Chapter 13 Amber

As Amber hurried through the hotel lobby, it took every ounce of effort to hold back the hot tears of fury behind her eyes. It wasn't until she and Remi were safely in the car that she let them spill onto her cheeks. In her mind's eye she saw the hateful face of Daisy Ann, spewing those angry words, humiliating Amber in front of all those people, and then a succession of other faces. Daphne and all the women who looked down on Amber, who treated her like she was dirt. She wiped the tears from her face, taking deep breaths in and out to try to calm her racing heart.

Remi said nothing until they were well out of the city and on the Parkway. "What happened back there, Amber? Were you really married to her father?" Remi asked again.

"Yes. We were in love and so happy, but his daughter was always against us. She never accepted his remarriage." Amber stared out the passenger window, deliberately neglecting to disclose the fact that she and Jake had married without Daisy Ann's knowledge. In fact, it wasn't until after his death that Daisy Ann first learned of her father's marriage to Amber. She was never going to alert Daisy Ann to her presence in Jake's life until it was too late for her to prevent their marriage. Before meeting Jake, Amber had left home and landed in Nebraska, but she found herself in a dead-end town with a dead-end job. When her co-worker, Tanya, told her she was moving to Gunnison, Colorado, Amber did a little research, and what she learned altered her plans. She discovered that lots of rich Texans spend their summers in Gunnison, Colorado. From a long list of wealthy men with summer homes in Gunnison, she carefully selected Jake, a lonely widower, and decided to move to Colorado with Tanya. He was the perfect choice. Widowed. Lots older, which meant less competition. Was good-looking enough, even though he was in his sixties. What made him more palatable was that he was smart. Intelligence could be as much of an aphrodisiac as looks, if not more so. Besides, she knew she'd be with him for only a short time. His true love had been his first wife, and from what Amber read, she was a real firecracker. Loved hunting, fishing, and all the macho habits Jake enjoyed. So, Amber did her homework, as she always did, and emulated his dead wife, dying her hair red just like Marylou's. She spent the winter learning how to tie flies and how to shoot a rifle, and by spring was taking fly-fishing lessons in readiness for Jake's arrival in June. To appeal to Jake's protective nature, she posed as a devoted daughter working to support her widowed mother, despite the fact that her father was still alive. She'd carried out her plan to the letter, marrying Jake in record time, but it all blew up after he died. How was she to know that all his assets were in his daughter's name and that she'd get nothing? That was one piece of information that was not available online. Amber had learned, though, and that's why before she lassoed Jackson, she'd made sure to get a job at his company and assess what was what.

There was a strained silence until Remi spoke again. "She said you shot him."

Amber's head snapped around to look at Remi. "We were hunting. It was a terrible accident. There was a thorough investigation that proved it was accidental. I was devastated. I was consumed by grief and then she accused me of murdering the man I loved and wanted to spend my life with. She was horrible to me. I'll never forgive her."

They drove the rest of the way in silence. On one hand, Amber was relieved not to be questioned further, but she was aware of a difference in Remi's demeanor. It seemed to Amber that Remi's usual relaxed manner had turned to stiffness and a sort of watchfulness, as if Amber might be dangerous in some way.

Amber was still angry, but now her anger was turned inward. She'd gotten complacent, let her guard down, and broken one of her cardinal rules. She never should have attended an event without doing her research and completely checking it out beforehand. If she'd taken the time to look up White Orchid Designs, she would have discovered that its owner was Daisy Ann Crawford Briscoe, and she would have stayed away. She'd never divulged that brief first marriage to Jackson or anyone else in Bishops Harbor. Tonight's scene would be choice gossip all over town tomorrow. She needed to be the one to tell Jackson, to give him her side of the story, before he heard it from someone else. Life was a minefield and people were always setting traps for you, out to get you, but this time Daisy Ann was going to be the prey.

"Here we are," Remi said as she pulled up to the house, and when their eyes met, Amber couldn't tell if there was sadness or pity on Remi's face. Amber didn't bother reminding Remi that they were supposed to have grabbed dinner together.

"Thank you. I'm sorry things got so ugly," Amber said as she opened the car door.

Remi shrugged. "I'm sorry too. Take care, Amber."

