The Case of the Missing Secretary (5 page)

The Case of the Missing Secretary 331 just avoided becoming a human sacrifice once today. You really will have to seek a soul mate elsewhere. I have it in mind to become the female Charlie Chan.”

“Another private eye.” He shook his head. “What is it with you women and trench coats? We had a female private eye down here just a couple of months ago, looking for a missing woman.” He glanced toward the door. “Those kids again. They nabbed her at a rest stop and tied her to a tree. Good thing the fire attracted attention from the highway.”

Kit didn’t dare ask any more. She simply stood and stared at him as if she doubted his sanity and her own. “Do you often send your children out to hijack prospective brides, Mr. Deverell?”

‘They won’t go at all if I don’t pay them, the mercenary little devils,” he told her outrageously. “They say I’m too cheap to get a really good woman. I don’t know, though, you’re pretty easy on the eyes. How about it? I’ve got all my own teeth.” He grinned to show them. “Thank you, but I don’t want to marry you.”

“Of course not. You don’t know me yet. I’ll court you over barbecued ribs.” He frowned. “You do like barbecue? I simply couldn’t marry a woman who didn’t.” She chuckled at the sheer absurdity of it. “Yes, I like barbecue.”

“You can’t marry her,” Tansy said firmly. “I’ve got her all staked out for my son.” “I don’t like Chris that much,” Kit said demurely. “You know I wasn’t talking about Chris,” Tansy murmured. “He likes the beauteous Betsy,” came the terse reply.

“Excuse me, but the two of you are talking about Cousin Logan, aren’t you?” Emmett asked. “What’s he gotten himself into this time?” Tansy told him while Kit listened.

Emmett shook his head. “It runs in the family. All us Deverells are fools when it comes to women. Look at me. My ex-wife couldn’t wait to marry me so we could have kids. But when we started having them, she got tired of it, so she ran off with a damned mechanic.” His eyes narrowed with feeling. “Go figure.” “Didn’t your wife ever want to come back?” Kit asked.

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He shrugged. “She called a while back, but I lost the telephone number. It’s just as well,” he added, for an instant, there was something not at all easygoing in the glint of his green eyes. “She got tired of the kids…God!”

“There are women in the world who just aren’t cut out for motherhood, Emmett,” Tansy said. “There are others who would love your brood. Or at least there would be, if your horrible reputation didn’t precede you. Nobody will come near the place because of those kids, and you’ve encouraged them in a most unfatherly way to be hooligans.”

“Straitlaced kids never have any fun, Tansy.” He chuckled. “I know. I was raised in a military academy. It took me years to shake off rules and tradition and start having fun.” His eyes grew wistful. “Do you know, I’ve treed more bars locally than the town drunk?” “Your sins will come back to haunt you,” Tansy predicted.

“Not before I get a mother for those kids,” he said. “They’re going to seed.” “You planted them.” “I have to work, don’t I?”

“I wouldn’t call riding in every rodeo from Texas to Montana necessity. You’re breaking every bone in your body one at a time.”

“It takes money to keep this place going. The plumbing’s half shot. I’ll have to bone up on my calf-roping.”

“They’d let you manage old man Ted Regan’s place if you’d ask.”

“Ted is only five years older than I am. He isn’t even middle-aged.”

“Everybody calls him old man Regan,” Tansy said. “I don’t know why, except that he’s got prematurely silver hair. Anyway, he’d let you manage his place, but you just won’t.” “I don’t want to move to Houston.” “Jacobsville,” Tansy corrected.

“Not much difference. And old Ted’s ranch is so close to Houston that it could be called a suburb. I like San Antonio.”

“It would be the best thing in the world for the kids,” Tansy coaxed. “Plenty of fresh air, piney woods and green meadows, nice people.”

The Case of the Missing Secretary 333 “Girls?” he asked, lifting both eyebrows.

“Nobody is going to marry you until you civilize those children,” Tansy warned.

‘That’s why I’ve got to get married. A man can’t do that kind of job alone,” he said plaintively. “I’m only one person, for God’s sake! They outnumber me three to one!”

Kit had been listening quietly. This man was a cross between Chris and Logan. She liked him, but there seemed to be a lot more to him under the surface than was visible above it. “You could hire a companion,” she began.

He swept off his white Stetson and held it against his heart, eyes wide and stark. “Lady!” he exclaimed. “I can’t bring that kind of woman into my home!” She burst out laughing. “You’re as incorrigible as Chris!”

