Intimate Stranger

by Jan Springer

  “What are you saying, Steven? You poisoned my coffee? You honestly think I’d believe you would poison me?”

  “Prison changes a man.”

  Where the hell was his backup? Had the doctor taken them out?

  “Does it?” There wasn’t an ounce of softness left in her voice. Her gaze drifted to her half-full coffee mug.

  “About now you should be experiencing the beginning of mild abdominal cramping.”

  Steve crossed his legs and began to slide his hands across the desk back toward himself. Where the hell was Skip?

  “Helena,” Doc Baker said, “if what he’s saying is true, we have to get you to the hospital, immediately.”

  She studied Steve with her icy stare and he stopped moving his hands.

  “Do you seriously think I would come here without a plan, Helena? By the way, is that a dusting of perspiration beading your brow?”

  He fastened his gaze on Doc Baker. “Doc, don’t you think she’s getting a little pale?”

  Doc Baker licked his lips nervously. The gun pressing against Emily’s temple moved away an inch.

  “Helena? How are you feeling?”

  “Oh for heaven’s sake. I feel fine. Doctor, please check and see if Steven is armed.”

  Dammit! He needed to stall Baker.

  “So, how’d you hook up with Helena, Doc? Did she blackmail you into helping her kill people? Or are you in it for the money?”

  “A doctor’s salary isn’t what it used to be,” the doctor replied. He held tight to Emily’s elbow and made her move toward him. Emily looked terrified and Steve wished he could do or say something to calm her.

  Shit. Don’t think about Emily, he chastised himself. If he did, he’d lose focus on getting them out of here alive.

  “So what? Do you kill people to earn your salary? Kill them for their body parts?”

  “Gotta make a living.”

  Steve tensed as the doctor removed the gun from Emily’s temple and jabbed it into her ribs.

  “I assume you didn’t come unarmed. Place your weapon on the table or else she dies right here and now—”

  The doctor was cut off by a loud crash as the office door swung inward. Skip Cole stood in the doorway, his legs spread wide, gun in hand pointed directly at Dr. Baker.

  The doctor, stunned by the sudden appearance of Skip, lifted his gun from Emily just as gunshots rang out.

  He heard Emily scream and his gut twisted in anguish.

  He didn’t hesitate a moment longer. Digging into his boot, he snatched up the cold, deadly weapon and launched himself off his chair firing at Dr. Baker. He managed to get off a couple of shots before landing heavily on his side, his breath knocked painfully from his lungs.

  For a split second a deadly silence and the acrid smell of gunpowder hung in the air. Steve managed to aim his gun at Doc Baker who stood clutching his wounded arm. Emily, bless her heart, had somehow managed to grab Baker’s gun and held it on him, her eyes wide with fright.

  Quickly, Steve swung his weapon on Skip, who had his arms wrapped around a struggling Helena’s waist.

  “Easy, man! I’m on your side!” Skip shouted when he spotted Steve aiming at him.

  “What the hell took you so long?” Steve shouted back, feeling red-hot anger pushing aside his fear now that he could clearly see Emily was safe.

  “We didn’t take into consideration the doctor would show up with Emily. We had to make sure she was out of the line of fire before making the move!”

  Skip was still shouting.

  “What’s all the yelling about?” Daniel chuckled from the doorway.

  Both of Steve’s brothers stood there, their guns drawn.

  “It’s over, Helena,” his oldest brother Matt said. “The only party you’re going to is going to last a lifetime.”

  “We got everything on the security cameras,” Daniel said. His eyes sparkled with excitement as he approached Helena, who now stood huffing and puffing beside Skip. He’d already cuffed her hands behind her back. She looked quite the pissed-off lady.

  “And since you admitted you knew you were being filmed and that your security staff was on your payroll, your confessions will hold up in court.”

  “You really don’t look too good, Helena.” Skip chuckled as he held her by the elbow. “Don’t you think you would have preferred the rat poison?”

