.”
“But that information is only gathered through online research, correct?” Pierce clarified.
“You haven’t gone out to the sites to inspect them personally?”
He snorted. “You just mentioned the idea of acquiring Rushmond last week.” He grinned. “I
have a stunning wife, a huge vegetable garden, a growing flock of chickens, and a herd of dogs that
my lovely wife dotes on.”
Pierce groaned.
Felix laughed. “Don’t knock it, big brother. Life is pretty damn good. Even with the damn
chickens waking us up at the crack of dawn.”
Pierce crossed his arms over his chest. “You have four dogs, Felix. Four!”
Felix grinned. “Yeah. They’re pretty fun. You should see Grover trying to sniff out all of the
fresh eggs in the morning. He considers egg hunting to be the equivalent of a treasure hunt. The entire
back end of his body sways right along with his tail whenever he finds new eggs.”’
Pierce shuddered at the thought. “Please tell me that the idiot dog doesn’t eat raw eggs.”
“Hell no! That wouldn’t be healthy.” Felix tucked the plans under his arm. “But he ate all of
the strawberries last summer. We couldn’t figure out where they were going until Giselle saw the
beast nosing his way through the garden one day. He was very careful to only snip off the fruit. Not a
leaf was hurt in the process.”
Pierce shook his head. “You know, you can buy strawberries at the grocery store now.”
Felix rolled his eyes as he turned towards the doorway. “First of all, even you have admitted
that the fruits and vegetables that come from Giselle’s garden taste better than anything from a store.”
When Pierce merely glared at him, Felix continued. “And how the hell would you know if the
grocery store sells produce? When was the last time you went into a grocery store?”
Pierce tilted his head slightly, acknowledging the truth of that. “Valid point. Gladys does the
shopping and cooking for me,” he said, referring to his housekeeper that cleaned his house every day
and put a freshly cooked meal in his fridge so that all he had to do was heat it up when he got home.
“Exactly my point.”
And then he was gone. Pierce wasn’t sure he agreed with his brother’s point. Growing one’s
own fruit was fine, in theory. But it took a lot of labor. Felix and Giselle seemed to enjoy doing it
though, so he wasn’t going to judge. Nor was he going to get rid of Gladys. There was always a
meal ready for him when he got home at night. Plus, his house was clean, his laundry washed and
folded, his drycleaning delivered and retrieved, then rehung in his closet.
Gladys was one of the luxuries that he’d never get rid of. He loved having someone clean his
house. And Gladys needed the job. He paid her enough that Pierce was her only client now and they
both enjoyed the relationship.
 Vaguely, he wondered if his future wife would feel threatened by another woman coming in to
do all of those things. Then he realized where his mind was going and smothered a chuckle. He
would never ask his wife to do all of the tasks that Gladys accomplished.
Why did the image of Kelly pop into his mind as his wife? She was so career oriented. He
doubted that Kelly would ever marry.
Then he thought of his youngest sister Ava and his other sister, Jenna, who was eighteen
months older than Ava. Those two were also career oriented and they’d both married. They still
worked, although Jenna was pregnant right now. He wondered how much longer she’d want to keep
working. She’d most likely take time off after the baby was born. But would she want to come back
to work?
On the other hand, Ava adored her job. She would never leave Halliday. Ava and Grant had
an adorable little girl and Ava had still come back to work. She was brilliant at marketing and her
décor designs were one of a kind!
Jenna…she’d been miserable at her job for too long and he’d never realized it. He’d just
kept expanding the Halliday holdings, oblivious to his siblings’ concerns.
Pierce was relieved that he was a bit more aware now. But that didn’t mean he felt
completely in tune with his family’s concerns.
Maybe it was time to do something to resolve that. Jenna was in Sanaab right now. But Ava
and Felix…would they come over to his place for brunch this coming weekend? And would Kelly
join them?
The idea appealed to him. He liked the thought of his siblings, plus Giselle and Grant, their
spouses, coming over for a meal. Why hadn’t they ever done that before?
Well, it was time, he decided and made a mental note to ask Gladys to prepare something for
brunch on Sunday.
But at the moment, he was anticipating lunch with a spirited, beautiful woman!

Kelly stepped into the elegant dining room of the Halliday Hotel in downtown Seattle. The
lobby was truly a work of art, with greens and gold tones mixed with sea blue accents. Every hotel
was different, she knew. And Ava Halliday was the genius behind all of the extraordinary décor
ideas for the Halliday hotels around the world.
It was so beautiful! How did she come up with her ideas? Kelly would love to sit down
with Ava Halliday and pick her mind! Even Ava’s outfits were newsworthy. Especially since her
marriage to Grant Hanover, the woman had gone from beautiful to stunningly gorgeous! Something
about her relationship to the billionaire tycoon had unleashed the woman’s creativity in unexpected
ways. Now fashion designers were struggling to keep up and emulate Ava’s fashion sense.
“Can I help you?”
“I’m here to meet Pierce Halliday,” she told the restaurant host.
 “Of course,” the man replied, smiling politely. “This way.”
As she followed the man winding his way through the tables of diners, Kelly smoothed a
hand down over her grey sheath dress. She’d matched it with a simple strand of pearls this morning,
not anticipating going anywhere. If she’d known that she was going to have lunch with Pierce, she
might have chosen something…different. More interesting.
Even Jenna, Ava’s older sister, wore elegant outfits. They were tamer, but that only added to
her sophistication. Jenna Halliday was elegance personified, with sleek hair and those stunning blue
eyes. Of course, with eyes like that, one didn’t need to accessorize.
Kelly blinked, wishing that there was something interesting about her. She had wild,
disobedient hair that she valiantly tried to tame. And her figure was too round and lush to be
characterized as elegant. Nope, Kelly was…bland at best. Frumpy on a bad day.
Still, she wished that she’d spent a bit longer on her appearance this morning. Or even taken
a moment to pat a bit more powder on her nose before coming here. But she’d been too nervous at the
thought of seeing Pierce again.

Pierce watched as Kelly approached, his breath catching in his throat. She was…gorgeous!
The grey dress perfectly matched her grey eyes. The light colors of both were a perfect contrast with
her dark hair and long, dark lashes. Those eyes were…he wished he understood her better. There
seemed to be a hint of nervousness in those grey depths. He wanted to pull her onto his lap and
soothe her, tell her that he would take care of everything for her.
And yet, he suspected that Kelly wasn’t the kind who wanted to be taken care of. Most
likely, she was the kind of woman who preferred taking care of others.
Thinking of the other women he’d dated, he respected Kelly even more. Why had he even
bothered with those women?
“Good afternoon,” Kelly said as he stood up to greet her. “Thank you for agreeing to lunch
today.”
He pushed in her chair, taking the linen napkin and draping it over her lap, and then moved
around the table so that he could sit down.
“You look very nice today,” he said, thinking that “nice” wasn’t nearly a good enough
adjective for how incredible she looked. The pearls were a nice touch. He wondered what she
would look like wearing only that strand of pearls. And those grey heels. Damn, nice image, he
thought, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.
“Thank you.” She rested her elbows on the table, lacing her fingers together and leaning her
chin on them. “So, talk to me about the merger. What terms are you proposing?”
The waiter arrived to take their orders. “The lobster mac and cheese is pretty good,” he told
her, holding off on business until they were alone. He watched as her eyes fluttered for a moment
with yearning for the carb laden meal. But she shook her head and looked down at the menu. “I’ll
have the pear and raspberry salad, no dressing. Just oil and vinegar on the side.” The waiter nodded
his head and took the leather bound menu from her before turning to Pierce.
“I’ll have the fish,” he said, without bothering to look at the menu.
The waiter bowed and walked away with the menus under his arm while Pierce looked
across the table at Kelly.
“So?” she prompted.
“So, how has your day been so far?” he asked, amused that she was trying to keep this meal
on a business level.
His question caught her off guard and he wondered if anyone ever asked her about her day.
“It’s…uh…fine. Busy.” She moved her knife and fork slightly. It was a nervous gesture. “How is
your day?”
Pierce was caught just as off-guard. No one ever asked him about his day either.
“It’s been…uh….?” He shook his head. “I don’t remember much about it.”
She laughed and lifted the ice water to her lips. “That busy?”
Pierce glanced at the glass of water, then at her lips. Kelly lifted her glass of ice water, her
long, beautiful fingers holding the glass delicately. He noticed the subtle way her rosebud lips curved
over the edge of the crystal glass. Her tongue darted out to control the flow of water and his body
hardened. Her pink tongue…yeah, he wanted to get to know that tongue!
She set the glass down, then looked up at him, one dark eyebrow lifted as if prompting him to
answer the question. What question? He couldn’t remember…oh! His day. Had it been busy?
“Yeah,” he admitted. “Something like that.”
She tilted her head quizzically and his eyes were drawn to the soft curls that had escaped
from the twist at the back of her head. “You don’t get asked that very often, do you?”
She startled him with her question.
“No,” he admitted. “Never.”
“Why is that?” she asked, her voice soft and sincere. It sounded like she genuinely cared!

