The #1 Bestsellers Collection 2011

by Catherine Mann

  Parker tipped back his glass before answering, the sound of the tide tugging at the shore mingling with tunes from the band inside. “Brooke was pretty fired up when she talked to me. She wanted to make sure I knew so I could fire Sheila—pronto.”

  He tried to read Parker, but failed. The guy looked relaxed enough. Jordan stared into his drink. “Should I be wary of some kind of poison?”

  A calculating grin split his adversary’s face. “Maybe three weeks ago, but you’re safe now. Unless, of course, you hurt Brooke.”

  “Your sister is tougher than you give her credit for. I’m pretty sure it’s me who’s the injured party this go-round.” Jordan winced as he remembered Brooke’s scowl when she’d caught the bride’s bouquet just before Brittany and Emilio left to start their honeymoon in Greece. “All the same, I owe you an apology for the McKay incident.”

  Parker stuck out his hand. “Apology accepted.”

  Jordan stared at the hand suspiciously before shaking it slowly. “You’re okay with things that easily?”

  “Oh, I’m pissed.” Parker grinned in contradiction to his words. “But I don’t blame you. I’d have done the same in your shoes. It’s business.” His grin faded. “However, when it comes to family matters, I’m not nearly as forgiving. If you mess around on my sister, the next fist fight won’t end well for you.”

  “Brooke is the only woman in my life, now and forever, if she’ll have me.” He stared through the crowd, searching for Brooke on the veranda, just to reassure himself she was still okay, but no sign of her. Just a few minglers, and Adam slow dancing on the beach with his wife Lauryn.

  Jordan looked away from the happy couple wrapped up in a world of their own. He needed to clear the air with Brooke’s brother, and to do that, he needed to be totally up-front. “Sheila McKay did come to me this week and offer more insider secrets in hopes of resuming our relationship.”

  “Since you’re here telling me this, I guess that means you turned her down on the sex.” Parker powered on, “So why haven’t you talked to Brooke? You can convince her. Hell, I’ve witnessed your persuasive powers in the boardroom.”

  “Maybe … Except I can’t help but think either she trusts me or she doesn’t.”

  “She has a lot of reason not to trust people. Mother has wreaked hell on her over the years. For that matter, finding out Dad hadn’t been honest with us about much of anything didn’t help, either.”

  Jordan remembered the first night he’d spent with Brooke had been partly instigated by a swell of emotion she’d experienced after hearing her father’s will. No doubt her ability to trust had been raked over serious coals that day.

  He stared through the open French doors to where Bonita sat on a small settee looking suitably subdued as she spoke with a guest. Maybe there was still hope for some healing between Brooke and her mom at least. “I’m glad the intervention seems to have taken for your mom.”

  “Time will tell.” Parker scooped his glass back for a long swig. “Okay, so I’m not saying you’re the first man I would have chosen for my sister, but on second look, you’re not all bad. You can hold your own in a fight.”

  Jordan certainly hadn’t expected that. “Thank you.”

  “And I’ve been ticked off at you often enough to say with authority that you’re a helluva businessman.”

  “Thanks, again.” The guy was making a genuine effort and deserved something in return, for Brooke, for the baby and because he sensed that Parker could make an astute ally if they committed to working the same side of the fence. “Same to you on both accounts.”

  And damn, he meant it.

  Glass in hand, Parker rattled the ice from side to side. “Seems as if this family linkup is a foregone conclusion, given Brittany’s marriage and your baby.”

  “Apparently so.” A year ago, he couldn’t have imagined sharing such a civil conversation with Garrison. But a year ago, he’d also been too caught up in the thrill of the rat race to see the deceit in Sheila McKay.

  “I’ve been doing some life review stuff lately, thanks to all those family support meetings we’re having to go to with Mom’s treatment.” The ice clinking stopped. “I think it’s time you and I laid down the arms and joined forces.”

