A Moment in Time Read online

  An image of Storm Warning abruptly came into her mind. She could see the stallion, panicked at first, rolling in his stall, covered with sweat, scared for his life. And later, after her gentle care, she could see the trusting look in his eyes. She could still sense the bond that had formed between them, and it made her feel good.

  Then she remembered the shadowy figure she'd seen while she'd been working on Storm Warning. Was it Conrad? she wondered. And, if so, why the secrecy? For that matter, why hadn't a single person hereabouts laid eyes on the mystery man since he'd bought and renovated Stonelair?

  She felt a sudden twinge in her stomach, an uncomfortable feeling that she couldn't quite describe. All thoughts of tonight's dinner and unpleasant office politics were swept away, and she felt a new sense of uneasiness that she couldn't explain. It was something about Stonelair, of that she was certain, but what was it that had her so spooked?

  Praise for the novels of Judith Gould

  "[a}] page-turning plot and deliciously evil villains. A delight." PUBLISHER"S WEEKLY

  "A romp…a smash success!" NEWYORK DAILY NEWS

  "Judith Gould is a master." KIRKUS REVIEWS

  "Mouthwatering." CHICAGO TRIBUNE

  "Plenty of shocking surprises." COSMOPOLITAN

  "[a] great escape. A tale filled with suspense…and exotic characters." BOOKLIST

  Novels by Judith Gould

  Sins

  LOVEMAKERS - The Complete Unabridged Trilogy:

  Texas Born

  LoveMakers

  Second Love

  Meltemi (Greek Winds of Fury)*

  DAZZLE- The Complete Unabridged Trilogy *:

  Dazzle The Trilogy Vol. I: Senda

  Dazzle The Trilogy Vol. II: Tamara

  Dazzle The Trilogy Vol. III: Daliah

  Never Too Rich*

  Forever

  Too Damn Rich *

  Second Love

  Till the End of Time

  Rhapsody*

  Time to Say Good-Bye

  A Moment in Time*

  The Best Is Yet to Come

  The Greek Villa

  The Parisian Affair *

  Dreamboat*

  The Secret Heiress*

  *(Available as an e-book)

  www.judithgould.com

  Cover design by Judy Bullard at [email protected]

  A Moment in Time

  A Novel of Romantic Suspense

  By Judith Gould

  Copyright 2001 by Judith Gould.

  Published by Vesuvius Media at Smashwords

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  Publisher's Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used ficticiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  To the memory of the late Marilyn Kimball Austin of Palo Alto, California, a wife, a mother, an animal lover, a reader, an inspiration, besides much more, and a lady in the best sense of the word.

  To Dr. Anina la Cour, of the Chathams Small Animal Hospital in North Chatham, New York, a wonder among women, whose devotion to the care of animals is exemplary and who, I believe, truly has a magic touch.

  To Marion Bienes of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, whose heroic, courageous, fearless, and untiring hands-on work on behalf of animals should serve as an inspiration for us all.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  The author wishes to thank the Bilinskis and everyone else at the Chathams Small Animal Hospital, North Chatham, New York, for their useful information and good cheer, and for their loving care of the late Happy and the very much alive Mina, Billy, and Jeffrey. In particular, I feel a debt of gratitude to Dr. Anina la Cour, who helped Happy go in peace and who has graciously shared bits of her considerable knowledge with me.

  Please note that any mistakes regarding veterinary medicine, animal behavior, or animal care are the author's own, and are not the result of information I have been given by any of the above.

  The models for all of the animals in this novel are pets of friends and have served as springboards for characters; thankfully, they are all in the best of health.

  Beauty and terror are inseparable.

  They come from the same place.

  —Herbert Muschamp

  The New York Times

  BOOK ONE

  The Beauty

  Chapter One

  South Chatham, New York

  Valerie looked out across the gray stone terrace toward the hills in the distance, watching as the last sliver of the summer's blood-orange sun slipped from view. The clouds were tinged with beautiful violets and pinks, the palest mauve and deepest orange. Valerie smiled to herself. The sunsets from Apple Hill were nearly always spectacular, and tonight's seemed even more so than usual.

  She shifted slightly on the weathered teak chaise longue and idly stretched a hand down to Elvis, her Heinz 57 Variety mutt, who lay half asleep at her side on the terrace. His wide white collar set with aurora borealis rhinestones, a gift from Tami, her secretary, gleamed in the fading light. She stroked his jet-black coat, which was still wet from the swimming pool, and his tail swished sideways once, then came to rest again.

  "Hey, gorgeous," a man's deep baritone from behind her asked, "what're you thinking about?"

  Valerie felt Teddy's hands on her bare shoulders, but her gaze remained on the distant hills. "I'm not thinking about anything," she said. "I've just been watching the sunset. It was so beautiful."

