When Megan Smiles

She looked ahead and saw a sign. The right road. She took the off-ramp onto a narrow, two-lane highway and turned the only way she could, south. As she drove around a curve, she sighed with relief when she saw the glow of lights ahead on the right, at the same moment she noticed a sign by the side of the road: Charity Ball, with an arrow pointing straight ahead.

She followed it, and pulled into an expansive entry space paved with cobble stones and faced by massive wrought-iron gates framed by stone pillars. She stopped by another sign: Check In Here. But she didn’t see anything except a security keypad. She hadn’t been given a code of any type. She looked through the gates and saw the glow from the main house. Even from this distance she could see a lot of activity going on.

She reached for her purse to get out the embossed invitation Mr. Lawrence had sent over for her, figuring there might have been a code on it she’d missed when she’d read it earlier. She skimmed the card, but didn’t see anything that resembled a code. All it said was: “Valet service at the ballroom entrance.”

She pushed it back in the envelope, rolled down her window and heard the faint sounds of music and voices drifting on the evening air. She looked at the security pad and spotted a phone by the keys. She was reaching for it when a deep male voice startled her.

“Good evening.” She turned to see a security guard on the other side of the gates, a tall man in the shadows, moving toward the left pillar. “I’ll be right there,” he said, then disappeared, only to reappear out of a gate set into the fence on the other side of the pillar.

He came toward her, backlit by the lanterns that framed the entry. “Am I glad to see you,” she said as he got within a few feet of the car. She could see now that he was carrying a clipboard in one hand, and there were a gun and two-way radio at his waist.

“Sorry for the wait.”

She had to crook her neck a bit to look up at him. He was probably over six feet, lean, in a tailored uniform, but between the night shadows and his uniform cap, his face was almost indistinguishable. “I just need to get in to the ball.”

He came close enough to touch the frame of her window with one hand, and leaned nearer. “Okay, no problem,” he said as she noticed how strong his hand looked, tanned, with square, short nails and a simple gold wedding band on the ring finger. “What’s the name?”

“Megan Gallagher.”

He pulled back and scanned the clipboard. “Sorry, ma’am, but you’re not on my list.”

“Look again. It’s Gallagher,” she said, then spelled it out for him very slowly.

“There are two Gallaghers on here and you’re not one of them. In fact, they’ve already left.”

She knew the two Gallaghers—her brother, Quint, who’d been doing work for LynTech for a while, and Amy. Megan had thought they were in New York, but they must have come back for the ball. “Look again,” she said, feeling a bit irritated that someone had forgotten to put her name on the list, and that she was now at the mercy of this guard. It was almost nine and she was going to be late.

She wasn’t aware she’d said anything else out loud, but he stated, “If you’re not on the list, you’re not,” as he hunkered down by the door. “Sorry.”

The dim glow from the inside lights of the car touched his face, and she saw she was being assessed by dark, dark eyes under a slash of equally dark eyebrows. His clean-shaven face looked almost ethnic, with high cheekbones, deeply tanned skin and a strong jaw. And it fell just short of being handsome. No, it was more disturbing than handsome, and she didn’t know why. “I need to get inside,” she said with more bluntness than she’d intended.

“Not without your name being on this list.”

“Oh, just let me in,” she said.

“Sorry, I have strict orders not to let anyone in without being on the list.”

He was like a broken record. Then she had an idea. She grabbed the invitation off the seat by her purse and turned to where he still crouched by her door. She thrust the printed card at him. “Here, this proves I’m supposed to be in there.”

He took it from her and read it, while she frantically looked at the clock again and realized she was now officially late for her meeting. Then he held it back out to her. “Your name’s not on this,” he said. “You could have picked it up out of the trash.”

That was it; she’d had enough. She opened the door, not caring if she hit him in the process, and climbed out. Her first realization when she faced him was that he was big. The security guard was over six feet tall, with broad shoulders well defined by the tight, tailored uniform. And he was annoyed. It was obvious by his stance and by the way his right hand clenched at his side. He let the invitation fall to the ground between them, then he crossed his arms on his chest, a power pose if ever she saw one. At least he didn’t pull his gun.

