Shadows in the Limelight Read online

  Quickly Catherine shook her head, edging away from him. ‘How did your trip go?’ she asked, swiftly changing the subject.

  He shrugged noncommittally and once again Catherine saw how tired he looked. ‘It was interesting, but I’m glad to be back. I would have called you while I was away, but there never seemed to be an opportunity.’

  ‘Did you get all your business taken care of?’

  He sighed rubbing the side of his face in a weary gesture. ‘It wasn’t a business trip.’

  ‘Oh.’ So he had been away on holiday. Catherine didn’t know why that should annoy her, but it did. Here she had been, feeling sorry for him because he looked so tired! If he was tired it was probably from too much wine, women and song.

  As if reading her thoughts, an amused light entered Kent’s eyes. ‘Think I’ve been living it up in some tropical paradise?’ he teased. ‘I haven’t, I went to China.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘China.’ He grinned as she eyed him with disbelief. ‘I’ve been touring China with a group of businessmen for the last two weeks. I didn’t mention it before because I had originally decided not to go. I didn’t think I could fit it into my schedule, but I changed my mind. There was still a space available on the tour, so I went.’

  He averted his eyes momentarily, wondering what her reaction would be if he told her what had changed his mind. Their last evening together, when she had cried in his arms, had been a turning point for him. She had awakened something in him he hadn’t thought he possessed. For the first time in his life he felt protective towards a woman. The trip had been a last-ditch attempt to convince himself that he could forget her, that his feelings were momentary. But even with the Pacific Ocean between them and the wonders of an ancient culture to distract him, she had filled his thoughts. When he looked back he saw the face that had haunted him all the time he had been away.

  Moving to her, he lowered his head to brush her lips with his, then said, ‘I missed you, Cat, and now I’ve got to go away again. I stopped in to let you know I have to leave for my parents’ house in Victoria this afternoon. I’m spending the holidays with them, so I brought you your Christmas present today. I left it out front.’

  Catherine lowered her lashes so that he couldn’t read her reaction to his going away again in her eyes. Training her lips into an unconcerned smile, she stepped away from him and in a determinedly cheerful voice said, ‘I’m afraid your gift isn’t here. I left it at my apartment.’ She didn’t know why she had even found him something, because she had been sure he had dropped out of her life. Nonetheless, she had taken a pair of cufflinks that had been Casey’s from her safety deposit box and wrapped them to give to him just in case. They were made of gold and set with sapphires, and she wasn’t sure why she wanted him to have them. She had never given any of Casey’s jewellery away and even when she had sold some of her own pieces to raise enough capital to start her florist’s, she had kept all of her brother’s jewellery.

  ‘Don’t worry about it. You can give it to me when I get back.’

  ‘Of course.’ Catherine turned away from him, idly rearranging the florist supplies she had placed in a carton.

  ‘What was it you wanted from the shelf when I came in?’ he asked, coming up behind her. ‘I’ll get it down for you before I leave.'

  ‘That’s OK,’ she declined. ‘Jerry, my delivery boy, will help me.’ She felt curiously flat and had an overwhelming desire to be alone.

  ‘I don’t mind,’ Kent insisted, stepping on to the stepladder. ‘Just tell me what you want.’

  It seemed futile to argue, so she said, ‘That blue box at the back.’

  He reached it easily and handed it to her, watching while she placed it in the carton with her other supplies. ‘You’re taking those home with you?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes.’ She nodded. ‘I’ve got a lot of orders for New Year parties and I’m going to get started on them over the break.’

  His eyes narrowed. ‘I assumed you would be going away for the holidays.’

  ‘Well...’ Catherine said awkwardly. Months ago, she and Nancy had tentatively planned to go skiing over the break, but that idea had ended with their friendship. On the other hand, she didn’t want Kent to know that she was at a loose end, so she finally prevaricated. There isn’t really time to go away. I’m only closing for three days.’

  ‘Where are you spending Christmas Day?’ Catherine hesitated, not quite knowing what to say.

  ‘Cat, you haven’t any plans,’ Kent stated suddenly, obviously reading her hesitation correctly. ‘Since that’s the case, you can come to Victoria.’ The thought of spending the holidays with her made his blood sing.

