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“Did she actually claim it was part of the contract?”
“No! And you just said it wasn’t, so what’s the point of-”
“Did she mention having an addendum stashed somewhere?”
“Dammit, Grant, I’d have told you if—”
“Then the only thing left is a verbal agreement.”
“Hey, wait a minute! How’d we skip past the part where she’s lying through her teeth?”
“Courts everywhere have held that a verbal contract’s as legal as a written one—but surely you’re aware of that.”
“Sure. I’ve gone into a dozen deals on nothing more substantial than a ‘yes’ and a handshake, but—” Warning bells started going off in Cade’s head. “Is that what you think she’s going to claim? That there was an unwritten agreement between the principals?”
“Anything’s possible, Cade. She’s bound to know something about contract law—she studied business administration, didn’t she?”
All at once, the long day seemed to catch up. Cade switched the phone to his other ear and closed his eyes.
“So, what are you telling me?”
Grant sighed. “Only that Angelica Gordon may be able to tie us in legal knots for months.”
“Listen, whatever she claims, nobody will believe her. Nobody who knew Charles Landon, anyway.”
“You’re talking about opinion, Cade. I’m talking about law. Who knows what a judge would believe? Bayliss said the old man wasn’t himself at the end, remember? He said—”
“To hell with Bayliss!” Cade shot to his feet, his face dark with anger. “And to hell with Angelica Gordon! She’s lying.”
“Yes. I’m sure she is, but—”
“She’s lying, and I’ll prove it!”
Grant sighed. “How?”
“I don’t know how.” Cade stalked across the room, the telephone cord trailing after him like a snake. “But I’ll find a way. Dammit, I’m not going to let this—this uptight, frigid broad keep us dancing around like fools while she plays her little game.”
“Uptight, frigid broad, huh?” Grant chuckled. “An interesting description, if ever I heard one.”
“It’s accurate, and it’s probably why she’s getting such a kick out of insisting on trying to do a man’s job.”
“Careful,” Grant said gently. “I know you’ve been off in the wilds of Arabia the past few months, but we’ve got sex discrimination laws to contend with in this part of the world.”
“How about stupidity laws?” Cade growled. “The woman’s too brainless to know the first thing about how to run that company.”
Grant’s laughter sounded hollow. “She’s not brainless if she’s figured out a way to sabotage Landon Enterprises.”
“She wants Gordon Oil, Grant, and it’s obvious she’ll do anything she has to do to get it.” Cade thrust his hand into his sun-streaked hair. “I could toss her over my shoulder, carry her off to a cabin in the Pecos and keep her there until she tells me the truth,” he said grimly.
“That might be going a little far, don’t you think?”
Suddenly, Cade felt the heat of a blazing hearth. Angelica Gordon was in his arms. Her fiery copper hair streamed over her naked shoulders; her soft, rosebud mouth was swollen from his kisses and her emerald eyes were blurred with desire….
“Damn.”
“Cade? What’s the matter?”
Cade gave a little laugh. “Nothing. I just need to put some food in my belly before my brain cells stop functioning altogether.”
“Look, we’ll come up with some kind of game plan.”
“We don’t need one! She can claim what she likes, but without proof—”
“A court would have to decide what constitutes proof.”
“Yeah,” Cade said. There was a dull throbbing pain at the base of his skull. He wrapped his hand around the back of his neck and massaged the taut muscles. “OK, here’s what we do. Get in touch with Bayliss again. Lean on him a little; make sure he’s remembered everything he can. Check the files. Maybe there’s a memo we missed.”
“Will do.”
“How long until I hear from you?”
He could almost see Grant shrug. “I don’t know. A couple of days, maybe.”
So much for that little stopover in Dumai, Cade thought, and the throbbing pain in his head intensified.
“OK,” he said. “Meanwhile, I’ll see what I can get out of the Gordon woman.”
“Be careful, Cade. Be subtle. We don’t want to give her any ideas.”
Cade gave a bark of laughter. “Trust me, pal. She’s got enough ideas for both of us.”
His brother chuckled. “She’s as bad as that, huh?”
“Imagine a cross between Lizzie Borden and a bulldog, and you’ve got the picture.”
“Well, do the best you can. If you can find out whether she’s playing us along or she’s really got something-”
“She’s got nothing. You and I both know it.”
“Just don’t lose your cool.”
“No,” Cade said, “no, I won’t.”
“Whatever’s she’s up to, we can handle it.”
Cade nodded as he hung up the phone. Of course, they could handle it. Angelica Gordon might be fast on her feet, she might be clever, but if she really thought she could pull a fast one on the Landons, she was in for an unpleasant surprise.
He walked to the window and looked out. Night had fallen over Dallas; the city’s skyline was brightly lit but the glass under his palms was cool.
The Gordon woman’s skin had felt like that, cool under his touch, but there’d been a hint of heat lying just underneath, a sense that hidden deep within her, an ember waited for the breath of life…
Cade swore. He swung away from the window, went to the phone and dialed.
“Room service?” he said briskly. “I want a steak, medium rare, a green salad and a baked potato with sour cream. Coffee—a large pot. And a double slice of apple pie. And make it as quick as you can, will you?” He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I’m desperate.”
He hung up the phone, stripped off his shirt and made his way into the tiled bathroom. A shower, a decent meal and a good night’s sleep would put him back on his feet.
Tomorrow, he’d confront A.H. Gordon.
A tight smile curled across his mouth as he kicked off his shoes and stepped out of his trousers.
Correction. Tomorrow he’d confront Angelica Gordon.
Weren’t there primitive peoples who believed your enemy gained strength by knowing your real name?
“Angelica,” Cade said softly, “Miss Angelica Gordon.”
Still smiling, he stepped into the shower.
* * *
Angelica pulled her Ford Escort to the curb, stepped out onto the pavement and started along the narrow, uneven path that led to her office. Halfway there, she stopped, puffed out her breath and hurried back to the car.
She’d forgotten to lock it, something that was not a wise move in this part of town, but then, she was in one hell of a rush this morning.
Emily looked up as she came into the office.
“Good morning,” Emily said, and smiled hesitantly as if to test whether or not this was, in fact, a good morning.
Angelica took a breath and forced a smile to her lips.
“Good morning, Emily.”
“Are you, uh, are you OK?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Angelica said. She scooped her mail off her secretary’s desk and headed for her office. “I don’t want to be disturbed for an hour or so, please. If anyone calls, take a message.”
“Even if it’s Mr. Landon?”
“Especially if it’s Mr. Landon. If he phones, tell him I’m out.”
Angelica slammed her office door, tossed her mail on her desk and went to the bookcase where her old college textbooks stood jammed among the dog-eared volumes on oil that had been her father’s.
Frowning, she squatted and peered at the spines.
Yes
terday, angry beyond measure at the insufferably rude, impossibly boorish, disgustingly macho Cade Landon, she’d tossed out a lie that had, for the moment, rocked him back on his custom-made boots.
What a pleasure it had been to see him turn pale beneath that artful suntan—achieved, no doubt, at the same health club where he’d gained all those muscles, for it was obvious that he was no more a cowboy than she was.
