Chapter 1

“Why Montana, Angela?  Why not go on a Caribbean cruise or visit an island resort?” Nikki asked as she tilted her head to stare at Angela McGee’s pensive face. 

Angela shrugged.  Nikki Taylor was her childhood friend and legal advisor but at times she was so damn nosey.  Angela wasn’t about to disclose her reasons for going to Montana, not to Nikki anyway.  “Hmm-mm, I want to go to a place that’s different, a place where I can breathe fresh air and just relax.  I doubt that I can do that on a cruise or at a resort.  Such places usually have meddlesome people and the last thing I want to do is socialize.”  Her smile disappeared when her glance shifted to her five-year-old nephew, Reggie. 

Reggie was lying on a hospital bed, stiff and silent, his mind locked in some place where no one could reach him.  Even with the best experts at his disposal, Reggie had not awakened from the coma caused by the accident that had killed his father and mother—Angela’s sister, Savannah.  “Oh, Nikki, when I look at him I wish I didn’t have to go.”

“Don’t start on that, Angela.  You need a break or you’ll make yourself sick,” Nikki protested.

“What if he wakes up while I’m gone?  What if he gets worse?  It has been hard enough for me to see him lying there so still when he was once full of life.  But now I have this nightmare that something might happen while I’m gone.”

“You’ve been by his side every day for the last six months, Angela.  You’ve become a recluse, you don’t date any more; you even stopped writing music except for those you compose for him.”

Angela shrugged indifferently.  She once aspired to become a professional singer, but circumstances forced her to forget that dream.  Well, not exactly circumstances, just her parents and her innate will to please them.  One unemployed artist in the family was enough; her parents had said when Savannah had insisted on being a professional painter.  And like the dutiful daughter that Angela was, she had pushed aside her personal dream and gone into nursing. 

“Things never go as we plan, Nikki.  Sav didn’t foresee the accident that killed her and Bernard or the traumatic effect it would have on her only child.  But it happened.  And in her will, she entrusted me with the care of Reggie.  Yet here I am, leaving him with strangers.”  Angela’s voice shook as she finished the last sentence.  She blinked rapidly to stop the sudden rush of tears.  It had been a year but she still couldn’t deal with her sister’s death.  Reggie’s coma made it hard to let go.  Every time Angela saw how still and unreachable her nephew was, she was reminded of those last moments when she’d held her sister in her arms.  Angela was a registered nurse but she’d been helpless to save her sister.  And now she couldn’t help her nephew, either. 

But her helplessness was easily transformed to anger at the thought of the person responsible for the entire tragedy getting off lightly and living his life to the fullest just because he was rich and famous.  Baseball legend Jerry Tyrell Taylor a.k.a. JT, the marble man, hadn’t cared enough to check on the victims of his wife’s carelessness—a woman whose state of mind had been entirely his fault. 

Even now, a year after the incident, Angela could recall the headline...L. A. Angels’ pitcher, Jerry Taylor, exonerated of wife’s death. 

How could he be blameless when bystanders had said otherwise?  According to the papers, an eyewitness had seen Carmen Taylor trying to get away from her husband, Jerry, before she drove her Porsche into the highway.  Another witness claimed that Carmen had been meeting another man at the time and that Jerry had caught them together.  Whatever the outcome of the police investigation, Jerry Taylor bore some responsibility for his wife’s untimely death.  Wasn’t he seen running after her, jumping into her car, and trying to wrestle the wheel from her hands?  Hadn’t she been busy shouting at him instead of watching where she was going?  The justice system may have exonerated him but Angela hadn’t.  In her book, Jerry Taylor killed her sister, Sav.  The fact that he had never bothered to apologize to her family or visited Reggie only made him more guilty in her eyes.  And he should be made to pay. 

“Hey!”

Angela blinked and turned apologetically toward Nikki.  “Sorry.”

“Do you know you do that a lot?” Nikki asked.

“Do what?”  Angela asked defensively.

“Space out.  One minute you are here and the next gone.  And the expression on your face is usually very peculiar—a mixture of anger, pain, and regret.  There was nothing you could have done for Sav, Angela.  And, Reggie...well...he’ll come back to us when he’s ready.  None of this is your fault, you know.” 

“Don’t analyze me, girl.  Of course I know it isn’t my fault.  I just regret not spending enough time with Sav while she was alive,” Angela finished wistfully.

“With the demands of those art exhibitions, you’re lucky to have seen her at all.  But at least you often babysat Reggie while she was gone.” 

