Games (Timeless Series) (26 page)

After dinner, she
waited in the library until well past ten, hoping to catch him as he came in. Regret washed over Giselle when it became obvious. Simon was not going to return before she retired for the night. With shoulders slumped, she climbed the stairs on the way to her room, wondering where he was and why he hadn’t shown up. The entire time she dressed for bed, her thoughts stayed on the man. They were still there when she finally fell into a troubled sleep caused by her worry for him.

~~

Simon rode in an hour or so after dark. When Jake strode up, he waved him off. “I’ll groom him. I need the activity to clear my mind.”

Jake nodded
. “Suit yourself.”

He took his time with the task
. Since Jake worked in the next stall, Simon decided to pick the man’s brain a bit. “So, Jake, how long have you worked for the Thorpes?”

“About five years now
. I worked with Colin’s dad and Gus in Virginia before then.”

“You and Colin are from Virginia?”

Jake nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“What made you come all this way?”

He laughed. “An offer too good to refuse. It all worked out. This is one of the best places to work.”

“Oh, how so?”

“The pay’s right and the job’s interesting.” He shrugged. “Both Colin and Gus know their business and I’ve learned a lot about breeding here. I get to work with some of the best horseflesh I’ve ever seen. And that’s saying a lot, given Colin’s father had some fine animals.”

Simon kept the conversation going, talking about inconsequential stuff, until Jake asked him, “If you’re looking for something to do, you can join me for dinner
. Nothing fancy, just some grub the cook stirs up. It’s tasty enough. Afterward, I’ll probably sit in a while with a couple of the guys for poker. Should be a friendly game and shouldn’t go too late.”

He readily agreed
. It would serve dual purposes, avoiding Giselle and gathering more information.

The mess room had several tables
. Most were empty, as the majority of the hands had already eaten. A big stew kettle simmered on an oversized pot-bellied stove. Warm biscuits rested in a round pan next to it.

Simon followed Jake, picking up utensils and a tin plate
. He held the dish out while Jake filled it full of delicious-smelling stew. Jake placed a couple of biscuits on Simon’s plate, and after filling his own, he added a few for himself. He poured two cups of the strong coffee and handed one to Simon.

They went over to two empty chairs at one of the tables
and sat.

While Simon ate, he surreptitiously looked around, taking note of the easy camaraderie in the warm room
. The men’s voices were jovial, if muffled a bit. He felt comfortable sitting there amongst them, so totally different from the feeling he’d gotten at the Hillier place.

“Like I said
. Nothing fancy, but it’s tasty,” Jake said, interrupting his thoughts.

Simon’s smile was genuine when he answered
. “Good food doesn’t have to be fancy. I appreciate the invite.”

“I’m sure they’ve eaten by now at the big house
. I figured you’d be hungry. I noticed you seemed in no hurry to rush in to dinner. You wouldn’t be avoiding anyone, would you?” Jake asked in a teasing voice.

Simon met his humor
-filled eyes and shrugged, keeping his expression neutral. “I might be.”

Jake chuckled
. “No need to pretend disinterest. Any man who can’t see what she has to offer is a walking dead man. More’n half the men here fantasize about her. But that’s all it is. She’s become more like an annoying sister we have to tolerate, just like we do Libby. Besides, most of us wouldn’t know what to do with her afterward if we ever got a shot at her.” His expression turned challenging. “Now, you…I figure, you would know.”

Simon
briefly met his glance, then looked at his food-filled fork just as he brought it to his mouth. He took the bite and chewed. Finally he swallowed and said, “I might. But that doesn’t mean I want to give it a shot.”

His grin mocked
Simon. “You can fool some of them, Harrington, but not me. I’ve seen the sparks fly between the two of you and felt the heat they generate. Even more, I’ve noticed how she reacts. You, my man, are the first I’ve seen to cause such a reaction. She’s always as cool as a cucumber and has them eating out of her hand in no time. But I don’t see you doing that.”

Simon’s
irate stare focused on Jake. “Your point?”

Jake offered a
one-shouldered shrug. “No point, just an observation.” He then went back to his dinner.

While eating, Simon remained silent,
contemplating Jake’s observations. It bothered him that his interactions with Giselle were noticed. He usually kept his emotions well hidden. Those who showed emotion in his line of work oftentimes ended up dead. The men’s interest in Giselle also bothered him. Even though he’d known all along how enticing she was to other males, having the interest verbalized brought his jealousy to a head. The urge to smash Jake’s head in his plate flitted through his system. The intensity of the feeling, not to mention its source, stunned him. He’d never been one to care one way or the other about the women who were ever present in his life. Why Giselle sparked that interest now, he didn’t know. But he’d damned well increase his efforts to stay away from her.

Jake
finished and pushed back his chair to stretch his legs. After a long silence, he looked at Simon. “Are you ready? I’ll take you in and introduce you to the guys.”

Simon drank the last
drop of coffee and nodded. “I’m ready.”

He followed Jake
into the back room. Jake’s nod indicated Simon. “This is Harrington. He’ll be joining us tonight,” he said, sauntering up to an empty seat. He pointed to another chair. “Is that seat taken?”

Jos
é Herrera glanced up and shook his head.

Amid grunts from the table, Simon sat in the empty chair and joined in on the poker game
. Isaac Black wasn’t present. Despite the twinge of disappointment the news incited, Simon decided to shelve business for the night and simply enjoy the game. The mood was light and the men were all friendly. Jake didn’t bring up the subject of Giselle again, nor did anyone else, so Simon found himself relaxing and joking with the good-natured fellows for a couple of hours. The game finally broke up just after ten thirty.

