A Mail-Order Destiny Page 7

  "Insufferable?" Abby nodded, smiling. "Yes. That would be him. It becomes endearing though."

  Willow wasn't sure she agreed. But regardless of how she personally felt, how Abby felt was all that mattered. "I'm just glad he's not my brother," she teased.

  Abby snorted and released Willow's arm. "Come on. Let's hurry and ransack the office so we can move on to somewhere else."

  "Sounds like a plan." Although, Willow had no idea where they'd look next. This was the last restricted place. If they didn't find it here, it was unlikely they'd find it somewhere else.

  Arriving at the office, Abby knocked briskly.

  "Come in."

  Just hearing Rhys' voice sent shivers over Willow's body. She'd been hoping to lock away the feelings he'd released in her during their kiss yesterday, but it looked as though she'd failed miserably.

  Abby opened the door and walked in, and Willow, her heart slightly racing, stepped in behind her. Instead of keeping her eyes on the floor like some modest maiden, she boldly looked up into his eyes, ignoring what her insides were doing.

  When his eyes connected with hers, she took in a sharp breath. His eyes quickly trailed over her, and she felt the movement like a caress.

  Abby stepped forward and kissed Rhys on the cheek. "Thank you for letting us invade your privacy."

  His lips twitched in amusement. "I wasn't aware I had a choice," he teased. "Besides, if I'm going to be invaded, I couldn't have chosen anyone better."

  "Very sweet. We'll let you know when we're done."

  Rhys walked over to a chair against the wall and sat. "I think I'll stay."

  "Stay?" Willow squeaked, and Rhys gave her a look that made her bones melt.

  "Yes. I needed a break anyway. Watching you treasure hunt should help."

  Abby turned from looking at the desk, and held up a finger at him. "Fine, but just be aware that even if we find the treasure right now, just being here doesn't mean you'll get a cut."

  He held up his hands. "Understood."

  At his words, Abby grinned and turned back to her task of ransacking his desk. He turned his attention on Willow. "Go on. You might as well dig in, too."

  But instead of moving like she knew she should, she just stood there, staring at him like an idiot.

  After a few seconds, Rhys raised a brow, and a grin curled his lips, as if he understood completely why she was still standing there, staring at him.

  Snapping out of it, she spun away from him, almost groaning at his faint chuckle. Oh, he knew how she felt, what he did to her. It was so embarrassing. She was a grown woman for heaven's sake, and this wasn't the first time she'd been attracted to a man.

  Then why was she behaving this way? She'd been kissed before. Albeit, never like that. Her experiences before had been brief. Almost like a period at the end of a sentence or an afterthought. Quick, passionless, and forgettable. Willow knew she would never forget a second of how it felt to kiss Rhys.

  She cleared her throat and moved over to the bookcase, pulling each book down one at a time and flipping through for any more clues, as she'd done in the library.

  Abby and Rhys chatted a bit, but Willow tuned out their conversation, focusing mainly on how she felt inside.

  Ten minutes later, a knock sounded from the door and Rhys answered it, finally stepping out of the room.

  With him gone, her body relaxed, the tense muscles unfurling, and she sighed with relief. She needed to figure out how to handle seeing him. Because this wasn't comfortable, and frankly, it was a little ridiculous. "Have you found anything?" she asked Abby. Although she was certain if she had, Abby would have said something.

  "Nothing." Disappointment tinged her voice. "You?"

  "No. I haven't gone through all the books though," she offered, but she knew, deep down, they wouldn't find anything.

  Abby stepped over to her and reached for a book. "I don't understand. We should have found something else."

  Willow shrugged. "I don't know what to say. DP's hoard has been a legend for a long time. Many people have looked for it before this. I'm sure even the Claytons did. We might not ever know what happened to it."

  Abby sighed, as though finally accepting the truth. "You're right. I just felt so certain we would find it."

  "Maybe someday we will. You never know."

  Abby was about to say something else, when Rhys stepped back in the room. He rubbed the back of his neck, and moved as though agitated.

  Abby looked at him and frowned. "What's wrong?"

  "Nothing." He gave them his full attention. "Find anything?"

