Deadly Gift by Heather Graham Page A

spell of those cobalt eyes and the lilt in her tone. It was odd, because as much as he sensed that there was something she wasn’t telling him, when he watched her with Sean, she seemed absolutely genuine.
    As they waited to take off, the flight attendant came by with champagne, orange juice and mimosas. Caer started digging in her purse for money, so he reached over and touched her on the arm to get her attention. “It’s all right. It’s free in first class.”
    She put away her money, thanked the flight attendant and took a mimosa, then sat back and sank into her thoughts.
    Maybe she was worried about dealing with Amanda, he thought.
    In his entire life, Sean had never been anything but courteous to those around him, even when he was working to develop the small, struggling business he’d inherited into the successful concern it was now.
    For Amanda, life had been a bit different. Sean had worked for the money he had. Amanda had married into it. He knew that she considered herself superior to the hired help, and in her mind, that’s all Caer was. Amanda had made it clear that she didn’t see any need to bring Caer back to the States with them, but Sean disagreed. And when Sean had decided on something, not even Amanda could dissuade him.
    She knew that. She had tested her limits early in their marriage and finally learned them.
    Zach just hoped she stopped glaring at Caer and didn’t spend her time thinking up ways to make her stay in the U.S. a misery.
    As the plane sped down the runway, he saw Caer grip the armrests so hard that her knuckles were white.
    He reached over, placing his hand on hers. “We’re just getting up to the speed we need for takeoff,” he told her.
    “Thank you,” she said softly, but he could tell that she was still nervous.
    He kept his hand on hers until they had left the ground and were leveling out. Then, slowly, he released her hand.
    She made an effort to release the armrest.
    What a contrast she was, he thought. Fearless, determined, knowledgeable, cool—until it came to something as simple as riding in an airplane.
    It was a long flight, and he spent most of it keeping an eye on what his traveling companions were up to.
    Caer got up several times to speak with Sean and make sure he took his medication—despite the chilly looks Amanda shot her way every time. She remained low-key, something Amanda no doubt appreciated. He had to admit, he had found it difficult to look Amanda in the eye that morning.
    In fact, he had a feeling he might never look at her again without remembering her breasts blinking red and green.
    He helped Caer with her headphones, and smiled later when she actually enjoyed the chicken pasta she chose for lunch. She also had a glass of champagne, but he noticed that she sipped it slowly. As much as she seemed to savor the taste of alcohol, she wasn’t about to overdo it.
    She fell asleep shortly after lunch, so he allowed himself to rest, as well. In fact, despite the fact that it was a day flight, when he woke up after a short nap and looked around, he saw that most of the passengers he could see were sleeping soundly, including Amanda and Sean.
    He rose and stretched, then walked silently over to check on Sean. He felt a little foolish, like a new father standing over his baby just to make sure the infant was breathing, but given everything that had happened…
    Sean was breathing.
    When Zach turned back, he saw that Caer was awake and studying him, eyes dark and thoughtful. She didn’t look away; instead, she lifted a brow and tipped her head to the side, indicating Sean.
    Zach nodded, letting her know that the older man was fine.
    They were served dinner before landing, since they were landing at night, despite having left in the morning. Caer seemed bemused to be eating again so soon.
    When they deplaned at Kennedy Airport, she seemed a bit overwhelmed, just staring. Dublin was certainly a sizeable city, but no one, he thought, could really be prepared