Books by Linda Conrad

by Conrad, Linda

  She shook off his hand, but didn't turn around. "No. No. It'll be fine. Just get the operator to patch you directly to the field office."

  He almost smiled at her bravado. Carley was definitely a goddess.

  "Hand over your weapon, Special Agent Charleston Mills." He put all the authority into the words that he could muster, considering the pain in the side of his head.

  She spun around, her eyes wide with shock. "Witt?"

  He did smile then, but he wasn't sure she could see in the ever-darkening twilight. "I remember." He put a hand on her arm to reassure her. "It's coming back in waves, but I've recaptured nearly everything."

  "Oh, my God. Witt!"

  He slid the Glock from her grip. "Now get in the house and lock the doors. I've always been a better shot than you and, besides, I've got a little score to settle with Ms. Fabrizio."

  Carley's mouth opened and shut a couple of times before she quickly changed places with him. "I need to check on the kids," she squeaked.

  Turning to steal away, she stopped, jerking her head back to him for one last parting remark. "But only in your wildest dreams are you a better shot than I am, buster. And don't you forget it."

  Witt chuckled at her words as he watched her scurry to the kitchen door. When she disappeared into the relative safety of the house, he turned back to his immediate problem.

  Ms. Fabrizio had hunkered down, leaving the van between them. With the rapidly approaching veil of darkness, she could easily get into the van and maybe get away before he could stop her. Or worse, she might get inside the house's side door before Carley could lock it. He needed a little time—and a little luck.

  "FBI. Drop your weapon and come out, Fabrizio. Keep your hands where I can see them." Witt doubted that she would comply with his commands, but it was as good a start as any.

  "You've got to be kidding. I had you punished the last time for hiding in my truck. This time you deserve torture for making me hurt Alberto. I'm not going anywhere without you, Mr. FBI."

  A picture of her standing, with a gun pointed directly at his head, while Alberto and another man beat him to a bloody pulp blotted out the glare of the halogen lights that were throwing eerie shadows on the parking lot. Witt shook his head. The resulting sharp pain brought him back to his current situation.

  He needed to get Ms. Fabrizio out in the open—and away from the house and the children. He was about to tell her he'd give up so she would take him captive and drive them both away from here, when all hell broke loose. Three plain sedans roared into the parking lot, effectively cutting off Ms. Fabrizio's avenue of escape. From his vantage point, Witt could see Reid Sorrels and a couple of other fellows he recognized leaving the cars with their weapons drawn.

  Ms. Fabrizio spun with her weapon pointed at the newcomers, but when she saw how outgunned and unprotected she really was, she threw the gun down and raised her arms above her head. At that instant Carley opened the house's side door, steadily holding her backup weapon pointed directly at the woman's head.

  "Hold perfectly still, Ms. Fabrizio," Carley demanded somberly. "So far you've been lucky this is a children's home. No one wants to discharge a weapon here. But I'd just love to pay you back for all the pain you've caused, so please don't move."

  * * *

  Carley took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. The past twenty-four hours had been a blur of activity with precious little rest. The answers to all the questions from Reid, from Gabe and from all the others at the ranch left her throat sore and her head hurting.

  Upstairs in her bedroom Carley fought the urge to flop down on the bed in hysterics. She and Cami had to pack. They'd be leaving the ranch tomorrow.

  Worse yet, she hadn't had a chance to talk to Houston. No … she had to keep reminding herself he wasn't Houston anymore. There would never be another chance to talk to Houston Smith. Witt Davidson had been the one spirited away to a local psychiatric hospital for observation and tests.

  Carley wasn't concerned about Witt's health. She knew how tough he was. Instead she worried herself sick about what on earth to say to him, now that Witt had returned to his old personality.

  More than worried—miserable and inconsolable came closer to describing what she was feeling. She and Houston had been so close to a relationship worth giving up everything for. Now she'd never get the chance to tell him she loved him. That man was gone for good.

