Desert Devil Read online

  Outside on the patio she tried to calm her thoughts. Nothing had happened. Thorne was gone now. She could relax.

  She settled herself in a cushioned redwood lounge chair on the patio. The sunshine felt deliciously warm, and Estelle arrived a few minutes later with breakfast on a tray that fit neatly across the arms of the chair. There was freshly squeezed orange juice, crisp bacon, soft-boiled eggs, and an airy pastry that literally melted in her mouth. With a sigh of pure pleasure, Juli leaned back to enjoy a second cup of coffee from the little pot on the tray. Deliberately, she put all thoughts of last night's unpleasantness out of her mind and played a little lady-of-the-manor fantasy game. She imagined herself sitting here each morning, planning a busy day, then entertaining around the pool in the evening. From there it wasn't hard to imagine greeting a returning husband at the patio gate with a kiss, and there would be a couple of children tumbling happily around her feet…

  She laughed at herself and her wild imaginings, but it was a certain bittersweetness about the images that made her quickly turn her mind elsewhere. It was time she was going. She stood up and stretched catlike in the sun, reluctant to walk away and leave all this for the stuffiness of the trailer. Perhaps just a short swim before she departed, she decided. Thorne would never know.

  She found her bathing suit where she had left it in the bathhouse. A moment later she slipped into the silky warmth of the pool. She sidestroked and swam underwater, floated dreamily on her back and found fairy castles and furry animals in the cloud patterns in the sky. She was just watching a billow of cloud form itself into a benevolent moon face when she was startled by the sound of a car door slamming in the driveway. She floundered in the water, grabbing for the side. Was Thorne returning already? No, he couldn't be!

  Then she heard laughter and female voices. Who could it be? Whoever it was, she surely did not want to be found here and have to meet curious eyes and perhaps make awkward explanations about her presence. She would just dash into the bathhouse, change her clothes, and slip out the back way before anyone saw her.

  She swung lithely out of the pool and started toward the bathhouse, but too late she realized the women were not approaching the front door of the house. They were coming through the patio gate! Halfway to the bathhouse, dripping puddles of water and feeling nakedly exposed in the burgundy bathing suit, Juli met them.

  One was Nicole, dressed in a plain white dress dramatized with a heavy silver and turquoise Indian squash-blossom necklace and silver concho belt. Her mouth literally dropped open when she saw Juli. The other woman was older, but slim and petite and feminine, with perfectly groomed white hair and pink linen pantsuit.

  Nicole quickly recovered her composure. "Miss Townser, I believe it is?" she said, voice chilly enough to goosebump Juli's skin.

  "Townsend. Juli Townsend," Juli corrected weakly, knowing full well Nicole had deliberately mispronounced her name to put her in her place. With a sinking sensation, Juli also knew that the older woman, in spite of a lack of physical resemblance, must be Thorne's mother.

  That suspicion was confirmed when the older woman graciously introduced herself after Nicole failed to make any introductions.

  "I'm so pleased to meet you," Juli murmured automatically. It was hardly true, of course, at least not under these circumstances. Juli felt as if she were blushing from head to toe. Her breakfast tray was still on the lounge chair. It was plain as a billboard announcement that she had spent the night here. Awkwardly, she explained about her water problems at the trailer and Thorne's hospitality, but from the frozen smile on Nicole's face and the slightly amused expression on Mrs. Taylor's, Juli knew her explanation was only making things worse. It hardly sounded believable even to her own ears. Nicole finally interrupted impatiently.

  "Is Thorne here now? I see his car outside."

  "No, he went to the office sometime ago. I believe he drove his pickup."

  "I'll call and tell him we've arrived," Mrs. Taylor said. She started toward the door, adding over her shoulder, "He wasn't expecting us this early."

  Nicole's eyes moved disdainfully over Juli's body. "Obviously," she said scathingly, loud enough only for Juli to hear.

  Juli scooted off to dress, angrily berating herself for not having gotten out the minute she woke up. Why, oh, why, had she hung around playing her foolish little fantasy game with luxury? She took all the time she possibly could dressing and applying a touch of lip gloss and eyeshadow, not wanting to be alone with Nicole.

