Winter Bride (9780345546197)

by Johansen, Iris

  Betty Starnes had opened the door and stood in the entryway, her features contorted with gloating malice. Ysabel braced herself for the coming encounter but managed to smile. “It’s funny you should say that. Jed told me she reminded him of the giant’s wife in ‘Jack and the Beanstalk.’ ”

  “So you’ve come crawling back. I knew you would.” Betty’s glance fell on Ronnie and Steven, and her lips curled. “Who are these people? I won’t accept them here. They’ll have to leave. Mr. Arnold wouldn’t permit—”

  “Choose any room you like,” Ysabel told Ronnie as she stepped around Betty and entered the foyer. “Heaven knows the castle has enough of them.”

  Betty followed them. “I told you they couldn’t stay.”

  Ysabel turned to Steven. “You’re bothered because it reminds you of the castillo, aren’t you?” As he started to protest, she shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. It may take you awhile to become adjusted. Jed has a cabin on the south side of the island. It’s not very luxurious, but you’d be comfortable. Why don’t you move in there?”

  Steven looked relieved. “Could I? I’ve had enough of castles for the time being. You wouldn’t mind?”

  “I thought I’d had enough of them too until I realized a place is only what you make it.” She smiled. “Go on and get settled. Follow the path south and down the hill. You can’t miss it. We’ll expect you back for dinner at seven.”

  He gave her a grateful grin and bolted out of the castle.

  “Who is that?” Betty demanded. “What right do you have telling him where he can stay?”

  Ysabel ignored her questions. “We have four other guests, security men who are reconnoitering the island at the moment, but they should be here within the hour. Make sure they have comfortable accommodations.”

  “Are you giving me orders?” Betty drew up to her full height. “Have you forgotten who I am?”

  “A bully and bad-tempered shrew comes immediately to mind,” Ysabel said coolly. “But you’re also the housekeeper here and have certain duties I expect you to perform.”

  Livid color spotted Betty’s cheeks. “I don’t take orders from you.”

  “Don’t you? You’ll either take them or have your stay made very uncomfortable.”

  “Good God, I feel like I’m at Manderley,” Ronnie said. “Where did you get this poor man’s Mrs. De Winter, Ysabel?”

  “I inherited her. She goes with the castle.”

  “It’s no wonder you signed the castle over to Jed.”

  “You what!” Betty’s eyes were suddenly blazing at Ysabel. “You couldn’t have done that. Mr. Arnolds—”

  “Stole Winter Island from Jed,” Ysabel finished. “And now it’s his again.”

  “You slut, you’ve destroyed everything.” Betty grabbed Ysabel’s arm, her nails biting cruelly into flesh. “Just because he takes you to bed and—”

  “Release my arm.” Ysabel enunciated the words clearly and coldly. “I told you once you were never to touch me again.”

  Betty’s grasp tightened.

  Ronnie took a protective step forward.

  “Stay out of it, Ronnie,” Ysabel said without looking at her. “I’ll handle this.”

  “Ungrateful whore,” Betty said between her teeth.

  “Once more. Let me go.”

  “You always did—”

  Ysabel’s right fist rammed into the large woman’s stomach.

  “Whumpf!” The sound that came from Betty’s lips was like the air being let out of a pricked balloon.

  As the housekeeper’s grasp loosened, Ysabel jerked free, stepped to the side, and knifed a karate chop to the woman’s neck. The housekeeper toppled like a felled tree.

  Ysabel was vaguely shocked at the fierce satisfaction surging through her at the sight of the woman lying unconscious on the floor. She hadn’t realized until this moment how much she had needed retribution for the torment of those years.

  She smiled serenely as she stepped over the woman’s crumpled body and moved toward the stairs. “You might like the room next to mine, Ronnie. It’s decorated in yellow and is a bit more cheerful than— What are you laughing at?”

  “Whipped cream.” Ronnie hopped over Betty and ran up the stairs after Ysabel. “Dear Lord, and I thought you were whipped cream!”

  “They’re on Winter Island?” Jed gazed at Brooking, stunned. “Why the devil did you put them there?”

