The Firstborn

He rocked back on his heels. Once again she sensed an underlying amusement. “Now why do I think you’re ready to do exactly that?”

“Good instincts?”

“Try the front door,” he suggested softly. “I haven’t completed the design for that gate.”

Hayley hesitated. “I will. And Mr. Myers, I wouldn’t waste time creating any more gates or bars for Heartskeep if I were you.”

Hayley plunged back down the pitch dark path toward the house. She didn’t dare look back. Bram Myers was entirely too disconcerting for comfort. She had never seen a sexier man in all her life. Too bad she was going to have to fire him in the morning.

She wished there was a moon overhead as she made her way cautiously around the house to the front door. Curiously, she didn’t even need her key. The tarnished brass knob twisted easily beneath her fingers. The door swung wide, revealing a black, cavernous interior that was far from inviting. Hayley could barely see to step over the threshold. She searched along the wall for the remembered light switch, relieved when her fingers closed over it. But nothing happened.

A large chandelier hung over the foyer. One bulb might be burned out, but not all of them. Obviously, the electricity wasn’t working again. The house had an empty, deserted feeling. Where was everyone?

“Hello? Is anyone here?”

Her voice seemed to echo hollowly.

Straight ahead, the formal grand staircase rose imperiously to the second floor. Beyond it was the incredibly large, one-of-a-kind living room. On her right was the library, and to her left, the narrow, formal parlor her grandfather had converted into a waiting room for Marcus’s patients.

Hayley knew a moment of shock when she sensed the door to that parlor standing wide open. Except during office hours, Marcus always kept that door closed and locked.

Despite her unease, she was drawn to the opening. She set down her case and crossed to the entrance, stepping warily inside. The bank of windows on her left was covered by thick, heavy drapes, so there wasn’t even a faint trace of light in the waiting room.

“Hello? Is anyone home?”

A whisper of sound slithered to life from somewhere inside. Common sense told her to leave. Fear told her to run. Sternly, Hayley told herself she wasn’t a child. This was her home. She had nothing to fear here.

“Hello?”

Shoving back a long tendril of hair that had worked its way loose from her ponytail, she stepped into the dark recess of the room.

“Is someone in here?”

No one answered, but there was a definite slither of sound that sent prickles of alarm straight up her spine. It was impossible to pinpoint the source of the noise, yet she sensed someone standing nearby. Someone who obviously didn’t intend to make his or her presence known.

As Hayley stepped forward cautiously, her leg made unexpected contact with a hard object. Her fingers identified the reception desk, even as her eyes strained to pierce the uncanny blackness of the room. Visions from every horror movie she had ever seen rushed to paint images in her mind. There was a feeling of wrongness in here that was almost physical.

A disturbing chill suddenly brushed her skin. Hayley sensed rather than saw a movement in the ominous well of blackness pooled at the opening that had once led into the formal ballroom. The heavy door now led to the corridor her grandfather had created when he’d converted a portion of the ballroom into a bathroom, laboratory and exam rooms for Marcus. The narrow hall ended at an office.

Hayley held her breath. She felt sure someone stood in that pocket of shadow, silently watching her. The sense of menace seemed to swell until she turned and bolted back into the hall.

She noticed the tall, looming shape too late to avoid a collision.

A scream tore from the depths of her soul. Hands closed roughly around her shoulders. Even as dry-mouthed fear enveloped her, she instinctively lashed out with her foot. There was a soft grunt of pain as she connected with a shin. Her attacker released her.

“Take it easy, will you? I’m not going to hurt you.”

A core of remaining sanity placed the voice. A powerful shaft of light emerged from a flashlight in his hand. She was momentarily blinded by the beam before he aimed it away from her face. His harsh features wavered into view.

“Sorry if I startled you,” Bram Myers said quietly.

“Startled?” Her heart raced as if she’d run a mile. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“That would have been a real shame. Not to mention a spectacular problem.”

His wry humor steadied her frazzled nerves. “What are you doing in here?”

“I came to be sure you hadn’t driven your car through a door like you threatened.”

“Very funny.” She couldn’t stop trembling. It had been such a long day, and he was standing too near.