  ‘Come to Victoria?’ Catherine echoed.

  ‘I think you would enjoy it.’

  ‘Oh.’ Now he was feeling sorry for her. She frowned at the idea. ‘Well, thank you for the invitation, but I don’t think so.’

  ‘Why not? You haven’t any other plans, have you?’

  ‘Actually, I have.’ She didn’t look at him. She was telling the truth, wasn’t she? ‘I have a lot of work to catch up on over the holidays.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Catherine. Even Scrooge took Christmas Day off,’ he said impatiently.

  ‘Oh, Kent!’ She turned to look at him, disgusted with herself for finding the invitation appealing. She didn’t want his pity. But she couldn’t bring herself to refuse his invitation straight out, and finally hedged, ‘Maybe if you had asked me earlier I would have considered it, but not at such short notice. I can’t just land on your family for Christmas. I’m an outsider, I wouldn’t be comfortable.’

  ‘Please, Cat. It’s time you met my family,’ he argued.

  ‘I don’t think so,’ she protested, though she felt her resolve weakening. ‘I haven’t anything to take for them and it’s too late to go Christmas shopping now.’

  ‘They won’t expect you to come laden with presents, Cat. They’ll understand that you haven’t had any notice.’ He smiled at her, coaxing. ‘Please, Cat. If you don’t come, it will spoil my Christmas.’

  ‘Don’t be silly,’ Catherine snapped. ‘Why should you care how I choose to spend the holiday?’

  He reached up and touched the faint blue smudge under her eye, frowning suddenly. ‘I’ll worry about you if I know you’re here on your own,’ he admitted softly. ‘You look tired, Cat. You should have more help in the shop. I bet you haven’t taken a day off for weeks.’

  She wrenched away from his touch, putting her back to him. Damn him, she didn’t need his pity. ‘Look, you don’t have to feel sorry for me,’ she said in a strained voice. ‘I never have put much emphasis on Christmas. I want to spend the day in my own fashion.’

  ‘I’m not leaving you here alone,’ he said stubbornly, his mouth set with determination. ‘I know you, your idea of spending the day in your own fashion would be to keep on working.’

  ‘Don’t try to bully me, Kent. It’s nothing to you what I do. Can’t you just leave me alone?’

  ‘No, Cat, I can’t!’ he shot back, suddenly losing his temper. ‘Now, you’re coming with me to Victoria whether you want to or not.’

  ‘I am not!’ she retorted, glaring at him.

  His eyes clashed with hers, then suddenly his softened. ‘Did you know your eyes shoot out little gold sparks when you’re angry?’ He laughed, his expression suddenly indulgent. ‘That was one of the first things I noticed about you.’ Ignoring her defiant stance, he gently pulled her into his arms and held her firmly when she would have struggled free. His eyes warmed to a soft blue as he held her gaze. ‘It’s almost Christmas, let’s not fight any more. Can’t we call a truce for a few days?’ He kissed her lightly, holding her closely to him. ‘Please, Cat, let’s be friends,’ he whispered against her hair.

  She felt herself weaken. It would be a lonely Christmas if she refused to go with him. And she really did want to spend the time with him. ‘OK, Kent, I’ll come with you,’ she gave in grudgingly.

 
CHAPTER SIX

  SEVERAL hours later, Catherine was leafing through a magazine while Kent read the evening papers. She wasn’t quite sure how he had managed to override all her objections, so that now she found herself on the B.C. ferry heading out of Tsawwassen. She had agreed to spend Christmas Day with him, yet somehow he had manoeuvred her into spending several days with him and his parents. Paula had been left in charge of the shop and would prepare any last-minute orders, Jerry would serve in the front of the shop, and Paula’s husband, who had been laid off from his regular job, had been pressed into service as the delivery man. So much for considering herself indispensable!

  It was after nine that evening when they reached his parents’ house just outside Victoria. The senior Latimers’ home was located on the water in an exclusive area of the Saanich Peninsula. Kent had described the house to her before they had left Vancouver, explaining that his parents had had it custom-built for them only a few years ago. However, when he pulled the car into the drive, it was not the ultra-modern cedar and glass edifice that caught her attention, but the numerous cars parked in front of it.