  “I didn’t voluntarily put them there. I had a safe house set up in West Virginia, but I had no choice. Ysabel Corbin refused to go anywhere else.” Brooking shrugged. “Other than putting them in a cell, which we didn’t think you’d appreciate, we had to go along with her. She appeared to object to her brother being in close confinement.”

  “Yes, she would,” Jed said absently. But why Winter Island? he wondered. Ysabel certainly had no love for the place and Betty Starnes would delight in making her life hell. “It’s been four weeks. Why wasn’t I told of the change of plan?”

  “The determined Ms. Corbin again. She said the change would worry you and you didn’t need any additional baggage if you were going into danger. She seems quite protective of you.”

  “Oh, she’s definitely protective.” He grimaced. “Sometimes painfully so. Are you through with my debriefing?”

  Brooking nodded. “Get the hell out of here.” He smiled. “And thanks, Corbin. We might have brought Marino down in time, but I prefer sooner to later.”

  “So did I. I did it for myself as much as for you.” Jed turned to go. “I want my life back in order.”

  “Jed?” Ysabel whispered, her hand tightening on the receiver. She felt dizzy with the relief and joy coursing through her. “Are you all right?”

  “Fine,” he said curtly. “What the devil are you doing there with that witch?”

  “Betty? She’s not here any longer. She left three days after we arrived.”

  “Why?”

  “She didn’t like it here anymore.” She rushed on, “You’re sure you’re not hurt? What about Marino?”

  “Perez has him, and his political base is crumbling. Tell Ronnie I shot the capture myself and got it right side up.”

  “I’ll tell her.”

  “I’m on my way. I’ll be in Seattle by noon and the island by one-thirty.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  “Will you?” His voice sounded husky. “That sounds good. No one’s ever said that to me before.” The next moment the connection was broken.

  “He’s coming.” Ysabel put down the receiver and turned to Ronnie, who was sitting in an easy chair across the library. “He should be here within a few hours.”

  “What about Marino?”

  “Perez has him. Jed said to tell you he’d done the camera work on the capture and he’d got it right side up.”

  “I should have been there.” Ronnie shrugged. “Well, maybe Jed will feel guilty enough about cheating me out of the story that he’ll owe me.” Her lips tightened grimly. “And I’ll make damn sure he knows it.”

  “I’m sure you will.” Ysabel turned and moved toward the door.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I have preparations to make before I go meet him.” She glanced thoughtfully at the picture of the Winter Bride over the fireplace. “I believe it’s time we cleared up a few things.”

  She was standing beneath a tree, the bitter winter wind lifting her hair against the velvet hood as Jed walked up the path toward the castle.

  She saw Jed stop in midstride as he caught sight of her and she braced herself. Then he was moving swiftly toward her.

  “I thought you’d finished with this charade,” he said, his gaze traveling over the long ivory velvet gown she wore and then to the ermine-trimmed cloak. “I suppose you have a reason for all this?”

  She nodded. “I wanted to make a statement.”

  “And that is …?”

  She met his gaze. “That I’m not afraid of what the Winter Bride means to you anymore. I’ve had a l
ong time to think about it and I’ve decided she’s no competition. I have sufficient presence and strength of purpose to stand on my own.”

  “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

  She smiled. “I had to reach my own conclusions. You may have noticed I’m a little stubborn.”

  His lips twitched. “It’s come to my attention.”

  “I thought it had.” Her smiled faded. “I was very angry with you for going after Marino, you know.”

  “It was something I had to finish. He would always have been there in the background haunting you.”

  “But you didn’t let me help.” She gestured toward the gown. “You treated me as if I were that child in the painting. You tried to protect me, for goodness sake. It wasn’t fair when you get so angry with me for doing the same thing.”

  “That was different. I had no choice but to—” He stopped. “You’re right, it was the same scenario. I was just the prime player. I couldn’t stand the thought of you being hurt.”

  “So you sent Brooking to put us in a nice neat box while you went out to brave Marino.” She held up her hand as he opened his mouth to protest. “I’ll accept what you did this time and I’ve come to terms with the fact that your job means there may be moments of danger and worry in the years ahead.”

