“I’ll be happy to take you into town,” she said, clenching the leash tightly in her hands. “You can rent a car and drive wherever it is you’re going.” She didn’t look quite as in control.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“North Dakota. I told you.”
“Alone?”
She drew in a breath and glanced at him. “With Sparky.” He could practically feel the tight grip she had on herself. The effort it took her to act normal gave him courage.
“What is this all about, Cort? What do you want from me? A tearful goodbye? I’m not like your other women. I can’t cry on command.”
“You’re so damn feisty,” he said, and smiled. “No, don’t cry. I couldn’t stand it if you did that. I would like you to tell me you love me, though. Just once.”
She stared at him as if he’d told her to shoot one of her cats. “Are you crazy?”
“No.” He shrugged. “I’m scared as hell. Jeff offered me a job.”
Her eyes narrowed. She wasn’t going to make this easy on him. “You have a job.”
“This one would be inside. I’d have to travel, but—”
Her anger faded. The lines of pain around her mouth softened. A few strands of hair escaped from her braid and drifted around her face. He reached out and tucked them behind her ear. She didn’t flinch from him.
“But what?” she asked softly.
“I could live anywhere.”
In her worn jeans and pale yellow work shirt, she wasn’t anyone’s idea of a beauty. He smiled. That wasn’t true. She was his idea of the perfect woman. Strong and faithful, and incredibly sexy. She drew herself up to her full height, then nodded as if she’d come to a decision.
“All right. What have I got to lose? I love you, Cort.”
He was surprised the words affected him. His throat tightened, and deep in his chest he felt an answering flood of emotion. “Just like that. Doesn’t anything scare you?” he asked.
“You scare me. Here’s my heart. Are you going to trample it again?”
He thought he saw her tremble, but he wasn’t sure. He thought about the price he’d paid to fight his good fight and about how few times anyone got a second chance.
“No, Faith,” he said. “I’m going to keep your heart with me always.”
She looked hopeful, but wary. “Why?”
“That’s easy. I love you, too.”
She stared at him, then flung herself into his arms. He held her tightly against him, and the cold darkness around his soul cracked, allowing a little light to creep in. It hurt, but in a good way. Nothing had ever felt this right.
“Think I’ll be the only spy living in North Dakota?” he asked.
“I’m almost sure of it.”
“Think we can make this thing work?”
“Absolutely.”
“Good, because I’m not letting you go.”
He cupped her face and bent down to kiss her. She met him more than halfway, and passion flared between them. The rightness of their embrace, the feel of her body pressing against him, that damn French perfume, all called him home.
He felt something nudging his leg. He tried to ignore it, but the next nudge practically knocked him off balance.
Faith stepped away and laughed. He petted the black leopard. “Yes, Sparky, I care about you, too.” Sparky rumbled deep in his throat. The purring sound floated out into the afternoon.
“Come on,” he said, taking the leash from her and attaching it to the leopard’s collar. “Let’s get going. We’ve got a long drive ahead of us.”
“But don’t you have to report to work?”
He took her hand and started toward the building. “Jeff said he didn’t need an answer until the first of the month. That gives us enough time to stop off in Las Vegas and get married.” He glanced at her. “Unless you want a big wedding?”
“Married?” She stared at him. “We’re getting married?”
“Don’t you want to?”
She grinned. “Of course. I’m just surprised. Next thing you’ll be telling me you want kids.”
“Why not?” He held open the door for her and followed her through the foyer and out to the front. A large truck sat in the driveway. In back was a special cage for Sparky. Cort loaded him in and secured the latch. “I mean to do this thing right. I want a whole litter of kids. What is that—maybe five?”
“Five?”
He held open his arms and hugged her close. “One, five, whatever you want.” He stared down into her blue eyes. “I’ll love you forever. I swear.”
“I believe you,” she whispered, drawing his head down closer to hers. This time she could believe. He would cherish her with the same unswerving loyalty with which he’d fought his battles. She trusted his honor and his love. Cort was the most special of creatures—a man who mated for life.
*
With her brand-new Mischief Bay series, New York Times bestselling author
SUSAN MALLERY
brings to vivid color the story of three friends on the brink of a new life.
“An engrossing take of emotional growth and the healing power of friendship.”
—Library Journal on three sisters The Girls of Mischief Bay now available wherever books are sold!
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Turn the page for a brief visit to Susan Mallery’s
THE GIRLS OF MISCHIEF BAY
Meet Nicole, Shannon and Pam in their quirky, beachy town by the ocean, where life is richer with friends by your side!
Pam walked through from the garage to the main house, Lulu keeping pace with her. In the mudroom they both paused. Pam fished her small handbag out of the tote, then hung the larger bag on a hook.
The open area served as a catchall for things that otherwise didn’t have a home. There was a built-in storage unit with plenty of hooks, shelves and drawers. The latter were mostly filled with Lulu’s various clothes.
