by Rachel Lee
How had she ever thought this was a diversion? This was an essential expression beyond words. Need, hunger, passion, all fueled everything else in life.
She felt herself cresting the wave, riding it like a surfer who wanted to stay at the highest point forever.
“Now,” he mumbled.
She barely heard him, but it didn’t matter. She crested that wave and slid almost painfully down it until it crashed over her, blinding her, deafening her, sweeping her beyond any control.
She felt him rise up one last time and knew he had crested with her. Perfect. Just perfect.
When she collapsed on him at last, dewy and slick and welcomed by his arms, she knew she belonged nowhere else.
* * *
They dined on their little balcony, the soft tropical breeze stirring the palms, making their fronds clatter quietly. The blue of the sky was changing as the sun sank toward the sea. The sounds of music reached them from the streets and shops below, a cacophony of Jimmy Buffett mostly, but occasionally mixed in with the distant sound of a bagpiper. They saw the nightly schooner trip heading out to watch the sunset, accompanied by scores of small boats.
“Where else,” Luke asked, “does sunset bring such celebration?”
“I bet there are other places, but who cares? This is unique for me.”
“We’ll get down there tomorrow, I promise. I’ll take the wheelchair and you can shop for silly T-shirts and we’ll see the sword swallower, and the acrobats, and the musicians...”
“I’d love that.”
“What else would you love?”
“A couple of children. With you.” Taking her courage in her hands, she looked at him and waited. For all she knew, she’d just expressed a foolish wish.
But a slow smile curved his mouth. “I’d like that, too. What else?”
She hesitated, biting her lip, suspecting that he was going to make her say what she was really thinking, not slip away from it as she had so often in the past. This was the first day of the rest of her life. A trite but true reality.
“I want you to be home more. I need that, Luke.”
He nodded. “Already working on it.”
Her heart nearly stopped. Finally she drew a breath. “Really? But will that make you happy?”
His gaze never wavered. “You make me happy. Let me tell you a story.” He reached out and took her hand, bringing it to his lips for a kiss before he continued.
“Once there was a young guy who thought he had the best job in the world. He loved traveling all over, dealing with all the difficulties of different climates, different cultures, different ideas. But then he got married to this wonderful woman, and little by little he realized that he was missing her all the time. The travel was necessary, but it was no longer good.”
Her heart began to lift. “Really?”
“Really. He started thinking about what else he might be able to do, but the more he felt this beautiful woman was dissatisfied with him, the more reluctant he was to part with his job. It was almost as if he felt he was going to lose her, so he might as well keep the one thing he used to enjoy: his job. Little did he guess that he was doing exactly the wrong thing. But...she never told him what was wrong.”
“Oh!” A pang squeezed her heart.
“He thought maybe she was getting tired of him. But he never screwed up the basic courage to ask. And then the trouble would blow away and he wondered if he was imagining it.”
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
“Anyway, this young buck was a little too self-centered for his own good. Instead of trying to find ways to please his lady, he just let it lie. Never should have done that.”
He paused, and for a few moments looked out over a sea that was turning a darker blue as the sun settled toward it. When his gaze tracked back to her, she could see pain.
“The fool lost the one thing that mattered to him most, and he didn’t even realize that it was the most important thing until it was gone. He threw himself into his work, never really understanding all that had happened, except the woman he loved believed he had cheated on her.”
“Which he never did,” she said quietly.
“I’m so glad you know that now. Nothing could have made me cheat on you. Anyway, a few years later, a little older and wiser, this guy decided to look up that very important woman. He thought it was because he wanted to clear his name. He was quite convinced of it. But what he wanted more than anything else in the world was to see her again, because she still owned his heart.”
“Oh, Luke!”
“That hasn’t changed, Bri. I still love you. I still need you in my life. Take as much time as you need. Let me prove that I mean what I say about changing jobs. I’m already working out something. My current employer may let me finish this job then stay on permanently as the facility manager.”
“Oh, wow.” She wanted to fling herself at him, but he didn’t seem done yet.
“I want everything we didn’t have before, Bri. A full-time marriage and a family. I want roots, and I want to plant them where you are. But only if you want me. And like I said, you can take all the time you need. I’ll be on your doorstep every night when I get off of work. I won’t give you much room to change your mind because I can’t. I love you too much. But I’ll give you the time to agree with me.” He said the last with an almost impish smile.
It was her turn, and she knew there had never been a more important time in her life to be honest. “I never stopped missing you. Even when I was furious with you, a part of me still loved you. I resisted the feelings because, well, it was over, wasn’t it? Only it wasn’t over, and I knew it for certain when I could have lost you. Strange, that I needed to face that to face myself.”
“Facing death can be clarifying,” he agreed.
“I love you. I want to be with you always. I want that family.” She waited, wondering if she was being too precipitous. Why should he believe her after everything?
But apparently he did. He reached out, tugged her out of her chair and onto his lap. Brushing her hair back and bringing his lips close to hers, he said, “We’ll make it this time, Bri. I swear we will. I can’t lose you again.”