  With relief she heard Mrs. Taylor return and say to Nicole that Thorne would be out to join them for lunch.

  Juli took a deep breath and stepped out into the brilliant sunshine, her exit dialogue all planned. "It's been lovely meeting you, Mrs. Taylor," she said brightly, head held high, "and so nice seeing you again, Nicole. I must be going now, to take care of my water problems, so if you'll excuse me—?"

  "Oh, but you mustn't leave now," Mrs. Taylor protested firmly. "Thorne was very definite about your staying for lunch, and I'm sure you know how disagreeable he can be if his wishes are ignored." She smiled at Juli in a conspiratorial way, as if knowledge of Thorne's arrogance made a bond between them.

  Juli was totally astonished, but no more so than Nicole, she realized, glancing at the young woman.

  Nicole's usual glossy composure was shattered for the second time that morning. "But… but if Juli has to leave—" she faltered. "I mean, she said something about water problems…" Nicole looked thoroughly discomfited, and one carefully manicured hand toyed nervously with the handsome necklace. Gathering herself together, however, she managed to bring some of the aloof chill back into her voice. "We certainly would not want to cause Miss Townsend any inconvenience."

  Juli hesitated uncertainly. She did not want to stay and suffer through an uncomfortable luncheon, and a certain stubbornness within her rebelled at complying with Thorne's arrogant orders after the way he had treated her last night. But neither did she like the idea of meekly giving in to Nicole's anxious determination to get rid of her. And she had to admit to a certain curiosity. Why did Thorne want her to stay?

  Mrs. Taylor, however, seemed to consider the matter already settled. Obviously, from her point of view, what Thorne wanted, Thorne got. She took off her pink jacket and stretched out in a lounge chair. "My, it feels so good to be home."

  With a meaningful glance at Juli, Nicole agreed. "Yes, it does feel good." She was obviously making the point that this was, or soon would be, her home, also.

  It was not, Juli thought grimly, going to be a pleasant morning or luncheon. She decided to abandon her stubbornness. She was not going to stay and suffer Nicole's taunts or the possibility of some further humiliation from Thorne. But Mrs. Taylor's next words stopped her.

  "I called from the telephone in the den, and I couldn't help but notice the photographs on the coffee table," she remarked. "I was surprised because Thorne so seldom photographs people. He has kind of a 'thing' about it, in fact, and has been known to walk miles to avoid having people in a particular shot he wants."

  Juli murmured something noncommittal, glad that now only her face could reveal the blush that seemed to cover her whole body again. Had Mrs. Taylor looked at all the photographs, especially that suggestive close-up?

  "Thorne took photographs of Miss Townsend?" Nicole snapped in surprise.

  "It was probably just an accident," Juli said weakly, but they all knew Thorne was too much of a perfectionist to make any such slip.

  Not more than sixty seconds later Nicole excused herself, saying she wanted to get some things from the car. She made no pretense of heading for the car, however, and Juli knew she was rushing directly to the den to examine those photographs.

  Mrs. Taylor's gaze followed Nicole thoughtfully for a moment, then she turned back to Juli. "Are you a visitor or a permanent resident here in Cholla?" she asked pleasantly.

  Cautiously at first, but with growing ease as she realized Mrs. Taylor was sincerely interested, Juli explained a
bout David's death and Aunt Kate and the trailer, finally going on to mention even David's almost fanatical obsession with the lost gold mine. The only thing she left out was David's accusation that Mrs. Taylor's other son, Jason, had somehow cheated David in the past. Juli had found nothing to substantiate that accusation, and now she wondered if perhaps it were not just some dark, suspicious quirk in David's mind, some mistaken perception of reality. He had also, she remembered, intimated to his mother that he was head of the research department at Taylor Electronics, which was certainly not true.

  Mrs. Taylor nodded sympathetically now and then. She was a good listener and Juli was a little embarrassed when she realized how long she had been babbling on. Somehow it seemed more important than ever to make clear to Mrs. Taylor that Juli had not spent the night with Thorne. "I'd like you to know I stayed here last night because I really didn't have any water at the trailer," she said hurriedly. "At least I thought I didn't," she added, realizing helplessly that her explanations only seemed to get more complicated.

