As if the single word had removed a barrier, the questions started coming fast and furiously. But this time they were asked with a growing excitement and confidence mat told Kalinda the turning point had been reached.

Rand had gone from being the villain at the table to the hero. She didn't understand it but she was too good a businesswoman to question her luck. Her staffs obvious confidence in Rand's abilities reinforced her own decision to believe in him. She sat musingly and watched him handle the questions and comments with easy skill. He really did know what he was doing. And he appeared familiar with the respect he was receiving. Yes, she thought privately, she had a lot of questions for Rand Alastair.

But it was Harold Sebastian who answered many of them for her. He approached her as the meeting broke up sometime later, an apologetic smile on his now-pleased face.

"You've really pulled off a coup, Kalinda. Your father would have been proud of you. Alastair may have been maintaining a low profile for the past couple of years but there's no doubt he's still got the ability! I'll admit when I finally remembered who he was this morning and realized just how friendly the two of you seemed last night, I had a few bad moments. So did everyone else. That man's reputation alone might be enough to spike David Hutton's guns! How did you ever persuade Alastair to come back into battle? Word had it he'd retired a couple of years ago."

"Just what is his reputation, Harold?" Kalinda asked ruefully. "I mean, he's admitted he knows something about the conglomeration business, but..."

"Knows something about it! My G.o.d, Kalinda, that man was the terror of every firm in the Rockies up until about two years ago. He had a reputation as a corporate raider that made Genghis Khan look tame! He had a piece of the action wherever he wanted it. Sometimes he would force a takeover, sometimes he only wanted a seat on the board of a particular firm. He manipulated stock, added any firm that took his eye to his own conglomerate, and generally seemed unstoppable. It got to the point where the mere mention that he was interested in a company was enough to send the management into panic."

"How is it I never heard of him?"

"The timing, I suppose. You were working at that firm in Houston until about three months before your father was killed. You got engaged, as I recall, shortly after you moved up here from Texas. Alastair was going into retirement about the time you were going through the shock of your father's death. When I saw you walk in with Alastair this morning I knew we were headed for disaster. And then when you said we were a target company..."

"You saw Rand sitting there and a.s.sumed I'd just handed over the reins to a shark?" Kalinda mused with a wry smile.

"I should have known you'd never do anything like that I guess I panicked, too, just the way everyone used to do when they heard Alastair was coming!" Harold grinned. "But to have him actually working for us...!"

"You don't mind having a shark around as long as he's on your side?"

"Business is business," Harold chuckled and then excused himself to hurry off to his office. Rand had already begun dispatching people for the various reports and records he wanted to see.

The management offices of Brady Data Processing took on the atmosphere of an armed camp preparing for battle. Word went like wildfire through the company of the takeover bid, but word of Rand's presence spread equally as fast Instead of the sudden depression in morale, Kalinda was amazed to find everyone invigorated with a purposefulness that told its own story. Brady management had a battlefield general and they were prepared to follow him into the fray, no questions asked. There was nothing like having a shark on your side, Kalinda thought idly at one point when George Barrett appeared with coffee and sandwiches.

"Thanks, George," Kalinda smiled gratefully, looking up from the pile of papers on her desk. Rand, sitting across from her glanced up almost curiously and then looked appreciatively at the sandwiches.

"I didn't know an order for food had gone out," he grinned, helping himself to a thick pastrami on rye.

George lifted an eyebrow. "Miss Brady would never think to send me out for sandwiches," he murmured. "She respects my professionalism far too much, even in a crisis, to do such a thing. But I have eyes and it was clear neither of you had remembered lunch today!"

He left the room with a stack of rough drafts that needed typing, all business. Rand watched him go, one brow c.o.c.ked bemusedly.

"Things seem to have changed in the business world during the past couple of years," was his only comment.

"George is the perfect secretary," Kalinda said calmly, watching his expression.

"Bosses," Rand drawled, "are known for falling in love with their secretaries."

"George would never allow such an improper situation to develop," Kalinda said blandly. "Here's that breakdown on Brady's line of credit you requested."

Most of the management staff stayed late that day, but not as late as Kalinda and Rand. The ultimate responsibility was on their shoulders and Kalinda found her new employee seemed avid to accept his share. It was, she decided, as if the shark had swum back into his element. An impressive sight.

The dinner hour came and went, sandwiches and coffee once again the only fare. After the brief break during which Rand asked a series of probing questions concerning the material he'd been going through they both plunged back into the task of planning the defense strategy. Rand was intent on immersing himself in a thorough understanding of Brady's resources, weaknesses, and possible options.

Finally, shortly after ten o'clock he closed the manila folder in front of him and got to his feet. "Come on, honey, let 's go home. We're not going to be worth a d.a.m.n tomorrow if we don't get some sleep tonight"

"Where is your apartment, Rand?" Kalinda asked bravely, rising to her feet and stretching as a yawn threatened. She must be firm.