  He went still. “Years?”

  She smiled. “I believe you mentioned fifty or so?”

  “At least.” His voice was thick. “If that’s not too much commitment for you.”

  “It’s not enough. No, don’t touch me.” She took a hasty step back as he moved toward her. “I have some more to say and I can’t think when you touch me.”

  “Neither can I. Talk and it better be quick. Lord, it’s been four weeks, love.”

  Dear heavens, she wanted to go into his arms. “I want to tell you why I came back to Winter Island.”

  “Brooking told me,” he said impatiently. “And I’ve been thinking about it. Perhaps we should stay here until we’re sure all of Marino’s goons have been rounded up. I’ll hire private bodyguards after Brooking’s men leave. Later we’ll buy a condo in Seattle.”

  “I’ve already taken care of that. Brooking put me in touch with four ex-Special Forces people and they’ll arrive tomorrow morning.”

  “I suppose I should have expected you to beat me to the punch,” he said dryly.

  “We’re going to pay them very well and I expect them to stay a long, long time.”

  “You may not need them for more than six months or so. Marino’s finished on San Miguel and Perez will make sure his forces are disbanded.”

  “We’ll need them.” She smiled serenely. “I’ve decided, if you continue in this extremely dangerous profession, you’re going to need a sanctuary to come home to. When we’re traveling, we’ll probably take one of the men with us.”

  “A bodyguard?” He looked outraged.

  “Listen to me, Jed.” A steely note entered her tone. “You will be as safe as I can make you. I won’t have it any other way.”

  “I won’t be tailed by a—” He suddenly started to laugh. “Lord save me from a protective woman.”

  “This protective woman will help the Lord save you from more dangerous hazards than herself.”

  “I’m beginning to wonder if there is anyone more hazardous.”

  “And there’s another reason why I came back to Winter Island.” She paused. “I want to be married here.”

  “What?” His eyes widened. “You can’t be serious. You went through hell in that castle.”

  “That’s why I want the marriage to take place there.” Her words tumbled out. “Don’t you see? We need new memories to replace the old. Beautiful memories. Your mother loved the island and so did you at one time. If you let Arnold destroy that for you, then you lose again.” She added in a whisper, “And so will I. We’re stronger than that, Jed. We don’t need to run away again.”

  He gazed at her a moment. “You really want this?”

  “I want to make this place our own. I want Winter Island to belong to you again. I told Ronnie I’d never had a home, but it’s important to put down roots. You already have roots here and we only have to make them healthy and strong again.” She smiled tremulously. “What do you think the Winter Bride would have done back in medieval times? She wouldn’t have packed up and moved to a condo in Camelot. She would have lived in her castle and changed circumstances to suit herself.”

  He took a step forward and gently touched her cheek. “But, as you’ve often told me, you’re not the Winter Bride.”

  “I was wrong.” A brilliant smile lit her face. “I’m the new Winter Bride and you’ll have to reckon with me as her husband did her.”

  He lifted her chin with his fingers as he looked into her eyes. “Oh, I will,” he said tenderly. “And love you and cherish you for as long as we live.”

  “You will?” she whispered.

  His eyes suddenly twinkled with mischief. “I wouldn’t dare do anything else.”

  WHAT ARE LOVESWEPT ROMANCES?

  They are stories of true romance and touching emotion. We believe those two very important ingredients are constants in our highly sensual and very believable stories in the LOVESWEPT line. Our goal is to give you, the reader, stories of consistently high quality that may sometimes make you laugh, sometimes make you cry, but are always fresh and creative and contain many delightful surprises within their pages.

  Most romance fans read an enormous number of books. Those they truly love, they keep. Others may be traded with friends and soon forgotten. We hope that each LOVESWEPT romance will be a treasure—a “keeper.” We will always try to publish

  LOVE STORIES YOU’LL NEVER FORGET

  BY AUTHORS YOU’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER

  The Editors

  THE EDITOR’S CORNER

  Welcome to Loveswept!

