The Corporate Raider's Revenge / Tycoon's Valentine Vendetta. Yvonne Lindsay

hungry. We’ll talk business after the meal.”

      When the waiter came by, he appeared genuinely concerned. “Is there something wrong with the wine, Mr. Tyler? Or the oysters? I can assure you they’re the finest quality—”

      “No, no, everything’s great. The table is just as I arranged.” Evan sipped from his glass of wine to appease him. “I think we’re ready to order now.”

      The waiter put on a smile and began reciting the nightly specials. Evan listened, darting quick glances Laney’s way. Her face paled even more when the waiter began describing the fare in great detail.

      “If you’ll allow me to order,” Evan said, looking at Laney with keen interest now, “their grilled swordfish is the best—”

      “I’ll just have a salad, Evan.” She cast him a small smile.

      “Salad?” Evan scratched his head. The waiter jerked back, appearing slightly insulted.

      “If I might suggest the jumbo Cajun prawn salad with lobster dressing,” the waiter offered.

      Laney’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “Please, just a green salad with no dressing.”

      Evan glanced at the waiter. “Bring us two swordfish dinners. I’ll see if I can’t get the lady to change her mind.”

      “Yes, sir.”

      “Tell me you’re not on a diet.” Evan said, once the waiter was out of hearing distance.

      Laney glanced out the French doors appearing extremely interested in the shoreline. “No, but I’m not very hungry.”

      “You’ve lost weight, Laney. Not that you don’t look good, but you’re—”

      “Stress, Evan. Okay? I said it. I’m under a good deal of stress lately.”

      Evan sipped his drink. “That’s why I’m here. To wipe away all your stress.”

      “You only add to it,” she said quietly.

      “Have some wine. It’ll relax you.”

      Laney glanced at the goblet filled two-thirds full of rich red wine. “I’m not… I’m not…”

      Tears built up in her eyes. She tried valiantly to hide them, but Evan noticed and something powerful tugged at his heart. “Laney, listen. No more jabbing at each other. Your hotels are sinking fast. I know more than you think I know about your problems. Get out while you can. While they’re still worth something.”

      “It’s not that bad, Evan. You’re making the situation out to be worse than it is.”

      “Maybe you don’t know all the facts.”

      “I’m aware of the facts.”

      “Your father wouldn’t want to see his hotels go under, Laney. I’m sure he’d rather have you sell out than to have their reputation ruined. Your father was desperate to save them. That’s why he called you home. He didn’t know whom he could trust, other than you. He was under a great deal of stress. And now, you’ve admitted that you’re under that same sort of stress. He wouldn’t want your health to suffer, Laney. And he wouldn’t want you to go broke.”

      She gasped. “I’m not going broke, Evan. For heaven’s sake.”

      The salad arrived along with a basket of assorted bread and Laney stopped speaking long enough to allow the waiter to place it on the table. Evan watched her pick up her fork and shuffle romaine spears around on her plate. Still, she didn’t eat a bite.

      “You will if your hotels don’t stop draining your cash reserves.”

      Laney snapped her head up. “For all I know, you’re the one behind the mishaps at Royal. You want them that badly.”

      Evan swore under his breath. “If you really believed that, you wouldn’t be sitting here having dinner with me. No, I think you really want to hear what I have to say.”

      But they were once again interrupted when the waiter arrived. He set two plates of swordfish, garlic potatoes and creamed spinach before them. The mingling of aromas made his mouth water, but the arrival of the food had the opposite effect on Laney. She turned away from the sizzling hot plate.

      “Is everything satisfactory?” the waiter asked.

      “Yes, thank you,” Evan answered. “That’s all for now.”

      Laney picked up a forkful of greens and put them in her mouth. She chewed as if she were accomplishing a great feat. “I’m not sure what I believe about you, Evan. But I need to know what happened that day between you and my father. And I’d appreciate the truth.”

      Laney didn’t believe Evan Tyler. She sat back in the limousine after their dinner, rehashing his denials. Her traitorous stomach refused to calm. Her head swirled. She gazed out the window at the passing moonlit scenery as they drove home, so she wouldn’t have to deal with Evan’s close scrutiny.

      It had been business as usual with Nolan Royal that day. Evan had said nothing out of the ordinary. He’d made his case, presented her father a fair deal and was willing to negotiate. He’d generously offered Nolan Royal a consulting position in the company once the deal was completed.

      Laney could only imagine how that had gone over with her father. And even as Evan had spoken those well-rehearsed words to her, Laney knew he’d masked his contempt for her father. She’d done her homework and learned that Evan and his brothers had pursued the chain of Swan’s Inns for a long time. They’d wined and dined Mr. Swan personally and spent a good deal of money trying to convince him to sell to Tempest. They wanted to expand, and the Inns would fit perfectly into their plans. But her father had an ace up his sleeve that no one had known about.

      His tactics left something to be desired, yes. But Nolan Royal had come up from the ranks the hard way. He knew how to fight dirty if need be to save something he treasured. He had something damaging on the proud, elderly Clayton Swan, something personal and something that might compromise his family life.

      What Laney didn’t know, was just how much coercion, if any, it had taken. It could have been simply that her father had made him a better deal all around. Laney wanted to think so. And that meant the Tempest Hotels lost out. And if there was one thing Laney had learned about Evan Tyler, it was he didn’t like losing.

      “I’m not giving up, Laney,” Evan said as the driver pulled in to her driveway.

      “I’m not selling, Evan.” She couldn’t betray her father’s wishes. She’d made him a solemn promise. She’d work doubly hard to find out the cause of The Royals’ problems, if need be. Preston had increased the security in the hotels and he’d persuaded her to hire a private investigator to get to the root of the trouble. Laney was sure that would help turn things around.

      “Thank you for dinner. This concludes our business,” she said rather stiffly. “Goodbye.”

      The limo driver opened the door and she feigned a smile at Evan Tyler before getting out.

      It was best she didn’t see him again until absolutely necessary. She didn’t trust him. She wouldn’t tell him about the baby. It was too much to deal with right now.

      As soon as her feet hit the brick driveway, Laney’s head spun in all directions. She straightened up, but that only made things worse. Her legs went weak and she fought dizziness. She tried blinking it away to gain her equilibrium but when she turned toward her front door, she nearly keeled over.

      “What the hell?” Evan was beside her instantly, casting her a concerned look. He grabbed her arm and guided her to the front door slowly. “Damn it, Laney. You should’ve eaten something back at the restaurant.”

      He took her purse and rummaged for her house keys, then opened her front door. Her mind fuzzy, she couldn’t very well argue with him; she struggled just to keep upright. “I…can…manage…from here.”