Perfect Partners (20 page)

It was the same small noise that had saved his life the last time
. Disoriented from the aftereffects of the shattering release, he rolled off Letty and scrambled to his feet. One searing thought burned in his brain:
he had to protect Letty
. Whatever was happening, he had to take care of her.

But it was not an enraged Victor Copeland who stood staring into the stall with angry eyes. It was Diana.

“Couldn't you have taken her somewhere else, Joel?” Diana raised her tear-filled gaze from Letty's sprawled form to Joel. “Did you have to bring her here? This was our place.”

“Damn it, Diana.” Fury washed through Joel as he jerked his zipper closed. “Get out of here.” He took a step forward.

She whirled and ran from the gloomy barn.

Joel stood staring after her until he heard the distant sound of a car engine. A soft noise behind him made him turn finally to look down at Letty.

She was sitting up, trying vainly to straighten her sadly rumpled clothing. “You brought her here that night, didn't you?”

“I'm sorry, Letty. She must have followed us when we left the motel. She's acting crazy.” He reached down to help Letty to her feet. He righted her easily and could not resist an amused, affectionate smile at the sight of her. He felt so much better now, he realized. Even the shock of having Diana appear like a specter from the past could not shake his new mood.

Letty was delicious in a state of disarray. Her glasses were askew on her nose, her hair looked as if it had come in contact with an electrical circuit, and she had discarded her shoes and her torn panty hose.

Joel wanted to pull her back down on the floor and make love to her all over again. He reached for her.

“This time I'll do it right,” he promised.

“No, wait,
don't
.” Letty stepped back quickly. Too quickly. Her feet got tangled in her panty hose, which were lying on the floor. “Oh, my God.” She tried to grab hold of the side of the stall and missed.

“Take it easy, Letty. It's okay, honey.” Joel caught her and held her steady. He pulled her close against him. “Easy, honey. I didn't mean to scare you. I know I rushed things a few minutes ago. I lost control. It won't happen again. I swear it.”

“It's not that,” Letty whispered, her voice muffled against his chest. “Tell me the truth, Joel. You were here with her that night when Copeland found you, weren't you?”

He grimaced as he heard the accusing tone in her words. “Well, yeah, I was. But I don't see what that has to do with us.”

“Joel Blackstone, when we get back to Seattle I am going to enroll you in a sensitivity-training seminar.” Letty jerked away from him. “Damn.” She straightened her glasses on her nose and scowled down at her ruined pantyhose. Angrily she yanked them away from her feet and tossed them aside.

“Letty, what the hell is the matter?”

She nodded toward the old blankets on the floor of the stall. “Same blankets? Same stall?”

Joel was outraged at the unfairness of the implied accusation. “It happened fifteen years ago, for God's sake.”

“You could at least have picked one of the other stalls.” Letty stepped barefoot back into her pumps and stalked past him. “I think it's time we went back to the motel. I need a bath. And then I think it's time to start packing. I've had enough of Echo Cove.”

I
'm sorry, Letty.”

The words were the first Joel had spoken since leaving the barn. Letty slid him a sidelong glance and noticed the way his fingers were clenched around the Jeep's steering wheel. Her gaze traveled upward to the grim set of his jaw. She felt herself soften in spite of her recent embarrassment.

“Forget it.” She surveyed the main street of Echo Cove as they drove toward the motel.

“I shouldn't have stopped at that damn barn in the first place.”

“I'm glad you told me the full story about what happened here all those years ago. At least I understand now why you're so determined to destroy everything that Victor Copeland has built. Maybe he even deserves it. The problem, Joel, is that you're going to destroy this whole town in the process.”

“I don't give a damn about this town. It's Copeland's town.” Joel jerked a thumb at a small cluster of people gathered in front of the bank. “Not one of those fine, civic-minded citizens would stand up to Victor Copeland if he took a mind to start chopping off heads at noon in the town square.”

“You're being too harsh, Joel.”

“I'm telling you how it is, that's all. Don't waste any sympathy on the good folk of Echo Cove. They sure wouldn't waste any on you.”

Joel pulled into the motel parking lot, then got out and came around to open Letty's door. “I'll be packed and ready to leave in fifteen minutes.”

“Fine.” She smiled coolly at his eagerness to be gone. “I'll be ready in about an hour. Probably more like forty-five minutes. I told you I wanted to take a shower. I'm a mess.” She reached up and pulled straw from her tangled hair.

His mouth tightened, but he did not argue. They climbed the stairs in silence. When she reached her room, Letty let herself inside and closed the door with a sense of relief.

She was still shaky.

The effects of Joel's incredible lovemaking combined with the shock of being discovered had definitely rattled her nerves. She hoped a hot shower would relax her. It was going to be a long drive back to Seattle.

