The Miracle Wife (Harlequin Romance)
Page 1
“I wish...I wish you would be my mommy for our vacation,” River said
About the Author
Books by Day Leclaire
Title Page
Dedication
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
EPILOGUE
Copyright
“I wish...I wish you would be my mommy for our vacation,” River said
“No way, River. I said it had to be something we could do. And having J.J. for a mother.... Pick something else. How about a new doll or a trip to the zoo or a puppy?”
“I have a doll and we go to the zoo all the time.” She frowned, interlocking her fingers. “I do want a puppy, but I want a mommy more.”
“Choose the puppy, honey,” Raven advised. “J.J. is not going to be your mother—real, pretend or otherwise. And that’s final.”
“Please, Daddy,” she whispered. “Please let J.J. be my mommy for a little while. I’ll be good forever and ever if you say yes.”
Raven closed his eyes. “Ah, sweetheart. It’s not because you’re bad,” he assured her softly, cradling her close. “You know that.”
“But I want a mommy more than anything in the whole world.” Her voice was muffled against the front of his shirt. “Even more than a puppy.”
J.J. felt laughter fighting with tears. How could Raven resist such a plea? For that matter, how could she?
Day Leclaire and her family live in the midst of a maritime forest on a small island off the coast of North Carolina. Despite the yearly storms that batter them and the frequent power outages, they find the beautiful climate, superb fishing and unbeatable seascapemore than adequate compensation. One of their first acquisitions upon moving to Hatteras Island was a cat named Fuzzy. He has recently discovered that laps are wonderful places to curl up and nap—and that Day’s son really was kidding when he named the hamster Cat Food. Day Leclaire has recently been nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the love and laughter category.
Day Leclaire’s next romance THE NINE-DOLLAR DADDY will be out in March 1999 as part of our brand-new miniseries Texas Men Wanted! Look out for the first Texas Men Wanted! book in January from Heather MacAllister!
Books by Day Leclaire
HARLEQUIN ROMANCE®
3028—JINXED
3139—WHERE THERE’S A WILL
3285—TO CATCH A GHOST
3301—ONCE A COWBOY
3338—WHO’S HOLDING THE BABY?
3361—MAIL-ORDER BRIDEGROOM
3376—ONE-NIGHT WIFE
3404—MAKE BELIEVE ENGAGEMENT
3433—TEMPORARY HUSBAND*-
3438—ACCIDENTAL WIFE*-
3440—SHOTGUN MARRIAGE*
3457—THE SECRET BABY
3486—HER SECRET SANTA-
3495—THE TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR BRIDE
3508—THE BOSS, THE BABY AND THE BRIDE
*Fairytale Wedding trilogy
-Shortlisted for Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award for best Harlequin Romance.
Don’t miss any of our special offers. Write to us at the following address for information on our newest releases.
Harlequin Reader Service
U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325. Buffalo, NY 14269
Canadian: P.O. Box 609. Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3
Day Leclaire
The Miracle Wife
TORONTO • NEW YORK • LONDON
AMSTERDAM • PARIS • SYDNEY • HAMBURG
STOCKHOLM • ATHENS • TOKYO • MILAN • MADRID
PRAGUE • WARSAW • BUDAPEST • AUCKLAND
To Luann Smith,
with much love, for all her help and support.
PROLOGUE
Once upon a time there lived a fairy named Justice. On one thing all fairies agreed... Justice was the most beautiful of their people. Her skin rivaled the color of fresh moonlit snow, her hair gleamed blacker than a dragon’s hide. And her eyes appeared as dark as a moonless night, yet glittered with a fiery passion. But it was her inner beauty, the life-light that shone brighter than a thousand suns that made people love her the most.
Page 1, The Great Dragon Hunt
by Jack Rabbitt
RIVER SIERRA studied the birthday cake her housekeeper had placed on the table. The flame from six pink candles danced gleefully—five for each birthday plus one to grow on. She wished her daddy could have stayed while she blew them out. But maybe if he had, he’d have asked what her wish was and...
And everyone knew that wishes didn’t come true if you told.
She planted her elbows on the table and cupped her chin in her palms. This was a very important wish. The most important she’d ever made. She gnawed nervously at her lower lip. It was also a wish her daddy wouldn’t like very much. He might even get mad if he knew she’d made it. She considered the possibility with a frown.
Weren’t wishes secret? If she didn’t tell anyone, wouldn’t the wish stay hidden even from grown-ups? Maybe her father wouldn’t find out about this one since it was magic. River worried her lip some more. It might work, if she didn’t tell. It would be hard. Very hard. She’d never kept a secret from her daddy before, but this time—
River tilted her head to one side, watching as a fat drop of wax threatened to splatter on the perfect white icing. Okay. She’d keep her wish a secret from everyone. Well... Everyone, except Gem. And she didn’t count since she was magic, too. Of course, Daddy had said Gem was a computer, which made her just a machine. But that had to be wrong. Gem was real.
“WISH IS NECESSARY TO SUCCESSFULLY EXTINGUISH FLAMES,” the computer announced.