“What happened to the lights?”

“They aren’t working,” she bit out.

“I noticed.” He swung the beam so it spanned the empty hall, causing shadows to leap and writhe. “Are you all right? You’re shaking.”

“Of course I’m shaking. You scared the heck out of me.”

“The way you came bursting out of that room, I have a feeling I’m not the only thing that scared you.”

Flustered, she struggled for a composure she was far from feeling. “There’s someone in there. Whoever it is wouldn’t answer when I called out.”

He tensed. “Wait here.”

Before she could stop him, Bram strode through the opening. Hayley followed on his heels, secretly relieved by his reassuring presence. His flashlight brought the dark room to spooky life. The drapes were of thick, heavy damask. Empty chairs sat in a line in front of them.

“Inviting. I hope you’re planning on having a decorator come in,” he said mildly.

“Cute.”

The beam of light swept behind the desk to reveal the heavy, dark wood double doors that led back to Marcus’s lair. They were closed, sealing off the converted rooms. Her stomach lurched.

“One of those doors was open a second ago,” she whispered.

Bram spared her a look. Crossing to them, he reached for the knob. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.”

He rattled the handle. “It’s locked now. Want me to break it open?”

Yes, she wanted to shout, but she couldn’t push the word past lips that felt numb. Someone had stood in that doorway only a minute ago. She was sure of it.

“I can force it open if you want me to, but are you sure it wasn’t your imagination playing tricks? It would certainly be understandable. Without light, this room is as dark as the inside of a coffin.”

To prove his point, he shut off the flashlight, plunging them into a total void. Hayley stifled a gasp. Bram went on talking.

“I’m standing right here and I can’t even see the doors, much less tell if they’re open or closed. It would be a shame to kick them in if you’re wrong. They don’t make interior doors of solid cherry anymore.”

Had the door been open? Was it possible her imagination had taken over? It had been a long day, after all. Hayley was tired from the drive and stressed by what she’d found here—to say nothing of how furious Marcus would be if she damaged something.

Why was she worried about that? This was her house, a tiny voice shouted inside her head. Still, she hesitated. Could she have been wrong?

“What happened to the electricity?” Bram asked abruptly. He snapped the flashlight back on, to her intense relief.

“I don’t know.” She cursed the quaver in her voice, but she couldn’t even control the shakes that rippled through her body. “Don’t you sense it?” she whispered before she could stop herself.

He regarded her steadily. “Sense what?”

The wrongness, she wanted to shout. Instead, she shook her head. “Never mind. The house feels…empty.”

“You just said someone was in here.”

“Forget it.” Thoroughly embarrassed, she turned back to the main hall.

“Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but I think we ought to see if we can get some lights on. Do you know where the fuse box is?”

Gratefully, she nodded. “There’s one in the kitchen, inside the pantry.”

“Show me?”

He moved to within inches of where she stood. She’d known he was a big man, but having him this close made her feel small and fragile.

“Don’t patronize me,” she warned him.

“That wasn’t my intention. Would you prefer I leave?”

“No! No,” she said more calmly, drawing a deep breath. “I’m a little rattled. I don’t understand what’s going on here, either. Where is everyone? Mrs. Walsh? Kathy? Someone should be here. Someone must be here. The front door was unlocked.”

“It was?” He appeared mildly surprised.

“Yes!”

He held up a palm. “Okay, take it easy. Are you always this defensive?”

“Only since—” Since she’d gotten the lawyer’s letter, requesting that she come home to discuss a problem. Hayley could hardly say that to a total stranger. “Since I got here and found everything changed.”

“I can see where that might be unnerving. I’m afraid I haven’t spoken with anyone in a couple of days now. I’ve been staying in the old barn by the forge while I complete the work your father hired me to do. I’m afraid I don’t know any of the people you just mentioned. I’ve only spoken with your parents since I got here.”

“My father and his wife,” she corrected. Then, not wanting to explain, and disconcerted from standing this close to him, she turned away. “The kitchen’s back this way.”

