Tyler and Morgan stared at each other. A wave of relief washed over her from him, along with his disbelief she was awake and okay.
“I’m fine, sweetheart. I promise.”
“You scared me. I thought I’d lost you.” He crawled onto the bed next to her. Not an easy task to scoot her over and move all the wires and IV lines, but he needed to be close to her. He put his arm over her and held her gently to him. Face-to-face, he leaned in and kissed her forehead.
“I feel better already.” She leaned her head to his lips.
“Are you in pain? I can get the doctor to up your meds if you’re hurting.”
“I’m okay. It hurts, but you make me feel better.”
“Oh God, honey. What happened?” He’d had a lot of time to replay the scene in his head. He had no idea, and neither did anyone else, what really happened that night.
She understood what he wanted, an explanation for the unexplainable. “I got slapped one too many times. He pissed me off. After that, I don’t know. I wanted to push him away, and I couldn’t physically do it. I don’t know how I did it. It just happened.”
“Now that you’re okay, I have to say, it was awesome. Like being hit by a small explosion.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” she joked.
He held her tighter and kissed her throat, and then her collarbone on her hurt shoulder.
“Honey, I hate to complain, but I’m not up to being seduced.”
“I’m not seducing you. I’m just showing you how happy I am that you came back to me. I don’t ever want to lose you again.”
“You never lost me. I was always with you. I just didn’t have the strength to tell you.”
He laid his head on her pillow next to hers. All of a sudden he felt very tired. The last few days were finally catching up with him.
“Sleep with me,” she said. He looked so tired and she felt his body relax next to hers. She had to admit, Tyler next to her was the best medicine.
“I thought you said you didn’t want to be seduced,” he teased.
She closed her eyes and snuggled up against him as best she could without hurting her shoulder or ribs. She waited for him to relax. When he did, she began to drift off to sleep.
Morgan?
I’m still here with you, she said and wanted to smile because he spoke to her this way—her way.
Will you marry me?
I thought you’d never ask, she answered on a giddy laugh.
Is that a yes?
Yes.
Epilogue
* * *
THEY’D MET IN a restaurant and today they married in one. Elizabeth graciously closed Decadence on a Saturday night three months after Morgan had been released from the hospital and recovered from her injuries.
Jenna, Elizabeth, Summer, and Marti went all out decorating for the ceremony and dinner reception. As if her garden exploded in the restaurant, everywhere you looked, bouquets of roses and lilies overflowed vases, their sweet scent filling the room.
They’d gone back to the house in Colorado for her recovery. Tyler took a two-week leave of absence to be with her. He’d surprised her with an engagement ring the day she left the hospital. He surprised her again by buying her a horse from Jack. Over the two weeks on her property, he taught her about horses and even took her riding. With her shoulder in a sling, she’d had to keep to a walk, but she was getting better and would soon be riding as well as Jack and the others.
Their new house in the hills near San Francisco was isolated as much as it could be near a big city. Their closest neighbor was over a mile away, and they’d paid dearly for the privacy. She’d have to work some serious magic with her stocks and investments to earn back what they’d spent for their home. She didn’t care. Tyler could have his work, and she could have the space she needed away from others. They’d moved into the new house two months ago and furnished it with pieces they both picked out. Then they’d christened every room in the most outstanding ways. Her body still heated and tingled when she thought about some of the naughty things they’d done in those rooms.
Tonight, they’d been married with their collected family present. Even Tyler’s sister, Agent Davies, and his wife joined their group for the wedding and reception. As she looked around the table, she had to sigh. All of these people where her family, maybe not by blood, but by choice and an abundance of love.
Sam, as Tyler’s best man, gave the toast to the happy bride and groom. He’d wished them a long and happy life together and officially welcomed Morgan to the family.
Everyone sat, enjoying the food and the company. Morgan thought it the perfect time to give Tyler his wedding gift. She stood and held up her full glass of champagne. She’d only had the one sip after Sam’s toast. She held it before her and cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention.
“I’d like to make a toast and an announcement.”
Everyone stared at her and the collective expectation and excitement from the group made her head spin. They were all so happy for her and Tyler. A far cry from the last time she’d stood before this group of people in this restaurant. They’d all been anxious and down about Tyler getting married then. Not this time. This time, they were ecstatic for him and her.
This time it was right.
“For a long time you fought the connection we shared.” Tyler frowned beside her. She kissed it away and said, “Wait for it. It gets better.”
“I already found that out,” he answered, referring to the long wait they’d had to get to this moment.
“You asked me to explain it, but I never could. Now, I look around this room at the family you’ve made me a part of and I finally understand. We are connected in mind and heart and soul. To soul mates,” she toasted, holding up her glass and using it to point to each of the couples around the table. Summer and Caleb. Jack and Jenna. Elizabeth and Sam. Cameron and Marti. She turned back to Tyler. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, honey.”
“I have a gift for you, but he won’t be ready for several months,” she said and ran her hand along his cheek and through the side of his dark hair as she stared into his love-filled eyes.