  Carley sighed deep within her chest and tried to hold back a sob. Dear God. He is truly gone. Never again would Houston's arms enfold her in their safe embrace. Never again would she know the pleasure of being treated like a rare gem.

  She swiped a hand across the wetness streaking her cheeks. The image of him gazing warily down at her the first time they'd met appeared behind her closed eyes and made her want to groan.

  She shook her head to clear it, but flashes of the two of them together came unbidden. Mental pictures of him at the roadhouse, of him holding Cami on the mare and of him bracing himself above her as he stroked her bare skin left her breathless and blurry-eyed.

  She sniffed and straightened her shoulders. This was exactly what she couldn't have happen. How could she explain any of it to Witt?

  "Mama?" Cami toddled over and patted her calf. "All better?"

  Carley wrapped her daughter in a tight hug. "It'll be okay, Cami. Mama will get through this … for you."

  Shaking her head, Carley opened a dresser drawer and pulled out one of Cami's favorite dolls. "Here, baby. Play with Samantha while Mommy starts packing our bags." Carley sniffed back the tears as she handed Cami the doll and some doll clothes. She hoped Cami would be content on the floor so she could get a head start on tomorrow.

  As she wrestled her wheeled duffel from the closet, she vowed to tell the man about Cami the instant he showed up. Now that he was back to being the old Witt, he probably wouldn't want the responsibility of a child, anyway. Besides that, she could never make a life with a man she didn't love.

  She thought back to when she first arrived at the ranch, remembering how she'd been so sure she loved Witt, so positive she could make him remember and love her, too. A sob, masquerading as a chuckle, escaped her lips. She hadn't even known what true love—the heart aching and forevermore kind—was all about until she'd learned to know Houston.

  Carley did know Witt to be an honorable man, though, one who'd make arrangements to visit his daughter and support her to adulthood.

  She swiped at her eyes as tears began to spill again. Damn, but she would miss Houston. He'd gotten under her skin, seeping into her soul and ruining her for any other lover. Never again could she settle for the casual treatment of a man like Witt Davidson.

  No matter what, there was no going back to the way it had been before Witt disappeared from her life. She and Cami would live their lives alone. Thank heaven for Cami. Her daughter was now her sole reason to stay alive and go on.

  She unzipped the suitcase, laid it on the bed and began haphazardly pitching underwear inside. Reid had insisted she be back at work in Houston on Monday. Two state Child Protective Services people and a new psychologist were coming to the ranch to dig through the mess in the foster home files.

  The Bureau was, right this minute, searching for Dan Lattimer, the ranch's former psychologist. They had lots of questions to pose to the man. Due to the lax record-keeping, Ms. Fabrizio had been running illegal children in and out of the home like a way station on their route to clandestine adoptions. She'd been a major player in the international child-abduction ring.

  "Uh … may I come in?" Witt moved through the doorway without waiting for an answer.

  When he saw the suitcase open on the bed, he closed the door quietly behind him. "You going somewhere?" He couldn't let her leave yet. There was too much to say. Too much at stake.

  "Cami and I are leaving for Houston the day after tomorrow. Are you going back right away, too, or are you taking some time off?" Carley continued folding clothes into her suitcase.

  Witt
hesitated. Apparently she'd only come to the ranch to find him because of her job. He'd lost his chance with her a long time ago.

  Still … he had to say what was on his mind.

  "Carley, can you stop and listen to me a second?"

  She whirled around. "First, I have something to say."

  "Can't it wait a few minutes? I have to get this off my chest now." He deliberately softened his voice. Demanding was no way to tell her. "Please."

  Her shoulders relaxed and she looked up at him with those blinding green eyes. It took every ounce of his strength to keep from dragging her to his chest.

  "I need for you to hear the real story about that last night when I disappeared from the mission." Suddenly he was too nervous to look her in the eyes. He didn't normally talk about what was on his mind.

  "After I found Fabrizio's truck hidden in the woods, I decided to sneak into the truck's bed rather than just call for backup." He glanced down at his hands and found them shaking, so he jammed them in his jeans pockets. "I tried telling myself that my unorthodox actions were because Fabrizio had heard all the commotion and was getting ready to bolt."

