The Delacourt Scandal Read online

  There was no doubt the woman fascinated him as no one had since Jen. Despite her resilient, ever-cheerful, ever-perky demeanor, there was an unmistakable sorrow lurking in the depths of her eyes. That hint of vulnerability brought out all of his protective instincts.

  Then, too, there was the disturbing memory of that bone-melting kiss on the deck at the beach. Even though he was ashamed of the way he’d taken advantage of her, he couldn’t seem to forget how her mouth had felt under his, how her body had responded. He spent a lot of time fantasizing about how that night could have ended. One day, when the time was right, he expected to turn that fantasy into reality. Then he would discover once and for all if that moment had been a fluke.

  The phone on his desk rang, shattering the tantalizing illusion. Just as well, he thought as he reached for the receiver.

  “Yes?”

  “Tyler, is that any way to answer the phone? I’m sure I taught you better manners.”

  He grinned at the scolding. “Hello, Mother. How are you?”

  “I’d be considerably better if you would come to see me. You’ve been in town for weeks, and other than our anniversary party I’ve hardly seen you. Your father assured me you were going to stop by.”

  “I intended to, but you know how it is.”

  “I know exactly how it is. You’re just like your brothers and your sister. You never come home unless I badger you into it, which is precisely why I’m calling.”

  “To badger me?”

  “Yes. I want you here for Sunday dinner. Louise Talbert’s daughter, Mary Claire, is home for a visit. I’m going to invite her as well.”

  Tyler had a vivid memory of a child with thick glasses, limp brown braids, buckteeth and a disconcerting tendency to bite when she didn’t get her way. “How old is she now?” he asked suspiciously.

  “Twenty-two. She’s in graduate school in finance. A brilliant woman. Your father and I are quite fond of her. I think the two of you would make a perfect match.”

  Tyler shuddered. A woman with a calculator for a brain? No way. “Not in this lifetime,” he muttered.

  “What was that?”

  “I said that I’d rather pick out my own women, Mother.”

  “I haven’t seen any evidence that you’re doing that. Besides, if you met a nice woman here in Houston, you might be happier staying here.”

  He thought of Maddie. “Actually, I have met a nice woman here. I’ll bring her to Sunday dinner.”

  “But what about Mary Claire?”

  “That’s up to you, but I’m bringing my own date.”

  His mother sighed heavily. “You were always a difficult child.”

  “Then I’m acting right in character, aren’t I? I’ll see you on Sunday,” he promised, then added hopefully, “Unless you’d prefer I not come, after all.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Be here at noon. We’ll eat at one.”

  “As always,” he murmured.

  “I heard that. Routine is important, you know. Not that it was easy to manage, given your father’s work habits, but I prided myself on trying to adhere to one for the sake of you children. Perhaps you should consider developing a routine.”

  “I have one that suits me just fine,” he responded.

  “Whatever. I just hope you’ll find a way to include your family in it a little more frequently. I don’t like you being so far away, and I truly don’t approve of you doing such dangerous work. It’s bad enough…” Her voice trailed off.

  “What, Mother?”

  “Nothing. I’ll see you on Sunday,” she said, and hung up abruptly.

  Only after he was off the phone did Tyler realize that he’d promised to produce a date for Sunday and he had no earthly idea where to track Maddie down. If he showed up without her, he would never hear the end of it.

  That was all the excuse he needed to flee the stifling atmosphere of the office and head for some of the places where he had run into Maddie. It was too late for lunch and not quite early enough for O’Reilly’s, but that didn’t stop him from checking out both the sidewalk café and the bar.

  Once he was at O’Reilly’s, he decided to stick around and hope Maddie would put in an appearance. He also vowed to find out how he could get in touch with her so he wouldn’t have to go through this again. While chance encounters appealed to his take-what-comes nature, they were a damned nuisance at a time like this.

  “Waiting for your friend again?” Kevin O’Reilly asked after bringing him an icy mug of beer.

  Tyler nodded. “What do you know about her?”

  “Less than you do, I imagine. Her name’s Maddie. She’s new in town. Beyond that, not a thing. I don’t pry into the lives of my customers.”

  “Since when?”

  Kevin gave him an indignant look. “I never pry. People just tell me things. But Maddie hasn’t told me anything much.”

  “Does she seem a little down on her luck to you?”

  “Doesn’t tip as if she is. Surprised me the first night she was in here. She’s not what you would call a heavy drinker. Didn’t order a bite of food, either, but she left a hefty tip just the same.” He regarded Tyler with amusement. “Of course, now that you’ve started paying for the drinks, the tips aren’t nearly as good.”

  “Watch it or I’ll stiff you completely.”

  “You do and I’ll introduce you to my bouncer.”

  “Seriously, Kevin, you’re a good judge of human nature. What do you think of her?”

  “Nice kid. A little nosy. Asks too blasted many questions.” He shrugged. “That’s about it.”

  “What kind of things was she asking you about?” Tyler asked, wondering if they’d gotten a similar third degree.

  “Mostly about you,” Kevin said at once.

  “You mean after the night she and I met?”

