think I’m going to make an offer. The house is amazing, but it needs some TLC for sure,” Duke said.
Jack frowned. “It needs more than tender loving care. It needs an overhaul. Are you sure you want to redo an old one instead of building something new?”
Duke nodded. “Yeah. You know me. I like vintage way better than modern.”
“You like a little redhead, too, don’t you?” Jack asked.
“Maybe, but I’m not discussing her,” Duke said.
Jack grinned. “Dammit. I never thought I’d see the day, but I do believe you are finally falling for a girl.”
“She’s no girl. She’s a woman…a beautiful woman,” Duke said.
Jack grinned again. “I stand corrected.”
* * *
Rand Lawrence was working from home today, running searches on Cathy Terry. His soon-to-be wife, Kellie Steele, was making cookies. He could smell them from his office. Kellie was used to his lifestyle and the times he was on stakeout. It was part of his job. But she didn’t like that he was working for Blaine Wagner. She hadn’t said so, but he could tell how she shut down every time Blaine called him.
She used to work as a hostess at The Still, a restaurant in the Mirage, and she’d told him how Wagner, who was still married, always hit on the pretty young women who worked there.
When Kellie came into his office carrying a plate of warm oatmeal cookies, he groaned.
“Honey, those smell amazing. You’re so good to me,” he said, and hugged her around the waist as he grabbed a cookie and took a big bite. “And they’re delicious. Thank you.”
She smiled as she ran her fingers through his hair, then began massaging the back of his neck.
“Oooh, that feels as good as these cookies taste,” Rand said.
“You’ve been in here for hours. I figured the muscles were tight. What are you doing?” she asked.
“Running a couple of searches for a client.”
“Who’s the client?” she asked.
He sighed. “Blaine Wagner. He’s trying to locate his ex-wife.”
Kellie frowned. “But you said she left Vegas. Why does he care where she went? They’re divorced.”
Rand shrugged. “I have no idea,” he said, and put the last half of the cookie in his mouth and went back to work.
“Do you want something to drink?” Kellie asked.
“Maybe a refill on my coffee?”
She gave his shoulders one last squeeze and then picked up his empty cup. “I’ll be right back.”
Rand glanced back at the screen, then rolled his eyes. There were so damn many females with the name Cathy Terry that there was no way he was ever going to find her.
He knew she had a new driver’s license. He’d verified that with the Nevada DMV, but she’d left her Lexus in the parking garage at her Las Vegas apartment. There was no record of her registering a car title for a new car. No record of her leasing a car, and there were a million places to rent that would never run background checks on anyone. She could be anywhere—even out of the country with a fake passport and a fake name, for all he knew—and he wasn’t into hacking into government databases. He did have her social security number, which would not change, despite whatever name change went with it.
The fact that she’d gotten thirty million dollars in the divorce settlement was probably a factor in her not trying to find a job, which would have ultimately revealed her location when her paychecks were issued. He had to give it to her. Cathy Terry sure knew how to disappear.
Chapter 9
Cathy was at peace with herself for the first time in years. She didn’t have to pretend she knew nothing about Blaine’s other women. She didn’t have to pretend to their social circle that everything was wonderful about being married to one of the wealthiest men in Nevada. And hopefully, she’d gotten far enough away to be safe from his threats.
Renting the car shifted her perception of being powerless, too. Even as she was making herself some supper, she was planning a shopping trip to Savannah tomorrow. She needed clothes and shoes. The little boutique in Blessings was great for a special-occasion outfit, but she needed to replace a wardrobe, and that meant hitting a mall somewhere.
She also needed a good basic cookbook. She knew how to cook, but she didn’t remember the ingredients that went into all of the recipes from when she and her mother were together. And after she married, the chef and the servants had done everything for them. She’d