His light swept the hall ahead of them as she set off quickly. She wondered if he’d ever been inside the sprawling mansion before, and if he had, what he’d thought of the incredible rooms that stretched up to the huge skylights. Normally, moonlight would have made the interior clearly visible, but tonight clouds blocked the light and the house felt like some vast, empty cavern.

“Was your father expecting you?” Bram asked.

“I didn’t call to tell him I was on my way home, if that’s what you mean.”

Bram didn’t respond. If he was wondering about her relationship with Marcus, he didn’t ask. In fact, now that she thought about it, she was a little surprised he hadn’t demanded some sort of proof of her identity. She could have been lying. On the other hand, it wasn’t his job to protect Heartskeep—except by covering all the openings with metal grillwork. She should be grateful for his presence, or at least for the presence of his flashlight. And she was—it was just that she was having a strange reaction to being this close to him.

The kitchen was a dark, silent shell. The light switch clicked uselessly. “The pantry is right over there,” she told him, pointing to the closed door.

Funny. Growing up here she’d never viewed all this heavy, dark wood paneling as gloomy. The house had seemed a warm, comforting haven in her childhood. The feeling was gone now, just like her mother and grandfather.

Bram opened the pantry door and stepped inside. “Big place,” was his only comment.

Hayley couldn’t argue. The house was enormous. Rooms, closets—every aspect of the house was large. She watched as he studied the electric panel for a moment. Finally he flipped a large breaker. Nothing happened.

“Power lines must be down.”

“That happens when it storms, but it’s not storming tonight,” she pointed out. “At least, not yet.”

“No,” he agreed, “but a car could have taken down a utility pole or something. Maybe that’s why everyone is gone. Not exactly what you’d call a cozy place without lights. Have you got another place to stay for the night?”

Situated high above the Hudson River, northeast of Saratoga Springs, Heartskeep was a good distance from its closest neighbor and the small town of Stony Ridge. There were neighbors she could call, but Hayley hated the idea of imposing on people she hadn’t seen in years.

“Not really, but it isn’t as if I’ll freeze or something without electricity. I can always light some candles.”

“You plan to stay here alone? I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”

Neither did she.

“What if someone else is in the house with you?”

“I prefer not to think about that.” Fear crawled around in the pit of her stomach. He was right. she had a decent imagination, but she was pretty sure she hadn’t imagined someone else standing out of sight inside the parlor.

“Have you eaten?”

Startled, she focused on Bram. “What?”

“I haven’t eaten dinner yet and I have a steak big enough for two. You’d be welcome to join me.”

“You cook?” She stalled, trying to picture herself sitting across a table from him, sharing a meal.

His eyes seemed to glitter. “Why don’t you be the judge?”

“No power, remember?”

“I’ve got a hot forge.”

“You cook at your forge?”

His teeth glinted as he smiled. A thrill shot through her. She had the distinct impression that smiles were a rare thing with this man. And the one that creased his face now was every bit as appealing as the man himself.

“I have a smaller tank of propane and a camp stove with me. Hungry?”

The pretzels she’d eaten on the drive from the Boston apartment she shared with her sister suddenly seemed less substantial than they had several hours ago.

“Yes, actually, I think I am. If you’ll shine that light over there, I can supply the wine.” His flashlight picked up the built-in wine rack. “I’m not much of a drinker, so I don’t know much about wines,” she confessed. “Do you want to choose something?”

He reached past her with one well-muscled arm. She found herself fascinated by the tattoo on his upper arm as he selected a bottle without hesitating.

“Is that a dragon?”

“Yes. Corkscrew?”

Hayley wondered if the question had bothered him. He didn’t look upset, but then she knew absolutely nothing about the man calling himself Bram Myers. Nothing except the fact that she was strangely drawn to him. Even as she found a corkscrew and followed him back through the house, she wondered if she was making a serious mistake. He paused to scoop up the overnight bag she’d left inside the front door.

“Just in case,” he told her.

“In case what?” she asked nervously.

“In case there really is someone running around in here.”

“Oh.”

They stepped outside and he waited while she forced her key into the stiff lock on the front door.