  Holy crap. Garrison was actually suggesting … “A merger between Jefferies Brothers and Garrison, Incorporated.”

  Could it ever work? Hell, maybe there could be some benefits. Benefits cagey Parker was already seeing.

  “It would take negotiating, but yes, basically.”

  Jordan let his brain wrap around the notion of blending the two corporations, abandoning the competition that had consumed them both for so many years.

  A competition that had led him to keep his distance from Brooke in spite of his attraction to her the first time she’d glided through his radar.

  The notion had serious merits and incredible possibilities. For that matter, it might create a lot more peace on the home front. Of course, he couldn’t make that kind of business move without having Emilio on board. Not that he could see his brother arguing, not since his marriage to Brittany. “I’ll have to confer with Emilio since we’re partners in the holding, but I’m more than intrigued by your offer.”

  Parker relaxed his stance, his eyes glinting with a business acumen and excitement. “Staking a monopoly on the hotel and entertainment segment for this area would make you and me happy.”

  Jordan could feel himself warming to the notion, the possibility of what they could accomplish with their combined drives. “For just South Beach? You think small, Garrison.”

  Parker’s laughter rumbled free and they clinked their glasses together with the promise of a greater business celebration yet to come.

  If only his problems with Brooke could be so easily negotiated and resolved. To hell with waiting for her to figure this out on her own. He could at least talk to her.

  Jordan searched the crowd again to find her, tell her. Convince her. Except the bridesmaids had all scattered, their gathering spot now occupied by Brandon and Cassie sitting on the stone railing sharing a single plate of food.

  He scanned the beach where Adam and Lauryn still danced. Then glanced over at the open French doors to the foyer where the band played, Stephen and his wife, Megan, making the most of the music, as well.

  He looked through the window to the dining area with all the food. Bonita was helping her granddaughter, Jade, tuck a napkin in her shirt to protect her flower girl dress from her snack.

  Still no sign of Brooke.

  “You’re right, Garrison. I need to make things right with Brooke. I don’t want more time to pass with her so upset, especially without reason.” He couldn’t see her anyplace. “I have to speak with her.”

  “She just left.” Anna spoke, having somehow snuck up behind the men undetected. She slipped an arm around her husband’s waist. “Don’t bother asking where she’s gone. I swore not to tell.”

  She’d left? Hidden was more like it. “So you do know.”

  Anna gauged him through narrowed eyes. “As much as I would like to watch you squirm a little—I do still owe you for that sucker punch to my husband’s gut—I’ve also seen how miserable my sister-in-law is without you.”

  And he couldn’t even take pleasure from that because he hated to think of Brooke unhappy. “Then where the hell is she?”

  Anna bit her lip, but hesitated only a moment.

  “Think—” she tapped her forehead with a manicured nail “—and you can figure it out. If she wants to run from you, where would she go to get her head together?”

  His mind churned with what he knew about her, what he’d learned during their intensely compacted time together. The answer took shape. “She would go to family. But everyone is here except the bride and groom.” He scanned the family decked out in gowns and tuxedos. His gaze hooked on Cassie. Her sister. A confidante—who would be flying home in the morning. “She’s going to Cassie’s place?”

  Anna stayed silent, but
smiled slightly.

  Parker’s grin, however, was full-out. “I know that look on my wife’s face, Jefferies, and you’re on the right track.”

  Okay, thank God. He just had to find her before she made it to the airport. “So there’s time to stop her before she joins up with Cassie and Brandon to fly out.”

  Anna frowned a definite no, apparently still bent on not speaking on the subject.

  “Why would she leave ahead of them—”

  “God,” Anna blurted, “for a smart guy, you’re really not thinking like your corporate shark self today. You must actually be in love. It wreaks havoc with a guy’s brain if he doesn’t get things straightened out. She’s taking the family yacht to the Bahamas so she’ll get there after Cassie returns. And don’t start hollering about her health. She hired a nurse to accompany her, just to be safe.”

