by Molly Rice
The head nurse told him to wait, went into a glassfronted inner office and picked up the phone. He watched her face as she spoke into it, watched her expression turn from indignation to surprise and then to meek agreement as she nodded her head.
Nico didn’t wait but hurried back to Dana’s room. He knocked and she called, “Nico, I do need help.”
Now that was more like it, he thought, pushing open the door.
THEY WERE SEATED at the table, the three of them enjoying the first night back together at home. The TV was on, because Dana and Nico wanted to watch the news.
“Personally, I’ve never had any desire to go to Mexico,” Dana said, eating the spinach on her plate because Nico said it was full of iron.
“I’d like to go to Disneyland,” Krystal said, boldly shoving her spinach onto her bread and butter plate.
“Eat your spinach,” they said in unison.
“I don’t need iron,” Krystal retorted.
“You will if you don’t eat vegetables,” Nico said, closing his eyes as he swallowed a forkful of it himself.
“See, Mom, he is closing his eyes. He hates it, too.”
“Not at all,” Nico said, avoiding eye contact with either of them. “I just got something in my eyes.”
Krystal muttered something under her breath and ate her meat. If she took her time, they’d forget about the spinach and leave her alone.
“How about Colorado, for the skiing?” Nico asked.
“How about Disneyland.”
They ignored Krystal.
“I don’t ski,” Dana said.
“You’re kidding! Why?”
Dana shrugged and started poking at her chicken.
“Never had an interest in it. I watched most of my friends come back with casts and decided it wasn’t worth the risk.” She forced a bite of chicken. Nico had insisted it was a good source of protein. It was loaded with salt, which he figured should raise her blood pressure since people with high blood pressure had to limit their salt intake.
“I can’t eat this,” Krystal said, pouting. “It’s too salty.”
Nico had been covering the saltiness with his mashed potatoes and trying not to wince when that didn’t work.
“We’re trying to get your mom well with good nutrition,” he reminded Krystal.
“I’m more in the mood for pizza,” the child whined.
“Me, too,” Dana blurted and then covered her mouth, aghast at herself for not thinking about Nico’s feelings. He tried so hard, was so careful of her.
“I was just thinking of other foods that give you all the nutrients you need and pizza’s definitely at the top of the list” He stood and gathered all their plates.
“Krystal, you call in the order while I scrape these and get clean plates.”
He was just rinsing the last plate when the news came on. Dana had the remote and turned up the sound.
“In a late-breaking report from his attorney, Detective Joe Lake has pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, one count of attempted murder,” the anchor reported. “Now here’s Janice Mueller with an update on Detective Lake’s apparent motivation.”
A solemn, pretty woman’s face appeared on screen.
“Though Detective Lake refused to be taped, he did agree to an interview with me earlier today in which he admitted he was on Alphonze Caprezio’s payroll and has been for years. Apparently his attempt on Prosecutor Dana Harper’s life came when he realized nothing would deter her from investigating the death of her late husband, police Detective Zack Harper. The murder of Mr. Harper is one of the three to which Lake has pleaded guilty. Sentencing will be passed by Judge Charles Yokum at nine o’clock Monday morning.”
Dana silenced the TV and buried her head on her folded arms on the table. Nico went to her and took her into his arms.
“It’s okay, love, it’s better this way. You wouldn’t be able to take days, maybe weeks, of a long, drawn-out trial and this way, you won’t have to testify. It’ll all be over on Monday and we can get on with our own lives.”
She lifted her head from his chest and brushed tears away. “I am grateful for that. It’s probably the kindest thing Joe has ever done. But…”
Nico tilted her chin up with one finger. “But?”
“It doesn’t bring the others back.”
Nico’s chin fell to the top of her head.
She pulled out of his embrace and went back to her chair. “It’s so confusing, Nico. I love you as I’ve never loved anyone in my life before, and yet I hate that Zack is dead. Murdered by his partner and best friend because Joe knew he was going to turn in a report that proved the Caprezios were selling arms, drugs and stolen goods.”