“You mean it won’t work if I don’t wish before I blow out the candles?”
“AFFIRMATIVE.”
She eyed her father’s present—another Jack Rabbitt storybook filled with the most beautiful pictures she’d ever seen. He’d even bought one of the paintings from the book and hung it on her bedroom wall. She loved the painting, loved it with all the passion her newly five-year-old body could summon. It was about a fairy riding a butterfly, a fairy with long black hair—hair just like River’s very own. In the book, the fairy could grant wishes. But whether that included birthday wishes, River wasn’t sure.
“HAS WISH BEEN MADE?” Gem inquired.
“No.”
“DANGER OF FIRE HAZARD IMMINENT.”
“What?”
“HURRY.”
“Oh. Okay. I’m hurrying.” This was it. If she got in trouble with Daddy for making the wish, she’d sit on her bed and read her books and look at her painting. That wouldn’t be so bad. Not if the wish came true. River squeezed her eyes shut and then whispered, “I want a mommy for my very own. And I want her to be just like the fairy in my painting.” With that, she opened her eyes and blew out the candles.
It was done. She’d made her wish. Now, she just had to wait for it to come true. Because Gem had told her...
Birthday wishes always came true.
J.J. Randell entered her office at Blackstone’s, a firm that specialized in “procuring” items of value for their clients. Whether the item held emotional value or monetary, didn’t matter. Whatever you wanted, Blackstone’s could get it. It had been her workplace for almost a year, thanks to a touch of nepotism on behalf of her brother-in-law, Mathias Blackstone. In the months she’d been employed here, she’d found it a highly satisfying occupation. Certainly better than her previous one.
“What’s Mr
. Blackstone’s schedule today?” J.J. questioned Gem, the new computer system they’d recently installed. It surprised her that Mathias hadn’t arrived at work, yet—a first in her experience.
“MR. BLACKSTONE UNAVAILABLE. PLEASE ACCESS MEMO WAITING ON DESKTOP COMPUTER AND FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS IMMEDIATELY.”
The distinctly feminine voice issued from nearby speakers, its humanlike quality still enough of an oddity to amaze J.J. An interactive computer. Incredible. It was almost like being on Star Trek. “Okay, no problem.”
She turned on the desktop machine and called up the memo, scanning it in delight. “I don’t believe it,” she murmured. Finally! Mathias was finally offering her the opportunity she’d dreamed of since joining the firm—to assist him in granting a Christmas wish.
It was one of Mathias’s pet projects, a generous extension of his bill-paying line of work. For the month of December he became a “Secret Santa,” working behind the scenes for those in need and anonymously fulfilling their dearest wishes. Apparently he now trusted her enough to take over one of his Santa projects. Though considering this was only October, he must have decided she could use a running start.
She frowned as she absorbed the scant details. A five-year-old girl named River Sierra from Denver, Colorado, was to be granted her dearest desire. A seat on the next plane awaited J.J. at Sea-Tac Airport. She was to leave without delay and to keep the project absolutely confidential. No one, other than herself and Mathias, could be privy to her plan. How odd.
“Gem, do you have any further information on River Sierra?”
“ERROR NUMBER FIVE-OH-NINE. UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS REQUESTED.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” J.J. argued. “Why don’t I have access? I’ve been told to grant this kid’s request. How am I supposed to do that without all the necessary background information?”
There was a momentary silence, then the computer came on-line again. “INFORMATION UNAVAILABLE,” the machine repeated stubbornly. “PLEASE PROCEED TO AIRPORT. ONE HOUR FIFTY-NINE MINUTES REMAIN UNTIL DEPARTURE.”
She stared blankly for an instant. “That can’t be right. Gem, you must have made a mistake. I can’t get everything done. I have to finish up the project Mathias requested by noon, before going home to pack. Not to mention the calls I’m supposed to—”
“NEGATIVE. ACTIVITIES WILL NOT FIT IN CURRENT TIME FRAME.”
She shook her head in bewilderment. “But... I don’t understand. What’s the rush?”
“INFORMATION UNAVAILABLE. PLEASE—”
“I know. I know,” she interrupted with a sigh. “Please proceed to airport. One hour fifty-nine minutes remain until departure.”
“CORRECTION. ONE HOUR FIFTY-EIGHT MINUTES REMAIN.”
J.J. grimaced. She’d learned that arguing with the computer was utterly pointless. She never won. “Do you at least know how long I’ll be in Colorado? What am I supposed to do about clothes?”
“INFORMATION—”
“—not available. Just great.”
This didn’t make any sense. Why the sudden hurry? Surely a few hours’ delay wouldn’t make that much difference. Unless... Her eyes narrowed. Unless this was some sort of test. Perhaps Mathias wanted to see how quickly she responded and how flexible an attitude she had. That might explain it. After all, what other reason could there be for such unreasonable speed?
Well, fine. Her boss required fast and easy? She could do that. Sure she could. Heck, she’d learned at her father’s knee that you didn’t question the boss. Not unless you wanted your head taken off. Her mouth curved into a wry smile. Of course, when she’d learned that handy little lesson, her father was her boss. He’d taught her the importance of instant obedience and unquestioning loyalty.
