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“He’s overdue for a clipping. He doesn’t like me handling him, and I’ve been so busy lately, I can’t remember the last time I took him in for a grooming.”
“He didn’t mean anything. Bring him by my clinic. We’ll get him clipped and clean for you.” She smiled as the cat rubbed up against her leg. “I’ve always had a way with the four-legged kind.”
“So it seems.” Dylan suppressed the anger rising in him. Why should Sebastian’s reaction to the woman upset him?
Or perhaps it was his own guilty response triggering his feelings.
“Well—” Ginger checked her watch “—if you’ve seen enough, I suggest we move along, Nikki. We have several more homes to visit.”
Relief flooded Dylan. Thank God they were leaving. His insides had been in a tangle since he first laid eyes on that woman. Now he could get back to work and get on with his life.
Nikki turned slowly around the room until she faced him. Her gaze caught and held his, though her words were directed toward Ginger. “Oh, I don’t think that’ll be necessary. I believe I’m ready to make an offer.”
2
SUNLIGHT STREAKED THROUGH the stained glass in a last burst of fiery intensity before the sun set that evening. Dylan clenched his fist, unable to tear his gaze from the fading light. Kathy had loved the window he’d had designed for her twenty-fifth birthday.
That last fateful night they had been leaving for a party his parents had thrown to celebrate his passing the bar. Kathy had stopped to watch the sun give up its last rays. “Oh, look. The sun’s saying good-night.”
She had refused to leave until the final bit of color had faded, her sweet eyes growing sadder with each passing minute. Then she had turned to him with a shrug. “It just isn’t the same without the light shining through.”
He’d swept his arms around her and kissed her. “Then I’ll be your light until morning.”
Her arms had tightened around him, her breath warm against his cheek. “You’re always my light, Dylan.”
God, he missed her.
He swallowed past a sharp ache in his throat, gritting his teeth against the loneliness that always overwhelmed him at sunset. How wrong they’d both been.
She’d been the light.
He closed his eyes. To his consternation, a vision of Nikki McClellan flashed through his mind. Her dark eyes beckoned him, filled with a promise he refused to acknowledge. He pushed the image away.
“No.”
No one would ever replace Kathy. He had no intention of pursuing any kind of relationship with Nikki. He had nothing to offer her.
The doorbell rang. He straightened in the dark, hesitating before rising. His family never visited, and hadn’t most of his friends gotten the hint and given up stopping by long ago? It was probably Steven. His old boarding school roommate was a diehard.
Steven had gotten married a little over a year ago. It seemed settling down into his own happiness made him more determined to drag Dylan back into the world of the living. The more Dylan resisted, the harder Steven tried. Guess that’s what best friends were for.
Dylan yanked open the door just as the bell sounded again. Evelyn Rogers, a paralegal at his office and the woman his parents had always favored over Kathy, stood on his doorstep. A tall man beside her met Dylan’s steady gaze while a streetlight cast long shadows across the porch.
“Why, Dylan, I was beginning to wonder if you were home.” Evelyn looped her arm through her companion’s. His dark hair played opposite to the platinum strands framing her heart-shaped face. “This is Nick Vancouver. I don’t believe you two have met.”
Dylan hesitated a long moment, then shook the man’s hand. “Dylan Cain.”
“I’ve long been an admirer of your father’s.”
Dylan’s gut tightened. Too bad he couldn’t say the same. His father was hell in a courtroom, but Dylan had seen too much of the man’s private affairs to hold any kind of respect, let alone admiration, for him.
Evelyn peered past him into the darkened house. “Has your power gone out?”
Dylan flipped on the foyer light, then stepped back wordlessly. As much as it would have pleased his mother, Evelyn had never been anything to him. Why then did it aggravate him to see this man by her side?
“I just wanted to drop off these summaries you requested.” She pulled a file from the briefcase slung over her shoulder.
“Thanks.” He took it from her. “I would have had a courier pick them up.”
