Dangerous Temptation

“No,” he replied at last, tersely, seeing no virtue in admitting some half truth. “So who was she? I have a right to know, don’t I? Or is this some guessing game I have to play?”

The nurse’s blonde brows elevated to somewhere near her nairline, and he realised he might have gone too far. He was in no state to make demands on anyone. Least of all some innocent nurse, who was only doing her job.

But Nurse Haynes was evidently disposed to be generous. “Why, Mr Wolfe,” she said, in what he knew instinctively was a Southern accent, “that—woman—as you describe her, is your wife.”

His stomach clenched. “My wife?”

“That’s right.” The nurse smiled. “A Mrs Caitlin Wolfe, from London. England, of course. What did you say to her? I hear she was quite upset when she left.”

He couldn’t believe it. My God, if she’d been his wife, he’d have recognised her, wouldn’t he? She’d been so close; she’d helped him to a drink of water, for Christ’s sake. He’d have identified something about her, even if it was only her perfume.

“I guess it’s come as quite a shock to y’all?” the nurse ventured, suddenly anxious. Was she afraid she’d get into trouble for letting the cat out of the bag? But, dammit, if the woman was his wife, he deserved to know about it. If only so that when she came back he’d have something to say.

And then, as the rest of what she’d said struck him, he stared up at her. “She’s left?” he exclaimed, gulping for air. “Dammit, where’s she gone?”

“Why, to check in to a hotel, I imagine,” responded Nurse Haynes soothingly. She hooked the clipboard back onto the rail and came to take his pulse. “I guess she’ll come back tomorrow. Particularly as she’s come such a long way.”

“Pigs might fly,” he muttered, resenting her suddenly for disrupting his pensive mood. How the hell was he supposed to relax when he supposedly had a wife he didn’t recognise? And why hadn’t she identified herself to him?

“She’ll be here,” declared Nurse Haynes confidently. She released his wrist and slipped her watch back into her breast pocket. “There now, you’ve got something to look forward to. Not everyone’s so lucky, believe me.”

His jaw clamped. He knew that was true. The aftermath of the accident was still horrifyingly fresh in his mind. After all, he was alive, and apart from his loss of memory, apparently not seriously injured. If he could only be patient, he had every chance of making a full recovery.

So why was he feeling so apprehensive? Why did the memory of his—wife—stick painfully in his gut? He had no reason to doubt she cared about him, yet he’d sensed a certain ambivalence in her gaze.

He spent the following day in a state of wary anticipation. Despite the depressed feeling he’d had the night before, he’d slept reasonably well and he’d awakened feeling infinitely brighter. At least he knew who he was, he told himself firmly. And from that basis, he would eventually rebuild his life.

So far as his marriage was concerned, he was determined to be optimistic. If it had been going through a rocky patch—and he had only his instincts to go on—then the accident could work in its favour. If he and—dammit, what had Nurse Haynes said her name was?—Caitlin? That’s right, Caitlin. If he and Caitlin were having problems, they’d have a chance to solve them. They were being given a new start, whether they wanted it or not.

Before lunch, Dr Harper appeared, trailing his usual pack of interns. Evidently, his case had warranted some excitement in the medical school, and he was forced to lie there saying nothing, while every detail of his condition was brought out and discussed in embarrassing detail.

Not that any conclusions were reached. Despite the fact that they all seemed to have an opinion on the matter, he knew there was no real treatment available. Harper had already broken the news that physicians were still largely uninformed about the way to treat amnesia, and his primary brief, so far as Nathan was concerned, was to ensure that his vital signs remained good and his prognosis positive.

His determined optimism took a dive when afternoon visiting came and went with no sign of the woman they said was his wife. So far as his fellow patients were concerned, it was no big deal. Several of them didn’t get any visitors, either, but he had been banking on her coming back and answering some of the questions that were now tormenting his brain. Who was he? What did he do? Where had he come from? And why had he been on the flight that had come to such an unhappy end?

Even so, he refused to be too downhearted. Perhaps she had other things to do. What other things, he didn’t care to speculate. The possibility that she hadn’t travelled to New York alone was becoming a source of anxiety he refused to face.