Then he kissed her just as the sun sank into the western sea in a crimson blaze of glory.
“Forever,” he murmured against her lips.
Forever, her heart agreed.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from A SECRET COLTON BABY by Karen Whiddon.
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Chapter 1
A whisper of sound, so fragile it might have been only a fragment left over from a dream. Another woman might have burrowed back under the blankets, refusing to open her eyes as she willed herself back to sleep. Not Ellie Parker. Not only had the infant recently entrusted to her care awakened every protective instinct she possessed, but her past had made her overly wary.
The noise came again, an echo of a ghost. Heart pounding, she held herself utterly still while waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Luckily, the full moon brought traces of silver to light the room.
There. Near Amelia’s antique crib that had been hastily brought down from the attic. A figure in black, wearing a hoody and a ski mask, reaching for the baby.
Leaping to her feet, Ellie screamed. Loud and shrill. The intruder froze, then ran for the window, yanking it open and racing away.
Baby Amelia b
egan to wail, and Ellie rushed to her on shaky legs, trying to catch her breath.
“What is it? What’s going on?” Theo Colton’s deep voice, throaty from sleep and full of concern. He flicked on the light switch.
“A man,” Ellie gasped, pointing past where he stood, his broad-shouldered body filling the doorway. “Dressed in black, wearing a ski mask. He was trying to take Amelia.”
And then the trembling started. She couldn’t help it, despite the tiny infant she clutched close to her chest. Somehow Theo seemed to sense this, as he gently took her arm and steered her toward her bed.
“Sit,” he ordered, taking the baby from her.
Reluctantly releasing Amelia, Ellie covered her face with her hands. It had been a strange day, ever since the baby’s mother—a beautiful, elegant woman named Mimi Rand—had shown up that morning insisting Theo was the father and then collapsing. Mimi had been taken to the Dead River Clinic with a high fever and flu-like symptoms. Theo had Ellie looking after Amelia until everything could be sorted out.
But Theo had no way of knowing about Ellie’s past, or the danger that seemed to follow her like a malicious shadow. “I need to leave,” she said to him. “Right now, for Amelia’s sake.”
Theo stared at her, holding Amelia to his shoulder and bouncing her gently, so that her sobs died away to whimpers and then silence. The sight of the big cowboy and the tiny baby struck a kernel of warmth in Ellie’s frozen heart.
“Leave?” Theo asked. “You just started work here a week ago. If it’s because I asked you to take care of this baby until her mama recovers, I’ll double your pay.”
“It’s not about the money.” Though she could certainly use every penny she could earn. “I...I thought I was safe here. Clearly, that’s not the case.”
He frowned. “I can assure you...” Stopping, he handed her back the baby, holding her as gingerly as fragile china. Once Ellie had the now-sleeping Amelia, Theo began walking around her room. “How about I check everything out? Is anything missing?”
Helpless to answer, since he obviously didn’t understand, she managed a shaky shrug, gently patting Amelia’s back. “I don’t think he was here for possessions, which I have very few of anyway. He was definitely after Amelia.”
“He?” Theo swung around to face her, his stance emphasizing the force of his muscular body. “Are you sure the intruder was a man?”
“Yes.” Despite the baby’s heat, she couldn’t seem to get warm. “Who would try to kidnap a baby, especially with her mother gravely ill?”
“Maybe it just looked that way.” He continued checking the room. “Nothing appears disturbed. Any idea how he got in?”
“No. He ran out the doorway into the hall when I screamed.” For the first time she realized Theo was nearly naked, wearing only some sort of pajama bottoms low on his narrow hips. His bare chest gleamed. Trying not to stare and failing miserably, she felt her mouth going dry. For one brief second, she allowed the sight of him—so big, so masculine—to make her feel safe.
And then Theo went into her bathroom. He cursed, and she knew. Her stalker had somehow found her.
Pushing to her feet, she placed the sleeping baby carefully back in her crib and hurried over. Theo appeared tense, a muscle working in his jaw. “This seems to be directed to you,” he said, pointing. The only baby you’ll be taking care of is OURS had been written on the mirror with black marker.
Her knees again nearly gave out. She felt as if she’d been punched in the stomach. “That settles it. I have to go.”
“No.” He reached out and steadied her. “No, you don’t. You’re safe here, Ellie. I can help you, protect you. But you need to tell me what’s going on.”
Despite the fact that she knew sexy Theo Colton couldn’t be her knight in shining armor, she took a deep breath. “A couple of weeks ago, I left my home in Boulder, Colorado, because I had a stalker. He seemed to find me everywhere I went, leaving me black roses.”
“Black roses?”
She nodded. “I don’t know why. He also left notes that said things like No one will ever love you like I do and One day you’ll be mine forever.”
“Did you go to the police?”
“Yes, but they said they couldn’t do anything unless he threatened me. None of the notes said anything about him wanting to harm me. I couldn’t get a restraining order or anything.”
He gave her a long look, his green eyes unfathomable. “Yet you felt threatened.”
