CODY HAD BEEN GONE less than ten minutes when there was a heavy pounding on Lori’s door. She rushed to open it and found him standing on the stoop, looking furious and sheepish all at the same time. And very, very wet.
“I can’t go home,” he growled. “The barricades are up. The road’s under water.”
He shrugged out of his jacket and gave it a good shake before entering the house. “I’m going to drip all over your carpet.”
“I can sop it up. Obviously, you’re going to have to get out of those clothes. I have a washer and dryer.”
“And what do you suggest I wear?”
“I don’t know. I’ll find something.”
What she found was an ancient flannel bathrobe that was roomy on her but stretched tightly across Cody’s shoulders and came to just below his knees. He looked utterly ridiculous in it, but neither of them was inclined to laugh.
“I’ll put your clothes in the washer,” she said, turning and heading for the bathroom where the appliances were.
Cody watched as she dumped the clothes in the washer and turned it on. Her movements were quick and jerky. “Are you really angry?” he asked.
Lori closed the washer lid, then turned to him, crossing her arms under her breasts. “I think disappointed is a better word.”
Cody opened his mouth to say something, then closed it and sighed wearily. A second or two passed before he said, “Then that’s your problem, not mine.” Scowling, he sat on the sofa, picked up a two-day-old newspaper and began turning the pages.
Lori endured the silence a few minutes. If this wasn’t something! How were they supposed to get through the rest of the day? By sniping and snarling at each other? “I guess we should try to be civil,” she said. “These are pretty close quarters, and fate seems to have thrust us together in them.”
“I’ll do my best,” Cody replied not looking up.
As rapidly as he was turning the pages of the paper, Lori knew he couldn’t possibly be reading anything. She went to the kitchen and began needlessly scrubbing the sink. “Help yourself to TV or music or whatever.”
“Thanks.” He didn’t move.
“Would you like me to make coffee?”
“Not for me, thanks.”
More silence. Lori rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “If this is your best, then you’re lousy company.”
The paper came crashing down. “What in hell do you expect?”
“You have to admit it seems rather pat…the big rush all of a sudden,” she insisted stubbornly.
“I admit nothing of the kind. Were you or were you not dating someone until recently?”
“Well, I…”
Cody got to his feet, crossed the room and stood in front of her. “This has got to stop. I’m sorry you’ve spent even a minute doubting my motives and words where you are concerned. I wish none of the trouble at the bank had a thing to do with a friend of yours. But I can’t let personal feelings intimidate me into not doing my job. Surely you can understand that.”
He waited for her to say something. When she didn’t, he went on.
“I’m asking you to believe I never lied to you or used you or did any of the nefarious things you’ve accused me of. I never pumped you for information, did I?”
“I…I don’t remember.”
“I never spent five minutes with you for any reason other than simply wanting to be with you. I knew at the book fair I was going to ask you out if the coach was no longer around. I knew at Cooper’s I was going to ask you out again, and that was before you said a word about Mary Alice. And at the country club dance I knew I was going to ask you out again and again and again. And at the McKinneys I knew we were going to sleep together, probably sooner instead of later. I just knew.”
Lori knew she should be careful because she wanted to believe him. But she could feel her resolve crumbling. “Well, I…”
“Don’t let me go off to Houston this week with things not right between us.” He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. “I haven’t felt like I was falling in love since I was seventeen. Please don’t spoil it for me. Let me enjoy it.”
Lori closed her eyes….
THE RAIN STOPPED during the night, and the sun came out Monday morning. Lori lay very still with her face pressed against Cody’s back, one arm under her pillow, the other thrown across his stomach. How she hated it that the weekend was drawing to a close, especially since he was going to be gone until Friday. She took a selfish minute to wish the road wouldn’t open, but with the sun out it would and very quickly.
She felt him stir. “What time is it?” he asked sleepily.
“Seven-thirty.”
“I don’t hear any rain.”
“No, it’s stopped, and the sun’s coming out.”
“Guess I don’t have an excuse not to go to Houston.”
“You don’t enjoy the meetings of the great minds?”
“They’re a pain in the ass.” Turning, he gathered her into his arms. “I’m going to miss you. You’ve brought some badly needed joy into my life.”
“That’s nice to hear.” Lori knew she should be happier than she’d ever been in her life…and to a certain extent she was. Oh, she was still worried about Mary Alice but totally confident that she didn’t take the money. And if she didn’t, no one could prove she did, could they?
