Her Mistletoe Protector

Now, all he needed was a way to prove it.

ELEVEN

Rachel didn’t want to believe Nick’s theory, but she couldn’t deny that his idea had merit. “Seems odd that Global would go to such drastic lengths to put me under,” she said softly. “But, okay, let’s say they did convince Karl to sabotage my company. And that the failed diabetes medication was part of the master plan. How does kidnapping Joey fit into the picture? Removing me as the CEO isn’t going to put the company under. Gerry Ashton has been working for the company over the past seventeen years and he’s perfectly capable of running the company without me.”

“Isn’t there anything about your management styles that could make the difference between success and failure?” Nick pressed.

Rachel clenched her teeth in frustration. She didn’t understand why he remained so focused on someone working against her from inside the company rather than the Mafia link.

Although now that Morales was dead, she was forced to admit they might never know for sure who was behind the kidnapping.

“The only difference between Gerry and me is that I take more risks in research and development,” she said. “Gerry tends to be more conservative.”

“That’s all? Nothing else?” Nick appeared disappointed by her response.

“The only other thing we disagreed about was settling the lawsuit,” she admitted. She still remembered the heated argument they’d had. Gerry had pushed so hard she had been forced to take the issue to the board of directors. “He wanted to continue to fight, but I managed to convince the board that settling right away would be better for us in the long run. And there’s still hope that the lawsuit will be settled soon.”

“How long has Ashton worked for you?” he probed.

“I’ve only been in charge as the CEO for the past three years, since my father died. Gerry was a VP colleague during the years my father was in charge.” Before he could ask another question, she quickly changed the subject. “I need to talk to you about Joey.”

Nick’s eyebrows lifted. “What about him?”

She took a deep breath and released it slowly, trying to figure out a way to articulate her concern without hurting his feelings. “Joey is at a vulnerable age, and I think it’s clear he’s looking for a father figure. I’ve noticed he’s been following you around, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t encourage him. Please try to keep your distance.”

He stared at her for a long moment. “I haven’t encouraged him on purpose,” he finally said. “Besides, I’m not sure I understand what your problem is. Showing your son how to build a fire and how to prime a well isn’t a big deal.”

“Maybe not, but can’t you see that I don’t want him to rely on you too much? Once this is over...” She trailed off, unable or maybe unwilling to put her deepest fears into words. “I just don’t want him hurt,” she repeated lamely.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Rachel,” Nick said with a frown. “I was hoping that Joey and I could hang out once in a while, even after this is over.”

Her jaw dropped in surprise. It had never occurred to her that Nick would want to continue to see her son. And, for some reason, she found the idea disconcerting. “Well, uh, I guess I’ll think about it,” she said, unable to come up with a good reason for refusing him outright.

Nick’s intense gaze bored into hers and she squirmed in her seat, feeling as if he was seeing right through her. She couldn’t explain why the two of them forging a relationship after this was over bothered her so much, but it did. She glanced at her sleeping son and rose to her feet. “I’m going to take Joey to the back bedroom.”

“Good idea,” Nick agreed readily. “I’ll stay out here, since I’ll need to keep feeding wood into the fireplace, anyway.”

She nodded, relieved to have an excuse to avoid Nick for the rest of the night. The way she’d warned Nick to stay away from her son was just as important for her to remember, as well. In all honesty, she was becoming far too dependent on Nick. She crossed over to lift her sleeping son into her arms. At nine years old, he was too big to carry, but she managed, staggering under his weight yet unwilling to ask Nick for help.

The bedroom was cool, being farther away from the fire. She set Joey on the bed and, amazingly, he didn’t wake up. She shivered and searched for more blankets. Luckily, she’d found earlier a huge hope chest filled with handmade quilts. She retrieved several of them to use as covers and then stretched out on the bed next to Joey.