“He taught me everything I know,” he agreed. He perched the Stetson back on his head. “Yes, I suppose I could get a nursemaid for the kids, but they’d torture her to death the first night. She’d find a snake in her bed or a spider in her bath, or something even worse. I can’t do that to some poor unsuspecting woman. I do have a housekeeper, though, who is away on sick leave.” “There are women who have had survival training,” she said. “I don’t want a drill sergeant.”

“Are you sure? Think of all the fun you’d have, watching her bring them into line,” Tansy suggested.

He considered that for a minute. “No,” he said finally, shaking his head. “It would break their little hearts.”

“The way they’re heading, they aren’t going to have hearts for much longer. You’ve got to do something, Emmett!” Tansy said.

“Not right now. Tell us why you’re here,” Emmett said, turning to Kit. “I’ve come to find Tansy.” Tansy’s eyes widened. “Logan again!” “He worries.”

“He’s a damned busybody,” Tansy muttered. “My God, I can’t go on a little bitty plane ride without him having me followed and reports filled out on my companions. He’s terrified that I’ll rewrite my will and leave all my money to someone’s terrier.”

Diana Palmer

“That’s not true.” Kit chuckled. “He’s afraid you’ll end up married to some twenty-year-old gigolo and kill him with sheer exhaustion.”

“How flattering,” the older woman said delightedly. “Emmett, do you know any twenty-year-old gigolos we could try?”

“Shame on you,” he said shortly. “A nice, decent woman like you ought to be ashamed to say a thing like that to me.”

“I don’t know why not. Last year, you were running around with that rodeo groupie and she was spending you out of bed and board.”

“She was pretty,” he argued. “But the kids hated her. First time I brought her out here, she was going to go walking with them. I begged her not to, God knows I did.” He shook his head. “Last time I saw her, she was fishtailing her car all over the road trying to get back to the highway, and those damned kids were rolling in the dirt laughing.” “What did they do to her?” Kit asked curiously. “Damned if I know,” he said. “They never would tell me,” “You’re staying the night, aren’t you, Kit?” Tansy asked.

Kit’s eyes widened. “Well, no!” she stammered. “I’ve got a return ticket late this afternoon for Houston.”

“No problem,” Emmett said easily. “Hand it over and I’ll get you a flight tomorrow afternoon. I’ll make barbecue and serenade you with my guitar under a romantic Texas moon.” “Oh, no, not that. Anything but that!” Tansy wailed. “Shut up,” he muttered at her. “I took lessons.” “Don’t sing. Trust me,” Tansy said, batting her eyelashes at him.

He let out an exaggerated sigh. “Another singing career ruined by critics. Well, I’ll play for you, Kit. Kit? What’s it stand for?”

“I don’t know,” Kit said quietly. She’d never talked about her parents. The subject was much too painful, and the last person she could tell was this wild-eyed Texan. “I didn’t bring a bag…” “I’ll loan you one of my pajama jackets,” Emmett offered.

“You can have one of my gowns, Kit,” Tansy said, elbowing a grinning Emmett out of the way. “Will you stop? Honestly, anyone would think you’d never seen a woman before!” “Well, I haven’t,” he argued. “Not like this one. Chris is always

The Case of the Missing Secretary 335 ranting about how nice she is, and if you like her, that’s a character reference in itself. She’d make a perfect mother for those kids.” “She’s going to marry Logan one day. He just doesn’t know it yet.” “I’d tell him fast if I were you, by the sounds of things.” “I wouldn’t have Logan on toast!”

Emmett pursed his lips and made a whistling sound. “That sounds suspiciously like cannibalism. Speaking of cannibalism, did you know that there’s fossilized evidence that Homo erectus was a cannibal and ate his own kind? There are smashed bones and burned bones in late Pleistocene camps…”

“Go away!” Tansy wailed. “Emmett, don’t start on this poor child. She’s not a prehistoric culture addict like you.”

“I did a course in anthropology and I did my minor in paleon-tology,” Emmett confessed. “Dinosaur bones, that sort of thing. Did you know that there’s a fossilized link between birds and lizards? A fellow called archaeopteryx-”

“Later, later, Emmett. Now what’s this about Betsy?” Tansy persisted.

Emmett watched them walk toward the living room. He could sure do worse than that sweet young thing. She was only about ten years his junior and the kids had already taken to her. For an instant, he remembered what Tansy had said about Logan’s new secretary, and his blood began to burn. But he forced the thought of Melody away. He wouldn’t have to see her, thank God. He never went near Logan’s office. On the other hand, Kit was right here and he liked her a lot. He started whistling as he went out to feed the horses in the barn….