  Kevin hesitated, his expression thoughtful, then shook his head. “No, it was before. In fact, she asked me to point you out if you came in.”

  Tyler’s heart sank. Their first meeting hadn’t been a chance encounter at all. She had planned it. But why? What was she after? All of those initial suspicions he’d had about her—the ones he’d conveniently squelched—came roaring back.

  But rather than warning him away, they simply made him more determined than ever to figure out what Maddie Kent was all about. While taking her home to meet his parents was risky, it was also the ideal opportunity to gather more information. His mother knew how to ferret out every little detail about someone in the guise of friendly chitchat. She’d had years to hone her technique. Maddie’s reticence wouldn’t stand a chance against his mother’s skill.

  “Speak of the devil,” Kevin said with a gesture toward the door.

  Maddie hesitated just inside, probably to let her eyes adjust to the bar’s dim interior. Then, as if she felt his gaze, she looked in Tyler’s direction. A smile spread slowly across her face.

  “Hey, you,” she said, sliding onto the stool next to him. “You’re here early.”

  “Looking for you, actually. You really have to tell me how I can get in touch with you without sitting on a barstool all afternoon. Kevin’s worried I’m turning into a lush.”

  She laughed. “On one beer? I doubt that.”

  “How do you know I haven’t had ten?”

  “You never do,” she said simply. “Now tell me why you were looking for me.”

  “I wanted to invite you to Sunday dinner with the folks.”

  For an instant her expression faltered. “Your parents?” she said. “You want me to meet your parents?”

  “Sure. They don’t bite. Are you game? Besides, I need cover. If you don’t show up, Mother intends to matchmake. Her only consideration tends to be blood-lines, as if she were breeding a prize Thoroughbred.”

  “How did you explain me?”

  “I just said I had my own woman, thank you very much.”

  “Then if I don’t come, I make a liar out of you,” she said, her expression thoughtful, but her eyes glinti
ng with merriment.

  “Something like that.”

  “Who’s the alternative candidate?”

  “As I remember her, she had bad teeth, bad hair and a nasty temper. Of course, she wasn’t much more than twelve the last time I saw her.”

  “That type usually turns into a ravishing beauty. Are you sure you don’t want to take a chance on her?”

  “No way. It’s you or a quick trip out of state.”

  “Then I’ll come, by all means.”

  “You’re a lifesaver.”

  “Which means you’ll owe me one, right?”

  “Absolutely. Anything you want.”

  She grinned. “I’ll have to give that some real thought. I’m sure I can come up with something that will make you regret not going with the alternative.”

  “It’ll never happen. I’ll pick you up on Sunday at eleven-thirty. Where do you live?”

  “Why don’t I just meet you here? It’s convenient for both of us.”

  Tyler regarded her curiously. “Is there some reason you don’t want me to know where you live?”

  “Of course not. This will just be easier. I’d better run now.”

  Her uneasiness only fueled his suspicions. “What’s the rush?”

  “I’m…I’m meeting friends.”

  “Really?” Last he’d heard, she didn’t have any.

  “From out of town,” she said hurriedly, as if she’d read his mind. “They’re just here for the one night.”

  He nodded. “Okay, then. Have fun.”

  She bolted from the bar. Tyler stared after her, bemused. She was lying through her teeth. But why?

  Tyler was stilling trying to figure out Maddie’s evasiveness when he pulled up outside of O’Reilly’s on Sunday morning. To his surprise Maddie was standing by the curb waiting for him. He’d almost expected her not to turn up.

  “I have to tell you this whole thing makes me nervous,” she said as she slid into the car. “I mean these are the Delacourts.”

  Tyler chuckled. “I’m a Delacourt. Do I make you nervous?”

  “More than you know,” she retorted, then grinned, totally disarming him. “Just don’t let it go to your head.”

  “Not much chance of that. How was your evening with your friends?”

  She stared at him blankly. “What? Oh, those friends,” she said as if there were so many that his question had confused her. “They’re great. We had a wonderful time.”

  “Where’d you go?”

  “My place. We ordered pizza, gabbed the night away. You know how women are when they haven’t seen each other for a while.”

  “Did my name come up?”

  “No,” she said at once. “Why would it?”

  He gave her a bland look, then echoed her earlier comment, “I know how women are. They love to talk about the men in their lives.”

  “You aren’t…I mean it’s not as if…”

  “Isn’t it really?”

  Her gaze narrowed. “Tyler, what is it that you think we’re doing?”

  “Going to dinner with my parents at the moment.”

  “Beyond that?”

  “Getting to know each other?” he suggested.

  “Exactly. Not dating. Just getting to know each other,” she said very firmly.

  “I’m not sure I see the difference. Isn’t the purpose of dating to get to know each other?”

  “Yes, but…”

  “But what?” he asked when she didn’t finish the thought.

  “Nothing.” She fell silent.

  Tyler let it go, because they were pulling into the long, curving drive to his parents’ home. Out of the corner of his eye he tried to gauge Maddie’s reaction to the impressive grounds and even more impressive home. She looked just a little stunned.

