The Count From Wisconsin Read online

  She shook the thought away, wondering in astonishment what had gotten into her. A sentimental wish like that was just not like her.

  "Kate?" He shifted his position slightly so that he was much closer than before, lifting a hand to smooth a stray curl back from her forehead. "We've eaten and we've talked and it still looks like we have some extra time on our hands." His fingers drifted down to rest on her shoulder so that his arm was around her. He stared down at her with a hopeful expression. "You wanna neck?"

  She gave a choking gasp of laughter. "You wanna neck? Geez, how romantic can you get?"

  "I'm not romantic," he said with an unselfconscious shrug. "I thought you had figured that out by now. That doesn't mean I'm not exciting and terrifically sexy. So how about it?"

  She almost choked on her indrawn breath. He thought he was teasing about being exciting and sexy, but actually he had hit it right on the nose. She had been trying with difficulty all afternoon to keep her thoughts away from the way she had felt last night.

  "No," she said, giving a shaky laugh at the lie. "I don't. I would realty like for you to tell me a little more about what's going on." She glanced up at him to study his strong face carefully. "You haven't given me an awful lot of information up to now."

  His dark eyes met hers as she spoke and after a moment of silent communication, he shrugged. "I may be wrong," he said softly, "but I got the idea that you had reasons of your own for coming with me. Reasons that had nothing to do with why I'm chasing that man."

  How could he know that? How could he know that Plate had viewed their meeting and the subsequent events as a kind of challenge that life was throwing at her, a challenge she had to meet or be condemned to accept her ordinary existence as unworthy?

  She glanced away from him uneasily and said, "Okay, I'll accept that, but now I'd realty like to know more about what's happening."

  "It's a long story. One that starts a lot of years ago." His eyes took on a faraway look. "What's important is that an old friend of mine is being blackmailed."

  A chilled shiver ran up her spine. She had taken everything so lightly until now, but this was not something she could shrug off. She wanted to ask more—who and why—but blackmail indicated a need for secrecy. She couldn't ask him to give away secrets that weren't his to give. "By the man in the Jaguar?" she asked quietly.

  He was silent for a moment. "I don't think so. Don't ask me why. He's the man who is making the demands, but somehow It just doesn't jell.-" He shrugged. "So I'm following him to try and get to the bottom of the thing. I want to know who's behind it and why. I also need to recover some things that are potentially harmful to my friend's well-being."

  "Do you know the man in the car?"

  "I've met him," he said, his voice grim. "Our man is one Rene Alvarez, born in Paris of Spanish parents. He's been a hanger-on for most of his life and—as far as I can tell—will do anything for money." He swirled the wine in his cup, concentrating on the ruby liquid, then gave a rough sound of frustration. "In the last few months I've been to enough parties to last me a lifetime. I've cultivated Alvarez and his friends, trying to make some sense out of the whole thing. I've purposely acquired a ... a tainted reputation so that he would feel free to brag about what he's doing."

  Kate's eyes widened in surprise. So he knew what people were saying about him. And he didn't sound as though he enjoyed the reputation he had gained.

  "And did he?" she asked, without comment.

  He laughed harshly before tipping back his head to finish the last of the wine in his mug. "He's bragged about using and selling several illegal drugs," he said without looking at her. "He's bragged about being the go-between in an art swindle and about other activities that you wouldn't want to hear about, but so far, not one word about Tony."

  "Your friend?"

  He nodded. "I can't figure out the connection," he said emphatically, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "And the more he talks the more I believe he's only a hired messenger."

  She gave him an inquisitive glance. "You mean someone picked him up at the local 'Hoods "R" Us'?"

  "Something like that." He chuckled. "No, if this whole blackmail scheme were his idea, he'd have asked for money right away and that would have been the end of it. . . until he wanted more. But there have been no demands for money. Someone wants Tony to suffer."

  She glanced down at her hands for a moment, mentally putting a lid on her curiosity as she recognized the sincerity, the urgency in his voice. "What demands have there been ... if not for money?" she asked.