  Mrs. Taylor smiled. "I'm glad my son was properly hospitable," she said noncommittally. Nicole returned just as Mrs. Taylor added, "I don't suppose you'll be staying in Cholla much longer?"

  "It all depends on how long it takes to sell David's trailer and property," Juli said.

  She was aware of an odd look on Nicole's face, as if Nicole were re-appraising her after seeing her through the eyes of Thorne's camera, suspecting Thorne had some special interest in her. There was a certain amount of grim satisfaction for Juli in Nicole's sudden recognition of Juli as real competition. That satisfaction was short-lived, however, wilting under Juli's inescapable memories of last night. Nicole, in the end, would be the real winner. The photographs meant nothing.

  The morning passed with surprising ease and quickness. Nicole was almost silent, her expression sullen and wary. She obviously disbelieved Juli's explanation of her presence here. Mrs. Taylor carried most of the conversation with anecdotes about her stay in Acapulco. She stayed away from the subject of Thorne, evidently feeling a more neutral subject was safer.

  Shortly after twelve o'clock, Thorne arrived. He came through the patio gate, well dressed in a slate-blue suit and a pale blue shirt. With the practiced ease of a man assessing a situation quickly, his gaze flicked across the faces of the three women waiting for him. At least two of those women were tense and nervous. Thorne, however, appeared not at all uncomfortable with the situation. He kissed his mother warmly, nodded pleasantly first to Nicole, then to Juli. He pulled up a chair and sat between Juli and Nicole.

  Juli watched him warily out of the corner of her eye while he small-talked with his mother about her flight up from Acapulco, waiting for him to explain about Juli's presence. Surely he must be as eager as she was to make plain to his mother and Nicole that he and Juli had not spent the night together, no matter how the situation might appear on the surface.

  Thorne, however, seemed in no hurry to make explanations. He chatted affably about the company's picnic and barbecue, mentioned that the new construction plans were right on schedule, and made chatty comments about the hike into the Superstitions.

  After a while Juli angrily suspected that he was deliberately postponing the explanation, enjoying seeing her squirm with embarrassment. Finally, meaning to bring this uncomfortable little game to an end, she determinedly broached the subject herself. "I was telling your mother and Nicole earlier that I stayed here last night because—"

  "I hope I didn't disturb you when I got up this morning," he interrupted, his voice unexpectedly intimate as he turned to look at her with wide, innocent eyes. "I'm afraid I was rather noisy getting my clothes out of the closet."

  Juli looked at him aghast as realization of the meaning of his words dawned on her. He had used that adjoining door this morning, had seen her sleeping in his bed. Sleeping naked… She swallowed convulsively.

  "I didn't wake you when I got up because I thought you needed the rest after—" He paused, smiling suggestively, and only Nicole's startled gasp interrupted the pregnant silence. "After our long hike yesterday," he finally finished.

  Smoothly, he immediately turned back to his mother and went on talking about some mutual friends, giving Juli no time to vent the outrage she felt. He had told no untruths, yet he had left the completely false impression that he and Juli had spent the night together in the same bed. And that suggestive pause had implied her exhaustion was from something far more intimate than a hike together!

  And he had done it all deliberately. Why? To amuse himself and humiliate her? If so, he had certainly succeeded. She felt as if a permanent blazing blush had settled on her face.

  What, she wondered in an agony of embarrassment, was Mrs. Taylor thinking now? The expression on Mrs. Taylor's calm face was perfectly neutral, relaxed, and pleasant as she chatted with Thorne. Only the occasional quick, speculative dart of her eyes between Juli and Nicole betrayed any hint that her mind was on anything other than the inconsequential conversation. By now she must surely think that Juli had lied to her about last night, or at least not told the complete truth.

