The Marine's Temptation

And hadn’t he proved that today? He defused her. He removed any argument she had.

When he noticed, his blue eyes took on that playful look again, just as she’d seen them do in the conference room. He’d enjoyed being her champion, taking that lawyer to another room and coming back with a prompt signature.

The elevator doors opened to the parking garage. Neither of them moved. She fell into the long moment, daring to toy with the temptation of believing he was different from his father.

The elevator doors began to slide closed. He reached out and stopped them.

She stepped out ahead of him, not ready to go back up to the conference room and get her stepmother.

“What did you say to that lawyer up there, anyway?”

“I reasoned with him,” Carson said.

“Reasoned?” He had to give her more than that.

“I helped him see that Patsy isn’t of sound mind right now.”

She had run before she could be arrested in connection to the attempted murder of Whit’s wife, and suspicion had turned to her over her husband’s death. Who wouldn’t agree that she was crazy? He must be some negotiator if he could maneuver a haughty lawyer like that.

“Well...I feel like I should thank you,” she said.

“My pleasure.” He gave her a slight bow of his head.

She warmed to him and the instinct to resist quickly followed. His chivalry didn’t change who he was—an Adair. A wealthy man. He represented everything she didn’t respect.

She had to stop herself from fantasizing about tracing her finger along that strong, square jaw with unruly stubble sprouting before noon. Maybe he’d foregone shaving this morning. He had a fun-loving side to him. That went against the rich-man, better-than-everyone-else persona she had assumed he had.

“Why did you do it?” she asked. “Why did you help Ruby?”

“It was the right thing to do,” he said.

“That’s it?” He’d only wanted to do what was right? “What about your mother?”

He grunted. “First of all, I was never close to my mother. And she severed all ties when she went after my brother’s wife. I have no loyalty to her, but regardless of the kind of person she turned out to be, I’d have made sure Ruby got what my dad wanted her to have.”

His integrity confused her. “But...Ruby isn’t part of your family.”

“That doesn’t matter. She was married to my dad and they had a child together.” He studied her awhile. “What’s all of this really about, Georgia? Why are you so against my family?”

“I’m not against you.” She searched for the right words. “I...I’ve just seen what being part of your family did to my stepmother. The kidnapping. Reginald leaving her. The blame. It destroyed her.” She regained her purpose in chasing after him. “I’ll be damned if I’ll let anyone make her suffer like that again.”

“Maybe I can understand your concern, but none of us—my brother, my sister or I—would harm Ruby. What happened in the past isn’t going to stop me from trying to find Jackson.”

“Fine. Look for him, just don’t involve Ruby.”

“I’ll protect her as much as I can.” He watched her awhile. “I know what it’s like to want to protect your family. I felt estranged from my parents, but I love my brother and sister. I would do anything for Whit and Landry.”

She smiled, believing he would. Carson didn’t strike her as the type to abandon those close to him. He was a doer.

But what would she do about him searching for Jackson and dragging Ruby through that hell all over again? She’d never find closure. She would have to relive that nightmare.

“What makes you think you’ll find Jackson any easier than your father?” she asked.

“I don’t know if I can. But I have to try. I’m sorry, but I do.”

“What if you don’t find him? What then? I’ll have to take Ruby back to Florida and pick up the pieces you shattered.”

He put his hands on her shoulders. “You care about Ruby a great deal. I can see that. My father suffered, too. No one knew how much until it was too late. Try to see this from my point of view. I need to finish what my father started. He started his own investigation. I’m going to finish it.”

He was so sincere. And she did understand. She couldn’t fault him for trying to find Jackson. She just hoped Ruby could cope with another disappointment if he didn’t succeed.

Realizing he’d put both hands on her shoulders and that she was looking into his earnest eyes, Georgia averted her head and stepped back. He was so handsome, a perfect specimen of hotness in a gentleman package. Not her vision of what had ripped Ruby’s heart out. And not a man she’d expected to encounter.

“What’s this really about?” he asked again softly.

What did he mean? This was about Ruby suffering. Didn’t he see that?

“You tried to convince Ruby not to take the inheritance,” he said. “Why? Why would anyone refuse that kind of money?”

