Neither have I.

“She did another picture for me, Uncle Payne. I’ll get it.”

As he watched Catherine hurry from the room Nyla said, “I don’t blame Ms. Bennett for setting off early. I’m sure she’s anxious to forget this whole unpleasant business and move on.”

Payne couldn’t argue with that. After putting Rainey through the hell of a courtroom hearing, he’d forced her to face Diane who did nothing but patronize her all evening. Furthermore he’d had no right to bite Stan’s head off because Rainey had reached the point where she couldn’t take any more.

“You’re going to love this one too.” Catherine entered the dining room with another sketch in hand. He took it from her.

“‘The Beggar,’” he read the words aloud. Incredibly, Rainey had caught the special pleading expression in Lady’s eyes while she waited with exaggerated patience and politeness for something to eat.

“She’s left you some real treasures,” Payne murmured. He put the sketch on the table next to the other picture and looked around. “Where are the paintings?”

“Rainey asked me to dispose of them.”

He shot Nyla a piercing gaze. “She what?”

“Don’t worry. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. They’re in my room.”

“I can always count on you. Hold on to them for me. I’ll get them later.”

“You bet.”

Adrenaline surged through his veins. If he didn’t expend his excess energy soon, he’d explode.

“Catherine? Put your suit on and we’ll take a swim.”

“I’m already wearing it under my clothes.”

“Then let’s go.”

“I’ll have breakfast waiting for you when you get back.”

“Nothing for me, Nyla,” he said, “but thanks for the offer.”

Forty-five minutes later he and Catherine came out of the ocean and took turns throwing a stick for Lady to fetch. Unfortunately Payne’s swim had done nothing to improve his mood which was as stormy as the elements.

His niece appeared to be deep in her own thoughts. There was little conversation until they started back to the house.

“I didn’t know the hero in Manhattan Merger almost died of leukemia, or that the author lost a child to it. Have you still got the book?”

“Yes.”

“I want to read it.”

“You’re sure?”

“More than ever. I don’t see how Diane can say that romances don’t reflect real life.”

“She would change her tune if she read one.” Reading Ms. Wrigley’s novel had been a revelation to him.

“But that’s the problem. I don’t think she ever will.”

“Then it’s her loss.”

Somehow he had to find a way to break through Diane’s defenses so she’d go to Switzerland. He couldn’t think beyond it.

“Are you going to spend the day with her?”

“No. I have work at the office. She and her mother are overseeing the bridesmaids’ fittings. What are your plans?”

“Linda and I are going to play tennis with a bunch of friends. Later I think we’ll see a movie.”

“Sounds fun. Be sure and take your cell phone with you so we can keep in touch.”

“I will.” She looked up at him. “Uncle Payne?” By now they’d reached the back lawn.

He sensed her hesitancy. “What is it?”

“When mom and dad get back, I’d like to invite Rainey over for dinner so the whole family can meet her. Would that be okay with you?”

His heart pounded like a sledgehammer. “Of course. Why do you ask?”

“Diane doesn’t like me, and I could tell she really didn’t like Rainey.”

Tell me something I don’t already know.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“After you’re married, I hope you’ll still come over a lot.”

“No one will ever keep me away from you, sweetheart.”

Payne gave his niece a hug before climbing into the limo. Mac followed and shut the door.

“Take us home, Andy.”

On the short drive to Crag’s Head, Payne phoned his pilot and told him to get the chopper ready. He’d be taking off for the city within twenty minutes.

During his talk with Catherine on the way back from the beach, a strange feeling had come over him. Something he couldn’t explain. But it all had to do with Rainey and her precipitous departure from the Sterling compound. Suddenly he felt it imperative to catch up with her.

It was close to noon when he alighted from the limo and entered her apartment building. He pressed the button and waited for a response. If she wasn’t home, he’d wait outside in the limo as long as it took until she showed up.

He was ready to buzz her again when he heard static and then a man’s voice said, “Yes?”

Payne froze in place. “Is this Lorraine’s Bennett’s studio?”

“Yes.”

He struggled to keep from erupting. “May I speak to her?”

“Who is this?”

The urge to knock the man to kingdom come was growing stronger by the second.