So Lori knew Mary Alice wasn’t responsible for her uneasy feeling. She wished Cody would open up and talk to her about…oh, about his childhood, his hopes and dreams for the future, something deep and personal so she could get inside his head.
“How long before the road opens, do you think?” he asked.
“Give it an hour or so. Once the rain stops, it doesn’t take long. I’ll put the coffee on.”
Later, after Cody had dressed, he phoned his office and explained to Martha that he’d got caught out of town and had had to wait for the water to recede. He then asked if anything or anyone needed his attention. Lori heard him say, “Well, tell Helen Merriwether to fill in during peak periods. I’ll have to go home and change clothes before coming in, but with luck, I’ll be there before noon. Thanks, Martha. Goodbye.”
Hanging up, he glanced over at Lori. “Mary Alice called in sick this morning.”
“So? Does that further implicate her?”
“Goddammit, Lori,” he barked, then checked himself. “It was nothing but an idle comment. Don’t be so touchy where she’s concerned.”
They had breakfast, then Cody got ready to leave. “Are you going to the bank this morning?” he asked Lori.
“I don’t think so.”
“Then I won’t see you until Friday…unless the road’s still closed. If so, I’ll be right back.”
“I know another way to town…higher ground.”
A flicker of amusement crossed his face. “Why didn’t you tell me that yesterday?”
“I can’t imagine.”
He kissed her goodbye with such deliberate sensuality it stripped her of her senses. “Remember that this week,” he said when he lifted his head, “and forget all that other garbage. I’ll try to call you this week.”
Then he was gone, leaving Lori with the most peculiar feeling of loss.
“CYNTHIA, I mean this from my heart,” Lori said as she leaned over the crib. “Jennifer is a beautiful baby. I mean not just cute. She’s beautiful.”
Cynthia, of course, beamed. “Naturally we all think so. She’s a good baby, too…so far. I hope she doesn’t turn out spoiled rotten. One peep out of that tiny mouth, and Virginia and Lettie Mae come running. I’ve told them Jennifer needs to cry sometimes.”
Giving the baby another gentle pat, Lori straightened. “How are you?”
“Great. Never felt better in my life. I’m glad you stopped by, Lori. How about a cup of tea?”
“I’d love one.”
“Good. No one else in this house drinks the stuff except in iced form.”
The two women left the nursery and went downstairs, Cynthia leading the way to the sun room. “Have a seat,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”
Lori sat in one of the wicker chairs and gazed out over the grounds of the Double C. It was Thursday afternoon. The week had found her staying close to her house and her work. She’d gone to the bank Tuesday morning and done some Christmas shopping, but that was the only time she’d been away from the ranch. Finally today she’d felt a bad case of cabin fever setting in, so she’d decided to visit Cynthia and Jennifer. Cody had called from Houston every night, but he wouldn’t be calling tonight because of the retirement party—a stag affair that he feared might last until the wee hours. He claimed to be bored to death and missing her terribly. She hoped that was true.
Cynthia returned shortly carrying a tray that held two cups and saucers and a teapot. The glass-topped table in the center of the room was strewn with newspapers. She pushed them aside and set down the tray. As she poured tea for Lori, she indicated one of the papers. “I’ve been reading about Cody’s father,” she said casually, handing Lori a cup.
“Cody’s father?” Lori asked, puzzled.
“Uh-huh. J.T. always gets the Sunday edition of the Houston Post along with the Austin paper. To show you how busy a baby can keep you, I’m just now getting around to reading it. And I always devour the business section. Cody’s father is obviously a very big shot in the city. Here, read it yourself.”
Lori was sure there had been some mistake, but she took the paper and began reading.
DeWitt Hendricks, CEO of the huge Southwest Bank conglomerate, is spearheading a task force aimed at securing a big slice of the lucrative Mexican free-trade market for Houston. “We musn’t flag in our efforts,” Hendricks said, “because Dallas and San Antonio are breathing down our necks.” He also indicated that his sons, Robert and Cody, would be utilized when necessary, and hinted that he wouldn’t hesitate to invest some of his own one-hundred-million dollar fortune in the Mexican venture.
The article was a lengthy one, but Lori had read enough. With a great deal of effort, she kept a straight face as she glanced up at Cynthia. She even managed a smile.
“Impressive?” Cynthia asked.
“Yes, it’s…very interesting.” Lori took a sip of tea and almost gagged on it. “Have you finished with the paper, Cynthia? I’d like to read the entire article when I have the time.”
