"Easy for you to say." Nick opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling, half-expecting to find a certain angel's ugly mug smirking from the plaster. "Besides, he's a male stripper. Get a grip."
"Think real hard, Nicholas. Does that ring true?"
"No." Nick sat up straight, remembering football hero Jared from college. "Not a bit."
"So use your brain, Red."
"But if he isn't a stripper, then—" Nick covered his face and sucked air between his fingers. "He's a cop. I should've known. He's a frigging cop. Why? Huh? Why not a nice stockbroker, a banker, or even another lawyer?"
"She tried that once."
"You have to remind me every chance you get, don't you?" Nick closed his eyes and groaned. "A cop who happens to have been a lifelong pain in my ass? Shouldn't dying get me a reprieve from that guy? No way. I'll find her someone else."
"Nick—"
"You said this is my job."
"What are we going to do with you?"
"Beats the he—" Nick bit the inside of his cheek. "Sorry. I can't — I won't — let Margo take up with a cop. Especially not that cop."
"I see."
"Yeah, I'm sure you do."
"Are you forgetting I was one of New York's finest?'"
Nick slumped lower in his chair.
"The guilt you've carried around about how you won Mar go is only one of the reasons you're here now."
Nick stiffened — his gut twisted into a violent knot. "Séamus, is that why you picked Carson? To punish me?"
"I didn't pick him. He's Margo's destiny. You interfered."
"If it's going to happen anyway, then why do I have to be around to witness it?"
"They need a catalyst. You and Jared were rivals. Besides, you know secrets that will explain the past."
"Secrets? What secrets?"
"You must remember what your father—"
"No way, buster. We aren't going there." Nick punched the arm of his chair and clenched his teeth, determined to change the subject. "So I'm supposed to help her get over me? How sweet." His voice grew hoarse and tears—tears? — pricked his eyelids. "This is perfect. Now I'm going to cry just like a woman, too. Thanks a lot, Séamus."
"Crying might do you some good."
"That's a matter of opinion." Nick dabbed at his eyes with the hem of his T-shirt, visualizing himself with the chocolate ice cream and a spoon. "But I'm telling you right here and now, I can find Margo a better man."
Séamus sighed in Nick's head — not a pleasant experience by any means.
"Will you stop that?" Nick rubbed his temples with both thumbs. "You're giving me a headache."
"Jared is the right ma—"
"Over my dead body." "No problem."
Jared Carson stared at his reflection in the appropriately warped bathroom mirror. A neon sign flashed vacancy outside the window, less than ten feet away. This hole away from home left a lot to be desired, but it served his purpose. After popping two aspirin into his mouth, he washed them down with tepid tap water, then raked his fingers through his hair. Tonight had brought a few surprises. That drug raid, for starters. Why had the locals raided the Studfinder? How much did they know?
Bracing himself on the sinks edge, he stared at his reflection as if the answers were hidden in the glass. Fat chance. He had to face the possibility of a leak. His cover seemed intact, though. So far. But if the local boys interfered again, Jared's investigation would fall apart too soon. Way too soon.
And, as if he didn't have enough complications, there was Margo. Why now?
He'd known Lake view was her hometown, but he figured Riley would have moved his bride to the big city for a life of wealth and glamour. So why was she back here working for a small newspaper? Married to a successful attorney, Margo would shine at the country club, and she'd never have to hold down a paying job.
A far different life than he could have offered.
He slammed his fist against the edge of the sink, immediately regretting it. "Damn." Hard porcelain couldn't take the place of a good punching bag for working out his frustrations. A human jaw, on the other hand…
Flexing his bruised hand, he padded barefoot to the window and stared out at the night. If he'd known Margo and Nick Riley had settled in Lakeview, he never would have accepted this assignment.
But it was too late to back out now. His cover was in place and he'd just have to explain that to Margo.
And her husband. God, the last person in the world he wanted to face right now was Nick Riley.
The man who'd stolen the only woman Jared had ever loved.
Two weeks before graduation, Nick had arranged for Margo to catch Jared in the arms of another sorority sister. Somehow, the girl had managed to get into his room and his bed without him knowing it. In retrospect, he realized Nick must have paid her to set Jared up for a fall.
Nick hadn't let a moment pass before he'd moved in on a vulnerable Margo. She'd refused to listen to Jared's explanations, which angered him enough to allow his pride to get in the way. Big mistake.
"Easy enough to say now." With a sigh, he shook his head in disgust.
Swallowing the bitter bile frying his throat, he trudged to the lumpy full-sized bed and flopped down on top of the tattered bedspread. He had a job to do — an important one. Margo would keep his secret once he explained why he was here. But Nick…
Jared rolled to his side and stared at the flashing sign, hypnotized by its rhythmic display.
When he'd seen Margo sitting in the audience tonight, his initial reaction had been embarrassment, then joy. He'd never forgotten her gray eyes, her honey-brown hair, her lithe young body, or the passion she'd shown so openly during their college years. No other woman had insinuated herself into his heart since Margo, and he wasn't sure if it was because he wouldn't allow it or because no other woman could take her place.
Or both.
And how could he forget Nick? The rich kid whose real estate tycoon father had owned or held the mortgage on everything and everybody in his small town. Except for Carson's Garage. Jared's uncle and guardian had been an independent cuss who never borrowed or loaned a dime his entire life. Everything they'd ever owned had been paid for with hard-earned cash.
A cold draft seeped in around the cheap, aluminum-framed window, and he shivered. Taking refuge under the blankets, he continued to stare at the flashing sign. What a sorry excuse for a bed. The floor would probably be more comfortable, but colder, too.
And no amount of physical discomfort could blot out his memories. Not tonight.
If Nick had gone to some posh private college instead of the state university, so many things would be different. By now, Jared would be married to Margo. He knew that without a doubt. They'd probably have a baby, or one on the way.
And he definitely wouldn't have taken this cruddy job-not a chance. He would have gone home and worked as a deputy until Sheriff Bob was ready to retire, then he would've run for the office himself.
But Fred and Nick Riley's obsession with winning and Jared's own stupid sense of pride had ruined it all.
Ah, Margo. He squeezed his eyes shut and remembered that night in the woods behind her sorority house, when she'd given herself to him completely. The night they'd both declared their love for each other…
No other woman had ever touched him or drained him so completely — physically or emotionally. Sure, he'd had sex with more than a few women in his life, but he'd only made love with one. Margo. Sweet Margo.