Deception (26 page)

“Good question.” Connor decided to keep the remainder of the details to herself. It was awkward enough. Willene obviously knew Clay had been in her suite, naked. “Aside from Clay, did you see anyone or anything else?”

“I’m sorry, but Clay sort of distracted me. I didn’t look for anyone else.” Willene slammed a pot back on the stove with unnecessary force. “Yes, sir, that was a surprising sight. Never in all the years he was married to Ms. Talla did Clay go prancin’ around, naked as a jaybird in the yard. It’s a good thing those children were asleep. It wouldn’t do for them to see their father acting that way.”

Connor picked up the fork and ate a bite of the grits Willene had put in front of her. Willene’s disapproval was obvious, and possibily justified. Still, it only hardened Connor’s resolve to get to the bottom of what she’d seen during the night. “I thought, no, I didn’t think, I
saw
someone in the pecan orchard,” she said, after she’d eaten a few bites of the grits and toast. “I saw a young woman. You wouldn’t have any ideas who that might be, would you?”

Willene fumbled the pot of grits, dropping it on the stove. “Sally went into town. Her mother has diabetes, and she had an attack yesterday. Couldn’t have been Sally.”

“I didn’t think it was her,” Connor said slowly. The grits were like hot cement, but she forced a forkful into her mouth.

“No other young women here for miles around.” Willene stirred the pots a final time and sat down across from Connor. Some of the harshness had left her face. “Unless Jeff had him a girlfriend out there. Wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened, nor the last. With Sally gone for the night, I’m sure Jeff thought it was the perfect time to entertain another woman. He used to have a bad habit of that, but Ms. Talla broke that up. She had to get real firm with him. Now that she’s dead, Jeff ain’t going to worry about her rules.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Connor said carefully. That was the most logical explanation. It would be Jeff’s style to take his latest conquest through the orchard to show her the big house. Then a romp in the pecans might be in order. If Jeff thought there was any way possible, he’d certainly slip into the house and help himself to a bottle of Clay’s liquor or wine, maybe even a tour of the big old house.

“If I had to guess, I’d say it was Jeff and one of his women.”

“I think maybe you’re right,” Connor said. She pushed back her half-eaten grits and toast and finished her coffee. “That sounds exactly like what must have happened.” At least there was some explanation for what she’d seen, some logical possibility.

“I’d like to take a broom to that scoundrel. Poor Sally believes he’s serious about her. I’d tell her this, but she won’t believe a word of it. She’d think I made it up.” Willene was working up another righteous head of steam. “She doesn’t put any credence in anything I tell her about men because I had sense enough to avoid men and marriage. She’s going to rue the day she met Jeff Helveston.”

“I’m afraid you’re right about that, too,” Connor agreed. “If Sally’s going to break her heart on Jeff, there’s not a lot we can do to stop it.”

Willene looked pointedly at Connor. “No, ma’am, sometimes when you see a woman headed for heartache, there’s not a single thing you can do to stop it, once you’ve warned her.”

Taking her dishes to the sink, Connor thanked Willene for the breakfast and hurried toward the barn. Since they’d solved the mystery of the woman in the orchard, there was little point in looking for clues, but she couldn’t help glancing over at the area where she’d seen her. She stopped in her tracks.

Renata and Danny were walking slowly back and forth, examining the ground.

Connor turned off the shell path and cut among the camellia bushes and bridal wreath until she was in the orchard. Dry leaves crackled beneath her feet and she could feel the hard pecans under the leather soles. Even though Clay had hired people to come in and harvest the nuts—and an abundant harvest there had been—there were still pecans in the grass. Connor had cracked and shelled four pounds of the delicious nuts and sent two pounds to her father and two to Richard, in California.

When she was within talking distance, she stopped. “What are you two doing out here before breakfast?” she asked the children.

Danny looked up, his forehead wrinkled in concentration. “Renata said she saw our friend out here in the orchard last night. I don’t believe her. She’d never come out of the woods. Never.”

“She was here,” Renata said, never looking up from the ground as she walked. “I saw her from the third floor.”

Connor swallowed the thick feeling that was trying to block her chest. “I think it was Jeff’s lady friend,” Connor said. She was relieved to learn that someone else had seen the midnight visitor, but she wasn’t certain she should encourage Renata’s growing fantasy with the woman from the woods.

