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Trevor groaned, but got off of the couch. “Anything you say.” He laughed and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

* * *

When they returned to Trevor’s home, after having tea and a lengthy discussion with Mrs. Deveraux, Trevor checked the messages on the tape recorder. As he had suspected, several reporters had called requesting interviews. There was also a terse message from Everett to call him immediately.

Trevor dialed Everett’s number and smiled wickedly as the agitated campaign manager answered.

“I thought you were going to wait for my call,” Everett complained. Trevor could picture steam coming out of the campaign manager’s ears.

“I had other things on my mind. . . .” Trevor’s eyes slid appreciatively up Ashley’s body. Dressed in jeans and a red sweater, with her black hair looped into a loose braid wound at the base of her neck, she looked comfortable and at home in Trevor’s huge house.

“I’ll bet,” Everett replied. “Now that you and Ashley are together, you’ll never be ab

le to keep your mind on the campaign.”

“That would be a shame,” Trevor murmured irreverently as his eyes followed Ashley up the polished wooden stairs. She was carrying two suitcases, oblivious to his stare or the fact that her jeans were stretched provocatively over her behind as she mounted each step.

“Listen, there are a couple of things you really should know,” Everett commanded. “And they have to do with Ashley and Stephens Timber.”

The low tone of Everett’s voice and the mention of Ashley’s name captured Trevor’s attention. “I’m listening.”

“You’d better brace yourself,” Everett warned. “Claud Stephens has started to talk. . . .”

* * *

Ashley felt his eyes on her back as she unfolded the last blouse and hung it in the closet. She whirled to face Trevor, a sly smile perched on her lips. “What took you so long?” she asked, but the wicked grin fell from her face when she saw Trevor’s expression. He was leaning against the doorframe, watching her silently and fighting the overwhelming urge to break down. “What happened?” She was beside him in an instant, placing her warm hands against his face. He managed a bitter smile filled with grief.

“The case against Claud looks pretty solid,” Trevor said at length, while gazing into the misty depths of her sea-green eyes. “The private investigator I hired called Everett when he couldn’t reach me.”

“And?”

“Claud’s having a rough time. He can’t seem to make up his mind whether he needs an attorney or should plea-bargain on his own. I think he opted for the lawyer.”

“I hope so,” Ashley said fervently. “Claud’s used to doing things his own way, and since he’s a lawyer I was afraid he would try to defend himself.”

“He’s smarter than that.” Trevor entered the room and sat down on the edge of the bed. His shoulders sagged and he forced tense fingers through his unruly chestnut hair.

“What else?” Ashley asked as she sat next to him. She felt her throat constrict with dread. Something horrible had happened to Trevor. What?

Trevor’s midnight-blue eyes pierced into hers and his arms wrapped around her as if in support. “Claud’s desperately trying to clear his own name, you realize.”

“And?”

“And he’s saying that Lazarus is the one who instigated the bribery charges against me last summer as well as having kidnapped my father ten years ago.”

Ashley felt as if a hot knife had been driven into her heart. She slumped for a minute, but Trevor’s strong arms gripped her. “It’s not unexpected,” she said, her voice failing her. “It’s just that I hoped and prayed that Dad wasn’t involved.” She let out a long breath of air and realized that she had to know everything before she could start her life with Trevor.

“What happened?”

“Claud’s saying that my father had gained information proving that Lazarus had used the harmful pesticide near Springfield—the one that’s subsequently been linked to the deaths.”

“I remember.” Ashley fought against the sick feeling deep within her. Dennis Lange had been a friend of Trevor’s and had died because of her father’s neglect. His was just one of several families who had been inadvertently poisoned by the spraying.

“Claud seems to think that Lazarus knew what the impact of the spraying would be and the hazards it would impose on the residents as well as the environment. Lazarus panicked when he found out that my father was meeting with the lobbyist in Washington, and after the meeting, he coerced him into his car. They drove to your father’s cabin—”

“No!” Not the place where she and Trevor had made love. “Not the cabin.”

Trevor’s hold on her shoulders increased. “Lazarus tried to buy my father’s silence, and an argument ensued. Dad tried to escape from the cabin and he fell down an embankment, probably breaking his neck. Lazarus was afraid that he would be up on kidnapping, bribery and probably negligent homicide charges, so he buried my father somewhere on his land in the Cascades.”

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