The Firstborn

Bram frowned. A lot of things were starting to bother him about this situation. “So you inherited Heartskeep from your mother?”

“My grandfather, actually. Our family has owned this land since the Civil War.”

“Impressive, but I’m confused. If it belonged to your maternal grandfather, why is your father in charge?”

“He’s not. He just thinks he is.” She tossed her head, drawing his attention to her hair once more. “It’s a long story.”

“I don’t have any pressing engagements tonight.”

For a minute, he thought she’d clam up, and he found he really did want to know more about her. He told himself it was because his job might depend on it, but he knew that wasn’t the only reason. When she shrugged lightly, he relaxed. She wasn’t going to walk away quite yet.

“Family tradition has always passed the land to the firstborn child. My mother was an only child, but my grandfather didn’t like Marcus. He bypassed tradition and named my mother’s firstborn child as his primary heir.”

“That would be you?”

“Yes. Since my sister and I were minors at the time, my grandfather wrote the will so that we wouldn’t inherit until we were twenty-five.”

“Isn’t it usually twenty-one?”

“It’s whatever the person wants to make it.” She shrugged lightly. “My grandfather had a bad heart. He knew if something happened to him before we were old enough to stand up for ourselves, Marcus might create problems for us.”

Again she shrugged. Despite his best intentions, Bram found himself watching the quick rise and fall of her breasts. When he realized she’d noticed, he turned his back and made a production of cleaning away the remains of their meal.

“How did you get interested in working with wrought iron?”

“My father and his brother were both blacksmiths. I used to hang around the forge a lot as a kid, watching them.”

Since this was an uncomfortable reminder of his father’s illness, Bram quickly changed the subject. “What do you do for a living, Hayley?”

“I’m working as an assistant art buyer for a gallery in Boston.”

“Yeah?”

“What?” she demanded.

“What, what? All I said was, yeah.”

“There is nothing wrong with being an assistant art buyer. I happen to have a degree in art from Wellesley College.” She planted her fists on her hips.

“I never said there was.”

She lifted her chin. “I also have an MBA.”

“Impressive.”

“You’re laughing at me.”

“Nope. But for someone with two degrees, I sense a little defensiveness about being an assistant art buyer.”

Her shoulders slumped. “Marcus and Eden think I’ve wasted my education, but I’m learning the business. One day I plan to open my own gallery.”

“Nothing wrong with that. Are you an artist as well?”

“No.”

“That was an emphatic no. Did Marcus and Eden tell you that, too?”

Unexpectedly, she giggled. The strangely appealing sound filled the clearing.

“My art teachers did. They tried to be kind, but I’m utterly hopeless. Ms. Sang suggested the only canvas appropriate to my particular talents would be the outside of a building.”

“Ouch.”

Hayley grinned, unabashed. “She’s right. I’ve got a great eye for color and design, and I can spot a marketable piece of art a hundred yards away, but they have trained monkeys with more ability to create art than me.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Definitely. Did you design the front gate yourself?”

“Yes,” he said warily.

“Now that’s genuine, marketable art.”

She made it a pronouncement of fact.

“Why do I feel I should be shuffling my feet and saying, ‘aw, shucks, ma’am’?”

“Did I embarrass you?”

“Hardly. It’s a just a gate.” And a design he’d been working on for months.

“It’s art,” she said flatly.

“I seem to remember a threat to drive your car through some of that same art.”

He couldn’t tell for sure, but he thought she blushed again.

“I was annoyed.”

“I remember. Look, I hate to change the subject here, but what are you planning to do tonight if your father isn’t back yet?”

“I hadn’t thought about it. Where are you staying?”

Desire tightened his body. “Out here,” he managed to say neutrally. “You’d be welcome to join me, but I only have the one sleeping bag.”

Her eyes widened. Then, surprisingly, she smiled and shook her head, creating fascinating ripples in her long hair.

“Thanks, but I’ve got a nice comfortable bed inside the house.”

“With no electricity and a possible intruder for company,” he pointed out. He wasn’t sure if it was the idea of her going back inside that house alone, or the fact that she didn’t seem to view him as a threat anymore that bothered him the most. He told himself it was the former. He definitely didn’t like the idea of her sleeping alone in that enormous house, even if he did think she’d been imagining things.