“Sure, take it. Oh, isn’t it nice to have all that rain gone? Are you looking forward to Christmas, Lori? Where will you spend it? In San Antonio?”
“I’m sure I will.”
“Are you taking Cody with you?”
Lori’s eyes clouded. “I certainly doubt that.”
IT WASN’T until midway through Thursday night’s retirement party that Cody decided how he would find out who took the money. His solution was ludicrous, of course, but once the idea took hold of him, it wouldn’t let go. That night, lying in the quiet dark of the River Oaks mansion, in the bedroom that had been his since childhood, he discarded the notion half a dozen times, only to pick it up again. Yes, it was what he was going to do, he finally decided firmly. And somehow he thought Lori would approve.
The following morning he left Houston at sunrise, pausing only long enough to leave his parents a note. At an all-night diner he bought coffee and a doughnut for the road. When he arrived back in Crystal Creek, he went home to change, but then he didn’t go directly to the bank. Instead, he drove to the Double C Ranch. Some people would think him crazy, he knew, but he felt Lori would understand why he was standing on the front porch of the McKinney residence, punching the doorbell.
Virginia Parks answered the ring. “Why, good morning, Mr. Hendricks.”
“Good morning, Ms. Parks.”
“I’m Virginia,” the housekeeper said.
“And I’m Cody.”
“Come in, Cody. I believe J.T. is in his study.”
Cody stepped into the foyer. “I…ah, didn’t come to see J.T. this morning, Virginia. Actually, I’d like to talk to Hank, if that’s all right.”
Virginia’s expression conveyed mild surprise. “Hank? Of course it’s all right. He loves company and doesn’t get near enough of it these days. I believe he’s in the sun room. It’s the warmest room in the house in the morning. Gets the east sun, you know. This way.”
Cody followed the housekeeper. “I promise I won’t keep him but a few minutes.”
Virginia glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “You’ll keep him as long as he wants to be kept.”
Hank was sitting in a wicker rocker facing the big windows. A sweater had been thrown around his shoulders, and his cane was hooked over the arm of the rocker. He seemed to be staring vacantly out over the vista of the ranch. He looked very bent and old, but the minute Virginia entered the room, he straightened, and his eyes grew alert.
“You have a visitor, Hank,” Virginia announced, then turned and walked away.
Hank peered through his wire-rimmed glasses, apparently confused for a minute…but only for a minute. “Ah, you’re Lori’s young feller, ain’tcha?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I told you not to call me sir. Know somethin’…you look like a banker.”
“Should I thank you for the compliment?”
“Not specially. You fellers always look like you’re on the way to a funeral.”
Cody chuckled. He removed his coat, loosened his tie and rolled his shirtsleeves to his elbows. “That better?”
“Much. Sit down, take the load off’a your feet and tell me what’cha want to see me about. Guess it’s about all that oil I was tellin’ you about.”
Cody carefully laid his coat across the back of a chair and sat down. “Actually, Hank, I have been thinking about that, but it requires more study than I’ve been able to give it in just a few days. What I really came here about this morning is…”
Cody couldn’t believe he was really doing this, and if his father or brother had gotten wind of it, he probably would have been committed to an institution for the mentally unbalanced. I guess my problem is, he thought, that I don’t think like a banker.
“You see, Hank…last weekend, Lori told me something about the visions you have.”
“Been havin’ ’em all my life. Lotsa folks think I’m purely crazy…not that I give a good goddamn what lotsa folks think.”
“She said you had ‘seen’ someone steal something from Carolyn.”
“Yep.”
“I’m very curious about your visions. Do they just come to you unbidden, or do they involve things you’ve been thinking about for a while?”
Hank scratched his stubbled chin. “Little o’ both, I reckon. Like the oil. I’d been thinkin’ about that property for a spell. But the bi’ness about someone stealin’ from Carolyn—that jus’ popped into my head out’a the blue. Don’t rightly know what it was that was stolen, but they must’a got to the bottom of it ’cause I ain’t heard a word about it.”
“When did you see that, Hank?”
“Oh, a few weeks back. It was on a Sunday night, I remember that much.”
Cody felt his heartbeat quicken. “Did…did you see who did the stealing?”
“Nope. I jus’ knew somethin’ was missin’.” Hank peered at Cody quizzically. “What’s this all about, young feller?”
Leaning forward, Cody lowered his voice and spoke earnestly. “Hank, there’s something I’d like to tell you, something that isn’t common knowledge, and I’d appreciate it if you’d keep it under your hat.”