“It’s the money that destroyed her to begin with,” she said. “Jackson’s kidnapping only made everything worse.”

“Adair money? How?”

“Your family treated her like trash and supported Reginald divorcing her. They never liked her.”

“Who? My grandparents? Things have changed, Georgia. I don’t see them here. It’s just me, Whit and Landry. We had nothing to do with how anyone treated your stepmother.”

Well. He certainly had a way of putting her in her place. The worst part was he was right. She was tossing blame around wherever she could. If it had the name Adair attached to it, there was plenty to spread around.

She didn’t know what to say. She still didn’t trust him or his family, his money, their money. It was really that simple.

He leaned forward and pressed the elevator call button. “I’ll see you tonight.”

She watched him walk away, an inner struggle warring inside her.

The elevator doors opened but she didn’t get inside. Impulse made her walk after Carson.

“Carson?”

He stopped and faced her.

“I’m sorry. Maybe I am out of line. Ruby married a rich man and all it got her was a broken heart. His family never accepted her. And now the inheritance is pulling her back into that life. I’m afraid of what it will do to her. That’s why I can’t help wishing Reginald had left Ruby out of his will.”

A sexy grin curved up on his face. “I’m glad he didn’t.”

Georgia stared at him in slow comprehension. He wasn’t glad for Ruby, he was glad for himself. Because he’d met her.

The sound of a car approaching penetrated her awareness. They stood in the middle of the parking garage lane. Georgia stepped back to get out of the way when she spotted a man wearing sunglasses and a hat aim a gun out of the driver-side window.

Carson tackled her right as fear consumed her and the gun fired. She landed hard on the concrete behind the protection of a pickup truck. More shots rang out, pinging as the bullets hit the truck. Carson stayed on top of her while tires screeched and the sound of the car grew fainter.

Georgia sat up when Carson stood to peer over the hood of the truck. Georgia could no longer hear the car.

“Who was that?” she asked, breathy with wild adrenaline.

“I don’t know.” He reached for her hands to help her to her feet. “Are you hurt?”

Stepping back from him, she surveyed her body, wiping her hands down her now-dirty skirt suit. She had a minor scrape on her leg and her hands were a little sore, but other than a little shaken up, she was okay. “No bullet holes, so I couldn’t be better.”

Her attempt at humor fell flat on him. His brow was dark and low in grave contemplation. He must have some ideas about who had just shot at them. Wait. Why would anyone shoot at her? The inheritance? It didn’t seem likely. And as she recalled the way the man had aimed the gun, it hadn’t been directed at her. It had been directed at Carson.

“Why would anyone want to shoot you?” she asked.

His eyes met hers but he’d closed up. “Go back inside, Georgia. I’ll take care of this.”

Take care of it how? He ushered her to the elevator.

“But—”

He gave her a gentle push when the doors opened. She stepped inside and faced him.

“The police may want to question you.”

“I can wait for them to get here.”

“Go back inside. I want you out of danger. What if the car returns?”

“What about you?” He was in more danger than her.

“I was a marine. I can take care of myself.” Instead of sounding conceited, he spoke out of honesty and in a teasing tone. Sexy. Manly. A molten shiver ran through her. Then she checked herself. If she wasn’t careful, she could fall head over heels...for an Adair.

Chapter 2

After the detective questioned them and AdAir Security gave him the recording of what had happened in the parking garage, he left to begin an investigation. Now Carson turned to Whit, who stood behind his desk, too charged up to sit down. He leaned against the wall with his feet crossed and arms folded, and Georgia sat on a sofa next to Ruby. The detective had asked them about Reginald’s murder and, after cautioning them over carrying on their own investigation, seemed to think the shooting might be related to their meddling.

“Why would Dad’s killer shoot at you and not me?” Whit asked. “We’re both looking into his murder and Jackson’s kidnapping.”

“Maybe he hasn’t tried to kill you yet,” Georgia said.

“I don’t think it was Dad’s killer who shot at me.”

Whit’s brow lifted. “Oh? You didn’t mention that to the detective.”

No, but his thoughts were filled with other possibilities. Disturbing possibilities. “We don’t have anything on the murder. No leads. Our best suspect is our mother and she’s not in the country. Why go to the extreme of killing us when it appears our mother is the one who murdered Dad?”