He barely touched his supper, earning a reproof from the ubiquitous Nurse Haynes. “Y’all should be thankful you’re alive, Mr Wolfe,” she declared, taking his pulse with impatient fingers. “If you’re worried about losing your memory, just think how you’d have felt if you’d lost a limb!”

He agreed that he wouldn’t have been too happy, though in his present state of mind he felt as if it might have been the lesser of the two evils. At least a man who’d lost a leg or an arm knew what was happening. He didn’t need a doctor to tell him his name.

When his wife didn’t appear for evening visiting, he knew he couldn’t go on keeping his panic at bay. He couldn’t think without resurrecting the ache in his temples, and although he was allowed to get out of bed to go to the washroom, his legs were so shaky he was practically in a state of collapse when he returned.

Where was she? Who was she? What if she wasn’t his wife at all, but some sicko who enjoyed making other people sweat? No, they’d said her name was Wolfe—Caitlin Wolfe—and that was his name. He had his passport to prove it, if nothing else.

He slept badly in spite of the medication they insisted he swallow. And although his sleep was shallow, it was tormented by dreams. He had some crazy notion that he was looking in a mirror, but the man looking back at him wasn’t himself.

He tried to shave the next morning. Designer stubble might look good on some hunk with a Miami tan, but on his pale face it just looked dirty. The trouble was, his hands shook so badly he ended up with a string of cuts, and his pallor wasn’t improved by so much blood.

Still, what the hell, he thought, crawling back into bed, it wasn’t as if anyone cared how he looked. This morning he had no expectations of a visit from his “wife.” Whoever she was, she was keeping out of his way.

Yet, lying there, he couldn’t help wondering what it was he’d seen in her face. He was convinced now he had seen something, and the thought occurred to him that she might have been afraid. But afraid of what? Of him? Of his condition? What kind of man had he been before the crash?

He looked at his hands, examining them, as if the answer might be found within their trembling grasp. What if he was a violent man? A wife beater? Dear God, was that the reason she’d looked so—strained?

Once again, the old fears threatened to overwhelm him. And once again, he managed to fight them back. Yet his sanity was in danger; he felt it. Even if he believed he wasn’t a violent man.

He caught the man in the next bed watching him warily, and he realised he must look strange, staring at his hands. Thrusting them under the bedclothes, he offered the man a wry grimace. If he wasn’t careful, he’d prove what he was trying so hard to refute.

Even so, another thought had occurred to him. His hands might not tell him what manner of man he was, but they did hold clues to the kind of work he’d done. His hands were hard, but he didn’t remember seeing any calluses, and his nails were free of oil and grease. Which pointed to the fact that he wasn’t a manual worker. Was it possible if he thought about an occupation he might have some success?

He made a salutary effort to swallow the stew and greens they served at lunchtime. But the meat was tough, and the greens were floating in their own juice. He seemed to remember that hospital food was always unappetizing. Could that mean he’d been in hospital before?

An hour later, he’d achieved no conclusions, either about his occupation or about whether he’d been in hospital before. It was like butting his head against a brick wall, which, come to think of it, was what it felt like had happened. His brain felt thick and mushy, just like soup.

He elbowed himself into a sitting position. It was almost visiting time again. The man in the next bed hadn’t had a visitor the day before. In fact, he didn’t think he’d had any visitors at all. He turned to him, preparing some friendly remark of commiseration. And then saw the woman walking toward him down the ward.

It was her.

Caitlin.

His wife!

He swallowed convulsively and immediately wanted to go to the washroom again. Christ, he was like a kid, getting excited just because she was here. It wasn’t as if she was doing him any favours. For God’s sake, she was twenty-four hours late!

But immediately on the heels of this came the awareness of his own shortcomings. He should have made an effort to improve his appearance while he had the chance. The nightshirt he was wearing was hospital issue. But what the hell! He usually slept in the raw.

The question of how he knew that was overwhelmed by his delight at seeing her. For almost forty-eight hours, he’d lived in anticipation of this moment, and for all his brave attempts to motivate himself, he admitted he needed her now, probably more than ever before.

