by Rita Herron
An hour later, exhausted, he laid his head down on her bed, careful not to disturb her, but wanting to feel the reality of her next to him. He closed his eyes, letting go of all his old demons as he drifted off to sleep.
“COLLIN.” SYDNEY FOUGHT to speak through her dry mouth. She struggled to move, then felt a hand squeeze hers. “Collin,” she whispered again.
He slowly raised his head. Fatigue lines were etched around his eyes, and a frown pulled at his mouth. How long had she been asleep? What had happened?
“You’re awake. I can’t believe it,” he said. “I must have fallen asleep.”
She smiled slowly, wanting to reach out and touch his face, but when she tried to raise her hand, a jolt of pain rocked through her. She groaned and his eyes darkened with worry.
“Don’t try to move. Sydney,” he said. “You’re going to be sore for a while. You’ve had surgery.”
He moved closer to her and cupped her face in his big strong hands. “I was so scared you wouldn’t wake up.”
She bit her lip, recalling the scene at her house. “What happened? Is Kelly all right?”
“She’s fine.” He fought the anger in his voice. “She confessed to everything. The police have her in custody.”
Sydney nodded, feeling the loss deep in her soul. “I really thought we were best friends,” she said sadly. “I can’t believe I didn’t see through Doug. Or her.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Sydney. Doug was a master at deception. He even fooled his business associates.” Collin brushed a tendril of hair from her face and pressed a kiss to her temple. “And as for Kelly, I never suspected her, either. Not even once.”
Sydney glanced away, tears pooling in her eyes. Sunshine peeked through the clouds, brightening the whitewashed walls, but depression pulled at her.
“I know you’re hurt right now,” Collin said. “You’ve been through a lot, Sydney. But you’ll survive this, too, sweetheart.”
It sounded as if Collin was saying goodbye. She’d told him she loved him—she remembered that much—but he hadn’t said the words back. He’d promised to keep her safe and to find Doug’s killer. Now he’d accomplished his goal, paid his debt—
“What’s going on in that mind of yours?” Collin asked softly, tugging a strand of her hair until she looked at him.
“I was thinking about the investigation. Now that it’s over I suppose you’ll be going back to Charleston.”
Collin shrugged. “I can do police work anywhere.”
Tears burned her eyes again. She wished he’d leave so she could let them fall.
Instead, he traced small circles on her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “But I don’t want to be just anywhere,” he said softly. “I want to be with you, Sydney.”
She felt a seed of hope. “You do?”
“I do.” He hesitated, then cleared his throat. “I spent all last year alone in a world of darkness. It was the worst year of my life.” He grimaced at the memories, then forced them away, knowing they both had to focus on the future.
“My world’s been pretty dark, too,” Sydney said softly.
His gaze locked with hers and her eyes sparkled with understanding. “I love you, Sydney.” Then he lowered his mouth and claimed hers with a kiss so gentle and sweet the tears she tried to keep at bay seeped through her eyelashes.
“I know you said I was like Doug....”
“You’re nothing like Doug.”
One corner of his mouth lifted in a lopsided smile. “I have mixed feelings about having his eyes, Sydney. I don’t want you to look at me and see him”
“I don’t,” she whispered. “I see you, only you and your gorgeous bedroom eyes.” She squeezed his hand. “Besides, if it wasn’t for the transplant, I never would have met you. In a way, Doug sent you to me. Maybe to make up for all the bad stuff.”
He brought her fingers to his mouth and kissed the tips of each one gently. A soft hum of awareness stirred in her abdomen.
“I don’t want to pressure you or rush you,” he whispered.
“I don’t mind being rushed.”
His smile grew wide. “But I want to marry you, sweetheart.”
She brought his hand to her mouth and kissed his fingers, each one in turn, just as he had kissed hers. “I hope you believe in short engagements.”
He chuckled and dropped another kiss on her forehead, then stroked her cheek and covered her mouth with his, devouring her with a long, hungry kiss. When he finally pulled back, Sydney inhaled the heady scent of his passion, brimming, ready to explode. She’d never been happier.
“Collin?”
“Yeah?”
“I want to use the money in Doug’s accounts to start a fund for people in need,” Sydney said. “For transplant patients.”
Some deep emotion registered on his face. “I want a family, too,” he said, growing serious.
This time she smiled. “We could work on it right away.”
“I’d like that.” His eyes twinkled momentarily, then his face became serious. “Child and Family Services took Megan and put her in foster care. Kelly doesn’t have any family. I think she’s going to be in jail for a long time.”
“So little Meg will have to live with strangers.” Sydney’s voice broke.
“I know how much you love her, Sydney. But she was Doug’s, and it would be hard for you to forget what Kelly did.”
Sydney studied his face, so full of compassion and understanding. “You wouldn’t mind that she was Doug’s?”
He shook his head. “She’s an innocent little girl. A beautiful, innocent little girl who adores you.” He kissed her on the cheek. “Almost as much as I do.”
Her love for Collin overwhelmed her. How could she ever have thought this compassionate man was anything like her deceased husband? “I love you so much, Collin.”
“And I love you.” He leaned over to kiss her again, then raised his head so their faces were only inches apart, their breaths mingling.
“Do you think Kelly will give up custody?” Sydney asked.
Collin shrugged. “She became hysterical when they took Megan away. She told me that if she went to jail, she’d rather you raise her baby than strangers.”
Sydney closed her eyes on a sob and Collin cupped her face in his hands again. “Of course, we can still work on a baby of our own. Just as soon as you get well.”
“I’m feeling better already.” She laughed softly and slid her fingers through his hair, drawing his face to her for another kiss. Her lips parted and when his warm mouth closed over hers, pleasure pooled and ebbed in her body, making her forget the pain of her injury. He tasted her hungrily, greedily, his tongue seeking and dancing with her own, and when he finally pulled away, she was breathless.
The aching loneliness of the past year disappeared with his gentle touch, and suddenly she couldn’t wait for the future. She fingered a lock of hair from his forehead and smiled. “Go ask the doctor when I can go home.”
ISBN : 978-1-4592-5134-2
HER EYEWITNESS
Copyright © 1999 by Rita B. Herron
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 publishes, 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.
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
“You could have been killed....”
Letter to Reader
Dedication
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Prologue
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
Copyright