“Who do you think it could be?” Georgia asked.

Carson looked at her but didn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure how much he should say.

“What motive would Mom have?” Whit asked. “That’s always bothered me. Why would she kill Dad?”

“Who knows?” Carson said. “She tried to kill Elizabeth. Dad was so distant with her, she could have done it as a result of his neglect. Their relationship wasn’t good.”

“No, it wasn’t. Not true love, that’s for sure. But is that enough to make her kill him?”

Maybe Patsy had taken all she could and finally snapped, beginning with the murder attempt on Elizabeth. But if the kidnapper had killed Reginald for getting too close, then it seemed unlikely that Patsy could have been that person. He supposed the kidnapper could have killed Reginald and was now going after Carson and Whit, but Carson didn’t think that was what happened in the parking garage.

The way the shooter had carried out the shooting, covertly moving in and making a clean getaway, was tactical and planned. Would Jackson’s kidnapper be so professional? Possibly, but Carson didn’t think so.

“What are you thinking?” Whit asked, moving around his desk. He must see Carson’s doubt and concern. He stopped before him.

“What’s wrong?” Georgia asked.

He looked over at her, again unsure of how much he should say.

“Do you have any idea who might have shot at you?” Whit asked.

Slowly, Carson nodded.

“Who?” Georgia asked. Beside her, Ruby followed the thread of conversation by looking from one to another.

“My last mission didn’t go as planned,” Carson said.

“You were shot.”

Yes, he’d been shot, but a lot had happened before that. He glanced at Ruby and Georgia again. “It was a classified mission.”

“Were you in the military?” Ruby asked, innocent of what Carson might be implying—that someone from the failed mission had come shooting at him.

“Yes. I was part of a four-man team in MARSOC, which stands for the Marine Corps Special Operations Command. Our missions were assigned by US Special Operations Command.” He looked pointedly at Whit, who understood the brotherly code. His team had done top-secret reconnaissance missions in some of the most dangerous places in the world. In this case, he’d gone to Myanmar, an arms-embargoed country and a conduit for illicit trade. If Carson had made an enemy there, the shooting in the parking garage could only be the beginning. But it was probably best not to discuss that in front of Ruby and Georgia. He could only trust Whit right now. And for the women’s safety, he’d keep them out of it.

He looked over at Georgia, who sat wide-eyed in fascination he doubted she welcomed. She had known he was in the Marines but not that he’d done special forces. Did that put a chink in her anti-Adair armor?

Seeing Ruby notice with a tiny smile, Carson wondered if she shared Georgia’s animosity or if her disgruntlement centered only on Reginald. Interesting, that Ruby had been the one who’d been hurt by an Adair and it was Georgia who carried the torch. The two were close, but Georgia was Ruby’s champion. Ruby had a frailty about her, whereas Georgia was a rock.

“Georgia is a librarian,” Ruby said.

“Mother,” Georgia said, a warning for her to stop playing matchmaker.

A lover of books. Carson wasn’t sure if the profession fit her fiery disposition.

“How do you propose we handle this?” Whit asked.

“We wait for the detective to study the evidence. See what he comes up with from the video surveillance. Then I’ll take it from there.” If he had to involve his colonel, he would.

There was a lot to consider here, namely, the safety of his family and Ruby and Georgia.

“What was your rank in the Marines, Carson?”

The way Ruby asked made Carson wonder if she was asking for Georgia, who, although intrigued, would not give in and ask herself.

“Lieutenant.” He saw how Georgia tried to hide her awe while her stepmother asked all the questions.

“You didn’t want to leave?”

He shook his head. “I’d have retired a marine.”

“Why did you have to leave?” Ruby asked. She may have noticed his limp but hadn’t made the connection.

“I can’t be a marine with this.” He gripped his lame leg. Resentment and regret rose up as it always did when he was reminded of all he’d lost. He struggled with that reaction, one he always had when people asked him about it.

“Oh,” Ruby breathed her realization. “That’s where you were shot?”

He really didn’t feel like talking about this anymore. He saw how Georgia hadn’t missed a thing, and pushed off the wall.