4

Lisa Abbott stood at the sitting-room window of her fourth-floor apartment, watching the rain dancing on the balcony outside. The plastic table and chairs that furnished the small balcony were dripping with water, and it was hard to imagine now that she’d actually sunbathed from that very spot.

Of course, that had been months ago, she acknowledged dourly. Since then, she had had plenty of time to complain about the English weather. Why didn’t it snow, for God’s sake, instead of this interminable rain? The dampness seemed to have invaded the apartment and seeped into her bones.

Still, the weather mirrored her mood, she thought grimly, crossing her arms over her slim body. Was it really only weeks ago she had felt so optimistic about the future? She’d been so happy; so sure nothing could go wrong.

Tears pricked at the back of her eyes. She should have known she was tempting fate. Oh, yes, she knew she should be grateful that Nathan was still alive, but why the hell hadn’t he phoned? His secretary had said he had been admitted to a New York hospital; no one knew when he’d be back, but for God’s sake, there had to be telephones there. Why hadn’t he gotten hold of one and rung her? Didn’t he care how she was feeling?

She sniffed, shivering a little in the sheer satin teddy that was all she was wearing. She’d bought the garment just a week ago, anticipating Nathan’s reaction when he saw her in it. Now, it seemed it would be weeks before she was likely to find out. She didn’t even know how badly he’d been hurt.

She’d worn the teddy today in an attempt to raise her spirits. It hadn’t worked, even though she had gained some satisfaction from the knowledge that she still looked remarkably good for her age. The close-fitting satin accentuated the full swell of her breasts and hugged the narrow contours of her hips. For a woman of thirty-nine, she was remarkably well-preserved.

She sighed. If only there was something she could do, but her job at the casino meant she was virtually tied to staying put. Besides, it wouldn’t do for Carl to think they were trying to cheat him. If she went flying off to the States, he was bound to think the worst.

Her teeth ground together at the thought of the hundreds of thousands of dollars that had literally gone up in smoke. She couldn’t be certain, of course, but it seemed highly unlikely that Nathan’s suitcase could have survived unscathed. He wouldn’t have carried it on board as hand luggage. The last thing he’d want to do was draw attention to it. No, like everyone else’s baggage in the hold, it would have been destroyed.

Still, at least Nathan had survived. And Carl could hardly blame him because the plane had crashed. It was an accident, pure and simple. She just wished she could convince herself that he’d understand.

That was why she’d called Carl and invited him to come over. She knew Nathan wouldn’t like it, but dammit, he didn’t have to know. He hadn’t bothered to try and reach her, and she was restless. She ran slightly unsteady fingers over her stomach and down to the moist cleft between her legs, shivering in anticipation. She was horny. Oh, God, was she horny! She needed a man—any man—tonight.

If only Nathan’s secretary had been more friendly when she’d gotten up the courage to call his office. She’d suggested she contact Mrs Wolfe if she wanted any further information. Close-mouthed cow! Lisa wondered if she knew Nathan had a mistress. One thing was certain—she’d never get anything out of her.

In the meantime, she had needs; she had priorities. Not the least of which was finding some more cash. Unfortunately, she’d speculated a little on Nathan’s expectations. Maybe Carl would be generous. He used to like her not so long ago.

Lisa’s lips tightened. It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t fair. There was that bitch—Caitlin—who’d never had to fight for anything in her life, and here she was, with her only chance of happiness slipping away. What if Nathan was paralysed or disabled? Would she still feel the same way about him if he was?

But that was only morbid speculation. She couldn’t afford to be negative about the future. Nathan would get better; he would be all right. She was convinced of it. And when he did, she was going to make sure he got a divorce. Caitlin didn’t satisfy him; if it wasn’t for her daddy’s money, Nathan would never have looked at her. She had to remember that when things were looking black.

She sighed. If only Nathan’s original scheme had been successful. If Matthew Webster had retired and given his son-in-law control of the company, they’d have been together by now. Once the shareholders had seen what a good job Nathan was doing, they’d have supported him whether he was married to Caitlin or not. It was what they’d planned when she’d followed him to England three years ago.

