Bestselling Author Collection
Harlequin
March 2010
On Sale: March 1, 2010
Featuring: Claire Westbrook; Max Conroy
480 pages ISBN: 0373389892 EAN: 9780373389896 Mass Market Paperback (reprint) Add to Wish List
Anson Edwards sat alone in his big plush office, his fingers
steepled as he weighed the strengths of his two lieutenants,
wondering which of the two would be best to send to Houston.
His own strength was his ability to analyze quickly and
accurately, yet in this instance he didn't want to make a
snap decision. His opponent—Sam Bronson—was an enigma, a man
who played his cards close to his chest; it wouldn't do to
underestimate him. Instinct told Anson that an overt
takeover attempt on Bronson's metal alloy company would
fail, that Bronson was wily enough to have hidden assets.
Anson had to discover what those assets were, and their
value, before he could realistically expect victory in his
attempt to take Bronson Alloys under Spencer-Nyle's
corporate umbrella. He knew that he could take control
simply by offering much more than the company could possibly
be worth, but that wasn't Anson's way. He had a
responsibility to the stockholders of Spencer-Nyle, and he
wasn't reckless. He would do what was necessary to take
Bronson, but no more.
He could set a team of
investigators on the job, but that would alert Bronson, and
if Bronson were given any sort of warning he might be able
to take evasive action that could drag into months. Anson
didn't want this; he wanted things to be over quickly. The
best bet would be one man, a man whom he could trust in any
situation. He trusted both Rome Matthews and Max Conroy
completely, but which man would be the best one for the
job?
Rome Matthews was his handpicked, personally
trained successor; Rome was tough, smart, fair, and he set
out to win at everything he did. But Rome had a formidable
reputation. He was far too well-known in business circles,
and Houston was too close to Dallas for Anson to hope that
no one would know him. Rome's very presence would trigger
alarm in the business community.
Max Conroy, on the
other hand, wasn't that well-known. People tended not to
take him as seriously as they did Rome; it was those
male-model looks of his, as well as the lazy, good-humored
image he projected. People just didn't expect Max to work as
hard at something as Rome would. But there was steel in Max
Conroy, a ruthlessness that he kept skillfully disguised.
That famous affability of his was only a pose; he kept the
almost fearsome intensity of his character under strict
control. Those who didn't know him were always completely
fooled, expecting him to be more playboy than
executive.
So it would have to be Max, who would have
a better chance of quietly gathering
information.
Anson picked up a file again, leafing
through the pages of information about key personnel with
Bronson Alloys. Nothing could be learned from Bronson
himself; the man was wary, and a genius. But a chain was
only as strong as its weakest link, and Anson was determined
to find Bronson's weak link.
He came to the
photograph of Bronson's assistant and paused. Bronson
appeared to trust his assistant completely, though there was
no hint of romance between them. Anson frowned as he studied
the photograph; the woman was a pretty, dark-eyed blonde,
but no great beauty. There was a reserved expression in her
dark eyes. She had been married to Jeff Halsey, the heir of
a wealthy Houston family, but they had divorced five years
ago. She was thirty-one now and hadn't remarried. Anson
checked her name: Claire Westbrook. Thoughtfully he leaned
back in his chair. Would she be vulnerable to Max's
seductive charm? It remained to be seen. Then he tapped the
photograph in sudden decision. Claire Westbrook just might
be the weak link in Bronson's chain.
Claire slipped
through the double doors onto the terrace and walked to the
waist-high fieldstone wall that separated the terrace from
the flower garden. Resting her hands on the cool stone, she
stared blindly at the garden, not seeing the masses of
blooms that were highlighted by strategically placed lights.
How could Virginia invite Jeff and Helene, knowing
that Claire had accepted an invitation? She'd done it
deliberately, of course; she'd been gloating at the shock
that Claire hadn't been able to hide when her ex-husband
arrived at the party with his beautiful, pregnant wife.