Deadly Gift (9 page)

The nurse gasped.

Will Travis laughed.

“I never!” the nurse said. She was a large, boxy woman, and indignation was clear on her features.

“I’ll bet that’s true,” Amanda muttered nastily.

“Amanda, my love, put on your coat, please,” Sean said from the bed. He seemed fully awake and aware, despite the mild sedative he had been given.

“Oh. Oh, dear,” Amanda said sarcastically. She stooped smoothly to retrieve her coat.

“Mrs. O’Riley, we’ll not have such behavior in this hospital,” the night nurse said firmly. “Ye’ve disturbed Mr. O’Riley, and he needs his sleep if he’s to be leaving in the morning.”

“Fine,” Amanda said with a huff. She looked at Sean, and he looked back with a glimmer of humor in his eyes.

“Sorry, dear,” he said, clearly amused.

“You’ll have to leave,” the nurse insisted to Amanda.

“Me? I’m his wife,” Amanda protested.

“And ye canna be trusted,” the nurse said.

“Dear, we’re leaving in a matter of hours,” Sean reminded her. Zach noticed that the older man still looked amused, and even a little bit proud. Well, he was in his seventies, with a beautiful young wife. He deserved to puff himself up a bit. “Zach, Amanda was just trying to cheer me up, but I think it would be better if I got some more sleep right now. Will you see her back to the hotel for me?”

Zach glanced at Caer, and she looked back at him steadily. She would be here, and Will Travis had remained on duty. He bowed to Sean’s will and turned to Amanda.

“Come on, Amanda, let’s get you back to the hotel. We all have to be up early, anyway.”

She nodded grudgingly, then smiled at her husband. “Tomorrow night we’ll be back home, sweetie,” she said.

“Where you’ll have to practice a bit of restraint for a while, as well,” Caer told her firmly.

Amanda flushed furiously as Caer went on, “You’d be risking his life. Haven’t you understood that?”

Amanda at last had the grace to appear abashed.

“I only want to help Sean get better,” she announced indignantly. She stared at them all defiantly for a moment, then moved to the bed and kissed Sean tenderly on the forehead. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight for a moment.

Then he released her. “Get on back to the hotel,” he told her.

“Yes, darling,” she said, and straightened with great dignity.

Unfortunately, the effect was ruined by the blinking lights that continued to shine from beneath her coat. She started for the door but stopped when Sean said, “Amanda?”

“Yes?”

“Your chest is still lighting up like a neon sign,” he informed her wryly.

“Oh!” For the first time she actually had the grace to look embarrassed.

She dug into her coat and found whatever little gizmo turned the lights out. Then she tossed the freshly coiffed length of her platinum blond hair from away from her face and proceeded out of the room.

Zach followed her, glancing back at Caer. She offered him a small smile that she couldn’t quite conceal, and yet there was something grave in her eyes, and he knew that they were both wondering if Amanda had come out of love for her husband or…

If she understood the gravity of the stress the illness had put on Sean’s heart, and had come offering what she knew might well be a death sentence.

A
manda sat next to Sean for the flight home, and Zach was next to Caer.

She had told him that she had never flown before, and judging by her nervousness, that was certainly no lie.

She was tense and embarrassed, but he couldn’t help being aware of the subtle scent of her perfume. When his arms brushed against hers, he felt her warmth and something deeper, her unique vitality and vibrancy, like pure fire. He moved quickly away, feeling ridiculous for being so entranced by a woman he couldn’t help being suspicious of. The thought haunted him constantly, like an otherworldly warning never to accept the obvious, and not to fall too deeply beneath the spell of those cobalt eyes and the lilt in her tone. It was odd, because as much as he sensed that there was something she wasn’t telling him, when he watched her with Sean, she seemed absolutely genuine.

As they waited to take off, the flight attendant came by with champagne, orange juice and mimosas. Caer started digging in her purse for money, so he reached over and touched her on the arm to get her attention. “It’s all right. It’s free in first class.”

She put away her money, thanked the flight attendant and took a mimosa, then sat back and sank into her thoughts.

Maybe she was worried about dealing with Amanda, he thought.

In his entire life, Sean had never been anything but courteous to those around him, even when he was working to develop the small, struggling business he’d inherited into the successful concern it was now.

For Amanda, life had been a bit different. Sean had worked for the money he had. Amanda had married into it. He knew that she considered herself superior to the hired help, and in her mind, that’s all Caer was. Amanda had made it clear that she didn’t see any need to bring Caer back to the States with them, but Sean disagreed. And when Sean had decided on something, not even Amanda could dissuade him.

She knew that. She had tested her limits early in their marriage and finally learned them.

Zach just hoped she stopped glaring at Caer and didn’t spend her time thinking up ways to make her stay in the U.S. a misery.

