The Deeper the Passion.... Jennifer Lewis

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ money—legally—in the past five years than all his ancestors put together.

      He filled a glass of water at the monstrous steel fridge and turned to her, offering it. “Too early in the day for champagne, but I’m celebrating your arrival all the same.”

      The twinkle in his eye disarmed her as she took the water. Was he really happy to see her? “The pleasure is mutual.” She raised her glass of water. Let the flirting begin. “I’ve missed you, Jack.”

      “This is getting better every minute. I still can’t figure out what you’re after.”

      She smarted under his unromantic retort. He leaned against the broad pine table in the kitchen and crossed his powerful arms. Tiny golden hairs stood out against thick, bronzed muscle. She cursed herself for noticing.

      “Isn’t it enough to visit one old friend while helping out another?”

      “Nope. And half of a twenty-thousand-dollar reward isn’t enough to tempt the Vicki St. Cyr I know. Unless your financial situation has changed.” His eyes narrowed slightly, and she felt their dark perceptive power.

      She swallowed and stiffened but tried not to show her anxiety. The press hadn’t yet sniffed out her father’s sudden descent into financial ruin. The confusion created by his death from a stroke had provided a smokescreen. Her mom had slipped off to Corsica with a wealthy friend of her dad, and the only person left holding the empty bag was her.

      “I can always find something pretty to spend ten thousand dollars on.” She played with her silver bracelet, which was probably worth about twelve dollars. “It’s a curse to be raised with expensive tastes.”

      “Unless you’re born gagging on a silver spoon. You’ve never needed to make money.”

      “I find it emotionally satisfying.” If Jack knew she truly needed the money he’d be less likely to help her. He’d be unable to fight the urge to play with her, like a cat with a trapped mouse. “It makes me feel normal.”

      Jack threw his head back, and a great guffaw filled the kitchen, bounced off the stone surfaces of the walls and floor and echoed off the high ceiling. “Normal? You’re probably the least normal person I know, and that’s why I enjoy you so much.”

      “It’s been a long time, Jack. Perhaps I’m more conventional than I used to be.”

      “I doubt it.” A tiny smile pulled at one corner of his mouth.

      “Why do you bother to make money?” Going on the offensive might be her best line of defense. “You could have lived comfortably on the ill-gotten gains of your ancestors, but instead you’re out there every day trawling the oceans for gold doubloons as if your life depended on it.”

      “I get bored easily.”

      Vicki’s stomach clenched. He’d grown bored with her. Eight magical months, then one day he was gone, off to pursue more elusive treasure and find a new damsel for his bed. “So you do. And what do you do with all the money you make?”

      “Some of it I spend on new toys, the rest I just keep lying around the house in sacks.” Mischief twinkled again in his eyes, which stayed firmly fixed on her. She fought a sudden urge to scan the place for burlap bags filled with Spanish silver. “I have expensive taste in boats, especially my newest.”

      “I’d like to see it.”

      “Her.” Mischief sparkled in his eyes again.

      Vicki tensed as visions of a hard-bodied blonde crept into her mind. “Oh, your boat is female.”

      “They all are.”

      “Why is that?”

      He shrugged. “Maybe because they drive us men crazy.” His gaze lingered on her face, and she felt her skin heat. “But we love them anyway.”

      The word love made her jump slightly. Not a real jump, a jolt deep inside her. Either way, it made her feel even more off kilter than she did already. How did Jack Drummond manage to fluster her like no other man?

      “So, this cup. It’s part of your family history and probably stowed in a dusty corner of this old pile.” She gestured at the stone walls around them. “Any idea where it is?”

      Jack tilted his head slightly as if thinking. “No idea at all.”

      “Can we search your family records?”

      “Pirates aren’t known for keeping detailed records. It’s harder to deny having stuff that’s written down.”

      “People don’t get as rich as your ancestors by being loosey-goosey with the books.” She lifted a thoughtful finger to her lips. “I bet there are some old leather-bound ledgers somewhere.”

      “Even if there were, why would they bother to catalog a worthless old cup piece? They probably threw it away.”

      “A family heirloom? I think not.” Though a shiver of apprehension did cool her. People threw away priceless things every day because they didn’t look like the stuff on department store shelves. “The Drummonds are far too proud of their auld Scottish ancestry for that. Look.” She pointed at the old stone kitchen fireplace. Above the big opening where cauldrons once boiled was a big crest, its paint faded and peeling from the worn wood.

      Jack smiled. “They did keep detailed records.” His dark gaze studied her face. “And I’ve been through them all with a fine-tooth comb. No mention of a cup.”

      “It’s not the entire cup. We found the stem up in New York. You’d likely have either the base or the drinking vessel, so it could have been described differently if someone wasn’t sure what it was. Why don’t we look together at the ledgers from the lifetime of the first person to own it, and see if anything crops up?”

      “Oh, there’s nothing of his. He didn’t build this house. Never even visited the island as far as we know. He drowned in a wreck with all his possessions.”

      Vicki frowned. “Then who founded this island and carried on the family line?”

      “His son. Swam ashore and took over the place. He was only fifteen at the time, but fought off anyone who came near with some muskets and shot he salvaged. Eventually he managed to rob and swindle enough people to rebuild the family fortune. I’m sure he was a sweet boy.”

      “I’ll bet.” She lifted a brow. Meanwhile her heart was sinking. “So if his father had the cup, it would have gone down in the shipwreck.”

      “Along with all his plundered booty and his latest child bride.”

      She sucked in a breath. Jack was playing with her. He’d known the item she came here to search for was long gone before she’d even climbed into his car. Then again, he was an undersea treasure hunter. “Did it happen far from here?”

      “Not far at all. The boy washed ashore here, clinging to a piece of spar. Can’t be more than a few miles.”

      “So let’s find it.”

      Again his rich, deep laugh filled the big kitchen. “Sure! We’ll just throw out a fishing line and СКАЧАТЬ