Manhunting (8 page)

“Um, wait a minute,” she said, and automatically backed off toward the lobby desk to get away from him. When she backed into the desk with a bump, she realized she’d left him standing in the middle of the lobby, confused and annoyed.
Snap out of it,
she told herself.
You‘re acting like a fool There is nothing wrong with this man. What’s wrong with you?

He cheats, Jake had said. And for some reason, she suddenly trusted Jake in his dumb cowboy hat and ratty shorts more than she trusted this man in tailored flannels.

On an impulse, she called Will over to the desk.

“Do you have any field glasses?”

“Just small ones.” Will reached under the counter for a pair of miniature folding binoculars. “They’re no good for bird-watching. I can hunt up some bigger ones for you if you’re not in a hurry.” He gave her an open, friendly smile that confused Kate. What was a nice man like this doing destroying neighborhood bars with a barracuda like Valerie?

“Kate?” Will said as she stared at him.

“These will be fine,” she said. “The bird I’m watching is pretty big.” She slipped them in her pocket and went back to Peter, who was pointedly looking at his watch.

They walked toward the course, Peter nodding right and left to acquaintances, always keeping a proprietary hand on her back as if she were his entry in a particularly prestigious pet show. He’s in public relations, Kate remembered. Maybe he considers me good for his image.

“The flat Toby’s Corners course is a good amateur course,” Peter informed her when they reached the hill course. He signaled to a couple of caddies. “However, if you’ve had any experience at all, we should golf on this course.” He smiled down at her, patronizing her and challenging her at the same time. “This one is more demanding.”

Kate smiled back warily.

“Of course, it’s not as impossible as everyone claims it is.” Peter chuckled and handed his bag and the bag he’d rented for her to the caddies without looking at them. “In fact,” he added, “I’ve been scoring under par pretty regularly here.”

The caddies were about twenty, and the redheaded one looked familiar. Kate saw them look at each other and grin when Peter announced that he played under par. Score one for Jake. How did she find these men?

These men are what you’re looking for, aren’t they? Tall, distinguished, successful, and rich. You just forgot to put “honest” in your job description.

“How about a little bet?” Peter was looking at her guilelessly. “I’ll even add ten points to my handicap.”

Her father always smiled like that just before he closed a deal. She had always hated that smile. How could she get out of this date?

“You have played before?” Peter asked.

“Oh, once or twice,” she said, adding silently,
since college when I was on the golf team.
The problem was that college was fourteen years ago.

“How about fifty bucks?” he asked.

I can’t believe this,
Kate thought.
He’s trying to set me up. And then he’ll probably try to make me. Well, the hell with you, Peter-Derek-Paul-Terence. I’m tired of being used by men like you. This time, I’m going to win. And I’m not just talking about golf.

She beamed up at him. “How about a hundred?” she countered.

Peter beamed back. “Fine, fine.”

Her redheaded caddie was gently shaking his head at her, and she winked. His eyes widened and he exchanged glances with the other caddie.

Peter’s first drive hooked into a nearby field. As he and his caddie trailed to where the ball had gone in, Kate took out her field glasses, keeping them hidden in her hand. When they reached the field, Peter waved to her and went to find his ball. Kate brought the glasses up and saw him kick the ball back out of the rough.

“I do believe that my opponent’s ball just took another bounce,” she murmured to her caddie.

“Your opponent’s balls tend to do that,” her caddie said.

“Do they, now? I’m Kate.” She offered him her hand.

“I’m Mark,” he said, taking it.

“The bartender,” Kate said, remembering. “Is there anything you don’t do here?”

“Not much,” Mark said cheerfully. “I’m studying hotel management, and Will wants me learning from the ground up.”

Kate surveyed the hill straight ahead. “Well, the ground here certainly goes up.”

“The better to cheat you on.” Kate looked back at him sharply, and Mark nodded. “Unfortunately true. I think you’re going to lose a hundred dollars.”

“Oh, no,” Kate said. “I’m used to righting uphill battles. And I was brought up to be a winner. Daddy wouldn’t settle for anything less.”

She teed up her ball and hit it sweetly onto the green.

“I’ve got a feeling I’m going to enjoy this round,” Mark said.