  I have a little secret: when I’m shopping for gifts, I can never resist buying myself a little treat as well – usually in the form of a sexy and romantic read. If you’re like me, then you’re in luck because we have some exceptional books on sale this month. Like Juliet Rosetti’s CRAZY FOR YOU, the next book in her fun and sexy series featuring Mazie Maguire, everyone’s favorite escaped (but exonerated!) felon, and her hilarious capers. For historical romance fans, there’s Samantha Kane’s DEVIL IN MY ARMS, the last installment in her Saint’s Devils series which is heaping with steamy intrigue and mystery. Then there’s Lauren Layne’s LOVE THE ONE YOU’RE WITH, the next book in the clever and sassy Sex, Love & Stiletto series—which reminds me so much of Sex & the City, with the story of two high-powered magazine writers who find love amid a war of words. And don’t miss Toni Aleo’s BLUE LINES; if you’re not already a Toni Aleo fan, you will be after this book. Sports romance are so hot right now– and Toni’s sexy hockey book will have you craving for more sports in your life.

  So treat yourself; you won’t regret it!

  And, you can’t miss these classics:

  Two sizzling books from Ruth Owen: TAMING THE PIRATE, where a woman in danger must hide the truth about her past from the sexy PI who’s bent on protecting—and loving—her, and, LAST AMERICAN HERO, where a seductive cowboy loner learns a lesson in love; GREAT AMERICAN BACHELOR, Adrienne Staff and Sally Goldenbaum’s story of a small-town girl who shows a high-powered bachelor that some things in life are more important than the perfect deal; Iris Johansen’s mesmerizing WINTER BRIDE, about a woman who risks her life to win the love she’s always dreamed of; IMAGINARY LOVER, a haunting love story and HANNAH’S LOVER, a scorching hot fantasy – both from Sandra Chastain; and as a special treat, we’re also releasing Connie Brockway’s — McClairen’s Isle trilogy featuring the restless, daring and proud Merrick siblings as they find a love as wild and glorious as the Highland isle they claimed as their own: THE PASSIONATE ONE, THE RECKLESS ONE and THE RAVISHING ONE.

  Be swept away with Loveswept!

  Gina Wachtel

  Associate Publisher

 
; Read on for an excerpt from Maggie McGinnis’s

  Accidental Cowgirl

  Chapter 1

  “Roadkill? Again?” Kyla braked to steer around the third animal in as many miles, but this time, the ancient rental car jolted the other way, yanking her hands right off the wheel as it beelined for the carcass.

  “Eww! No! Bad car!” She stomped on the brake pedal with both feet, but instead of slowing down, the car jerked back to the right with an ominous clunking sound that grew louder as she death-gripped the wheel. For a long half-mile she thought she might be the next body to litter this deserted Montana highway, but finally she managed to muscle the car to a stop in the breakdown lane. A loud hiss preceded another thump, and as the car leaned suddenly to the right, steam billowed from the hood. She looked in the rearview mirror, fully expecting to see pieces of metal strewn in a path behind her, but the highway was empty.

  She whacked the wheel. “Seriously, car? You couldn’t think of a more original way to die?”

  Kyla looked out the open driver’s-side window, where the shimmering August sun was heading toward the horizon. Perfect. It was about to be dark, she was still probably an hour south of the rent-a-ranch, and now her lemon of a rental car had imploded.

  Never take the last car on the lot, she could almost hear Gramps chiding her. There’s a reason it’s still sitting there. She sighed, wishing he had added, And also, never agree to marry a man who’s planning to steal millions of dollars, send it to the Caymans, and set you up to take the fall.

  For a moment, she pictured the seedy hotel she’d spotted as the plane landed at the tiny airport. Even with hourly rates and a neon sign missing half its letters, it was looking better right now than this barren landscape. Too bad it was now two hours behind her and she had no way of knowing what was between here and the dude ranch her two best friends had booked for the next two weeks.

  She dug her phone and AAA card out of her carry-on, but the phone’s empty bars just taunted her. Uh-oh. No signal. Prickles spiked the crown of her head, creeping downward toward her ears as she looked at the empty landscape. She tried to force her shoulders to relax as she exhaled again.