you could spare a cupcake or two for a hardworking bailiff on his weary travels?’
She laughed at that, retrieved a large cardboard box of them and pushed it into his hands. ‘Maybe you could leave one with each of them as a gesture of...goodwill.’
He grinned. ‘Behind that pretty face you’re evil, you know?’
She blinked.
‘Because we both know one cupcake is never enough.’
That slow smile spread across her face again. ‘Give them hell, Rick.’
He tipped an imaginary hat at her and left. He fully intended to.
* * *
Rick returned to find Nell waiting for him. She immediately leapt up to put the kettle on to boil. ‘How did it go? Were they horrible to you? Did they say mean things to you?’
Not: Did you get my money? Not: Was the mission successful? But: Were they horrible to you? He stopped dead and just stared.
Her face darkened. ‘They were.’ He watched in a kind of bemusement as her hands clenched. ‘I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have asked that of you. I should’ve done my own dirty work and—’
‘I had a ball.’
She eyed him warily. ‘You did?’ she finally ventured.
He could see she didn’t believe him. ‘Ever since I got out of jail, people like those clients of yours have made me feel like scum. I can’t tell you how satisfying it was to turn the tables. Do you have any more outstanding debts I can deal with?’
That surprised a laugh out of her—as it was meant to. She pushed him into a chair, set a plate of sandwiches in front of him and grabbed him a beer. ‘One thing’s for sure. You’ve earned lunch.’
She stood over him then with arms folded. He glanced up, a sandwich halted halfway to his mouth. ‘What?’
‘I don’t think you should let anyone make you feel like scum.’
That was easier said than done, but... It struck him then that Nell had only ever treated him as an equal—someone deserving of respect and consideration.
The realisation tightened his chest. He bit into the sandwich then took a swig of his beer. Neither loosened the tension growing inside him. He pulled three cheques from his pocket and handed them to her.
She flicked through them and her eyes widened. ‘You managed to get them to sign cheques for the entire amounts outstanding?’
He wanted to puff out his chest at the delight bubbling up through her. ‘What were you expecting?’
‘More promises. Part payment at best.’ She perched on a chair across the table from him and crossed a leg. ‘It couldn’t have been easy.’
‘Princess, it was a piece of cake.’
* * *
Nell stared at him. It might’ve been simple for him, but there was no way on God’s green she’d have been able to manage this same outcome. She checked the amount on the cheques again. ‘This is amazing.’
He was amazing.
‘This will keep the wolf from the door for a little while.’ Enough to give her some breathing space at least.
‘Were you really friends with those people?’
Some of the golden delight leached out of her. ‘I thought we were.’ If a single one of those people had found themselves in the same desperate financial straits that she had, she wouldn’t have dropped them. She might not have been able to give them financial aid, but she’d have offered them moral support. She’d—
‘Princess?’
She snapped to. Although she tried to keep her face composed she couldn’t stop her lips from twisting. ‘It seems my entire life has been a series of very poor judgement calls.’ Letting her parents browbeat her into saying Rick had taken her locket; working so hard to earn her parents’ love and approval to discover that they’d never been worth the effort, that they didn’t know the meaning of the word love; spending her free time with people who only liked her when she was successful—shallow, callous people who enjoyed playing power games with those less fortunate than themselves.
It wasn’t noble, but... ‘I hope you gave them a seriously hard time.’
‘I can assure you that they didn’t enjoy the experience.’
The warmth in his eyes almost undid her. She leapt up to pour herself a glass of water. ‘Oh, here.’ She pulled a velvet pouch from her handbag. ‘My grandmother’s ring. You might like to keep a hold of it.’
‘No.’
She frowned. ‘I thought you were going to be my muscle, my brawn...my hard man.’ It’d be safer with him than with her.
‘You keep hold of the ring and I’ll guard you.’ There wasn’t an ounce of compromise in his eyes. Slowly she pocketed it again, recalling his words when he’d demanded the jewels be removed from the cottage. I’ve been to prison, Nell, and I’m not going back.
Bile churned in her stomach. Jail must’ve been hell. Pure hell. She wished he’d been spared that.
‘Did you make an appointment for a valuation?’
‘Yes, we’re to meet with the evaluator in an hour.’
He stopped eating to stare at her. It felt as if his gaze reached right down into her soul. She swallowed and wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. ‘You sure you’re okay with this?’ he said.
Was he afraid she’d become hysterical partway through negotiations?
‘I wish things could be otherwise, but that’s just not possible. So, yes, I’m okay with this.’
And because she didn’t want him to read any of the other thoughts rising up through her, she backed towards the hallway. ‘I’ll just go powder my nose and get ready.’
He didn’t call anything teasing after her and she wondered if he’d read her thoughts despite her best efforts. Thoughts of kissing him, of the need that pummelled her whenever he was near...of how close she’d come earlier to throwing herself at him.
Oh, that would’ve been another sterling example of her brilliant judgement. Rick might want her. She knew enough to know what the heat in his eyes meant when he looked at her a certain way. She knew that these days men found her attractive. And she knew she found Rick attractive, but where would it lead? To heartbreak, that was where.
Rick wasn’t a criminal, but he was a heartbreaker. He’d made it clear that he had no intention of sticking around once he solved the mystery his father had set him. And she didn’t fool herself that she’d be the woman to change his mind.
She was through with fairy tales. From here on she dealt in reality.
* * *
‘I’m