“Ain’t a soul alive who’s better at keepin’ a secret than yours truly.”
“Thanks. You see, there’s some money missing from the bank, and you’re right, it was taken from one of Carolyn’s accounts.”
A look of pure triumph crossed Hank’s wizened face, but he said nothing.
“It’s not a great deal of money,” Cody went on, “so I squared it with Carolyn, passing it off as a bookkeeping error. But the money’s not been recovered. Obviously, someone at the bank took it, and I want to know who it was. And I’d like to find out myself, rather than have some auditor do it for me…if you get my drift.”
Hank nodded knowingly. “I got’cha.”
“So I was wondering…if you thought about it, concentrated on it real hard, do you think you might come up with something for me?”
Hank stared at him a minute, then smiled. “Know somethin’…I ain’t met three bankers in my whole life I liked, but I like you.”
“Well, thank you. I’m very flattered.”
“And I’m gonna see what I can do for you. I’ll think and ponder on it a spell. Can’t never tell what I might come up with.”
Cody stood. “I’d appreciate that, Hank. More than I can tell you.”
“Don’t mention it. Any banker who believes is all right in my book.”
Cody rolled down his sleeves, straightened his tie and reached for his coat. “Is it all right if I call in a few days?”
Hank nodded. “I’ll be here. Understand…I can’t guarantee nothin’.”
“I understand. Thank you.”
A minute later when Cody stepped out into the autumn sunshine and headed for his car, he began whistling. He knew he should feel like the world’s biggest ass, but he didn’t. Instead he felt as though he might finally be on the verge of finding out what happened to that confounded money.
At the gate he automatically turned toward town, but a few miles down the road, he braked and made a U-turn. No one was expecting him at any particular time. He had given Martha a vague “I’ll be back sometime Friday,” so she would expect him when she saw him. It was a beautiful day, and he felt curiously unburdened. And he had missed Lori horribly. He drove straight for the Circle T, alive with longing and imagining the loving reception waiting for him.
Lori answered his knock. She was wearing jeans, a floppy shirt and sneakers. Her hair had been carelessly twisted atop her head, and she wore no makeup. To his eyes she looked all of twenty—fresh and incredibly beautiful. He fully expected her to fling herself into his arms.
Instead, her face became as cold and hard as marble. “What are you doing, slumming?” She turned away and moved to the center of the room.
“What?” Perplexed, Cody stepped inside and closed the door. Walking to her, he slipped his arms around her waist and kissed the top of her head. “I thought of almost nothing but you all week.”
“Really? You must not have contributed much to the meeting of the great minds.”
Cody felt a sudden chill. “What’s the matter with you?”
Lori took his hands and flung them away from her, then walked to the coffee table and picked up a newspaper. Cody couldn’t begin to imagine what was wrong. When he’d talked to her Wednesday night, she had been so sweet, breathlessly telling him how much she wanted to see him.
But then she thrust the newspaper against his chest, and he knew. He didn’t even have to look at the paper to know. When his brother had proudly shown the article to him, his first reaction had been to pray no one in Crystal Creek had seen it. But then he’d reminded himself that the locals did not read the Post. The Austin and San Antonio papers, yes, but he’d never seen so much as one copy of the Post in Crystal Creek.
“Where did you get this?” he asked.
She uttered an unpleasant sound. “The McKinneys get the Sunday edition, and Cynthia, the banker, reads the business section. She could hardly wait to show it to me.”
“Jesus!” Resignedly, he tossed the paper in the nearest chair.
“Just what is behind this masquerading as a small-town banker? Are you getting a kick out of living and working among the hicks? You could buy and sell this entire town if you took a notion to.”
“No, I couldn’t.”
“Then your daddy could.”
“Am I supposed to apologize? So my family has money. They had money before I was born, and I had no say about who my parents were.”
“You’ve misrepresented yourself, Cody, and you know it.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll admit I would prefer that the local citizens don’t know who my father is.”
“Why?”
“Because it would set me apart. The people at the bank wouldn’t take me seriously if they knew my father is CEO of Southwest Bank. I’d rather they think I got where I am because I know my job and do it well, nothing else. I really don’t understand what difference it makes who or what my father is, but unfortunately, it always seems to.”
Lori heaved a sigh. That article had alarmed her in ways she didn’t fully comprehend. She’d read it so many times she had the damned thing memorized. His family wasn’t just rich; they were Big Rich, the elite. And the money had been around a few generations. Old money in Texas was powerful. The article had stressed the power. DeWitt Hendricks, it said, had only to pick up a telephone and have the ear of congressmen, senators, cabinet members and even the President. He had the kind of clout that ordinary people couldn’t imagine.