But it hadn’t worked out that way. Somehow, Caitlin had discovered they were having an affair. If the old man hadn’t had a heart attack, she’d have spilled the beans to her father, and then Nathan would have lost any chance of making good.

The final straw had been when Webster had employed that creep, O’Brien. They hadn’t accused Nathan of anything, but it was obvious they didn’t trust him. Caitlin must have said something or why else had Nathan been side-tracked? Lisa didn’t blame him for using any means he could to screw the bastards.

She shivered again. It was getting dark. Across the square, lights were appearing in the windows of other apartments, reminding her that Carl was coming at six. She still hadn’t fixed her make-up, but that didn’t matter. She didn’t intend to get dressed until after he’d arrived.

Was she being reckless, getting involved with a man like Carl Walker just because she was feeling peeved? If Nathan found out she’d cheated on him, would he throw her out? She scowled. He wouldn’t find out. Carl wouldn’t tell him. His wife ensured there’d be no complications of that kind.

Marshall O’Brien entered Matthew Webster’s office with the ease of long familiarity. He’d only been Matthew’s personal assistant for the past two years, but his relationship with the older man went back much further than that. Even so, it was Matthew’s illness that had precipitated their association. Until then, it had remained virtually undisclosed.

Even now, there were only a favoured few who knew of—or suspected—its inception. And most of them would have thought twice before putting it into words. Matthew Webster had never been the kind of man to encourage confidences, and he treated his staff in much the same way he had treated his daughter—with consideration and respect, but little affection.

Nonetheless, his heart attack had changed many things. Not least, his plans for retirement. Despite what his doctors might have said at the time, Matthew had not handed over the reins of command as had been expected. On the contrary, after the attack his retirement had been indefinitely deferred.

And only he knew his sudden seizure had not been unwarranted. For months before the attack, he’d been living on his nerves. He hadn’t wanted to accept it, but it hadn’t taken him long to discover that Nathan was not the man he’d first believed him, and his suspicions had left him sick at heart.

Physically as well as mentally, as it had turned out. The husband he’d chosen for his daughter had proved to have feet of clay, and although Matthew had never had much time for emotion, especially not in business, having to consider his daughter’s feelings had frustrated him beyond belief.

After all, only months before, he’d been congratulating himself on his success. After years of having to live with the fact of Caitlin’s rejection of his plans for her, he’d been given a second chance. That wimp she’d been living with had blotted his copybook, and Caitlin had come running home with her tail between her legs.

He remembered how hard it had been not to say “I told you so” and he thought he’d been rewarded when Nathan Wolfe appeared on his horizon. Even then, he hadn’t been able to believe his luck when Caitlin had showed she was attracted to him, too, and when they’d announced their engagement, he’d thought he was the luckiest man alive.

He should have known better.

In fact, he thought now, he should have been suspicious of any man Caitlin was attracted to. Her record, so far as emotional relationships was concerned, was abysmal, and she’d proved time and time again how sensible he had been not to take her ambitions seriously. In his opinion, women were hopelessly impetuous and far too easily led.

Even so, Nathan had appeared to embody everything he’d hoped for in a future son-in-law. He was older than Caitlin, which was a distinct advantage. It meant he had experience, and although he hadn’t been married before, he’d had plenty of time to sow his wild oats. In addition to which, he’d insisted he was willing to learn, which meant that Matthew would be able to teach him his own methods and consequently keep one hand on the reins even after his retirement.

The only doubt he had had concerned the Wolfes’ own operation, but Nathan had admitted—modestly, Matthew had felt—that his father’s sawmill was having problems due to a slump in the market, and consequently there’d be no conflict of interest should Matthew choose to take him on.

To trust him …

Matthew felt the familiar flutter in his heart at the remembrance of how gullible he’d been. Dear God, after all those years of trusting no one but himself, he’d been pathetically easy to deceive.

