Deception (7 page)

“I won’t do it!” Some force had returned to the child’s voice. Her whitened lips clamped down in a firm line. “It’s wrong to make me! Wrong! I won’t! It’s evil!”

“Mr. Sumner.” Connor spoke softly, but the urgency in her voice carried clearly. Pushing the child now would do no good at all. Renata was truly afraid of something. She wasn’t being stubborn, she was terrified.

“Give us a moment,” Clay said in an equally soft voice. He never took his eyes from Renata.

“Danny, I think I see old Henry with a halter. Let’s walk to the paddock and see my horses.” Connor put her hand on the boy’s shoulder and moved him away from the car. “I brought them all the way from California.” She chatted, trying to keep the boy’s attention on her. The raw emotion of the scene between the father and daughter was almost too painful to watch.

“Renata’s used to getting her way,” Danny said easily. “Daddy warned her not to act ugly.” He shrugged.

“She’s afraid,” Connor said gently. “We’ll have to take things slow and easy.” Old Henry’s stooped figure had stopped at the paddock gate where he casually held a red halter at his side. “Maybe when we catch one of the horses Renata will want to pet her.”

“She hates Oaklawn a lot. Especially the barn. She says evil lives in the barn. She says it’s in there waiting for her.” Danny cast a glance back at his sister. “Will Renata’s horse live outside?”

“Evil?” Connor stopped short. “What does she mean?” She couldn’t help glancing at the beautiful stone structure.

Danny shrugged. “She says it, and sometimes she scares me talking about it. Renata can be weird sometimes.”

“But what is evil?” Connor didn’t like the chill that tightened the skin along her arms and back. Her father would say that someone walked over her grave.

Danny gave her a sideways look. “Daddy’s waving to us.” He ran back to the car, leaving Connor at the fence.

“I don’t think we’ll need the halter, but thank you,” Connor said. Old Henry hardly ever spoke, but he watched the horses with real pleasure. He was in his seventies, a fixture at Oaklawn. Willene said that he’d been a paratrooper in World War Two and had come back to Oaklawn a silent and reclusive man. He did his job and went home to his small house just across the Mississippi line.

“Miss Renata suffers, she does.” He didn’t move, but he watched Renata, Danny, and Clay.

“Maybe she’ll learn not to be so afraid.” Connor smiled at the old man. Since he never talked to anyone, she was flattered that he’d said something to her.

“Might be better for all if more folks were afraid.” Old Henry tilted forward in his peculiar stride and walked off.

“Connor!” Clay signaled her over to the car. “I think Willene wants to see us up at the house,” he said softly. He was still kneeling beside Renata and he stroked a strand of hair from her hot, tearful face. “You haven’t seen Willene in a long time. Will you hate it here so much if she’s with you?”

“Willene’s here?” Renata rubbed the path of her tears from her cheeks with both hands.

“She baked homemade cookies for after lunch,” Connor threw in. There was something about the child that touched her.

“I want to see Willene,” Renata said quickly. “Please, Daddy, can we?”

Clay looked at Connor, and she nodded. It was better not to push too hard. Let them come to her in their own way. She dropped behind Clay as he took Renata’s hand, and they all walked toward the house.

At first Connor thought it was her imagination, but then she saw Clay’s hand tighten on Renata’s as they drew closer to the house. He was pulling the little girl forward.

“Who’s in the house?” Renata asked, stiffening her legs.

“Willene and Sally.” Clay stopped so he could look at Renata. “You remember Sally. She helps with the cleaning.

“Just Willene and Sally? You promise?” Renata’s voice quivered and her eyes lifted to the second and third floor windows.

“No more tears, Renata, you promised,” Clay said firmly.

“It’s okay,” Danny said, and the little boy took his sister’s other hand. “Willene will take care of us.”

“Willene will stay with us?” Renata asked.

“Absolutely.” Clay started forward. “And Connor, too. If you give it half a chance, you might discover that you love Oaklawn as much as I do. One day it will be yours and Danny’s.”

“One day.” Renata looked up at the house. Her lips parted slightly as she breathed. “If any of us are still alive.”

When Sally cleared the last plate away and brought the coffee, Connor finally relaxed. The children were dismissed from the table, and they left to track Willene down in the kitchen without a backward glance. It had been a silent and tension-wrought meal. Every rattle of cutlery, every cleared throat was weighted with the potential for trouble.