Renata shook her head, her curls bouncing in the crisp air. “It was … my friend.”

Connor watched the young girl. She didn’t seem angry or upset, just determined. Renata bent down to pick something out of the leaves and grass. She held up a clothespin, considered it a moment, and threw it aside.

“Did you see her, Danny?” Connor asked, hoping she sounded only slightly intereted.

“I was asleep,” Danny said. “Renata said Daddy came and kissed her goodnight. He left, but Renata woke all the way up. She went up to the playroom and was looking out to the barn to see if she could see Erin. That’s when she saw her … our friend … dancing in the orchard.”

“Dancing?” Connor smiled. It was a nice fantasy, a pretty picture, exactly the kind of thing Renata would dream up.

“She was … sort of waltzing, like,” Renata said. She stopped her search long enough to stare at Connor.

Wiping all traces of disbelief and amusement from her face, Connor gave the little girl a serious look. “I wish I knew how to waltz.”

“She’s going to teach me,” Renata said. “She promised. Danny, too, if he wants to learn.”

“Waltzing is for sissies,” Danny said, making a face.

“Of course it isn’t.” Connor took the young boy’s hand and bowed over it gravely. “Waltzing is for gentlemen. It’s an art, Danny. A social art. All dancing is. I can’t tell you how much fun it is to go out for an evening, dancing with a gentleman who really knows how.”

“See?” Renata harrumped at her brother. “That’s exactly what she said!”

“I don’t know.” Danny looked at Connor. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. I’d never turn down the opportunity to learn to dance. If your friend teaches you, maybe you can teach me.”

“Okay,” Danny readily agreed.

“Daddy knows how to dance. He’s a wonderful dancer. My friend said … Mama and Daddy used to go to balls all the time, during Mardi Gras and at Christmas,” Renata said. She turned away before Connor could read the expression on her face.

“I’m sure with Clay’s upbringing, he knows plenty about social skills, Renata. In fact, your Uncle Richard is a very good dancer, and he and Clay went to the same schools. I’m sure they’ve danced their hearts out on many occasions.” Connor felt real pity for the little girl who clung so tenaciously to the past.

“Uncle Richard is coming for Christmas,” Renata replied. “He’s going riding with us.”

“Oh?” Connor kept the surprise out of her voice.

“He sent me a Christmas card. My very own.” Renata went back to walking slowly among the trees. Her boot-clad foot kicked aside the brown drifts of crisp leaves whenever she felt anything.

“It will be fun to see Richard. I was teaching him to ride when I left California.”

“But he’s a grown-up,” Danny protested.

“Most of my students were grown-ups,” Connor said, laughing, “and I’ll tell you both a little secret: you two are much faster learners than most grown-ups.” She rumpled Danny’s hair. “You’d better go in and get some breakfast. Then, why don’t the three of us go for a gallop in the woods?”

“You and Danny go,” Renata said. “I’ll come down later for my lesson. I want to wrap some of the presents I bought yesterday.”

Connor nodded. “Then I’ll see you in a little while, Danny, and your sister about eleven.”

She turned to walk away, her mind already at the barn, when she heard Renata’s cry of success. She turned around and watched as the young girl bent into the grass and picked something up.

For a moment Connor thought she’d captured a nut or a stick, until the sunlight struck the stone and set a red spark burning in Renata’s palm.

“What is it?” Connor asked.

“It’s my friend’s ring.” Renata looked a bit worried. She closed her palm and dropped her hand to her side.

“Let me see,” Connor asked, reaching out. Reluctantly, Renata released something heavy into Connor’s outstretched palm. Danny stood at his sister’s side, shifting from foot to foot.

“I told you not to give her that ring,” he hissed at his sister. “Daddy’s going to be mad at us now.”

Connor opened her palm. She’d trained herself not to give away her emotions, but she almost gasped. The ring was dirty, as if it had been pressed into the ground, but it was obviously expensive. There was a single ruby surrounded by small diamonds. The setting was heavy gold, ornate and very artistic.

“This is beautiful,” she said. “Whose is it?”

“It was Mother’s,” Renata said. Her voice was chilled.

Connor looked from the ring to the little girl. The brown eyes were suddenly and unreasonably furious.

“How did it get in the pecan orchard?” Connor asked.