Angela knew that if it weren’t for the fact that she ran her Website design business from home and that she had flexible hours at the private hospital where she worked part-time, she would never have been there for her only sister or nephew.  “She had so much talent, Nikki.  She didn’t deserve to die that young.”

Nikki nodded.  “Wasn’t it spooky the way that museum in San Francisco called and offered to exhibit her work?  Now her paintings are the in thing for most African American art collectors.” 

“And worth every dollar they pay.”  The cheapest of Sav’s paintings had been sold for five hundred dollars.  She hadn’t been gone six months when everyone was talking about owning an original Hanna Vas—Sav signed her name backward on every painting she did.  She even used the pseudonym when she exhibited her work.  “I just hate how the art world makes money off dead artists, Nikki.  I’d rather have her alive and selling her work for pittance than renowned and dead,” Angela murmured.

“So would I.”  Nikki got up and glanced down at Angela.  “Now, unless you intend to miss your flight, we better get moving.” 

Angela nodded then glanced briefly at Reggie.  “Do you think they’ll take good care of him?”

 “Yes, they will, Angela.  Look at this place.”  Nikki spread her arms for emphasis.  Reggie had a room in a private hospital and nothing was spared for his comfort.  The hospital was only a few blocks from Charles Maitland’s mansion—his paternal grandfather.  The millionaire car-dealer had even donated funds towards the hospital’s new wing so that his grandson would be given the best treatment.  “Does this look like a typical hospital room to you?  The room is done with Power Ranger paraphernalia—Reggie’s favorite TV-series.  He’s under watch by private nurses—paid for by Maitland.  And he has state-of-the-art instruments monitoring his vitals twenty-four-seven.  Let’s not forget Marjorie Maitland, his larger than life grandmother.  She is in here every other day, reading to him.  In fact, I’d bet he’s had more stories read to him than any five-year-old child under the sun.  Everything around here indicates he is cared for.  What more proof do you need, huh?” 

Nikki was right.  Reggie had his grandmother watching over him equally as much as she.  “Under Marjorie Maitland’s watchful eyes, the nurses wouldn’t dare be anything but efficient.  If Marjorie weren’t here, I would never dream of leaving,” Angela said with a satisfied nod.

Nikki smiled.  “She’s hard to argue with.” 

“Yeah, she took one look at me a few weeks ago and told me I had to take a vacation.  When I tried to protest, she told me she didn’t want me falling sick or being sloppy around her only grandson because I’m overworked.  The next thing I knew, Maitland was offering me an expensive, Caribbean cruise ticket?”

 “He did?  Why didn’t you take his offer?” Nikki asked in exasperation.

Angela smiled at her friend’s tone.  “Because I don’t want to go on a cruise, nosey.  Besides, I could pay for my ticket if I wanted one.”  Angela looked at her watch and got up.  “I better tell Reggie bye.”

She walked to her nephew’s side and touched his hand.  “Hey, baby, Aunty Angela here.  How are you doing today?  I hope much better.  You know what?  I went for a run in the park this morning and you wouldn’t believe what I saw...” Angela spent the next ten minutes sharing her day with Reggie, talking about things she saw and did.  By the time she was done, she was tearful, again.  Taking a deep breath, she stooped low and kissed his brow.  “I’ll read you a story tomorrow and sing some of your favorite songs.”  She kissed him and quickly left the room, fighting back the tears.  Stopping by the nurses’ station, she reminded them once again to play him the tape she had brought.  “I’ll be sending you one tape a week until I get back, just like we’d discussed.”

When the nurse nodded, Angela gestured to Nikki that it was time to leave.  Briskly, they walked out of the building.

Nikki was opening the door to her red BMW when she asked Angela, “So, what are in the tapes you’ll be sending while on vacation?”

“Stories from books...things I see...songs that used to make him laugh,” Angela said defensively.

“Angela!” Nikki protested.

“I don’t want him to feel abandoned, Nikki.  He’s lost so much.  And since he can hear when we talk to him, I want to make sure he doesn’t think he has lost me, too.”

“Oh,” Nikki mouthed.

“Yes, ‘oh’ is the right response, counselor.  Do you know that for such a brilliant lawyer, you’re so naive about some things?”

“That’s why I have you—to remind me to switch off the analytical part of the brain and turn on the emotional center.  So, what is the real reason why you refused Maitland’s offer.  Wouldn’t you rather lie on the deck, ignore the other passengers, and just relax?  Or better yet, meet some gorgeous hunk to make your vacation interesting?”

