Two Alone

more responsive. Nipples? Larger and darker. Thighs? Hers were just as smooth, but not nearly as strong as yours.” He stared at the spot where hers came together. “Yours can squeeze the life out of a man.”

She covered her mouth to trap a sob of anguish and outrage. Her breath was coming as hard and fast as his. They glared at each other with an animosity as fierce as the passion they’d shared while making love.

It was into that seething atmosphere that Bill Carlson made his inopportune entrance. “Rusty?”

She jumped at her father’s voice. “Father!” His name came out as a gusty exhalation. “Come...good morning. This...” She discovered that her mouth was dry and the hand she raised to gesture toward Cooper was trembling. “This is Cooper Landry.”

“Ah, Mr. Landry.” Carlson extended his hand. Cooper shook it. He did so firmly, but with a noticeable lack of enthusiasm and a great deal of dislike. “I’ve had several people trying to track you down.” Cooper offered no explanations as to his whereabouts overnight, so Carlson blustered on. “I wanted to thank you for saving my daughter’s life.”

“No thanks is necessary.”

“Of course it is. She means the world to me. The way she tells it, you meant the difference between her life and death. In fact she’s the one who urged me to locate you last night.”

Cooper glanced down at Rusty, then back at Carlson, who was reaching into the breast pocket of his suit coat. He withdrew a white envelope. “Rusty wanted to say thank you in a special way.”

He handed the envelope to Cooper. Cooper opened it and glanced inside. He stared at the contents for a long moment before lifting his eyes to Rusty. They were frigid with contempt. One corner of his mustache curled into a nasty smile. Then, in one vicious motion, he ripped the envelope and the cashier’s check inside in half. He tossed the two halves into the valley of her thighs.

“Thanks all the same, Miss Carlson, but on our last night together I was paid in full for my services.”

Chapter Twelve

Turning back to his daughter after watching Cooper storm from the room, Carlson said, “What an unpleasant individual.”

“Father, how could you have offered him money?” Rusty cried in dismay.

“I thought you wanted and expected me to.”

“Whatever gave you that impression? Cooper...Mr. Landry... He is a proud man. Do you think he saved my life for profit?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. He’s an unlikeable character from what I’ve heard of him.”

“You asked around?”

“Certainly. As soon as he was identified as the man with you when you were rescued. Being marooned with him couldn’t have been easy for you.”

“We had our differences,” Rusty replied with a rueful smile. “But he could have deserted me and saved himself at any time.”

“He wasn’t about to. Not when there might be a reward for saving you.”

“He didn’t know that.”

“He’s clever. He deduced that I’d spare no expense to rescue you if you were still alive. Maybe he was offended by the amount.” He picked up the ripped check and studied it. “I thought it was a generous reward, but maybe he’s greedier than I suspected.”

Rusty closed her eyes and let her head fall back onto the pillows in defeat. “Father, he doesn’t want your money. He’s all too glad to be rid of me.”

“The feeling is mutual.” Carlson sat down on the edge of her bed. “However, it’s unfortunate that we can’t capitalize on your mishap.”

Her eyes came open again. “‘Capitalize’? What in the world are you talking about?”

“Don’t jump to conclusions until you’ve heard me out.” She’d already jumped to several conclusions, none of which were to her liking. “You’re not referring to a movie are you?” When her friend had mentioned the idea, she’d been appalled.

Carlson patted her hand. “Nothing so crass, my dear. We’ve got more style than that.”

“Then, what?”

“One of your problems has always been your lack of vision, Rusty.” Affectionately, he cuffed her on the chin. “Your brother would have immediately seen the enterprising possibilities this situation has opened up to us.”

As usual, the comparison to her brother left her feeling inferior. “Like what?”