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The man was obviously used to hard work.
“There’s plenty to do,” Reed responded. “There’s a crew unloading lumber around the back.”
Sawyer finished rolling up his other sleeve and tipped his hat back on his head. “Then I’ll get right on it.” His gaze returned to Niki. “Pleasure, ma’am.”
He exited and disappeared around the sheeted, exterior wall.
Reed moved closer to Niki. “You got pretty quiet there, Nellie. Something about that man get to you?”
“I’m shy,” she responded, telling herself Reed couldn’t read her mind. He had no way of knowing she found Sawyer unaccountably attractive.
But Reed barked out a laugh. “That’s your story?”
She shot him a mock, arched glare, intending to show him she didn’t mind being teased. “And I’m stickin’ to it.”
But even as she uttered the cavalier words, she struggled to shake off her embarrassment. She couldn’t help but worry she’d looked pathetic panting after a man like Sawyer.
Though Reed’s wife was a Colorado native, Katrina had spent most of her life in New York. She was unfailingly gorgeous and glamorous. Caleb’s wife, Mandy, was so healthy and beautiful that she looked spectacular in anything she threw on, including worn jeans and plaid shirts.
But Nellie Cooper didn’t have a lot going for her. When she’d been Niki Gerard she’d had plenty of money and time to make the most of her looks. But when you took away all the trimmings, there wasn’t a whole lot left.
Being plain Jane wasn’t much fun. But Nellie Cooper was just going to have to suck it up. Because she sure couldn’t afford to have anyone make the connection between her and Niki Gerard.
Sawyer Layton couldn’t believe he’d finally found Niki Gerard. To say she looked nothing like her photo was a colossal understatement. He doubted he could have picked her out of a police lineup.
Coming around back of the half-built house, he found a flat-bed truck loaded with lumber. He greeted a trio of men who were unloading, located a spare pair of leather gloves then joined them in their work, while his mind mulled over the latest turn of events.
Niki was calling herself Nellie now. He wasn’t surprised that she’d changed her name. But he couldn’t help wonder how she’d convinced the Terrells she was their sister.
It was a clever enough plan, hiding out at a ranch in the middle of the Colorado wilderness. Convincing a well-established family to take her to their bosom was pure genius. From the perspective of ingenuity and sheer audacity, Niki was clearly Gabriella Gerard’s daughter.
His first load was three sheets of plywood. He balanced them against one shoulder as he followed a short path to the growing stack beside the house. He then turned for another load, settling into an easy rhythm.
Like Niki, Sawyer was operating under a false identity. But he hadn’t lied about buying the neighboring ranch. And he hadn’t lied about being from Montana. He’d been born there. A technicality, because his parents, D.C. residents, happened to be vacationing on the family’s Montana ranch when his mother went into early labor. Still, over the years, he’d spent quite a few vacations at the ranch, learning how to work outdoors and picking up the rudiments of cattle ranching.
Sawyer had grown up in D.C., along with a brother, a sister and countless cousins in the Layton clan. His brother had become a lawyer, specializing in taxation, and joined the family firm. His sister was engaged to Miles Carter, a young Congressman from Delaware. Meanwhile Sawyer had graduated college with a degree in international affairs and joined the navy as an officer. He’d liked the discipline and camaraderie of the navy. He’d also appreciated the black and white codes of ethics and conduct.
Sawyer lifted another three sheets of lumber. He was starting to perspire under the late-day August sun.
Unfortunately, his extended family had missed him while he was away. They’d missed his ingenuity, his nerve and his rather eclectic skill set. Since the Laytons had always been much better at getting themselves into trouble than getting themselves out, Sawyer had given up the black and white moral code of the navy for the countless shades of D.C. gray.
He’d gone back to work as the family fixer. Over the past few years, he’d done everything from misdirecting the press, to quietly paying off gambling debts and secretly locking extended family members in high-end rehab centers. But nothing compared to the latest trouble with Gabriella Gerard. When she had died, and then Niki disappeared, Sawyer’s uncle, the senator had gone into full-blown panic mode.
Uncle Charles, along with many other power brokers in D.C., had a lot to lose if Gabriella’s infamous diary saw the light of day. If that happened, the whole world would know Charles had cheated on his wife and, albeit unknowingly, accepted illegal campaign contributions.
Everyone knew that Niki had the diary. And now Sawyer had Niki.
“My brother tells me you’re new to the neighborhood.” A tall, dark haired man fell into step beside Sawyer.
Sawyer dropped his latest load down on the growing stack. “Sawyer Smith.” He pulled off a glove to shake the man’s hand.
“Caleb Terrell.”