“You don’t need to worry,” she said as if tapping into his thoughts. “Someone must be home by now. Marcus goes to bed when the sun goes down. This is a late night for him.”

The ice in Hayley’s tone every time she referred to her father never ceased to surprise Bram, making it hard for him to stem his curiosity.

“Your father might have gone away for a few days,” he suggested. “You said he wasn’t expecting you.”

“Marcus seldom leaves Heartskeep and his precious roses. Not since—” She stopped abruptly. “Anyhow, you don’t have to worry about me. I grew up in that house. I can always lock my bedroom door.”

Brave words, but Bram saw the tiny tremor she tried to conceal. She wasn’t nearly as comfortable with the idea as she wanted him to believe. Despite his determination not to get involved, he wasn’t about to let her do something stupid.

“I’ll go with you,” he stated.

Hayley stilled. He was mollified by her renewed apprehension. She was entirely too trusting for her own good.

“To the house,” he added. “I’d feel better if I had a look around.”

“That isn’t necessary.”

“Maybe not, but I don’t see any letter S on your chest, either.”

Stupid. He shouldn’t have drawn attention to her chest again. Her nipples were clearly raised beneath the thin material of her blouse. He’d been trying not to think about that fact, because it certainly wasn’t due to the eighty-something degree temperature out here. He darn well didn’t want to think about what else might be causing the reaction.

“I appreciate your concern—” she began apprehensively.

“Hayley, if I was going to attack you, I would have done it a long time ago. I’m not into molesting young women.”

Her chin raised a defiant notch. “Just older women, huh?”

“Yes,” he said bluntly. “You don’t qualify. Now, come on.”

Acting avuncular went against the grain. His body was not feeling anything close to avuncular. Without waiting, he scooped up her overnight case and set off through the trees, cursing under his breath. What was he doing? Rescuing maidens in distress wasn’t part of his job description. He was a loner and he liked it that way. Hayley had permanence stamped all over her.

As the trees parted and the house came into view, Bram was reminded of exactly why he was helping her. Heartskeep should have been an attractive old mansion. It wasn’t. Not only was it in need of major repairs, but a brooding air of menace seemed to hover over the place like a cloud. He wasn’t given to flights of fancy, but Heartskeep gave him the creeps.

HAYLEY HAD TO TROT to keep pace with Bram’s much longer legs. The arrogant man didn’t seem to notice or care. How could he be so nice one minute and such a jerk the next? Thank heavens he didn’t know about the fantasy that had run through her mind during their quiet meal. Utterly ridiculous, of course, but she couldn’t remember ever being more attracted to a man.

Or more annoyed by one.

Bram Myers was a dichotomy she couldn’t ignore. He certainly didn’t seem to be having any problem ignoring her—except for that one brief moment when their hands had touched. Hayley didn’t want to think about that surge of physical awareness. She was used to men finding her attractive, but she’d never felt such a strong reciprocation. He wasn’t even her type. She preferred preppy, outgoing blondes, not dark, brooding men.

Fortunately, as the house rose out of the darkness, her thoughts were pulled from the disturbing memory of her physical reaction to the man. She was relieved by his presence at her side as they drew closer. Bram might be a total stranger, but he offered her a much needed sense of security. Her gaze traveled to the window where she was sure she’d seen some sort of motion earlier. She didn’t like this scared, sick feeling she had.

Unlocking the door, she stepped boldly into the main foyer and felt around for the light switch. To her intense relief, the electricity was back on. Like everything else in need of repair around here, the huge, dirty chandelier had several burned out bulbs, adding unwanted atmosphere in the enormous front hall.

Hayley called out once more. There was no response.

“You can’t stay here,” Bram said bluntly. His gaze swept past the grand piano in the far corner and the wide staircase rising to the second floor. The massive living room loomed ominously dark beyond the stairs.

While she wanted to agree with him, she stubbornly shook her head. “I won’t be chased out of my own home. However, if you’d like a change of pace, you could spend the night here with me.”