Well, initially anyway, he conceded, his lips twisting. But Nathan had not only not been as clever as Matthew thought him to be, he hadn’t been as clever as he’d believed himself, and within months of his tenure, Matthew had been receiving reports that proved beyond doubt that Nathan’s judgment was sadly flawed.

His heart attack could not have come at a worse time. For weeks afterwards, he’d been forced to lie helpless while Nathan systematically took the company down. Only his lack of experience of a large organisation had worked against him, and his efforts to award tenders for contracts on the basis of favours granted had eventually been noticed in accounts.

Nevertheless, the half-yearly figures had been appalling, and by the time Matthew dragged himself back into his office, the shareholders were lusting for his blood. They were threatening to hit him with a vote of no confidence in the company’s management, and with competitors breathing down his neck, something drastic had to be done.

But he hadn’t fired Nathan. He’d known that by admitting his son-in-law’s incompetence, he’d be indirectly blaming himself, and any hint of a lack of judgment on his part could trigger an instant collapse of Webster shares. Instead, without actually making any overt reference to his mismanagement, he had systematically stripped Nathan of all responsibility in the company. And, just as inevitably, Matthew had resumed his former position, against medical advice and at the risk of his own health.

He didn’t know what Caitlin had made of her husband’s obvious change of status. She seemed content, and he had never allowed himself to entertain the thought that Nathan might have been a failure as a husband, too. He still refused to admit he could have been so totally wrong about the man, and in consequence he’d kept Nathan’s mistakes to himself.

Well, almost …

That was when he’d asked Marshall to join the company. He’d been prepared to pay him anything if he’d come to work for him. He needed someone he could trust in a position of authority. Someone who could be his eyes and ears, without alerting the other members of his board—or Nathan—what was going on.

Now, as he watched the younger man cross the thick carpet towards him, he was aware of his own mortality as never before. One day soon, he was going to have to make a decision about Marshall, and the knowledge filled him with defeat. He’d fought against it for so long, but fate was catching up with him. He couldn’t go on running Webster’s. Already, he had had intimations that his health was deteriorating more rapidly than even his doctors had expected, and despite his misgivings, he had to choose someone to be his successor. Obviously, it couldn’t be Nathan. Whatever happened, he couldn’t allow that. But Marshall … Marshall was still largely an unknown quantity. Despite their enforced intimacy, Matthew knew he was only here under duress.

He sighed. If only the boy could understand. But he’d never forgotten that once Matthew had forbidden him the privilege of working for the company. Never forgiven him, either. And if Marshall’s mother wasn’t still alive—and vulnerable—the young man would never have agreed to his request.

“Caitlin called,” he said now, lounging into the chair across the desk from Matthew and regarding him with cool blue eyes. He hooked his heel across his knees. “I thought you’d like to know.”

Matthew kept his temper with an effort. But he couldn’t suppress the indignant flutter in his chest. God, was his wife right? Had he made another foolish error? Marshall appeared to hate him as much as he admired him; he certainly showed him no respect.

“Didn’t she want to speak to me?” he demanded, his tone just short of an accusation. “You knew I wanted to talk to her if she called.”

Marshall shrugged. He was a man of middle height, stocky but muscular, and Matthew knew he worked out several times a week. He had short brown hair and he wore wire-rimmed spectacles, but his appearance was deceptive. He was as strong as an ox and just as stubborn when he chose. Like Caitlin …

“She wouldn’t wait,” Marshall said carelessly, flicking a speck of lint from his sleeve. He hesitated, and then added reluctantly, “I got the impression she was—nervous. I guess finding your husband doesn’t know you is quite a strain.”

“If he doesn’t,” muttered Matthew sceptically, tapping a pen somewhat agitatedly against his blotter. “What do you think? Is he lying, or has he really lost it? How the hell are we going to handle it if it’s true?”

Marshall’s face was annoyingly blank. “You’re talking about the discrepancies in the South American contract.”

“Well, I’m not bloody interested in his health, if you’re in any doubt.” Matthew scowled. “How in God’s name did we let him get away with it? Does nobody do their jobs around here but me?”

Marshall’s expression hardened. “It was you who insisted on keeping him on,” he pointed out evenly.