  She felt her spirits wavering as she turned to look at Kent in the silence after he had switched off the motor. He seemed totally unsurprised to find the driveway lined with cars, the house blazing with lights. ‘Are your parents entertaining?’ she asked quietly, telling herself that she shouldn’t jump to conclusions.

  ‘I thought I mentioned that they would probably have a houseful. They do a lot of entertaining around Christmas,’ he returned matter-of-factly, removing the keys from the ignition and getting out of the car. As he walked round the car to help her out, Catherine felt a sense of bitterness and deep disappointment wash over her. She should have realised that Kent’s invitation was far from altruistic. He couldn’t care less how she spent her Christmas: he had only asked her to accompany him so he would have an opportunity to display Cat Devlin.

  Kent opened the passenger door and reached out to help her from the car. Although she had attempted to school her expression, he frowned when he saw her face in the car light. ‘Is something wrong, Cat?’ he asked as she stepped from the car, ignoring his extended hand.

  ‘Of course not,’ Catherine snapped, ‘although didn’t you say even Scrooge took Christmas off?’

  He muttered something under his breath. ‘Being around you is like working in a dynamite factory! I never know what’s going to set you off. Would you mind explaining what that remark was supposed to mean?’ He gripped her arm, forcing her to remain with him.

  ‘You could at least have been honest.’ Her voice wavered as she tried to pull away from him. ‘If you wanted me to be Cat Devlin for you, you should have said so, instead of feeding me all that nonsense about not wanting me to spend Christmas alone.’

  ‘It wasn’t nonsense, Cat,’ Kent insisted, holding her firmly in an embrace. ‘I was worried about you. You don’t take care of yourself like you should. I thought bringing you with me—the break—would do you good ... get rid of some of those shadows under your eyes. I had no idea that you’d be upset just because my parents are having a party.’ She turned her head, not wanting him to see the tears of hurt that had filmed her eyes. ‘Cat, you don’t have to go to the party. We’ll just say hello to my parents and then you can go to your room. I’m not expecting anything from you other than that you relax and enjoy yourself over the next few days.’

  Catherine remained silent, wanting desperately to believe him. She didn’t resist as he pulled her gently against his chest, his hand stroking her back in a soothing gesture. ‘Don’t be upset, honey,’ he said softly. ‘I want you to have a happy Christmas.’ Comforted by the arms around her, she gradually relaxed. Feeling the tension drain out of her, Kent held her slightly away from him and looked down at her. ‘Feel better?’

  She nodded, managing a faint smile. He returned it, then dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead. ‘Let’s go inside.’ With his arm still firmly around her waist he led her towards the front door. As they mounted the steps it was flung open and a small, silver-haired woman came out to greet them.

  ‘So you finally got here! We thought you would take an earlier ferry.’ Although she had addressed Kent, her eyes were studying Catherine with undisguised curiosity. Catherine flushed slightly under her scrutiny, thankful she had taken the time to renew her make-up and comb her hair before they had left the ferry. Her beige trouser suit was still relatively fresh, though she was uncomfortably aware that it was painfully casual compared with the elegant hostess gown the other woman wore. Nonetheless, the woman smiled at her approvingly and said, ‘You must be Cat Devlin. I’m Kent’s mother, Jean Latimer, but please, call me Jean—then I can call you Cat.’ She held out her hand and shook Catherine’s hand enthusiastically, then drew them inside with her.

  ‘Ever since Kent called to say he was bringing you with him I’ve been dying to meet you,’ she said, helping Catherine remove her coat. ‘I’ve heard so much about you.’ She spoke rapidly, raising her voice slightly to be heard over the party noises drifting into the hall from the rear of the house. ‘Kent, you bring in the luggage, while I take Cat in to introduce her to our guests. They’ve been just as anxious to meet her as I have.’

  Catherine shot Kent a pleading look as his mother started away still chattering like a chipmunk. ‘Mother!’ Kent interrupted her in a stern voice, and Mrs. Latimer swung around to face her son. ‘We’re not going to the party.’

