"He's doing all right the way he is. He's here at Willow Glen and he's happy. Any risk of dying is too great, as far as I'm concerned."

"He's existing here, Carson! That's all he's doing. Dad would want to do this and you know it!"

Carson's jaw tightened. "I'm his conservator. The decision is mine and I'm not willing to risk his life."

A flush rose under the bones in Zach's cheeks. "This is the chance we've been waiting for ever since the accident. There's no way I'm going to let you deny him the right to live a normal life again."

Dr. Marvin stood up from his chair at the end of the table. "Gentlemen, please. It looks as if you're going to need some time to discuss this. I've got a patient I need to see. I'll be back in Los Angeles in the morning. Call me if you have any questions I can answer." The doctor walked out of the conference room and the door swished closed behind him.

Carson stared at Zach, both men still on their feet. "Like I said, the decision is mine and I won't be responsible for causing my father's death."

Zach's jaw clenched. "This is bulls.h.i.t, Carson. And if you think I'm going to sit by and do nothing, you're dead wrong. I realize you've gotten used to your position as head of Harcourt Farms. I've never contested your appointment as conservator and I've never interfered in any way in how you ran the farm, but this is Dad's life we're talking about. Dad deserves this chance and I'm going to see he gets it."

Carson planted his hands on the table and leaned toward Zach. "You do this and you'll wind up killing him." Carson gave Zach the coldest smile Elizabeth had ever seen. "Then again, maybe that's exactly what you want. With Dad out of the way, you'd inherit half of Harcourt Farms. You'd be able to sell your interest for a very sizeable fortune. According to the latest appraisal, the land and business are worth more than thirty-five million dollars. Maybe you're willing to kill in order to get your share."

Carson's expression went from cold to utterly chilling. "After all, you've done it before."

Zach started around the table toward his brother, his hand clenched into a fist. Elizabeth shot up from her chair and caught his arm.

"Let it go, Zach. Don't play his game. That's exactly what he wants you to do." She could feel Zach trembling, knew how hard he was fighting for control.

He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "This isn't over, Carson. Not by a long shot." Sliding an arm around her waist, he urged Elizabeth toward the door of the conference room, jerked it open, and guided her out into the hall.

As the door swished closed, she heard Carson curse.

"G.o.d, I wanted to hit him. If you hadn't been there " Zach shook his head. They were sitting in the living room of her apartment, two chilled gla.s.ses of white wine on the coffee table in front of them. Though Zach rarely drank, the occasion seemed to call for a little soothing of nerves.

"You're an attorney," Elizabeth said. "You'll find a way to help your father get the operation."

"You bet I will. I'm calling my partner. Carson will be served with papers by the end of the week. I'll sue for a change of conservator, either myself or someone appointed by the court who will approve the surgery."

"It won't be easy. Carson's a powerful man."

"So was my father. He's still got lots of friends in San Pico. Men in high places. If I'm lucky, some of them will feel the same way I do about Dad having this surgery. Maybe together we can pull this off."

But not everyone would agree with him, she knew. And Elizabeth was sure Carson would make Zach out to be the bad guy, the way he always had. A man willing to kill his own father to gain half interest in the multimillion dollar farming operation he had no control over now. She prayed Carson wouldn't be able to convince the town that Zach was the black sheep he had been as a youth. She hoped they wouldn't believe that a man like Zach, a man convicted of killing a man before, would do it again.

But Carson was a fierce opponent. Elizabeth worried that he might just succeed.

Twenty-Three.

Elizabeth went back to the office after the meeting while Zach made phone calls from her apartment, including one to his partner, Jon n.o.ble, in Westwood.

"I've got to tell him what's going on," he said, "get the wheels turning to put the lawsuit into motion." Zach was determined his father would get the surgery that could give him back his life.

By seven o'clock she was back in her apartment, work over for the day, at least for her. Though the sun still beat down relentlessly outside the window, Zach was full of restless energy, worried about his father, worried about Maria and her baby.

"Let's get out of here for a while," he suggested, "go get something to eat."

Elizabeth didn't really want to go out in the heat again but she could tell Zach needed a break. They decided on The Ranch House. If Gwen Petersen knew Elizabeth was seeing Zach, then Lisa Doyle had probably made sure the rest of the town knew, as well.

Still, Elizabeth didn't expect to run into the woman as they walked into the restaurant. Lisa was dressed in a tight-fitting red sundress so short it barely covered her very shapely behind, cut so low her bosom nearly exploded out the top.