Kelly watched the man sitting across the table from her. He looked so devastatingly
handsome in his charcoal suit and red tie. But those blue eyes…they were incredible! He didn’t
reveal much through those blue eyes, but there was something about the way he held himself, stiff and
almost angry. But at whom? The world? Life in general?
“Why is what?” he asked.
Kelly blinked, trying to remember what they were discussing. Oh right! Busy days! “Why
doesn’t anyone ask you about your day?”
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he watched her. “Probably because I
live alone.”
 “Yes, but you have a brother and two sisters.”
“One sister lives halfway around the world. The other sister usually goes home and…” he
stopped, cleared his throat. “Well, Ava and Felix were just recently married. As was Jenna. They
are a bit…absorbed in their new relationships.”
“As they should be, right?” She let her fingers slide down over the condensation of the ice
water glass, trying to cool herself down. With Pierce looking at her as if she were on the menu, it
was difficult. Every part of her heated up. “I mean, if I ever found someone I’d want to marry, I think
I’d like to spend more alone time with them. At least in the beginning. Every couple needs to work at
their relationship, right?”
“You’re asking me?” he laughed. “I’ve never really been in a relationship.”
“Never?”
He shrugged. “I’ve had mistresses before. But that’s a wildly different situation.”
Her tongue whipped out, wetting her lips. “Definitely. More transactional than a romantic
relationship.”
He tilted his head slightly and Kelly caught the light glinting off of his dark hair. “Why do
you think that my mistresses and I weren’t romantically involved?”
“Because you refer to your previous lovers as mistresses. If you were romantically inclined
towards the women in your past, you’d call them partners, or girlfriends. Maybe even lovers.”
He lifted a dark eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying her comments. “And you are an
expert at dating?”
Kelly snorted. “Not even close.”
“You don’t date often?”
She pressed her lips together. “Why don’t we discuss your life instead? Mine isn’t all that
interesting.”
“Okay, I don’t mind sharing,” he said, but paused when the waiter arrived with their lunch.
When they were alone again, he dug into the fish as he continued, “My mother died when I was in my
early teens. I went off to college. My brother joined the Navy. Because I stayed in Boston during the
summer months to get in an extra semester of classes, and I couldn’t afford to come home, not to
mention, it would take over a week to get home on the bus, I wasn’t aware that my father had
abandoned my sisters.”
Kelly watched silently as he attacked his fish and the rice pilaf.
“I received a full scholarship to Harvard, but I never sent any money back home to my
sisters. Jenna had to drop out of high school to make enough money to feed herself and Ava. She then
went to community college to get her business degree. Meanwhile, my brother in the Navy was
sending money to keep them fed. I found out about all of this right before my final exams on my last
semester.”
 “I’m guessing you still aced your exams, didn’t you?”
He blinked at her, his blue eyes confused. “Yes. But that’s not the point.”
She waved a raspberry laden fork. “Please continue. I’m fascinated.”
He stared at her for a moment and, sadly, seemed to pull himself together. He shrugged one
of those deliciously broad shoulders. “There isn’t much more to tell. Jenna was already making a
success of the one hotel. Ava was marketing like a mad woman to bring guests to stay at the crazy
cabins that Felix and his fellow Navy SEALs kept building as a lark. The place became known as
one of the biggest hotel ‘challenges’ in the industry.”
“I read about some of the guest cabins. They look fascinating.”
Pierce grimaced. “Felix and his Navy kept trying to come up with a different bizarre
concept. I didn’t think that they thought anyone would actually want to stay in the cabins. Some of
them are hung from trees. A couple require a zip line to access. Another is in the middle of the lake
and guests need to row out to stay in that one.” He sighed and put his knife and fork down. “I
returned from college, realized what was going on and figured out the best way to help.”
“And helping, in your mind, was to buy up the next set of hotels?”
He grinned. “Exactly. I leveraged the success of my siblings to buy six more hotel
buildings. Felix renovated them, Ava decorated them, and Jenna works her magic on the operations
side of things. She’s brilliant at hiring people who are good fits for every site.”
Kelly smiled slightly. “She’s my counterpart in the industry. I’m the operations person. The
one everyone goes to when a problem comes up.”
“I’ve heard that you are excellent at your job,” Pierce replied.
Her mouth twisted slightly. “Thank you. I’m sure that my reputation will serve me well
when I have to find another job.”
He didn’t respond immediately. He took a sip of his wine and then asked, “Where is your
mother?”
A soft smile unconsciously formed on her lips. “My dad divorced my mom and kicked her
out of the house. For years, I had no idea where she was. I think that my father was cruel to her and
threatened legal action if she came near me. Which is why my grandfather raised me.”
“So, you don’t know where she is?”
Kelly perked up. “Oh, I know where she is now. She came to my high school graduation and
we talked. She explained what happened and…” she sighed and shrugged. “Well, we get together to
catch up about once a week. She lives out on the coast, less than a thirty minute drive from here.”
“That’s good. It’s nice to have a mother close by.”
“I agree.”
“What are you doing this weekend?”
She blinked and eyed him carefully, wary now. “I’m heading out of town.”
 “So, when can I see you again?”
Kelly looked at him, not sure why he would ask something like that. “Why would you want
to see me?” she demanded.
He gazed into her eyes. Her hand, which had been resting on the table beside her plate, was
suddenly enclosed in the warmth of his hand. “Because I want to get to know you better, Kelly.”
“Why?”
“Because you are a beautiful woman. You’re kind and intelligent. You have an amazing
amount of energy and…” he chuckled softly. “I don’t think I’ve ever had to explain why I’m
interested in a woman before.” He shrugged. “I want to see you again because I find you fascinating,
Kelly. No other ulterior motive. Just simple lust and interest.”
Kelly wasn’t sure how to respond to the “lust” part of his statement, so she ignored it. “You
are a fascinating person as well, but I don’t think we should consider any sort of a personal
relationship at this point in time.”
“Why not?” he asked, standing up with her and pulling out her chair.
“Because you’re trying to steal my company!” she hissed, painfully aware of the other people
dining at the tables nearby. She pasted on a bright, cheerful smile and pretended that her conversation
with Pierce was just a business discussion.
He put a hand to the small of her back as they left the dining room. She tried to pull away, not
wanting the other diners, many of whom were people she did business with occasionally and some
were donors to her camping charity.
“I’m not trying to do anything. I’m considering merging our similar companies together in
order to form a stronger corporation for both entities.”
“What will happen to the people in my company who are made redundant?” she demanded,
relieved when they finally reached the lobby. The lobby was still a public area, but the guests were
bustling around them. It would be harder to overhear their conversation. “There are accountants and
support personnel who aren’t going to be able to merge into this new entity, Pierce. Their lives are
going to be upended.” She didn’t say it, but her life, her job, would also be eliminated. There was
no need for two heads of operations in a single organization. Jenna performed the same role Kelly
did, and the other woman did it magnificently, according to the industry rumors.
“In the past, there has been attrition from employees who are ready to retire and were just
looking for a good enough reason. The others, we try to find places for them. Or we provide an
excellent severance package, as well as help finding a new position in another organization.”
“For everyone?” she asked, swallowing hard past the lump in her throat.
“Mostly everyone,” he admitted.
She stared at him, wishing that she didn’t feel this annoying attraction to the man. Was he
using his charm to get her to agree to the merger? What he didn’t understand was that she didn’t have
any say in the matter. She only owned ten percent of the stock in the Rushmond company. Her father
owned another ten percent and some mysterious third person owned another ten percent. Her
grandfather had maintained a fifty-one percent share in the company with the remaining nineteen
percent was owned by hedge funds and stock portfolios.
In other words, her grandfather’s decisions always won out over any other person’s
objections.
“I have to go,” she snapped and turned, walking away from the one man who actually
interested her. The only man she had to avoid!

