Orchid stared at him, stunned. She slowly lowered her half-eaten slice of toast. "Good lord, that's exactly what you're going to do, isn't it?"
"Yes." He picked up his mug of coff-tea. "That's what I'm going to do."
She swallowed a bite of toast. "Mind if I ask why?"
Rafe hesitated. "The company's been in the family for four generations. It supports a couple of thousand people, including most of the members of the Stonebraker clan. If cousin Selby has his way, a lot of good, hardworking people, not just my relatives, are going to lose their jobs. It's always that way in a merger."
"So it's your sense of responsibility to the family that's motivating you to save the company?"
"There are other reasons." Rafe looked out into the garden. "Stonebraker has made some real contributions in the past. Until a few years ago, it was an innovative leader in developing new technology in the shipping and transportation fields. It's spawned any number of smaller businesses."
She smiled at the pride that underscored his words. It was not just a sense of family responsibility that drove him. Rafe had a strong sense of commitment to the community, too, although he would probably be reluctant to admit it.
"There's one other reason why I'm going to save Stonebraker," he added.
"What's that?" Orchid asked.
"Cousin Selby is a two-faced, conniving little twerp whose only goal is to get rich by dismembering Stonebraker. He wants revenge on the whole Stonebraker family. Damned if I'll let the little weasel-snake get away with it."
"Why on St. Helens does he want to bring down the whole family and the company, too?"
Rafe raised one shoulder in a dismissive shrug. "It's a long story. The bottom line is that he resents the fact that the real power in the firm has always been in the hands of those who descended through my branch of the family tree."
"I see."
"It would be one thing if Selby wanted to take control of the company in order to save it. But his only goal is to destroy it." Rafe's hand flexed around the mug. "I won't let that happen."
"I understand." The crisis had aroused all of Rafe's protective instincts, she realized. He would do whatever it took to save the company and defend those who were dependent on it. Nothing would be allowed to get in his way.
"There's just one little problem," Rafe said slowly.
"Only one?"
He gave her a level look. "The Stonebraker board of directors is very conservative. There's no way I can pull off my plans unless I convince them that I intend to marry and settle down. I need to look like a good, responsible family man in their eyes."
The toast point got lodged in Orchid's throat. She swallowed heavily to force it on down. "That's why you need a wife."
"Yes."
With a monumental effort of will, she managed what she hoped was a bright smile. "Good luck."
"So far I'm not having any."
"Sorry to hear that." She cast about desperately for a change of topic. "I guess the question now, is, what happens next?"
"Yes."
"Well? You're the expert," she said.
"Me?"
She raised her eyes briefly to the ceiling. "Good thing your clients can't see you with that blank look on your face. They'd think twice about hiring you. Fortunately, I know that deep down you're a really sharp guy or I'd be having a few doubts myself."
"I'm not any more of an authority on what happens next than you are."
"I beg your pardon?"
He moved one hand in a vague gesture. "It's not like I do this all the time."
"You don't?"
"Five hells, what do you think I am?"
"A businessman who amuses himself by playing private investigator on the side?"
His gaze narrowed. "What does my business or my hobby have to do with what happens next in our relationship?"
Somewhere a jelly-ice light went off in Orchid's brain. She plunked her mug down on the table and clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, dear."
Rafe's jaw tightened. "What the hell does oh, dear mean in this context?"
Orchid kept her hand over her mouth in an attempt to conceal her grin. "Nothing," she mumbled.
"Damn it, Orchid—"
"I wasn't talking about our relationship." She gulped down more giggles. "I was talking about our investigation. What's our next step?"
"You weren't talking about us?"
"No." She tried to look blase. "I should think you'd be relieved to hear that. I'm told men hate relationship discussions."
"I am." He frowned. "I do."
"So, about our investigation?"
He refolded the newspaper with grim, precise movements. "It's not our investigation any longer, Orchid. I thought I explained that last night."
She braced herself for the battle. "You need me. I know you want to keep me out of this, but after last night, you have to admit that you need my focus services."
"I'll admit your services were useful during that fight, but I'm accustomed to working alone. I'll get by without you."
"Rafe, you can't just cancel the contract like this."
He looked amused. "Of course I can."
"But I'm involved in this thing. I can't walk away from it."
"That's exactly what you're going to do."
"No, it is not what I'm going to do. I want to find out what happened to Theo Willis."
"You don't seem to get the point here, Orchid. I'm firing you."
She raised her chin. "If you insist, I guess there's not much I can do to stop you."
"I insist."
"Very well, then, if that's the way you feel about it." She got to her feet and picked up the empty toast dish. "I certainly can't force you to allow me to assist you."
"I'm glad you understand that." Rafe's expression gentled. "I promise I'll keep you informed of my progress."
She paused at the doorway of the breakfast room and nodded. "Thank you. That would be extremely helpful."
"Helpful?"
"Yes. I haven't had a lot of experience with this kind of thing and I'll probably need all the scraps of information you condescend to toss my way."
"Scraps?"
"If you're really nice to me, I'll return the favor. I'll let you know what I find out, too."
Rafe surged to his feet. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"I thought I'd made myself clear. I'm going to continue the investigation." She walked into the kitchen. "With or without your help."
"Come back here, damn it."
Orchid allowed the kitchen door to swing closed behind her.
It slammed open again just as she set the dishes in the sink. Rafe loomed in the entrance.
"You wouldn't dare," he said.
"You don't know me very well, do you?" She rinsed the toast dish and reached for a towel. "I've made up my mind. Obviously, I'd rather have you as a partner because you know a lot more about investigative work than I do. But since you insist on firing me, I'll just have to go it alone."
He took a step toward her. "This is blackmail."
"Well, I suppose if you want to get technical about it—"
He planted his hands on his hips. "I don't like being manipulated."
"I'm negotiating, not manipulating. As a businessman, you should know the difference."
"Orchid, if you think you can get away with this—"
"Don't you dare threaten me. You're the one who hired me under false pretenses." She flung the towel aside. "But I'm prepared to overlook that if you'll take me on as a full partner."
"And if I don't you'll start messing around in this thing on your own, is that it?"
"You got it." She stretched her arms out on each side and grasped the edge of the counter with both hands. "What do you say? Have we got a deal?"