“What’s your name?” she asked, lifting her chin slightly and fighting the urge to cross her arms the way he had.

“Rafe Diaz,” he said, then slowly spelled it out, letter by letter, as she had done with her name earlier. Then he asked, “Is this a standoff?”

“No, it’s a problem,” she said.

“I agree,” he murmured without any sign of hesitation. “It’s your problem.”

“No, it’s yours. You’re being paid to let in guests, to be polite and make life simpler for the people going through these gates tonight, and because of you, I’m late for my date.”

“Late for your date,” he echoed, then quite deliberately let his gaze slide over her.

Her stomach clenched at the action, but she stood very still until he was finished and looked her in the eye again. “Yes, late, and it’s your fault.”

“I don’t think laying blame is the best idea, so why don’t we get past that and you tell me what you think I should do to be polite and make life simpler for you…without losing my job in the process?”

He was so composed that it only made her more annoyed. She frowned at him. “Call someone,” she said. “That won’t jeopardize your job, will it?”

“I don’t know until you tell me who to call.”

Damn him. She crossed her arms on her breasts and kept her gaze level with his. “Your boss.”

He shook his head. “Not on a Saturday night. Not a good idea. That would jeopardize my job. Give me another person to call.”

She was tall, probably five feet ten inches without the flimsy silver heels she was wearing, and she kept her gaze locked with his as she nibbled on her full bottom lip. Damn, she was gorgeous in that shimmery dress, which did nothing to minimize her high breasts and the flare of her hips. Or legs that looked as if they could go on forever. Drop-dead gorgeous, and a royal pain. Whoever had given her the huge diamond flashing on her finger would have his hands full.

“Wayne Lawrence,” she said suddenly. “Call him. He’s the one I’m meeting inside.” She cocked her head to one side, and even in the dim light, he could see the way she arched one finely defined eyebrow. “And don’t tell me he’s not on your list.”

Rafe had never liked women like this, women who felt as if they were entitled to have everyone bow and scrape before them. And he’d had enough of being ordered around by her. He’d make the call and get her out of here, one way or the other. “Okay,” he said, and moved to the call box on the security pad. As he picked up the house phone, he thought he heard her sigh. A soft sound, not one of anger or exasperation, but one that meant she was tired or worried. It touched something in him, and he didn’t want that at all.

He didn’t turn, but grasped the phone and pushed in the number they’d given him for contact with security in the house. He identified himself and said, “Find Wayne Lawrence and ask him to confirm a Megan Gallagher as his guest.”

“Where is he?” the voice on the other end asked.

“How would I know where he is?” Rafe practically snapped.

He felt a touch on his arm at the same time he heard Megan say, “He’s waiting on the lower terrace by the ballroom.”

He looked down at her, at her hand on his sleeve— the hand with the huge diamond on it—then at her. She drew back, breaking the contact quickly. “That’s where he is?”

He saw her put her hand behind her back. “That’s where he said we should meet,” she murmured.

He gave the information to the man on the other end, then waited while he found Wayne Lawrence. Rafe was more than aware that Megan was still close to him, her delicate flowery scent touching the evening air. He knew it was her scent without even checking, but it didn’t match her. The aroma was soft and very feminine, and she was definitely not soft. Feminine? Hell, yes, she was that in spades.

“Yeah, she’s confirmed as his guest,” the other guard said as he came back on the line. “He wants her let in and escorted to the lower terrace right away. So bring her on up.”

“But I’m on the gate.”

“Brad’s coming down. He’ll be there any minute. You come on back here with Miss Gallagher as soon as Brad gets there.” Brad, another guard, had accepted Rafe as a co-worker with no idea who he really was. Only Zane knew Rafe’s true identity and that he was using a fake last name.

Rafe put the phone back in its nook, then turned to Megan and finally put two and two together. Wayne Lawrence and Megan Gallagher? He didn’t like the way that added up at all. He’d seen the photos of Mr. Lawrence. The man was sixty, maybe five-eight or so, almost bald, with a rumpled look about him. But he was high up in LynTech, a mover and a shaker. And you never knew about women. Maybe the power or the money or both were an aphrodisiac. But the idea of Megan Gallagher with this man brought a bitter taste to Rafe’s mouth.

