by Amy Summers
Hoping against hope that they hadn't recognized him, he raced his car down the street and around the corner of the next block to a convenience store, skidding to a stop in the parking lot. Pulling out his phone, he called 911.
"This is David Coronado." He gave them his address. "I want to report a kidnapping attempt being made." He related the pertinent information as quickly as he could, his heart thumping. "I've got to get back and see what's going on," he said at last, impatient with their questions. "Get here as fast as you can!"
He drove back one block and parked, getting out to walk the rest of the way. Just as he came into view, he saw the front door of the house open. Chris bounced out, followed by Jill at a more stately pace, and then Madison. At the same time he could see the doors of the black van beginning to open.
He started to run. He couldn't tackle both men at once, but he could put a crimp in their style.
"Madison," he yelled as he ran. "Get the kids back in the house. Now!"
But it took her a few seconds to understand what was going on, and in those few seconds, Chris and Jill saw him.
"David!" Chris yelled, and began to run toward him as fast as his little legs would take him.
Jill was almost as quick as Madison to realize the situation. "No, Chris!" she called, running out to catch him.
He was too fast for her. "David, David!" he called, still coming, still running right into danger.
They were all coming out into the street, all doing exactly what they shouldn't be doing, all putting themselves in harm's way. It was too late to stop them now. He had to stop Armand.
Both men were out of the van; both running toward the children. Armand was closest, and David hurled himself at the man. It felt as though he was flying. Just before he hit, he caught sight of a flash of metal, and he knew Armand was armed. And then he had Armand by the legs, toppling him to the ground, and they both fell with a bone-crunching thud to the pavement where he struck his cheek.
Wrestling had never been his strong suit, but the will to win was strong enough to make up for that. Armand was grunting, trying to turn him, but he held the man and he heard the gun clatter away onto the street. Dimly, out of the corner of his eye, he could see that the accomplice had turned back to help Armand.
"Run, Madison. Grab the kids and run," he managed to yell out just before the man's foot hit his head and everything went black.
But only for a moment. He shook his head and his eyes cleared enough to see that Madison did have the kids and she was hauling them back into the house. Relief swept through him, relief that grew as he detected the sound of sirens coming their way. It was okay. Now all he had to do was hold on and make sure these two bastards didn't get away before the cops got here. It was going to be okay.
"Hold still." Madison dabbed David's face with antiseptic.
"Ouch!" He pulled away. "Hey, that stings."
"Oooh, big brave man," she teased, her eyes full of emotion despite her light tone. "You can tackle two bad guys with a single blow, but when it comes to a little topical pain…."
"Little is a relative term," he grumbled, frowning. "When you have a sadistic nurse probing your wounds to find out what hurts..."
"Watch out or I'll give you a sponge bath," she said crisply, dabbing again. "Nurse is in charge, you know."
He couldn't help but grin. "Is that a threat or a promise?"
Their eyes met and the grin faded, and Madison turned away, packing up her implements of torture. "The kids think you're a hero," she said softly. "Jill is upgrading you in her journal."
As if on cue the children came charging into the room. Chris launched himself into David's lap and Jill hung back, a little more shyly, but touching his sleeve.
"Thank you for saving us, David," she said quietly.
Reaching out, he pulled her into his lap, as well, ignoring the pain. Looking down into the girl's blue eyes, he remembered her question to him that first day in Mexico, when she'd told him she didn't really like her father. "Is that bad?" she'd asked him. And now she'd seen her father dragged away by the police in the midst of attempting to kidnap her.
His heart went out to Jill. He'd thought he had problems with his parents' separation. The magnitude of Jill's eclipsed his. But he had been in some of the places she was going. Whatever else happened in his life, he suddenly made a silent vow to keep in touch with Jill. She was going to need someone to talk to, someone who could help put these things into perspective for her. He wouldn't trust that job to anyone else. Somehow he knew it had to be his.
"Can you watch me ride my tricycle now?" Chris asked, bouncing in his lap.
David grinned. Chris wasn't going to need as much help as Jill. But he wanted to be there for the boy, too. If he needed a man to watch him as he achieved the turning points in his life, why couldn't it be him?
"I'll watch you, Chris. I've been looking forward to it."
Madison hid her smile and patted her son on the head.
"Okay, you two, go down to the playroom. We'll be down in a few minutes." She turned anxiously as the children began to leave the room. "But don't open the slider to the patio until we get there, Chris. Stay inside. Okay?"
David looked at her and shook his head. "Don't worry, Madison. Armand's been arrested. And from what the detective said, they should have enough on him to lock him away for a while, and probably get him deported. I don't think you'll have to worry about that jerk again for a long time."