Though her brother-in-law was a far different employer than her father, she owed Mathias. He’d taken her away from her former, soul-eating job and offered an opportunity that few men would have. Determination filled her. He wouldn’t find reason to fault her job performance after all he’d done. Whatever he asked, she’d accomplish to the best of her ability.
Opening her soft-sided briefcase, she checked to make sure she had all the connections for her portable computer and the paperwork on the other non-Christmas related projects Mathias had dumped on her desk only yesterday. Odd that this assignment had suddenly received precedence over the other, equally urgent jobs she’d been given. With a shrug, she shoved a handful of files into her briefcase—just in case she ran out of work while in Colorado—and gave her office a quick, assessing glance to see if there was anything else she’d need for the trip. Her gaze fell on the latest Jack Rabbitt book her sister, Jacq, had dropped off just yesterday.
Apparently being the author and illustrator of the most popular line of children’s books came with some perks. The picture book was hot off the presses, not even available in stores, and starred a brand-new character—a dragon. That Mathias had been the unwitting model for the fierce, black creature added to its appeal. Jacq certainly had managed to capture some of his more distinct physical attributes. Anyone who knew Mathias would instantly recognize him in the face and posture of this proud, mythic beast.
J.J. picked up the book and ran a hand over the richly embossed cover. Since her assignment involved a little girl, perhaps this would make a good ice-breaker. At any rate, it couldn’t hurt. Slipping the book into her briefcase, she zipped the leather case closed.
Just one final chore before she left, J.J. decided, lifting the phone receiver. A quick call to Jacq to tell her about the trip and then—
“WARNING. ONE HOUR FIFTY-FIVE MINUTES REMAINING. SPEED IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.”
J.J. hesitated, then hung up the phone with a frustrated sigh. “Okay, okay. I’m going.” She could always call Jacq later.
Grabbing her briefcase and coat, she left her office and crossed to the elevators. Despite being rushed, she couldn’t help but grin. She’d been given a chance to play Santa. Her very first Christmas wish. How lucky could she get? The elevator arrived and she stepped into the car. Just as the doors snicked closed again she caught a glimpse of a man striding past. She could have sworn it was Mathias. And yet Gem had said—
J.J. shook her head. Nah. It must have been someone who looked like her brother-in-law. After all...
Computers didn’t lie.
CHAPTER ONE
Justice hid behind a clump of ferns and watched the prince, just as she always watched whenever he came to the forest. The first time she’d seen him, she’d fallen in love. She’d never realized fairies were capable of such an emotion. But, apparently, she was different than most, for she loved the prince with all her heart and soul—even more than fairy life itself. Sometimes when he explored the woods; she crept very, very close. So close she could almost reach out and touch him—at least, she could if she weren’t so afraid. But fear had always kept her from speaking. Until today. Today, she planned to finally reveal herself and see if maybe...just maybe, he could love her, too.
Page 3, The Great Dragon Hunt
by Jack Rabbitt
IT HAD to be the most infuriating moment he’d ever experienced.
Raven Sierra glared balefully at the mob of Denver’s less-reputable reporters. Dammit all! They’d enclosed him in an inescapable ring, trapping him in the lobby of his own office building, holding him at bay as if he were a cougar run down by a pack of rabid dogs. If he’d been alone, he’d have fought back, raking them with cutting words and subtle threats, sending them scrambling for cover. But the SOBs had caught him at his most vulnerable.
His five-year-old daughter, River, clung to his leg with one arm while anxiously clutching a rag doll with the other. Every once in a while she’d lift her gaze to his, her glorious silver-blue eyes filled with the certainty that her daddy would rescue them from the noisy onslaught. Soft black bangs feathered her brow and a wash of silken-fine hair shot in a straight curtain to the middle of her back. In silent communion, he slipped his hand through her hair, his long fingers cup
ping her rounded cheek. Reassured, she relaxed imperceptibly and leaned into his thigh, far too patient and quiet and accepting of Fate’s perversity for a child her age. His rage built, communicating itself to well-toned muscles, while a fightor-flee adrenaline surge threatened to overwhelm his need for calm control.
“Mr. Sierra! We have it on good authority that your days as Denver’s most eligible bachelor are about to end. Who’s the lucky woman?”
“On good authority?” Raven questioned sharply. “And whose authority would that be?”
“The announcement came from someone within your own organization. We were e-mailed the information.”
Raven’s eyes narrowed. That explained their presence. But, who within his company would have the nerve to e-mail the press such a blatant lie and risk incurring his wrath? He intended to find out, and whoever it was would be out the door bruised, if not wiser. He glanced over his shoulders toward the bank of elevators. Where the hell was security? They should have arrived long ago to clear off this pack of yapping dogs. Until they made an appearance, he’d have to wait—not his usual method of handling a situation such as this.
“Come on, Mr. Untouchable,” another reporter urged. “This is too good to ignore. Someone’s obviously managed to put a collar around your neck. Spill it. Who’s holding the leash?”