She wanted to bite her careless tongue. Bram stared at her in total silence. She knew exactly what he was thinking.

“I didn’t mean with me,” she corrected, practically stumbling over the words. “I meant in a bed. There are several empty rooms. You can have your pick. I thought you’d appreciate a change from a sleeping bag on the ground. You know, since you’re worried about me staying here all alone.”

Oh, Lord, she was rambling like a schoolgirl on her first date. If she had an ounce of brains she’d get back in her car and leave. What was she doing, inviting a total stranger to spend the night with her? Despite his kindness, and her undeniable attraction, she wasn’t sure she even liked the man.

No, that wasn’t true. She liked him just fine. Maybe too fine. As weird as it seemed, for some reason she felt safe with Bram. She couldn’t say the same about staying in Heartskeep alone.

“Your father wouldn’t approve,” Bram said mildly.

Her hackles rose. “So what? I’m an adult, not a child. As I told you, he doesn’t own this house. I do.”

“Maybe so,” Bram said softly, “but he’s the one who hired me.”

Hayley wavered. Should she stay or go? She glanced around uneasily. She could never remember a time when Heartskeep had been empty. If her mother or grandfather hadn’t been home, Kathy or Mrs. Walsh had always been around. Why weren’t they here now? The housekeeper and her daughter were practically members of the family. This cold emptiness was all wrong. If only Leigh was with her.

She should leave, only it would take twenty minutes to drive to The Inn outside Stony Ridge. She was already exhausted from the drive down from Boston, and she’d had two cups of wine. Besides, what if The Inn was full? It often was. The Inn was the only accommodation close by.

Was she going to let a little imagination chase her away from home like a scared little kid? Surely someone would return any minute. She’d told Bram the truth. Marcus seldom left the estate these days, preferring to spend most of his time working with his roses.

The muffled ring of a telephone shattered the ominous quiet. Hayley gave a start and offered Bram a weak smile, relieved at the familiar sound. “Excuse me a minute.”

She hurried across the marble foyer to the library. Flinging open one of the heavy wooden doors, she hit the wall switch, relieved when the lights not only worked, but the familiar room sprang into view, exactly as she remembered it. The rest of the house might feel cold and alien, but there were only warm memories in this room.

She lunged for the telephone, afraid whoever it was would hang up before the answering machine kicked in. Even as she picked up the receiver, she was aware that Bram had followed her inside. He lingered near the door, staring around the richly paneled room lined with books.

“Hello?”

On the other end, someone inhaled sharply. Then a voice barked in her ear, “Who is this?”

Hayley recognized Eden’s nasal tone immediately. “This is Hayley, Eden.”

“What are you doing there?”

“Gee, Eden, the last I knew this was my home.”

Eden had worked as her father’s nurse since before Hayley was born. The woman had never been particularly friendly, but until Hayley’s mother had disappeared, she’d never been outwardly antagonistic, either.

“Put Mrs. Norwhich on,” Eden demanded.

“Who?”

“The new housekeeper.”

“Where are Mrs. Walsh and Kathy?”

Eden sniffed. “They quit. Is Mrs. Norwhich there or not?”

“When did they quit? Where did they go?”

“I don’t have time for this, Hayley. Put Mrs. Norwhich on.”

Hayley held on to her temper. “As far as I know, I’m the only one here.”

“Where’s your sister?”

“Leigh’s still in England.”

Eden sniffed again. “I gather the power is back on?”

“Yes.”

“Well, Marcus already went to bed. I’m not going to wake him. It was all I could do to convince him to stay at The Inn this evening as it was. There’s no telling how long the power will remain on this time. The electric company is having some sort of problem with a transformer or something. I didn’t pay attention to their excuses. We decided it would be best to come here, since The Inn has its own generators. I won’t have to worry about having warm water or hot coffee come morning. This has been very annoying, I can tell you. Odette must have decided to stay in town overnight, as well.”

“Who’s Odette?”

“Mrs. Norwhich,” Eden explained brusquely. “Your father and I will drive back after breakfast.”

“Wait! Is there anyone else staying here at the house?”

