LITMIR.BIZ

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tradition. In this very building, on the ninth floor, we have fifty kilobars of gold from the Valiant Mine.”

      “Actual gold?” Kelly couldn’t believe it. That much gold would be worth a small fortune.

      “Processed and smelted right here in Colorado. Every bar is stamped with a V for Valiant.” She beamed proudly. “Anyway, Nick has promised he wouldn’t be late, and my real partner will be here for the session on Sunday night.”

      Kelly was confused. She was beginning to feel like Alice in Wonderland, talking to people who spoke only in riddles. “Excuse me, did you say your real partner?”

      “My husband, Jared. He’s out of town, wrapping up some important business in Singapore.”

      “So Nick isn’t …”

      “My husband?” She laughed. “No way would I marry this big ox. Nick is my brother-in-law.”

      He bent down to look directly into her eyes. At six feet four inches, he was probably a foot taller than she was. “Since you’re interested in family history, I’d like to take you upstairs and show you my gold.”

      Embarrassed that she’d jumped to the wrong conclusion and regretful that she’d treated him coolly for most of the evening, Kelly dared to gaze directly into those gorgeous blue eyes. “That’s quite a pick-up line.”

      “Did it work?”

      Indeed, it did.

       Chapter Two

      Sunday, 7:43 p.m.

      Nick had been immediately attracted to Kelly. During the Lamaze class, she’d been barefoot, and he’d noticed that her toenails were painted in alternating shades of pink, yellow and purple. He’d imagined himself kissing those toes, running his hands up her long, slender legs, continuing up her body to her limber waist, onward to her breasts and finally her lips. That would be a trip worth taking.

      While she lectured, he could tell that she was smart and had a sense of humor. And he was desperately seeking a diversion—a woman he could relax with and share a couple of laughs. His brain was on overload from dealing with the financial problems that plagued the family business.

      “Just to make it clear,” he said as he escorted her onto the elevator, “I’m not currently married.”

      “That implies that you once were married.”

      “I was,” he admitted. “You?”

      “Yes.” She didn’t look at him but faced forward, following elevator protocol. “In class, I might have been a little bit rude to you, but I’m not going to apologize. I thought you were Lauren’s husband, and that you were hitting on me.”

      “Was I?”

      “You were.” Her voice was certain, but she fidgeted with the knot on the Kelly-green scarf she wore with her plaid jacket. “You stared at me. You whispered to me.”

      He ducked his head to put his lips close to her ear. “Maybe I was just being friendly.”

      “Friendly like a fox.”

      “What’s that supposed to mean?”

      “You don’t look dangerous until you’re ready to pounce.”

      “Scared?” he asked.

      “I can handle a pounce.”

      “I bet you can.”

      Finally, she turned her head and looked at him. When her lips curled into a smile, her green eyes crinkled at the corners. He guessed she was in her early thirties, which was, in his opinion, the perfect age. They wouldn’t have to waste time playing games.

      “Tell me about the gold,” she said. “Why do you keep it here instead of in a bank vault?”

      “Spencer Enterprises is still family owned and operated, which means our company tolerates more than our share of eccentricity. My uncle, Samuel, is the last of the older generation of Spencers. He’s kind of a genius when it comes to architecture. He designed this office park.”

      Forty years ago, the oil business had been booming in Colorado, and Samuel had proposed a ten-story building and three others that were four stories each. There was a definite need for more office space in the Denver/Boulder area, but Valiant wasn’t the most convenient location. Prevailing opinion—including that of Nick’s father, who was the CEO—had been that good old Samuel had taken a swan dive into the crazy pool.

      As it turned out, Samuel was right. Valiant was just close enough to Boulder and Fort Collins to be a viable corporate headquarters. They played up the outdoorsy lifestyle and the nearness to the mountains. When the oil and gas companies moved out, the software companies moved in. “Uncle Samuel situated Spencer Enterprises on the ninth and tenth floors. And he wanted the gold to be here.”

      “But why?” Kelly asked.

      “Part of our corporate identity,” he said with a shrug. “We do a lot of construction business all around the world. The clients who come here want to see the gold. They’re usually impressed.”

      “How much is it worth?”

      “Fifty kilobars at two pounds each.” The elevator dinged at the ninth floor. “It’s about two and a half million dollars.”

      She gave a low whistle. “That’s a lot of money to leave lying around.”

      “We’re eccentric, but we’re not stupid. Our security is intense.”

      When the elevator door opened, Marian Whitman stood waiting for him. Though it was almost eight o’clock on a Sunday night, her grooming was sleek perfection. Not a single blond hair dared to slip out of place. The only color on her face came from her perfectly painted ruby lips. Her mouth barely moved when she said, “I expected you to be alone, Nick. We have business to discuss.”

      He didn’t want to talk about corporate deficits and poor investment decisions. “It can wait.”

      “Your uncle is here. He’s in his office. I think this might be a good time to confront him, while there are no other distractions.”

      But Nick longed for distraction. He wanted to sling his arm around Kelly’s slender waist and take her outside for a walk along the path outside the office park. He wanted to tease her and make her laugh while they looked up at the half-moon. The March air would be crisp and invigorating.

      Kelly shook Marian’s hand as she introduced herself. “I don’t want to interrupt. I’ll be going.”

      “Thank you,” Marian said, “for understanding. Nick? Come with me.”

      Though she was the Chief Financial Officer and the undisputed queen of the corporate balance sheets, he was still the boss. “Here’s what’s going to happen,” he said. “First, I’m going to show Kelly the gold. Then, I’ll escort her downstairs to her car. If I’m lucky, she’ll agree to come for a walk with me along the creek and we’ll see a couple of chipmunks scampering away from the night-hawks. After that, Marian, I’ll come back here. Then, and only then, we can talk.”

      Not waiting for a response, he directed Kelly through the glass doors into the reception area for Spencer Enterprises. Behind his back, he heard Marian give an angry snarl. If he looked over his shoulder, he might see steam shooting out of her ears.

      Kelly cleared her throat. “I wouldn’t mind if we did this another time.”

      “I would,” he muttered. “I spent the whole day dressed in a monkey suit, shaking hands and representing Spencer Enterprises. The last thing I want to do is spend my night mediating a rant between my uncle and Marian.”

      “Heavy is the head that wears the crown.”

      “Shakespeare?”

      “Or somebody

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