“There’s a limo waiting in front of the building.” He went to the office door. There, he looked back at Whit. “We’ll see you later.”

Ruby left the office, and Georgia’s dark green eyes met his as she passed. Out in the hall, she let Ruby go ahead of them.

“What did you mean we?” she asked.

“Whit and his wife are having a barn dance tonight. They finished their new house and are having something of a house warming. Since you and Ruby are staying at the ranch, you may as well join me.”

As Georgia’s mouth parted to reject the invitation—Carson was sure that’s what she would have done since she’d rejected the invite to Whit and Elizabeth’s party that had ended up being their wedding—Ruby stopped and faced them with a cheery smile. “Oh, how delightful. We’d love to.”

Georgia didn’t look excited at all about the prospect of going to a party. Maybe it had more to do with a party that an Adair put on. It would do her some good to see for herself that his family wasn’t a bunch of mean people with money.

“Dress casually,” he said to her, loving how easy it was to rile her.

* * *

Carson found Georgia and Ruby in the living room, sitting on the big off-white leather sectional. They’d both changed into jeans, Ruby much more conservative. Georgia wore a teal-green scarf over a white boatneck T-shirt and distressed jeans that were nearly worn through in places. She had teal accessories, belt, shoes and jewelry. She was so put together. Completely different than the suited woman he’d seen at AdAir. The librarian had sparks. A librarian who hated money. Or was it only his money? He wondered if he should stifle the urge to test her on that.

“I have a little surprise,” he said. “Follow me, ladies.”

Ruby stood with an excited smile and came toward him. Georgia was much slower, woe to be her, subjected to an evening with awful Adairs.

Leading them to the front door, he opened it to a waiting horse-drawn carriage, complete with a driver.

He helped Ruby up and then offered Georgia his hand next. She didn’t take it. Amused, he sat beside her and not Ruby. Ruby looked on in approval, and Georgia scooted over to put space between them. He almost chuckled.

But business had to come first. The carriage was a tool, part of his strategy to relax Ruby enough to broach the subject of Jackson.

He waited for the carriage to start moving.

Ruby sat prim and proper, rail-thin, salon-finished nails, light brown hair dyed to hide her gray. Even her physical appearance supported his expanding theory that Georgia had taken on too much responsibility where Ruby was concerned. It was sad that Ruby had lost her son so long ago, but Georgia had her own life to live.

“I don’t know how you could have ever dreamed of leaving all of this,” Ruby commented, in a fairyland all her own as she took in the landscape.

“I could never have stayed.” This was actually a good way to lead into asking her about Jackson. “It’s what my father wanted.”

“Did Reginald expect you to stay?”

“He expected me to go to college for some kind of business degree and, yes, follow him and Whit. My father and I were never close. He had little interest in being a father. He spent most of his time working.” He glanced over at Georgia, who listened like a mama bear, ready to attack if Carson said anything harmful to Ruby. He was about to take the risk of being clawed. He turned back to Ruby. “If I’d have known his first son was kidnapped and much of his aloofness came from that, things might have been different. He never talked about his feelings, but he must have been heartbroken over losing Jackson.”

“He was. Reginald was a changed man after Jackson went missing. When Jackson was born, I like to think we fell even more madly in love. Our love for Jackson made us close. Until Jackson went missing.” She gazed off into the darkness, unaware that Carson had begun the questioning he’d been itching to do since they’d arrived in California. But Georgia was. Her eyes had narrowed in warning.

Carson ignored her. “It wasn’t your fault, Ruby. Someone took your baby. You didn’t give him away.”

Some of the sorrow left her as she looked at him again. “That’s very kind of you to say, Carson, but no one back then believed I was a competent mother. I left him outside to go answer the phone.”

Reginald and his family had blamed her. “In your own backyard. He should have been safe. You should have been able to leave him out there without worry.”

“It was the middle of the day,” Ruby said, encouraged. “I was in the backyard with him, doing some gardening. He was in his carrier. The phone rang and I went in to answer it. I was only gone one or two minutes. When I came back outside, he was gone.”

“Who knew you had a baby?”

“Everyone. Family. Friends. The police questioned all of them. I’ve always thought my neighbor at the time was holding something back, but the police didn’t find any reason not to believe her. That’s something that has always bothered me.”