Connor rearranged her spoon on the table and let her thoughts drift back to the morning. Only the cook’s appearance on the porch had saved them from another scene with Renata when she tried to balk at entering the house. Somehow, Willene had whisked the child inside without a word of protest. What had happened at Oaklawn to send a feisty eleven-year-old girl into such dread?

Clay was caught up in his own thoughts as he sipped his coffee. Connor cast a glance in his direction. Sitting at the head of the table, he was an impressive figure. Man of the house. Man of destiny. She sighed. What was going on at Oaklawn? For the moment, she wanted only to escape to her room and lock the door. It was beginning to dawn on her that she’d made a serious error in judgment. Forty-five thousand, rent-free, stable-free dollars was too much for the job she’d been hired to do. She should have known; she should have suspected. Richard should have warned her that Clay Sumner’s daughter was severely disturbed. She had half a mind to call him and demand that he send her enough money to get out of hock to Clay and get the hell out of Mobile. Whether it was inbreeding, or something in the water, the people she’d met in her brief stay were decidedly odd. It would be best to leave, before things progressed. But how?

That was the rub. She’d cashed Clay’s check and already spent two-thirds of the fifteen thousand. She was still in debt for a new truck and horse trailer, not to mention the breeding fee for Cleo. How could she pay him back? She had no job, no income. He’d have to give her time. After all, he hadn’t been exactly forthcoming with the actual conditions of her employment. It was as much his fault as hers. Had she known the daughter was so disturbed, she’d never have taken the job.

“Ms. Tremaine, would you take a walk with me? I’d like to show you the grounds.”

Clay’s voice made her start. She’d fallen so deeply into her own troubles she’d forgotten she was still sitting at the table with him. “Of course.” She put her napkin on the table and stood, her gaze catching his for a moment. She felt the brush of his fingers across her jaw as surely as if he’d physically reached out to her. But he hadn’t moved at all! She took an instinctive step backward and struck her chair.

“Ms. Tremaine.” He jumped up and grabbed her arm. “Are you okay?”

“Yes. Yes, I’m fine,” she managed. His fingers were warm, supporting. She lifted her arm from his grasp. “Thank you. I have some things I need to talk about with you, too.”

Connor preceded him down the hall and to the door, and they walked out together. She was keenly aware that his stride was long and purposeful, perfectly matched to her own. Silence stretched between them as they left the house behind. They walked on, almost to the end of the pecan orchard, and still he said nothing.

“Mr. Sumner, you weren’t honest with me.” Connor broke the silence. “You never indicated at all that your daughter is … emotionally disturbed.” There, it was out in the open.

“Renata has been having nightmares. For a long time,” he answered. He looked at Connor, his blue eyes unwavering. “I tried to help her, but I can’t seem to get through. Renata refuses to say what she dreams about or anything else. I fear her condition is getting worse and worse.”

“She needs professional help. She’s terrified of something, and it isn’t just a childish fear of riding. If I were her parent, I’d get her to a really good child psychologist.”

Clay shook his head in a combination of disgust and anger. “I tried. We had the best man in New Orleans. It was absolutely useless. Renata sat without speaking for session after session. We went at this for eighteen months, Ms. Tremaine, twice a week. Don’t you think I haven’t tried everything? Renata said if I made her go back, she’d run away.”

“Children don’t know what’s good for them,” Connor gently reminded him. “Renata is a child. She can’t be allowed to make her own rules.”

“It isn’t just Renata. The doctor told me it was useless if she wouldn’t make an attempt to work with him. He suggested that I try a more direct approach.” He pointed to an old pecan tree and led Connor in that direction. “Hiring a horse trainer was his idea. Renata’s fears seem to involve all of Oaklawn, but particularly the barn, and to a lesser extent the house. Dr. Rubenstein encouraged me to get Renata to confront her fears.”

“You should have told me this,” Connor said. Anger nibbled at the roots of her hair. The prickly heat needled and moved on her scalp—always a bad sign for whoever she was dealing with. The bastard had deliberately tricked her into a situation that was no-win.

“You wouldn’t have come. It’s too far for such a gamble.”