She shrugged, her glance swinging to Nick, then back. “I wanted to stop by. No one’s seen much of you lately. You burrow into your office at work, then you hole up here the rest of the time. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Irritation grated through Dylan. “I’m fine. You needn’t have troubled yourself.”
“Well…” She shifted and tried an uneasy smile. “We won’t keep you. We have to run anyway. We’re meeting Nick’s parents for dinner.”
She twisted a large diamond on her ring finger. Inexplicably the knot in Dylan’s stomach tightened at the sight of the ring. Evelyn laughed a nervous little laugh, holding up her hand. “Isn’t it beautiful? Nick surprised me with it last week.”
Dylan nodded, unable to utter anything intelligible. He should wish them well, but the words stuck in his throat. He’d never cared for Evelyn in that way, so why was her good fortune so hard to swallow?
Beaming, Nick pulled her to his side. “I’m pushing for a September wedding.”
Pink tinged Evelyn’s cheeks. “He’s so impatient, but we’re going to try.”
“Ah, well…” Dylan let the words trail off. What was he supposed to say— That he wished them all the happiness he’d lost the night Kathy had slammed her car into that power pole?
Nick released his fiancée. “We’re going to be late. It was nice meeting you, Dylan.”
“Good luck,” was the best Dylan could offer as he again shook the man’s hand.
“Take care of yourself. I worry about you.” Rising on her tiptoes, Evelyn placed a kiss on his cheek. “Don’t be such a stranger, okay. You’ll come to the wedding?”
He shrugged. “I’m not much for ceremonies.”
Disappointment flickered in her blue eyes. “Well…let me know if you need anything else.”
He nodded, then shut the door firmly behind them. What he needed was peace and quiet. What he needed was not to be reminded of all the happiness he had no hope of ever retrieving.
“SO, EVELYN HAS HOOKED HERSELF a husband.” Steven Benson’s green eyes glowed in the dim light of Dylan’s study late that Saturday evening. “That throws a monkey wrench in your parents’ plan. I’m surprised your mother hasn’t called to agonize over it.”
Dylan grimaced. His mother never missed a chance to play the drama queen. He lifted a bottle and two glasses from a nearby shelf. He wasn’t a regular drinker, but tonight seemed to call for it.
He handed Steven one of the filled glasses. “She’s storing it up, waiting for the perfect opportunity to let loose. The more people to witness how I’ve failed her and take pity on her, the better.”
“What made them think you’d ever go for Evelyn?” Steven shrugged. “She’s all right, just not right for you. She’s more like them. Surface.”
Surface. The word described Dylan’s parents to a T. Appearances were all they cared about. Image was everything. With her highbrow bloodline and Ivy League education, Evelyn would indeed add luster to the family reputation. Unlike Kathy, who’d made it to Harvard not through her family connections or bank balance but on the full scholarship she’d worked so hard to earn.
He gripped his glass, stilling the urge to slam it into the wall. His parents had never accepted her. They’d upset her, driven her away that night.
“You look like you’re ready to break something. Don’t tell me you’re unhappy about Evelyn.”
“It’s not Evelyn. I don’t know. Seeing the two of them mooning at each other…”
Steven’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah. Sometimes it’s tough to take.”
The fax machine in the corner rang, then kicked on. Dylan sat brooding while several pages printed. He pushed his chair back, then reached for what appeared to be a contract. Gritting his teeth, he scanned the pages.
“She’s met my asking price.” He glared at the contract and took a long swallow of Scotch whiskey, welcoming the numbness the liquor instilled.
Steven refilled his own glass. “You’ve got an offer?”
Dylan nodded. “This woman came by the other day. Said she was ready to make an offer. When I didn’t hear back, I thought she’d changed her mind.”
“Even at your asking price, she’s still getting a deal. It’s worth every penny.” He leaned forward, his cropped red hair spiking upward, his gaze intent on Dylan. “It’s not too late. You can back out of this. I know I’ve been pushing for you to get back into the swing of things, but I wasn’t suggesting such a drastic change.”
Dylan hesitated for a moment. Was he making a mistake? Why was it so hard to let go? His gaze scanned the paneled walls. “No, there’s no going back. This is the only room I spend any time in.”
