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and the curt, professional way he dealt with them showed a side of him
she hadn t seen. Didn t he deal with inspectors all the time? So why the
bout of nerves? Another thought jarred her. Unless& He had regrets
about opening up to her last night? She shivered in her silk tank top.
Talk about being paranoid.
When the ordeal ended, the elderly woman beamed and put-forth a
glove-encased hand. Well, Ms. Cross, you ve done a fine job here.
Needless to say you passed with flying colors.
Thank you, Tate said, ignoring Nathan s quizzical stare. But Mr.
LeBeau deserves the credit. He did all the work.
You provided the inspiration, Nathan added with false modesty.
Ms. Cross didn t balk at some of my& bolder suggestions.
Tate colored scarlet upon recalling some of his suggestions.
Neither the woman nor her rotund male companion noticed her
discomfort. Sunlight gleamed off the man s balding head. I must agree
with Florence. I am impressed. Marvelous things can happen when vision
is mixed with a little imagination. I ll admit that design for the new fire
station was even more of a knock-out than the plans for here.
Yes. You are quite the artist, Mr. LeBeau. And it was a shrewd
business decision to use it to sway our opinion. We only want what s best
for our city.
Nathan drew in a quick, harsh breath. Actually the final proposed
sketch in your office is Ms. Cross design.
Her design? On a fire station? What fire station? Tate s head snapped
his direction.
Regardless, the woman waved dismissively. I m so pleased we
accepted this property as your entry into the Maxwell Memorial
Landscaping Award competition. We killed two birds with one stone, so
to speak.
-245-
Lorelei James
Contest? What contest? Tate frowned at Nathan, who all of a sudden
was avoiding her probing gaze.
I was under the impression that entry in that competition remained
confidential, Nathan said cautiously.
Of course it is. But I m sure that s not something you d keep from
Ms. Cross, the woman chided. That would be highly unethical. Besides,
I ve done some checking on you and I ve heard nothing but praise. The
powdered wrinkles on her forehead drew into a frown. I must say, after
denying your entry request last year, this surprised me. Especially when
I checked your accreditations seems you ve been busy learning the
trade. Now I can see why you d want to branch out into landscape
design. She gestured to the renovated property. You have quite the
knack for it.
Tate watched color flood Nathan s face.
The woman s birdlike gaze turned sharp. Would you feel vindicated if
I said I ve chosen this project as the grand prize winner?
Nathan s smile was slow in coming. I guess.
Good. She leaned on her cane. Once word gets out that you ve
won, I imagine the demand for your landscaping services will skyrocket.
Your business should double.
Tate stared at the ground until it seemed to shift beneath her feet.
Time stopped. The dizzy sensation moved from her stomach to her head
in record time as the truth hit her like a ton of paving bricks.
Nathan s motive in taking on her landscaping project hadn t been
because of the promise of art lessons or unencumbered sex, but the
possibility of winning a contest. A contest which she knew nothing
about. A contest in which he d submitted her draft as his own.
She had been played for a fool. Again.
The familiar, bitter betrayal arose. No wonder he d insisted on
romance. From the very beginning he d needed to save his energy for
making retaining walls instead of making love to her.
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Dirty Deeds
To think she d fallen for him. Last night had been the real clincher.
She d even foolishly contemplated giving up& everything if he d asked her
to stay. But he hadn t asked. It was obvious his work, his damn job,
would always come first.
No doubt she d cause serious problems for him and his business
reputation if she insisted he hadn t disclosed the contest entry. But in
this case revenge felt wrong. Suddenly everything felt wrong. And there
was no reason for her to remain in sleepy Spearfish, South Dakota. She d
passed the inspection and the only thing left was to sign the realtor
contract and hire a cleaning service to ready the house for potential
buyers. Once the house sold she d come back with a U-haul for the few
decent pieces of her aunt s furniture and never return.
That thought punched a hole straight in her heart, effectively
breaking it in two.
Ms. Cross? The elderly woman set a shaking hand on her arm,
prompting her from her nightmare. Are you all right?
I m fine. Tate smiled awkwardly. Just confused as to what I do
now. My attorney insists I get the final details documented.
Naturally. If you d like, you can sign everything at our office. When
would it be convenient for you to drop by?
It d be great if we could get this out of the way this morning. Could I
catch a ride to your office? I d love to hear more about this award. Mr.
LeBeau was pretty mum on the details.
Before Nathan could object, the woman trilled, What a lovely idea.
That d be fine.
Tate smiled even when she felt like part of her had died. I ll grab my
purse. While you re waiting, why don t you tell Mr. LeBeau about the
award ceremony? I m sure he s anxious to know when and where, she
flashed her teeth at him, so he can pass out flyers. Dirty pool, but he
deserved it. She blindly passed the stone birdbath, tripped over a clump
of buffalo grass on her escape to the house.
-247-
Lorelei James
She d barely stumbled past the couch when the screen door
slammed. She didn t need turn around to gauge Nathan s mood; his
anger pulsed across the room like a sonic wave.
His voice was hard as steel. What s the deal?
Physically coming face-to-face with him would have to wait until she
regained control. She sorted through junk mail on the table, grabbing
her half-full coffee cup. The deal is completed. You fulfilled your end of
the agreement. I fulfilled mine. Time to move on.
Move on? he repeated dully.
I called a real estate agent. She ll be here at two o clock.
A minute of stunned silence followed. You called a realtor? When?
She glanced up. Yesterday.
Right after you got the news.
Tate nodded, but didn t tell him yesterday she hadn t made any firm
plans. She d foolishly hoped they d make future plans together. That s
why I wondered what time the inspectors would be finished. The realtor
needs written documentation that I ve met the Beautification
Committee s requirements before she can list the house.
Is there a reason why didn t you tell me this last night?
The ceramic cup between her palms held firm under her increasing
grip. It didn t exactly come up while we were having sex, did it?
Making love, he corrected with an edge to his voice. We were
making love last night, Tate. His eyes searched hers. And you didn t
think to tell me about this sudden development?
That s because it wasn t sudden. Tate drained her cold coffee. It s
simple. We ve both known all along what happens now. I m returning to
Colorado.
Silence stretched between them, heavy, thick, oppressive.
Why? he said finally. If you lost your job in Denver why are you
leaving here? His eyes turned shrewd. If this is about money
It s not about money, she snapped.
-248-
Dirty Deeds
Then what? he snapped back.
It took every ounce of Tate s resolve to keep her gaze firmly locked to
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