Her words didn’t really register at first. “That’s okay, honey, I can . . . Wait. Did you just say he wouldn’t be ready for several months?”
“That’s exactly what I said. For a long time, all you wanted was a wife and children, family and love. You have them. Well, one child. We’ll work on the rest,” she teased.
He stood and cupped her beautiful face in his hands. He was going to be a father. The one thing he wanted more than anything besides Morgan.
“This, you, him, everything, it’s exactly what I wanted and so much more. I love you.” He kissed her and everyone cheered.
Their collective happiness and Tyler’s overwhelming joy made her lightheaded and euphoric. She took it in and felt blessed in a way she could never explain, but cherished, along with her life with Tyler and their family.
Before Morgan sat down, Sam asked, “So, Mrs. Reed, do you have a prediction for the future?”
Oh, how she liked being called Mrs. Reed.
Everyone at the table held their breath, waiting for her to answer. The last time she’d come to this restaurant knowing the future, they’d all gotten a huge scare.
She gave them a knowing smile. “I see bright Colorado skies and smooth sailing for the Turner-Shaw-Reed family.”
Tyler squeezed her hand. She’d described it perfectly.
I love you.
I love you, too.
Can’t get enough of Jennifer Ryan’s sexy Hunted Series?
You finally get the story you’ve all been waiting for!
For the first time, see how Caleb and Summer fell in love
in the prequel Can’t Wait
coming December 10, 2013, in the anthology
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS A COWBOY
If you loved CHASING MORGAN,
don’t miss the rest of Jennifer Ryan’s h
eart-stopping,
sexy Hunted Series!
SAVED BY THE RANCHER
Book One: The Hunted Series
FROM THE MOMENT rancher Jack Turner rescues Jenna Caldwell Merrick, he is determined to help her. Soon, he is doing more than tend her wounds; he is mending her heart. Jenna is a woman on the run—hunted down by her ex-husband, David Merrick, from the day she left him, taking part of his company with her, to the second she finds herself in the safety of Jack’s ranch. More than just a haven, Jack’s offering the love, family, and home she thought were out of reach.
Jack’s support will give Jenna the strength she needs to reclaim her life. The hunted will become the hunter, while David gets what he deserves when they have an explosive confrontation in the boardroom of Merrick International. But not before Jack and Jenna enter into a fight . . . for their lives.
LUCKY LIKE US
Book Two: The Hunted Series
BAKERY OWNER ELIZABETH Hamilton’s quiet life is filled with sweet treats, good friends, and a loving family. But all of that is about to turn sour when an odd sound draws her outside. There’s a man lying unconscious in the street, a car speeding toward him. Without hesitation, she gets the man out of harm’s way before they’re run down.
Unwittingly, Elizabeth has put herself in the path of a serial murderer, and as the only one who can identify the FBI’s Silver Fox Killer, she’s ended up in the hospital with a target on her back.
All that stands between her and death is Special Agent Sam Turner. Against his better judgment, Sam gets emotionally involved, determined to take down the double threat against Elizabeth—an ex desperate to get her back, despite a restraining order, and a psychopath bent on silencing her before she can identify him.
They set a trap to catch the killer—putting Elizabeth in his hands, with Sam desperate to save her. If he’s lucky, he’ll get his man . . . and the girl.
THE RIGHT BRIDE
Book Three: The Hunted Series
HIGH-POWERED BUSINESSMAN CAMERON Shaw doesn’t believe in love—until he falls head over heels for beautiful, passionate, and intensely private Martina. She’s perfect in so many ways, immediately bonding with his little girl. Martina could be his future bride and a delightful stepmother . . . if only Cameron weren’t blinded by his belief that Shelly, the gold-digging woman he’s promised to marry, is pregnant with his child.
No matter how much his friends protest his upcoming marriage to Shelly, Cameron knows he has a duty to his children, so he’s determined to see it through.
Will he find out in time that Shelly’s lying and Marti’s the one who’s actually carrying his child? It’ll come down to the day of his wedding. After choosing Shelly over Marti at every turn, will he convince Marti she’s his world and the only woman he wants?
About the Author
* * *
Jennifer Ryan writes romantic suspense and contemporary small-town romances featuring strong men and equally resilient women. Her stories are filled with love, friendship, and the happily-ever-after we all hope to find. Jennifer lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, three children, dog (Bella), and cat (Shadow). When she isn’t writing a book, she’s reading one.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
THE HUNTED SERIES
by Jennifer Ryan
Saved by the Rancher
Lucky Like Us
The Right Bride
Chasing Morgan
Give in to your impulses . . .
Read on for a sneak peek at three brand-new
e-book original tales of romance from Avon Books.
Available now wherever e-books are sold.
THE GOVERNESS CLUB: CLAIRE
By Ellie Macdonald
ASHES, ASHES, THEY ALL FALL DEAD
By Lena Diaz
THE GOVERNESS CLUB: BONNIE
By Ellie Macdonald
An Excerpt from
THE GOVERNESS CLUB: CLAIRE
by Ellie Macdonald
Claire Bannister just wants to be a good teacher so that she and the other ladies of the Governess Club can make enough money to leave their jobs and start their own school in the country. But when the new sinfully handsome and utterly distracting tutor arrives, Claire finds herself caught up in a whirlwind romance that could change the course of her future.
