Elle James - Deadly Fall

When her gaze reached his toes, she looked up and nodded curtly. “I’ll take it. But only on a temporary basis.” She pointed a finger at him. “And not for you, but for your daughter. Hopefully she doesn’t have her father’s bad temper.”

Andrew slipped into the SUV without saying another word. He didn’t wait to see if she would follow, but pulled out of the gravel driveway and onto the paved highway.

Lights shone into his rearview mirror.

He let go of the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and focused on driving through the increasingly thick fog along the curvy coastal highway leading toward his estate.

When she got too far behind, he slowed and waited. By the time he reached the turnoff to his driveway, the fog had completely taken over. Andrew waited for Dix to turn in behind him before he hit the button to activate the automatic gate opener. The gate remained open long enough for both cars to pass through. Then he was leading the way along the twisting drive to Stratford House, the mansion his grandfather had left to him.

Not until he was right in front of the structure could he see the lights glowing a hazy yellow from the main living room and one of the upstairs bedrooms. The rest of the house lay in shrouded darkness.

In the fog, the house resembled one of those Gothic buildings in a horror movie. Andrew wondered what Dix was thinking. Would she turn around and leave? Or would she accept the challenge, creepy house and all?

He got out and waited for her rental car to pull to a stop next to his SUV.

Dix climbed out of the vehicle and stared up at the three-story mansion. “This is where you live?” she asked. Her gaze shot to him.

“It’s my home,” he said.

“It’s big enough to be a hotel. No wonder you need help keeping track of your daughter. Someone could easily get lost in that house.”

“It was my grandfather’s,” he said, surprised at the defensiveness in his tone.

“Did he have a large, extended family, aunts, uncles and cousins who moved in with him?”

A smile pulled at the corners of Andrew’s lips. “No. He built it for his wife, whom he loved dearly.”

Dix shook her head. “Why?”

“Some say they had hoped to fill each room with children. Others think my grandfather and my grandmother liked making love in a different room every night. It gave them a multitude of options.”

Dix’s cheeks blossomed into a pretty shade of pink and she turned toward her rental car. “I’ll have a look around the house. As big as it is, it has to have multiple entry and exit points.”

“It does.”

She lifted a gym bag from the backseat of the car and straightened. “Do you check each one of them every night?”

“I do. It takes approximately fifteen minutes to check and secure all of them.” He held out his hand. “I can take that for you.”

She shook her head. “I can manage.”

“Where are the rest of your things?”

She lifted the bag. “This is it. I travel light.”

Andrew stared at her. She didn’t wear makeup and her blond hair was straight and neatly brushed. Jeans, a powder blue T-shirt and a slightly worn pair of running shoes made up Dix’s outfit. She looked like the girl next door. No. More like the tomboy next door. So completely different from his ex-lovers. Some of them had to have a new pair of shoes for every outfit. Several families could be supported for a year on the amount they’d spent on footwear alone.

He strode to the front door, inserted a key and threw open one side of the massive double-door entrance. Andrew waved his hand. “Ladies first.”

Dix’s eyes narrowed but she stepped past him into the three-story foyer.

“Wow, it’s as massive on the inside as it is on the outside.” Even though Dix spoke softly, her words echoed against the walls and marble floors.

Andrew closed the door behind him and twisted the dead bolt. “My grandfather and grandmother had a flair for the dramatic.”

“No kidding.” Dix spun in a circle. “Yeah, I can see where you could lose a kid in this.”

Andrew had been coming to his grandfather’s house since he was a small child. He was used to the grandeur. Seeing it through Dix’s eyes, he could understand how overwhelming it could be. Especially if you were tasked with protecting the occupants of such a large building.

“Oh, good. You’re home.” Mrs. Purdy, his housekeeper, hurried down the sweeping staircase. “Leigha was asking for you.”

“Any improvement?”

Mrs. Purdy’s lips pressed together. “None. She’s still running a temperature despite the anti-inflammatories and cool compresses. I think she’s a bit delirious, as well. When you didn’t come after she called, she asked for her imaginary friend.”

In the months Andrew had taken over the care of his daughter, he’d only had to contend with a case of the sniffles and an odd nightmare or two. Never a fever and delirium. “Should I call the doctor or take her to the emergency room?”

Mrs. Purdy shook her head. “Her fever has only been up to 102 degrees. If it goes higher, you should take her to the hospital. For now, she needs to sweat it out.” The older woman glanced back up the stairs. “I’d stay, but Mr. Purdy wasn’t feeling on top of the weather himself.” For the first time, the woman noticed Dix. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you back there.” She held out her hand. “I’m Dottie Purdy. And you are?”

Dix held out her hand and opened her mouth to reply.

Before she could, Andrew cut in. “Mrs. Purdy, this is Dix Reeves. She’s an old friend who will be staying with us for the next couple of weeks.”

Mrs. Purdy smiled and shook Dix’s hand. “Oh, that’s just lovely. This big old place needs more people to fill it up. I’ll be sure to add a plate to the dinner table tomorrow. Anything in particular you prefer to eat, or allergies to anything?”

“I’m pretty open to anything,” Dix said. “No allergies.”

“Great.” Mrs. Purdy beamed. “Then I’ll see you two tomorrow. Call if you have any questions about Leigha. My children all went through fevers and upset stomachs a number of times. They all came through just fine.” She waved her hand. “Cool compress. Her next dose of Tylenol should be in four hours. Rub a little mentholated cream on her chest if she gets stuffy. Other than that, stay with her. She seemed a little sad and frightened tonight.”

Andrew almost stepped in front of Mrs. Purdy to block her from leaving. “Are you sure I’m qualified for this? Should I call a nurse, anyone with more experience?”

Mrs. Purdy patted his scarred cheek. “You have as much experience as most new parents. You’ll do fine. And I’m sure Miss Reeves will help.”

“Me?” Dix touched a hand to her chest. “I don’t know anything about sick children.”

“All you have to do is stay with her. Check her temp and keep her calm.” Mrs. Purdy glanced at her watch. “I really must go. It will take me quite a while to get home in the fog.”

Panic threatened to overwhelm Andrew. He’d had a nanny for Leigha in New York City. And Mrs. Purdy did most everything for him since he’d arrived in Cape Churn and secured her services. He was completely unqualified to deal with a sick little girl.

Mrs. Purdy didn’t stay to argue. She was through the door and gone before Andrew could order her to stay. Not that she would. Mrs. Purdy wasn’t one of the Wall Street interns he could order around. She did things when she was good and ready, on her own schedule, in her own way. And she kept his house in order.

Dix crossed to the door and twisted the lock behind Mrs. Purdy. “If you’ll tell me where I can drop my things, I’ll start my inspection of the house.”