  ‘What do you mean? Certainly you’ll come to the party. Everyone is expecting you.’ Her expression was plainly dismayed as she looked from Kent to Catherine.

  ‘Kent?’ Catherine said uncertainly.

  He came over to her and put his arm possessively around her waist. ‘Mother, Cat’s tired. I’m going to take her to her room. Where have you put her?’

  At the firmness of his tone, Mrs. Latimer looked deflated, making Catherine feel even worse than if she had continued to argue. Though there was little resemblance between mother and son, they shared the same startling blue eyes and the expression in Mrs. Latimer’s was now clearly disappointed.

  After a moment, however, she smiled warmly at Catherine. ‘Forgive me, Cat. Of course you’re tired. I’ve put you in the room next to Kent’s and can show it to you while Kent brings in your cases.’

  The bedroom Mrs. Latimer took her to was on the second floor, overlooking the water. It was comfortable and spacious, decorated in an attractive shade of pale blue with darker blue accents. White French provincial furniture and Austrian brocade curtains gave a pleasantly feminine note to the room.

  While pointing out the bathroom down the hall and showing Catherine where she could find extra blankets if she needed them, Mrs. Latimer couldn’t have been friendlier—or made Catherine feel guiltier. Jean Latimer was genuinely disappointed that she wasn’t going to be able to introduce Catherine to her friends. More to the point, though, Catherine had the distinct impression it was not Cat Devlin she wanted to introduce, but her son’s friend she wanted her guests to meet. Jean Latimer was clearly a devoted mother and Catherine felt she would have probably welcomed Lucrezia Borgia with open arms, if she thought Kent was friends with the woman.

  When Mrs. Latimer had assured herself that Catherine was comfortably settled and was preparing to leave, Catherine’s conscience finally got the better of her. Smiling at her hostess, she agreed to put in an appearance at the party after she had had a chance to change into something more suitable. Delighted, the older woman left her to return to her guests.

  Kent arrived with her suitcases a few minutes later and Catherine quickly opened the door in response to his knock, mentally reviewing the clothes she had brought with her. If Mrs. Latimer’s gown had been any indication, she would definitely be out of place if she went downstairs in the trouser suit she was wearing. Perhaps one of the evening dresses she had brought with her would have survived the indignity of being folded into a suitcase without becoming too wrinkled.

  Kent deposited her case
s on the chest at the end of the bed. ‘I’m sorry about my mother, Cat. I guess I should have warned you.’ He came to stand behind her, his hands coming up to massage the muscles of her neck. ‘Don’t worry about her, I’ll go down and have a talk with her. You go ahead and get ready for bed.’

  His fingers were soothing as he kneaded the tension from her shoulders, sending a gentle wave of languor flowing through her. She knew she should tell him that she had already agreed to attend his mother’s party, but for a moment she only wanted to bask in his gentle concern. Kent could be so nice when he wanted to, thought Catherine, resisting the urge to lean back against him.

  As her blood quickened under the fingers caressing the back of her neck, she wondered how she could have been so foolish as to think she could keep their relationship on a platonic level. Reacting against her mother’s lifestyle, Catherine had developed a decidedly old-fashioned attitude towards the physical relationship between men and women. Until she met Kent, she had never imagined that she would be tempted to ignore her scruples under the influence of desire. She hadn’t realised the powerful need a man could awaken in a woman who loved him.

  When Kent pushed aside the fall of hair that covered her nape and his lips brushed against the sensitive flesh he had exposed, a frisson of pleasure rippled down her spine. His arms slipped around her, pulling her back against him until she could feel the hard muscles of his thighs. His mouth journeyed along the tender curve of her neck and his hands moved upward to stroke her breasts gently through her silk shirt.

  A shudder passed through her as desire rippled along her nerve ends and her breathing became harsh and uneven. Kent slipped his hand inside her blouse, delighting her as he touched her soft flesh; helpless to control her reaction, she relaxed against him. His fingers were cool against her heated skin as he stroked the nipple erect, kneading the fullness with his palms.