Now Pam eyed the lightweight sweater her pet wore and decided it would keep the dog warm enough until bedtime. Like the rest of the family, Lulu wore PJs to bed. Pam didn’t care if anyone laughed at her for that. She was the one Lulu cuddled next to under the covers and she wanted her dog wearing something soft when that happened.
They continued through the house to the kitchen. Pam pulled her cell out of her purse and stuck it on the side table by the hall, then checked on the Crock-Pot she’d left on that morning. A quick peek and stir confirmed the beef burgundy was coming along. She added the vegetables she’d already prepared and stirred again, then went out the front door to collect the mail.
The day had warmed up nicely. February in the rest of the country could mean snow and ice. In Southern California there was every chance it would be sunny and seventy. Today was no exception, although she would guess it was closer to sixty-five. Hardly reason to complain, she told herself as she pulled the mail out of the box and started back toward the house.
Mischief Bay was a coastal community. Tucked between Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach, it had a small pier, plenty of restaurants, a boardwalk and lots of tourists. The ocean regulated the temperatures and the steady light breeze made sure there wasn’t much in the way of smog.
She and John had bought their sprawling ranch-style home ages ago. Jennifer, their oldest, had been what? Three? Pam tried to remember. If Jennifer had been three, then Steven had been a year and she’d been pregnant with Brandon.
Oh, yeah. She had been pregnant all right. There’d been the charming moment when she’d thrown up in front of the movers. Brandon had been a difficult pregnancy and she’d been nauseous a lot. Something she brought up every so often—when her son needed a little humbling. As all children di
d, now and then.
She paused to wait for Lulu to do her business by the bushes and studied the front of the house. They’d redone much of both yards a few years ago, when they’d had the house painted. She liked the new plants that edged the circular drive. Her gaze rose to the roof. That had been replaced, as well. One of the advantages of having a husband in construction—he always knew the best people.
Lulu trotted back to her side.
“Ready to go in, sweet pea?” Pam asked.
Lulu wagged her feathered tail and led the way. Pam glanced down at the mail as she walked. Bills, a letter from an insurance agent she’d never heard of—no doubt an ad—along with two car magazines for John and a postcard from the local high school.
Pam frowned at the postcard and turned it over. What on earth could they…?
Lulu walked into the house. Pam followed and automatically closed the door. She stood in the spacious foyer, afternoon light spilling onto the tile floor.
But she didn’t see any of that. She didn’t see anything but the stark words printed on the postcard.
Class of 2005. Fellow Cougars—save the date!! Your 10-year high school reunion is this August.
There was more, but the letters got blurry as Pam tried to make sense of the notice. A ten-year high school reunion? Sure, Jennifer had graduated in 2005, but there was no way it had been ten years, had it? Because if Jen were attending her ten-year reunion, that meant Pam was the mother of a woman attending her ten-year high school reunion.
“When did I get old?” Pam asked, her voice a whisper.
Involuntarily, she turned to stare at the mirror over the entry table. The person staring back at her looked familiar and yet totally wrong. Sure the shoulder-length dark hair was fine and the irises were still hazel-green. But everything else was different. No, not different. Less…firm.
There were lines around her eyes and a distinct softness to her jaw. Her mouth wasn’t as full as it had been. Ironically, just last November she’d turned fifty and had been so damned proud of herself for not freaking out. Because these days fifty was the new thirty-five. Big deal, right?
John had thrown a huge party. She’d laughed over the gag gifts and had prided herself for achieving the big 5-0 with grace and style. Not to mention a pretty decent ass, thanks to the three-times-a-week classes she took at Nicole’s studio. She hadn’t felt…old. But that was before she had a daughter who had just been invited to her ten-year high school reunion.
Sure, she’d had kids young. She’d married John at nineteen and had Jen when she’d turned twenty-two. But that was what she’d always wanted.
She and John had met at Mischief Bay High School. He’d been tall and sexy, a star player on the football team. His family had a local plumbing company. One that worked in new construction rather than fixing stopped-up toilets.
John’s plans had been set. He was going to get his AA in business from Mischief Bay Community College, then work in the family firm full-time. He would start at the bottom, earn his way to the top and buy out his parents by the time he was forty.
Pam had liked how he’d known what he wanted and went after it. When he turned his blue eyes on her and decided she was the one to share the journey, well, she’d been all in.
Now as she studied her oddly familiar and unfamiliar reflection, she wondered how the time had gone by so quickly. One second she’d been an in-love teenager and now she was the mother of a twenty-eight-year-old.
“No,” she said aloud, turning away from the mirror. She wasn’t going to freak out over something as ridiculous as age. She had an amazing life. A wonderful husband and terrific kids and a strange little dog. They were all healthy—except for Lulu’s ongoing issues—and successful and, best of all, happy. She’d been blessed a thousand times over. She was going to remember that and stay grateful. So what if she wasn’t firm? Beauty only went skin deep. She had wisdom and that was worth more.
She headed into the kitchen and flipped on the wall-mounted TV. John got home between five fifteen and five thirty every day. They ate at six—a meal she’d made from scratch. Every Saturday night they either went out to dinner or had an evening with friends. Sunday afternoon the kids came over and they barbecued. On Memorial Day they held a big party, also a barbecue. It was L.A. When in doubt, throw meat on a grill.
