Trophy Wives by Jan Colley Page A

I’ve been hearing some disturbing things about Summerhill. It’s why I chose this as a belated honeymoon.”
    â€œWhat sort of things?” Ethan’s interest piqued.
    â€œCutbacks. Maintenance issues. The word is, they’re close to the wall. The integrity of the club is paramount. There can be no hint of impropriety.”
    The reference to the club made Ethan smile. Now that Ethan managed most of the affairs of MagnaCorp, Magnus had slowed down some, but the club was his pet. “Sure. I’ll ask a few questions. Looks okay, so far.” Better than okay, he thought, almost giving a wolfish grin. Lucy’s tantalizing presence could help him overlook just about anything. “The accommodation is spot-on, if a bit faded. Incredible location.”
    â€œMmm. Keep your ear to the ground. And have a bit of a rest. I’ll be back Wednesday, and we fly out on Friday.” He stood slowly. “Keep tomorrow night free. Tom has offered us some tickets for New Zealand versus Argentina. One of his friends has a corporate box. Whaddya say? It’s compulsory to see a rugby game when in New Zealand.”
    Ethan closed his briefcase and picked up his jacket. “Who’s coming?” he asked casually.
    Magnus turned to the door, but not before Ethan caught a definite gleam in his eye. “My wife and I. You and Lucy. Sadly, Tom will be busy with arrangements for our safari. We’ll have dinner afterwards and Lucy was going to see about booking a hotel in town for the night, save driving back.”
    Â 
    Lucy allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction. Nothing had gone wrong for once. She had checked the Andersons and Ethan into their hotel and had had time to call in to the apartment and pick up her beloved New Zealand jersey. The real stroke of luck was finding a rare parking spot on the street not three blocks from the stadium. They would be seated in good time.
    The atmosphere was festive as thirty-seven thousand people poured in through the gates. A fireworks display sent big puffs of smoke rolling across the field and into the stands. Lucy paused a minute—she loved fireworks—then noticed Ethan had stopped to turn and look at her.
    She had planned to avoid him as much as politely possible for the duration of his stay and had managed that nicely since yesterday’s incident on the gorge. But today they had all ganged up on her, even Tom. “Take my SUV,” he’d insisted, when she’d protested that four would be a bit of a squeeze in the Alfa.
    Ethan had turned back to say something to Magnus. A body bumped into her and she stepped aside, her eyes intermittently on the fireworks and Ethan’s tallfigure a few feet ahead. “Sorry,” she murmured automatically, then felt someone grip her arm.
    A face, clean-shaven and loose-looking, peered at her closely. Because of the crush behind, she strove to keep walking but his grip tightened.
    â€œMs. McKinlay.”
    A waft of strong alcohol preceded his words and she stiffened. The face looked vaguely familiar, but distaste muddled her memory. “I’m sorry, I…”
    â€œJoseph Dunn. Friend of your brother’s.”
    A small spurt of relief was wiped out by the realization that he still hung on to her arm. “Oh. Okay.”
    While she stammered, her eyes lifted over the man’s shoulder and she saw Ethan frowning back at her.
    â€œWe met at the casino one night, not long after you came home.”
    Lucy did not remember but she did know his face. She tried to think of something to say to politely extricate herself from his grasp. “Nice to see you,” she murmured, lifting her arm pointedly. To her confusion, he seemed to grip her harder. Giving up the pretence of politeness, she pulled against him. “Excuse me,” she began icily.
    â€œWhere’s your brother?” The fleshy lips were no longer smiling. It was as if he too had given up on