“Renata gave it to the woman in the woods,” Danny said, giving his sister a disgusted look. “I told her not to do it. Daddy’s going to be mad at us.”

“This is very expensive, Renata,” Connor said. She wasn’t certain how far to push this issue. “Did Clay know you’d given it away?”

And to whom? To some ghost woman in the woods? Renata had obviously been playing with the ring and dropped it. She was using the woman in the woods as an excuse to hunt for it, and by some miracle, she’d actually found it.

“Mother gave me that ring before she died,” Renata said. She spoke as if she were a queen dealing with rabble. “It’s mine to do whatever I choose with.”

“Clay might feel differently.” The ring was worth several thousand, maybe more. Connor was no expert judge of jewelry.

“Give it back,” Renta said, holding out her hand.

Connor slipped the ring into her pants pocket. “I think I’d better give this to Clay.”

“Please don’t!” Danny stepped forward. “We won’t do it again, will we, Renata?”

“Shut up.” She glared at him. “I’m going to eat breakfast. I’ll be down at eleven for my lesson.” She walked back to the house.

Danny looked forlornly at Connor. “Don’t tell Daddy. He’ll be mad that Renata gave the ring away. She said he’d never notice, but I knew he would. He’ll be furious.”

“Go on and eat breakfast. I’ll meet you at the barn,” Connor said. “Danny, I know you and Renata are having fun with the friend you’ve met in the woods. But when you take expensive jewelry, it goes beyond having fun. This is serious.”

“We won’t ever do it again.” His eyes pleaded with her. “I’ll think about it.”

He nodded. “I’ll be ready to ride in a few minutes.” He scampered after his sister, who was already at the steps. Renata walked in the house without ever turning around.

Connor walked on to the barn. The ring was an obvious lump in her tight pants, and she pulled it out as she walked. There was mud crusted on it, and she worked it loose with her fingernail. The setting was exquisite, as if it had been designed just for Tallulah Sumner. It was the same ornateness Talla had liked so much in her mirror and picture frames.

Connor stopped and held the ring to the light. The ruby was a deep, blood red in a radiant cut. The diamonds, though small, had a lot of sparkle. Connor looked inside the band. There was an inscription, in tiny letters. “Forever, my love, RAB.”

The initials surprised her at first. She’d thought the ring had been a gift from Clay, but Talla had had a lot of admirers, according to gossip. She tucked the ring back in her pocket and fed all the horses except Tinker and Ali Baba. She’d feed them when she and Danny got back from their ride.

“Why is Connor going with us to chop down a tree?” Renata asked peevishly. She took her father’s hand and held it tight.

Clay, the children, and Connor stood on the porch at Oaklawn, Renata’s warm breath frosting out in front of her as she complained. They were bundled in jackets, jeans, boots, mufflers, hats, and gloves.

“Couldn’t it just be the three of us, you, me, and Danny, like a family?” Renata persisted.

“Connor knows where all the good trees are,” Clay said easily. He put his arm around Connor’s shoulders. They’d decided it was time for the children to get used to them doing things together—things that included the children. He’d decided that they would find a cedar tree on Oaklawn property, chop it down, and bring it home and decorate it, all together.

Connor thought she’d burst with happiness. Even Renata’s displeasure wasn’t going to spoil the day. The girl was threatened, and Connor was determined to help relieve that feeling. This was exactly what she and Clay had discussed the night before, when she’d given him the ruby ring.

“Renata, why don’t you and Danny run down to the barn and ask Jeff for a saw?” Clay directed. “Connor and I need to map out our course so we don’t spend the entire week walking.” He knelt down, picked up a stick and hastily drew an outline of the property with the main trails.

Renata’s face looked like a thunderstorm, but she walked off with Danny.

“This is going to be hard for her,” Connor said, as she knelt down beside Clay.

“For all of us,” Clay said. He dropped the stick and reached over to pull Connor against him for a light kiss. “It’s been hard on me, pretending I didn’t love you.”

“Oh, Clay,” Connor whispered, “I love you, too.”

The words hung between them, golden in the morning light, a bond as sure and strong as if it were physical.

“We’re doing the right thing,” Clay said. “We’ll introduce the idea slowly, so it doesn’t threaten Renata.”

“I’m afraid it will, no matter how careful we are to protect her.”