“Oh, me, too,” Kate said.

She realized early in the game that she could have beaten Peter easily if he’d played fair, but his cheating evened things up considerably. Kate wasn’t surprised. That was probably how he’d gotten where he was today. After all, most rich men didn’t get that way by refusing to cut corners; they took every advantage they got. That’s what she’d liked about them. They were aggressive. Hard-hitting.

God, I’m dumb
, she thought.

Peter smiled at her condescendingly.

But she wasn’t as dumb as he was. She smiled back. Two could play that game. With that thought in mind, on the fourth hole when she sliced into the rough, she kicked her ball back out without any compunction at all.

Peter looked astonished when he saw her ball. “Weren’t you in the rough?”

“Lucky bounce,” Kate said.

Mark nodded solemnly.

Peter scowled at her and went back to his ball.

“This is getting nasty,” Mark said. “Personally, I like it. Too bad Jake isn’t here to see this.”

Kate frowned at him. “Jake?”

Mark opened his mouth and closed it again.

“Tell me,” Kate said, and Mark shrugged.

“Jake sent me out here to look after you,” he said. “He figured you wouldn’t listen to him, so...”

“So you’re baby-sitting.” Kate sighed.

“Don’t mention I told you,” Mark said.

“Told me what?” Kate widened her eyes at him. “Now, get out of my way, sonny. I’m a woman on a mission.”

The game degenerated into the kind of game the CJA would play—covert golf. They both preferred to hit when the other’s back was turned. As the game progressed and the cheating grew more blatant, Kate shook her hair out of her chignon and laughed, and Peter began to look frantic.

“This is the only way to play golf,” Kate said to Mark. “And it took me until now to discover it. I’m going to take this jerk to dinner tonight in gratitude.”

“I don’t think he’s going to make it to dinner.” Mark watched Peter, frowning. “He’s never lost before. And he’s never turned that color before, either.”

“He’s fine,” Kate said. “There’s only one more hole.”

Peter choked on his swing again, and his ball disappeared into the brush. He stalked off after it, leaving his caddie in the lurch with Kate and Mark.

The problem with men like Peter was that they always got away with their slimy little tricks. That wasn’t fair. Something had to be done about that.

“Let’s go watch this time,” Kate said, and the three of them trailed silently after him.

They got to the edge of the course just in time to see Peter kick his ball savagely back onto the green.

“Why, Pete,” Kate said brightly. “That’s cheating.”

He jerked back at the sound of her voice and stared at her in anguish, and his face went gray. “Kate,” he croaked, and then he collapsed.

“Peter?” Kate bent over him. “Peter, it’s a dumb game. Nobody cares. Peter?”

She went down on her knees beside him. He wasn’t breathing.

“Call 911,” Kate ordered Mark and bent to give Peter mouth-to-mouth.

Half an hour later, Jake stood beside her on the green and shook his head as the ambulance pulled away. “First Lance, now this,” he said.

“We gave him CPR. He’s going to be all right,” Kate said. “The doctor said so.”

“Dating you is like dating death,” Jake said.

Kate looked exasperated. “Nobody has died.”

“Not yet.”

Kate started to say something cutting and then remembered that Jake had sent Mark to look out for her. She was used to men who said nice things to her and left her to fend for herself. A man who implied she was a menace and then took care of her was a new experience.

“I forgive you,” Kate said. “You’re a good person.” She patted him on the arm and then strolled off in the direction of her cabin.

“What?” Jake said, confused, but she was gone.

“You should have been there,” Mark told him and Will later. “That woman needs protecting like Rambo needs a bodyguard.”

“I didn’t think she’d listened to me,” Jake said. “My mistake.”

“I don’t think she misses much,” Mark said.

“Well, don’t tell her I sent you,” Jake said. “I don’t want her getting any ideas.”

“Right,” Mark said, turning swiftly away. “I sure won’t. Well, gotta go.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Jake asked as Mark ducked out the office door.

“What’s wrong with you?” Will countered. “What do you mean, you don’t want her getting any ideas? You should be so lucky.” He shook his head. “I worry about you sometimes, bro. Kate Svenson’s a damn good-looking woman and you don’t seem to have noticed. You’re getting close to legally dead, here.”

