morning.'
Jenny smiled warmly. 'You look fantastic in that outfit, Tamara. I wish I had your height. If I put on anything even faintly sailorish, I look like Popeye. Will you have coffee or hot chocolate?'
'Coffee, please,' she answered, casting a wary glance at Brody and Oliver, who were engaged in a low-voiced exchange. She accepted the coffee Jenny handed her, added cream, and sipped the hot brew gingerly.
Jenny was gazing at her with eager silver eyes. 'Look, Tamara, why don't you go with me to this Chamber of Commerce meeting? Then we can have lunch and maybe do some shopping later. I'd really like to get to know you better.' She made a face at Rex. 'He'll probably be rehearsing most of the afternoon, so it will be the perfect time.'
'I'd like that,' Tamara answered slowly. Not only would she like to get to know Jenny Jason, but the activity might keep her from brooding.
'Good!' Jenny said briskly. 'Now let's get breakfast over with so we can get going.' She gestured to the silver-covered trays on the table. 'It's standard hotel fare, I'm afraid. When we moved to the ranch our cook, Mike Novacek, went with us.' Her eyes twinkled. 'He'd just married a Las Vegas showgirl and I think he was afraid to leave her here in temptation's way.'
Oliver looked up abruptly, breaking off his conversation with Rex. 'You received a letter yesterday in care of Rex,' he said to Tamara, pulling an envelope out of his pocket. 'I meant to give it to you, but I didn't get the chance.'
'Thank you,' Tamara said absently. 'It must be from Aunt Elizabeth.' But when she opened the envelope, there was an engraved invitation inside. A puzzled frown creased her brow and then she started to chuckle. 'It's got to be some kind of joke,' she murmured, shaking her head ruefully.
'What is it?' Jenny asked curiously, and even Rex looked up.
'I'm officially invited to be a guest of honor at a meeting of a witches' coven,' Tamara said, grinning. 'It's being held tonight at midnight in some ghost town by a local Las Vegas coven.'
'How exciting!' Jenny exclaimed. 'Which ghost town?'
Tamara looked down at the invitation. 'Lucky Creek. What a peculiar name.'
'I adore ghost towns,' Jenny said dreamily. 'We gave our first-anniversary party in a ghost town called Caleb's Gulch. It was a wonderful celebration, wasn't it, Rex?'
There was a glint of tenderness in Rex's eyes as he gazed at Jenny's glowing face. 'It was a great party, mermaid. Steve really threw a wing-ding.'
Tamara felt a twinge of envy at the gentleness in Rex's voice. It seemed a long time since she'd been the recipient of anything but scowls and sarcasm from him.
She put down the invitation. 'Well, it's obviously someone's idea of a practical joke,' she said carelessly. She helped herself to a piece of toast from a serving tray.
'I'm not so sure,' Jenny said thoughtfully. 'I read somewhere that there are really hundreds of covens all over the country. Some of them are the real thing and some just play at it for kicks.'
'But why me?'
'Why, that newspaper story, of course,' Jenny answered promptly. 'They must have seen your picture and decided you'd be a star attraction at their little affair.'
Rex muttered something under his breath that sounded like a shocking obscenity.
'What newspaper story?' Tamara asked carefully.
'Haven't you seen it? I picked up a copy at a drugstore in San Francisco yesterday. I usually don't buy those scandal sheets, but I saw Rex's name and thought I'd see what was up.' Jenny pushed back her chair. 'I'll go get it.'
Tamara glared at Rex and Oliver, who both looked distinctly uncomfortable. 'I gather this is no surprise to either of you?' she asked.
Oliver shook his head. 'We saw it day before yesterday. Rex decided it would just upset you so we didn't show it to you.'
'How considerate of Rex,' she said between clenched teeth.
'The article was already on the streets and there was nothing anyone could do about it,' Rex said, scowling. 'Your seeing it would have accomplished nothing.'
Jenny came hurrying back and handed the paper to Tamara before resuming her seat. 'The picture is rather good of you,' she said cheerfully. 'Of course, the story itself is pure hogwash.'
Tamara scanned the story hurriedly. 'Oh no,' she moaned. The scandal sheet had made her out to be a sort of benevolent white witch, casting spells and drawing up horoscopes. She read on hurriedly. They'd even brought in Aunt Elizabeth's psychic reputation in Somerset. How had they found out about that?
'I've got to phone Aunt Elizabeth,' she said, scrambling to her feet.
'There's an extension in the hall,' Jenny told her.
There was no answer at Aunt Elizabeth's, which only increased her worry. When she resumed her seat at the breakfast table, she distractedly pushed back her plate. 'There's no answer,' she said briefly, as she picked up her coffee cup. 'I'll have to try later.'
'There were just three lines in the article about your aunt, Tamara,' Rex reminded her softly. The gentleness she'd yearned for was in his eyes, but she was in no mood for it now.
'There wouldn't have been anything at all if you hadn't given out that crazy story,' she said, glaring at him. 'If you've hurt Aunt Elizabeth, I'll murder you, Rex Brody!'
