River Road(27)
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz

You had to look closely to see the cold assessment that was taking place behind the scenes, she thought. No doubt about it, Warner Colfax was trying to figure out how he could manipulate her.

Maybe this was what a really good salesman looked like, after all.

She gave him her best “Congratulations, you are a long-lost heir” smile.

“Lucy Sheridan,” he said. “A pleasure.” His expression turned abruptly somber. “I was so sorry to hear of your aunt’s death. I did not know her well, but we met a number of times because of her connection to my sister. She and Mary were very close, both personally and professionally.”

“Thank you,” Lucy said. “Please accept my condolences on Mary’s death. I will miss both of them.”

“Thank you.” Warner’s warm smile returned. He switched his calculating gaze to Mason. “I don’t believe we’ve met, but I do know your uncle. We run into each other from time to time in town.”

“Small town,” Mason said.

Warner chuckled. “It certainly is. So glad you could both make it tonight.”

The two men shook hands. And then Warner touched his wife’s shoulder in a cool, possessive manner.

“My wife, Ashley,” Warner said.

“Lucy.” Ashley smiled in acknowledgment of the introduction.

Unlike her husband, Ashley came across as coolly polite and reserved. Once you got past her long, elegant jaw and patrician nose you could see something that resembled anxiety in her beautifully made-up brown eyes. Ashley and Jillian had a couple of things in common, Lucy decided. They were both on edge, perhaps even scared.

But when Ashley turned her attention to Mason—which happened pretty much in the blink of an eye—the icy veneer vanished beneath a gracious charm.

“Mason, what a pleasure,” she murmured. She smiled again, this time managing to include Lucy. “Come with me, both of you, and I’ll make sure you get some of Warner’s incredible Reserve that we’re pouring tonight.”

She led the way through the crowd toward the long, polished bar. Lucy followed. Mason fell into step directly behind her, staying close. There was something both intimate and protective about the way he made it clear that he was with her tonight.

She got a little thrill from knowing that he was close enough to touch. She had liked it earlier when he had wrapped his powerful hand around her arm to walk her to the car. She had liked it a lot. She liked the scent of him as well. The clean, masculine tang was infused with just a hint of aftershave.

He stood out in the crowd—at least he stood out to her. It was a good bet that many of the other male guests in the room wielded the kind of power that came with money and social and political connections. But Mason possessed a different kind of power. It wasn’t just physical, she thought. It was the kind of strength that you could depend on at crunch time. The steel in Mason had been infused with old-fashioned virtues such as honor and courage and determination. He was the kind of man who would always take full responsibility for his actions. Even as a teen she had been able to sense that inner fortitude in him. What was true back then was even truer now.

She knew from the manner in which some of the other guests surreptitiously studied him that most of them had gotten the message. You did not want to mess with Mason Fletcher.

Several of the men surveyed him with a calculating air. She suspected that they were busily assuring themselves that in spite of what their instincts were telling them, their money and connections ensured that they held a superior status in the room. The women in the crowd viewed Mason in an entirely different manner. Lucy caught expressions that ranged from curiosity to discreetly veiled sexual interest.

It was a lot easier to analyze the reactions of others to Mason than it was to understand her own disturbing response to him. In the course of her recent whirlwind dating spree, she had met some very nice, very interesting men. A few of those introductions should have worked out for her. At the very least, she ought to have felt some regret when the relationships failed to coalesce into something that could go the distance. But every time she closed the book on another arranged date she experienced a sense of relief, not despair. True, she had cried a few times, but mostly because she knew deep down that it was her fault that the relationships always fell apart.

Commitment issues.

But tonight she was experiencing a revelation. She had been looking for a man like Mason.

Maybe she should contact Dr. Preston and tell her about the breakthrough that had occurred in the middle of a possible murder investigation. On second thought, that was not a good idea, she decided. In Preston’s world a patient who became a conspiracy theorist was probably a lot more worrisome than one who was an ordinary commitment-phobe.

Lucy smiled to herself.

Mason gave her a sharp look. “What?”

“Nothing,” she whispered. “Just a fleeting thought. Forget it.”

Ashley stopped at the long bar and spoke to one of the two women who was not wearing a catering uniform.

“Beth, would you pour two glasses of the Reserve for our very special guests?” she said.

Beth turned around. Her curly brown hair was cut in a short style that framed her strongly etched features. She looked out at the world through a pair of black-framed glasses. Lucy thought she looked familiar.

When Beth saw Mason, her polite smile was transformed into glowing delight.

“Hey, Mason,” she exclaimed. “Remember me? Beth Crosby. It’s been a while. Heard you were back in town.”

Mason smiled. “Good to see you again. Looks like the wine-

making degree you were going for worked out well.”

“It certainly did. I’m the winemaker here at Colfax.” Pride warmed Beth’s voice. She picked up an open bottle and moved to stand across from Mason and Lucy. “I heard you were back in town, Mason. I keep meaning to stop by the hardware store and say hello, but I’ve been insanely busy lately. It’s great to see you again. How are things going?”

“Good,” Mason said. “Do you know Lucy Sheridan?”

“Hi, Lucy,” Beth said. Smiling, she poured two glasses of the red wine. “I wouldn’t have recognized you. We passed each other in town a few times back in the day, but that was about it.”

“I remember,” Lucy said. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“I got to know your aunt fairly well. I collect antique wine-making equipment. Sara found some wonderful pieces for me. Mr. Colfax let me put some of the objects on display in the tank room. Tourists love the old things. I was so sorry to hear about the accident.”