He turned to Megan, who had backed up a few paces while he’d been talking, a slender figure in the darkness. He tried not to notice any more about her, especially not the way the ring sparkled on the hand that held the forgotten invitation, which she’d picked up. “Well?” she asked.

“Wayne Lawrence is waiting,” he murmured.

“So, you’re going to open the gate for me?”

“Sure,” he said. “And that’s not all.”

She hesitated before asking, “What does that mean?”

“You’ve got an armed escort.”

“I what?” He could see her eyes widen. He wondered what color they were, and if it was just the night that made her lashes look so long and lush.

“He requested that you be escorted up to the house and taken to him on the lower terrace.”

“No thanks, I can find it,” she said quickly. Too quickly.

“I wouldn’t bet on that. That house up there is the size of a small country.”

“I’ll take my chances,” she said, then got back in her car. “Now, if you could just open the gates?”

She was making her escape, and he was inclined to let her go and find her way on her own. And he probably would have, but Brad McMillan, his replacement, came through the side gate right then. “Hey, Rafe, you can get going now.”

“Okay,” he said, then pushed the code for the main gates and went around in front of her car to get in on the passenger side. If she took off, she’d have to run him down to do it. Thankfully, she waited until he opened the door, and she even reached out and picked up her purse and cell phone to clear the seat for him. She dropped them on the center console along with the invitation before she put the car in gear.

“You all get going,” Brad said through the open window. “Mr. Lawrence is really anxious for her to get up there.”

“You didn’t have to come with me,” she said, as they eased through the open gates.

“I told you, I don’t want to lose my job, and those were the orders—to deliver you up to Mr. Lawrence.” She darted him an angry glance, and he said quickly, “Sorry, bad choice of words.”

“Sure you’re sorry,” she muttered, and even though she was angry now, it didn’t stop his body tensing when he noticed the way her dress was riding up her thigh. This had been a mistake. But he was in it now and he’d get out as soon as he could.

“I really am sorry,” he said.

“You’re just sorry that I really do have a right to be going to the ball.”

“Well, you’re no Cinderella,” he said.

She cast him a quick look. “I’m not wearing glass slippers, true,” she said before she turned back to the driveway ahead of them.

“Can I make a suggestion?” he asked.

“Could I stop you?”

“No, you couldn’t. I was just going to say that the jewelry doesn’t work with that dress.”

Very casually, she took her left hand off the wheel and rested it on her thigh, effectively hiding the ring from him. “What about my jewelry?”

“That earpiece just doesn’t do anything for you.”

She reached for the device connected to her cell phone and tugged it free, then dropped it on the console with her other things. “I forgot,” she said. “I got distracted.”

He found himself smiling. He was distracted, too, by a woman who was thoroughly stuck-up and bossy. The thing was, he was enjoying it. He hadn’t sparred verbally with a woman for a very long time, and he realized that he’d missed it. Even if she was annoying and what his mother used to call “uppity.” And even if he’d never see her again. Not that he wanted to. But this was a nice distraction for a few minutes.

They were almost up the driveway now, and he pointed ahead to the portico just outside the ballroom entrance. “Pull in there and the valet can park your chariot for you.”

Rafe was shocked when she actually laughed, a soft, sultry sound that seemed to fill the space around him as she pulled up to the nearest valet. That was when he looked at her, and he saw her smiling at him. A simple smile, yet it triggered so many things deep inside him that he found it hard to breathe. “Let me guess. Chariot parking is not part of your job description?”

And responding to this woman on such a basic level wasn’t something he wanted to do. “No,” he said, and the second the car stopped, he got out.

The air was filled with laughter and music and the scent of good cigars, but all he was aware of was Megan coming around the car when the valet let her out, and Megan standing in front of him with her purse clutched to her middle, the shadow of that smile still on her lips. And the gleaming ring on her finger. He looked away out of self-preservation, saw her car being driven off for parking, then said, “Follow me,” without looking at her again. “I’ll take you to Wayne Lawrence. That is in my job description,” he said, and started off without looking to see if she was following.