  "In the beginning, Tony merely received letters that let him know that someone was in possession of certain . . . facts concerning his past." Alex's features were grim as he spoke. "Then they started to become more threatening." He paused. "Tony has been offered a wonderful opportunity, an opportunity that could change his whole life. Whoever wrote the letters wants him to give up that opportunity ... or they will make certain things from his past public."

  She examined his face in detail, the worried lines around his eyes, the sternly held lips. "This is really important to you, isn't it?" she asked finally.

  'Tony's important to me," he said quietly. "It's not often that you get to pay back a debt the size of the one I owe Tony. I won't let the chance go by. I'll fix this for him because I owe him and because I love him."

  She had never heard a man confess his love for another man. But there was no hesitation in Alex's voice, no embarrassment. In her eyes he grew another three feet, and there in a car parked outside an unknown village in France, Kate thought for a moment she had glimpsed the beginning of the third and most important act of her life.

  As though he read the change in her eyes, Alex caught his breath and began to lean slowly closer. "This time I won't ask," he said softly, then bent the final few inches to press his lips against hers.

  And this time she wouldn't have said no, she thought as she felt the warmth of his full lips on hers. She closed her eyes and waited for the powerful sensations that were caused only by Alex to return to her.

  But it took only a few seconds for her to realize that it wasn't at all like it had been the night before. Then she had been confused, even frightened, by the new feelings he aroused. Now, as the vibrating warmth raced through her limbs, she felt as though his touch and the accompanying pleasure were things she had been waiting for forever.

  Although her feelings were even more powerful than they had been the night before, she no longer felt threatened by them. It was as though her body had finally accepted the strange sensations as a part of her.

  Her lips parted naturally beneath his and the kiss deepened by mutual consent. Groaning, he slid his seat back and pulled her into his lap. "I was wrong," he whispered, staring into her eyes. "Kathryn is not for making love. Kathryn is too cold for someone as warm and receptive as you are. You're Katy . . . my Katy love."

  He moved his head the fraction of an inch it took to cover her lips and she received him hungrily as though he had been away for years instead of seconds. His fingers were spread wide on her rib cage, resting just below her breast, and she felt every centimeter of the flesh there as though his touch magnified ordinary sensation.

  He pressed her down against him, flexing his thighs slightly at the same time, and the delicious magnification spread to other aching places. A pulsing need grew within her, urging her to get closer and even closer.

  He pulled back, just a breath away, and touched her lips with his tongue, then leaned the side of his head against hers, his breathing unsteady.

  She stared straight ahead and after a moment whispered a soft, breathless "Wow."

  Alex made a rough noise that could have been a laugh. He sounded breathless too. "I was thinking something more along the lines of hot damn!"

  With a hand on her neck he turned her head back toward him. When she moved a flash of red caught her peripheral vision. As his lips grazed hers, she murmured, "Aren't we supposed to be watching for the Jaguar?"r />
  "Hmmm?" he said against her lips.

  'The red sports car. The . . . um . . . the—" She forgot what she had intended to say as he deepened the kiss.

  "The sports car?" He dipped his head to her neck, then sat up straight. "The Jaguar! Hell and damnation," he muttered, running a hand through his hair and down his neck. "He could at least have stayed for dessert."

  As he touched her swollen lower lip with one rough finger, his eyes held deep regret. "I guess it's time to move on, Katy love."

  It took a while for Kate to regain her equilibrium. He left her dazed and she felt she should be analyzing the strange things that were happening to her mind and her body.

  But she couldn't. All she could think about was how beautiful the day was and how wonderful she felt.

  Alex had begun to whistle as soon as they were on the road again, but she had been too absorbed to listen. Now she smiled, recognizing the song.

  A fine romance.

  Five

  Shifting his position slightly, Alex flexed his stiff shoulder muscles. The sun was hanging low in the west as he glanced at the digital clock on the console, then across at the woman sleeping beside him.