Back in her office, Kelly sat down behind her desk, trying to figure out what needed to be
done. The supply orders were already reviewed and submitted. The new contracts for the cleaning
stock were finished, she just needed to sign them. The marketing plan was ramping up for the summer
season and…? And she was completely caught up! Wow!
“Kelly, could you come into my office for a moment?”
Kelly looked up to see her grandfather peeking around her office doorway. “Of course,” she
replied and immediately stood up, grabbing her leather notebook and a pen.
As soon as they stepped into the conference room, she recognized the man standing on the
other side of the table.
“Kelly, this is Sheldon Simmons. He has an interesting proposition for us.”
Kelly shook his hand and refrained from wiping her hand on her dress afterwards. The man’s
hands were slimy and clammy. Immediately, she thought of Pierce’s strong hands clasping hers. Had
it only been less than fifteen minutes ago? Goodness, it seemed like an hour or two had passed.
“Thanks for taking the time to meet with me, Mr. Rushmond.”
Kelly noticed that he didn’t say that he was glad to meet with her. Obviously, Sheldon
considered her peripheral to the conversation.
“Call me Clark, Sheldon. We’re not formal here,” her grandfather explained.
Sheldon smiled and, instantly, Kelly thought of a used car salesman.
“Thank you for reading through the merger proposal I sent to you earlier this week,” he
started off. “I really think that Rushmond Hotels and Top Shelf Spirits could have a lot of synergy if
your two companies were to merge into one.”
Kelly sat back, listening to the stupid idea. She and her grandfather had already discussed
the proposal, but hearing it spoken about out loud only made the merger sound even more ridiculous.
She thought she should get a medal for not rolling her eyes at some of the reasons Sheldon used to
justify the merger. At the end of the hour, Kelly needed a cup of coffee, just to wake up. The guy
wasn’t just stupid, he was boring!
“What do you think?” Sheldon asked, finally acknowledging her presence in the room.
Kelly stood up and extended her hand. “You have made some excellent points. Let me
discuss the salient issues with my grandfather and we’ll get back to you. Okay?”
Sheldon nodded eagerly. “Sounds great!” He picked up his briefcase and tilted his head
towards the door. “Would you mind walking me out?”
Kelly hesitated for only a moment, opening her mouth to refuse him and get her assistant to
walk him to the elevator. But at the last minute, she changed her mind and nodded. “Sure. I’d be
happy to.”
She glanced at her grandfather, who was watching the two of them walk towards the doorway
with concern in his eyes. She wasn’t sure why, because Sheldon seemed pretty tame. This guy was
like a purring, fluffy kitten compared to the lion that was Pierce Halliday. The two men might be of
the same gender, but that’s where the similarities ended.
At the elevator, she pressed the button and stepped back, smiling politely at the man. He was
tall, but not as tall as Pierce. And Sheldon didn’t have any of the muscles that helped to fill out his
expensive, but not well-tailored suit. While Pierce wore his suits like they were made just for him,
and they probably were, Sheldon’s suit seemed to hang on him. The man was thin, but not in a lithe,
athletic way. He was thin because…she stared up into his eyes and watched as he ran a quick finger
under his nose. A bead of sweat formed on his upper lip.
Huh! Sheldon was a drug addict. He’d seemed so…tame. That was the second time that
word had popped into her mind in reference to Sheldon, but it fit him.
“I was wondering if you would be willing to have dinner with me tonight,” Sheldon said,
holding his briefcase in front of him as he smiled graciously down at her.
Ick! Dinner? With a drug addict? Not a chance!
“My apologies, but I already have plans tonight. Maybe another time?” she offered, adding
in a friendly smile to ease the rejection.
“That would be great,” he replied. “How about Saturday night?”
Ugh. Talk about totally missing the hint. “I’m out of town this weekend,” she explained.
Before he could suggest another night, she quickly added, “What about lunch on Monday?”
He hesitated, slightly distracted when the elevator doors opened. Kelly put a hand to the
door to hold it while Sheldon figured out his next move. Finally, he nodded agreement. “Lunch on
Monday sounds great.”
“Good. I’ll review your proposal in more detail and will have additional questions by
then.”
Sheldon stepped into the elevator and nodded, his lips curling up into a tight smile. “Lunch
on Monday then. I look forward to it.”
Kelly waved, unwilling to lie to him again and tell him that she was looking forward to the
meeting as well. But she stepped back and allowed the doors of the elevator to close. Before they
did, she turned on her heel and walked away. The idea of smiling at the creep while waiting for the
doors to close was just not going to happen!
Chapter 6

“Darn it!” Kelly whispered after reading the text message.

“What’s wrong?” her grandfather asked as he walked into her office.
Kelly was just about to explain the situation to him when she looked up – straight into the
amused gaze of Pierce Halliday. Why? Why did he have to keep showing up? And why did her heart
have to race at the mere sight of him?
“Nothing,” she replied, smiling to her grandfather and trying to ignore Pierce. It was hard,
since the man was too big and too…yummy. But since thinking of him as “yummy” was
unprofessional, she tried to block out the view of his delicious shoulders by angling her head so that
her grandfather was in the way.
“Obviously something is bothering you.”
Kelly sighed. “Grandfather, perhaps I could discuss my personal problems when the enemy
isn’t around?”
Clark chuckled and turned to grin at Pierce. “You’ve made progress, son. You’re now the
enemy instead of just some guy.”
“What’s up?” Kelly demanded, bringing both men’s attention back to her. Frustration over
her weekend plans as well as her instant and unwelcome attraction to Pierce in her office was making
her snappy.
“Besides your temper?” her grandfather teased.
She gritted her teeth for a moment, glancing at Pierce. She saw the concern in his eyes and
steeled herself against the rush of warmth his concern generated.
“Just a lot to do before this weekend,” she explained. Another glance at Pierce and she
melted a bit more.
Straightening her shoulders, she tried very hard to avoid melting at his feet, which was a real
possibility.
“Damn it!” she muttered under her breath as soon as she realized what was happening.
“Kelly!” her grandfather quickly admonished.
Kelly rubbed her forehead, a headache looming in the near future. “I apologize, Mr.
Halliday. I’m just–”
Her grandfather picked up her phone and read the text message that was still visible on her
unlocked screen. “Your partner backed out of this weekend?”
“Partner?” Pierce demanded, his jaw tightening and he stepped forward as she glared at him.
“Not a romantic partner,” she told him firmly. “It’s the reason I couldn’t go out with you this
weekend for dinner.”
 “Ah,” he replied, trying to be calm, but she could see that it was a losing battle. For some
reason, that reaction soothed her somewhat. “You were going away with someone you are not
romantically involved with?”
Her grandfather, the conniver, turned and showed Pierce the message. “She was taking a
group of twelve kids camping this weekend. The other woman she works with on these trips backed
out. Apparently, her co-worker,” he emphasized that term, “broke her leg in a biking accident
yesterday. So if Kelly can’t find someone to help out this weekend, the kids can’t go on the camping
trip.”
“I’ll fill in,” Pierce announced, without skipping a beat.
There was a long, stunned silence and Kelly noticed that even the man himself looked a bit
shocked by his sudden offer. After a moment, Kelly pulled herself together and shook her head
emphatically. “You hate camping. You’ve already told me as much.”
“No, I told you that I don’t like roughing it.” He slid his hands into the pockets of his
immaculately tailored slacks. “There’s a difference between sleeping under the stars with no
protection and no food in my belly, versus taking a group of kids camping in the woods.”
She scrambled frantically to both process that newest piece of information, as well as
struggle to come up with an effective argument against his participation. She couldn’t spend the
whole weekend with Pierce! Her brain was still fried from a single lunch two days ago!
“But…we’ll be out in the woods,” she emphasized. “We’ll be in tents, however, the
campsite has only rudimentary bathrooms and they are a fair walk away from the sites I’ve chosen.”
She leaned forward, bracing her hands on the desk. “You won’t like it. We will be cooking our food
over a camp fire. The kids will help, but the food isn’t going to be gourmet meals. I create the meal
plans and buy the supplies, but the kids cook the food. They learn a few survival lessons, as well as
get out of the city.”
“Good,” he replied, crossing his delicious arms over his yummy chest. “You’ll cook the food
and I’ll gather the firewood.”
Kelly pulled back, not sure if she’d heard him correctly. His words definitely weren’t
“You’re right, I’ll back out now.” Nope, they were more along the lines of…!
“Wait - why do I have to cook?”
He grinned triumphantly. “Because I’m stronger and can carry larger logs. That means that
we’ll have a good fire going for most of the night.”
He had a valid point, but she just couldn’t do it! Not with Pierce. “There’s only one tent for
the leaders!” she explained, a note of panic seeping into her tone.
Her grandfather chuckled and walked out of her office, saying, “I’ll leave the two of you to
hash this out together.”
When they were alone, Pierce leaned over her desk, bracing his hands on her desk right
across from her, and leaned closer so their faces were mere inches apart. Too close!
 In an overly gentle voice, he said, “Kelly, I can keep to my side of the tent as long as you
behave yourself.” He tilted his head slightly. “What are you afraid of? Giving in to the attraction
between us and maybe …kissing me?”
She gasped, pulling back in horrified shock. “There will be no kissing!” she vowed.
“None!”
He laughed and pushed back. “Deal. No kissing on the camping trip.” He turned and headed
for the door to her office. “What time will I pick you up?”
Kelly thought about it for a moment, but her mind just wouldn’t function fast enough for her to
get out of the problem he presented. Camping? With Pierce? Oh, this was going to be a long
weekend!
When he paused, one hand on the frame of her doorway as he looked back at her expectantly,
she finally gave in. With a scowl, she said, “I’ll pick you up at four o’clock tomorrow afternoon.”
He started to say something, maybe to argue about who would drive. She remembered him getting in
and out of her Mini and smirked. Before he could get a word out, she explained, “The foundation has
a van. I’ll pick you up first before we head over to the church where the kids gather. Leave your
address with my assistant.”
“Deal,” he said, then vanished out the door.
Kelly suspected he was getting away before she could change her mind. But there were no
other options. She either accepted his help or she’d have to cancel the trip. She’d set up the
foundation and one of the requirements was that there had to be two adults present whenever there
were kids around. That way, the kids were protected. Plus, Kelly knew there weren’t any other
volunteers that had time this weekend to chaperone the trip.
She was stuck. But at least the kids didn’t have to lose out on a fun experience. That was
what she’d concentrate on. The kids would have fun. The hike on Saturday was an easy one, mostly
through flat areas, with lots of opportunities for impressive photographs.
And besides, it was only two nights. She could get through two nights. Maybe she’d stop
and buy an extra tent at the sporting good supply store.
Chapter 7