“Well, I won’t come meekly home with you and that’s that,” Tansy said at supper.

“A Christian should be meek,” Amy piped up. She and the boys were cleaned up, but they still looked pretty much alike. With her very short haircut, Amy could have passed for a boy. “That’s right,” Kit said, smiling at the child. Amy smiled back, and without mischief. “You’re nice. Are you

Diana Palmer

going to marry Emmett? We voted, and it’s okay with us. You’ll have to learn the rules, of course.”

“Right,” Guy agreed. “Bedtime is at eleven sharp. No card playing on Sunday. When Dad’s got a girl in the living room, no peeking over the back of the sofa, no matter what sort of noises you hear…” “Guy!” Emmett exploded.

“And most of all, if he’s been drinking, don’t get in front of him on account of he might fall on you,” Amy finished. Emmett put his hands over his face.

“You should be ashamed!” Tansy muttered, glancing at him. “Reprobate! You really are the black sheep of the family.”

“He isn’t black, Aunt Tansy,” Polk said. “He’s dirty. He always looks like that when he’s been in the barn with the horses.”

Kit had to wipe her mouth suddenly, but over it her eyes twinkled with unholy glee.

Emmett looked up, and the sight of those very blue eyes in mer-riment made him feel suddenly younger. He blinked and began to smile.

Uh-oh, Kit thought. She wiped the smile off. Here was one complication she could do without. “You’re fighting it, Kit.” Emmett sighed. “I told you, you can’t have her,” Tansy reminded him. “There are plenty of women in Houston,” he began.

“I’ve been working on this one for three years. Eat your barbecue, which is rather good, by the way. Did I ever tell you about the Russian count I met at Maxim’s in Paris the last time I was there?” she added, waxing reminiscent. “He was one of the last of the Ro-manoffs, and he actually remembered the siege of the Winter Pal-ace.” Emmett looked at the barbecue on his fork and began to pale.

Tansy shot a covert glance at him and continued. “There were fires everywhere. Some of the soldiers were thrown into them…”

Emmett put a hand over his mouth, dropped his food, and ran from the room. “No guts,” Guy said disgustedly, looking after him. “Disgraceful.” Polk nodded. “Whatever are we going to do about him?” Amy sighed.

The Case of the Missing Secretary 337

“You did it last time,” Tansy reminded them while Kit sat, dumbfounded. “Bringing that…that ‘not alive’ thing in here on a dustpan to show him.”

“Yeah,” Guy chuckled. “He didn’t even make it to the bathroom that time!”

“You ought to see him at the rodeo if there’s any blood,” Amy piped in. “He goes green and white, all mixed up, and his stomach churns.”

“Except if it’s him that’s bleeding,” Guy pondered. “Weird, ain’t it? Never bothers him if it’s his own blood. And if it’s ours, and an emergency, he’s never sick. But sometimes you can turn him green real easy if you talk about something yucky.”

“What a terrible way to treat your poor father,” Tansy chided them. But her eyes were twinkling.

When Emmett came back, his eyes were glittering with imminent retribution.

“Great barbecue, Dad. We’re going in to watch that new survival show on the educational channel, okay?” Guy blabbered. He and the others murmured excuses and ran for it. “Little monsters!” he called after them. “I’ll get you for this!”

“Why do you let them do it to you?” Tansy asked. “You know it’s terminal to show weakness to children.”

“Well, look who started it off,” he said, narrowing his eyes at Tansy. “Couldn’t resist it,” she sputtered. “You are a case, Emmett.”

He picked up his fork and forced himself to eat a bite of barbecue. Amazingly it stayed down.

Kit listened to the conversation without taking part in it. This man was one of the more interesting people she’d ever met. She wondered what was going to become of him.

Logan Deverell was sitting on the doorstep of the Lassiter Detective Agency the minute it opened the next morning. “I want to see Kit,” he told Dane.

Dane lifted both eyebrows. “You can’t. She’s out of town running your mother to the ground.” “Where out of town?”

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“San Antonio.” “Oh, no! Why in God’s name did you let her go there?” Dane didn’t move. “It’s only your cousin, Logan.”

“No, he isn’t only my cousin, he’s got these three pint-sized assassins and they hate women! They’ll burn her at the stake. And if they don’t, Emmett will have her in front of a minister…I’ve got to get out there and save her!”