  "No." Abby cocked her head. "What is it, Rhys?"

  He blew out a breath and raked a hand through his hair. "Just trouble with the hotel."

  Willow stepped forward. "Is anyone injured?"

  His gaze darted to hers as he shook his head. "No. Sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. There haven't been any more accidents, now that I've hired someone to watch the hotel and have put out a reward for information. But even without things going wrong, word has spread about the poisoning. We've only had a handful of people eat in the restaurant since it happened."

  "What can we do?" Abby asked.

  "Not much, unfortunately. It doesn't matter how much we convince people it's safe, they're scared. The only thing we can do is try to get them to forget."

  "How about an event?" Abby offered. "Do something that will get them in the door and having a good time. Then the poisoning will fall to the back of their minds."

  He nodded. "Same as we did in Atlanta."

  "Exactly."

  "I've thought the same thing, but I don't know these people. What is something they'd want to attend? What can we offer them?"

  Both sets of eyes turned to Willow. She cleared her throat. "The townspeople are predominately men. Which makes it tricky."

  Rhys agreed. "True. And it doesn't make sense to sponsor a competition, or anything like that. They wouldn't be in the hotel. We need something that will make them forget."

  "The men like opportunities to mingle with the few single ladies in town." It was strange saying those words, when she was one of the few single women left. "Most would come for something like that."

  Abby smile. "Like a ball?"

  Willow laughed. "That's a fancy name for it, but yes. Although, I'm not sure that will do what we need."

  He nodded at her appreciatively. "I agree. They've been to dances before, and there will be plenty more. But what else could we offer?"

  Abby frowned. "What's something both men and women would enjoy?"

  Willow had no idea. Men liked going to things where they could interact with women…so what was something a woman would enjoy? Their homes, families, friends. Picnics, gatherings, parties all filtered through her mind, but none of those options seemed right. "What is something women like?"

  "Fashion?" Abby offered.

  As if a lightbulb came on for both of them, they grinned at each other.

  Rhys sat up, looking between them. "What is it?"

  "Well," Abby drawled. "Women like fashion, and from everything I've seen, they want the most fashionable dresses they can find. So, we can host a party where the purpose is for ladies to view gowns. We can either have the dresses showcased throughout the room, or have women walk out in a display of sorts."

  Rhys stood from his chair, and Willow could see his mind turning over the possibilities. "The parade would be better. Not only would it be the highlight of the evening, it would also allow the men to look at the women for a reason."

  Willow raised a brow. "Do they need a reason?"

  "If they want to stare and look their fill? Yes. This is perfect. Men might not be interested in women's fashion, but they'll be interested in this." He looked at Willow. "Can you make this happen by the weekend?"

  Her mind reeled with the possibilities. She mentally catalogued her inventory. "I don't think I have enough gowns to do it. I'd need more time to sew."

  "What if we use my dresses? We can
have a few women wear them. Most people haven't seen them before."

  Willow bit her lip. "Are you sure you wouldn't mind?" The dresses were gorgeous, and she'd been planning on copying a few of the designs. Women would go crazy once they saw them, and Willow knew she would be overrun with orders.

  "Of course! It's the least I could do."

  Rhys smiled at his sister gratefully, before turning his attention back to Willow. "What do you think?"

  "I think…" She debated mentioning it, but felt she needed to be honest. "I think it's a wonderful idea. I think people will love it, and you'll have a full house. But…"

  "But?" Both Rhys and Abby asked.

  Willow twisted her hands in front of her. "But I feel I should mention that this will be very beneficial to me and my business. Yes, it'll get people in the hotel and will help erase the poisoning from their minds, but it's going to drive up my sales significantly. I feel as if I should be paying you to do this."

  Rhys grinned then. "That's when you know it's a really good idea. It's a benefit to everyone. Knowing what it'll do for your business only makes me want to do it more."

  She flushed with pleasure at his words. She could tell he truly meant them. Yes, he was doing it to help the hotel, but Willow was sure if she'd come to him with this idea before the poisoning, he would have done it regardless. "Thank you."