“At least he didn’t change this lock,” she muttered. “Do you think I should call the police?” How strange that she hadn’t even thought of that until now.

“Up to you. It’s your house, Ms. Thomas.”

“Hayley.”

He inclined his head. “Nice name.”

“Thank you.” She felt disconcerted once again.

“One problem with calling the police is that it will require more than a single officer to search a house this size. By the time a responding officer sends for enough backup to do a thorough job, anyone inside would have slipped away.”

“True,” she agreed, not certain the police would respond if she did call them. “But if someone is in here, they could do all sorts of damage, not to mention help themselves to any number of valuable items.”

The adrenaline rush was fading fast and so was she. Following this man back under the dense canopy of trees no longer seemed like such a good idea.

“Suit yourself,” he said. “You can stay here if you like, but I’m going back to have dinner.”

She followed him off the porch onto the thick carpet of grass. Nervously, she cast a look over her shoulder. A movement caught her eye. She was almost certain a curtain had twitched in one of the parlor windows.

Chapter Two

“Do you still think you saw someone at the window before we left?” Bram asked.

He watched Hayley’s features tighten. She straightened up in his dilapidated old camp chair and faced him squarely.

“Yes.”

He’d assumed she’d been rattled by the dark, spooky house. Frankly, he was. Heartskeep wasn’t a structure he’d want to call home.

“It’s pretty dark. You probably saw light reflecting off the window.”

“What light?”

Good point. “My flashlight?” Her expression told him what she thought of that suggestion. “You should have let me go back inside and check around.”

“No, you were right. The house is too big to search without lights. You could have been hurt.”

“Think so?” Amusement warred with annoyance. Bram watched Hayley shrug as she lifted the paper cup to take another careful sip of wine. She glanced around the clearing nervously. With no moon visible tonight, the setting was perfectly designed to give any smart young woman a case of nerves. The only light came from his camp stove and the citronella candles he’d staked around them to ward off the hungry insect population.

Bram suspected those weren’t the predators that worried Hayley. She was alone with a man she didn’t know, surrounded by trees and the prying eyes of whatever four-legged creatures resided here. If she yelled for help, no one would hear. Only a fool would feel comfortable with the current situation, but he had to hand it to Hayley, she contained her fear well.

Bram felt a stirring of desire and tamped it down quickly. His reaction surprised him. She was undeniably attractive. Her fitted slacks and casual blouse revealed a trim, lithe, enticing figure. But Bram had worked at being immune to any woman’s figure for some time now.

Maybe that was the problem, he thought wryly. Except that it wasn’t her figure so much as something in those wide, doelike eyes that held him enthralled. For all her bold talk, Hayley had a disturbingly innocent sensuality.

She tossed back her head, and he followed the shimmery motion of each golden-brown strand as her hair settled around her shoulders and slid down her slim back. Oh, yeah, she was definitely sparking a reaction in him, yet there was no hint of the practiced tease. Just the opposite, in fact. She was tense and wary and trying not to let it show. He admired her guts, if not her intelligence. The problem was, he didn’t want to be admiring anything at all.

“Feel better?” The question came out more gruffly than he’d intended. Hayley didn’t flinch at his abrupt tone. Her head tipped to one side.

“Actually, I do. Sorry I was such a glutton. I didn’t realize I was so hungry until I started eating. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” His social skills might be rusty, but at least he still remembered his manners. “You weren’t a glutton. I’m glad to see you aren’t one of those picky eaters.”

Hayley had polished off her share of the food and now she was working her way through a second cup of wine with slow, careful sips. She didn’t seem to have noticed that his cup stood untouched.

“I know I should feel like a complete pig, but I don’t care. Even if I have to work out an extra hour tomorrow morning, that meal was worth every bite.”

An image of her bending and stretching in some body-hugging outfit was not something he wanted to picture at the moment. As Bram searched for a safer topic he felt the slow crawl of her eyes over his chest. They lingered just long enough to stir the unwanted heat simmering in his loins.

“You know, a look like that can get a woman in a lot of trouble,” he told her softly. Her gaze flew to his face. He was pretty sure she blushed, but she wasn’t the type to be easily intimidated.