“I’ll be a lot closer if I get interested in her, and so will you. She’s the one who put Lance in the pool last night, remember?”

“Good for her,” Will said.

“Well, I don’t intend to be her next victim.”

“I don’t know,” Will said, considering. “She’s something else. It wouldn’t be a bad way to go.”

“Hey,” Jake said, annoyed. “You stick to Valerie. If anything happens to you, I own all of this monstrosity instead of just half.”

“With any luck at all, Valerie will unstick herself,” Will said. “That idiot Donald Prescott who’s been telling everybody that he’s a stockbroker is really the scout for Eastern Hotels. He’s trying to get her under contract.”

Jake raised his eyebrows. “And how did you find this out?”

Will shook his head in disgust. “I met him at that convention in New Orleans last year. He, of course, doesn’t remember since he has the mental capacity of a gnat.”

Jake grinned. “And it doesn’t bother you that the gnat is trying to steal your woman?”

Will sank down into his desk chair and put his head in his hands. “I should be so lucky. Do you know what her latest harebrained idea is? To put in a new bar and drive Nancy out of business.”

Jake snorted. “And just how does she plan to do that?”

“Oh, she wants to build a real country bar,” Will said, shaking his head. “Can you imagine anything so dumb? Nancy’s has been a real country bar for more than thirty years. So Valerie wants us to build a fake country bar to drive her out of business. Even assuming I’d go along with it, which she must have known I wouldn’t, this is a dumb idea.”

“So what did she say when you said no?”

“She got that look,” Will said. “The old ‘We’ll see’ look she gets every time I don’t agree with her.”

“I hate that look,” Jake said.

“You know, I really appreciate what Valerie’s done for this place—”

“I don’t.”

“But she’s really been getting to me lately.” Will hesitated. “I started to pay more attention after I talked to you yesterday, and I think you’re right. I think she wants to get married.” He looked at Jake in bafflement. “Can you believe it?”

Jake closed his eyes in disgust. “Of course, I can believe it. You’ve lived with her for three years. What did you think she wanted?”

“To build the biggest resort in the Midwest,” Will said. “That’s all she ever talks about. If she’d been making noises about kids or something, I’d have caught on sooner. But all she ever talked about was the resort, which was fine by me.” He looked up at Jake. “She’s talking about expanding my suite—which, by the way, she calls
our
suite—into the one next door. So we’d have two bedrooms. I said, why? It’s not like we don’t have any place to put guests, and she said, ‘I’m not talking about guests.’” He put his head in his hands. “I think she means kids,” he said hollowly. “How did I get into this mess?”

“Not that I’m in favor of you marrying Valerie,” Jake said, “but you have been sleeping with her for quite some time now.”

Will looked at him blankly. “So?”

“So I don’t think all she thinks about is the resort,” Jake said. “I thought you were supposed to be the quick one in the family.”

“I am,” Will said. “What’s your point?”

Jake closed his eyes. “Never mind. Just pray that Donald what’s-his-name gets her out of here before she realizes that you’re never going to marry her, and she decides to kill you.”

“Valerie wouldn’t do anything that emotional,” Will said. “You’re getting her confused with Kate.”

“I will never confuse Kate with Valerie,” Jake said. “They’re completely different.”

Kate went back to the cabin and tried to feel ashamed of what she’d done. It didn’t work.

Maybe she wasn’t meant to be married. A woman who truly wanted to get married would have let Peter win. She shook her head. She’d never want to get married
that
much.

On the other hand, the afternoon was hardly a sign that she should give up. Lance and Peter were jerks. That didn’t mean the rest of the men here were. In fact, the law of averages said that she had to do better next time.

Maybe she should focus her plan better. What she wanted was somebody distinguished and successful who was also caring and honest. Sort of a cross between her father and Jake. She tried to imagine what that cross would look like and couldn’t. It was like trying to cross a shark with a teddy bear. She gave up and was heading for the shower when the phone rang.

“Kate?” Jessie said. “Are you engaged yet?”

“Of course not,” Kate said. “Why are you calling?”

“You’ve been there twenty-four hours,” Jessie said. “I wanted to know if it was time to start baking the wedding cake.”

“Very funny,” Kate said.