Angela’s far away look was Nikki’s only answer.  She hated lying to her best friend but this was one time she would keep her plans to herself.  Truth was that Jerry Taylor was the reason Angela was venturing into Montana.  If Nikki knew that she had made a deal with the law firm of McQueen, Fischer, and Taylor to be Jerry Taylor’s assistant for a month, this best friend would drag her to the nearest cruise ship and captain the boat herself if need be.  “Big sky country won hands down.” 

“But why would you want to go to some God-forsaken, uncivilized farm in Montana and hibernate for weeks?” Nikki asked in amazement. 

Angela laughed.  According to Nikki, if a place didn’t have sky scrapers, it was uncivilized.  “I always wanted to see how ranchers lived.  Besides, I haven’t seen Melissa Taylor for a while.  She’s convinced me that I’ll enjoy visiting Montana.”  The lie rolled smoothly from her lips but guilt quickly followed.  She was shamelessly using Jerry Taylor’s sister’s name as a cover up.  She’d made the acquaintance of the gregarious Melissa Taylor during her last interview with the lawyers, Aaron Taylor and Cyrus McQueen.  She just couldn’t dare reveal to Nikki her reasons for going to Montana.  Nikki might think she’d lost her mind. 

“I hope you get some rest.  You need someone to pamper you for a while.” 

“I hear there are some fine brothers out there in Montana.  I might even meet that hunk you mentioned,” Angela interjected playfully.

“You’ve got to be kidding!  Montana is vast, hot, dusty, filled with stinking cows, and mean horses.  The men there need women to pamper them.  Don’t they pay women to marry men and live out there?”

“Wrong century,” Angela said with a laugh.

“Okay!  If some tobacco chewing, mucous-spitting, leather-skinned cowboy pampers you, I’ll take leave of absence from my practice and join you.”

“Deal,” Angela said with a twinkle in her eyes.

“You wish.”  Nikki shook her head in defeat.  “So, where did you meet this Melissa?  And how come I’ve never heard of her?”

“She and I were in college together.  If you must know, we roomed together for a couple of semesters.”  The lies we weave, may the good Lord forgive her.  She knew nothing about Melissa except that she was Jerry Taylor’s younger sister.  “And you don’t know everything about me, Nikki Hudson.”

“Puh-lease,” Nikki said as she rolled her eyes. 

“Get off my business and drive me to the airport, midget.”

“Don’t push it, giant,” Nikki retorted.

Angela grinned.  She would miss Nikki and her sassiness.  Nikki and Sav were the only ones who ever got away with calling her a giant.  Angela was tall.  At six feet, she was an oddity among her friends and relatives.  As a child, she’d always felt self-conscious about her height.  And although she didn’t mind being teased by people who loved her, it hadn’t always been amusing to be the tallest girl on the block and the butt of everyone’s jokes.  Even Sav had been much shorter than she, despite being her twin.  In her class Angela had been taller than most of the boys and they had hated it.  They had teased her endlessly and shamelessly.  But she’d had her sister and Nikki as her champions.  They would gang up on anyone stupid enough to call her names.  Still, their support didn’t stop Angela from being embarrassed and hurt.  Not only had she been gangly, she had been reed thin and had despaired of ever developing curves like Nikki or Sav.  Then to add insult to injury, she’d developed breasts earlier than most girls her age.  The combination of breasts and a tall, skinny body hadn’t been attractive.  Lord, Angela lost count the number of times she’d longed to blend into the background and be left alone.  It never happened.  The comments were hurled at her and they had hurt.  She was still a bit wary of people who mentioned her height although now she had curves to go with her it, and combined with her smooth, deep chocolate skin, her heart-shaped face, slanted eyes, and sensuous lips, she was unforgettably beautiful.  And although her height remained a point of contention with some men, over the years, she had grown more and more tired of their insecurities and more and more comfortable with herself.

Nikki’s car followed the hospital’s curving driveway, past manicured lawn, and water fountains to the white gate separating it from the rest of San Diego. Soon, they were on the highway heading for the airport.

“So what are you going to do with your clients while you’re gone?” Nikki asked.

“Ever heard of a laptop and a cell phone?”

“Ha!  Oh, you mean you could access the Internet, eh, between milking the cows and shoveling horse manure.”