With a smile fixed on her face, Lisa sauntered up to Zach in that s.e.xy way of hers that made men go a little crazy. She flipped a strand of her long sun-streaked blond hair over one bare shoulder.

"Well, if it isn't the lovebirds. I heard you two were an item."

"News in San Pico always travels fast," Zach said.

Lisa looked over at Elizabeth and gave her that same phony smile. "Interesting combination, you and Zach. But somehow I never thought of you as the bad-boy type."

"I was the married type until you came along. I thought I'd try something different for a change."

Lisa laughed, a throaty, provocative sound. She ran a long, manicured nail along Zach's cheek where a five-o'clock shadow was beginning to darken his jaw. "When you get bored, honey, give me a call. You know how to find me."

Zach caught her hand and eased it away. "Don't count on it, Lisa."

She just laughed, as if she knew he'd be back. As if, after all, she was a far better lover than Elizabeth ever would be and it was only a matter of time.

All of Gwen's warnings rushed back into her head. Elizabeth suddenly felt sick to her stomach.

"Have a good time," Lisa said, waving at Zach over her shoulder, rejoining the man she had come with.

Elizabeth glanced over at Zach, whose jaw still looked hard. "I'm sorry. All of a sudden, I'm not feeling very well. Probably the heat, but I'm just not hungry anymore."

Zach nodded. Resting a hand on her waist, he ushered her back out the door. They didn't speak on the ride back to her apartment. Zach said nothing as she walked into the kitchen and poured herself another gla.s.s of wine.

She took a long, calming sip, but it did nothing to soothe her nerves. Her heart was still pumping, her stomach tied in knots.

Zach came up behind her, settled his hands on her shoulders and gently turned her to face him. "I'm sorry that happened. I shouldn't have taken you there. I know The Ranch House is one of Lisa's favorite hangouts."

"It doesn't matter. It would have happened sooner or later." She stepped away from him, out from under his touch. She wished she were anywhere but standing in her apartment just a few feet away from Zach.

"What it is, Liz? I know something's wrong."

"I told you, it's probably just the heat."

"That's bulls.h.i.t. You're upset about running into Lisa, but it isn't just that. You've been acting strange since I got here last night. I could feel the ice field the minute I walked through the door."

Elizabeth shook her head, moving the shoulder-length dark auburn hair around her face. Something was definitely wrong and apparently Zach had noticed. She thought that he was a man who rarely missed much.

She took a sip of wine, hoping it would help clear her head. "I don't I don't know, Zach. Things just seem to be spiraling out of control. Too much is happening. I can't handle everything that's going on and try to deal with my personal life as well."

A muscle jumped in his cheek. "Life happens. We have to deal with it. Eventually, all of this will pa.s.s and things will return to normal."

She dragged a shaky hand through her hair, shoving it back from her face. "I don't know what normal is anymore. Especially not where you're concerned." She looked up at him, willing him to understand. "I never should have gotten involved with you, Zach. I can't handle this kind of relationship. It's just not my style."

His eyes seemed to darken. "What kind of relationship do we have, Liz? Tell me, because I really don't know."

"Purely physical. That's what we agreed on, isn't it?"

"Is it?"

"It has to be. You know it and so do I."

"So what are you trying to say? You think we should stop seeing each other?"

"I don't know. We're working together. We've made promises to Maria and Raul. And I desperately need your help."

Zach sighed. "Look, Liz, whatever happens between us, I'm not going to abandon youor Maria and her brother. Maybe we shouldn't have gotten involved, but we did. s.h.i.t happens."

He paced over to the window, looked out for a moment, then turned and walked back. "I need to get back to L.A. Now that this problem with my father has come up, there are things I need to do. I was planning to leave in the morning, but maybe it would be better if I left tonight. That would give us both a chance to think."

She nodded, but her throat felt tight.

"I'll be in touch with Ian Murphy, the investigator I hired. I'll call you if I hear from him or if anything new comes up."

"When will you be back?" she couldn't help asking, her insides trembling as she looked up at him. G.o.d, she was hurting already and he hadn't even left yet.

Zach reached out and gently touched her cheek. "I need time, too, Liz. If you want to know the truth, I'm just as confused as you are. I've never let myself get in this deep. I've never wanted to. Maybe if we take a little time, things will be clearer for both of us."

She nodded again, felt the sting of tears and prayed they wouldn't give her away.

