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Back cover blurb:
ONCE YOU FIND HER...
The Richmond jewels are gone—and the cat burglar
who swiped them has vanished into the night. Scott Richmond, the handsome heir to
the fortune, considers the heist entirely justified. After all, his swindling father
stole from everyone, including the Dreyfuss family, and left Scott to make amends.
If pretty Nicole Dreyfuss feels entitled to a few trinkets, he's inclined to agree with
her. And if she wants to explain, he's got all the time in the world...
...NEVER LET HER GO
Scott seems to understand, but can Nicole trust
him? He's too charming, too persuasive, and too good looking for her peace of
mind—and if his kisses are any indication, he's a master of seduction as well....
My blurb:
When playboy Scott Richmond catches
teenager Chrissie Dreyfuss with her hands on his mother's jewels, he lets her go on a
whim—especially since his family was responsible for the loss of her father's
job. But when her gorgeous older sister Nicole shows up to stop her, they learn that
Chrissie has already sold the jewels to some of his mother's friends. Unfortunately,
they're fake and his mother is all too eager to collect the insurance. Now Scott and
Nicole have to steal the fakes back before the buyers or the insurance company finds out
his high society mother has tried to cheat them.
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The second scene in the first
chapter, after Chrissie Dreyfuss has stolen the jewels...
Nicole
Dreyfuss stared, aghast, at the good-looking man who opened the door. His pleated shirt
and cummerbund, the fresh-faced boy next door look, and his wicked grin let her know that
Scott Richmond had answered his own door.
What was she going to do now? Chrissie had told her of her idiotic
scheme to steal the Richmonds' jewels and Nicole had thought she had talked her out of it,
but when she had woken in the middle of the night, she'd found Chrissie gone, along with
the plans to the Richmond house. Worse, her little sister had left a pamphlet for a
charity ball that showed Scott Richmond was one of the organizers and would be there
tonight.
Putting the clues together, Nicole had rushed right over to stop
Chrissie, but had rung the doorbell only to scare her sister off. Nicole hadn't thought
through what she was going to do if anyone actually answered the door. "You weren't
supposed to be here," she blurted out.
"So I understand," he said, his eyes laughing at her as he
lounged against the door jamb, his arms folded across his chest. "How can I help
you?"
What could she say? Hi, I've come here to stop my sister from
robbing your house. Oh, and has she been here yet?
"I, uh, thought I heard a noise." Good grief, how lame.
He continued to smile at her. "What kind of noise?"
"I don't know...like breaking glass?" Just how had Chrissie
planned to get in, anyway?
"I see." He continued to regard her with polite expectancy.
He was no help. She'd sort of expected him to volunteer that he'd been
robbed after he heard her tale of broken glass, but he didn't say anything. Relief filled
her as she realized that meant Chrissie wasn't here. Either she hadn't done it yet, or
she'd been scared off by his presence and left.
But the relief evaporated as Nicole realized it could also mean
Chrissie was stuck hiding in the house...or he just hadn't discovered the theft yet.
Damn. When he did, he might remember Nicole had been here with her lame
story and try to track her down as a witness. She'd better leave now and hope Chrissie was
somewhere else. "Never mind. It must have been across the street."
She turned to go, but Scott said lazily, "Don't worry, Miss
Dreyfuss, she didn't break any windows."
Nicole froze, then turned with a slow motion to meet his eyes, trying
not to let the dread show in hers. "I beg your pardon?" How did he know her
name?
"Your sister. She didn't break anything."
Nicole swallowed hard, then decided to try and brazen it out.
"What do you mean?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Let's see if I can jog your memory. Your
sister, a black bag, an open safe, my mother's jewels...and a wish to go to Juilliard.
Ring any bells?"
Nicole closed her eyes in disbelief. Damn. Chrissie had been caught.
Opening her eyes, she decided to throw herself on the mercy of this man. What other choice
did she have? "Mr. Richmond, I--"
"Scott."
"What?"
"My name's Scott. And yours?"
There was no reason not to tell him. He already knew her last name.
"Nicole."
"And your sister's name?"
"Chrissie."
He grinned. "It fits her." He made a sweeping gesture toward
the door. "Won't you come in?"
She wasn't sure she wanted to go into that house. "Where is
Chrissie?"
"Come inside and I'll tell you."
It didn't look as though she'd get any answers until she did as he
asked. True, he didn't look dangerous, but just in case, she groped in her purse
for her pepper spray. It made her feel better, just knowing it was there.
She followed him across the foyer to what had to be the living room.
Though how anyone could live in such a fussy, ornate room was beyond her. They both seated
themselves, and she realized he looked even more devastatingly handsome in full light. And
even more like a good-for-nothing charmer, she reminded herself. She had to remember
Chrissie. "Okay, I'm in. Where's my sister?"
"I don't know."
If he had caught her breaking and entering, how could he not know?
"Why not?"
"I let her go."
"I-I don't understand."
"It's simple, really. I came home early and caught her with her
hand in the safe, she told me her story, and I let her go."
Relief flooded through Nicole once more and she let go of the pepper
spray. "Oh, thank you, Mr.--Scott. She's just a kid. She's a little spoiled, not
really a thief. But she wanted to go to Juilliard so badly."
