Night Whispers Read online

  “I’m not the one you have to convince; you need to call the old man and convince him.”

  “I’m on vacation at the moment. When I make him a hero, he’ll calm down. In the meantime, I’m here and conducting myself like a perfect guest who is vacationing at someone’s home. I play tennis, lounge around by the pool, have dinner, go dancing. I haven’t opened a drawer or even a photo album without being asked to look inside it. I’m not telling Sloan where to search or what to look for. I’ve never told her Reynolds is using his bank to launder money, and I’ve never told her whose money he’s laundering. I won’t have to, because fate has stepped in and put her exactly where I wanted her.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that my gorgeous traveling companion has acquired a very persistent admirer, and no federal judge alive could rule out any evidence she gets on him, because I had absolutely nothing to do with it.”

  “Who is he?”

  “Noah Maitland.”

  The agent drew a long breath and expelled it in a triumphant whisper. “Bingo!”

  26

  Sloan stood at her balcony railing, mesmerized by the sight below. The entire back lawn was lit with torches and dotted with tables covered in white linen and decorated with flowers and candles in glass bowls. Tuxedo-clad waiters were passing trays of champagne and hors d’oeuvres among what appeared to be at least two hundred guests. Banquet tables with huge floral arrangements had been set up on the right side of the lawn, and on the left, near the swimming pool, an orchestra was playing near a portable dance floor. On a separate table in the center of the lawn was a huge ice sculpture of graceful soaring gulls.

  “Ready to make your grand entrance?” Paris asked, walking through Sloan’s bedroom and joining her on the balcony.

  “I didn’t think this was going to be such a big, elaborate party,” Sloan said.

  “Noah’s secretary is a magician,” Paris decreed, surveying the gathering with approval. “I could never have pulled off anything like this on such short notice. Let’s go.”

  “I’m nervous,” Sloan admitted.

  “So am I,” Paris said with a shaky laugh. “No one has ever worn one of my designs before. Let’s see the total effect.”

  Sloan turned from the railing and followed her into the bedroom, where she did a slow pirouette for Paris’s inspection. The lemon chiffon dress had a multilayered skirt that floated around Sloan’s knees with each step she took and a tightly fitted halter bodice with a square neckline and a jeweled clasp at the nape. “I will never look this good again,” Sloan declared half seriously.

  “The color is perfect with your tan,” Paris said, standing back and studying the entire effect. “And the dress is a wonderful fit. I feel very—professional.”

  “You are professional,” Sloan said with solemn sincerity.

  “Father doesn’t think so. He said I was wasting my time last month when I made these. . . .”

  “Don’t let him do that to you,” Sloan said with quiet force. “Please don’t let him do that to you. He isn’t right. Look at me. Look at us,” Sloan emphasized as she walked into the dressing room and stood in front of a full-length mirror. “You designed both of these dresses.”

  Side by side, they stood in front of the mirror, Paris in embroidered peach silk with her dark hair held back on the sides with gold clips, Sloan in pale yellow with her hair falling in a cloud around her shoulders.

  “After this, my wedding gown will be an anticlimax,” Sloan declared.

  “No it won’t,” Paris said, shaking off her insecurity with a toss of her head. “Because I’ll design that, too!” She turned away from the mirror. “Come along, Princess Sloan, it’s time to go to the ball. Father is going to meet us on the patio, and I’ll stay with you while he takes you around and introduces you to everyone.”

  Noah was standing near the patio, listening to a group of men who were trying to persuade him to buy into a stud farm they were planning to purchase as a joint venture.

  His back was to the house, but he knew exactly when Sloan made her appearance on the lawn, because the men in his group stopped talking and started to stare. So did many of the people around them.

  “Good lord, look at that!” one of the men breathed.

  Noah turned slowly, prolonging the anticipation, but when he saw her, he found it hard to stay put and let her mingle with the guests. He stood there for nearly a half hour, watching as Carter moved about the guests with Sloan on one arm and Paris on his other. He saw Sloan smile as she was introduced to each person; then she listened attentively to whatever they said to her, and he watched her win everyone over with her natural poise and unaffected warmth.

  Courtney, however, was running out of patience. “I think I should rescue her,” she announced. “Carter has dragged her through the entire crowd.”

  “Stay put,” Noah ordered her. “He’ll bring her here in a few minutes.”

  “Here she comes, and without Carter, thank heavens!” Courtney happily announced a few minutes later; then she scowled as several of Noah’s friends figured out Sloan’s destination and began heading toward them. “And here come the wolves right after her, including our father. It’s disgusting.” She solved that problem by turning her back on the pack of men, including Noah; then she stepped forward and put herself between Sloan and everyone else.

  “Hi, Sloan,” she said with a grin. “Noah said you wanted me to come, so here I am. I even got dressed up for the occasion, did you notice?” she asked, holding her skirts out to the side to give Sloan the full effect.

  Sloan took in her ensemble, which consisted of an old-fashioned prom dress trimmed in lace, long satin gloves with no fingers, and a pair of army combat boots. She looked so outrageous, and so adorable, that Sloan burst out laughing and enfolded her in an impulsive hug. “I’m so glad you’re here!”

  “Yes, but how do you like my outfit?”

  “It’s—it’s you,” Sloan replied.

  “Mrs. Reynolds said I look like an overdressed refugee.”

  “She’s very old and I don’t think she sees well,” Sloan said, choking back a horrified laugh.

  “Aren’t you going to say hello to Noah?”

  Sloan had been thinking of little else since the party began, but now that the time was here, she felt self-conscious. Raising her eyes to his, she said softly, “Hello.”

  “Hello,” he replied, his gray eyes glinting with admiration.

  “You really ought to give Noah a hug, too,” Courtney prodded. “You won’t believe what he did to pull off this whole party just for you.”

  “What do you mean?” Sloan knew he’d urged Carter to have the party and she knew his secretary had worked very hard to make the arrangements, but she had no idea he’d done more than that until Courtney provided her with more of the details:

  “Noah shut down the main restaurant in one of his hotels, because we needed the tables and chairs over here, and you can just bet there isn’t a flower left in that hotel either. See that huge flower arrangement over there on the banquet table where all the food is?”

  With an effort, Sloan tore her gaze from Noah’s amused gray eyes and looked in the direction Courtney was pointing. “Yes, I see it.”

  “Well, this morning, that giant bouquet was on a big table in the lobby—”

  “Stop it, Courtney.”

  She ignored him. “It’s the truth. And I’ll bet there’s not a napkin or a waiter or a fork left in the whole pi—”

  Chuckling, Noah reached behind her and gently put his hand over his sister’s mouth, muffling the rest of her enthusiastic recitation. “The last time I asked you to dance,” he said to Sloan, “you turned me down. What do you think my chances are tonight?”

  Sloan was profoundly touched by all the trouble he’d gone to for her, and she was already sinking into the spell of his deep voice and silver eyes. “I’d say they’re awfully good,” she said softly.

  • • •

  As S