Actually, he didn’t have to look to know she was there. He could sense her, and he kept going, through the service area, around the side of the mansion, toward the back terraces. They walked along a pathway that cut across grass and through low shrubbery, and as they turned at the back corner of the house, she brushed against him. Rafe moved quickly ahead of her onto the flagstone terrace.

The party had spilled out onto the back lawns, under the draped fairy lights, and with the French doors of the ballroom, the music seemed to be everywhere, mingled with laughter. He stopped at the edge of the terrace, scanning the groups of guests to try and spot Wayne Lawrence. Sensing Megan right beside him, Rafe turned and saw her features softly illuminated in the glow of the lights. Blue. Her eyes were a clear blue, and that damn ring was winking at him. “I can take it from here,” she said. “Thanks for the escort.”

“Sorry for the trouble at the gate.”

“You were doing your job,” was all she said, as loud laughter from the far side of the terrace drew her attention. A group of people stood there—all men, all drinking, he noted—and that was when he spotted Mr. Lawrence. Rafe had only seen him in the picture Zane had provided, but recognized the man immediately. He looked every day of his sixty years, balding as he was, and even though the picture had been head and shoulders, Rafe had guessed right about him being out of shape despite the very expensive tux he was wearing.

“Well, there he is,” he said to Megan, motioning to Mr. Lawrence. “You found him on the lower terrace.”

“Yes, I did,” she murmured.

Right then, another security guard came jogging from the upper terrace, skirting the guests by staying on the lawn. Seeing Rafe, he hurried over and said in a low voice, “A 215 at the Service.”

That was their code for a troublesome drunk—a way of communicating what was going on without the guests knowing. Rafe had started that practice when he’d actually worked the events, the way he was doing tonight. “The Service” meant the problem was at the delivery area.

He nodded to the guard. “I’ll be right there,” he said, and the other man took off while he turned back to say goodbye to Megan.

But she was gone. He looked across the terrace and saw her approaching Mr. Lawrence with her hand out. A big smile was on his face.

There was no backward glance, no hesitation on her part. Rafe was forgotten, a security guard who had bugged her, then escorted her to her date. And that was okay. He didn’t plan on remembering too much of what happened tonight, either. He headed toward the front of the house in a jog to help take care of the drunk.

Chapter Two

Monday

Megan was in her office, one of the dozen or so cubicles just off the main hallway, and right next to the rest rooms for the entire floor. Little more than three partial walls with no door, it was stocked with the usual office equipment, along with a stack of work that had been sent to her that morning. The only good thing about her work area was the window, even if it did look out onto the roof of the building next door.

Not that she had much time to look out the window. She’d been busy since she’d arrived, and was still facing two or three hours of work she’d have to take back to the hotel with her when she left.

“That was certainly a lovely party.”

Megan looked up to find her boss in the doorless entry. The receptionist, Ellen, who sat at a desk directly across from the elevators, had told Megan earlier that Mr. Lawrence liked to keep an eye on “his people.” She’d made a joke about him wearing a bell around his neck so staff would be warned when he was closing in. Megan had thought she’d been kidding, but now she knew the woman had been serious. Megan hadn’t heard the man approach.

“Oh, sir,” she said, pushing back the file she was reading, the details of the day care center incorporation to separate it from LynTech. “I didn’t hear you come in.” She brushed at her hair, which she’d caught in a low knot that morning, and tugged a bit nervously at the cuffs of the simple white shirt she was wearing with beige linen slacks.

“I’m sorry,” he said as he came into the cubicle. But he didn’t sound any sorrier for his actions than Rafe had Saturday night. Now why had she thought of the security guard? “I just wanted to make sure everything was going well for you, and to say it was a pleasure meeting you at the ball.”

