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“Not yet, it isn’t,” he replied. “Ask me again in November.”
“Come in,” Ashley requested, standing aside. She viewed him from beneath the sweep of dark lashes, and her green eyes gleamed wickedly. “Isn’t it nice to have an invitation for once?”
His broad shoulders slumped, but his dark eyes glittered. “Why do you purposely goad me?” he asked in exasperation. “I came here with a peace offering, but I can see you’re not in the mood to settle our differences.”
“I doubt that we can do that in one night—”
“You might be surprised,” he ventured, his voice lowering suggestively.
Ashley’s interest was piqued. She couldn’t hide the light of expectation in her round eyes. A pleased blush colored her cheeks. “Just what have you got in mind?”
“You’ll see. . . .” Trevor brushed past her and went into the kitchen. Ashley followed in his wake, barely able to conceal her interest.
“What have you got . . .” Her words died in her throat as he took off his jacket and unwrapped the ungainly package. Stripping the white paper away, he exposed two large Dungeness crabs. With a frown of approval, he placed the orange shellfish in the sink. “Where did you get those?” Ashley asked as she eyed the crabs speculatively.
“Newport.”
“You drove clear to the coast and back?”
“It’s only a few hours—don’t you remember?”
She swallowed against the lump in her throat. “Of course I remember,” she whispered hoarsely before turning away from
him to hide the tears that were gathering in her eyes. The last time she had been with him, they had met in secret rendezvous near Neskowin on the rugged Oregon coast. All night long they had watched the stormy sea batter the rocky shoreline from the window of the small beach house. After dining on fresh crab and wine, Trevor had made erotic and endless love to her until the dawn had come and torn them apart.
“Come on, Ashley,” he persisted, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her waist. “Lighten up. Let’s just try to forget the bad times and concentrate on the good.”
“That might be easier said than done,” she murmured.
He pressed a soft kiss into her blue-black hair. “Not if you try. Besides, it’s Christmas Eve.”
“I know.” She had expected to spend the holiday alone for the first time in years and had tried to ignore the loneliness she felt. Now Trevor was with her and her spirits lifted.
“Then let’s have a truce—in honor of the holiday.”
“Okay, Senator,” she said bravely, despite the churning emotions battling in her throat. “I’ll give it a shot.” Blocking out the storm of feeling raging within her, Ashley forced all of her attention on the simple tasks of heating French bread, tossing together a green salad and pouring the wine while Trevor cleaned and cracked the crabs. They worked in silence and Ashley was caught in memories of the past.
The light meal was enjoyable. Side by side, they sat by the fire in the den and laughed about the good times they had shared. Trevor was as charming as he had ever been and Ashley knew that if she let herself, she could fall hopelessly in love with him all over again. The rich sound of his laughter, the merry twinkle in his bright blue eyes and the sensual feel of his fingers when he would lightly touch her shoulder reminded her of the happiest time in her life—when she had been desperately in love with him. Even without all of the traditional trimmings, the evening became the warmest and happiest Christmas Eve she could remember. Relaxing with Trevor was perfect and natural.
Several hours had passed before Trevor cocked his head in the direction of the desk. “You’ve been looking over the records of Stephens Timber,” he deduced.
“That’s right. But I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. So far, everything looks fine. Nothing to prove that anyone in the family is the criminal you suspect.”
“You’re sure?” She felt him stiffen. He was sitting behind her on the floor, his strong arms folded securely over her shoulders. She was leaning against him as she stared into the glowing red embers of the fire.
She shook her head and her hair brushed against his chest. “l’ve barely started. Those reports are just for the last few months. I looked them over quickly and they seemed okay. I couldn’t see anything glaringly obvious.”
“Claud doesn’t make glaring mistakes,” Trevor stated. All traces of humor had disappeared from his voice.
“I know, I know. I’ve started going through the pages again. This time I’m studying each entry individually, but it’s going to take weeks.”
“Ashley.” His fingers pressed urgently against her shoulders and dug into the soft muscles of her upper arm. “I don’t have much time.”
“Then I’m going to have to recruit help, Senator,” she decided with a sigh. “I have other things I have to do. I can’t spend the next two months sequestered with computer printouts just to uphold your good name.”
“Or yours.” He reminded her. “Just make sure your recruit is someone you can trust.”
“Of course.”