'You're jumping to conclusions,' he said, frowning. 'You don't know if she's even seen it yet.'
Jenny looked from one belligerent face to another and hastily rose to her feet. 'If you don't want any more breakfast, Tamara, why don't we get on our way?' She turned to Rex. 'If I don't see you before I leave for the ranch, break a leg tonight.'
'Thanks, Jenny,' he said, kissing her on the cheek. He turned a flinty stare on Tamara. 'I'll see you at dinner,' he said commandingly.
Before Tamara could form a fittingly indignant answer to this arrogance, Jenny had whisked her from the room. Five minutes later they'd left the apartment and were on their way down to the car park and Jenny's cream-colored Mercedes.
The next few hours cemented a friendship between the two women. After the brief civic meeting, Jenny took Tamara to her favorite tearoom for lunch. They became so involved in exploring their mutual interests and backgrounds they never did make the proposed shopping expedition.
After their third cup of coffee, Jenny leaned back in her chair and made a confession in her usual frank manner. 'You know, I was quite prepared to detest you when Rex called and asked permission to bring a guest with him to stay at the apartment. He'd never brought a woman with him before, and after I saw that story in the newspaper I was sure some vamp had gotten her claws into him.' She grinned sheepishly. 'Rex is very special to Steve and me. That's the real reason I came back early from San Francisco. I wanted to protect him from your evil wiles.'
Tamara shook her head. 'Rex is quite able to take care of himself from what I've seen,' she said dryly.
Jenny lifted a skeptical brow. 'Rex has a soft streak where his friends are concerned. He's fantastically loyal; he'd walk on hot coals to help a friend. I thought perhaps you'd managed to tap that core of loyalty.'
'Well, you needn't worry. I'm not about to try to shear your little lamb,' Tamara replied. On the contrary, she thought miserably, she was the one that had been left unhappy and vulnerable by their relationship to date.
'Oh, I knew that the minute I saw your face when you caught me in Rex's arms yesterday,' Jenny said serenely. 'I never saw anyone so shocked or heartbroken. I was quite relieved.' Her eyes grew serious as she continued. 'The real reason I wanted to get you alone was I wanted to explain something about Rex. I couldn't help but notice you were at each other's throats this morning, and I know the reason is none of my business.' She looked down at her coffee thoughtfully. 'Sometimes Rex can be very defensive. He had a childhood that would have permanently scarred most people-a mother who drank herself to death when he was thirteen, a father who deserted him and left him to fend for himself on the streets. His Aunt Margaret is the only one who ever displayed any family affection for him, and she didn't appear on the scene until after his father died when Rex was sixteen. It's a wonder that Rex lets anyone close to him. I just wanted to ask you to try to be patient with him.'
Tamara's lips twisted wryly. 'At the moment that request borders on the impossible.'
Jenny sighed. 'Well, I tried.' She changed the subject briskly. 'Are you going to Rex's opening show tonight?'
Tamara's lips tightened and her violet eyes clouded stormily as she remembered Rex's dictatorial demand that she join him for dinner. 'I most certainly am not,' she said tersely.
Jenny eyed her shrewdly. 'Nor are you going to show up for dinner.' It was a statement, not a question.
Tamara shook her head.
'I didn't think so,' Jenny said, her eyes dancing. 'Rex was a bit autocratic. May I suggest an alternate plan for the evening?'
'Be my guest,' Tamara answered promptly. There was no way she wanted to be alone today. Between worrying about Aunt Elizabeth, and her depression and annoyance with Rex, she needed Jenny's cheerful presence as a bulwark.
Jenny's silver eyes were eager with excitement as she leaned forward. 'Let's go to Lucky Creek tonight.'
Tamara stared in surprise. 'To that kooky witches' coven? But that was just a practical joke.'
'But what if it wasn't?' Jenny asked excitedly. 'Wouldn't you like to get a peek at a real witches' coven? And ghost towns are fascinating places, Tamara. That alone would be worth the drive.'
Tamara frowned doubtfully. 'I don't know if I like the idea of surprising a bunch of weirdos in a deserted ghost town.'
'Oh, we wouldn't let them see us. We'd just take a peek at what was going on and then leave.'
Why not? Maybe it would be interesting, and Tamara couldn't find it in her heart to disappoint Jenny. The other woman's face was as radiant as that of a child expecting a birthday treat.
'What time do you think we should leave?' she asked indulgently.
'First we'll go back to the apartment and check the location of Lucky Creek and see how far it is,'
Jenny said briskly. 'Steve gave me a map that lists all of Nevada's ghost towns.'
The following hours flew by on wings supplied by one Jenny Jason, who proved a dynamo of activity. After discovering to her pleased surprise that Lucky Creek was only about fifteen miles from her ranch, she'd insisted on Tamara leaving with her immediately for her home and spending the evening there before they began their witch hunt. After Tamara complied with Jenny's imperious order that she change to jeans and a black shirt for their midnight jaunt, they set out for Jenny's ranch.
