“It scared the hell out of me when it showed up out of nowhere,” Jennifer said.
“Caught ya! There was no mountain lion.”
Jennifer shrugged and lay back again. “See how easy it would be to make believe we had shared the same dream? Surlock probably did the same thing.”
“I don’t think so. There’s more. He has a humming in his ears that turns to screaming. I had the same thing when I was young. My mother took me to all kinds of doctors until I finally told her it had stopped. Eventually it did.”
“It all sounds a little too weird if you ask me. Besides, if this is a setup, and Surlock wanted to find out more about you, it wouldn’t have been too hard to discover that your mom had taken you to a bunch of doctors when you were a kid because you heard humming noises.”
“That’s why I didn’t want to tell you.” Darcy slid off the bed and walked to the window. She saw Surlock going inside the guest house and wondered where he’d been.
It wasn’t a setup, all of it a lie just so someone could get even. He did have amnesia. He did. She closed her eyes and thought back to when she’d first hit him over the head. Maybe he’d faked amnesia, too. The bump on his head had been real. He couldn’t fake that. Great, now she was starting to question everything.
She turned back and glared at Jennifer. “It’s real. I feel connected to him. It’s hard to explain.” That was it in a nutshell. She did feel connected to Surlock, as if they shared something that no one else shared. Jennifer always questioned everything. Why should Darcy think this time would be any different?
“Just be careful,” Jennifer told her with a sigh. “I don’t want to see you hurt.”
Someone tapped on the door.
“Come in,” Darcy called out.
The door eased open and Annette looked inside. “Ms. Abernathy told me to come up,” she said, looking at Jennifer, then back to Darcy. “You have company. I’ll come back some other time.”
Darcy hurried over. “No, come in. I want you to meet Jennifer. Jennifer is my best friend, who never ever comes to the country, but she made an exception for Peter’s party.”
Annette seemed to hunker down inside herself. “I probably should go so you can visit with your friend.”
“Nonsense.” The girl was really feeling out of her element. “Jennifer loves my new hairdo. Annette was the one who cut and styled it. She’s wonderful with hair. In fact, she has her own shop in town.”
“Really?” Jennifer ruffled her hair. “Do you think you would have time to do something with mine? I mean, before Peter’s party. I’m going as a snake and would love something dramatic.”
“That’s it!” Darcy laughed. “We’ll each go as an animal, or in your case, a reptile. It will be great fun.”
“I can do makeup, too,” Annette shyly put in. She studied Jennifer for a moment. “What if I put a bright red streak in it? One that will wash out, of course.”
“I love it,” Jennifer said. “It sounds so wicked. Wait until you see my costume. It’s sexy as hell.” She jumped off the bed and went to the suitcase that had been placed on a luggage rack. After she opened it, she pulled out a long black-and-gold leotard that had more cutouts than material.
“Wow, that’s—” Annette looked at Darcy.
“Skimpy,” Darcy finished.
“I call it my get-laid costume.” Jennifer grinned.
Annette nodded. “Have you got another one in there that I can borrow?”
They laughed, but Darcy had a feeling Annette might have been serious.
“Follow me. I have a ton of costumes.” Darcy led the way to her bedroom and swung open the door to her closet.
“Oh, my goodness,” Annette breathed. “This is almost as big as my whole house.” She wandered inside, her eyes trying to take in everything.
“Annette is interested in Peter, so we have to make sure he notices her,” Darcy said.
“Our Peter?” Jennifer asked.
Darcy nodded. “He went into her salon and had her cut his hair.”
“Our Peter?”
“The one and only.”
“Do you think it means something?” Annette asked.
Jennifer grinned. “Oh, yes, it definitely means he’s interested in you. We have got to find something really fantastic for you to wear.”
“I like sequins. But on second thought, maybe not too sexy. I usually wear pantsuits.”
Jennifer winked at Darcy. “Oh, yes, we’ll make sure we stay conservative.”
Annette breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.” She wandered back to the row of costumes.
Jennifer and Darcy looked at each other, then smiled knowingly. Darcy had a feeling Jennifer’s idea of conservative would not be quite what Annette had in mind. Not that Darcy would let Jennifer get too wild, but it was a masked ball and they were so much fun. They still had all week to convince Annette that if she wanted to grab Peter’s attention, then she had to go for a totally different look.
The afternoon slipped by as they tried on different costumes. As much as Darcy enjoyed having Annette and Jennifer there, she missed Surlock. She had to admit, she was sort of glad when Annette said she needed to get back to her salon for an appointment.
“You’re dying to go to him,” Jennifer said as they waved good-bye to Annette.
“Who?”
“The gardener, who else?” Jennifer drolly replied.
“Very funny.”
“I could say the same thing.”
“I am trying to discover his identity. I actually have a job.”
Jennifer shuddered. “I’ll never understand your fixation with being a private investigator.”
“Don’t you get bored with all the parties? There’s no substance in our lives.”
“I’m actually going to start my own business, so there.”
Darcy’s eyes widened. “Really? You?”
Jennifer frowned. “You don’t think I can?”
“It’s not that. I’m just surprised you would go to that much trouble.”
“I’m not, really. Daddy’s hired people to do all the financial stuff. And don’t go giving me that you-know-everything look. I’ve always wanted to be a party planner. At least something good will come from all the parties I’ve attended. Peter has been the only one who could actually throw a decent one.”
“You’re really starting your own business?” Darcy asked, with more than a little amazement.
She shrugged. “Celebrities start businesses all the time. Daddy has skads more money than most of them.” She suddenly grinned. “It will be fun. We’re going to start with one showroom that will display what I plan to do. You’ll come to the launch party in a few months, of course.” She gave Darcy a saucy wink. “You’re not the only one who wants to put her stamp on life.”
“I guess not. I’m proud of you.” Not that she thought Jennifer would actually be doing any real work. She would have most of it done for her. Still, she was making an effort.
“I told Peter I would help him with the details of his party. It will be good practice. Want to go with me?”
“Well… I…”
Jennifer held up her hand. “Of course, you don’t want to go with me. You’ve been away from Surlock all afternoon.” She grimaced. “Just remember what I said. Don’t trust him completely. He might just be after your money.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Darcy watched as Jennifer left, then hurried through the house, and out the back door. She looked up when Surlock stepped out from the French doors.
“I missed you,” he said.
All of her doubts immediately vanished. Maybe she had been a little gullible in the past, but not this time. He could have faked amnesia and the birthmark, but he couldn’t fake the dreams that bound them together, or the humming in her ears, or the fact that she felt an incredible bond with him.
She ran the rest of the way and threw her arms around his neck. “I missed you, too.” God, she wanted this man so badly, she ached deep inside her belly.
He kissed her, taking her to new heights. Her body tingled with the pleasure he created inside her. When the kiss ended, she laid her head against his chest and heard the erratic beat of his heart and knew he wasn’t immune to what they’d just shared.