The world was conspiring against her, she thought as she pulled up at the address Pierce had left with
her assistant. Friday afternoon at four o’clock, right on the dot. She hadn’t found the time to grab an
additional tent, nor had she been able to coerce another volunteer into helping with chaperoning
duties. She was stuck!
So, here she was, parked in the stone-covered driveway of Pierce’s home, wondering how on
earth she was going to get through this weekend.
He would be late, she thought cynically, putting the van into park and pulling out her phone.
She’d send him one text message and if he didn’t appear, she would…!
The back doors to the extra-long van opened suddenly, startling her. Kelly swung around to
see Pierce toss a backpack into the back, then slam the doors shut.
She followed his progress around to the passenger side, then gasped when that door opened.
The man pulled himself into the van and she got a good look at his tight butt in the nylon hiking pants.
The arms of his knit shirt strained to contain his muscles and…good heavens, the man was buff!
Seriously, Kelly needed Pierce to walk right back into the house and put on one of his damn suits!
The material of his suits hid those arms. Even his forearms were ripped with muscles!
“Ready when you are,” he announced easily as he pulled the seat belt down and locked
himself in. Then he paused to look at her, lifting one dark eyebrow in inquiry.
Kelly suddenly realized that she was staring and jerked back to the present. “Right,” she
gasped and ripped her dazed gaze away from his arms. But even as she started the engine, those arms
continued to distract her. Dear heaven, he was built! What did he do to create those muscles? Was
he deadlifting elephants?
She surveyed his house. “This isn’t what I would have expected,” she commented, trying to
stop thinking about those muscles. Or his butt. Yeah, he had a very nice butt!
“What kind of place did you think I’d choose to live in?” he asked, extending his legs so that
he was more comfortable.
She shrugged as she backed up, then shifted into drive so that she could head downtown
where the church was located. “I don’t know. I guess I pictured you in something more modern.
Something with straight lines and hard angles.” She nodded towards the craftsman style house with
an enormous front porch. There were windows all over and a huge garden filled with flowers and
trees. This was a pollinator’s heaven!

“Is there something wrong with my house?” Pierce asked, noticing her eyes as they drove
slowly past the front lawn.
Kelly jumped and focused on driving. “No. Nothing is wrong with your house. It’s lovely.”
She bit her lower lip and he almost groaned. He wanted to bite her lower lip! He wanted to
taste that softness, feel her body melt against his as he nibbled his way along her lush body!
“How many bedrooms does it have?”
“Six bedrooms, seven bathrooms.”
She blinked, her full lips curling into a smile that caused every muscle in his body to tighten
with awareness. Was she doing that on purpose? Was she trying to drive him wild over the next two
nights and three days so that he would be brain dead by Monday?
“Why do you need seven bathrooms?”
He chuckled softly. “I didn’t build the house. I bought it because I like the view and the
garden.”
She blinked and glanced at him before quickly turning her gaze back to the road. “You like to
garden?”
“I do, but I rarely have time to work on the yard. I have a gardener who does most of the
work.”
“You…like growing flowers?”
“Of course. I like sitting on the front porch, drinking coffee while admiring the colorful
flowers.”
Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “That’s awfully…liberal of you.”
“What? Real men don’t notice flowers?”
She laughed and Pierce loved the sound.
“The men I’ve known only notice flowers when the woman they are romantically involved
with ask for them. Or if it is a holiday that they feel requires them to buy someone flowers. Such as
Mother’s day or Valentine’s day.”
“Color is a good thing to have in one’s life.”
She agreed, but didn’t want to admit that to him for fear that he’d become even more
attractive to her.
“How many times have you been camping?”
“Never,” he admitted.
Her gaze darted to him, then returned to the road. “Wait! I thought you knew all about the
outdoors! The first time we met, you said something about knowing the right and wrong trees. You
said…!”
He lifted a hand to stop the flow of words. “I’ve never been camping. That doesn’t mean I
don’t know how to survive outdoors.”
She frowned at him. “You said something along those lines the other day. Would you care to
explain that comment? And what did you mean about an empty belly?”
 “My brother and I tended to sleep outdoors during the summer months.”
“Why?”
Because it was safer. “We just preferred being outside. I knew all of the constellations by
the time I was ten, could bandage up cuts with the leaves from tea tree so that they didn’t become
infected, and knew how to identify poison ivy and oak, although I learned that one the hard way and
wouldn’t recommend it.”
She laughed and he thought she was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen.
“Will you tell me about the kids we’re chaperoning?”
For the next thirty minutes, as they drove from the Puget Sound side of Seattle to the rougher,
downtown region where the church was located, Kelly told him about the group of kids. They pulled
up to the parking lot where twelve kids were waiting on the sidewalk with sleeping bags and
backpacks. Pierce was shocked by what he’d learned about the kids and their troubled lives.
And by the time they were unloading the van, Pierce had been listening, horrified, to the kids
talk about the horrors they endured on a daily basis. He was more than ready to show these kids the
time of their lives this weekend! He got it. He used to be one of these kids, although sort of the
opposite. He’d lived in the woods without access to much. They lived in the inner city, and didn’t
have access to the resources that other, wealthier kids, took for granted.
“Okay everyone!” Kelly called out as the twelve kids stepped out into the lush forest, smiling
at the whisper of the wind through the trees. Everyone stood for a long moment absorbing the
peaceful quiet, staring up in awe at the tree canopies.
Kelly stood next to Pierce and his awe was just as profound. But for a completely different
reason. Kelly understood that these kids needed a moment. She didn’t start calling out orders to set
up camp. She didn’t send them to the back of the van to start unloading. She just let them…see and
absorb.
Damn, was there anything he didn’t like about her?