“No. It’s a nuisance, but until her lease is up, Mrs. Kerstairs only comes in to clean during the day. Of course, she hasn’t been able to do much this week. You can’t work without electricity.”

Eyeing the dust on the tabletop, Hayley thought Mrs. Kerstairs hadn’t been doing much in far longer than a week, but she kept that thought to herself.

“Oh. There’s also that man Marcus hired to put up the new gates. I don’t remember his name, but he’s camping out by the old barns.”

“Yes. I’ve met Mr. Myers.”

Eden sniffed again, this time in disapproval. “Well, if you don’t want to stay there by yourself tonight, you’ll need to drive out to the highway and find a motel. The Inn is completely booked. This annoying electrical problem has driven many of our neighbors from their homes. If Mrs. Norwhich returns, let her know we won’t be needing breakfast. I’ll tell your father you’re back.”

Eden disconnected.

“You just do that,” Hayley muttered into the dead telephone. She cradled the receiver, drumming her fingers against the hard plastic. Thoroughly annoyed, she looked up and found Bram silently watching her from across the room.

She’d forgotten about him, hard as that was to believe. Leaning back against the door frame with his legs crossed at the ankles, he looked too sexy to contemplate. Her stomach muscles tightened as her breathing quickened. How could she have forgotten him even for a second?

“Is everything all right?” he asked.

“Marcus and Eden went to The Inn for the night because the electricity keeps cutting out.”

He frowned, coming away from the doorjamb in a smooth motion that tripled her pulse rate. “Are you going to join them?”

Hayley couldn’t help it. She shuddered. “No.”

“I have a feeling I should be glad I’m not one of your father’s patients.”

Hayley managed a weak smile. “You’d have made medical history. He’s an OB-GYN.”

The smile started in his eyes before moving to his lips, but it was definitely a smile. A wicked, incredibly sexy smile that sent her pulses leaping.

“In that case, I’m definitely glad I wasn’t one of his patients. Come back with me while I secure the rest of my camp for the night, then we can pick out a bedroom.”

The invitation sounded deliberately provocative. Blood rushed to her cheeks. What would it be like to kiss him?

The question haunted Hayley as they walked back through the woods at a more sedate pace. Watching him check the forge and put away tools, she decided he did everything with a disconcerting deliberation. Would he make love the same way?

She had no business thinking like that. Her hormones had been acting up outrageously all night. If she wanted to wonder about Bram, she should concentrate on things like what had prompted him to have a dragon tattooed on his upper arm.

The question fascinated her—like the man himself. She wanted to know everything about him, but it had quickly become obvious over dinner that Bram didn’t talk about himself. He’d managed to divert every question so that she was the one doing all the talking. She knew almost nothing about him beyond the fact that he was too sexy for comfort and could work absolute magic with cold metal and a little heat.

She watched him gather a few items and a change of clothing with economical movements, before leading the way back to the house with his powerful flashlight. As they reached the yard, Hayley came to an abrupt halt. The lights they’d left on were out once more.

“Another blackout?”

Bram studied the house. “Wait here while I check.”

She followed closely on his heels instead of waiting. If he thought she was afraid, he was right. Imaginary or not, she couldn’t shake off the sensation that something evil lurked nearby.

Bram flashed his light around the open foyer. Hayley found herself staring at the blackness guarding the top of the stairs. Unseen eyes seemed to peer down at them. When Bram touched her shoulder lightly, she started.

“Take it easy.”

He followed her gaze, shining the light into that dark maw. Empty. But she felt no relief.

“Look, those two couches in the library looked pretty comfortable to me. Do you really want to go exploring right now? We could give the couches a try tonight.”

Pride almost won out against common sense. She wanted to tell him she wasn’t afraid to go upstairs. Unfortunately, he would see right through that lie when her knees buckled on the first step.

“At the risk of sounding like a child afraid of the dark, I think the couches sound like a terrific idea. There’s a bathroom we can use down the hall past the library.”

She didn’t mention that there were two guest bedrooms beyond that bathroom. She could share a room with two couches, but she could hardly ask him to share a room with one bed.

“Mom always kept candles on the fireplace in the library,” she told him. “We could even build a fire if you think we’ll need more light.”