“That’s an understatement. And it’s too bad that I’ve quit my job and spent most of your money. You’ll have to suffer the loss, at least until I can try to pay you back. I’m sorry, Mr. Sumner, but I quit.”

Clay leaned against the knotted bark of the tree. They were in the back corner of the orchard, far removed from any prying eyes. There was no anger in his blue eyes as he looked at her.

“You can’t quit.”

“Watch me.” Connor’s anger was growing with each second. “You tricked me and deceived me. You’re expecting me to do something that could be very dangerous for your little girl. I’m not trained to do this, and I’m not going to try. What if this little experiment you’ve concocted backfires? Your daughter might completely withdraw. Have you thought about that?”

“Connor, I didn’t tell you the complete truth. That’s true. But Renata needs you.”

“Bullshit, Clay Sumner. She needs a doctor.”

A twist of irony touched the corners of Clay’s mouth. “You’re wrong about that. She’s had the best doctors around. The best. Now it’s up to me to figure out a way to help my daughter. If I can’t break through the dark wall that she’s erected, I really may lose her forever.” His jaw clenched. “I won’t let that happen.”

“And you’re willing to risk everything. Your child. My career. Everything.”

Clay’s blue eyes calmed. The bitterness left his face, replaced by the hint of a real smile. “I checked you out very carefully. You’re the best. The very best there is. I’ve minimized the risk as much as possible. I like you, Connor Tremaine. You’ve got some backbone. To be honest, if I thought it would help Renata, I would take her to the ends of the earth. But it won’t help. She won’t let it. The horses might trigger a breakthrough. Or at least, that’s what Dr. Rubenstein thinks. If she shows any indication that she’s willing to talk with him, I’ll have her there in less than two hours. Day or night.”

“Election or not?” Connor put the hardest edge on her question. The suspicion that perhaps a child with mental problems might not play well in the Alabama political arena had crossed her mind.

“My career will never come before my child. Never.”

Connor shook her head. “I’m not the right person for this job. I’ll get your money back to you, but it’ll take me some time.”

“You’re forgetting the contract you signed.”

The deadly calm statement caught Connor like a punch in the midriff. She actually sucked air. “What? That contract isn’t worth two cents. You lied to me. You deceived me and misrepresented the entire situation. No court would honor such a farce.”

“I wouldn’t want to bet on that. You see, I wrote it myself. Did you read it carefully?” There was no satisfaction in his face, just a shading of regret. “I hate to do this, but I was afraid your initial reaction might be to jump and run. I know mine would be.” His smile was self-deprecating. “You’ve stepped into a mess, but I need you and I won’t let you get away if I can stop it.”

“You’d hold me to a contract knowing you lied?” Connor was still in shock. “Richard said you were honorable in your business dealings. That’s why I didn’t take the contract to a lawyer.” The mistake she’d made was glaringly obvious.

“I find no pleasure in this. Please don’t think that I do.” He walked around a tree, giving her a moment to adjust to the situation.

“If I break the contract, what will happen?” Connor calculated the worst. A lawsuit. Her name ruined. Her name was all she had. A man like Clay could see that her ruin was complete.

“Would you consider a compromise?”

“Do I have a choice?” she lifted her chin.

“Stay for one month.”

“One month?” Her smile was bitter. “And then what trick?”

“No trick. Stay one month and try with Renata. If you still want to leave, you can go.”

“Even if I’ve made progress with the child?” Connor’s anger still churned. “Won’t that be your next excuse for lying?”

“If you don’t want to stay, you won’t make any progress with Renata. All I’m asking is that you try it here.”

“You’re not asking anything.” She was so angry she was trembling. A soft wind laden with the smell of honeysuckle blew several loose curls against her cheek. She brushed them away. “You’re blackmailing me.”

“Ms. Tremaine, please try to see it from my point. Renata is precious to me. You’re here already. You’ve moved your horses here. They’ll be well fed and well cared for. You can spend plenty of time training them and looking for the stock you hope to acquire. Just spend a few hours a day with my children.”

He was ticking off every point she’d made when she was convincing herself to take the job. It was frightening. “I have no choice. I’ll stay a month. And I’ll give you my best in that time. But if I decide to leave at the end of thirty days, I’m going no matter what you do.”