Sheldon flicked the point of the knife against the pad of his thumb, contemplating the silence
of his car. He’d been sitting out here, waiting for darkness to fall, more than ready to sneak inside
and stab the bastard. Pierce was not going to ruin this deal for him! No way! Pierce Halliday had
beat him too many times during their college days. It was his turn now! The deal with Rushmond and
Top Shelf Spirits was a good idea! He could feel it in his bones. This deal could put him up on the
lead list at his firm! He’d never made the top of the list before, his deals always usually falling
towards the bottom of the list.
But this deal would bring in millions! And he wanted that recognition! Hell, he wanted the
money too. But more than anything, he was sick of Pierce beating him!
According to his father, the best way to deal with one’s competition was to eliminate it. So,
that was what he was going to do.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
 — Mies, kuka oletkin, astu syrjään, sillä minulla on asiaa
jumalanaiselle.

— Minulla myös, oli kylmä vastaus, — sillä herramme Sandi on

pannut minut tänne, ja minä olen kuin hän; täällä olen seisonut joka
yö paitsi yhtä.

Mackineylla oli revolveri kädessään, mutta hän ei uskaltanut

ampua peläten hälyttävänsä majan asukkaat.

— Anna minun mennä, sanoi hän. Hän tunsi, pikemmin kuin näki,
pitkän keihään, joka oli ojennettu hänen rintaansa vastaan
pimeässä. — Anna minun olla, niin minä annan sinulle monta säkkiä
suolaa ja putkia enemmän kuin metsässä on puita.

Hän kuuli naurahduksen pimeästä.

— Annat liian paljon vähästä, sanoi ääni. — Oi Mlaka!

Mackiney kuuli jalkojen tömisevän; hän oli satimessa, sillä jossakin

hänen edessään aseistetut miehet sulkivat polun.

Hän kohotti revolverin ja ampui kaksi laukausta olentoon.

Keihäs vihelsi mennessään hänen ohitseen, hän syöksähti

eteenpäin ja kävi käsiksi polulla olevaan mieheen.

Hän oli vahva kuin nuori leijona, mutta hänen kurkkuunsa tarttuva
käsi ei myöskään ollut heikko. Hetkisen he kamppailivat, ja sitten he
kaatuivat kierien toistensa yli polulla.

Mackiney tavoitti toista revolveriaan. Hän sai kiinni perästä, kun

hän samassa tunsi väristyksen — jokin sattui hänen pehmeästi,
vasempaan kylkeen — jokin, joka pani hänen jokaisen hermonsa
tuskasta värisemään.

— Oh, taivas, sanoi Mackiney englanniksi.

Sitten hän ei puhunut enää.

*****

— Arabialainen vai valkoihoinen, sitä en tiedä, sanoi Monrovian

Bosambo, — eikä ole ketään sitä sanomassa, sillä mieheni olivat
nopeat tappamaan, ja vain yksi hänen joukostaan on elossa, eikä
hän tiedä mitään.

— Mitä olet tehnyt tälle arabialaiselle? kysyi Sanders.

He pitivät palaveria lähetysasemalla hämärän ensi hetkenä, ja

tyttö, kalpeana ja peloissaan, istui pöydän ääressä silmäillen vuoroin
toista, vuoroin toista, sillä hän ymmärsi kieltä heikosti.

— Herra, sanoi Bosambo, — hautasin hänet mieleni mukaan niin,

ettei kukaan tietäisi tästä hyökkäyksestä, koska se panisi pahoja
ajatuksia heidän päähänsä.

— Teit viisaasti, sanoi Sanders.

Hän palasi päämajaan hieman ymmällä, sillä hän ei tiennyt

tapauksen yksityiskohdista mitään.

Ja kun kuukautta myöhemmin hänelle saapui tärkeä tiedustelu,

koskeva muuatta Burney Mackineyta, hän vastasi
totuudenmukaisesti, ettei hän voinut antaa mitään tietoja.
KAUNOPUHEINEN NAINEN

Ngombilaisten joukossa oli nainen, jolla oli suloinen kieli. Kun hän
puhui, miehet kuuntelivat innokkaasti, sillä sensukuinen hän oli,
syntymästään asti voimakaspuheinen.

Hän villitsi oman kylänsä asukkaat niin, että he tekivät

hyökkäyksen Ranskan alueelle tuottaen suuren häpeän hänen
isälleen, sillä Sanders saapui kiiruusti pohjoiseen, ja nyt seurasi
voimakkaat pieksäjäiset, melkeinpä hautajaiset. Siitä isä havaitsi
viisaaksi naittaa tämän naisen miehelle, joka voisi pitää hänen
kielensä aisoissa.

Niin hän naitti hänet eräälle päällikölle, joka kuului ngombilaisiin, ja

tämä päällikkö rakasti häntä niin paljon, että teki hänet
päävaimokseen ja rakensi hänelle majan aivan omansa viereen.
Kaulassaan hän kantoi suurta messinkirengasta, suunnilleen
kahdenkymmenen neljän naulan painoista — suuri huomionosoitus,
jota miehen toiset vaimot kadehtivat.

Tämä päävaimo oli noin viidentoista vuoden ikäinen — joka on

Joella melkein keski-ikä — ja oli kaikin puolin viisas miesten tapaan.
Liiankin viisas, jotkut ajattelivat, ja varmaankin hänen herrallaan oli
valittamisen syytä, kun hän palatessaan metsästysretkeltään päivää
tai paria aikaisemmin kuin oli otaksuttu tapasi vaimonsa
onnellisempana kuin hän olisi toivonut, eikä ensinkään yksinäisenä.

— Mfasimbi, sanoi hän, kun nainen polvistui hänen eteensä

käsivarret ristissä paljaalla, ruskealla povellaan, — isäni aikoina
olisin taivuttanut kimmoisen puun ja sitonut sinut kaulastasi siihen, ja
kun pääsi olisi irronnut ruumiistasi, olisin polttanut sinut ja hänet,
joka häväisi minut. Mutta se ei ole vaikeitten miesten laki, ja minä
pidän sinua arvottomana naisena saattaakseni sinun tähtesi niskani
vaaraan.

— Herra, minusta ei ole paljon hyvää, sanoi nainen.

Koko päivän hän makasi maassa ympärillään koko kylän väki, jolle
hän puhui työmiesten sahatessa poikki messinkirengasta hänen
kaulastaan. Päivän mentyä rengas saatiin pois ja päällikkö lähetti
hänet takaisin vanhempansa luo, jolta hän oli tytön ostanut suurella
summalla. Hänen toimenpiteensä kohtasi suurta vastustusta, sillä
nainen oli käyttänyt aikansa hyödyllisesti, ja koko kylä oli niin
kuohuksissaan, että se oli valmis kapinaan.

Sillä ei yksikään nainen eroa miehestään — olipa hänellä sitten

Pariisin silkit ja hepenet tai Ngombin kamferttipuuta ja öljyä — ilman
vihan ja koston tunteita, ja tuskin oli Mfasimbi melottu miehensä
kylästä, kun hän suunnitteli kostoa.

Häntä seurasi maanpakoon se mies, jonka kanssa ja jonka tähden

hän oli pannut peliin ja hävinnyt niin paljon. Hänen nimensä oli
Otapo, ja hän oli hyvin penseä.

Heidän meloessaan nainen nousi polvilleen miehen taa ja sanoi:

 — Otapo, mieheni on tehnyt minulle suurta vääryyttä ja pannut
multaa pääni päälle, etkä sinä sano mitään.

— Miksi minä puhuisin, kun sinä olet puhunut liikaa? kysyi Otapo
kylmästi. — Kiroan sen päivän, jolloin sinut näin, Mfasimbi, sillä
erehdykseni on maksanut minulle kalaverkon, joka oli kylän paras, ja
palan uutta kangasta, jonka ostin kauppamieheltä; ne on herramme
päällikkö ottanut.

— Jos sinulla olisi ollut miehen mieli, niin Namani, mieheni, olisi
nyt kuollut, ivasi nainen.