  He chuckled at his own foolishness. "I really knew better. I did it because it was a good excuse to get away from you for a little while."

  Carley gasped lightly and closed her eyes. His hands came out of his pockets and instinctively reached for her. He managed to stop himself just in time.

  "I…" He cleared his throat and started again. "I don't mean to hurt you any more than I already have, but I need to tell you the truth. All of it.

  "You scared the heck out of me that last night, Carley. All that talk about marriage and the look in your eyes… Well, it got to me. My heart ached for you, but love had always caused me nothing but pain in the past. I couldn't take a chance on it again."

  She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. He was hurting her again, but there wasn't anything he could do to stop it. He had to get it all said—had to do right, for once in his life.

  "Fabrizio and her buddy drove straight back to the Rio Grande Valley. Six hours I lay flattened in the back of that truck waiting for a chance to sneak out and call for backup." Witt couldn't stand to face her. He tried looking over her shoulder. "By the time they stopped for gas, it was nearly broad daylight. They spotted me and had me knocked out and back in the truck before I could get away.

  "I don't remember anything else until I woke two weeks later in Doc Luisa's bed. The doctors think I may never get the actual shooting back."

  "Witt…"

  "No. Let me finish." His voice lowered to a raspy whisper. "When I woke up with no memories … no background or mental baggage … I made a conscious decision to become the best man I could be. With Doc Luisa's help I turned myself into a brand-new person. I picked all the attributes my subconscious mind must have admired all along. I became a good man, one who could accept and give love."

  "Witt, you were always a good man. Please, I must tell you something right now." Carley broke into his thoughts.

  He waved her off. "Just one more minute." He swallowed hard and got ready to really open himself up for the pain he knew was coming. He deserved it. "Now that I remember everything, I don't want to go back to being that man who ran out on you. I can't. I can never go back to being the Witt you fell in love with … not even if it means I have to live without you."

  At his last words Witt thought he saw a look in her eyes that confirmed what he'd feared. She'd loved the old Witt Davidson, and now that he was gone her love had died.

  But he couldn't stand so close to his dream and not try. "Don't leave me, my love. Give us a chance. Stay and get to know the new Witt. You might learn to love him as much as the old one."

  Before he could stop himself, he'd pulled her to him and held her close. He rubbed his cheek against hers and stopped breathing. "Please tell me I don't have to live without you."

  Carley was weak in the knees and nearly speechless. Thank the Lord. The man she loved hadn't disappeared. Just because he had Witt Davidson's name and memories didn't mean he couldn't be the man she'd come to love.

  Her whole body sagged as relief washed over her, and Carley was in heaven. Almost. There was still one more thing. And it might just change his mind about her.

  "I…" She pulled back from his embrace and took a minute to find her voice. "Before I answer you, there's still something I must tell you."

  "All right. I know you want to tell me about Cami's father. I can bear to hear it now because I've accepted that it was my fault you were left alone and lonely. I'm strong enough to take the worst." He glanced away for just a second. "I don't blame you for finding solace in someone else's arms. It must have been horrible for you when I just disappeared like that."

  Before she could speak, a crashing noise disturbed the quiet. They both jerked toward the sound.

  "Cami!"

  Witt beat Carley to the closet. "What are you up to, little one?" He reached in and scooped Cami up in his arms. When they reentered the bedroom, Cami had a picture frame clutched in her fingers. "Are you okay, Cami?"

  The toddler looked up at him with those big gray-green eyes and then looked at the photograph in her hand. She laid her other palm flat down on the glass. "Daddy."

  Witt took the photograph from her with his free hand. He studied it a minute. "Carley, this is a picture of me taken at one of Reid's pool parties in Houston. You kept it with you all this time?"

  Carley didn't get the chance to answer. She could see Witt making the connections in his mind. He looked at the picture of himself, then examined Cami. Back and forth, he scrutinized every feature of both faces.

  "Cami … Camille. My mother's name was Camille."

