Wildest Hearts

house, there's an elephant with scarlet toenails. He's from my shop. The designer who did your parents' home for the evening took him without telling me. I had something important stuffed into his hidden drawer. And no, Oliver doesn't know I'm here.”

    “Scarlet toenails, hmm?” Carson smiled. “I think I saw him in the solarium.”

    “That's a relief.” Annie threw him a grateful look. “Can you lead me to him?”

    “Sure, right this way.” Carson turned and started to forge a path through the glittering throng of guests. “But don't think you're leaving tonight without meeting my parents. My mother will throttle me if I don't introduce you.”

    Valerie turned anxious eyes on Annie. “What about Oliver?”

    “What about him? As far as I know, he's not even back from California yet. He got delayed.” Annie surveyed the crowded room curiously. “Nice place.”

    That was an understatement, she acknowledged to herself. The shore home was a mansion by any definition of the word. The rooms were elegantly proportioned with high ceilings and endless, polished wooden floors. A long row of formal French doors revealed a breathtaking view of Lake Washington.

    “The house has been in Carson's family for four generations.” Valerie explained in an undertone. “It was built by his great-grandfather.”

    “He and Valerie's great-grandfather were partners in a shipping operation,” Carson said over his shoulder.

    Annie glanced at Valerie in surprise. “I didn't realize the connection between your family and the Shores went back so far.”

    “The Shores and the Rains did a lot of business together over the years,” Carson explained. “The feud is a new twist.” He smiled warmly at Valerie. “Val and I hope to end it.”

    Valerie's mouth tightened. “It won't be as easy as Carson thinks. He doesn't know my brother.”

    “We'll see,” Carson said.

    A moment later he led the trio into a long, white room that was studded with glass. Annie saw immediately that Raphaela had gone ahead with her plans to create a fantasy land.

    Colorful awnings and huge, overstuffed pillows had been used to create a lush, exotic backdrop. Brass palm trees towered over a bubbling champagne fountain in the center of the long room.

    And there, standing placidly near the fountain, was the elephant.

    “There he is,” Annie announced, vastly relieved. She rushed forward and came to a halt beside the cloisonné beast. Valerie and Carson followed.

    “So what is it about this elephant that's so important?” Valerie asked.

    Annie reached down and pushed on one scarlet toenail. “It's not the elephant. It's what I left inside.”

    The hidden drawer sprang open. Annie saw the diskette and relaxed. She picked it up and stuffed it into her purse.

    “Looks like a computer diskette,” Carson observed.

    “It is.” Annie turned to smile at him. “You're welcome to keep the elephant for the rest of the evening. I've got what I wanted.” She broke off, suddenly, aware that her words sounded far too loud in what had been a rather noisy room.

    Belatedly she realized that a muted hush had fallen over the crowd.

    A horrible sense of premonition gripped her. Along with everyone else in the solarium, Annie glanced toward the entrance. Oliver stood there, a dark, avenging god wearing a suit and tie.

    His eyes found Annie in that instant of silence. He started forward, striding through the crowd with cool disdain for everything and everyone around him. The murmur of voices rose again toward a more normal level, but this time there was an undertone of collective curiosity and anticipation in the muted conversations.

    “If he makes a scene, I will just die.” Valerie's face was frozen. Her lips were drawn into a thin line and her eyes were filled with anxiety. “I swear to God, I will just die.”

    “Calm down,” Annie said soothingly. “Oliver's not going to make a scene. He's probably here because he figured out that I was here. I'll explain everything to him and that will be the end of it.”

    “You're out of your mind,” Valerie said. “We'll all pay for this.” She straightened her spine. “But I don't care. This is my life and I'm going to live it my way.”

    'Atta girl. Stand up to him. That's my advice.” Annie patted her reassuringly on the shoulder.

    Carson watched Oliver's approach with a thoughtful expression. “This, I take it, is my ferocious future brother-in-law? Remind me not to get between