“Nice place you’ve got here,” Sawyer complimented, gazing around at the lush meadows, rolling hills and the Lyndon River winding its way into the lake below. Befriending the Terrells was an integral part of his plan. He couldn’t let Niki or anyone else be remotely suspicious of his reasons for being here. Luckily, Sawyer had enough money to temporarily buy a cattle ranch.
“We like it,” Caleb responded, pride clear in his tone. “The main house is south along the river. But Reed’s been planning this place for years.”
As they spoke, Reed made an appearance in the front yard, joking with the men who were setting up a gas barbecue. He wrapped one arm around a petite blonde woman and gave her a kiss.
“His wife?” Sawyer asked Caleb.
“Katrina.”
“Do they have enough kids to fill up this big house?” Sawyer asked in an effort to keep Caleb engaged in conversation.
“Not yet. Katrina’s a professional ballerina, so it may be a while before they start a family.”
From his research, Sawyer knew all about Katrina. Ironically, he’d seen her perform a few times in New York City. His family had a box at the Emperor’s Theatre.
Niki appeared in the distance, joining the gathering group. She spotted a man setting up a folding table and quickly stepped up to help. Together, they drew down the legs and settled it firmly on the uneven ground. She was small and slight, only about five foot three. Sawyer also knew she was twenty-one, and she was partway through an arts degree at GW.
Niki had been drop-dead gorgeous in every picture he’d ever been shown, stunningly glamorous, one of D.C.’s own princesses. But there was no glamour about her today. Not that she could hide her pretty features. The wispy, brunette hairstyle made her look younger, delicate, a bit of a waif. The blue jeans clung softly to her sexy bottom, while the serviceable T-shirt molded to her breasts, making it anything but plain.
“I can see the way you’re looking at my sister,” Caleb remarked, in a light, yet warning tone.
“Sorry.” Sawyer quickly shook himself. His mind didn’t usually wander like that, particularly when he was investigating. He didn’t know what was wrong with him.
But Caleb chuckled good-naturedly. “She’s a beautiful girl. Just remember she’s got two very protective big brothers in her life.” He left the thought unfinished.
“Noted,” Sawyer responded succinctly.
Caleb had absolutely nothing to worry about on that score. Niki might look sweet and innocent out here in the fresh air, but Sawyer knew what lurked beneath the facade. Niki was every bit as dangerous as her mother.
Both cunning and beautiful, Gabriella Gerard had used her persuasive charm and innate sensuality to get what she wanted from men who should have known better. She certainly wasn’t a call girl, but her many lovers were strongly rumored to be amongst the D.C. elite. They had showered her with gifts, money, stock tips and, most significantly, secrets.
It was rumored that Gabriella had written it all down, and very likely included her affair with Sawyer’s uncle and the illegal campaign contributions that had followed. Sawyer was here for the diary, nothing more and nothing less. Niki’s virtue was perfectly safe with him.
“I guess I should have asked if you were married,” Caleb put in.
Sawyer shook his head. “Not married. No girlfriend. Just me.”
Caleb looked genuinely sympathetic. “Too bad.”
Sawyer didn’t think so. He was perfectly content on his own. Besides, family history proved that marriage was never a good bet for a Layton. He didn’t think he’d inflict the state on any woman, let alone one that he cared about.
“Come and meet my wife,” Caleb interrupted his thoughts.
They started for the front yard, with Caleb pointing out a woman in a pair of faded blue jeans and a red, plaid shirt. Her long, chestnut hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she held a tiny infant in a blue blanket in her arms.
“Your baby?” Sawyer asked, falling into step, still making conversation about things he already knew.
“Better be,” Caleb joked.
Sawyer couldn’t help but smile at that.
“Mandy,” Caleb called as they neared, fondness clear in his tone.
The woman glanced up. She smiled, green eyes shining with obvious love as the two men approached. “Hello, darling.”
Caleb kissed her mouth, then he kissed the baby on the forehead.
“This is my wife, Mandy. Sweetheart, this is Sawyer Smith. He just bought the Raklin place.”
Mandy’s smile broadened. “Welcome to Lyndon Valley. This is Asher. Our new son.”
“Congratulations,” said Sawyer, looking down at the sleeping child. “How old is he?”
“Three months.”
The baby’s eyes were closed. His skin was almost translucent, and his little, bow mouth made gentle suckling motions in his sleep. He looked delicate and vulnerable swaddled in the flannel blanket.
It never ceased to amaze Sawyer that rational people would bring something so fragile into such an uncertain world. Didn’t they worry about what could happen? How did they sleep at night, thinking about the danger?
Not that Lyndon Valley seemed dangerous. In fact, it was a million miles away from both political strife and inner city problems. And Caleb and Mandy were probably great parents, salt of the earth.
It occurred to Sawyer that a normal man would feel guilty lying to such obviously decent people. Luckily, Sawyer’s emotions had been hardened over the years. But the thought led him to wondering if Niki was cold as ice, or if she was ashamed of her own deception.