— Olen tappanut itseni ja menettänyt verkkoni, sanoi Otapo, — ja

vielä kangaskappaleeni.

— Olet kuin akka.

— Toivon, että äitini olisi synnyttänyt tytön, kun hän synnytti minut,
sanoi Otapo, — silloin en olisi joutunut häpeään.

Nainen meloi vaiteliaana hetkisen ja sanoi sitten äkkiä:

— Tämä nainen on joko hullu tai hänelle on tehty suuri vääryys.

Hän sai pian siitä tiedon, sillä nainen juoksi rinnettä hänen
luokseen ja polvistui syleillen hänen jalkojaan.

— Iwa! Kuolema miehelleni Namanille, joka on valehdellut minusta

ja lyönyt minua, oi isien isä! huusi hän.

— Nainen, sanoi isä, — mitä tämä on?

Nainen kertoi hänelle tarinan — julman tarinan. Myöskin hän

kertoi, mikä tärkeintä, Otapon surman.
 — Tämä mies, puolustaakseen minua, vei minut mieheni luota,
joka pieksi minua, nyyhkytti hän, — ja mieheni seurasi, ja kun me
istuimme aterioimassa joen rannalla, mieheni keihästi hänet
takaapäin. Oi voi! — Ja hän kieriskeli tomussa isänsä jaloissa.

Päällikkö oli vihainen, sillä hän oli Namania korkeampi herra ja sitä
paitsi valvoi seudun rauhaa komissaarin puolesta.

— Tämä on tappopalaver, ja se on liian raskas minun

ratkaistavakseni, sanoi hän, — ja kun sinä sitä paitsi olet minun
tyttäreni, voitaisiin luulla, etten jaa oikeutta rehellisesti miehen ja
miehen välillä.

Niin hän astui kanoottiinsa ja matkasi Isauun, jossa Sanders oleili.

Komissaari oli selviämässä kuumepuuskasta eikä ollut mielissään

päällikön tulosta. Vielä vähemmän hän oli hyvillään kuultuaan
»kaunopuheisen naisen» tarinan.

— Menen surmapaikalle ja katson, mitä voin nähdä. — Hän meni

»Zairelle», ja hyvää vauhtia pieni siipialus kiiti paikalle, jonka nainen
osoitti. Sanders nousi maalle siinä, missä kanootin jälki vielä näkyi
hiekalla, sillä Joki ei nouse eikä laske huomattavasti kuukausiin.

Hän seurasi Mfasimbia metsään ja näki siellä Otapon maalliset

jäännökset, ja hän näki keihään.

Mfasimbi katseli häntä läheltä.

— Herra, sanoi hän uikuttaen, — tällä paikalla Namani tappoi

nuorukaisen Otapon, kun istuimme aterioimassa.

Sandersin tarkka silmä tähysti paikkaa.

 — En näe tulen jälkiä, sanoi Sanders äkkiä.

— Tulen, herra? änkytti nainen.

— Mihin ihmiset käyvät aterialle, siihen he tekevät tulen, sanoi

Sanders lyhyesti, — eikä tässä ole ollut tulta sitten maailman alun.

Hän vei naisen takaisin laivaan ja nousi jokea Namanin kylään.

— Mene, sanoi hän salaa hausakersantille, — ja ellei päällikkö

tule luokseni, niin vangitse hänet, ja jos hän tulee, niin ota huostaasi
hänen majansa ja naisensa.

Namani odotti tervehtiäkseen häntä, ja Sanders komensi hänet

laivalle.

— Namani, sanoi Sanders, — tunnen sinut kunnon mieheksi, eikä

sanaakaan ole sinua vastaan sanottu. Nyt tämä nainen, sinun
vaimosi, sanoo, että sinä olet murhaaja ja olet murhannut Otapon.

— Hän on valehtelija! sanoi Namani tyynesti. — En tiedä mitään

Otaposta.

Tarkka kuulustelu, jota kesti kaksi päivää, ei voinut osoittaa

päällikköä syylliseksi. Se pikemminkin loi epäilyttävän varjon
Mfasimbin luonteeseen; mutta maassa, jossa naisella on joukoittain
rakastajia, hän kärsi siitä vähän.

Kahden päivän kuluttua Sanders langetti tuomion.

— Olen tyytyväinen siihen, että Otapo on kuollut, sanoi hän, —

monesta syystä en ole varma siitä, että Namani tappoi hänet. Uskon,
että Mfasimbi on pahojen töiden nainen ja suuri lörpöttelijä, ja sen
vuoksi karkoitan hänet kaukaiseen maahan vieraiden ihmisten pariin.

Hän otti naisen laivalle, ja »Zaire» lähti.

Kahdenkymmenenneljän tunnin kuluttua hän tuli »metsän

kaupunkiin», Ochoriin, ja hänen laivansa vihellyksen kuultuaan kylän
väki tuli juosten rantaan.

Bosambo, Ochorin päällikkö, saapui viimeisenä, sillä hän saapui

juhlasaatossa ison taivaansinisen sateenvarjon suojassa, yllään
kiiltokullalla koristeltu vaippa, ja hänen edellään kulki kymmenen
vanhinta kantaen kullattuja keppejä.

Sanders katseli päällikön tuloa laivansa sillalta, eivätkä hänen

kasvonsa ilmaisseet minkäänlaisia tunteita. Kun Bosambo oli
päässyt laivalle, kysyi komissaari häneltä:

— Mitä lastenkujeita tämä on, Bosambo?

— Herra, sanoi Bosambo,— tällä tavoin saapuvat suuret kuninkaat

suurempien kuninkaiden luo, sillä olen nähnyt jumalanaisen luona
eräitä kuvia kirjoissa, ja niistä olen saanut oppia.

— Sillä tavoin ihmiset myöskin pukeutuvat, kun he menevät

ilveilemään, sanoi Sanders epämiellyttävästi. — Nyt olen tuonut
sinulle naisen, joka puhuu liian paljon ja jonka eräs mies karkoitti
luotaan ja joka on luullakseni murhannut toisen miehen, ja toivon,
että hän asuu sinun kylässäsi.

— Herra, niin kuin käsket, sanoi kuuliainen Bosambo ja katseli

tyttöä arvostelevasti.
 — Naita hänet, kun hän toivoo, sanoi Sanders, — mutta hänen
tulee kuulua sinun sukuusi ja sinä olet vastuussa hänestä siihen
saakka. — Herra, hän menee naimisiin tänä iltana, sanoi Bosambo
vakavasti.

Kun Sanders oli mennyt ja hänen katoavan laivansa savu häipynyt

puiden taa, kutsui Bosambo päämiehensä ja vanhimpansa
neuvotteluun.

— Miehet, sanoi hän, — herra Sandi, joka rakastaa minua

suuresti, on saapunut tuoden lahjoja — tämän naisen.

Hän viittasi kädellään sievään tyttöön, joka seisoi hänen

vieressään pikku kummulla, jolla neuvottelumaja oli.

— Hän on Ngombin ihanin nainen, sanoi Bosambo, — ja hänen

nimensä on Nlaminsafo, joka merkitsee Helmi, ja Sandi on maksanut
hänestä suuren summan, sillä hän tanssii kuin leopardi leikissään ja
hänellä on monta rakastettavaa ominaisuutta.

Tyttö ymmärsi Ochorin outoa murretta kylliksi, että tiesi ansioitaan

lueteltavan, ja kohotti jalkaansa kömpelösti.

— Hän on vaimojen vaimo, sanoi Bosambo painokkaasti, —

lempeä luonteeltaan ja suloinen, mainio maniokin keittäjä ja
tarinoiden kertoja — mutta minä en kuitenkaan voi mennä naimisiin
hänen kanssaan, sillä minulla on monta vaimoa ja minä olen kuin
vaha heidän käsissään. Niin että teistä voi ottaa hänet se, joka
maksaa reilusti ja pelottomasti, sillä ostattehan sitä, mikä on vuohia
ja suolaa arvokkaampi.
 Kymmenestä vuohesta ja tuhannesta putkesta Sandin »lahja»
siirtyi erään päämiehen omaisuudeksi.

Puhuessaan päävaimonsa kanssa asiasta Bosambo sanoi:

— Näin on Sandia toteltu, näin olen minäkin tyytyväinen ja kaikki

on tapahtunut Jumalan tahdon mukaan.