She folded her arms and shivered slightly, her eyes dark with remembered pain. Rising again, she stood over where he was sitting, looking restless. "That was so close, David. I don't ever want to feel so frightened again.''
That brought up subjects he didn't feel prepared to deal with. He wanted to take her in his arms, hold her close, never let her go. But he didn't have a right to. "I'm just glad I was here at the right time," he murmured, looking away.
She turned back and stared down at him. "That brings up an interesting question. Just exactly what were you doing here?" she asked, her eyes sparkling.
He glanced up and tried to look innocent. "Who, me?"
Her smile was beginning to show. "Yes, you."
He shrugged, eyes wide. "Driving by."
"I see. Is this on your route to work?"
He grimaced and tried not to smile. "Sometimes."
She gave a short laugh. "How can it be, David? It's got to be miles out of your way." She poked him with her foot. "Come on. Fess up now. What were you doing?" There was hope in her face.
His gaze tangled with hers and held. "Checking on you," he admitted at last.
She was melting inside. "Why?" she asked softly, holding his gaze.
He couldn't tell her. If he told her, he was doomed. Staggering a little, he stood up and turned to get out of there as quickly as he could. But she wasn't going to let him go so easily. Standing in his way, she looked up into his eyes.
"David," she said, her voice shaking ever so slightly. "I have to tell you something. I can't let you just walk out of our lives again without saying it."
He shook his head, wanting to back away, but she had him cornered.
"Don't look at me that way," she said, biting her lip. "This isn't easy. But I have to do it."
She swallowed hard, looking down as though gathering strength and then raising her eyes again, brave, but scared.
"David, when I first met you, I thought you were awfully attractive, but sort of messed up. You seemed to have a grudge against me or something. I couldn't figure it out. But the more you seemed to shy away, the more I wanted to get to know you."
She turned away and walked toward the window, her arms folded, her shoulders tense. He knew he should take this opportunity to escape, but he couldn't move, except to follow her. He stood behind her, and they both looked out on the waves in the blue gray ocean.
"You kissed me and it opened up a whole new aspect to our relationship. I...I had a very severe crush on you." She glanced back at him, stifling a smile,
a little embarrassed. "And when we made love, it only got worse."
He took her shoulders in his hands, leaning in to breathe the scent of her hair, and she leaned back against him, sighing with the feel of his body against hers, relaxing at last. But she still avoided his eyes, staring out at the sea.
"David, I knew I liked you a lot, more than any man, ever. But I didn't realize I was... in love with you until that night at the motel in Mexico."
He started to say something, but she turned, putting a finger to his lips.
"1 know you don't want to marry me," she said with tears trembling in her eyes. "You don't have to explain all of that again. But I think you like me. Don't you? So why can't we be together for a while?"
He couldn't speak, but his arms came around her, even as he was shaking his head, trying to deny what he knew had to happen.
"I love you, David," she whispered, searching his eyes for an answering emotion. Her hand grazed his cheek. "I love you."
His lips touched hers hungrily, and his body betrayed his good intentions. She arched up into his embrace, and he pulled her close, loving the way she clung to him, needing to feel her touch as he needed life.
And at the same time, he was in agony. Here he was so afraid of being hurt, and yet he'd never been in as much pain as he'd suffered through these past few days without her. It was too late to save himself. He was in love with her. And there was nothing he could do about it.
But that wasn't true. There was something he could do about it.
Drawing back, he looked into her eyes. "I love you, too, Madison," he murmured as though it were the confession of a crime. "You must know that."
She smiled through her tears, and he kissed her again, groaning. "But love isn't the issue, Madison. Love isn't the end of the story."
"It is for me," she said simply, her hand cradling his cheek, love shining in her eyes. "I've loved you forever, I think."
He smiled down at her. How could he resist? "I've been in love with you from the moment I first heard your voice."
She laughed, blinking away the dampness. "Oh, I see. Isn't that something new? Love at first sound."
He laughed, then sobered again, the frown coming back with his doubts. "My parents loved each other, too. And look what happened to them."
She wouldn't retreat. "We're not your parents." She sighed. "Oh, David, don't you see? You owe it to us to see what we could do together.'' She stood on tiptoe and kissed his mouth. "I think you're going to be surprised," she said softly.
She was so beautiful, so adorable. What was he torturing himself for? This was what he wanted. This was more than he deserved, more than he'd ever dreamed he could have. Why not reach for it now?
A sense of wonder surged inside him, flooding every nerve, every pore. It was all right to love Madison. There was nothing wrong with it. He wanted her so badly he could taste it in his choked throat. And yet he still couldn't get rid of his misgivings. "Madison, your entire life-style is so different from mine."