  Abby rubbed her hands together, as if excited to plan the event. "Now, where should we start?"

  "We'll need to find ladies to model. As many as you can find."

  Fortunately, Willow knew just who to ask. She grinned. "Let me take care of that."

  Chapter 10

  When a knock sounded on Rhys' door, he glanced at the clock. Five minutes late. "Come in."

  Peter, his assistant, opened the door. "Mr. and Mrs. Clayton, sir."

  Rhys nodded and stood. "Thank you." As the former owners of the hotel stepped in, Rhys didn't smile, but he made an effort not to outright scowl. "I'll call if I need you, Peter. Thank you."

  His assistant swiftly left the room, closing the door behind him, a fact Rhys appreciated. Peter was the type of man Rhys generally liked working with. He was efficient, loyal, and to the point. Unlike the two people who stood before him.

  Mr. Clayton seated himself in one of the chairs, slouching as if he still owned the place, and Mrs. Clayton’s gaze darted over every corner of the room, as if scrutinizing and evaluating the changes.

  Both behaviors were irritating and rude, but Rhys had dealt with people much worse. Besides, they weren't here on a social call. "Thank you both for coming."

  Mrs. Clayton shrugged, her ample bosom jiggling with the movement. "Our home isn't far from here, and we were rather surprised you wanted to see us. Is the hotel not to your liking?" she asked, a little too sweetly.

  Rhys' eyes narrowed. "I like the hotel just fine. Like anything that's mine."

  She harrumphed, clearly annoyed her needle hadn't found it's mark. But the problem was, it had. It was obvious she'd heard of the trouble they'd been having, but how much did she know? He looked to Mr. Clayton. He almost appeared to be sleeping. The man didn't have one ounce of backbone. "I take it you've both heard of what's happened here?" He purposefully left out what, hoping to see how much they knew.

  Mr. Clayton nodded. "Poison isn't something you can brush under the rug." So he was awake, after all.

  "No. It isn't. And I wouldn't try to. We're using everything at our disposal to find the person who did it."

  Mrs. Clayton smiled. "Do you really think one person is doing it all?"

  Rhys stilled. "All what?"

  "All the problems you have here." She waved around as if gesturing to the whole hotel. "I highly doubt it's one person."

  It was possible she'd heard about the accidents. Someone could still be loyal to her, but the question was, were they loyal enough to do those things if Mrs. Clayton asked? Was this woman capable of hurting others, of sabotage? Of poison? He couldn't tell. "There's no way to tell at this point. Could be, but maybe not. I guess the question I have for both of you is, do you know who's behind this?"

  Mrs. Clayton spluttered and attacked. "You can't possibly mean to blame us for these occurrences! We weren't even here."

  "Quite right," Mr. Clayton added, looking perturbed.

  Mrs. Clayton's outrage seemed genuine, but Rhys had dealt with plenty of liars in his time. Some great, some not so. But he still couldn't make up his mind about the couple in front of him.

  Mrs. Clayton was the obvious choice for the saboteur. She was angry about him purchasing the hotel, and she might hope to reclaim it, if he walked away. Rhys didn’t suspect Mr. Clayton of wrongdoing, though. The man practically had one foot in the grave. "I didn't say it was you. I'm asking if you have any idea who it is. A disgruntled employee? An unhappy customer?" he prompted, hoping to bring them back into a less defensive stance. If they felt they were being attacked, they would never open up.

  The woman's shoulders relaxed slightly, but she sneered. "The only unhappy customer I can think of was your sister, because she couldn't pay the bill. Other than that, I can't imagine who would have an issue with the hotel. Everyone who's stayed here in the past has had a pleasant visit."

  Rhys didn't take the bait. He didn't care if Mrs. Clayton was trying to rile him up. The fact was, she had nothing. The hotel was his, and she was bitter. She could say whatever she wanted. Instead, he turned to Mr. Clayton. "And you? Is there no one?"

  Mr. Clayton rubbed his jaw, as if giving the question considerable thought. "It could be anyone here, really. Shoddy bunch of workers if I've ever seen 'em. Be mindful to fire them if they step even a toe out of line. If not—" he swiped a hand through the air "—they'll take all you have."