"I'm going to show you," he smiled benignly.

"I meant what I said this morning," she began determinedly. "I think we ought to maintain a business relationship until we have a chance to know each other better."

"I said I'd show you the apartment, I didn't promise to seduce you, too." He gathered up a stack of papers and shoved them into a leather case. "I'm not even sure I could at this stage," he reflected seriously. "It's been awhile since I worked liked this. I'm a little out of shape!"

She smiled at that. "You don't look it. You look like an eager warhorse getting back into harness!"

He took her arm and walked her toward the door. "Nevertheless, the stamina requirements are a trifle different than those of fishing and pottery-making!"

The white Lotus sped through the night toward an elegant apartment building near the downtown area. It was not far from her own town house, she thought ruefully.

"Come on up for a nightcap. We deserve it," Rand instructed, giving her little option as he took her arm once again and a.s.sisted her out of the car.

"How do you happen to have an apartment, Rand?" she murmured, trying not to think of the decision which lay ahead of her tonight How could she refuse him if he made love to her? His touch was like magic on her skin and the warmth in him was almost irresistible. She loved the man. But she had to have the answers to her questions about him. No amount of logic could convince her he had followed her out of the mountains merely for an affair. And he'd said nothing of love....

"I own the building," he confessed.

"Own it!"

"It was one of the few things I hung onto when I opted out a year and a half ago," he explained, watching her face as he pushed the elevator b.u.t.ton. "It was something that didn't have to be managed in person and provided a nice income."

She shook her head. "You're proving to be one surprise after another."

"Good surprises, I trust," he smiled.

"Are you so very concerned about my opinion?" she breathed, stepping into the elevator.

"I prefer seeing respect in your eyes rather than disapproval. Is that so strange?" he asked wistfully.

Kalinda could think of nothing to say to that But some instinct warned her that a man like Rand Alastair didn't worry much about other people's opinions.

A moment later the elevator opened and they emerged into a thickly carpeted hallway. Rand fished a key out of his pocket and paused before the only door in sight.

"I phoned ahead and had the place put in order," he began as he opened the door. "I hope it's decent"

He flipped on. the light, revealing a clean, uncluttered room furnished in an utterly masculine style. It was similar to the decor in his house by the lake, Kalinda thought, walking inside curiously. Browns and caramels were the predominant colors of the low-slung, modern furniture. Wide, sweeping vistas of the Denver night were provided by an expanse of windows.

Automatically Kalinda walked toward the view, knowing he was watching her. "It's lovely," she smiled, looking out into the darkness and picking out familiar buildings. They were on the twentieth floor.

"I prefer your place," he said dryly.

She swung around to see him going over to a liquor cabinet and begin hunting through the collection of bottles.

She accepted the snifter he held out to her a moment later, meeting his eyes silently over the rim as they each lifted their gla.s.ses. For an instant as she met the glittering promise in the hazel eyes, Kalinda forgot all about her promise to herself. And when he took her wrist and led her silently across the tan carpet to the sofa, she couldn't find the words of protest He sank down onto the leather cushions, tugging her gently down beside him. Then, wrapping the arm holding his drink around her shoulders so that she was forced to curl into his side, Rand reached for the leather case he brought with him.

He put his feet up on a ha.s.sock and fumbled briefly in the case. "Now, I've got a couple more questions about your relationship with the banks," he said calmly.

Kalinda turned her head quickly to stare at him and saw that he was quite serious. He didn't appear to have any intention of trying to seduce her tonight She honestly didn't know whether to be glad or feel insulted.

The amus.e.m.e.nt lit her eyes and quirked her mouth as she dutifully answered his precise questions.

Half an hour later she was still answering the occasional question as Rand continued reading beside her. With a strange feeling of contentment she settled more closely against him, finding his obvious interest in the work at hand somehow endearing. He was enjoying this, she thought sleepily.

Her eyes were closing when the impact of that statement finally made itself felt.

He was enjoying himself! He was thriving on the opportunity to get back into the dangerous game he knew so well. Belatedly Kalinda remembered the occasional feeling she'd had in the mountains that he'd latched onto her because he had been as bored as she was up there.

She was almost asleep when the plausible answer to all her questions popped into her head.

Had Rand followed her back out of the mountains because she had made him realize he was bored with the easy life? Was he using her to find his way back to the high-powered business world he'd once dominated?

The thought of serving as an accidental catalyst for a man who once again was seeking a change of lifestyle was not a pleasant one. What happened to the catalyst after it had served its purpose?

8.

Kalinda awoke hours later to find dawn pearling the sky outside the ma.s.sive windows. She blinked, stirred warmly and finally opened her eyes to find herself wedged between the back of the sofa and Rand's lean frame.

They were still wearing their business suits, she realized, minus the jackets. Her camel skirt and white, bow-tie blouse would never be the same. Sometime during the night Rand had located a blanket and pulled it over both of them before going to sleep himself. Kalinda shifted position carefully and found herself snugly cradled, Rand's arm firmly wrapped around her.