  Juli was tempted to bring the conversation to a screeching halt by bluntly demanding that Thorne make plain that he and Juli had not spent the night together. What stopped her was a certain apprehension that Thorne would somehow twist her demand to suit his own purposes and somehow cleverly manage to humiliate her further. Better to maintain an embarrassed silence and keep reminding herself that after today she would probably never see any of these people again. Silently, she cursed Thorne for inflicting this humiliation on her, cursed herself with even greater vehemence for allowing herself to be drawn into this ridiculous situation.

  The only satisfaction Juli had was a realization that sooner or later Thorne was going to pay dearly for whatever enjoyment he was getting out of this little game, because he was obviously making Nicole furious. She sat there with her hands clenched so tightly that her perfectly manicured nails bit into her soft palms.

  Thorne seemed oblivious to Nicole's anger, smiling and chatting easily. Estelle served lunch on a round redwood table in a shady area of the patio. Thorne gallantly seated his mother, his hand dropping lightly to touch Juli's shoulder as he passed her to take his own seat. Nicole watched with a venomous stare that included both Thorne and Juli in her fury.

  Juli determinedly tried to concentrate on the food, a delicious salad with huge pink prawns ringing a bowl of spicy sauce in the center of the dish. With the salad were warm, soft tortillas, buttered and rolled into slim tubes for easy eating, and icy lemonade. Concentration was not easy, however, with Thorne sitting right next to her. He carried the conversation during the meal, but he made no effort to correct his earlier insinuations that Juli and he had slept together. In fact, he made several more minor remarks that only served to emphasize the misconception. Once he remarked that he hoped she had found the king-sized bed large enough to be comfortable last night, and another time he commented teasingly on her reaction to champagne. Several times he actually touched her, not intimately, but with the familiar ease of lovers, and Juli was as baffled by her own reactions to the touches as she was by Thorne's strange behavior. She was furious with the way he was embarrassing and humiliating her, deliberately making her look like some cheap young thing with whom he had amused himself for a night. And yet in spite of that, each grazing touch sent a warm, alive tingle through her body that she desperately tried to ignore. A certain gleam in Thorne's eyes told her he was not unaware of his effect on her in spite of her effort to appear nonchalant.

  If it were not that she felt so uncomfortable herself, Juli thought ruefully, she might have found a certain perverse pleasure in Nicole's angry squirmings. Nicole picked at her food, turned and twitched in her chair as if the cushion were made of cactus. She stabbed murderous glances at both Juli and Thorne, and what little she had to say she delivered in a voice dripping with acid.

  Juli was completely baffled. Didn't Thorne realize Nicole was rea
dy to scratch his eyes out? Was he willing to risk Nicole's anger simply to humiliate and embarrass Juli?

  Then, with another totally unexpected remark from Thorne, Juli's perspective suddenly changed and she caught her breath in surprise.

  Addressing his mother, Thorne said casually, "Juli and I were talking about driving down to Tucson someday soon. I thought she might like to see the San Xavier del Bac mission." He turned to Juli. "Are you still interested?"

  Juli's lips parted. Yesterday they had discussed in the most casual of terms the possibility of driving down to Tucson and the mission sometime. After last night's fiasco, Juli had assumed their tenuous relationship was over, no matter what her secret feelings for him might be. Was this rather oblique invitation his way of saying he was sorry about last night, that he wanted to see her again? Was he oblivious to Nicole's anger because he really didn't care how she felt? Was his letting his mother and Nicole believe he and Juli had spent the night together not an attempt to humiliate and embarrass Juli, but a defiant announcement of his feelings for her? He was watching her now, waiting for her reaction, his eyes more wary than taunting.

  "I… I'd really like to see the mission," Juli faltered. Then, recklessly, she rushed on. "This time I'll try not to do something so foolish as turn the pump off by accident." In a flurry of words, she explained how she had fumbled with the electrical switches when the power went off, accidentally leaving the pump switch turned off. She directed most of the explanation to Mrs. Taylor, but it was Thorne to whom she was really explaining, and she was certain he knew it.

  Thorne listened without comment, his expression so inscrutable Juli couldn't tell whether or not he believed her. Nicole looked bored and impatient, Mrs. Taylor interested but noncommittal. An awkward silence ensued when Juli was finished.