“Yes. Wouldn’t you?”
“Do you have any idea who he is?”
“No.” She blinked. “And believe me, I tried to find out. I had friends hide and watch me to see if I was followed. No one ever saw him. The note and the roses would appear. So finally I couldn’t take it anymore. I left everything in my apartment, packed a small bag and took off. I didn’t tell anyone anything, just got in my car and drove.”
“You must have been followed.”
“I don’t know how,” she cried. “Honestly, I was very, very careful. When I left Boulder, I drove to Fort Collins, then Laramie, before I headed to Cheyenne. I stayed in Cheyenne for a couple of days before I saw your ad for a live-in cook. My car barely made it here before it died.” And as soon as she had the money, she planned to get it fixed.
He nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of this.” Picking up the phone on her nightstand, he punched in some numbers. “Hey, Flint,” he drawled. “Sorry to wake you so early on a Sunday morning, but I need you to come over.” Briefly he relayed what had happened before replacing the phone in its cradle.
“You’ve probably heard that my brother is the police chief in Dead River. He’s on his way.”
Heart in her throat, she nodded. Despite the fact that police apparently didn’t take this kind of thing seriously, maybe the fact that the police chief was a relative of Theo’s would help.
If he couldn’t, then she was out of here come sunrise, even if she had to take a bus. No way did she want to bring her personal dark cloud down on this family, who’d taken a chance on an out-of-towner with few references. Though Theo hadn’t known it, giving Ellie this job had likely saved her life. No way did she want any of them hurt because of her, especially not such a sweet and innocent baby.
Theo stayed with her while they waited for his brother to arrive, leaving her only long enough to go put on a shirt.
Flint arrived a few minutes later. Like Theo, he was tall and muscular, with the same dark hair and striking green eyes. He appeared drained, but that might only have been due to Theo’s call waking him in the middle of the night.
“I was on my way over here anyway,” he said, a shadow crossing his face. “I just got word from Gemma at the clinic. Mimi Rand passed away a little while ago.”
Both Theo and Ellie gaped at him. Theo was the first to speak. “What was wrong with her?”
“Cause of death hasn’t been determined yet.” Flint shrugged, his expression weary. “She had a high fever and flu-like symptoms. That’s all I know.”
Ellie glanced at Theo, watching for signs of grief. After all, if the ranch gossip was to be believed and Amelia was his daughter, then that meant the mother of his child had just died.
While he appeared a bit disconcerted, nothing more, she realized that might be because he wasn’t the type of man to show his emotions on his sleeve. She then looked at Amelia, still sleeping soundly, her heart squeezing in her chest. “That poor motherless baby. What’s going to become of her now?”
For the first time, Theo seemed uncomfortable. He shifted his weight and tugged at the collar of his shirt, before clearing his throat. “We need to get her checked out to make sure she’s not sick like her mother. Mimi’s ex-husband is a doctor at the clinic. Our sister, Gemma, works with him. I need to talk to him about all this. We’ll work something out.”
“Yes,” Flint said grimly. “We certainly will.”
Ellie got the distinct impression from the way the two brothers exchanged glances that they were sayin
g without words that family stuck together, no matter what. A sharp pang of longing ripped through her, which she quickly pushed away. She’d realized years ago what her parents were and weren’t capable of, and being a family wasn’t one of those things.
“Now, what occurred here?” Flint asked. “Theo says you had some kind of break-in?”
She nodded. “Yes. I’m pretty sure the intruder was here because of me. For some reason, he wanted to take or hurt the baby to get at me.”
Cocking his head, Flint frowned. “Why would you think that?”
Pointing with a shaky finger toward the bathroom, she swallowed hard. “Because he left me a message.”
Flint hurried off to check it out. She and Theo waited. A second later, she heard the click and whirr of a camera. When he returned, his expression had gone grim. “What exactly is going on?”
Theo filled him in on Ellie’s past, as well as details about what had just happened. Ellie tried like heck not to squirm as both men studied her with identical sharp gazes.
“Tell me exactly what you saw,” Flint told her, his serious voice stern but compassionate.
“I’m afraid I can’t help much.” She wished she could stop shaking or at least get warm. The chill seemed to have snaked into the marrow of her bones. “Even back in Colorado, I’ve never known my stalker’s identity. I’ve never even seen him.”
“You did tonight,” Theo reminded her, his gruff voice gentle.
“Not really. It was dark and I couldn’t get a good look at his face. Even if I’d managed to turn on a light before he fled, I’m pretty sure he wore a ski mask.”
Flint nodded. “Anything else you can tell me about him?”
She thought for a moment. “He was tall and lanky, but I can’t tell you much more than that. It all happened so fast.”
Her words came out sounding a little more forlorn than she’d intended. To her surprise, Theo put his big hand on her shoulder and squeezed, offering reassurance. She instinctively leaned into his touch, and when she realized what she’d done, she stiffened and moved away.
Meanwhile, baby Amelia slept on, undisturbed.