Simon slipped into the house quietly and made it
to his room without notice. He couldn’t help the direction his gaze took, landing on the rocker. Relief and regret washed over him at the same time to find it empty. Not wanting to dwell on what that meant, he hurriedly undressed. Dismissing the annoying flirt from his mind, his thoughts now focused on his case and all he had learned today. All threads led to Hillier Meadows and Caroline Hillier. He just had to figure out why. He lay awake for a while, going over it in his mind. When he realized he still needed more facts, he sighed and hit his pillow, praying he wouldn’t have to become entangled with Caroline to obtain them.

~~

Simon rose early the next morning, hoping to avoid Giselle at breakfast. She was seated at the table in the dining room when he entered. His mood immediately lifted, which totally annoyed him.

“Up so early.”

Giselle glanced up. An animated expression flitted across her face and she smiled brightly. “Simon. I was hoping to see you.”

“I thought you’d be late to breakfast due to entertaining the boys
.”

Both his tone and the dirty look he flashed stopped her spreading smile
. She cleared her throat and went back to her meal.

Simon strode over to the sideboard and loaded his plate
. After sitting in a chair across from Giselle, he started eating, acting as if she didn’t exist the entire time.

When he looked up and caught her staring at him with confusion clouding her eyes, he said with a brusque voice, “Well, you see me, so what did you want
?”

“Never mind
.” Giselle shook her head and cast her glance on her food. “It is not important.”

Simon saw
hurt flash in her eyes before she looked away and he swore under his breath, hating that he’d caused it. “I’m sorry, Giselle. That was uncalled for. I’m in a foul mood, but it’s no reason to take it out on you.”

She
kept her eyes on her food, effectively ignoring him.

He sighed and tried one more time.
“Giselle?”

Her gaze moved to his, and Simon felt a jolt go through him at her beguiling brown-eyed stare
. Shaking it off, he said in a gentler tone, “What did you want to tell me?”

She shrugged and looked back at her plate
. “Yesterday, I found out some interesting things about your man, Black.”

When she didn’t elaborate, he prodded, “Well?”

She peered across the table at him, sporting an innocent, questioning expression.

“
Touché
, Giselle.” Simon chuckled, then he erupted into laugher. “Why is it you never fail to amuse me?”

She smiled
and countered, “I certainly do not try to.”

“
Which is precisely why you do. Now, finish telling me about what you’ve learned.”

Her smile deepened, enchanting Simon
. His fixed gaze intensified. A blush crept up her face, and she licked her lips nervously as if uncertain to continue. As he watched her reaction, a surge of longing overwhelmed him. He broke eye contact, squelching the need she so easily elicited from him. He was at a loss to understand how her innocent gestures could incite his lust so quickly, especially when others far more experienced never could, even when they were actively trying.

“I
have learned a few things about Black I think you should know. He is always playing poker with the men.”

At the mention of Black, his mind immediately changed direction, refocusing on his case
. Thankful for the diversion, Simon thought a minute about what she said, then shrugged. “They all have a penchant for friendly play. As a matter of fact, I was part of a game last night.”

“So that
is where you were,” she murmured as a quick grin lit her face.

“Worried about me?”

“No, of course not. I only wanted to tell you about Black playing poker.”

“Like I said, his actions aren’t unusual
. Jake told me there’s a game most nights.”

“Yes, but are you aware he loses big and has been for a
while? And he always has lots of money to lose.”

“Now
, that’s interesting.”

“Also, he hangs around with a man who is working on the new railroad tracks.”
At his raised eyebrows, she added, “You know. The one going from town to the new racetrack.”

Simon sat up straight
. His intense green stare was back, but this time the urgency of it was not directed toward her. “You’re sure?” When she nodded, he smiled. “This news is even more interesting. Do you know his name?”

She shook her head
. “All I know is they spend a lot of time together, especially in town. He also loses a lot of money at poker and always has money to lose. The fellow is supposedly Black’s shadow, but I found it odd to see him here on a Monday, given he works in Louisville during the week.”

Simon’s gaze moved unseeing to the table in front of him and he lounged back in the chair
. Speaking his thoughts aloud, he said, “It seems Black may have another reason for being here, other than being discarded.”

“Do you think he
is up to something?”

Realizing what he’d just done, he turned to Giselle
. “I don’t know, but I want you to stay away from him until I find out. And no more questioning. It’s too dangerous.”

Giselle didn’t say anything, appearing totally absorbed in her food
.

Her silence alerted him
. “Giselle?”

“What?” Her haughty look
did little to conceal her thoughts. He read them like the news bulletin in the weekly gazette.

“Don’t give me that innocent what!
I want your promise you’ll stay out of it.”

Keeping her eyes on his, she wouldn’t give him an answer.

“Giselle? I’ll have your promise. No more questioning. From here on out, you are to stay out of this. Understand?”

“You a
re right, Simon.” She nodded. “No more questioning. I promise.”

Mollified, Simon went back to eating
. When he chanced another glance at Giselle, noticing her deep in thought, a trickle of unease went down his spine. “What are you planning?”

“Nothing
.” Her chin went up several inches. “How can you think I am planning something?” The innocent smile she offered had him laughing outright.

“Don’t play coy
. I know you. Whatever you’re planning, you can simply forget. I’m talking to Gus and asking him to keep an eye on you.”