the son’s mother to fend for herself. Not such an exemplary character, after all, was he? And neither was the son. In fact, he could be quite a thorn in a person’s side, if he wanted to be.
He definitely wanted to be.
The buzz behind him grew a bit. He heard the name Carson mentioned once or twice. He moved on, staying to himself for the most part, but now and then stopping to plant a seed.
“Not too fast, Ace,” he told himself. “We want to stretch this out. Let it bloom and grow over weeks. Let the doubt and the questions begin to build slowly.”
He saw several men glance his way. They looked a lot like the pictures he’d seen of his half brothers, but he wasn’t ready to meet them yet, and he knew how to evade someone when he wanted to. He moved on.
And then he looked up and saw Crystal again, her pretty hair slipping over her shoulders. He practically willed her to look up at him, and she did. He could almost hear her sharp intake of air. He could almost see the delicate blush that covered her cheekbones and no doubt all of her honey-and-cream skin as well.
For half a second he held her gaze, but she quickly turned away.
Ace felt a slight twinge of anger at himself. He wanted her to look at him. Longer. More meaningfully. With desire in her eyes and on her lips. Actually, he wanted her to come closer. Close enough to touch.
She was a vision in pale blue, surrounded by men in suits, all looking at her as if they’d offer her the world if she’d just smile at one of them.
But then, some men didn’t have the world to offer. They just drifted from one thing to the next, rootless, and liked it that way. Liked it very much.
Ace forced himself to look away from Crystal.
“Ace Carson,” he said to a man he met a few minutes later. A doctor from the hospital by the looks of things. “Nice town you have here. Nice hospital, too.”
“Glad you like the place. We do, too. My name’s Jared Cross,” he said, holding out his hand. “I work here. Child psychiatry. Family planning.”
“Family planning? Then you’re involved in this new wing?”
“I have a definite interest, yes,” the man said. “We have a well-known fertility clinic here. It all ties together. I’m really pleased Mission Creek Memorial pulled this off. It was quite a feat. Lots of work and dedication.”
The man’s comments confirmed what Ace had begun to suspect. For such a little thing, Crystal had a big impact on people. She took her work seriously. Again Ace scanned the room for her. Finally he located her, holding court in the middle of a crowd of obviously wealthy benefactors. He relaxed and turned back to find Jared grinning.
“She’s something, isn’t she?” Jared said.
“I wouldn’t really know. I just arrived in town. But yes, she is intriguing,” he said, unwilling to let on just how intriguing he found her. And how unnerving it was to find himself lusting after a woman he had no business lusting after. It was obvious she was not only a serious innocent, but he was beginning to learn that she had major ties to the Carsons through this hospital and also through Fiona Carson Martin, his little half sister who was also involved in fund-raising. He’d heard it whispered that they were friends.
“So the woman’s intriguing?” Jared repeated with a knowing grin. “In my opinion, the woman is a wonder. She’s fervent about the need for this wing, and it shows in everything she’s said and done to make this project work. She probably had people fighting to be the first to get in the door with their money.”
The obvious admiration in his voice didn’t escape Ace’s notice. Neither did the fact that most women would find Cross’s black hair and green eyes irresistible. A powerful surge of something possessive streaked through Ace, and he frowned slightly.
“You have an interest in the lady?” Ace couldn’t stop himself from asking, even though he cursed himself for doing so.
Jared raised one brow. “Of course. A purely professional one.” He frowned. “What did you say your last name was? Carson? Does that mean you’re related to the Mission Creek Carsons?”
Ace shrugged. “I never knew my father. Do I look like a Mission Creek Carson to you?” He chuckled, flipping open his jacket to reveal the frayed dark blue lining.
“I get your point,” Jared said. “The Carsons own a substantial chunk of the town.”
“I guess I don’t qualify, then. Pleased to have met you, though.” He shook Jared’s hand and began to move on, his gaze sweeping the room.
“She’s over there,” Jared said with a grin, indicating Crystal’s new location.
Ace chuckled. “Okay, I’m more than intrigued,” he admitted as he nodded to Cross and moved away.
He also admitted that he had probably done enough for tonight. The framework of what he intended was in place. He ought to be pleased. People were wondering who he was. They were finding out that he was a bit of a flirt, a bit of a tease, illegitimate, possibly a fly-by-night but amiable rogue, and they were beginning to wonder if he couldn’t, in some way, be related to Ford Carson.
Ace glanced around at the men he’d identified earlier as Carsons from the descriptions he’d been given. Matt, Flynt. Ford didn’t appear to be here. At least not yet.
No matter. He had time and patience.
He scanned the room, looking to see if his target was arriving, but at that moment he saw Crystal again. She was standing in a corner, nearly against a wall, and a thin man with dirty-blond hair and a goatee was watching her from across the lawn. Somehow, unlike the other men who had surrounded her earlier, this one didn’t look as if he was waiting for her to smile. He didn’t look as if he’d even noticed that the lady had soft pink lips made for kissing again and again. He looked extremely upset.
Moreover, he looked as if he had business with Crystal. Not good business, either, Ace surmised, as the man began to take quick, deliberate steps toward her.
Just then, a woman came up to Ace and started talking to him. Ace listened with only one ear.
But while he listened he had a feeling that, wise or not, he was going to end up speaking to Crystal Bennett again.
Soon.
He only hoped he would remember she was a lady, a vulnerable lady, and he was a man she wasn’t going to like for very long. Not if she liked this town and the true Carsons.
Crystal could feel Ace’s eyes on her. Every time she’d looked up, it seemed, he had been grinning, flirting with the women gathered here, who were all beginning to fan themselves whenever he drew near.
Not that she could blame them. He was tall enough to make a woman feel faint, his blue eyes promised long nights of raw pleasure, and his mouth…well, just thinking about that slash of a mouth made her stomach flutter.
She’d had to keep reminding herself that she was here to ensure a smooth party and a flawless ceremony. Besides, she didn’t go near good-looking flirts anymore. She’d had more than her share of them in so many ways. But oh, my, Ace was going to fuel some very powerful fantasies tonight.