  "I'll keep that in mind," Rhys said dryly. No wonder Mr. Clayton had had problems with the staff.

  "You know, perhaps it was your sister," Mrs. Clayton interrupted. "I know you want her to leave with you, and she doesn't want to. Perhaps she's trying to ruin your business so you'll leave. She's had ample opportunity to wander through the hotel. No one would suspect her."

  It took all of Rhys' willpower, but he counted to ten silently before addressing her. "If I hear one more derogatory remark against my sister, I'll sue you for slander." His tone was low and deadly.

  The smirk on her face faded as he stared at her, refusing to blink. In truth, Mrs. Clayton disgusted him. She thrived on the pain of others, always looking to place herself on top. Rhys had seen numerous others like that in his line of work, and had ruthlessly avoided them. He stood from his chair. "Let me be frank. I called you here to see if you know who is causing the problems in the hotel. I appreciate you coming in and sharing what information you have. If there's anything else you can think of, please send word. I'll be watching out for who's doing this, and I guarantee he'll be caught." The words were ominous, and he cast a long look at Mrs. Clayton. She gulped and looked away, but Rhys couldn't tell if she'd done so because of his subtle threat or because she was worried about being caught.

  In either case, he wouldn't figure it out now. He gave a final nod, and they both read his dismissal correctly. They scurried out of the office, Mrs. Clayton huffing one last time as she went through the door.

  When he was finally alone, he rubbed his eyes. He needed to figure who was causing these problems before things got worse. They'd only escalate from here. He felt it deep in his bones.

  A handful of single women from town and Ivan's brides had immediately agreed to model Willow and Abby's dresses. Several of them were pregnant, but Willow assured them she wanted clothes for expectant women modeled, as well. Even though many women felt hideous in later stages of pregnancy, Willow knew they'd feel more beautiful if they had fashionable gowns to wear.

  Willow stood with Abby and Rhys as they welcomed guests into the hotel ballroom. The women were busy dressing in a room used specifically for that purpose, so they'd have their privacy, and would make a grand entrance once the guests had arrive
d. So many people had shown up, it made her head spin.

  The event was already a success in her eyes. It had done exactly what Rhys had hoped, it had brought people into the hotel. Hopefully by the end of the night, after eating appetizers which looked incredible and tasted heavenly, they'd be lured back to the hotel's restaurant.

  The clock behind them chimed, alerting Willow to the time. She leaned over and whispered, "I'm going to go check on the women."

  She said it to Abby, but Rhys had overheard as well, and nodded at her with a grateful smile.

  She excused herself, and made her way through the room, exchanging short greetings with people as they called out to her. She'd been so caught up in helping the hotel, she kept forgetting that this night was also about her and her business.

  Finally exiting the room, she walked down the hall, past the room where the single women were dressing to another, larger room where Ivan's brides were getting ready. She smiled at Jared, who was in charge of guarding the doors, before she slipped inside.

  The room was in chaos, but it was happy, as her friends laughed, chatted, and sipped champagne in various states of dress. Clara and Rosalie were helping Aria into a gown designed for later stages of pregnancy, while Juliette expertly curled and pinned Olivia's hair. Belle, already wearing a gorgeous blue ballgown with a gauzy overlay that matched her eyes, chatted with Sadie and Violet, both still in their undergarments, as they contemplated the jewelry laid out.

  Willow's heart filled as she looked at the women, all sisters of her heart. "Looking good, ladies."

  They all squealed when they saw her and rushed over to hug her, everyone talking over each other.

  "This is amazing!"

  "Thank you for having us do this!"

  "We should do something like this every year!"

  Willow giggled, not knowing who said what, but happy they were all here and excited. "I hope you still feel the same way by the end of the evening."

  Rosalie playfully slapped Willow's arm. "Of course we will! You're dressing us up like princesses."

  In truth, a lot of Abby's dresses did look like gowns a princess would wear. Everyone except Violet and Sadie were clothed, and she could see the two dresses that had been picked for them off to the side—except there weren't two dresses left, there were three, she realized. Was someone missing?