  He squeezed her shoulders softly, then leaned down and brushed her cheek with a kiss. "Just like you," he said. "In fact, I arranged it for you." His voice was a croon, full of promise and possibilities for the night that lay ahead.

  "I wouldn't doubt that one little bit," Valerie said. And, she reflected, it was true. She sometimes thought that Teddy de Mornay was capable of anything once he set his mind to it. Aside from the fact that he was terribly handsome and had money to burn, he was personable, charming, and extremely popular. There didn't seem to be a man—or woman—for miles around that didn't admire Teddy de Mornay.

  She turned to look up at him. "Where've you been?" she asked, noticing that, although he had dried off, he was still in his bathing trunks, his bronzed body tall, its musculature well-defined throughout his lean physique. His blond hair was lighter than usual, sun-bleached almost white in places, and his pale blue eyes gleamed against his tan.

  "I was in the kitchen," he said, "mixing us some drinks. Hattie's almost done with dinner."

  "I guess we'd better get changed, then," Valerie said, reluctant to move from the comfort of the chaise longue.

  "Unless you want to eat in your bikini," Teddy replied. He smiled lasciviously, exposing his perfect white teeth.

  "I had some food in mind," she said, playfully slapping him on the leg. "Anyway, we'd better put something on. It's already started to get cooler." She sat up on the chaise and looked at him. "And w
here are those drinks you mixed for us?" she asked.

  "In the conservatory," he said, squatting down beside her. He leaned over and kissed her on the tip of her nose. "Ready and waiting."

  "Let's get changed," she said. "It'll only take me a couple of minutes to shower off and put something on."

  Teddy rose to his feet and extended a hand to her. She took it and let him pull her up, off the chaise. She picked up her rubber thongs and grabbed her towel.

  Elvis immediately perked up and slowly got to his feet, then shook his wet fur furiously.

  "Race you to the pool house," Valerie said. And before Teddy could answer her, she slipped from his grasp and was off, running across the gray stones of the terrace to the rose-covered pergola that decorated the front of the pool house. Elvis raced along behind her as fast as his old legs would carry him, barking joyfully.

  Teddy padded along behind, watching her graceful barefooted lope appreciatively. She's like a rare, beautiful gazelle, he thought with satisfaction. I couldn't have made a better choice.

  When he reached the pool house, she had already taken one of the bathrooms, its door open wide, her emerald-green bikini tossed carelessly across a sink, her towel on the tile floor. From the shower came her voice. It was almost a yodel actually, for she was bellowing a rendition of "You Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog." Elvis, on his haunches, his head lifted to the ceiling, sat outside the shower howling along with her.

  Teddy stood still, listening to the raucous cacophony. On the way to the pool house he'd thought about joining her for a little predinner fun, but now he decided against it.

  She and Elvis are enjoying themselves too much, he thought, and besides, I want tonight to be very special for her. One night that she'll never forget.

  He walked to the bathroom at the other end of the pool house. So I'll hold off till later.

  He pulled off his bathing trunks, feeling foolishly proud of himself for this uncharacteristic show of restraint.

  This isn't like me at all, he thought. No, siree. Because when Teddy wants it, Teddy really wants it. And when he really wants it, he gets it.

  With that thought, he stepped into the Mexican- tiled shower stall, closed the thick glass door, and twirled the water on, lathering up, excited at the prospect of the night ahead.

  Valerie poured herself a martini from the silver cocktail shaker that sat perspiring on the marble-topped drinks table in the conservatory. She tossed four olives in, then a fifth for good measure. It was the gin-soaked olives that she liked best about a martini. Holding the crystal glass up to the light, she admired its sparkling radiance a moment before taking a cautious sip.

  "Manna from heaven," she cooed to herself.

  She walked over to one of the big, comfortable, down-filled sofas and sat, enjoying the feel of its crisp white duck against her silk pants and blouse as she sank into its luxurious softness. She set the martini glass down on the coffee table, and stretched her arms above her head, breathing deeply.

  She'd had a long, hard week at the veterinary clinic, and the late afternoon swim and the hot sun, followed by a revitalizing shower, had worked their magic: She felt calm, relaxed, even a bit serene. Although she was on call at the clinic this weekend, she didn't anticipate any problems. She'd quickly scanned the patient roster before she'd left the clinic and hadn't noticed any animals that might present her with serious problems.

  But you never know, she reminded herself, reaching over and picking up her drink. What she did know, and very well at that, was that you could plan endlessly, trying to anticipate every need, every problem that might arise. Then when you thought you had everything covered, a dire emergency would strike.

  Well, I'm not going to think about it tonight, she told herself. I'm going to relax and enjoy myself.

  "Aha," Teddy exclaimed when he walked into the room. "I see you've been a very naughty girl and started without me."

  She looked up and saw that he'd put on spotless, perfectly ironed white linen trousers and an appropriately faded blue knit polo shirt that was the precise color of his eyes. Somehow he always managed to look perfect. Almost too perfect.