  “You’re fired!” Helena snapped at Skip.

  He grinned, withdrew his identification from his vest pocket and flashed it in front of her pale face.

  “Looks like the joke is on you, Helena. You can’t fire me. I don’t even work for you. I work for Uncle Sam. Take them away, guys.”

  He cast a smile at Steve and Emily and then winked as he headed toward the door with the others.

  “We’ll read them their rights outside. Let’s leave these two to get reacquainted. Although I do believe they’ve already gotten to that point.”

  Suddenly he and Emily were alone.

  From across the room, she looked over at him.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  “Better than okay.”

  He couldn’t seem to stop himself from grinning. Emily was safe and Helena was under arrest. This whole shit was coming to an end. He felt really good about it and rolled onto his stomach, getting up on one knee.

  “You’re not hurt, are you?” she said as she came over and crouched down in front of him. Intense worry marred her pretty face.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Here, let me help you up.”

  “No.” He waved her hand away. “Just stand up.”

  She frowned and reluctantly stood.

  Reaching into his back pocket he pulled out the item he needed, lifted the lid and held out a tiny velvet black box so she could see the sparkling diamond engagement ring. He’d bought it yesterday after Skip agreed to loan him some money for a ring. Then he’d dragged his friend to a nearby jewelry store where Steve picked out a delicate diamond that wasn’t too expensive and something so pretty he knew Emily would love it.

  His heart burst with love as he watched her. She was smiling and those cute dimples that always took away his breath were there on her face, caving in her cheeks. Man, he loved her so much he literally ached.

  Taking a deep breath he said, “Will you marry me?”

  She gasped, looking properly stunned.

  “But we’re already married,” she said.

  “That’s not quite the answer I’m looking for.”

  “You’re serious?”

  “I can always take the ring back.”

  He made a move to close the lid on the box and she grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

  “No!”

  “No, you don’t want to marry me?”

  “Don’t take the ring back. It’s so beautiful,” she said as she examined the sparkling diamond.

  “Beautiful, just like you, Emmie.” With suddenly trembling fingers, he managed to get the ring out of the much-too-tiny velvet box. Holding her left hand in his, he slipped the ring onto the appropriate ring finger.

  “Perfect fit,” she said softly. Tears crystalled in her eyes as she held her hand up and admired the ring.

  He climbed to his feet and he was nearly bowled over when she literally threw herself at him. Curling her arms around his neck, she hoisted her legs around his waist. Automatically his hands cupped her rounded butt in an effort to hold her in place.

  Her sexy scent just about drove him insane with desire for her. One by one his muscles contracted with need as her warm curves pressed against him.

  “A perfect fit,” she said again.

  “Just like us.” Steve stared into her glittering eyes and saw hope and love and tiny bits of fear. She reached out and smoothed a finger over the face of the medallion peeking out from between his open shirt collar.

  “Saint Christopher gives safety to travelers,” she said softly. “It worked for you.”

  “Took a while, but yes, it worked.”

&nbs
p; “And what about Helena? Do you think she’ll leave us alone now?”

  “Hey! You’re forgetting I have two big brothers who’ll look out for us.”

  Emily laughed and Steve caught his breath at the sight of those gorgeous dimples popping out once again in her flushed cheeks. He swore he fell in love with her all over again at that moment.

  “Don’t worry. Daniel’s a good lawyer. He’ll find ways to keep her wrapped in the court system for a few years. She won’t have any time for us. Besides, I know the owner of this cozy little lighthouse on a secluded island tucked away in Canada. It’s a great place for kids to run around on. There’s only one problem.”

  “What?”

  “We can’t start anything until you answer my question.”

  His heart soared as she cupped her warm hands to both sides of his face.

  “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  Before he could shout a happy howl, she captured his mouth in an erotic kiss that left him totally breathless. Suddenly he was the happiest man on the face of the planet.