  By the time they went inside, though, she had gathered her composure. She greeted his mother graciously, but to his surprise she stiffened ever so slightly when she was introduced to his father. There was an unreadable expression on her face, but it was gone in a heartbeat, replaced by a smile that was polite, if clearly strained.

  The uncomfortable moment passed because his mother stepped in and took over, leading them into the library for a predinner drink and her usual inquisition. Maddie withstood all of the embarrassingly intimate questions with good grace and surprisingly few details.

  About the best Tyler could say for the endless afternoon was that Maddie’s presence kept the attention off him. For once, he and his father avoided verbal bloodshed. And his mother had apparently “uninvited” Mary Claire.

  When the torturous dinner finally ended, Tyler couldn’t wait to escape. He made their excuses, claiming a prior commitment that clearly took Maddie by surprise, but she seized the opportunity to leave with an eagerness matching his, even if he didn’t entirely understand her reasons.

  Outside again, Tyler crawled in thankfully behind the wheel of his car, then turned to meet Maddie’s gaze.

  “I am so sorry,” he said at once.

  She laughed. “Your mother is really, really anxious to see you married, isn’t she?”

  “You have no idea.”

  “I’m not sure she found me up to her usual standards,” Maddie said.

  “You’re female. You’re available. You’ll do,” he said.

  Then, because he’d been wanting to do it all afternoon, he drew Maddie to him and kissed her. Thoroughly. More gently than that other sizzling, memorable kiss, but this one turned out to be equally devastating.

  At her stunned expression, he said lightly, “Just giving mother something to think about. She’s bound to be watching out the window.”

  “Oh, sure,” Maddie replied, still looking bemused. She swallowed hard, visibly fighting for composure.

  They had been on the road for several minutes when she turned to him. “You know, I get the feeling you’re her favorite child.”

  Tyler was startled by the observation. “Only because I was the only one there. Mother doesn’t play favorites.”

  “No,” Maddie insisted. “It was in her eyes when she looked at you. I can’t quite describe it. It was as if she were looking at a memory. I know that sounds fanciful, but it’s the only way I can explain it.”

  “You’re imagining things.”

  She finally shrugged. “Maybe,” she said, but she didn’t sound convinced.

  “What did you think of my father?” he asked, hoping he could prod her into revealing why she’d seemed so distant with him.

  “He’s a little intimidating.”

  “Really? He was on his best behavior today. He obviously liked you.”

  She regarded him with a startled expression. “He did? He hardly said two words to me.”

  “If he hadn’t liked you, he would have made mother’s cross-examination seem like a casual chat in the produce section at the market. Now that would have been intimidating.”

  “Men who wield their power like that make me sick,” she said fiercely.

  Tyler stared at her, startled by the intensity of her response. “Hey, what brought that on?”

  “Sorry. It’s just a sore point with me. It has nothing to do with your father,” she added hastily.

  Not for the first time Tyler realized he didn’t believe her. How could he possibly be so fascinated by a woman, so attracted to her, when he knew with everything in him that she was lying through her teeth practically every time she opened her mouth?

  He also knew he wouldn’t rest until he got to the bottom of it, though his precise motivation for that was beginning to be a little murky.

  Chapter Six

  When Tyler suggested stopping by his place for a drink, Maddie threw caution to the winds and agreed eagerly. She wanted to take another look around, maybe get another chance to question him about that baby picture. She would just have to make sure there were no more kisses. That one in the driveway had come darned close to melting her into a puddle. She’d thought it wasn’t possible to be any hotter than Houston in the s
ummer, but apparently it was.

  Upstairs in his apartment, Tyler flipped on one soft light, poured them each a drink—beer for him, ginger ale for her—then led the way to the small balcony with its incredible view of the Houston skyline. The setting was romantic, the glint in Tyler’s eyes equally amorous. The fact that he’d stocked up on her drink of choice touched her. The yearning inside her was dangerous.

  “Maybe we should go inside,” she said when she felt her already weak resolve disintegrating.

  “Any particular reason?”

  “It’s…umm…it’s a little warm out here.”

  “There’s a nice breeze, though,” he said in an amused way that indicated he knew perfectly well that the heat she was feeling had nothing to do with the weather.

  “Maybe so, but I’m a big proponent of air-conditioning.” Just to be sure he went along with her, she stepped back inside as she said it. Tyler followed.

  Intending to keep some distance between them, she looked around for a chair, then realized that other than some small chairs that went with the dining room table, the only seating available was the large sofa and the far-too-intimate love seat. She opted for the sofa. When he chose the love seat, she breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Are you nervous for some reason, Maddie?”

  “Of course not. Why?”

  “You seem a little jittery. I thought maybe you were thinking about that kiss in my folks’ driveway. Like I said, it was no big deal, just a little something for my mother’s benefit.”

  Maybe it wasn’t a big deal to him, she thought with a touch of indignation. All the more reason to be sure there were no more. Apparently he went around dispensing kisses as casually as handshakes.

  “It was nothing,” she agreed. “I’d completely forgotten about it till you brought it up just now.”

  His eyes twinkled. “Had you?”

  “Are you making fun of me?”

  “I wouldn’t put it that way. I’m just trying to get you to lighten up a little. You’ve been far too serious all day.”