  Kate was curled up in the reclined leather seat, her hands forming a pillow under her cheek. She had had a rough day and most likely a confusing one.

  Sighing gustily, he told himself he probably shouldn't have dragged her into this. It wasn't her affair and if nothing else it could get a little sticky. But to be fair to himself, he hadn't realized Alvarez would be leaving the area around Monaco. If he had known . . .

  He smiled. If he had known he probably would have done the same thing. On the street back there in the Old City, it had seemed vitally important that he keep her with him, as though a voice inside his brain were telling him that it was his only chance with Kate.

  He wished suddenly that he could have met her when he wasn't involved with this blackmail business. But then if he hadn't been involved hi it, would he have gotten to know her so quickly? Wouldn't they have had to go through the routine of dating and slowly learning to know each other before they even reached the point they were at now?

  A rueful smile twisted his lips. If it took a high-speed chase to get close to her, then he was glad It had happened just the way it did. When they returned to Monte Carlo. Alex broke off his thoughts with a smothered exclamation. He had forgotten all about Paul. He should have called him when they stopped for lunch to let him know what was happening. Yes, he should have called, but his thoughts had been completely taken over by Kate.

  He grinned in anticipation when he thought of her temper and the way she would react when she woke up and found they couldn't make it back to Monte Carlo tonight.

  Reaching over, he gently touched her shoulder. "Kate. Kary love, wake up."

  She moved her head until her cheek rested on his hand, then rubbed against it like a contented cat. It seemed that Kate could be tamed, but only in her sleep.

  Chuckling, he said, "Kate, we've already passed Lyon; is that all right?"

  She stirred slightly her lips curving in a lazy smile. It was a smile that took his breath away. "Lyon?" she murmured sleepily. "Lyon's nice."

  He realized she hadn't come fully awake, but at least he had tried. Lifting his hand, he brushed back a golden curl from her temple, then reluctantly returned his full attention to the highway and the car ahead.

  Some time later Kate felt warmth on her lips, then her ear. "What are you doin'?" she murmured.

  "I'm kissing you."

  That sounded reasonable. "Why're ya doin' that?" she asked drowsily, not really caring why, but feeling obligated to ask anyway.

  " 'Cause all of a sudden, I had a cravin' flung upon me," he drawled and kissed her again.

  "Are you making fun of the way I talk?" she said. Her Texas accent lost some of its strength as she came fully awake.

  "Who, me?" he asked guilelessly.

  She pulled herself upright. "Where are we?" Moving stiffly at first, she stretched her cramped muscles. She glanced out the side window at the growing darkness, then her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the small structure beside the car. "Is that a barn?" she asked slowly. "It is a barn." She swung around to face him, her eyes wary. "Alex, why are we parked beside a barn?"

  "Because he stopped for the night," Alex said, opening the car door. "Alvarez stopped at the inn in town and took a small suitcase out of the car."

  "Yes? Go on," she prompted expectantly. "That still doesn't explain why we're parked beside a barn."

  "It was the only Inn in town—"

  He had begun to step out of the car, but she stopped him with a hand on his arm. "And?"

  "And if we stayed there for the night he would see us," he said, smiling as though he had said something wonderfully reasonable.

  "If we stayed the night—" She broke off, too stunned to continue.

  "So I found this place." He sounded extremely pleased with himself as he continued enthusiastically. "I checked at the house and the people are not home. I don't think they'd mind if we used their barn just for tonight. There are no animals in it for us to bother."

  Kate stared in amazement. "You're honestly suggesting that we spend the night In that—that cow shed?" she sputtered. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, then keeping her voice calm, said, "Alex, dear, call me a cab."

  "There are no cabs," he said, not doing a very good job of hiding his amusement. "Probably not very many telephones from the looks of the place."

  "Then you'll simply have to take me home," Kate stated firmly, leaning back in the seat to cross her arms in determination.

  "It's too far to drive tonight." His midnight eyes were sparkling, but he kept his voice low and soothing. "Do you really want to travel those roads in the dark?"