“Let’s skip the fire,” he said lightly. “Given the fact that it must be at least eighty-five outside tonight, we don’t want to lose what cool we have left in the house from your air-conditioning system.”

Hayley nodded. With help from his flashlight, she took down several thick, squat candles and holders to set on the coffee table between the two couches. She even found a fat, dripless candle for the bathroom. Her grandmother’s handmade afghans were inside one of the built-in cupboards, and while the temperature definitely didn’t call for blankets, it was somehow comforting to snuggle beneath the familiar material in a house that felt all wrong.

Hayley knew she wouldn’t sleep a wink. For one thing, she was entirely too aware of Bram’s large frame sprawled directly across from her. He used the afghan as a pillow. Irrationally, she was disappointed that he found it so easy to be a perfect gentleman.

She studied his features after he closed his eyes and began to relax. In the flickering candlelight, the harsh planes of his face softened. He was actually a strikingly good-looking man. She’d never experienced such a strong physical pull before.

She closed her eyes and tried to relax. She’d put in a lot of overtime recently getting ready for a showing, which was one reason she hadn’t gone to England with Leigh. The strain of that, plus the drive here and the past few hours had taken more of a toll than she’d realized. Once she allowed herself to relax, Bram’s image slowly faded as exhaustion claimed her.

THE URGENT WHISPER of voices raised her slowly from the depths of a deep, dreamless sleep. The room was in total darkness. It took her a minute to figure out why that was wrong. The comforting sputter of the candles had been extinguished.

Hayley lay motionless. Had those whispers been part of some dream? She didn’t hear anything now. It was several minutes before she realized the opposite couch was empty.

Bram was gone.

Tossing aside the afghan, Hayley sat up. Reaching out, she brushed a candle with her hand. Steadying it, she found the wax still warm and fluid. Bram must have just blown it out. Why would he do that?

Hayley heard the faint whispers resume. Someone was in her grandfather’s office, next to the library. She stood silently, straining to hear, but couldn’t make out the words. She couldn’t even tell if the whisperers were male or female. As quietly as possible, she groped her way to the office door. It had been closed when they’d lain down earlier.

The office was only slightly less dark than the rest of the house. Where was a nice bright moon when she needed one? The drapes on these windows were semisheer, and she might have been able to see something. The whispers stopped abruptly.

She was tempted to call out to Bram, but caution held her silent. Instinctively, she knew it would be better if the speakers didn’t realize she was awake. If Bram had blown out the candles, he didn’t want her to see who he was talking with. The sense of wrongness she’d felt earlier became a living weight in her chest.

Hayley stubbed her toe on the edge of her grandfather’s massive desk. She bit her lip to keep from crying out.

Had they heard her?

She didn’t breathe. The absolute silence was more unnerving than the whispers had been. The sense of danger became so acute she wanted to run. Her heart began pounding loudly enough to be audible out in the hall.

Someone knew she was in here.

Her hand sought the edge of the desk to use as a guide. When her fingers didn’t find it, she told herself to stay calm. She knew this house. All she had to do was turn around and walk straight ahead. The opening to the library was right in front of her.

So was a large, dark shape.

Chapter Three

“What the devil are you doing wandering around in the dark like this?” Bram demanded as his powerful hands gripped her shoulders.

Relief gave way to a surge of adrenaline-fed fury. She punched his chest, shocked to feel firm, bare skin beneath her knuckles. Instantly, he released his hold.

“Stop sneaking up on me like that! That’s twice you’ve done that to me. It isn’t funny.”

“I wasn’t sneaking anywhere. I was looking for you. Why did you blow out the candles? This place is a tomb.”

His description was a little too close for comfort. “I didn’t blow out the candles! You did.”

“No. I didn’t.”

“I suppose they blew themselves out,” she scoffed. “Who were you talking to?”

She sensed his sudden caution. If only she could see his expression…

“I wasn’t talking to anyone, Hayley. You must have been dreaming. I went down the hall to use the bathroom.”

“Don’t tell me that. I heard you!”

“I don’t know what you thought you heard, but it wasn’t me.”

Goose bumps rose along her arms. Her teeth began to chatter because she realized she believed him.