“My life-style is changing, David. Don't you understand that?" She touched his cheek again, her eyes yearning into his. "Don't you see that I'm not happy with the life-style I've lived all these years? I've spent most of my life searching for something else. I've already made arrangements to go into business with my friend. And I'm looking at houses to move my kids into. I don't want this one anymore. I'm ready to move on."
More ready than he was, it seemed. More brave. More wonderful. Suddenly he had to laugh at himself.
"What a wimp," he muttered, shaking his head.
"Are you going to start calling me names now?" she asked.
"I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about me." He laughed shortly. "I've been petrified by fear ever since I met you."
"Fear of what?"
"Fear of falling in love with you." He grinned, saying it again. "What a wimp. I didn't even know that what I was resisting was the best thing that could ever happen to me."
She kissed him again. "And you're not going to resist any longer—are you?"
No. He really wasn't. He held her close and breathed in her scent. He was finally going to allow himself to be happy. It was the best feeling he'd ever had.
"It's funny," she said softly, her head to his chest, feeling contentment for the first time in many days. "I'll bet you don't even know what day today is."
He knew what she was driving at, and he grinned. "The fourteenth of February. Why?"
She laughed. "Oh, never mind, David. It doesn't matter. It's only that it's Valentine's Day."
"Ah, yes."
She shook her head, looking at him with love. "You're just not very romantic, are you?"
"I guess not." He sighed. "Things like Valentine's Day are way over my head."
"Beast," she muttered.
He suppressed a grin, thinking about the stacks of cards and presents he had stashed away at home. "Listen, right after we watch Chris on his tricycle, pack up the kids. Let's go over to my place. I have something I want to show you." He could hardly wait to see her face when she saw how wrong she was.
Beast, indeed!
She looked up at him, not letting go, but not sure if she could trust this yet. "So you're willing to give us a try?"
"No." He stared down at her, then curled her more tightly into his arms. "Not just a try, Madison. We're going to make it together, you and me."
"And the kids," she added, her eyes shining.
"And the kids," he vowed from his heart, and he sealed it with a kiss.
The valentines would just have to come later.
The End
JUST TRUST ME!
Is part of
THE CARRINGTON COUSINS
Don’t miss
JUST UNTIL MORNING
the next book in this series of
stand alone Romantic Comedies.
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Destiny Bay Romances~The Carringtons
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The Carringtons~Volume 1, 6 Originals
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Book 1-My Little Runaway
Book 2-Wife For a Night
Book 3-Too Scared to Breathe
Book 4-Make Believe Wife
Book 5-Promoted to Wife
Book 6-Not the Marrying Kind
The Carringtons - Baby Dreams
Book 1-Husband Wanted:Will Train
Book 2-The Baby Invasion
Book 3- Waiting for Someone like You
Book 4-Just In Time
Book 5-Jilted
Book 6-Dream A Little Dream
The Carringtons - The Ranchers
Book 1 - Native Silver: Wait for Me
Book 2 - Destiny Ranch
Book 3 - Sweet Desperado
Book 4 - Stealing Shane’s Girl
Book 5 - Luck Be A Lady
Book 6 - Don't Tell Me You Love Me
The Carringtons - The Islanders
Book 1 - Saved by You
Book 2 - Found by You
Book 3 - Tempted by You
Book 4 - Rescued by You
Book 5 - Charmed by You
Book 6 - Blessed By You
Book 7- Amazed By You
About the Author
Amy Summers is an award-winning, bestselling author of more than 100 romances published under various pseudonyms with Harlequin, Silhouette, Loveswept, and others. She is currently revamping and rewriting much of her backlist--some available in the US for the first time--to present on Kindle.
Most of her current stories feature the Carrington family who live and love on the California Central Coast. Try them all! You just might enjoy the journey!
Just Until Morning Preview
A sneak look at the next in series,
JUST UNTIL MORNING.
Kendall pulled her late model BMW in front of the quaint Victorian house and paused for a moment, checking the address before getting out. The air was sweet with the sound of birds and heavy with the scent of newly mown grass. Freshly painted gingerbread trim brightened the house. A silly rooster wind vane spun crazily at one corner of the roof. Yellow roses twined about the neat picket fence, while a large Siamese cat blinked at her sleepily from a chair on the porch.
Kendall frowned, one hand brushing back stray strands of her jet black hair. This was the home of a bounty hunter? It hardly seemed likely.
“Brett Carrington used to do quite a bit of bounty hunting,” Ernie had told her with a shrug just half an hour before. “Nowadays he runs the Mountain Search and Rescue Squad. Best tracker in these parts. We’re lucky to have him here in Sweet Willow. If you really want to find that Chelsea of yours, better look up Brett. He’ll find her.”
