The High Price of Secrets Read online

  He stepped forward and held out his hand in a greeting. “We didn’t get to exchanging names yesterday. Finn Gallagher. Pleased to see you again.”

  She gave him a weak smile and briefly shook his hand. The warmth of his broad palm permeated her skin, sending a curl of awareness winding up her arm and through her body. She pulled her hand free.

  “Really, Mr. Gallagher? I had the impression yesterday you were only too pleased to see the back of me.”

  Amusement lit his cool slate-colored eyes. “Ah, you caught me at a bad time, I’m afraid. I’m here to apologize.”

  Tamsyn’s mind scattered in a hundred directions. How had he tracked her down?

  “Isn’t that a bit stalkerish?” she said without thinking.

  “We’re a close-knit bunch around here,” he explained with an apologetic smile that made Tamsyn’s stomach do a tiny loop-the-loop. “I was concerned after you left. You looked tired, and being unfamiliar with the area…well, let’s just say tourists have a bad habit of wandering off the road here and there. I called around a few places and I was relieved when Penny assured me you’d arrived safely.”

  It all sounded plausible, she thought, but it didn’t explain what he was doing here right now. As if he could read her mind, he continued speaking.

  “I didn’t want to leave you with the impression that we’re rude around here and thought I’d offer to show you around, if you’d like. Take you on a tour of the district. You will be staying a few days now you’re here, won’t you?”

  He said the last few words with subtle emphasis, almost as if he was willing her to stick around.

  “Yes, I will,” she admitted, reluctant to tell him that her time here had no specific expiry. “But there’s no need for you to show me around. I can make my own way.” Besides, she wasn’t really here for the sights. She just wanted to find her mother.

  “Please, at least allow me to take you to lunch or dinner to make up for my abruptness yesterday.”

  An ember of warmth lit deep in her belly. Maybe she was being overly suspicious. He certainly seemed sincere enough. She studied him briefly, taking in the short spiky hair, the clear gray eyes that appeared to be imploring her to give in to his politely put demand. His body language was open, nonthreatening, and dressed as he was in a pair of jeans and a tight-fitting T-shirt, he clearly wasn’t hiding any weapons. Except his charisma. She couldn’t deny he exuded oodles of magnetism, today at least, and there was no doubting that he was one beautifully put-together piece of manhood. What would be the harm in enjoying his company for a few hours? Despite what she’d just been through with Trent, Finn Gallagher was pinging her receptors. And then there was that smile that played around Finn’s lips, the expression on his face that suggested he found her attractive and actually wanted to spend time with her. Something her fiancé had not been so wont to do. The thought was like water on a drought-stricken land.

  Penny interrupted her thoughts. “If you’re worried about Finn, I can vouch for the fact that he’s a complete gentleman. He’s also a much-loved local-born philanthropist. Honestly, you couldn’t be in better hands.”

  “I…”

  Tamsyn’s eyes dropped to those very hands, eyeing his broad palms and long tapered fingers. The ember flared to a flame and spread, her breasts suddenly feeling full, her nipples tight, as she involuntarily imagined those hands touching her. With a sharply indrawn breath, she dragged her eyes up to his face, where he clearly awaited her response.

  “I don’t want to be any trouble,” she said lamely, feeling a flush of color heat her cheeks. “Besides, I have plans to do some shopping today—I came a little underprepared for this trip.”

  Underprepared. As if that wasn’t the understatement of the year, she thought scathingly.

  “No problem. Why don’t you do your shopping this morning, Penny will be able to direct you to where you need to go, and I’ll pick you up around lunchtime, say one o’clock, back here? Then I can show you around a bit and deliver you back this evening.”

  She couldn’t refuse. He’d made the plan sound so reasonable. Penny had given her approval as well, and somehow Tamsyn knew the older woman wouldn’t have been so forthcoming if she hadn’t been certain Tamsyn would be safe with Finn.

  “Then, thank you, I’d like that.”

  “Excellent. I’ll leave you to your breakfast and I’ll see you later today. Thanks for the coffee, Penny.”

  “You’re always welcome, Finn. I’ll see you out. Tamsyn, please help yourself to the breakfast buffet. If there’s anything else you’d like, just ring the bell on the sideboard and one of the kitchen staff will be along to take your order.”

  Penny smiled and then preceded Finn from the room. Finn gave Tamsyn a wink before following.

  “I’m looking forward to this afternoon,” he said, his voice lowered for her hearing only and sending a shiver of anticipation down Tamsyn’s spine.

  She smiled in response, a nervous, almost involuntary action, and then he was gone. Tamsyn stepped over to the chafing dishes on the antique sideboard and lifted the lids. Nerves danced like butterflies in her stomach. What had she let herself in for? she wondered as she took a small serving of scrambled egg with a few fried button mushrooms and half a grilled tomato.

  She placed her plate on a table and turned back to the sideboard to pour a cup of coffee from the silver carafe warmed by a single candle in a holder beneath it. Everything here was modern and comfortable yet still exuded old-world charm with these touches of elegance from a bygone era. Much like back at home, at The Masters.