As the plane sped down the runway, he saw Caer grip the armrests so hard that her knuckles were white.

He reached over, placing his hand on hers. “We’re just getting up to the speed we need for takeoff,” he told her.

“Thank you,” she said softly, but he could tell that she was still nervous.

He kept his hand on hers until they had left the ground and were leveling out. Then, slowly, he released her hand.

She made an effort to release the armrest.

What a contrast she was, he thought. Fearless, determined, knowledgeable, cool—until it came to something as simple as riding in an airplane.

It was a long flight, and he spent most of it keeping an eye on what his traveling companions were up to.

Caer got up several times to speak with Sean and make sure he took his medication—despite the chilly looks Amanda shot her way every time. She remained low-key, something Amanda no doubt appreciated. He had to admit, he had found it difficult to look Amanda in the eye that morning.

In fact, he had a feeling he might never look at her again without remembering her breasts blinking red and green.

He helped Caer with her headphones, and smiled later when she actually enjoyed the chicken pasta she chose for lunch. She also had a glass of champagne, but he noticed that she sipped it slowly. As much as she seemed to savor the taste of alcohol, she wasn’t about to overdo it.

She fell asleep shortly after lunch, so he allowed himself to rest, as well. In fact, despite the fact that it was a day flight, when he woke up after a short nap and looked around, he saw that most of the passengers he could see were sleeping soundly, including Amanda and Sean.

He rose and stretched, then walked silently over to check on Sean. He felt a little foolish, like a new father standing over his baby just to make sure the infant was breathing, but given everything that had happened…

Sean was breathing.

When Zach turned back, he saw that Caer was awake and studying him, eyes dark and thoughtful. She didn’t look away; instead, she lifted a brow and tipped her head to the side, indicating Sean.

Zach nodded, letting her know that the older man was fine.

They were served dinner before landing, since they were landing at night, despite having left in the morning. Caer seemed bemused to be eating again so soon.

When they deplaned at Kennedy Airport, she seemed a bit overwhelmed, just staring. Dublin was certainly a sizeable city, but no one, he thought, could really be prepared for the reality of New York, the sheer number of people, the speed at which everyone moved, the plethora of accents—
the noise
. She had stepped out boldly, but now he saw her just standing there as people rushed past her. She looked as if she were simply trying to breathe while she assimilated the sounds and sights around her.

“Ah, there you are,” Sean announced, as he was wheeled behind her, an airport employee pushing the wheelchair that had been waiting for him. He’d groused about it, but they’d all—including Amanda—vetoed the idea of his walking, Amanda muttering beneath her breath that if
sex
was too much for his heart, she certainly wasn’t going to tax it with a long walk.

“First time in New York, huh?” the airport employee asked, smiling. He was a very tall black man, both dignified and friendly. He wore a name tag that identified him as Samuel Smith.

Caer looked at him and smiled, nodding.

“Yeah, yeah, how cute,” Amanda said, walking by. “Come on, let’s go. We don’t have that much time between flights. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Sorry,” Caer said, and started walking. Suddenly she stopped and looked back. “Mr. Smith, am I going the right way?”

“Indeed you are. Straight ahead. Just follow the signs and don’t worry about me. I’m so good at navigating these strollers, I could probably win the Indy 500.”

When he saw the blank expression on Caer’s face, Zach stepped up beside her. “It’s a car race,” he told her, slipping an arm through hers. Amanda was being particularly annoying, he thought, and felt an urge to make it up to Caer somehow. “Maybe there will be some time to pop back down here. New York is one of the most amazing cities in the world.” He flashed her a smile. “With lots of good Irish history.”

They cleared customs in good time and changed terminals. The much smaller plane that would take them to Rhode Island was already there and boarding. As they stepped onto the plane, Caer looked a little white again. “No champagne on this one, huh?” she whispered to Zach.

He laughed. “No, but they do carry alcohol,” he whispered. She flushed.

There was a row of single seats on one side of the aisle, with double seats on the other. Zach was once again next to Caer, with Amanda and Sean in front of them. Once again, Caer gripped the armrests as they took off.

This time, when he set his hand on hers, she actually flashed him a smile of gratitude. It was a rocky flight; she was gripping his hand by the time they had been in the air for fifteen minutes.

“This is a short flight at a lower altitude, and that’s why you’re feeling the air, plus it’s a much smaller plane, moving at a slower rate. But there’s nothing to fear. Think of it as if you were on the water. The air has waves, just like the sea, and we’re moving over those waves.”

She nodded, but she didn’t let go of his hand.

As he’d said, it was a short flight, and after they cleared the plane and collected their luggage, they climbed into the limo that was waiting for them. Zach handled the luggage—and there was a lot of it—with the driver, and at last, they were driving toward the house. Caer didn’t seem put off by the limo, Zach noticed. In fact, she seemed to love it. She seemed particularly enamored of the fact that there were bottles of water, soda and liquor in deep built-in wells.

