Scarlet Nights by Jude Deveraux Page A

handed down from oldest son to the next. His father’s two older brothers died young, so that’s why it went to his father, Benjamin. Oh! When I think of the sob story he gave me! He even whined about how the Langs, father and son, had been caretakers of the place for …” She threw up her hands. “Since it was built for all I know. And to think that the real reason was that he’d promised to lease it to Tess—and probably because Rams doesn’t like the man I love. I could just hit Ramsey!”
    Mike frowned in his best imitation of sympathy. “But you have no idea why Greg wants an old farm?”
    Sara’s pretty face turned blush pink as she looked down at her hands. “Greg’s never said so, but he may want it for me. When I told him that I’d always liked the farm, he said he’d buy it for me.”
    “Did he mention the place first or did you?” Mike knew he sounded like an interrogator, but he couldn’t help it.
    Sara didn’t seem to notice. “I don’t remember. No. Wait. One time he told me he’d heard of it from somewhere else, before he even came to Edilean.”
    “Tess didn’t say anything to me about your asking Rams for the farm.”
    “If I know my cousin, he didn’t tell her. Do you have any idea how many people have asked the McDowell family to sell that farm to them?”
    “Why, no.” Mike was surprised. “I don’t know anything about it except that it’s falling down. Why would anybody want it?”
    “The farmhouse was remodeled around the original cabin, so it’s still there. And the McDowell family has made sure every outbuilding has been kept up just enough to keep it standing.”
    Mike knew his face was blank because he had no idea what she was talking about. Not a word of it made sense.
    Sara’s voice slowed as she further explained. “The house was built in 1674, and when it was added on to, the old house was left inside, intact. The outbuildings are the same as they were when they were built.”
    Mike was staring at her. “Are you saying that that farm has been left alone since 1674?”
    “Pretty much.”
    “Through the Revolutionary War and the Civil War?”
    “And two world wars. My mother says it even survived the hippies in the ’70s, and that they were more invasive than Sherman.”
    Mike was hardly listening to her. He didn’t know what the Vandlos were after, but his gut told him it had something to do with Merlin’s Farm. There was no other reason Stefan would want a farm. He wasn’t about to open a house to the public, that’s for sure—unless he and his family could pick the pockets of the visitors.
    “So when do we go see it?” Sara asked.
    “What?” Mike came out of his reverie.
    “When do you and I go see your new home?”
    “I don’t think it’s safe for you to go. Tess said old Brewster Lang carried a shotgun.” Mike didn’t want Sara near a piece of property the Vandlos wanted.
    “He makes his living selling vegetables—especially heirloom tomatoes—to my mother. I’ll get her to make him leave on the day we want to visit.”
    “And what excuse will you give her?”
    “All I have to do is tell her I want to go with you and she’ll drive us there.” She gave Mike a hard look. “So you didn’t come here to break Greg and me up?”
    This is where Mike was good: bald-faced lies. More than oncehe’d fooled lie detectors. “My sister nagged me into coming here to Edilean to sign papers—and she made me swear I’d use her apartment. My plan was to sneak in here, sign the papers the next day, then leave. Your being in this apartment was a surprise. You don’t think Tess set it up between you and me, do you?” He hated selling out his sister, but right now it was necessary to make Sara trust him.
    “Yes,” she said firmly, “I do. I think Tess called Luke, and the two of them arranged it all.”
    “Now that I think about it, Tess was the one who told me to use the old tunnel instead of the front door.” He vowed to send his sister