“Oh, thank you so much.” She’d left the event as soon as she could, but not before Mr. Lawrence had pulled her from group to group, introducing her to so many people she couldn’t remember any of them. All she really remembered was a glimpse of Rafael Diaz going past the French doors just as Mr. Lawrence had taken her hand to tug her over to yet another group of guests. She’d seen a flash of a frown on the guard’s face, then he’d disappeared for the rest of the evening. “The ball was wonderful.”

Mr. Lawrence, dapper in a solid navy suit, matching tie and gray shirt, came to the front of her desk. “I was very glad you finally showed up.” He hadn’t been annoyed by her tardiness, but seemed to appreciate the guard being so careful with her entry to the ball. “Better safe than sorry,” he murmured soberly.

“Absolutely,” she said, not sure if she should stand or not.

He took that decision out of her hands when he motioned for her to stay sitting, then said, “I just came in to say that we’re glad you’re here, and this month should prove illuminating for everyone.” He tapped at his wristwatch with his forefinger. “It’s seven, and you’re the last one still here. I appreciate dedication, and it will go in your file.”

Was that why he’d come by? Because he’d noticed her light on when the other cubicles were dark? She pressed a hand to the papers in front of her. “I wanted to finish up the first part of the file you gave me before I left.”

“I was hoping I’d catch you and save you a trip to the hotel to get your things.”

She didn’t understand. “Is there a problem?”

“Oh, no. I just wanted to let you know that your belongings from the hotel were moved to the loft this afternoon, to save you the trouble. They should be there when you arrive.”

He’d called her to his office earlier and informed her that she was moving out of the hotel to a loft the company used. He’d explained it was wired directly to the offices, and to the legal department in particular. The rationale for the move was so she could access the database of both the day care center and LynTech anytime she wanted to from there, and the inference was she could work even if she wasn’t at the office. The details of the switch to independent status for the day care center was tedious but necessary work, and the reason she’d been sent to Houston.

She hadn’t thought much about it until that moment, but suddenly felt uneasy that a perfect stranger had gone into her hotel room and packed her things for her. But she forced herself to smile. “Thanks for taking care of that for me,” she said, and hoped she didn’t choke on the words.

“You’re very welcome,” he answered. Then he looked at his watch again. “Oh, my. I need to run. I’m meeting Abe Larson in half an hour.” She had no idea who Abe Larson was, but didn’t have a chance to ask before he said, “I’ll see you back here first thing in the morning.”

“Yes, sir,” she murmured, but found herself speaking to his retreating form as he left.

She sank back in her chair, then swiveled it toward the window and looked out at the starry sky and partial moon that hung over the city below. She’d almost forgotten how beautiful Houston looked. She’d been gone for so long and had only came back when her mother insisted she visit. San Francisco was her home now, and Megan had hopes that if she proved herself this month, she’d be promoted in the San Francisco offices.

As she twisted the diamond on her finger absentmindedly, she felt a sudden need to talk to Ryan. She wanted to hear his voice. But when she turned to reach for her briefcase and her cell phone, she had a flashing memory of Rafe looking at her ring. Of his joke about her earpiece, and his teasing about a chariot and Cinderella.

She took a deep breath and banished that night from her thoughts. Taking out her phone and turning it on, she dropped it in the pocket of her shirt and hooked the earpiece in place. But before she could press the microphone button and give the command to call Ryan, the device rang. She pressed the Receive button on the cord and said, “Hello?” not realizing how much she wanted it to be Ryan until she heard another voice.

“Meggie?”

Quint was the only one to call her Meggie, and he seldom phoned her. He was so busy with his new life, she seldom got a chance to talk to him. “I haven’t heard from you since…oh, I remember,” she said. “When you told me you were going to change diapers again, and that the adoption was going through.”

“I did, and I am.” He laughed, a rich sound on the line. “I finally remembered why you stand back when you diaper a boy.”

It was her turn to laugh. “It’ll come back to you, sort of like riding a bike. Trust your instincts,” she said.

“Oh, I am,” he said. “Now, where have you been? I’ve tried calling your place for hours, and your cell phone kept going to your voice mail.”

“I was working and turned it off for a while,” she said. “What’s going on?”

“We just got into New York to get my things from the apartment, but I wanted you to be the first to know that—”