Free The Chilling Deception by Jayne Castle

disappointment. There was something missing, something a perceptive woman couldn’t always put her finger on but that she sensed was lacking. Guinevere knew that if she went looking for a complete man beneath Cassidy’s flashy exterior she wouldn’t find one.
    The breeze seemed to turn colder as the boat headed back toward the marina.
    The weather, however, was not nearly as cold as the expression in Zac’s gray eyes as he stood on the dock an hour later waiting for the returning boat to be made fast. Guinevere hadn’t noticed him until the last minute, and when she did she groaned inwardly. So much for small discretions. Cassidy was standing behind her, big as life, and she sensed his amused satisfaction as he solicitously helped her ashore.
    “Anytime you want a private tour you just let me know, Gwen,” he murmured as Zac came forward. “I can always squeeze you into my schedule. And you can see a hell of a lot more from the air.”
    “Thank you,” she said lamely, aware of Zac’s bleak expression. She turned to him with a deliberately cheerful smile. “Oh, hello, Zac. I didn’t know you’d be able to meet me. Did the conference get out early?”
    “No.”
    “I see. Well, we had a great tour of the area.”
    “I can imagine. You ready to go back to the hotel? It’s almost time for lunch.”
    He wasn’t going to be gracious or understanding about this, apparently. A small flame of resentment started to uncurl within her. Damn it anyway, she told herself. Who was Zac Justis to make her feel guilty over a social situation that had been totally beyond her control? She didn’t like the feeling and she didn’t like the fact that Zac could induce it. This relationship she was involved in had to be clarified, and soon. She knew she was glowering as Zac opened the Buick’s door and unceremoniously all but shoved her inside. The others were driving back to the resort in Springer’s car.
    “It wasn’t my fault, you know,” she muttered, and immediately resented the fact that she’d felt obliged to defend herself. “Cassidy just showed up at the last minute and hopped aboard.”
    “How fitting. Hopalong Cassidy.”
    “It’s not nice to make fun of a person’s disability.”
    “Did he regale you with the tale of how he managed to collect such a romantic limp? I’ll bet it’s a great story, full of heroism and danger.” Zac grimly turned the key in the ignition.
    “No, he did not. As a matter of fact we discussed the local islands, and then some of us talked a bit about Washburn’s success. He’s thinking of buying one of those empty islands out there, you know.”
    “No, I didn’t know. But I’m not surprised. What’s that got to do with anything?”
    “Well, nothing. I just thought you were asking for a blow-by-blow account of the cruise, so I was trying to give it to you.”
    “Spare me. If I want the account, I’ll ask for it.”
    “Yes, sir. You certainly are in a good mood, sir, if I may say so, sir. Did anything interesting happen between Washburn and Vandyke at the conference?”
    Zac’s mouth hardened. “I think Vandyke’s going to get the deal.”
    Guinevere glanced at him. “Really? That’s great. Maybe that will make him relax a little.”
    “It’s not final yet, and Vandyke doesn’t seem any more relaxed.” Zac turned the corner onto the narrow road that led from the small village back to the resort.
    Guinevere sought for more neutral conversation. “Did you get hold of your friend?”
    “Sol? Yeah. He was sleeping off a hangover. Said he’d look into it when I told him I’d send along a check to cover his expenses. His great American novel hasn’t yet found a publisher, I gather.”
    “So we don’t know any more than we did this morning?”
    “Nope.”
    “Where’s the briefcase?”
    “Vandyke has it. I think he felt guilty about asking me to stick so close when that wasn’t really what he’d hired me to do. He told me to take off for a few minutes to