Sweet Fortune

handled. Patterson-Finley never knew what hit 'em. Put up one hell of a fight, naturally, but Hatch sliced 'em into bloody ribbons. When it was all over, Patterson-Finley damned near ceased to exist. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of the smaller firm.”
    “I think I know why people call him a shark.”
    “Damn right,” Benedict said proudly.
    “Tell me, Dad. If you had it to do over again, would you have allowed some woman to work a few changes on you back when you were thirty-seven?”
    “Who knows?” Vincent's eyes rested on Elizabeth's brown head and his expression softened slightly. “Sometimes I think maybe I missed some of the important stuff with you.”
    “Ah, well, I wouldn't waste too much time worrying about it, if I were you. After all, it couldn't be helped, could it?” Jessie smiled sweetly. “You had a business to run.”
    “Better watch it, Jessie,” Vincent retorted. “Men don't take kindly to sharp-tongued females. You're liable to end up an old maid if you aren't careful.”
    “That's a thought.” Jessie deliberately widened her eyes in innocent inquiry. “Think I can scare Hatch off with my sharp tongue?”
    “No, but you might piss him off. And that, my darling daughter, you might seriously regret. Say, are you sure that all this interest in ecology isn't going to turn Elizabeth into one of those damn radical tree-huggers?”
    “Dad, I've got news for you. We're relying on tree-huggers like Elizabeth to save the world.”
    * * *
    When the downstairs door buzzer sounded at one o'clock that morning, Jessie came awake with a start. She sat blinking in the darkness for a moment, orienting herself. The buzzer screeched again and she pushed back the covers.
    Barefoot, she padded out of the bedroom and into the living room. “Who is it?” she asked, pressing the intercom button.
    “Jessie, it's after midnight. Who the hell do you think it is?”
    “Hatch. What on earth are you doing here at this hour?”
    “You know damn well what I'm doing here. Let me in. It's cold out here and I'm likely to get mugged any minute.”
    Jessie tried to think clearly, failed, and ended up pushing the release button. Then she rushed back into the bedroom to grab a robe.
    She was running a brush through her short hair when the doorbell chimed. Aware of a dangerous sense of anticipation mingled with a curious dread, she went to answer it.
    Hatch was standing in the hall, looking as if he'd had a long day followed by an even longer drive. He was in his shirtsleeves and he was carrying his jacket and a bulging briefcase. His eyes gleamed at the sight of her in her robe and slippers.
    “So how did we do at the science fair?” he asked as Jessie stood staring up at him.
    She forgot her trepidation entirely and gave him a glowing smile. “We won. Elizabeth was thrilled. Dad was thrilled. Connie was thrilled. I was thrilled. Everyone was thrilled. Reporters came and they even took film of Elizabeth and Dad for the evening news. I saw it at five-thirty. It was wonderful. Elizabeth looked so happy standing there with her father beside her as she accepted the award. You made her day.”
    “Good. Glad it all worked out okay.”
    “Okay? It was much better than okay . It was wonderful.” Without stopping to think, Jessie threw herself impulsively against Hatch, wrapped her arms around him, and brushed her mouth lightly over his. “Thank you. We owe it all to you.”
    “You're welcome.” Hatch dropped the suitcase at his feet and clamped his hands around Jessie's waist. His palms slid warmly up her back, holding her tightly to him while he took advantage of the situation to deepen the kiss.
    Jessie told herself she should probably struggle. She did not want Hatch getting the idea that he could show up on her doorstep at any time of the day or night and expect such a warm welcome. But somehow she could not bring herself to fight him off tonight. His mouth felt too good on hers, deliberate and sure, with a controlled eroticism that set her nerves tingling. He wanted her and, heaven help her, she wanted him.
    It was Hatch who broke off the kiss. “I'd better get in out of the hall before one of your neighbors decides to see what's happening.” He released her with obvious reluctance in order to pick up the briefcase and move on into the room.
    Jessie stepped back, quashing the tide of sensual longing that he had elicited with his kiss. She searched frantically for something appropriate to say. She just