— Jos sinä olisit ottanut hänet, Muhamed, sanoi vaimo, joka oli
kanonainen ja harras uskovainen, — olisit tullut surulliseksi.

— Kirkkaan valon helmi, sanoi Bosambo vaatimattomasti, — sinä

olet elämäni ensimmäinen, niin kuin Jumala tietää; sinun tähtesi olen
luopunut muista jumalista ja uskon yhteen, voimakkaaseen ja
laupiaaseen; sinun tähtesi olen myöskin ostanut suuren
sateenvarjon kanokuninkaiden maihin.

Seuraavana päivänä Bosambo meni metsään eikä palannut,

ennen kuin viikko oli vierähtänyt.

Ochorilaisten tapana on, kuten muidenkin heimojen, mennä

päällikköä vastaan tämän palatessa metsästämästä, ja outoa oli,
ettei kukaan tullut häntä vastaan laulaen norsun laulua.

Kahdenkymmenen miehensä kera hän saapui melkein

huomaamatta majalleen.

Puolitiessä kylän kadulla hän tapasi vanhahkon miehen, joka

juoksi hänen luokseen.

— Herra, sanoi tämä, — älä mene Fabadinon, ylimmän

päämiehesi majalle.
 — Onko hänessä tauti? kysyi Bosambo.

— Pahempaa, herra, sanoi vanha kyynikko. — Hänellä on vaimo,

ja kuusi päivää ja suurimman osan kuudesta yöstä koko kylä on
istunut kuunnellen häntä.

— Mitä loruja hän puhuu? kysyi Bosambo.

— Hän puhuu kaikki asiat selviksi, sanoi vanhus, — ja kaikilla

hänen sanoillaan on tarkoitus, ja hän heittää valoa niin kuin itse
aurinko pimeihin aivoihin, ja kaikki näkevät hänen kanssaan.

Bosambolla oli mukanaan kaksikymmentä miestään, joihin hän

saattoi luottaa. Pimeys oli tulossa, ja kylän kauimmaisessa kolkassa
hän näki suuren nuotion, jonka luona »puhelias nainen» puhui ja
puhumistaan puhui.

Hän meni ensin majalleen. Hän tapasi kanovaimonsa yksikseen,

muut hänen majansa vaimot olivat kaikonneet.

Herra, en odottanut näkeväni sinua elävänä, sanoi nainen, niin

että varroin kuolemaa, kun sen aika tulee.

— Siihen menee monta vuotta, virkkoi Bosambo.

Hän lähetti vaimon kahden miehen saattamana metsään; loput

hänen miehistään lähtivät kaksittain ja kolmittain päämiehen majan
luona olevan joukon jatkoksi.

Ison nuotion loimuavat liekit valaisivat majan edessä levitetyin

käsin seisovaa hentoa olentoa.
 —… Kuka teki teidät orjan orjiksi — Bosambon orjiksi? Kuka antoi
hänelle vallan sanoa: »Menkää» tai: »Jääkää»? Ei kukaan. Sillä eikö
hän ole ihminen kuin tekin, ei erilainen rakenteeltaan, ei
tarkempisilmäinen, ja jos pistätte häntä keihäällä, eikö hän kuole
kuin tekin kuolette?

Ja Sandi, eikö hänkin ole ihminen, vaikka valkea? Onko hän

voimakkaampi kuin Efambi tai Elaki tai Jako? Minä sanon, että te
ette ole vapaita ihmisiä niin kauan kuin Bosambo elää tai Sandi elää.

Bosambo oli mies, jolla oli eläimen vaistot. Hän tunsi ilmassa
levottomuutta. Jokainen väräjävä hermosäie toi hänelle viestin:
hänen miehensä olivat luisumassa pois hänen vallastaan. Hän ei
epäröinyt.

Suuri joukko kansaa seisoi hänen ja naisen välillä. Hän ei päässyt

tähän käsiksi.

Irroittamatta katsettaan naisesta hän pani kätensä kilven alle ja otti

pitkän heittokeihään. Hänellä oli tilaa heittoon; tasapainossa ja
notkuvana ase oli hänen aivan suoraksi ojennetussa kädessään.

Hiu-ii!

Kiiltävä kärki suhahti ilman läpi nopeammin kuin katse voi seurata.

Mutta nainen oli nähnyt ojennetun käden ja tunsi heittäjän, ja hän

juoksi syrjään.

Keihäs sattui hänen takanaan seisovaan mieheen — Fabadimoon,

ylimmäiseen päämieheen, joka kuoli ääntä päästämättä.
 — Bosambo! kirkui tyttö ja viittasi. — Bosambo, tappakaa —
tappakaa!

Bosambo kuuli keihäiden kalinan ja pakeni pimeyteen.

*****

Sanders makasi riippumatossa, jonka toinen pää oli kiinnitetty

kuistinkaiteeseen ja toinen hänen bungaloonsa seinään iskettyyn
koukkuun. Hän luki, tai ainakin koetti lukea pitkää ja virallista kirjettä,
joka oli saapunut päämajasta. Se koski erästä Sandelsin lähettämää
veromäärää, ja arvatenkin tämä lähetys oli ollut eräissä suhteissa
liian pieni.

— Herra, tällä on kirja, sanoi mies.

Sanders oli heti hereillä ja pystyssä riippumatostaan.

Linnun punaisen jalan ympärille oli pitkällä kuminauhalla kiinnitetty

kahden savukepaperin suuruinen silkkipaperi. Hän avasi sen.

Kopiokynällä oli kirjoitettu arabiaksi muutamia sanoja:

Abibulta, Jumalan palvelijalta, Sandille, kansansa ainavalvovalle

isälle.

Rauha sinulle ja talollesi. Julistaen, että on vain yksi Jumala,

totinen ja jakamaton, ilmoitan sinulle, että sinun Bosambolle
antamasi nainen saa aikaan suurta hämminkiä. Tämän ilmoittavat
sanansaattajani, Bosambon paettua kahdenkymmenen miehen
kerällä Isisin rajalle.
 Kirjoitettu Isisi-joella paikassa, jossa krokotiilisärkät kohtaavat
nuolen muotoisina.

Abibu oli jätetty kylään, josta Mfasimbi oli karkoitettu. Hänet oli
jätetty selvittämään Otapon kuoleman salaisuutta, eikä häntä
helposti säikytetty.

Vedettyään jalkaansa hyttyssaappaat Sanders meni

hausaupseerin taloon.

Hän tapasi tämän herran yksinään teetä juomassa.

— Tarvitsen sinua, sanoi Sanders. — Ochorissa on meteli.

Upseeri kohotti kulmiaan. Hän oli kahdenkymmenenviiden vuoden

kyynillisellä puolella oleva nuori mies.

— Eihän vain lempeä Bosambo, vastusteli hän, — eihän vain tuo

ritarillisuuden perikuva?

— Älä ole koomillinen, Hamilton, sanoi Sanders. — Ochorilaiset

ovat kuohuksissa, ja jossakin siellä lähellä on naislähetyssaarnaaja.

Kapteeni ponnahti jaloilleen.

— Siunatkoon, unohdin naisen tykkänään! huudahti hän. Hän otti

rintataskustaan pillin ja puhalsi, ja paljasjalkainen mies juoksi
vahtikojusta pienen kentän poikki.

— Ta-ta-ta! sanoi kapteeni, ja joukon kokoontumiskutsu soi.

— Mikä tämä jupakka oikeastaan on? tivasi hän, ja lyhyesti

Sanders selitti tilanteen.
 Täyttä höyryä »Zaire» puski jokea ylös. Päivän ja yön se höyrysi,
kunnes tuli »paikkaan, missä krokotiilisärkät kohtaavat toisensa
nuolen muotoisina», ja Sanders pysähtyi ottamaan Abibun ja
kourallisen hausoja.

Sanders kuuli helpotuksekseen, ettei taistelu ollut ulottunut

lähetysasemalle saakka.

— Entä Bosambo? kysyi hän.

— Elävä vai kuollut, en tiedä, sanoi Abibu filosofisesti, — ja jos

hän on kuollut, hän kuoli uskovaisena, sillä kanonainen, jonka hän
otti vaimokseen, uskoo yhteen Allahiin ja Muhamediin, hänen
profeettaansa.