  Epilogue

  Three months later

  At approximately ten minutes after one o’clock in the afternoon Steve stood at the altar anxiously waiting for his bride to walk down the aisle. On one side of him his dad stood as best man. On the other side the preacher continued to throw nervous glances at his watch.

  The wedding was supposed to have started ten minutes ago, but it appeared something was holding up the women. They were probably putting the last-minute touches on their makeup. It was quite windy outside, and with yesterday’s major snowstorm, Steve had worried the wedding might have to be postponed. The snowplows, however, had managed to plow a path directly to the quaint, white church they’d picked just outside of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

  Here they were. All the people he loved so dearly.

  Emily and his sisters-in-law had worked hard organizing the big event. The church looked fantastic. The sanctuary was decorated in breathtaking bunches of sweetheart pink and delicate purple lilacs. At the end of each pew huge garlands of sharp purple lupines were intermingled with a scattering of light powder blue bachelor buttons and one yellow rose. Their fragrance filled the air with a heady perfume he found extremely pleasant.

  Matt and Daniel and Skip stood in the vestibule of the church. All were decked out in light grey tuxedos with black bow ties, hair slicked in place. They sure looked dapper.

  All the men were casting quick nervous glances his way. Then back down to the end of the aisle where he spotted his sister-in-law Jo, casting her own nervous glances toward the side of the church where the bridesmaids and bride were supposed to have emerged from ten minutes ago.

  He had to admit, Jo glowed in the lovely pale yellow matron-of-honor’s dress. She held an overflowing bouquet of sharp purple lilacs over her abdomen, but it couldn’t hide her rounded pregnancy.

  Both Sara’s and Jo’s dresses had to be taken out several times over the past few weeks. Through it all, Emily had remained calm. Just like she’d remained calm and cool-headed as she’d leafed through all those dozens of wedding brochures, magazines and tons of other bridal items strewn around the lighthouse.

  When Jo walked up the carpeted aisle alone, his nervousness picked up big-time. She threw him what he figured was a reassuring smile, but by the way Daniel was frowning as she whispered in his ear, Steve knew something was wrong.

  * * * * *

  “Steve! It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding,” Sara’s insistent voice shouted from out in the hall.

  “We’re already married. It doesn’t count.”

  Emily cringed as Steve’s loud voice returned fire a little closer now. Steve was in a rampage. He must have found out she wasn’t feeling well and instead of walking down the aisle to marry him she’d raced for a bathroom stall instead.

  “Emily? Where are you?”

  A split second later, the door to her stall creaked open and she looked up to into his worried face. She couldn’t help but throw him a wobbly smile from her perch on the floor in front of the toilet.

  “My God! You look pale! You’ve picked up the flu, haven’t you? I knew it. You’ve been looking green around the gills for the past week.”

  Green around the gills? Obviously he’d been hanging around with the fishermen too much over at Jake’s Bar. She couldn’t help but laugh at the comment around the nausea that clutched her tummy.

  “Steve, what are you doing here?”

  “I’m taking you home. You need to get into bed and get lots of fluids into you and some proper food.”

  Her stomach heaved gently.

  “Please, don’t mention food.”

  She thought he’d get the hint. He didn’t. Typical man.

  He kneeled beside her, not caring that he was stepping on the hem of her pretty lace wedding dress with his shoes. Touching his hand to her forehead, he let it rest there for a moment before sighing in relief and brushing a stray curl of hair out of her eyes.

  “Good. No fever. That’s a good sign, right?”

  “Yes, it’s a good sign,” she admitted.

  “You look so sexy with your head in the toilet.”

  “I’m not sick,” she snapped at his teasing remark.

  “Okay. The flu. In a few days you’ll feel better. We can have the wedding in the summer. A June wedding. Like our first one. We can have it in that vegetable garden I promised you.”