Lori had known of families like Cody’s—San Antonio had its share—and they tended to stay with their own kind. Dalliances with waitresses, secretaries and, yes, accountants were not frowned upon provided they remained only dalliances. And that frightened her. She was in deep emotionally and not sure she could extricate herself gracefully.
“You and I do not inhabit the same world,” she said.
“See!” Cody shouted, jabbing a finger in the air. “See! That’s exactly the kind of thinking that prompted me to clam up about my family. It’s the most preposterous thing I’ve ever heard, and I’ve run up against it too many times to count. But I’m surprised at you, Lori. I wouldn’t have thought that you, of all people, would give such a thing a thought.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me about your family straight away?”
He opened his mouth, then shut it, fuming.
“I think you’re getting a kick out of seeing how the common folks live. For sure I don’t think a small town accountant would…” Lori checked herself.
“Would what?”
“Nothing.”
Cody simply stared at her a minute, stunned by what was happening. Then he threw up his hands. “You’re a snob!”
A minute of uncomfortable silence passed. Then Lori’s shoulders rose and fell. “I think I’m a realist. You’re just having a good time and will be gone when this fling with small-town life palls. It was, unfortunately, more than that for me.”
Cody stared at her bowed head, and a slow smile crossed his face. Closing the space between them, he took her in his arms. Though she didn’t exactly respond, she didn’t push him away. “This is too ridiculous to talk about. Okay, you want to know about my family. I’ll tell you all about them. Then I’ll tell you what I came to tell you in the first place. But can we please sit down?”
SOMETIME LATER, after Cody had finished talking, Lori sighed and shook her head. “I always knew there was something about yourself you weren’t telling me. I couldn’t imagine what it was. I never would have imagined that.”
“It was that life that brought me to Crystal Creek. And I’ve loved it here. You can’t imagine how free I’ve felt. But you’re right—it won’t last. The day will come when I’ll have to go back to Houston and take my ‘rightful place.’ I owe it to the family. I realized it this past week. Someday my father will retire, Robert will become CEO and I’ll take over the flagship. There’s no escaping it, and for all the differences Dad and I have had in the past, I don’t want to escape my heritage.”
“Well, I’ll never be able to say I wasn’t warned.”
“Lori…” His voice was low and husky, and he trained those fascinating eyes on her. “I wouldn’t hesitate to take you with me if that’s what we want at the time. My family can be so staid and stuffy at times. You’d inject some sparkle into that house. Now, will you kiss me hello?”
She leaned toward him, and he drew her into his arms. He kissed her mouth, her cheek, her throat and ear before releasing her. She sat back, smiling. “Cody, what did you want to tell me?”
“Huh?”
“You said you came here to tell me something.”
“Oh, yeah. I came to tell you I’ve hit on a way to solve the mystery of the missing two thousand, and it won’t involve using anything you told me about Mary Alice and Luke. It won’t involve any more snooping. In fact, I’ll stay out of it entirely. And…I think, I hope it’s almost foolproof.”
Interest flickered in Lori’s eyes. “What are you going to do?”
“I’ve…ah, put Hank on the case.”
Lori’s eyes widened. “What?”
“You heard me. He knew the theft had occurred before anyone else did. Now he’s going to try to come up with who did it. He says he can sometimes do that if he ponders on things a bit.” He couldn’t bring himself to look at her. As he said it aloud, it sounded even more ridiculous than it had while he’d mulled it over last night. But he was counting on her to understand. There was a single gasp of astonishment. “Cody! Being a believer is one thing, but this?”
Cody was all seriousness. “I knew I had to do something, Lori.”
“B-but, Cody, there’s no guarantee that Hank will come up with anything.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“If he doesn’t, what are you going to do?”
He hesitated…but only for a second. “I’ll call Audit.”
“But you didn’t want to do that. You said you could get in trouble.”
“I’m not going to get ‘in trouble.’ I might get called on the carpet for handing the money over to Carolyn so readily, but I’ll get over it.”
“Your father won’t be impressed.”
“I know, but I’ll do anything I have to. I want to divorce myself from…whatever happens. That way I can concentrate on us.” He took one of her curls and twisted it around his finger. “I’ve been away from you much too long, and there’s really no urgency about getting to the office.”
Without a word, she took him by the hand and led him to the bedroom. There was another long, lovely weekend ahead.