  He exhaled his relief at having found her and, thank God, that she had the foresight to watch over herself and the baby, even during a short trip to the Bahamas.

  Then the rest of Anna’s words penetrated his thoughts.

  In love?

  In love.

  Damn straight. He loved Brooke Garrison. Not just because she carried his child, but because all other women faded around her. She was it for him. His chance to have what his parents shared, and he didn’t want to waste another second apart from her.

  Now he just needed to convince Brooke he wasn’t a scumbag so he could tell her how damn much he loved her.

  Brooke lounged on one of the yacht’s deck chairs, searching the starlit night for answers to the confusion swirling inside her. A gust of wind rolling in off the ocean sent her clutching her lightweight sweater closed over the bridesmaid gown she still wore.

  She probably should have just gone back to her place, but all the love and sentimentality of the wedding had left her so weepy, she needed to get away. Far away, before she puddled into a serious crying jag. Thank goodness she’d been able to hire a nurse to come along on such short notice, the only way her sisters and sisters-in-law would help her leave.

  In the middle of the swirl of aching feelings, a memory of spending time with her father on their yacht brought her an unexpected comfort. Right now, she appreciated the total quiet here and she needed that utter peace for her baby after the emotional hubbub of most of her pregnancy. Here in the quiet, she could sense her father’s presence, could almost hear his apology. He hadn’t been perfect, but he had been there for her as best he knew how. She could see that now as she viewed the world in a way that involved less extremes and more middle ground.

  The past couple of days since seeing Jordan with Sheila McKay had been hell. She missed him more than she could have imagined. How could he have worked his way so completely into her life in such a short time?

  Or had this been a long time coming?

  She wanted to trust his explanation about the incident with Sheila. Her instincts shouted that he’d told her the truth. But her heart wanted a clear sign that her love was reciprocated.

  Yes, she loved Jordan Jefferies. She couldn’t deny it any longer. Maybe in some corner of her heart she’d always known but had been too afraid of the family fallout to pursue the possibility. She wasn’t afraid of her family’s disapproval anymore.

  She was, however, afraid of making a mistake, for her own sake and that of her baby. How would she ever know for certain?

  Her gaze shifted from the stars—Orion wasn’t offering up any answers anyhow—down to the opaque ocean. A dim light chopped through the darkness, another late-night boater. The gently lapping waves might not have solutions either, but at least the rhythmic sound lulled her at a time she desperately needed ease from the agitation.

  The drone of the other boat grew louder, the beam closer. The sleek craft took shape, smaller than she’d expected. Who used a ski boat this late at night? A hint of anxiousness stirred in her gut. She started to rise and alert the captain, when one of the crew came out onto her deck.

  “The captain said to let you know we have company. But no worries, ma’am. The boat’s one of ours. There’s a family member on board.”

  “Thank you for the update.” Family?

  Brooke rose from the chair and walked toward the metal railing, curious. Concerned. Her relatives should all be at the wedding. Jordan didn’t know where she was. She’d only told the girls because she’d thought someone should be aware …

  The ski boat drew nearer, two towering males becoming visible, a pair of tall figures in tuxedos standing. The craft drew up alongside. She backed a step.

  Parker and Jordan.

  Her heart did a quick flip-flop much like the fish plopping in the ocean. She should have known Jordan would find out and follow her. Especially after she’d turned him away. And somehow he’d won her brother over to his side. Which led him here.

  Someone had ratted her out. Now she faced not only Jordan but her meddling control-freak brother, as well. Still, her pulse picked up speed at the sight of Jordan, who’d come all this way for her.

  She gripped the rail and shouted, “Parker Garrison, you traitor. You’re officially out of my will.”

  Her brother slowed back the engine as the boat neared the yacht. “You’ve been saying that since you were six and I kicked over your sand castle.”

  Yet another instance when her family had tried to dictate her life to her.