She watched the sports car take off and wondered if this was the end of her friendship, such as it was, with the woman she so admired. Remi was chic and sophisticated, with a mystique so different from the other women in Bishops Harbor. Remi's dinner parties were legendary in the town, a sort of intellectual salon. Amber knew that others were surprised that she had pierced Remi's inner circle. Now Amber might be excluded. It wasn't fair. Heaving a deep sigh, she climbed the steps to the front door and went inside.

The house was quiet, and she wondered if Jackson was in bed already, but as she walked farther, she saw a light shining from beneath the closed door of his study. Steeling herself for what was to come, she tapped lightly on the door.

"Come in."

Amber opened the door, took a step, and remained standing just inside the room. "Jax is asleep?" she asked.

Jackson closed his laptop and looked up at her. "He's been in bed since seven thirty. How was the show? Did you buy the place out?"

Amber shut the door behind her and went to sit in one of the chairs across from his desk. "I need to talk to you," she said.

He gave her a withering look. "Why? How much of my money did you spend?"

"You mean our money?"

Jackson's eyes flashed with anger, and for a moment Amber thought he might lunge across the desk at her. "No, I mean my money, Amber. Every penny of it is mine."

This conversation was going off in the wrong direction. "Fine. Let's not argue. I didn't buy anything. That's not what this is about."

"Just what is it about then?"

"There are some things you don't know about my past. Things I haven't told you."

Jackson's scornful laugh filled the room. "Why does it not surprise me that there is more to your sordid past than I already know. You're like the fucking gift that keeps on giving."

Amber clenched her teeth, determined to remain calm. She continued quietly, ignoring his dig. "After I left home, I—"

Jackson interrupted her. "You mean after you put that poor innocent schmuck in jail, abandoned your kid, and got a new identity? Is that what you mean?"

Amber sighed. Matthew Lockwood had deserved everything that happened to him. He'd been more than willing to screw Amber all summer long, and then when she'd gotten pregnant, he'd stood by and done nothing while his mother tried to make her have an abortion. What was she supposed to do, slink away while he went back to his rich girlfriend? Maybe he hadn't physically raped her, but he'd assaulted her dignity and tried to ruin her future. He'd still be rotting in that prison if Amber's own mother hadn't turned against her and told the authorities that Amber had lied about the rape. She would never forgive her mother for that betrayal. "Okay. I've done some things I'm not proud of, but you're not exactly a saint." Amber didn't give a crap about Matthew Lockwood or what she'd done, but she knew this conversation demanded a show of contrition on her part.

Jackson's eyes were trained on her.

"As I was saying, I moved to Colorado. I met someone—a widower, an older man—and we fell in love. His name was Jake Crawford. We got married." Amber stopped, looking at Jackson and deciding she needed to up the emotion. Her lower lip trembled, and tears filled her eyes, tears not of grief but of anger at the humiliation she'd suffered tonight. "He was killed in a hunting accident. It was horrible. I was devastated."

"Why are you telling me this now, Amber? What's prompted this sudden confession of yours."

"Jake's daughter never accepted our marriage. She hated me. Never gave me a chance. She was terrible to me at the funeral and afterward she kicked me out of her house."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did she kick you out?"

She shifted in her chair. "Daisy Ann—ridiculous name, isn't it—accused me of killing her father. Jake was rich. Very, very rich, and she made it her business to see that I got nothing from his massive estate. She got it all by saying I killed him."

Jackson frowned and shook his head. "Wait. I thought you said he was killed in a hunting accident."

"Yes. We went hunting together. I fired the shot, but it was an accident. I thought he was an elk moving."

A look of skepticism crossed Jackson's face. "Sounds pretty suspicious to me."

"No. It was a total accident. The police and the sheriff, and even the National Forest law enforcement thoroughly investigated and ruled it an accident, but she wouldn't accept that. I left there with nothing, abused and humiliated by that spoiled princess."

Jackson swiveled his chair, bringing it closer to the desk, and leaned forward. "Where is this all leading, Amber?"

"I saw her tonight. Daisy Ann. She owns the jewelry company that held the trunk show." Amber rose from her chair. "She screamed at me in front of everyone. Said I was trash and a gold digger and that I murdered her father. That no one should trust me. She humiliated me in front of all those people. It was horrendous. She's vile. I want to kill her." She was pacing now, her voice getting louder and more strident. "I want to amend our deal."

His eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Don't worry. I'll still help with your plans for Daphne, but you have to help me get even with Daisy Ann."