  A wedding in the vegetable garden? Oh dear, wouldn’t that be a sight. Despite his humor, Emily’s tummy heaved gently with another knot of nausea reminding her that a June wedding would be out of the picture. She wanted to get married now. Today. Just as they’d planned. She wanted to be Mrs. Steve McCullen. Wanted to show her friends and family that she and her husband were in love now more than ever, despite what had happened to him. Despite their being apart for years.

  “This dress won’t fit in June, Steve.”

  “Sure it will.”

  A gorgeous grin splashed across his face and she had the sudden urge to run her fingers through his smooth hair ruffle it and make it look messy as if he’d just climbed out of bed.

  She liked him that way. Unshaven, mussed hair and so hot-looking that sometimes she just couldn’t wait to get him into bed so they made love wherever they felt like it. On the intimate table for two. Up against the shed wall down on the wharf. Once they’d even had sex on top of the washing machine, with the machine on. That had been quite the erotic experience.

  “Remember our workouts? They’ll keep you in shape,” he said with lusty softness in his voice.

  “Well, those workouts worked.”

  She waited for recognition to light up his face. Nothing happened.

  “Of course, they worked. That’s why you look so damn good in the wedding dress. You have good-looking muscles too. Here let me help you up.”

  Emily sighed in frustration. He still wasn’t getting it! The man was impossible!

  He helped her up and led her out of the bathroom stall. She wanted to tell him about her pregnancy on their honeymoon in Hawaii. Over a romantic dinner set for three. By golly if the man didn’t pick up the hint with the extra plate on the table, she was going to leave him.

  Just then Sara popped her head into the room.

  “Can we come in? The baby needs to have his diaper changed.”

  Steve brushed past Emily and reached out to take the squirming, pudgy angel.

  “Hi, J.D.” He held the baby high in the air. J.D. giggled furiously as he looked down at Steve with huge emerald green eyes.

  “You’re getting so big, little fellow.”

  “You feeling better?” Sara asked as she slid the baby’s diaper bag onto the counter beside Emily.

  “Much, thanks.”

  In the background, Steve made loud engine noises as with outstretched arms he whirled J.D. around as if he were a lightweight plane. After a moment of play, Steve returned the giggling baby to his mother.

/>   Then he looked over at Emily, and she noticed something different in the depths of his blue eyes. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it brought tears into her own eyes.

  Hormones. She’d heard pregnant women got very emotional over nothing.

  Steve rubbed a hand over his face and cursed lightly under his breath.

  “I wanted to tell you something during our honeymoon, but I’d better tell you now,” he said, and reached into J.D.’s diaper bag and dragged out a diaper.

  “Here.”

  He handed the diaper to her and thumbed a tear from her cheek.

  “Perhaps you should practice on J.D. before summer comes.”

  Shit! What was he saying?

  “You already know?” she asked, suddenly realizing he’d been toying with her when she’d been dropping hints in the stall.

  “I found the baby name book under your pillow, and I peeked over your shoulder a few times when you were on the internet. Saw the baby furniture sites you were on and…”

  His face was now only inches away from hers and she could see the glitter of tears in his eyes.

  “I found the early pregnancy test wrapper when it conveniently fell out of the garbage bag the other day. Like I said you’ve been looking green around the gills too.”

  “So much for the healthy glow a pregnant woman is supposed to have,” Emily said.

  “You’re always beautiful to me,” he whispered softly.

  She raised her gaze to his and finally recognized the look in his eyes. Disbelief.

  “I never thought I could love you any more than I already do, but I do. You’ve made me the happiest man, Emmie. Beyond my wildest dreams.”

  Tears streamed down her cheeks. God, he was making her cry like a blubbering idiot. It was going to ruin all the pretty makeup her sisters-in-law had taken such great care to put on her this morning.

  “Do you think you can get married now?” Mathew chuckled from behind her. She peeked over Steve’s shoulder to see Steve’s two brothers Mathew and Daniel standing there.

  “You can show her how much you love her on the honeymoon.” Daniel’s amused voice echoed through the bathroom. A chorus of voices agreed.