by Debra Webb
School would start in a couple of weeks and Jamie would meet new friends. Maybe he’d even have some of the same teachers she’d had.
Life was good.
At long last.
Brody had lied about her son having an illness. A team of specialists had evaluated Jamie and he was as fit as a fiddle. Brody had come up with that excuse for his actions, claiming he had no idea what Desmond was really up to. But the D.A. wasn’t buying his cover story, the last she’d heard.
A car speeding down the long drive left a cloud of smoke in its wake. Ashley smiled. Now life really was perfect. Keith was here.
He’d promised to drop by and check on them. She hadn’t seen him since that day at the airfield outside Springfield. They’d talked on the phone a couple of times but she’d been so busy helping her mother get the house back into shape and getting Jamie settled, there just hadn’t been time to talk at length.
It felt like eons since she’d seen him.
They’d both had so much to do and they’d decided that a little time apart would be best.
Stressful situations often brought people together who weren’t really in love with each other; the reaching out was more about survival. She and Keith had needed some time and distance to make sure what they’d shared was real, not just a desperate act of survival.
He got out of the car and waved at Jamie. Jamie smiled and waved back. Ashley liked that her son appeared intrigued by Keith.
“Supper’ll be ready in ten minutes!” her mother called from inside the house.
Ashley grunted a response. She couldn’t take her eyes off the handsome man striding toward the porch long enough to give a decent answer.
“The house looks great,” he said as he climbed the steps.
“Thank you.” It certainly did. She and her mother had seen to the revamping of the whole house in the past two weeks. They’d hired a dozen renovation experts to get out here and get the job done. There were still a few things on the list, but the major problems were history now. All thanks to a very generous settlement from Desmond. He was awaiting trial, though most who knew him speculated that his heart would never hold out for the duration of the proceedings. Ashley could only assume that he hoped his generosity would sway the jurors when they were deciding his fate.
“Everything looks great,” Keith said as he strode across the porch toward her.
She blushed as she stood to greet him. “So do you.” No more bandages or bruises. He looked amazing.
“Can we talk a few minutes before dinner? I heard your mom sounding the warning.”
Ashley smiled. Her mother would forever more be overprotective of her. “Sure.” She took his hand and tugged him down onto the swing with her. Instinctively, she checked on her son who was galloping around the yard. He was so happy.
“I was thinking,” Keith began.
Ashley shifted to face him. “Let me go first.”
He nodded, his smile almost taking her breath.
She reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a simple gold band and turned back to him. “I’m not sure of the proper etiquette here, but I’m not getting on my knees for this.” She had to smile at his astonished look. “Will you marry me? You’ll get a son and a live-in mother-in-law to boot. But I promise you’ll never be bored.”
That smile widened, took her breath all over again. “I guess I should have seen this coming. You always have a plan in place. Always one step ahead of me.”
“Damn right.” She took his hand, poised the ring above the proper finger. “So what’s it gonna be, Mr. P.I.? Are you going to help me salvage my honor?”
“How can I say no?”
She slid the ring onto his finger. It wasn’t exactly an engagement ring—she’d skipped right to the wedding band—but it would work.
“My turn,” he said, not to be outdone.
He withdrew a small velvet box from his shirt pocket. Unlike her, he did drop down onto one knee. Her heart took a running leap and practically jumped out of her chest. “Ashley, will you be my wife? Allowing me to be your son’s father? And your mother’s favorite son-in-law?”
She giggled at the last. “Only if you kiss me right now.”
Only too happy to oblige, he kissed her long and deep, allowing her to feel all the love in his heart.
“Are we going to eat or what?” her mother called through the screen door.
They laughed, their lips still touching.
This, Ashley realized as she looked into Keith’s eyes, was how fairy tales were supposed to end.
With the girl getting the guy.
Chapter Fifteen
Victoria closed the file on the Van Valkenberg case. The final reports were done. Desmond Van Valkenberg would never spend a day in prison. His money had bought him house arrest, considering he had only a few days to live. The upside, however, was that he would be closely watched by prison guards whose salaries the state required him to pay.
Victoria shook her head sadly. His father would be so disappointed in him.
It was late. She should call it a day. Everyone else had gone home except Mildred. Victoria had to smile. Faithful Mildred would never go home as long as Victoria was still in the office.
Victoria rose, switched off the lamp on her desk and pushed in her chair. Her purse and briefcase in hand, she headed for the door.
She sincerely hated losing Keith, but his heart was now in Indiana with the woman he loved and her son. He and Ashley had many plans, none of which included his coming back to work at the Colby Agency.
Oh well. Victoria wouldn’t dream of standing in the way of true love.
Mildred was just shutting down her computer as Victoria strolled out of her office.
“Ready to call it a night?” she asked.
Mildred nodded. “I think it’s time.”
“Big plans this weekend?” Victoria asked as the two made the journey down the long corridor to reception and the elevators there.
“Oh, nothing special.”
But Victoria knew from the twinkle in her eyes that there was definitely something special on the agenda.
“You say hello to Dr. Ballard for me,” Victoria offered as she pressed the call button for the elevators.
“I will. Lucas is returning tonight?” Mildred asked, shifting the spotlight from herself.
Victoria felt a surge of tingly sensations start deep in her belly at the mention of her husband’s name. He’d been away a couple of days and she looked forward to his return with immense anticipation. Lucas always made his first night back home after being away very special. She shivered inside. Very, very special.
“He should be waiting for me when I get home.”
The elevator doors glided open and the two stepped into the waiting car.
“I imagine we’ll both have exciting weekends,” Mildred suggested.
Victoria watched the doors close, blocking out the view of the agency she loved. She shifted her attention to her longtime friend and assistant. “Very exciting,” she said with a knowing smile.
Mildred returned that knowing smile with a perceptive one of her own.
They rode in silence the rest of the way to the lobby, both anticipating the men in their lives and a breath-stealing weekend full of romance.
Both knew one thing for an absolute certainty: a woman was never too old for a little romance.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-7181-8
THE HIDDEN HEIR
Copyright: © 2006 by Debra Webb
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of
the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.eHarlequin.com
*Colby Agency
**The Specialists
†Colby Agency: Internal Affairs
††The Enforcers
‡Colby Agency: New Recruits