Kicking off her dusty pumps, Letty started toward the small bathroom. Her hand paused on the jacket of her suit as she caught sight of herself in the mirror.

She was a walking disaster. Everything seemed to be twisted, torn, or creased beyond recognition. Her navy blue suit was so filthy it would have to go directly to the cleaners. The lenses of her glasses were dusty. And her hair looked as if it had been put into a blender. She would have to wash it before the drive to Seattle.

But there was a rosy flush on her cheeks and an unfamiliar brightness in her eyes. She could feel a lingering warmth between her legs.

With a start, Letty realized she was still a little aroused. As she stared at herself in the mirror, she turned an even brighter shade of pink. If Joel had not been in such a frantic hurry back there in that horrible barn, she would have had another of those mind-shattering climaxes that he had introduced her to the other night. She had been on the brink. She was certain of it.

She made a face at herself in the mirror. She was becoming obsessed with sex.

“Oh, my God.” The thought sent her reeling into the bathroom. Somewhere she had read an article that claimed women really hit their stride, sexually speaking, in their thirties. And she was, after all, on the verge of turning thirty. Maybe it was all coming together for her at last.

Thanks to Joel Blackstone. No, Joel had told her she was hot. Hot and sexy. She, Letty Thornquist, was normal, after all. Just something of a late bloomer, apparently.

But a part of her knew that if she was the plant, Joel was the gardener.

Half an hour later Letty was feeling much more fit and ready to deal with the world. She had dressed in wool trousers and a pullover sweater and was trying to force her willful hair into a clip when a knock sounded on the motel room door. Letty put down her brush and went to answer it.

Keith Escott stood outside, an earnest if somewhat sheepish expression on his handsome face. He had a black eye, and he was holding a file folder in one hand.

“Sorry to bother you,” Keith said. “But I wanted to talk to you in private, and I think this is going to be my only chance. Do you mind if I come in for a few minutes? This won't take long.”

Letty glanced uncertainly over her shoulder at the unmade bed and the open door of the closet. The bathroom was filled with steam. It occurred to her that a lot of modern businesswomen must have to face this sort of dilemma. One point in favor of her former career as a librarian was that she had never had to conduct business in a motel room.

“Would you rather go downstairs to the coffee shop?” she offered tentatively.

“There's a crowd down there. Everyone knows me and will recognize you. I'd rather talk to you in private, if you don't mind.”

Letty summoned what she hoped was a corporate smile. “Certainly. Please excuse the mess. The maid hasn't been in yet.”

“Believe me, it's nothing compared to the mess Copeland Marine is in these days. And that's what I want to talk to you about.” Keith walked into the room and headed straight for the table and chairs near the window. He took a seat and opened the file, clearly too intent on business to notice the state of her room.

“What have you got there?” Letty came slowly across the room and sat down on the other side of the table.

Keith looked up. “It's a five-year plan to salvage Copeland Marine. I've been working on it for six months, using computer projections.”

“I see.”

“All I'm asking is that you look it over and give it fair consideration. I believe we can rescue the company and put it back on its feet if we do some major debt restructuring and if we overhaul the entire management approach.”

“Victor Copeland said something about being able to pull the firm out of the red in another couple of quarters.”

Keith shook his head impatiently. “Not a chance. Not the way he's going at it. Blackstone is right about that. Copeland Marine is going straight down the tubes, and Victor Copeland doesn't have a clue as to how to stop it. He's locked into too many old patterns.”

“You mean he won't listen to new ideas?”

“Copeland hasn't moved with the times, and now he's paying the price. I've been telling him that for three years.” Keith grimaced. “But of course I'm the last person he wants to hear it from.”

“But he's given you a key position in the company.”

“In name only,” Keith said bitterly. “Oh, sure, I get to crunch numbers and handle a lot of the routine work. I even waste a lot of time on my computer trying to put together operating assessments that will persuade Copeland to change his methods. But the truth is, my father-in-law thinks I'm about half an inch below pond scum.”

Letty tilted her head while she considered that. “Something tells me Victor Copeland doesn't respect too many people.”

“I've learned the hard way that the only thing Copeland respects is someone bigger and stronger and more ruthless than he is.”

“A real old-fashioned kind of guy,” Letty murmured. “Why do you stay at Copeland Marine if you don't like working for your father-in-law?”

“Isn't it obvious? I'm married to the boss's daughter. Diana insists we stay here in town, and as long as her father wants me working at Copeland Marine, that's what she wants, too. I've tried to make the best of things for the past three years.”

“Anything for Daddy, right?” Letty asked curiously.

Keith's eyes narrowed. “Diana has her reasons for wanting us to stay here. I suppose that, in the beginning, she thought Copeland would actually turn the yard over to me. After all, he was the one who introduced me to her in the first place, and he gave his full approval to the marriage.”