His eyes laughed at her again. "So I understand. Now she'll be
able to."
"What?" How was that possible?
"She'll have more than enough money as soon as she sells my
mother's jewels."
Feeling distinctly as if she had entered the twilight zone, Nicole said
in confusion, "I thought you caught her."
"I did."
Nicole tried to sort through her confusion. "And you let her go...with
the jewels?"
"Yes." And the man smiled at her as if it were a perfectly
reasonable thing to do.
"But...why?"
"She put up a good case for them belonging to her."
Nicole gaped at him. "You must be joking." That's all this
man seemed to do--joke.
"Not at all. Look, I'll show you." He opened the safe above
the fireplace and invited her to look inside. "See? As I told you, it's empty. There
are quite a few tchotchkes missing, too."
Nicole sat back down in disbelief. "You let her take all
that...and you didn't stop her?"
"Now you're getting it," he said in encouraging tones.
His twisted sense of humor was beginning to annoy her. "How
incredibly irresponsible of you."
He raised both eyebrows this time. "Excuse me?"
Getting warmed up now, Nicole said, "You let a seventeen-year-old
girl steal and get away with it?"
Looking puzzled now, he asked, "Would you rather I turned her over
to the police?"
"No, of course not." And just in case he decided to change
his mind, she moderated her tone. "But it's a bad lesson to teach a teenager."
Scott shrugged. "That's me. I've always been a bad
influence."
That might be what he wanted people to believe, but she knew better.
Before she could answer, he added, "Don't worry. I actually did
plan for this to be a lesson. Any moment now, she's going to realize how difficult it will
be to find a fence for those stolen goods. I figured I'd find her first thing tomorrow and
offer to buy them back."
"Why on earth would you do that?"
"I told you. She convinced me she was right. She deserves the
money because of what my father did to your father."
"So you're going to reward her for stealing?"
"No," he said patiently. "I just plan to give her what's
owed her. And you."
"You don't owe me anything. Or Chrissie either."
He cocked his head to regard her with an appraising look. "Don't
go all self-righteous on me, Nicole. That's Chrissie's shtick. Besides, this is all your
fault, you know."
"Mine? How do you figure that?" She defied him or anyone else
to control Chrissie when she was on one of her wild kicks. Ever since their mother had
died eight years ago, Chrissie had been impossible.
"I distinctly remember sending a check to your family a few years
ago, a check that represented what your father should have received in the way of a
pension. It was returned to me with a snippy little note refusing my 'charity.' I assume
you sent that note."
"Yes, I did. Obviously, I couldn't accept the money."
"Why not? Your father deserved it."
"Yes, he did. And your father should have given it to him when he
let him go. But I don't want your guilt money." Not once she realized the money had
come from Scott and not his parents.
"You'd rather I continued to feel guilty?"
If he put it that way, it sounded rather rude, but she had to admit he
was right. "Yes, I suppose I do."
Surprisingly, he smiled again. "That's fair enough, I guess. Now
it's your turn to feel guilty. If you had taken the money when I offered it, Chrissie
would have gone to school and we wouldn't be in this mess."
There was some truth in what he said, but she wouldn't admit it. She
just glared at him.
"Let me redeem the jewels from Chrissie for what my father owed
yours," Scott said softly. "If Chrissie is as talented as she thinks she is, she
deserves to go to Juilliard."
The thought of taking money from the family that had fired her father
galled Nicole. "No thanks. She can attend next year. I'll have enough saved up by
then." Somehow.
"But she assured me that if she doesn't go, she'll die. She'll
just die."
Frowning at his levity, Nicole said, "She'll live. Besides, she
shouldn't be rewarded for breaking the law."
Scott nodded thoughtfully. "Well, technically, she didn't, since I
helped her."
"But she intended to rob you," Nicole shot back. "And at
the very least, she could be charged with breaking and entering."
Scott looked puzzled again. "It sounds like you're angling to have
your sister thrown in jail."
"It would teach her a lesson, but no. I wouldn't do that
to her."
"Then take the money. It should be yours, anyway."
"No. And don't bother hunting us down. I'll catch her as soon as I
get home and let her know exactly what I think of her. Then first thing tomorrow morning
I'll bring the...the, uh..."
"The loot?" he said helpfully. "The booty, the
swag?"
Someone obviously watched too many old gangster movies. "I'll
bring the jewels back to you then. And anything else she took. No ransom needed
or wanted." Then, because she knew it was the right thing to do, she added, "And
thank you for not calling the police."
He shrugged. "No problem. I've done some dumb things in my time,
too." He paused, then added, "But if you're not going to let me pay you what I
owe you, you'll have to answer a question for me."
"What's that?" she asked warily.
"What exactly did you plan to do when you came to my door
tonight?"
Nicole felt her face warm. "I-I'm not sure. I just wanted to stop
her. Somehow."
He grinned. "That's what I thought. Until tomorrow, then."
She nodded, but wasn't sure she liked the idea of seeing him again.
Nicole had always been the sensible one, the one in control of all situations. But the
longer she was around Scott Richmond, the more she felt flustered, confused, and a little
off kilter. She didn't like the sensation at all, and she resolved to stay as far away
from him as possible. |