  For just an instant she was almost overwhelmed by a wave of homesickness, by the desire to quit this search of hers and go home and pick up where she’d left off. But she couldn’t go back, not yet. Not until she’d gotten some answers. After everything that had happened, she felt so lost, as if she didn’t know who she was anymore. She needed this trip, this quest, to help her find herself again.

  Tamsyn forced herself to lift her fork and spear a mushroom, bringing the morsel to her mouth. The burst of flavor on her tongue reminded her that she might be down, but she wasn’t out yet. Not when there were still things in this life to enjoy, to savor. Things that proved life went on as surely as the sun rose each day.

  “Ah, excellent, you’ve helped yourself,” Penny said, walking briskly back into the room. “Is everything to your liking? Perhaps there’s something else I can get for you?”

  “Everything is lovely, thank you. I’m fine for now.”

  “I’m glad,” the other woman said, bustling over to clear the table where she and Finn had been sitting when Tamsyn had come into the dining room. “Finn seems quite taken with you. You can’t go wrong there. He’ll show you a wonderful time.”

  Was it Tamsyn’s imagination or was there a hefty dose of double entendre seasoning Penny’s words?

  “You didn’t mention you met him yesterday,” Penny probed.

  “I’d been given an address to go to. It turned out to be his and not the person I was seeking.”

  “Well, if anyone around here can help you find someone local it’ll be Finn,” Penny said with a warm smile. “Come and see me in my office before you head out to the shops and tell me what you’re looking for, and I’ll point you in the right direction.”

  What she was looking for? Well, there was an opening she couldn’t ignore. Finn himself had said they were a close-knit community. Surely her mother had to be known by someone.

  “Actually, now that you mention it, I was wondering…have you ever heard of an Ellen Masters?”

  Penny halted midstride and the cups she’d just cleared from the table wobbled a little in their saucers.

  “Ellen Masters, you say?” She pulled her mouth down into a small frown for a second before reverting to a bright smile that didn’t feel quite as genuine as it had a mom
ent before. “No, can’t say I’ve ever heard that name. Well, I’ll leave you to your breakfast. Remember to ring if you need anything else.”

  Tamsyn watched as Penny left the dining room. She must be getting overly sensitive because for a minute there she thought she’d seen a spark of something on Penny’s face. Tamsyn took another sip of her coffee and shook her head slightly. She was probably just jet-lagged and perhaps a little overtired still. Imagining things that weren’t there simply because she wanted them to be.

  Still, she refused to be cowed. Someone in the district had to know where her mother was and as soon as she crossed paths with that someone, she would know, too. A person didn’t just disappear off the grid without leaving a trace somewhere, did they?

  Four

  After her shopping expedition into Blenheim, where she found all the basics she needed, as well as a few things she didn’t but were fun to buy anyway, Tamsyn continued back toward her accommodations. Certain she could navigate her way without her GPS, she was surprised when a wrong turn brought her out into a small but bustling township.

  She wondered briefly, as she pulled up to halt on a street peppered with cafés and boutiques and art stores, why Penny hadn’t directed her here first for her shopping. With a shrug she got out of the car and locked it before strolling the length of the main street down one side and back up the other before going into one of the clothing boutiques to browse.

  “Hello, are you looking for a special outfit?” the older woman behind the counter asked with a welcoming smile.

  “Not particularly, but I love this,” Tamsyn said, pulling out a sleeveless dress in vibrant hues of purple and blue for a better look.

  “That would look lovely on you with your coloring. The fitting room is just to your left if you’d like to try it on.”

  “Oh, I don’t think…” About to refuse, Tamsyn hesitated. Why shouldn’t she indulge herself? This morning’s shopping had been mostly about function—jeans, T-shirts, a pair of shorts and a few sets of underwear, together with some trainers. Her hand stroked the fabric, relishing the texture of the hand-painted silk. It would feel divine on. “Okay, I’ll try it,” she said before she could change her mind.

  A few minutes later she turned this way and that in front of the dressing-room mirror. The dress was perfect, as if it had been made for her. If only she had the right shoes to go with it, she’d be able to wear it to lunch with Finn. Not that she was setting out to try and attract him or anything but a girl needed her armor, didn’t she? And the way this dress made her look and made her feel was armor indeed.

  “How does it feel on?” a disembodied voice asked from outside the curtain.

  “Fantastic but I don’t have the right shoes with me.”

  “Oh, maybe we have something here. We carry a few styles and sizes. You’re what, a size seven?”

  When Tamsyn murmured her assent the woman replied, “I’ll be right back.”

  Tamsyn took a minute to study her reflection again. She loved the dress, loved the softness of the silk as it fell around her legs, as it caressed her body. It made her feel feminine, desirable.

  Was that what her need for armor was all about? Had Trent’s betrayal left her feeling so unappealing? Questioning her femininity so much? Not surprising, given how he’d deliberately misled her throughout their relationship. The sting still smarted. And looking at her reflection now, thoughts of her former fiancé made her angry, too. Her reflection in the mirror looked beautiful and sexy—why had she let Trent make her feel any different? Why had she agreed to marry a man who never made her feel irresistible?