Zach went into the bedroom and packed his things, then reappeared in the living room. "I'll call you," he said as he headed for the door, his leather overnight bag gripped in one dark hand. He reached for the k.n.o.b, but never touched it. Instead he dropped the bag, turned and walked back to where she stood in front of the sofa. Framing her face between his hands, he bent and very gently kissed her.

"I'll be back," he said. "I'm not letting you give up on us so easily."

And then he was gone. Elizabeth sat down on the sofa and took another drink of wine. Maybe if she got good and drunk, she could forget about Zachary Harcourt. Maybe she could think clearly again, as she hadn't been able to do since she first met him.

But she didn't really think all the liquor in San Pico would do her any good. Not when her heart was hurting so badly.

Not when she had been stupid enough to let herself fall in love with him.

The Westwood offices of n.o.ble, Goldman and Harcourt were hopping. The elaborate conference room with its long mahogany table and dozen high-backed chairs echoed with the sound of rustling papers and the low-pitched conversation of attorneys who represented Themoziamine. Half a dozen staff lawyers were prepared to meet with lawyers for the opposition.

In the expensively decorated reception room out front, the firm's usual clients waited on overstuffed sofas reading magazines like Time, Newsweek and Architectural Digest. Business was booming. So much so, the partners were thinking about opening a branch in San Francisco. Jon n.o.ble wanted Zach to run it, since he didn't have a family to move.

He had half made up his mind to do it. He loved the Bay Area and it would be a great place for his newly purchased sailboat. Maybe by Christmas he'd be ready to tackle the project.

At the moment, Zach just wished he were back in San Pico.

He blew out a breath. Irritated that his thoughts had strayed to Elizabeth again, he concentrated instead on the lawsuit he was preparing against his brother.

By the morning of the following day, the doc.u.ments had been prepared and delivered to an attorney in Mason who had been hired to go over to the county courthouse and file them. A local process server had delivered the papers to Carson, who apparently swore a string of blue oaths at the young woman who brought them to his door.

Things were rolling. He was up to his neck in the business of being a lawyer, just the way he liked it. Last night he'd worked late into the evening, burying himself in work, then got up before sunrise and started all over again. He was determined not to think of Liz and how much he missed her, determined to keep his mind on business.

It was almost closing time Friday afternoon that he got a call on his cell from Raul.

"Se"or Harcourt Zach? I am sorry to bother you. I know how busy you are."

Zach's senses went on alert. "It's all right, Raul. It's good to hear from you."

Raul took a deep breath. Zach could hear the whisper of desperation as he released it into the phone. "It is my sister," he said simply and Zach body tensed.

According to the teen, last night Raul received permission for a few hours leave from the farm and got an evening pa.s.s to have dinner with his sister and her husband.

Unfortunately, he and Miguel had gotten into a fight.

"One minute we were talking, the next we were yelling, calling each other names."

"Take it easy, Raul. Back up a little and tell me what happened."

"I do not know exactly. When I saw my sister, she looked like she was sick or something. Dark circles under her eyes her face puffy and pale. I told Miguel I was worried about her. I asked if she had been sleeping all right, if she and the baby were okay. Miguel got angry like I was blaming him or something. Then I asked him about the ghost. I should have kept quiet. I knew he didn't really believe there was a ghost."

"Tell me the rest."

"Miguel started shouting at Maria. I thought he was going to hit her. I shoved him away from her and that is how the fight got started."

"Are you okay?"

"Si. It didn't last long. Miguel stormed out of the house, and a little while later, Maria drove me back to the farm."

"What did she say?"

"She is worried about Miguel. She says he is angry all the time. He yells at her for nothing. He stays out drinking and doesn't come home until late. It is not like him. He has never been this way before."

"Did you talk to her about the ghost?"

"Yes. She has been taking sleeping pills. Too many, I think. I tried to get her to move out of the housejust until the baby comesbut she will not leave Miguel."

Zach raked a hand through his hair. "I'll call LizMs. Conners. I'll ask her to speak to Maria, make another try at convincing her to leave."

"Thank you, Zach."

"I'm glad you called, Raul. From what Sam Marston says, you're doing great in your studies. You're a hard worker and you never complain. And you're great with the other kids. He's proud of you and so am I."

"What about my sister?"

Zach's hand tightened around the phone. "If Ms. Conners can't convince Maria to leave, I'll come back up and talk to Miguel."