She automatically collected the ingredients for biscuits. Self-rising flour, shortening, sugar, buttermilk, baking powder. She’d stopped using a recipe years ago for nearly everything. Because she knew what she was doing. John liked what she served and didn’t want her to change. They had a routine. Everything was comfortable.
She measured the flour and told herself that comfortable wasn’t the same as old. It was nice. Friendly. Routines meant things went smoothly.
She finished cutting in the shortening, then covered the bowl. That was the trick to her biscuits. To let them rest about twenty minutes.
Lulu sat patiently next to her bowl. As Pam approached, the dog wagged her fluffy tail and widened her eyes in a hopeful expression.
Pam rolled out the biscuits and put them on the cookie sheet. She covered them with a clean towel and started the oven. She’d barely finished setting the table when she heard the faint rumble of the garage door opener. Lulu took off running down the hall, barking and yipping in excitement.
A few minutes later John walked into the kitchen, their ridiculous dog in his arms. Pam smiled at him and turned her head for their evening kiss. As their lips touched, Lulu scrambled from his arms to hers, then swiped both their chins with her tongue.
“How was your day?” John asked.
“Good. Yours?”
“Not bad.”
As he spoke he crossed to the bottle of wine she’d put on the counter in the butler’s pantry off the kitchen. It was a cab from a winery they’d visited a few years ago on a trip to Napa.
“Steven’s working on a bid for that new hotel everyone’s been talking about. It’s right on the water. Upscale to the max. He said they were talking about the possibility of twenty-four-karat gold on the faucets in the penthouse. Can you believe it?”
“No. Who would do that? It’s a hotel. Everything has to be scrubbed down daily. How do you clean gold?”
“I know.” John opened the drawer to pull out the foil cutter. “It’s a bathroom. They’re idiots. But if the check clears, what do I care?”
As they spoke, she studied the man she’d been married to for thirty-one years. He was tall, just over six feet, with thick hair that had started going gray. The dark blond color meant the gray wasn’t noticeable, but it was there. Being a man, it only made him look more appealing. A few months ago he’d asked why she wasn’t going gray, too. When she’d reminded him of her visits every six weeks to her hair person, he’d been shocked. John was such a typical guy, it had never occurred to him she colored her hair. Because he thought she was naturally beautiful.
Silly man, she thought affectionately, as she watched him.
He had a few wrinkles around his eyes, but otherwise looked as he had when they’d first met. Those broad shoulders had always appealed to her. These days he claimed he needed to lose ten or fifteen pounds, but she thought he looked just fine.
He was handsome, in a rugged kind of way. He was a good man. Kind and generous. He loved his wife and his kids and his routine. While he had his faults, they were minor and ones she could easily live with. In truth, she had no complaints about John. It was the her-getting-older thing she found faintly annoying.
He pulled out the cork and tested it with his thumbnail, then poured them each a glass of cab. She slid the biscuits into the oven and set the timer.
“What are we having?” he asked as he handed her a glass.
“Beef burgundy and biscuits.”
His mouth turned up in an easy smile. “I’m a lucky man.”
“Even luckier. You’ll be taking leftovers for lunch tomorrow.”
“You know I love me some leftovers.”
He wasn’t kidding, she thought as she followed him through the kitchen. His idea of heaven was any kind of red meat with leftovers for lunch the following day. He was easy to please.
They went into the sunroom off the back of the house. In the cooler months, the glass room stayed warm. In the summer, they removed the glass and used the space for outdoor living.
Lulu followed them, then jumped up on the love seat where Pam always sat and settled next to her. Pam rubbed her dog’s ears as John leaned back in his chair—a recliner with a matching mate in the family room—and sighed heavily.
“Hayley’s pregnant again,” he said. “She told me this morning. She’s waiting until three months to make a public announcement.”
Pam felt her mouth twist. “I don’t know what to say,” she admitted. “That poor girl.”
“I hope this one takes,” John said. “I don’t know how much more of her suffering I can stand.”
Hayley was John’s secretary and desperate to have children, but she’d miscarried four times over the past three years. This would be try number five. Rob, Hayley’s husband, wanted to look into adoption or a surrogate, but Hayley was obsessed with having a baby the old-fashioned way.
“I should send her a card,” Pam said, then shook her head. “Maybe not.” She took a sip of her wine. “I have no idea how to handle this.”
“Don’t look at me. You’re in woman territory.”
“Where if you stray too far, you’ll grow breasts?”
“Damned straight.”
“I’ll write a note,” she decided. “I can say we’re rooting for her without a you’re-having-a-baby message. Did the doctor say she would be okay if she could get to three months?”
Her husband forehead furrowed. “I don’t know. She probably told me, but I barely want to know if she goes to the bathroom. Baby stuff is too intimate.”
“You’re not a complex man, are you?”
He raised his glass to her. “And that’s why you love me.”
Tempting Faith Page 25