Nico went to the refrigerator and withdrew a couple of beers, popping the tabs before setting one down in front of Dana. He took a long swig of his own and sat across from her.
“Caprezio was paying big bucks for Joe’s cooperation. Joe liked living high on the hog. The playboy bachelor.”
“And his many proposals were part of a scheme to get me under his control, keep me from investigating.”
“Something like that.”
If Nico was going to say more, it would have to wait. Krystal’s return put an end to the conversation.
Dana hurriedly dried her eyes and put on a cheerful smile.
“Say, I’ve just thought of the perfect place for a honeymoon,” she said. “How about Italy? Have you ever been to your parents’ homeland?”
“I’ve never been to Disneyland,” Krystal said, a pleading look on her face.
“No, I haven’t, and that sounds really great,” Nico said. “But, Krys, honey, a honeymoon is a trip for just the bride and groom.”
He turned back to Dana. “Isn’t there someplace you’ve always wanted to go?”
“She always said she’d like to go to Disneyland,” Krystal said, giving Dana a wistful look.
“Why should we go somewhere for me?” Dana asked. “That doesn’t make sense if a honeymoon is for both of us. Besides, I’d love to see Italy again.”
Nico gaped. “You’ve been there? When?”
“After law school, a graduation present from my dad. I did the whole schoolgirl tour—France, England, Germany and Italy. What little I saw of Italy was gorgeous. Yeah, I’d really like to go back, and especially with you.”
“Why go somewhere you’ve already been when you’ve never been to Disneyland,” Krystal asked, pouting.
The doorbell rang.
Nico pulled out a twenty and handed it to Krystal. “Tell him to keep the change,” he said, laughing at the child’s tenacity.
Dana started to get up, to go after Krystal.
Nico grabbed her hand and gestured her back to her seat.
“It’s all over, Dana,” he reminded her in a gentle tone. “She’s got to get used to feeling safe and independent again.”
Dana grimaced. “I know, it’s just going to take some time to believe it.”
“Well, they say kids are more resilient. She certainly seems to be in good spirits.”
“You don’t think it’s too soon to go off and leave her again?”
“She thinks of the folks’ house as her second home and they’ve made it clear they’ll love having her back. Especially for such a good cause. They’re so tickled about our upcoming marriage, they’re like a couple of kids going to Dis—”
He stopped midsentence and shook his head. “How does she do that to me, every time?”
“Feminine wiles, they seem to be your weakness,” Dana said, laughing.
“She’s bullish when it comes to getting her own way.”
“But cute.”
“Yeah,” Nico said, grinning. “Very cute, just like her mother.”
“Nico, you can’t be thinking of taking her on our honeymoon, that’s so…”
“Still hot,” Krystal said, plunking the Domino box in the center of the table. “And I’ve just been thinking—”
Their combined groans interrupted
the speech she’d worked out. She wasn’t about to waste it. She used a fork to put a slice of the pie on each of their plates and sat down, waiting for them to take the first bite. With their mouths full they’d never talk and interrupt her.
“See, the thing is, I hired Nico in the first place,” Krystal noted pointedly, watching them chew. “And I’m the one who has to fire him. If I don’t he’s still my bodyguard, and he can’t go off without me. So here’s what I thought, as long as I have to go along, we really should go somewhere where I’ll have something to do, too.”
She sat back, giving each of them a grin of self-approval. Mommy always told her to use reason to win an argument. Personally she thought she’d done a swell job.
Nico and Dana exchanged an enigmatic look, and then both started applauding.
Nico raised his beer can. “A toast to the next Ms. Harper to knock the legal world on its a—er, buns.”
Dana clinked her can against his and added, “The next Ms. Harper-Scalia.”
Krystal stared at them. What had they said? “Does that mean yes or no?” she demanded.
“My parents will be disappointed,” Nico said.
“You’ll be missing school, you’ll have a lot of work to make up,” Dana added.