  He turned a stricken look to Carley, and her knees started to shake. "She's my child, isn't she? There never was another man."

  Oh, no. Carley couldn't lose him now that they were so close to the happiness she knew they could have. "Witt, let me explain. I tried to tell—"

  "I'm a dad! I'm really Cami's daddy. I didn't force you into someone else's arms. Thank God." Witt swung Cami around the room, laughing and dancing.

  Cami shrieked. Witt wiped tears from his cheeks with the back of his hand. And Carley finally relaxed.

  It turned out she was crazy. Crazy in love with the man who lit up her life. The man who meant everything.

  Witt stopped twirling as suddenly as he'd begun. He stepped to her side, tentatively searching her eyes. "Do you think you can learn to love the new me as much as you did the man who fathered your child?"

  Carley nodded. "More. I'll never love another man as much as I love you. I'm so full of love for you right now I'm afraid I might burst."

  Relief flooded his eyes. "Then take pity on the man who needs you more than breathing. You and Cami and I are getting married … tomorrow."

  "Tomorrow? But how … where?"

  "Las Vegas. Just finish packing your bags and leave everything else to me. We're going to bind ourselves together … in the eyes of the law. I'll go call your grandparents and start making arrangements."

  He handed over Cami and then dragged his lips across hers in a blazing kiss. "Keep that in mind while I'm gone. I'll be back soon."

  And Carley knew that this time "soon" was about to turn into a forever commitment, bringing with it a lifetime full of passion, love and joy.

  Epilogue

  Four Years Later

  "M om! Daddy's coming up the road … and Auntie Doc's with him."

  Carley wiped her hands off and untied her apron. "Good spotting, Cam. Now run upstairs and tell the rest of the kids it's time to be going. I just want to change the twins, then they'll be ready, too."

  Cami's boots squealed as she spun on the kitchen tile.

  "And put on your dress shoes."

  "Aw, Mom."

  "Don't 'Aw, Mom' me, young lady. Do it. And don't rip that new dress." Carley chuckled when she was positive her daughter could no longer hear her.

  In spite
of Carley's best efforts, Cami had become a real tomboy. Actually, cowgirl would be a better description. Cami's devotion to her father had shown up in her attempts to emulate him. Instead of party dresses and dolls, her fondest ambition right now was to become a barrel racer in the state rodeo.

  Sighing, Carley put her apron aside and picked up one of her beautiful, eighteen-month-old boys. Their carrot-orange, curly hair and wide green eyes made her smile every time she looked at them. Houston and Chess were going to be the spitting images of the father she never knew. Carley wondered whether they'd also love all things Western like their sister, or if maybe their high-tech genes would win out.

  The screen door sprung open, and Carley looked up at the man who filled her kitchen the same way he'd filled her life and her heart. "Where's Doc?" she asked.

  "She stopped to check on Cami's new kittens. She'll be right along."

  Witt stepped to her and pressed his body against her backside as she leaned over one of the babies. "Don't I get a welcome home kiss, wife?"

  Keeping one hand firmly on the squirmy toddler, she turned into her husband's wide embrace. Witt covered her mouth with his, deepened the kiss and blasted coherent thought from her mind. What had she ever done to get this lucky?

  When Witt finally raised his head, Carley gazed at the passionately lustful look in his eyes. "You've only been gone an hour. What's all this about?"

  He shrugged one shoulder. "Can't I give my wife a quick, hot kiss before we're inundated with kids?" Witt scrutinized her while he reached for the other twin. "Besides, you're looking particularly ravishing today. You doing something different with your hair?"

  Carley smiled inwardly. Her secret would have to wait until tonight. There wouldn't be time to tell Witt before Carlos's college graduation ceremony.

  "Daddy!" Chess had inched off the counter and stood pulling on Witt's pants leg as the man tried to change a screaming Houston.

  Carley quickly finished the tabs on the diaper Witt had been fumbling with, just as thundering hordes of children stomped down the stairs and into the kitchen. Voices were raised, dogs barked, kids quarreled.