What would a “London gent” want with her, Claire wondered as she quickened her pace. The only man she knew in the capital was Mr. Baxter, her late father’s solicitor. Why would he come all the way here instead of corresponding through a letter as usual? Unless it was something more urgent than could be committed to paper. Perhaps it had something to do with Ridgestone—
At that thought, Claire lifted her skirts and raced to the parlor. Five years had passed since her father’s death, since she’d had to leave her childhood home, but she had not given up her goal to one day return to Ridgestone.
The formal gardens of Aldgate Hall vanished, replaced by the memory of her own garden; the terrace doors no longer opened to the ballroom, but to a small, intimate library; the bright corridor darkened to a comforting glow; Claire could even smell her old home as she rushed to the door of the housekeeper’s parlor. Pausing briefly to catch her breath and smooth her hair, she knocked and pushed the door open, head held high, barely able to contain her excitement.
Cup and saucer met with a loud rattle as a young man hurried to his feet. Mrs. Morrison’s disapproving frown could not stop several large drops of tea from contaminating her white linen, nor could Mr. Fosters’s harrumph. Claire’s heart sank as she took in the man’s youth, disheveled hair, and rumpled clothes; he was decidedly not Mr. Baxter. Perhaps a new associate? Her heart picked up slightly at that thought.
Claire dropped a shallow curtsey. “You wished to see me, Mrs. Morrison?”
The thin woman rose and drew in a breath that seemed to tighten her face even more with disapproval. She gestured to the stranger. “Yes. This is Mr. Jacob Knightly. Lord and Lady Aldgate have retained him as a tutor for the young masters.”
Claire blinked. “A tutor? I was not informed they were seeking—”
“It is not your place to be informed,” the butler, Mr. Fosters, cut in.
Claire immediately bowed her head and clasped her hands in front of her submissively. “My apologies. I overstepped.” Her eyes slid shut, and she took a deep breath to dispel the disappointment. Ridgestone faded into the back of her mind once more.
Mrs. Morrison continued with the introduction. “Mr. Knightly, this is Miss Bannister, the governess.”
Mr. Knightly bowed. “Miss Bannister, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Claire automatically curtseyed. “The feeling is mutual, sir.” As she straightened, she lifted her eyes to properly survey the new man. Likely not yet in his third decade, Mr. Knightly wore his brown hair long enough not to be following the current fashion. Scattered locks fell across his forehead, and the darkening of a beard softened an otherwise square-jawed face. He stood nearly a head taller than she did, and his loosely fitted jacket and modest cravat did nothing to conceal broad shoulders. Skimming her gaze down his body, she noticed a shirt starting to yellow with age and a plain brown waistcoat struggling to hide the fact that its owner was less than financially secure. Even his trousers were slightly too short, revealing too much of his worn leather boots. All in all, Mr. Jacob Knightly appeared to be the epitome of a young scholar reduced to becoming a tutor.
Except for his mouth. And his eyes. Not that Claire had much experience meeting with tutors, but even she could tell that the spectacles enhanced rather than detracted from the pale blueness of his eyes. The lenses seemed to emphasize their round shape, emphasize the appreciative gleam in them before Mr. Knightly had a chance to hide it. Even when he did, the corners of his full mouth remained turned up in a funny half-smile, all but oozing confidence and assurance—bordering on an arrogance one would not expect to find in
a tutor.
Oh dear.
An Excerpt from
ASHES, ASHES, THEY ALL FALL DEAD
by Lena Diaz
Special Agent Tessa James is obsessed with finding the killer whose signature singsong line—“Ashes, ashes, they all fall dead”—feels all too familiar. When sexy, brilliant consultant Matt Buchanan is paired with Tessa to solve the mystery, they discover, inexplicably, that the clues point to Tessa herself. If she can’t remember the forgotten years of her past, will she become the murderer’s next target?
She raised a shaking hand to her brow and tried to focus on what he’d told her. “You’ve found a pattern where he kills a victim in a particular place but mails the letter for a different victim while he’s there.”
“That’s what I’m telling you, yes. It’s early yet, and we have a lot more to research—and other victims to find—but this is one hell of a coincidence, and I’m not much of a believer in coincidences. I think we’re on to something.”
Tears started in Tessa’s eyes. She’d been convinced since last night that she’d most likely ruined her one chance to find the killer, and at the same time ruined her career. And suddenly everything had changed. In the span of a few minutes, Matt had given her back everything he’d taken from her when he’d destroyed the letter at the lab. Laughter bubbled up in her throat, and she knew she must be smiling like a fool, but she couldn’t help it.
“You did it, Matt.” Her voice came out as a choked whisper. She cleared her throat. “You did it. In little more than a day, you’ve done what we couldn’t do in months, years. You’ve found the thread to unravel the killer’s game. This is the breakthrough we’ve been looking for.”
Chasing Morgan Page 29