— Kaikki tämä voi olla totta, sanoi Sanders kärsivällisesti, — mutta

minua kuitenkin vähemmän huvittaa hänen
kuolemattomuussuunnitelmansa kuin hänen ruumiinsa nykyinen tila.

Siitä ei Abibu osannut kertoa mitään, paitsi että Bosambo oli

vetäytynyt eräälle kymmentä mailia kauempana olevalle saarelle ja
oli ollut siellä vielä kaksi päivää sitten.

Näillä paikoin joki mutkittelee ja polveilee, eikä keskellä olevalla

saarella aavistettu mitään, ennen kuin »Zaire» kääntyi äkkimutkan
takaa esiin.

— Asettukaa konekivääreille! sanoi Sanders terävästi.

Hausakapteeni istahti toisen messinkivaippaisen konekiväärin

satulaan, ja Abibu otti toisen.

Vesi kiehui kanootteja.

 Ochorilaiset hyökkäsivät saarta vastaan; »Zairen» rattaan jyske
hukutti kaiken muun äänen.

— Tappelevat mainiosti, virkahti kapteeni. — Mitä sanot, Sanders?

Sanders seisoi käsi ruorirattaassa, odottavana, katse kiinteästi

eteen tähystäen.

Nyt hän näki selvästi. Yksi joukko oli astunut maihin, ja siellä kävi
kiivas käsirysy.

— Antaa mennä, sanoi hän, ja kaksi paukkuvaa tulisuihkua

syöksyi konekivääreistä.

Vastaukseksi kanootit kuin taikavoimasta muodostivat ensin kaksi,

sitten kolme, sitten neljä taistelulinjaa, ja hurjaa vauhtia ne tulivat
myötävirtaa.

Sitten toinen konekivääri lakkasi toimimasta; tuli keihäskuuro, ja

yksi hipaisi Sandersia.

Hetkessä pieni alus oli piiritetty — konekiväärin taika oli pettänyt

ensi kertaa Joella. Se oli niin odottamatonta, niin hämmästyttävää,
että miehelle voitaisiin antaa anteeksi hämmentyminen sellaisessa
tilanteessa; mutta Sandersin käsi ei vavissut, kun hän pyöräytti
peräsinrattaan ympäri ja höyrylaiva teki täyskäännöksen.

Hausat ampuivat karbiineillaan täysilaidallisia; päähän

haavoittunut kapteeni korjasi järkkymättömänä konekiväärin lukkoa.

»Zaire» kiiti täyttä höyryä myötävirtaa alas. Kanootit eivät

pysyneet sen matkassa, lukuunottamatta yhtä, joka oli kiinnitetty sen
kylkeen; hausat tappoivat pistimillä siinä olijat pyytämättä ja
kuulematta selityksiä.

— Olen saanut konekiväärin korjatuksi, sanoi kapteeni ja pani

syöttäjään uuden panosvyön.

Sanders nyökkäsi. Sana peränpitäjälle, ja »Zaire» kääntyi. Se

palasi kanoottilinjoja kohti konekivääri säännöllisesti paukkuen.

Toinen linja joutui sekasortoon ja murtui, kolmas ei kehittynyt

lainkaan. Pakenevien kanoottien keskellä oli muuan toisia suurempi.
Sen perässä seisoi nainen viittoillen ja puhuen.

— Abibu, sanoi Sanders, ja hausa antoi konekiväärinsä toisen

huostaan ja tuli herransa luo. — Näetkö tuon naisen tuolla
kanootissa?

— Herra, näen hänet, sanoi Abibu.

— Minusta tuntuu, sanoi Sanders vakavasti, — että hänen olisi

parasta kuolla.

Hän soitti konehuoneeseen pysähtymismerkin, ja koneiden häly

lakkasi. »Zaire» kulki eteenpäin tärisemättä, ja Abibu asettui
pitkäkseen kannelle, pani kiväärin poskelleen ja tähtäsi huolellisesti.

*****

He tapasivat Bosambon tunnottomana suuren ruumiskasan alta.

Hän makasi poikittain kanonaisen päällä, joka myöskin oli elossa,
sillä Bosambo oli saanut ne iskut, jotka olivat häneen tähdätyt.

Hänessä oli, kuten Sanders laski, kaksikymmentäviisi haavaa.

 — Herra, hän kuiskasi, kun Sanders seisoi hänen vieressään, —
enkö sanonut, että ochorilaiset osaavat tapella?

— He ovat tapelleet erään asian vuoksi, lapseni, sanoi Sanders

irvistäen.

Bosambo irvisti hiukan.

— Herra, sanoi hän pehmeästi, — kun menen takaisin heidän

luokseen, niin he tulevat surullisiksi.

Ja he tulivat myöskin.
RUKOILEVA MAURILAINEN

Abibu kertoi Sandersille, että muuan arabialainen oli tullut

tapaamaan häntä, ja arabialaiset ovat Rannikolla harvinaisia, vaikka
muutamilla tummaihoisilla, seemiläisistä polveutuvilla miehillä onkin
tämä kunnioitettava titteli.

Sanders tuli kuistille odottaen tapaavansa kanolaisen ja

hämmästyi nähdessään siellä kyykkimässä oikeaa maurilaista
tyyppiä olevan miehen. Tämä istui kädet polvillaan, kietoutuneena
tahrattomaan, valkeaan dzellabiin.

— Oletko Marokosta, kysyi Sanders arabiaksi, — vai Dakarista?

Mies nyökkäsi.

— Dakarilaiset ovat koiria, sanoi hän tarinoitsija-ammattilaisen

laulavalla äänellä. — Eräs mies, joka oli äitini serkku, varasti
talostani kaksikymmentä douroa ja palasi Dakariin rannikkolaivalla,
ennen kuin ehdin tavoittaa ja piestä hänet. Toivon, että hänet on
tapettu ja hänen perheensä myöskin. Bismallah. Jumala on hyvä.

Sanders kuunteli, sillä hän tiesi tangerilaisten olevan puheliaita.

 Mies jatkoi. — En välitä, olipa mies Alin tai Sulin sukua.
Molemmissa on varkaita.

— Miksi tulit tänne? kysyi Sanders.

— Tunsin kerran miehen, joka istui suuressa sokissa. (Sanders

antoi hänen kertoa tarinansa omalla tavallaan.) Ja kaikki maan
asukkaat, jotka toivat kasviksia ja sysiä torille, suutelivat hänen
dzellabinsa lievettä ja antoivat hänelle lantin. Hän oli vanha,
valkopartainen mies ja istui rukousnauha sylissään lukien Koraanin
suria. Tangerissa ei ollut ketään, joka ei olisi suudellut hänen
dzellabiaan ja antanut hänelle viittä senttimoa, paitsi minä. Kun
kaukaisten kylien ihmiset tulivat, oli tapanani mennä erääseen
paikkaan lähelle hänen pienen valkean talonsa ovea ja katsella
hänelle tulevaa rahavirtaa. Päivänä muutamana, kun aurinko oli
hyvin kuuma ja minä olin viipynyt kauan sen jälkeen, kun viimeinen
vieras jo oli mennyt, hadsi kutsui minut luokseen ja minä istuuduin
maahan hänen eteensä. Hän katsoi minuun mitään puhumatta, siveli
vain hitaasti valkeata partaansa. Pitkän aikaa hän istui siten silmät
tutkien minun sieluani. »Poikani», sanoi hän viimein, »mikä on sinun
nimesi?» »Abdul as Israel», minä vastasin. »Abdul», hän sanoi,
»monet tuovat minulle lahjoja, mutta sinä et milloinkaan». »Jumalan
ja Hänen Profeettansa kautta», vannoin minä, »olen köyhä mies,
joka usein kärsin; minulla ei ole ystäviä». »Mitä minulle puhut, on
valhetta», sanoi pyhä mies, sitten hän taas oli vaiti. Viimein hän
puhui. »Rukoiletko, Abdul?» kysyi hän. »Neljästi päivässä», minä
vastasin. »Rukoilet neljästi päivässä, mutta joka päivä uudessa
paikassa», ja hän viittasi kädellään näin.

Abdul Asrael vei kätensä hitaasti silmiensä ohi.