  "You bet I have," Valerie said. "That cocktail shaker looked so lonely—and so seductive." She smiled up at him. "Besides, I knew you'd take forever in the shower. You always do."

  He leaned down and planted a kiss on the top of her head. "You know me too well," he said. Then he made a beeline for the drinks table, where he poured himself a martini and popped in an olive.

  Teddy sauntered over to the sofa and sat down, putting an arm around her shoulders and hugging her to him. He brushed her cheek with his lips, lightly and tenderly.

  "I'm so glad you could spend the weekend with me," he said. "All weekend. Just the two of us."

  "Don't forget Elvis," she said, scowling at him playfully.

  "Yeah," he said, "and Elvis." He looked around the room. "And where is the ugly beast?" he asked.

  "He's not ugly," she replied. "He might not win any beauty contests, but, well, he's beautiful inside."

  Teddy kissed her nose again and smiled. "I'm sure he is," he said. "And I'm glad you told me, but where is the internally beautiful beast?"

  Before she could answer, he held up a hand to silence her.

  "No, wait... let me guess," he said, placing a hand on his forehead dramatically. "I'm getting psychic vibrations. Could he be ... ? He's ... in the kitchen with Hattie."

  Valerie laughed. "Of course he's in the kitchen with Hattie, you fool. He knows where all the good stuff is."

  Teddy hugged her shoulders again, leaning over and kissing her neck. "Hmm, you smell so good," he said. "I could eat you up."

  Valerie looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Why don't we have dinner first?" she said.

  "Must we?" he countered, licking her neck and ear hungrily. Then he abruptly stopped and sat up, reaching over for his drink.

  Hold off, Ted, he told himself. Remember, you're going to make tonight very special for Val. He took a long swallow of his martini, finishing it off, and set the glass back down. Then he rubbed his hands together and got to his feet.

  "Ready for another?" he asked.

  "Not yet, Teddy," Valerie said, surprised that he'd downed his so quickly.

  Teddy picked up his empty glass, plucked out the olive, popped it into his mouth, then walked over to the drinks table for a refill.

  Valerie eyed him speculatively. It's not like Teddy to back off, she thought, slightly puzzled. I wonder what's gotten into him?

  She nervously ruffled her long strawberry-blond hair with one hand. She'd taken care dressing tonight, even though she'd finished in half the time Teddy had. She'd blow-dried her hair and let it hang loose rather than pulling it back in a ponytail or—her usual for work—a long single braid. Then she'd carefully applied a little makeup—eyeliner, mascara, a touch of blusher and lipstick. Finally, she'd donned a cream silk blouse, matching pants, and expensive leather thong sandals, completing the look with gold knot earrings, a heavy gold link necklace, and a gold link bracelet. All to please him.

  If truth be told, she'd much rather have jumped out of the shower and into old jeans and a T-shirt without bothering about her hair and makeup. But Teddy had always hated it when she looked anything less than perfectly groomed and dressed, no matter the occasion.

  He loved to see her turned out in a ladylike fashion. And she, in turn, hated the disapproving glances he would give her if her attire didn't meet his exacting standards. That furrowed brow, those cocked eyebrows, and those thin, grimly set lips reminded her all too much of the disapproving looks she'd suffered over the years from her mother, Marguerite. For years such looks had diminished her sense of self-worth. When she and Teddy had started dating in college, she had been surprised to see him react to her cavalier attitude toward clothing much as her mother had. She had worked hard to please him, and still did, but lately she'd found herself lapsing in this area and pleasing herself more often.

 
Teddy looked over at her thoughtfully, swirling his fresh martini in its crystal glass before taking a sip. "You look beautiful tonight," he said after he'd swallowed. "Absolutely beautiful."

  Valerie felt all of her doubts and worries vanish as if by magic. "Thanks, Teddy," she said, and she meant it. "And you look as handsome as ever."

  Hattie quietly stepped into the conservatory, Elvis at her heels, wagging his tail furiously, watching her every movement with adoring eyes.

  "Dinner's ready," she said. "I can serve anytime, Teddy."

  "Thanks, Hattie," he replied. "We'll be right in."

  Hattie left the room, Elvis prancing along beside her, his tail wagging.

  "Hattie's got a serious fan tonight," Valerie said. "I wonder what wonderful goodies she's been giving him."

  "Something really special," Teddy said. "Because I came up with the menu."

  Valerie looked up at him. "You did?" she exclaimed. "What's the occasion?"

  "You," he said, extending his drink toward her. "Me." He took another sip of his martini. "Us."

  "You're sweet, Teddy."

  "I'm glad you think so," he replied. He walked over, leaned down, and kissed her forehead again. "Ready to go in to dinner?" he asked, looking into her eyes.