“But, Dylan, this house…it means so much to you. I know that better than anyone. Imagine what you could do if you dedicated yourself. You’re a natural. It’s a masterpiece, a sign of real creative genius. To just let it go…”
Dylan waved his hand in dismissal. “I’m an attorney, haven’t you heard? We don’t create. We tear things down, argument by argument. Besides, I’ve finally earned the old man’s grudging respect.”
A scowl marred Steven’s otherwise pleasant features. “It would do the old bastard good to have his plans go awry.”
“He’s my father. I’m the only one who can call him a bastard.”
“Ha! They were calling him that way before you were born.”
“Either way.” Dylan gestured at the room. “This house was a phase. I only managed it with your help. You’re the real architect. Besides, I’m good at what I do now.”
“But are you happy?”
“I buried all my happiness two years ago.”
Steven smacked his glass down on the desk. “Yes, it’s been two years. When are you going to snap out of it?”
Dylan narrowed his eyes on his friend. He picked up the contract. With a furious scrawl he signed his name across the bottom. “There. I’ve sold the damn house. How’s that for snapping out of it?”
Silence hung over the room.
Steven slumped back in his chair. “I do want to see you moving on. I just hate to see you sell this place.”
“It’s done. She wants to set the closing in a month’s time. So be it.”
“Not even a counteroffer? You should have asked for more.”
He shrugged. “I’ll pay closing. Let the witch have the place.”
“Witch?”
An image of Nikki McClellan floated in Dylan’s mind. “She must be one. That or…something.”
“By ‘witch’ do you mean ‘bitch’?”
“No, not that.”
Steven sat forward. “I get it. So your buyer’s a babe?”
Guilt still plagued Dylan, but the liquor had loosened his resolve. “When we were in the gardens, all I could think about was getting her into the hammock.”
“Excellent.” Steven nodded in approval. “This is definitely progress.”
“I feel like I’m being…unfaithful.”
“No! You’re not. Kathy would want you to be happy. This is a good thing. You should act on those impulses. God, it’s about time. Ask this witch out.”
“I don’t know what it is about her….”
“I think she’s just what the doctor ordered.”
“I’m not ready for a relationship.”
“Make it a no-strings affair.”
Dylan stared at his empty glass. “I can’t believe a woman like her would go for that.”
“It’s a new millennium. Women like their independence. You won’t know unless you ask. This is huge. Do you realize you’ve been like a dead man walking around here? You’ve been working way too hard. When was the last time you even thought about a woman? I’d about given up on you. I can’t wait to tell Rebecca. She’s been living for this day.”
“Whoa. I said that I find this woman attractive, but I didn’t say I was going to do anything about it. This is a big step.”
“But you’re giving it serious consideration. I can tell. You’ve got that spark back in your eye.”
Slowly Dylan nodded. Maybe Steven was right. Anything was better than the agonizing tedium his life had become. “We’ll see.”
“THERE HE IS, ALL FIXED UP.” Nikki handed the kitten to its young owner. “Told you we’d make him feel better.”
“He’s a big boy. He didn’t even cry. Just like me. I didn’t cry when I got my shots to go to kindergarten, right Mommy?” The six-year-old owner of the kitten beamed at her mother.
“That’s right, sweetie.”
“Well, Oliver’s all set.” Nikki scratched the cat behind his ear. A wave of calm flowed from the little guy as he gave a contented purr. “You ready to take him home?”
The child radiated with excitement. “Can we find him a special treat?”
“You got it, sweetie. Thank you, Dr. McClellan.”
Nikki bade mother, child and kitten goodbye as she walked them out of the examination room into the waiting area. Several people sat in the chairs against one wall while Janet, her receptionist, talked quietly on the phone.
Nikki paused, absently nodding at something Oliver’s owner said. A tall blond man stood with his back to them, bent over the sign-in sheet at the reception counter. Her pulse quickened. A familiar melancholy drifted to her, but it seemed different today than when last she’d experienced it—tamer somehow.