  She’d put a lot of time and dreams into that sand castle. All she’d ever wanted was a happily-ever-after of her own and damned if she would let her brother mess that up, even if he meant well. She’d had enough of putting her own needs on the back burner just to keep the peace. Making the right decision about Jordan was too important for her and her child. “I meant it then, Parker, and I really mean it now. Don’t interfere in my life.”

  “I think you should hear Jefferies out.”

  “You think?” Her fingers clenched around the railing, and it was all she could do not to stamp her foot in frustration. “What gives you the right to decide?”

  Jordan stopped Parker with a hand to his arm. “She’s correct. She makes the decision as to whether I go or stay.” With an agile leap, he stepped up and out onto the bow of the ski boat, his balance steady as the craft rocked beneath him. “You know that we have to talk sometime. But I won’t come on board unless you want me to.”

  “I don’t want you to.” Her lips lied even as her heart cried out for her to give him a chance. “I need time to think.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll go back.”

  Her next argument stalled in her mouth. He was giving up that easily? Disappointment melted through her veins … until she realized he hadn’t moved. She knew. He was waiting for her to tell him flat out to go. Somehow she couldn’t force those words past her lips.

  She blinked against the whipping ocean wind plastering her bridesmaid dress to her body. Those weren’t tears of hope stinging her eyes, damn it.

  Okay, maybe they were. She could at least listen to what he had to say as long as he stayed off the yacht and on the bow.

  Sea spray splashed up across Jordan’s shoes, but his feet stayed planted, his attention focused solely on her. “While you’re thinking, I want you to consider the fact that I love you.”

  Drat, there went her heart with the flip-flopping again. But she still needed her sign that she could believe those beautiful words she’d been longing to here.

  “I love you, Brooke Garrison, and no matter what happens between us, I want you to have this.” He held out his hand with a small jewelry box in his palm. The sort of little velvet box that held a ring.

  He lowered his hand as if to toss the box up to her.

  “Wait!” she shouted. “Don’t you dare throw that at me. What if you miss?”

  “I won’t,” he said with such assurance she almost smiled at his predictable arrogance.

  “How about you hold on to it while you keep talking.” She fisted both hands to resist the temptation to motion him up onto the yacht and say to hell with s
igns. He’d said he loved her, and she wanted his diamond on her finger like the ones all the other women in her family now possessed. Even though she always could have afforded whatever gems she pleased, she found herself craving the emotional commitment that came with this particular stone. Caution and pride overrode impulse to take what she wanted without weighing the cost.

  “I can’t make you believe me.” Moonbeams glinted on his blond hair, casting shadows along the serious lines of his face, her hunky charmer completely somber. “That trust has to come from you. I’m willing to wait as long as it takes for you to believe me.”

  Jordan opened the box. Starlight sparked off the ohmigod-huge diamond inside.

  “So you’re proposing—again.” Did he really think she could be bought with a big rock? A beautiful big rock held by the man she loved.

  If this were real, what a memory it would make, her handsome man in a tuxedo proposing from the bow of a boat. All the practical, cautious parts of her cried out for the beautiful romanticism of it to be real.

  He shook his head. “No, I’m not going to ask you to marry me again, unless that’s what you want.” Jordan extended his hand, his feet so sure against the jostling waves that could too easily send the priceless gem to the bottom of the bay. “I am, however, asking you to wear my mom’s ring.”

  His mother’s? Was this a trick? “That’s an engagement ring.”

  “Wear it on your right hand if you want.” His voice carried strong and clear on the night breeze whipping over the water. “I’ve been saving this to give the one woman for me. No matter what you decide, this ring could only belong to you.”

  Wow. Her sign.

  How funny that she’d been searching for a big symbol for why she could trust him, and the answer came to her in a way she’d never expected.

  The sentimentality of his ring touched her heart so much more than anything he could have bought. He could purchase anything. But this was like the time he’d chosen the painting for her. He understood her, the essence of her and what she would want. He knew her heart.