“Why did you think she was holding something back?” Carson asked.

“She had a lot going on in her life at the time. She just seemed... I don’t know...distracted. The police didn’t talk to her long. I guess I’ve always felt she might have seen something and didn’t tell police because she didn’t want to be involved. It was an impression I had, nothing more.”

Something she’d noticed in the way her neighbor spoke to her? It may be important.

“Did you ever tell Reginald any of this?”

She turned from her lost gaze out across the dark landscape. “He called me about a week before he was killed and asked me about her. He remembered that I’d mentioned what I’d thought of our neighbor and he wanted to confirm it.”

Reginald had called Ruby? She must not have minded. She must be over him. Of course she would be. Their marriage had been so long ago. And Ruby had been happy and in love with Georgia’s father.

“He was going to look into the neighbor,” Carson said aloud.

“Yes, but I don’t think he had the chance.”

“I don’t, either, which is why I plan to talk to her.” Carson stopped questioning her. He had enough for now.

“Are you going to go to North Carolina?” Ruby asked.

Beside him, he sensed Georgia’s tension over the desperate hope coming from Ruby.

“I’ll need to in order to talk to some people.”

“Georgia and I could go with you.”

Ruby seemed to want to help, but it was clear that Georgia had other ideas.

“Why don’t we just let Carson handle this?” Georgia said. “You’ve already been through enough. Leave it up to him.”

“It’s much easier if we’re there. We can help him.”

Carson doubted she’d be of much help, but he also wasn’t so sure that was her main reason. More likely, she couldn’t bear to wait to hear what kind of progress he was making. Waiting here would be harder than being there. But if he made no progress, wouldn’t that be worse for her?

“Let’s decide that later,” Georgia said as the carriage came to a stop in front of the barn.

He watched her take in the grandeur of Whit and Elizabeth’s new house with reluctant admiration and decided right then to enjoy proving her wrong about the rich—the Adairs.

* * *

Georgia hopped down from the carriage, still marveling over Whit and Elizabeth’s big house. It was on the ranch property and it was as spectacular as the Spanish hacienda from where they’d just come. This afternoon she’d gazed out over rolling hills of alfalfa fields, horse pastures and citrus groves and several outbuildings. The guesthouse was three times the size of hers in Florida. She didn’t want to be impressed or like it so much, but she was and she did.

Seeing Carson watching her, she marched toward the barn. She didn’t want to be impressed by him, either, but the deft way he’d handled Ruby had softened a part of her heart. He may not be finished talking to her about the kidnapping, but he had enough to go on for now and backed off. She appreciated that. But he didn’t have to know it.

Reaching the open barn doors, where light poured out onto a corral, she stopped. People ate at tables and danced in the middle to a live country music band. There were Adairs everywhere. And nice or not, Carson was part of this family, the one who had treated Ruby so horribly and attracted people like them. Reginald had loved Ruby, but it was his family that had destroyed them. It hadn’t just been losing Jackson.

Georgia didn’t shun all rich people. Not all rich people were snobs or magnets to draw others like them into their circle. People could make a comfortable, secure living without amassing enormous wealth. There was a difference between struggling to get by and making a comfortable living. People didn’t need hundreds of millions or even billions to survive. Yes, the rich created jobs and kept the economy going. But without those who kept the wheels turning, the ones struggling to get by or making a comfortable living, they’d have nothing. People like Reginald and his parents were just plain greedy. And even if one or two in a family managed to remain humble, there was bound to be someone or several who weren’t. As far as Georgia was concerned, getting involved with a rich man wasn’t worth the risk of happiness.

Carson and Ruby stood on each side of her. Everyone looked normal, but Georgia braced herself for the backlash. Ruby was the first to step forward and introduce herself to a young couple. The happy light had returned and she was ready to mingle. Affection and love swelled up in Georgia. She didn’t have any trouble melting right into the crowd. It was as though she’d stepped into another world and wasn’t an average Lake Mary, Florida, resident anymore. Free for the night. Maybe she was remembering what it had been like to be married to Reginald, to be well off. She had loved Georgia’s father, but he hadn’t made millions.