Tempting Fate

The rose garden covered two acres and was, in his view, the best part of the estate. There were fountains, gazebos, marble statuary, stone benches, low iron fences and dozens of beautiful, perfectly pruned rosebushes. Their fragrance filled the afternoon air.

He noticed a discreet plaque dedicating the rosebushes to the memory of Lilli Chandler Pembroke. His throat tightened. He needed distance. Control. Squinting against the bright sun, he scanned the crowd meandering along the brick walks. He’d come to do a job. Time to get on with it.

He went utterly motionless.

Quint Skinner.

There was no mistaking the bull-like physique, the cropped red-blond hair, the scarred face. Skinner had served with Joe Cutler. After he got out of the army, he’d become a journalist and hooked up with his old unit, discovering that morale was low and Joe’s sense of pride and honor had deteriorated. He’d seen Joe’s men die. And he’d seen Joe die.

Joe Cutler: One Soldier’s Rise and Fall was Quint’s book. He hadn’t done much since.

What the hell was he doing in Saratoga?

Tucked between two teenage girls, Skinner edged out of the rose garden. A small pack was slung over one massive shoulder. Zeke would bet he’d find Dani Pembroke’s belongings in that pack. But there was nothing he could do. Not right now—not that made sense. Pulitzer Prize winner or not, Quint Skinner was perfectly capable of ransacking a woman’s bedroom and smacking her around. He was also capable of using a couple of innocent girls to get his ass out of a sling with Zeke.

And it occurred to Zeke that Dani Pembroke just might not appreciate his efforts. The media would pounce on a confrontation between Quint Skinner and Joe Cutler’s brother in the Pembroke rose gardens. Zeke had already noted that Dani hadn’t reacted to his name. Seemed she had no idea who he was. What all hadn’t Mattie told her?

He let Quint go. For now.

It was teatime at the Pembroke. Wild-blueberry muffins, fresh fruit and Earl Grey tea were being served on the veranda. Zeke headed on up. Afterward maybe he’d try to scare up a fifth of George Dickel in this Yankee town.

If he was lucky, in due time he’d bump into Quint Skinner on neutral turf. If not, he’d just have to hunt him down and have a little chat.

Ira Bernstein was not pleased to learn a burglar had been prowling the Pembroke grounds. He was even less pleased to find out over an hour after the fact. “Why didn’t you call me?” he screamed at Dani.

She leaned back against the couch in her office. Now that the crisis was over, she was aching and tired; even thinking was an effort. And talking to Mattie hadn’t helped. Instead of offering her usual love, wisdom and concern, she had been shocked and withdrawn, which led Dani to worry something was wrong with her grandmother. But Mattie had denied that Dani had caught her at a bad time, assured her she was well—and then urged her not to call the police, because she didn’t need the added publicity.

Since when had Mattie worried about publicity?

When Dani didn’t answer, Ira paced, hands thrust in his pants pockets, hair wild. “You don’t have any description?”

“No.” She paused. “Not of the burglar. But there was another man…I was wondering if you’ve seen him around. Dark hair, dark eyes, maybe six feet tall. Looks really fit. Very controlled.” And sexy, she thought, but judiciously left out that assessment. “He says his name’s Zeke Cutler. Ring any bells?”

It hadn’t with Mattie, but Ira stopped pacing and hesitated.

“What?” Dani prodded.

He looked at her. “You won’t fly off the handle?”

“Ira.”

“He’s a guest.”

Hell’s bells, she thought. Just her luck. She decided not to tell Ira she’d thrown a bottle at him. “Go on.”

“He arrived this afternoon—”

“He had a reservation?”

“Not exactly. Apparently he called in a favor and got the room of a former client or the daughter of a former client—something like that.”

“A client? Who is he, what’s he do?”

“He’s a security consultant. From what I understand, he’s very good at what he does.”

Dani could feel her face redden. What in blue blazes had she gotten herself into?

“Anyway,” Ira went on, “I believe he’s having tea on the veranda—”

She was on her feet and out the door, leaving Ira Bernstein to do what he would about her burglar. A professional white knight. What next?

Her head throbbed, and her antibacterial goo hadn’t done a thing to stop her scraped shin from hurting. But she pounded down the wood-paneled hall, past the library, through the ballroom and out to the veranda, which looked out onto a formal garden and a small fishpond.

Zeke Cutler was there, alone.

“Tell me, Dani Pembroke,” he said, rocking back in his rattan chair. “What’s the difference between a wild blueberry and the regular kind?”

She inhaled, remembering he was a guest. “Wild blueberries are wild, for one thing. They’re smaller, and many people think they’re more flavorful than cultivated blueberries.”

“Ah.”

“Mr. Cutler—”

“Zeke.”

The rhythms of his southern accent and his subtle but unmistakable humor softened the hard edges of his voice. But his eyes, she noticed, remained alert and intense, taking in everything. She became aware of the spots of blood on her T-shirt, the ratty socks she’d quickly pulled on before heading up to the main house, her crummy sneakers, her short, messy hair. She usually dressed up when she was in a spot where she could run into guests.

“I understand you’re staying here at the Pembroke.”

“That’s right.”

“What brings you to Saratoga?”

He shrugged, his eyes never leaving her. “Curiosity.”

That could mean anything, and she suspected he knew it. “My manager tells me you’re a professional white knight.”

He gave a short laugh. “I’ve never thought of it quite like that.”

“You’re not looking at a potential client, in case the thought crossed your mind.”

The dark eyes narrowed. Suddenly self-conscious, Dani ran one hand through the pink geraniums in a marble urn, looking for a wilted blossom. There wasn’t one, so she snapped off one that was still healthy.

“Was your being in my garden a coincidence?” she asked.

“I didn’t rob you.”

A man of few but well-chosen words. Dani didn’t know what to make of him. “If you think you saw an opening to get yourself hired to protect me or some such thing, you’re wrong.”