  She turned her head toward him sharply. "Listen carefully—I refuse to spend the night in a place even cows won't sleep in," she said stubbornly. "Do you hear? I refuse."

  And Kate was still refusing five minutes later as she watched him bunch up hay on the floor of the small barn.

  "Adventure," she muttered under her breath. "I wanted adventure. This is act two, Kate. Fate sent him, Kate," she continued, mimicking her own thoughts. "Well, I certainly got adventure. I'm about to sleep on a pile of moldy hay with a man I've known less than twenty-four hours." Then more loudly, "What kind of bugs do you suppose live in hay?"

  He laughed over his shoulder as he went through the double doors on his way back to the car. A couple of minutes later he returned, still chuckling as he carried in a plaid wool blanket and the bag that contained the remainder of the food he had bought earlier.

  While she watched in obstinate silence he spread the bright red blanket over the hay, then removed the meat pies and what was left of the wine. Then he turned to take a kerosene lantern from a hook by the door and raised it for her inspection with an implied "Ta-dah."

  She humphed and shifted her stance, folding her arms once more across her middle. She felt silly standing in the middle of an empty barn while he did all the work, but he had to understand that she wouldn't keep on following his every lead. It had to stop somewhere.

  After lighting the lamp, he stood and made a sweeping gesture of invitation toward the lumpy picnic spread, his smile gleaming in the dim light.

  He looked so pleased with himself that Kate found her resolve quickly crumbling. Next time, she thought. Next time she would be firmer. And with that wonderful bit of equivocating, she shrugged and sat down.

  She studied him intently for a while, then said, "You know, I think I've finally figured out why you like me."

  "Oh?" He ran his eyes over her body with an exaggerated leer. "Little slow on the uptake, aren't you?"

  "No," she said, shaking her head. "I'm serious." She picked up a meat pie. "It's because I'm a cheap date. If you were with one of those froufrou women at your party, she would have expected caviar and champagne and a room at the Ritz. But good ole Katy Sullivan from Plum, Te
xas, gets cold meat pies and a pile of hay."

  He chuckled. "Champagne and a room at the Ritz, huh? Ill keep that in mind for our second date." When she choked on her pie, he grinned, then said, "Plum," as though he were savoring the word. "I like that. Is it in the middle of a plum orchard or something?"

  "As far as I know there isn't a plum tree within fifty miles of Plum. A lot of prickly pear cactus and mesquite trees, but no plums." She paused. "I guess Plum just sounds better than Prickly Pear, Texas."

  He poured two mugs of wine and handed one to her. "So you create your cartoon world in Plum, Texas?"

  "Actually I don't." She took another bite of the beef-and-mushroom-filled pastry and found it surprisingly good. "I have a place in Dallas and only get to Plum on the occasional weekend." She paused reflectively. "My hometown somehow puts things back into perspective. When I get caught up in the mad rush for success in Dallas and begin to think unimportant things are important, I simply go back to Plum for a while. The people in Plum still treat me like little Katy Sullivan, the girl next door. There are no imagined power struggles there, only very real struggles against the sun and the wind and the rain." She shrugged. "It keeps me whole."

  She sent him a slow, appraising glance. "How about you? Do you go back to Wisconsin occasionally to find out who the real Alex Delanore is?"

  He shook his head. "It's different with me. I'm only here because of Tony."

  "You became a count Just to help out your friend?"

  "I acquired the title and estate three years ago, but I've actively used my inheritance only in the last six months. That's when Paul and I came to Europe."

  "Paul?"

  "Paul works for me . . . and he's a personal friend. He came with me to help. You'll like him." He grinned. "I'm afraid neither of us is cut out for this kind of life, but I knew if I were going to get any information I would have to be right here where it was happening." He leaned back to rest on one elbow. "In Madison, I'm just plain Al Delanore. But I know what you mean about keeping you whole. After-a month or two of living the good life I began to wonder if I had dreamed my life in Madison ... or if this was the dream. It's hard to know what's real and that worries me. I never had that problem when I was running my construction company."