“I’ll have a water, if you don’t mind,” Sean said.

“I’ll have a whiskey,” Amanda said, sounding bored.

Caer handed Sean a water as Zach reached in and found a whiskey. “Want some ice with that?” he asked Amanda.

“No way. Just hand over the bottle,” Amanda said. “I need something to get me ready to face the fury.”

“She means Kat,” Sean explained to Caer dryly.

Caer looked questioningly at Zach, who merely shrugged. “We all see the world in different ways,” he said lightly.

“Of course we do, Mr. Flynn,” Amanda said irritably. “
You,
of course, have a vested interest in seeing her as an angel. She’s making him a mint,” Amanda explained to Caer, as if they were suddenly best friends.

“Amanda, that’s not true,” Sean put in. “Kat is doing very well
thanks
to Zach managing her career. And he doesn’t need anyone to make him a mint—he, Aidan and Jeremy are doing extremely well with their investigation firm.” He turned to Caer. “Did you know he was a policeman in Miami? Now there’s a city you should see if you can stay in America a while after you’re done taking care of me. I don’t think I’m going to need a nurse for very long, you know.”

“I certainly hope that’s true, but you
do
need a nurse right now,” she told him gravely.

He smiled. “I know I need a nurse at least through the holidays,” he said, winking at Zach as if he were offering him a gift.

Amanda sighed in impatience and looked out her window.

As they entered Newport, Caer looked out at the long row of mansions, each decorated for the upcoming holiday stylishly and tastefully, but to the hilt. One tree was covered entirely in blinking lights of red and green, and she turned to Zach, a small smile on her face, and he couldn’t help but smile back, knowing they were sharing a memory of Amanda and her light-up breasts.

The driver slowed down, and Zach watched Caer’s eyes fill with admiration as she caught her first sight of the house.

The O’Riley place sat atop a hill on more than an acre of land. The rear of the house sloped gracefully down to the cliff walk. It had massive pillars, and a cupola with a widow’s walk. Painted white, it was simply beautiful and majestic. Because it was Christmas, a large crèche had been set up on the front lawn, and holly swags and evergreen boughs had been twined together and were wound around the pillars.

Lights gleamed from within.

Zach let himself out and stared up at the house. He saw someone staring down at them from one of the second-floor windows and waved. It had to be Bridey.

The front door opened, and Kat came racing down the walk. She was a redhead, with her hair cropped short, and she’d dramatically highlighted the color since the last time he’d seen her, so she looked like a ball of fire flying across the lawn.

“Dad!” she cried. “Oh, Dad!”

“Kitten,” Sean said in reply.

For a moment Zach was afraid she might throw herself into her father’s arms and knock them both backward into the limo. But she stopped a foot away, took a breath and walked toward him before wrapping her arms around him carefully and gently.

Sean held her as if she were the most precious being in the world.

Then Amanda exited the car, slamming the door loudly, as if to make sure everyone knew she was there.

“Hello, Kat,” she said coolly.

Kat mumbled something against her father’s chest.

“Such a loving child,” Amanda said with saccharine sweetness.

Kat pulled away from her father. “Isn’t it lovely that he has one—and married one, too?”

“Excuse me. We have visitors,” Sean said sternly.

“Visitors? Kat, this is Miss Cavannaugh, the
nurse
your father
hired
in Ireland,” Amanda said. “And Zach is really
family,
isn’t he?”

Kat looked at Caer, intrigued, as she offered her a hand. “How do you do? Welcome to Rhode Island.” She was obviously pleased that her father had found a gorgeous young nurse—one who irked her stepmother.

“Thank you,” Caer said. “Lovely to meet you.”

Even though the situation’s possibilities clearly pleased her, Kat couldn’t keep her attention from her father for long and turned back to him. “Dad, are you all right? Really?”

“I am. Really. I have a bucket of pills that Caer makes me take, but other than that, I’m doing great. Now how about we go inside?”

Kat slipped her arm through her father’s and started slowly toward the house.

The limo driver was struggling with the luggage as Amanda brushed past Kat and Sean. Zach and Caer followed, and Zach saw Tom, the caretaker, come out to welcome his employer home. The two men embraced warmly; Sean had always earned not only loyalty but genuine affection from everyone who worked for him.

After welcoming Sean home, Tom came forward to help with the bags, but Zach noticed him staring curiously at Caer.

Zach nudged her and smiled. “You’ll like Tom. He’s originally from Ireland.”

“Glad to see you got the boss home, well and fine,” Tom said, still staring curiously at Caer.

Zach quickly made the necessary introductions.