“You’re so funny,” Angela retorted.  “But if it will ease your mind, I have everything set.  I’ve finished the contracts that were due this month and have the next month to myself—no deadline or last minute conferences.  Khalid can take care of things while I’m gone.  If not, he can reach me on my cell phone.  But, I’m hoping he won’t need to.”  Between shifts at the hospital, Angela had taken evening classes in graphic design, HTML, dream weaver, and flash.  But when she’d playfully designed a Website for Nikki for her birthday, Nikki had shown it to her partners at her law firm and the next thing Angela knew, the firm was paying her hundreds of dollars to design for them a one of a kind Website.  Nikki’s law firm was her first paying client, but the word spread fast and others soon followed.  She designed one site for her hospital, then her parents’ high school, and before she knew what hit her, her e-mail was jammed with requests for her distinctive Websites with their eye-catching graphics.  After six months of juggling increasing clientele and her nursing duties, she’d decided to reduce her work load by reducing the number of hours she worked at the hospital.

For the last three years, Angela had developed a routine that made it possible to balance her two jobs.  She even had a part-time employee, Khalid Williams, who maintained the sites for her.  Because of her flexible hours, she had been able to baby sit Reggie when her sister and Bernard were out of town.  And after the accident, when Reggie’s condition didn’t improve, Angela had told Maitland that she wanted to help.  No one was going to do a better job at nursing Reggie than his favorite aunt, she had insisted, and Maitland had agreed.   

“Angela!  You’re spacing out on me again.  Did you finish the Sea World contract, too?”

“The check should be in the mail, counselor.”

“What about the one for that law firm—McQueen, Fischer and Taylor?”

“Who lit a match under your pants, midget?” Angela asked defensively.  Nikki didn’t need to know about the law firm and its connection to her sudden interest in Montana.  For months, she had been researching Jerry Taylor.  While going through old newspaper articles and the Internet, she had learned that Jerry Taylor originally came from Montana and that he had a brother and an uncle who owned a law firm in the San Diego area.  After more research on lawyers with the name of Taylor, Angela had found Aaron Taylor listed in the bay area.  Then by chance, the law firm had contacted her about creating a website and she had made his acquaintance.  The strong family resemblance indicated that she had finally found Jerry’s brother.  She later learned that the famous Cyrus McQueen was their uncle. 

Then one day, while visiting their offices, Angela happened to hear that they were looking for an assistant for a recluse client who lived on a ranch in Montana.  Her interest had been aroused.  But when Janine Forster, a high-school friend who worked for the firm, told her that the client was actually Jerry Taylor and that it was next to impossible to find the kind of assistant he wanted, Angela knew that she’d hit the jackpot.  However, she didn’t openly offer her services.  She casually mentioned to Janine that she was thinking of taking a vacation for a couple of weeks but hadn’t decided on where to go. 

The next time Angela saw Janine, the woman had asked her if she’d be interested in vacationing on a ranch.  Angela had tentatively indicated she might be persuaded but on the inside, she was elated.  At last she was going to get the opportunity to investigate and confront the man who’d put her nephew in a coma and killed her only sister. 

Aaron Taylor and Cyrus McQueen took over from Janine, and Angela had made them work hard at convincing her to vacation in Montana while assisting Jerry with his work.  They kept saying he needed someone with her computer skills and how they would appreciate it if she could help them out.  Of course, they never openly said that it was Jerry who needed an assistant.  They often referred to him as their client.  But Angela had known it was Jerry.  Janine had told her so.  Secondly, Aaron’s wife, Sheryl, and his sister, Melissa, had attended her last interview, obviously to check her out before sending her to their brother.  And despite her personal feelings toward Jerry Taylor, she’d been impressed by his family’s affection and concerns. 

In the end, Angela had completed the Website for the law firm and asked for a month to finish her other obligations, before taking them up on their offer.  And here she was, leaving sooner than she had expected to.  Aaron Taylor had called and asked her to go a week early.  She neither knew what the big hurry was nor did she care.  She had her own agenda and it didn’t include showing an interest in Jerry Taylor’s affairs.

“Could you tell my parents that I’ll get in touch as soon as I’ve settled in?”  Her parents were presently at a teachers’ conference and weren’t due for another week. 

“I’m sure they’ll understand, Angela.  Besides, your mom has been pushing you to take a break for the last couple of months.”  Nikki pulled up at the Delta terminal, found a parking space, and walked her friend into the building. 

“Yeah, but I was waiting until the last minute before telling them where I was going.  Like you, they wouldn’t have understood.  Mom would have badgered me nonstop about my choice.”  Nikki laughed knowingly at her comment.  Angela ignored her.  After checking in her recorder and suitcase, she turned to her friend.  “I’m going to miss you, girl.”

“Same here.  Call me,” Nikki commanded as they hugged. 

“Yes, ma’am.”  Angela winked at her before moving toward the metal detector and the security guards.  Less than an hour later, she was in the air heading for Helena and Jerry Taylor.