Krystal’s mouth fell open and then she jumped up on her chair and threw her arm up in the air, her hand balled in a fist. “Yes!” She screamed. “Yes!”
Nico pulled her down and onto his lap. “Now listen, kid, you know what honeymoons are all about, right?”
Krystal nodded, afraid he was going to change his mind.
“Well, your mom and I are going to want to spend some time by ourselves, so here’s my thought. We’ll compromise. Yes, you’re going with us. But we’ll ask Heather to come along so you have an adult with you when Mommy and I want to go off by ourselves.”
Krystal’s exaggerated sigh of relief made the two of them laugh. She got off Nico’s lap and started dancing around the room, singing some kind of foolishness at the top of her lungs.
“Italy next year,” Dana said. She put her hand over Nico’s. “I love you.”
“And I, you, my darling.” He stood and pulled her up out of her chair and swept her into his arms. Their bodies seemed to melt together as their lips met and clung, unmindful of the little girl looking on.
She stared at them, feeling a momentary guilt. Should she have explained that her whole reason for hiring Nico was to get a new husband for Mommy, a new daddy for herself?
Nah. No sense spoiling things when they were working out just the way she’d planned.
She left them, still kissing, wondering how they breathed when they did that. But she had more important things on her mind.
First she was going to go up and put the daddy doll back in her dollhouse.
And then, just to make sure there was no change of plans, she’d start packing. For Disneyland.
Here’s a sneak peek at
Carrie Alexander’s THE AMOROUS HEIRESS
Available September 1997…
“YOU’RE A VERY popular lady,” Jed Kelley observed as Augustina closed the door on her suitors.
She waved a hand. “Just two of a dozen.” Technically true since her grandmother had put her on the open market. “You’re not afraid of a little competition, are you?”
“Competition?” He looked puzzled. “I thought the position was mine.”
Augustina shook her head, smiling coyly. “You didn’t think Grandmother was the final arbiter of the decision, did you? I say a trial period is in order.” No matter that Jed Kelley had miraculously passed Grandmother’s muster, Augustina felt the need for a little propriety. But, on the other hand, she could be married before the summer was out and be free as a bird, with the added bonus of a husband it wouldn’t be all that difficult to learn to love.
She got up the courage to reach for his hand, and then just like that, she—Miss Gussy Gutless Fairchild—was holding Jed Kelley’s hand. He looked down at their linked hands. “Of course, you don’t really know what sort of work I can do, do you?”
A funny way to put it, she thought absently, cradling his callused hand between both of her own. “We can get to know each other, and then, if that works out…” she murmured. Wow. If she’d known what this arranged marriage thing was all about, she’d have been a supporter of Grandmother’s campaign from the start!
“Are you a palm reader?” Jed asked gruffly. His voice was as raspy as sandpaper and it was rubbing her all the right ways, but the question flustered her. She dropped his hand.
“I’m sorry.”
“No problem,” he said, “as long as I’m hired.”
“Hired!” she scoffed. “What a way of putting it!”
Jed folded his arms across his chest. “So we’re back to the trial period.”
“Yes.” Augustina frowned and her gaze dropped to his work boots. Okay, so he wasn’t as well off as the majority of her suitors, but really, did he think she was going to pay him to marry her?
“Fine, then.” He flipped her a wave and, speechless, she watched him leave. She was trembling all over like a malaria victim in a snowstorm, shot with hot charges and cold shivers until her brain was numb. This couldn’t be true. Fantasy men didn’t happen to nice girls like her.
“Augustina?”
Her grandmother’s voice intruded on Gussy’s privacy. “Ahh. There you are. I see you met the new gardener?”
eISBN 978-14592-6848-7
KRYSTAL’S BODYGUARD
Copyright © 1997 by Marilyn Schuck
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.
Printed in U.S.A.
Table of Contents
Cover Page
Table of Contents
Excerpt
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Books by Molly Rice
Dedication
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Preview
Copyright