“I take it he no longer shows any indication of being willing to turn the management of Copeland Marine over to you?”

Keith smiled ruefully. “I was beginning to think the only way I'd get anywhere at Copeland Marine was if Victor Copeland died. But having the yard get taken over by Thornquist Gear a year ago put a whole new light on things.”

“You want a chance to run the yard?” Letty watched him intently.

Keith shrugged. “I don't mean to sound arrogant, but the fact is, I'm the only one who can save it. With your help and that of Thornquist Gear, of course. And I think it's worth saving. The town's entire economy is dependent on that yard. A lot of good people will be badly hurt if Copeland Marine closes.”

“I'm beginning to realize that.”

Keith looked at her. “I realize Thornquist Gear is not a charitable institution. I don't expect you to keep Copeland Marine going out of sympathy for the people of Echo Cove. But I think I can offer you a plan that will work.”

“A plan that will effectively put you in charge?”

Keith nodded. “Copeland is a bullheaded, stubborn old man who thinks he can continue to run his company and his town the way he has for the past thirty years. He won't change voluntarily, but Thornquist Gear has the power to make him change. You can set up a new management system, Letty. You can restructure things the way I've outlined in this file. You can save the company and this town.”

“Now just why in hell would she want to do that?” Joel asked, his voice deadly and quiet.

Keith spun around in the chair and saw Joel lounging in the doorway between the two rooms. “Hello, Blackstone.”

Letty glowered at Joel. “I didn't hear you open that door, Joel. You should have knocked.”

Joel ignored her. “You didn't answer my question, Escott. Why would Letty want to save Copeland Marine?”

“Because there's a lot more at stake here than your personal vendetta with Victor Copeland.” Keith got to his feet. “I came to see Letty because I had a hunch she'd be a lot more reasonable about this than you are.”

“You came to see Letty because you had a hunch she'd be a soft touch.”

“That's not true. I said reasonable and I meant reasonable,” Keith retorted.

“Don't you think I'm reasonable?” Joel murmured.

“No, frankly, I don't. I think your judgment is skewed by what happened between you and Copeland fifteen years ago.”

“And I think your judgment is warped by the fact that you're Victor Copeland's son-in-law.”

Keith's shoulders bunched. “You want another chance at the job, Blackstone? Is that the real reason you're back in town?”

“If you believe that, you'd believe anything,” Joel muttered. “Including the possibility that Copeland Marine can be saved.”

“
Gentlemen
.” Letty surged to her feet. “Quiet, both of you. I will not tolerate this kind of bickering. You have both been involved in one disgusting brawl already, and you both look very much the worse for it. I will not permit any further violence. Is that clear?”

Joel and Keith turned to stare at her as if she had just materialized out of thin air.

Joel shoved his hands into his back pockets. “Christ, Letty, you're not back at Vellacott College telling a couple of sophomores to be quiet, you know.”

“Is that right? It's hard to tell the difference.”

Keith had the grace to look embarrassed. “Sorry, Ms. Thornquist. I've been a little on edge lately.”

“So has Joel.” Letty glanced from one to the other. “I understand that this is a highly charged situation, but I nevertheless expect you gentlemen to conduct yourselves in a civilized manner. At least I will insist upon it while you are in my presence. Now, I want you to shake hands.”

“I said this wasn't the reference desk at the Vellacott Library,” Joel growled. “For the record, it's not kindergarten, either. We don't shake hands and make up just because teacher says so.”

Letty swallowed and pushed her glasses more firmly onto her nose. “I insist, Joel.”

“You insist,” Joel repeated softly.

Letty gathered herself and straightened her shoulders, realizing that she had painted herself into a corner. Joel was watching her with gleaming eyes. He was well aware of her dilemma. She had, in her role as president of Thornquist Gear, just issued a direct order to her CEO in front of a member of the enemy camp. But she was powerless to enforce it.

She had a sudden, vivid recollection of Joel's short lecture on the importance of not undermining the corporate chain of authority in front of others. So much for presenting a united front to the staff of Copeland Marine, Letty thought ruefully.

Before she could come up with a graceful way to extricate herself from the awkward situation, Joel moved.

He came away from the doorway, took his right hand out of his back pocket, and extended it to Keith. He even managed a wry smile.

“What the hell,” Joel murmured as he and Keith stiffly shook hands. “She is the president of the company. That's a real beauty of a black eye you've got there, Escott.”

Keith winced. “Damned nose bled for an hour last night. The only good thing I can say about the situation is that you don't look much better than I do today.”

“Letty's right. We're both a little the worse for wear.”

Keith hesitated and then shrugged. “Hell, it was my fault. I thought something went on between you and Diana yesterday morning. You know how rumors fly in this town.”