“Sorry. I was looking for the cape and the suit with the big S.”

“What?”

“You know. Blue tights, red cape, big red S on the chest?”

He nearly grinned as he caught her meaning. “Sorry, no superhero costumes in my wardrobe.”

“Pity.”

“But I’ll be happy to go back up to the house with you and have a look around just the same.”

She shook her head. He found himself captivated by the shimmer of her hair once more.

“I don’t think so,” she told him. “While that dragon on your arm looks suitably fierce, I doubt it shoots real flames in times of crisis. I’d hate to be the reason you discovered that tough hide of yours isn’t bulletproof.”

For the third time that night Bram found himself wanting to grin. She had a way of catching him off guard with her droll sense of humor.

“What I should have done,” she continued, unperturbed, “was to follow my instincts as soon as I saw your gate out front, and called the police.”

“I didn’t think my work was that bad, but, hey, don’t let me stop you.”

She gazed up at him from beneath her thick eyelashes. “I didn’t mean it that way. Your art is beautiful and you know it. Besides, I left calling them a bit late, don’t you think? I can just see his reaction now if Marcus came home and found the police searching the house again.”

“Again?” Obviously, she and her father were not close.

She ignored the question. “Whoever was inside is probably gone by now.”

“Then it should be perfectly safe for me to have a look around—even without the bulletproof hide.”

“No, that’s okay.”

Bram couldn’t have said why her abrupt dismissal annoyed him so much, but he had an irrational urge to reach over and touch her. He stood abruptly and reached for a bag to dispose of the trash.

Startled by his sudden movement, Hayley jumped. To cover her reaction, she unfolded herself from the low chair with a gracefulness few women could have managed. Her unease wasn’t due exclusively to him, he realized as her gaze wandered past the circle of light to study the darkness that surrounded them.

“It’s getting late,” she told him. “I should go.”

She handed him her paper plate and their fingers collided. Bram felt her touch all the way down to that part of him her presence had already roused to life.

Hayley went still. Her eyes widened as if she felt the charge as well. He took a small measure of satisfaction from the fact that she nearly dropped everything in her hurry to pull back from that casual contact. Her large blue eyes clearly registered consternation.

“Sorry. I’m not usually so clumsy.”

Clearly nervous now, she pushed back a strand of hair that skimmed across her cheek. The action unintentionally invited him to take a closer look. Her skin was smooth and every bit as tempting as her fascinating hair. His fingers tightened on the plate to keep from reaching out to see how both would feel.

What the devil was he thinking? She was a kid. And a scared kid at that. Besides, the last thing he wanted was an entanglement of any kind. Hayley was the sort of woman with entanglement stamped all over her. If his libido wanted sex that badly, he could always find a casual partner. She didn’t qualify.

“Have a seat and finish your wine,” he ordered sharply. “I can handle the cleanup.”

He glimpsed a flash of hurt in her eyes as she stepped back.

“I’ve had enough wine for the evening. I should go back to the house. I’m sure Marcus and his wife are home by now.”

Bram took a firm grip on his self-control. He would not let her get to him on any level. “Not fond of the stepmother, huh?”

Her chin came up quickly. “Not that it’s any of your business, but his marriage to Eden doesn’t bother me one way or another.”

Right. That was why her unpolished nails were biting into her palms and her very kissable lips were set in a thin, unhappy line. Well, tons of families were dysfunctional these days. Her problems weren’t his. Time to back off before her nails drew blood.

“You’re right. None of my business.”

“I’m sorry. That was rude. Eden can be…difficult.”

“I imagine it isn’t easy having a stepmother.”

“Oh, she’s always been that way. She was Marcus’s nurse for years.”

“I didn’t realize your father was ill.”

“He’s not. Marcus was a doctor. Eden worked for him.”

Bram raised his eyebrows. “Was a doctor?”

“I don’t think he’s practicing medicine anymore. As you must have gathered, Marcus and I don’t have much of a relationship. I’m not looking forward to this particular reunion. Marcus didn’t know I was coming.” She shrugged as if it didn’t matter, but her fingers didn’t relax.