She managed to prop herself on one elbow, desperate to stretch cramped muscles. Her hair was hanging loosely around her shoulders and she felt terribly mussed and sleep-tousled.

In the pale morning light Rand's firmly etched features appeared more relaxed. There was an unmistakable contentment in the eased lines around his mouth and eyes. His shirt had been undone at the collar, tie removed.

For a long moment Kalinda stared down at him, absorbing each detail along with the fact that she loved him. That look of contentment, she now realized, wasn't because he'd spent the night by her side. It was because Rand Alastair was finally back where he wanted to be. He had emerged from his year and a half of retirement to resume the fast-paced, perilous life he had known before opting out of the business world.

For how long would he see Kalinda as his means of getting back into the high-powered atmosphere he'd once dominated? Helping Brady Data Processing fight off a hostile merger attempt could only be a stepping-stone for such a man. Kalinda might have been the one to galvanize him into realizing he was bored with retirement, but how long would she hold his interest once the transition back to the business world had been made?

If her time with Rand was fated to be short-lived, why was she telling herself that she must control the pa.s.sion in the relationship? Why shouldn't she be taking advantage of the precious, stolen moments? With luck she might have weeks, perhaps even a few months before he got swept up completely in the world he'd left behind. But it was already going to be incredibly difficult to say good-bye. How much worse would it be if the affair went on for months? The thought of watching Rand grow bored with her was frightening.

She was staring at him, wondering unhappily how she would explain her feelings to Rand when the chestnut lashes flickered against his cheekbones and lifted. The hazel gaze gleamed at her with sleepy contentment.

"Good morning, Miss Brady," he growled lazily, moving the hand that cradled her up to snag luxuriously in her hair. "You have an interesting way of conducting late-night business conferences. Do you always go to sleep in the middle of them?"

"I don't appear to be the only one who dozed off at this particular conference," she replied, warming under the possessiveness in his gaze. "Perhaps you should serve coffee instead of cognac when you conduct your late meetings."

"My only regret," he murmured, his mouth quirking with an intimate, teasing expression, "is the unfinished business we failed to get through."

Kalinda knew her cheeks were reddening under the complacent, very male look in his eyes. But before she could frame a properly light retort, the hand in her hair was moving to urge her head down to his.

With a m.u.f.fled sigh Kalinda let herself be pulled across Rand's chest, her hair tumbling over his shoulders as he kissed her with slow satisfaction.

"I think we've got time to tie up a few loose ends," he whispered against her mouth.

Kalinda tried to take a firm grip on her new resolutions. "I agree," she said lightly and saw the pleased look on his face. "And I think an early-morning walk would be just the way to do it"

"A walk!"

"Ummm. A little exercise to get us revitalized for the new day."

"If it's exercise you're after, I have a better suggestion," he began determinedly, sliding his fingers up her throat and encircling the nape of her neck.

Kalinda resisted the temptation and the want in him with every atom of restraint she possessed. She had to start drawing the line. She had to ease out of this relationship before it became impossible to do so.

"Consider this little suggestion of mine as an order from your boss," she said, easing herself to a sitting position beside him.

He regarded her with a measure of fascination. "I'm not accustomed to taking orders," he finally pointed out.

"As you said yesterday, things have changed a bit in the business world since you opted out a year and a half ago!"

"Some things are basic. They never change." He reached for her.

"I'm serious, Rand," she said quietly, evading his arm. "I want to go for a walk. We... we need to talk."

He hesitated, as if testing the determination in her and then he shrugged eloquently. "Okay, boss, if that's really what you want"

They must have made a rather strange sight, Kalinda decided later as they walked briskly along the path of a nearby park. It was one of many such islands strung throughout the city. There were more than one hundred and fifty parks in Denver and Kalinda would have been willing to bet that few of them were being used at this hour of the morning by a couple dressed in business suits that had recently been slept in.

But it was invigorating. The beginning of a Colorado summer day shone down on them and to the west the mountains seemed to hold out the same promise they had for generations.

"Do you do this a lot?" Rand grinned wryly, clasping her hand as they walked.

"Of course not. I'd be afraid of getting mugged!"

"You think I can protect you?" he asked, slanting her an interested glance.

"If anyone dares menace us we'll just tell him who you are and use your reputation to scare him off!"

He winced. "That took you by surprise yesterday, didn't it?"

"Your reputation? Frankly, yes," Kalinda said simply, inhaling the morning air. "I'm told you really were the shark you joked about being that night at the party."

"Does that worry you?" he asked with surprising hesitation, not looking at her.

"Should it?"

"No. It's supposed to convince you I'm the sort of man you admire," he said softly.

"Which brings us to the subject I wanted to discuss," Kalinda said, amazed at the calm in her voice.

"I had a feeling it might," he sighed. "What's wrong, Kalinda?" His fingers tightened around hers, as if he were preparing for physical struggle.