“If she doesn’t answer within five seconds, I’m coming up to find out why,” Payne thundered.

“I’m here, Mr. Sterling,” Rainey answered sounding out of breath.

His brows furrowed. What in the hell was she doing with a man in her apartment this early in the day unless… The pictures that ran through his mind filled him with feelings too primitive to describe.

“We have to talk. How soon will you be free?”

“I thought you and your fiancée were-never mind, it doesn’t matter. Just a minute, please.”

Apparently she’d left his sister’s house to rejoin her lover. Out of all the reasons he’d imagined for her disappearance without telling him, Payne would never have thought it was because of a man.

But then he remembered that she’d had other plans the night before and had canceled them in order to accompany Payne. How long had this relationship been going on?

“It’s all right. You can come up now.”

The minute he heard the click of the door, he opened it and took the stairs three at a time to her floor. He found her standing outside her apartment with the door closed trying to appear at ease, and failing.

She also looked so damn fresh and innocent in a white cotton top and tan jeans, he found her utterly desirable. His heart slammed into his ribs.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”

“He went back to his apartment.”

How convenient.

“If this was a bad time, why didn’t you just say so? I’d have come by later.”

“You’re a busy man, Mr. Sterling. Since you took the time to drive over here, I didn’t want you to be put out by having to come back again.”

She was hiding something from him.

“It would have been nice if you’d tried to be this thoughtful by staying put at my sister’s house until you were flown home.”

She didn’t move a muscle, but she couldn’t prevent the blush that swept up her neck into her beautiful face.

“I was brought up to believe a good stay is a short stay. Last evening I did all I could to make your fiancée and niece feel better about what happened. When I woke up this morning, I could see no reason to prolong my visit.”

“I can give you one.”

Her hands rubbed the sides of her hips in a gesture she probably wasn’t aware of. She didn’t look quite so sure of herself now. “I-Is something else wrong?”

“I’m afraid the hallway of a busy apartment building is hardly the place to carry on the conversation I have in mind.”

Color stained her cheeks again.

“Would you prefer to come downstairs and sit in the limo while we talk?”

“No-” she cried softly, putting a nervous hand to her throat.

“I can go to my office and come back later in the day if that would suit you better.”

“Please don’t do that.” She sounded panicked.

“Then what do you propose? If you were planning to spend the day with the man upstairs, just say so. We can talk tomorrow.”

“No,” she whispered. “You can come in for a minute.”

For a minute?

She darted inside and left the door open for him.

After crossing over her threshold, it took all his strength not to slam the door as he shut it. When he turned around, one look at her denuded walls and desk, and his body went cold.

“It looks like you’re in the process of vacating the premises,” his voice grated.

“Yes.” There were several boxes on her couch already packed. She hurriedly moved them to the floor. “There. Now you can sit down.”

He stayed where he was. “Are you moving in with him?”

She bit the soft underside of her lip in a betraying gesture that beguiled him.

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I hardly believe that’s anyone’s concern except mine.”

“It’ll be my niece’s when she tries to invite you to a family party once her parents get home on Monday and you can’t be located.”

Her gilt-blond head reared. Her eyes had gone that smoky green color again and looked haunted. “You mustn’t let her do that!”

His breath caught. “After giving her back a sense of her brother with that magnificent picture she’ll treasure all her life, do you honestly think she won’t do whatever she can to thank you?”

“I’m glad if she liked it, but-”

“But what?” he demanded.

“I won’t be here next week.”

Good Lord. He knew what was coming before she said it.

“I-I’m flying home to Grand Junction tomorrow.”

Payne felt as if a stalker’s bullet had just pierced his heart. “You were going to leave without saying goodbye?”

“We said it last night.”

“I distinctly heard you tell me goodnight,” he reminded her.

She averted her eyes. “I know you think I’m running away to lick my wounds because of what happened at the hearing, but you’d be wrong,” her voice trembled. “The hearing actually did me a favor because it brought my brother to New York.”

The faster she talked, the more she revealed her nervousness.

“We haven’t spent time together like we used to. While he was here, we talked all night. After next week Craig won’t be running any more float trips. He’s getting ready to open his own sporting goods company. It’s been his lifelong dream.