He glanced up, seeking her out again.
She was looking directly at him, and when his gaze met hers, something arced through the atmosphere between them. It was an awareness that went beyond two strangers meeting. She quickly blinked and looked away, but not before it occurred to Sawyer that she might already have his number. Was it possible that she knew exactly who he was, and that she was playing him? Could she be that good an actress? He immediately realized he couldn’t take the chance.
“He’s a beautiful baby,” he said to Caleb and Mandy. “Can you excuse me?”
He left them, making his way toward Niki.
She’d moved away from the crowd, going downhill toward the creek and a little white footbridge that crossed it.
He continued after her.
They had to have another conversation. And he needed to pay attention to more than just her beauty this time. If she even suspected he was a Layton, she’d bolt the second his back was turned.
Niki braced her palms on the rail of the footbridge, gazing toward the crystal-blue water of Flash Lake. Tiny ripples were signaling the beginnings of an evening breeze that would keep the flies at bay.
Flash Lake was surrounded by brilliant green willows and silvery aspens. Craggy mountains jutted up behind it, creating a picture-perfect setting against the vast sky. Closer in, horses grazed in the flower-dotted meadows, their black, brown and white coats, glossy in the rays from the setting sun.
Since it was midsummer, colts and fillies frolicked through the foot-tall meadow, their high-pitched whinnies carrying up the slope. Wheatgrass and clover freshened the air, while the crystal creek gurgled six feet below her, hiding water bugs and speckled trout. Though it had only been three months, there were moments when she had to struggle to remember the sights, smells and sounds of Georgetown.
But, not today. Today, D.C. was crowding out Colorado.
Niki knew the reason. Looking into Sawyer Smith’s blue eyes, feeling what she’d felt, and wanting what she’d wanted, she’d been reminded that she was a fraud. She wasn’t Nellie Cooper. She was Niki Gerard, daughter of Gabriella Gerard, the most notorious woman in the nation’s capital.
That she shared a father with Caleb and Reed was nothing but a genetic coincidence. Her real life and her real world were far removed from their lives out here.
She hadn’t given it much thought at the time, but now she knew she’d been wrong to bring her problems to their doorstep. She wished she didn’t like them so much, or that Mandy and Katrina hadn’t been so kind.
If she’d found her mother’s diary, she might never have come here. If she had the diary, if she could read the entries, she’d know who to fear and how to fight back. But she’d searched every square inch of the penthouse, tracked down every safe-deposit box, checked every nook, cranny and corner. She’d even had a professional search through Gabriella’s computer and email accounts, thinking the diary might have been electronic. But, no luck.
“Nice view,” came a deep voice that sent an instant quiver up her spine. His footsteps sounded on the little bridge.
It took Niki a moment to find her own voice and respond. “It’s beautiful,” she agreed, praying Sawyer would keep right on walking.
But he didn’t. He came to a halt and copied her stance, bracing his own hands on the painted white rail, gazing out at the lake.
“You’re not hungry?” he asked pleasantly.
The aroma of grilling burgers was beginning to fill the air. Niki’s empty stomach reacted to the enticing scent. She’d learned there was nothing like fresh air and physical work to heighten an appetite.
“Getting there,” she admitted.
He was silent for a minute. “So, this is going to be Reed’s house?”
Niki nodded, her attention going back to the two-story building.
“It’s a big house for two people,” Sawyer observed.
“Reed wants four children.”
“Four?” Sawyer sounded surprised.
“I think he’d go for more if Katrina would agree.” Niki had been present for some of their good-natured arguments. She couldn’t help thinking about the way Reed looked at Katrina. He was head over heels in love, and Niki was sure he’d agree to anything she asked.
“What about you?” Sawyer asked.
The odd question surprised her. “I’m a long way from thinking about children.”
Even if it did become safe for her to go back to her real life, she didn’t think she was motherhood material. She certainly hadn’t had any kind of a role model in her own mother. Gabriella was only eighteen when she’d given birth to Niki. They’d been more like friends than mother and daughter. And while Niki’s childhood and teenage years had held more than their share of excitement, they’d also been chaotic and confusing.
“I was wondering if you might live here when the house is finished,” Sawyer clarified. “You seem to be working hard on it.”
Niki reframed her thoughts, coming back to the present, shaking her head. “That’s not in the plan.”
“You’ll stay in the main house, then?”
Niki turned slightly to take in his expression, unsure of his point. Then again, maybe she was simply paranoid and uncomfortable thinking about her future.
Why on earth did Sawyer have to show up today? She’d been perfectly happy living in this cocoon. It might not have been ideal, but at least it was safe.
“Nellie?” he prompted.