  Tamsyn was more certain than ever that this trip was exactly what she needed. She had to get away from the perceptions and expectations everyone had of her back home and figure out who she really wanted to be. She just hoped her mother would want to be part of that—part of her life.

  “Here we are!”

  Tamsyn pulled aside the curtain.

  “Oh, my,” the assistant said, “that dress is really you. You look wonderful. Here, try these on with it.”

  She held out a pair of sandals in shades of purple, blue and pink, and with a ridiculously high heel. They were perfect, Tamsyn thought as she slid off the trainers and socks she’d been wearing and slipped her feet into the sandals, bending down to fasten the dainty ankle strap.

  “Come on out into the store, we have a full-length mirror just over by the counter. You’ll have more room to twirl,” the woman said with a wink.

  Tamsyn couldn’t help but smile in response. She actually felt like twirling when she saw her reflection in the larger mirror.

  “I’ll take it,” she said impulsively. “The dress and the shoes. Do you mind if I wear them now?”

  “Why would I mind?” The assistant smiled in response. “You’re the perfect walking advertisement for one of our local designers—Alexis Fabrini.”

  “I love what she’s done with this dress, do you have more of her clothes here? I’d really like to come back when I have more time.”

  The assistant just smiled and spread her arm to encompass an entire wall of garments. “Take your pick,” she said, smiling. “Let me bag up your other things and take off those price tags and you’ll be good to go.”

  Tamsyn paid for her purchases just as a Shania Twain song came onto the speakers in the store. She smiled to herself, agreeing with the lyrics. She really felt like a woman right now and was actually looking forward to lunch with the enigmatic Finn Gallagher more than she realized.

  “Are you just passing through town?” asked the store clerk. Tamsyn looked at her, suddenly struck by the realization that the woman was probably around the same age as her mother. In fact, there were so many people around—on the street, in the shops—who were all around that age. Surely, amongst them, would be some of her mother’s friends.

  “I’m here a few days at least, although I might stay longer if I can. I’m…” She hesitated a moment and then decided, in for a penny, in for a pound. If she didn’t start asking every person she met if they knew her mom, she’d never find out, would she? “I’m looking for my mother. Ellen Masters. Do you know her?”

  The other woman shook her head slowly and pursed her lips. “Hmm, Ellen Masters…no. Can’t say I’ve met anyone by that name around here, but I’m fairly new in the region and I’m still getting to know all the locals.”

  “Never mind,” Tamsyn said pasting a smile over the pang of disappointment that tugged at her heart. It was a numbers game. Eventually she’d find someone who knew her. Didn’t New Zealanders pride themselves on the fact that there were only two degrees of separation between them and a fellow Kiwi? “It was a wild shot.”

  “Well, good luck finding her and do come back soon!”

  Tamsyn gathered her things and started to walk back to her car. Even with this small latest setback she still felt more positive. Just before she reached her car she stopped and perused the window of a real estate office that appeared to double as a letting agency and an idea occurred to her. If she found a place to rent she could set herself up more permanently here and could use the property as a base from which to widen her search. She scanned the listings in the window and an address caught her eye. It was on the same road as Finn Gallagher’s property, fairly close, too, if the street number was any indicator.

  A coil of something she couldn’t quite identify curled tight in her stomach as she read the details. It was a short-term lease on a week-by-week basis. She could see why it was still available. Not many people would want the insecurity of week-by-week rental, but it suited her just perfectly and as a bonus it was fully furnished. All she’d need to do was feed the cat and the chickens on the property. She could do that. She pushed open the door to the agency, coming out twenty minutes later with an agreement in one hand, a key in the other and an excitement roiling in her she
barely knew how to contain.

  A late-model Porsche Cayenne, a Turbo S model, she noted with some appreciation, stood in the driveway when she returned to the hotel. No doubt Finn’s, she thought as she took a quick look at the dashboard clock on her rental. The side trip to the property agency had made her late, but right now she didn’t care. From tomorrow she had somewhere of her own to stay. Things were falling into place and who knew? Maybe the next person she saw would be someone who could tell her where to find her mother.

  * * *

  Finn watched from the office window as Tamsyn alighted from her car. Even from here he could tell she was excited. There was a light and energy about her now that had been missing yesterday and this morning. It served to make her even more beautiful.

  He tamped down on the shiver of desire that threatened to ripple through his body. If he was going to control this situation he’d have to start by controlling himself. Errant physical attractions would only complicate things. And as complications went, getting a call from the leasing agent handling Lorenzo and Ellen’s cottage to say a certain princess from Australia was interested in taking up the short-term leasing option was a big one.

  As tempting as it had been to say an absolute and resounding no when the agent had queried him about the lease, especially as the leasee had no references, he’d been mindful of Lorenzo’s wish to keep Tamsyn close for Ellen’s sake. How much easier would it be to keep an eye on her if she was just down the hill from where he lived?

  Of course, he reminded himself, there was the bonus of him not having to feed Ellen’s man-eating black cat, Lucy—short for Lucifer. A singularly appropriate moniker Finn had always privately thought. He hadn’t had a morning yet where the feisty feline hadn’t delivered him a scathing hiss or a barbed paw.