He had asked her what she would have done. And the answer had seemed so simple, so easy. But now looking at it from his perspective, wanting the best for his mother, life definitely wasn’t black and white.
The door to West’s office opened and Neil burst in. Behind him she caught a glimpse of Owen Randall and the chief of police.
West stood and stuttered. “What’s this? Why are you here?”
Isobel said sadly, “I’m wearing a wire, West. They’ve recorded everything you said.” Then she added, “I’m sorry.” Because she was. She and West had been friends of sorts. She hated deception of any kind. And she’d just deceived him. For the greater good.
For the greater good. Is that what Neil had done to her? She glanced up at him. “Do you need me here?”
His voice was gentle. “Just leave the equipment in the office down the hall. I have to tie up loose ends here.”
He motioned West back into his chair. “Have a seat, Mr. MacGregor. I have a ton of questions and we’ll be here all night if we have to be.”
“I want to sit in,” Owen interjected forcefully.
“You can if you wish, but I don’t think there’s any need,” Neil concluded. “My findings aren’t official yet, of course, but as far as I’m concerned this investigation is over.”
Rod Duffy extended his hand to Isobel. As she shook it, he said, “You did good work here today.”
Owen nodded in agreement and added, “As soon as we verify that MacGregor’s information was false, I’ll notify Margaret. We’ll be canceling your review. Why don’t you take the rest of the week off and start back on Monday?”
Start back on Monday. As if everything was going to go back to normal. As if none of this had even happened. She suspected Northeastern HealthCare would deny they’d requested West MacGregor’s help. They still wanted to take over Walnut River General and that endeavor wouldn’t stop just because Neil had uncovered West’s role in it.
When she moved to pass Neil, he clasped her arm. “I admire your courage.”
Admiration? Did he feel anything else?
Today had been enlightening in so many ways. One point that had been driven home was that the situation hadn’t been black or white for Neil, either. Would he call her later? Did she want him to?
She was so confused she just didn’t know.
Although West had been silent since Neil’s entrance, he said now, “I’m not going to answer any of your questions. I want a lawyer.”
“You can call a lawyer. But if you tell me what you know, I can put in a good word for you with my boss.” Neil reminded him, “We have you on tape and Isobel is a witness.”
West rubbed his forehead wearily. Finally he nodded. “All right.”
Neil gave Isobel one last look before she left West’s office, and she couldn’t decipher its meaning.
She needed time to think, time to put everything into perspective.
And if Neil didn’t call?
She’d go on as she had before, working and taking care of her dad.
Isobel couldn’t have been happier for Simone and Mike. The blue sky, puffy white clouds and golden sun had been a perfect backdrop for their ceremony in the rose garden of Mike’s parents’ backyard. Now Isobel, along with Mike’s huge family, Simone’s mom, Ella Wilder and her fiancé J. D. Sumner tossed birdseed along with good wishes at the bride and groom as they ran around the side of the house to Mike’s SUV, climbed inside and drove away, waving back through the words Just Married written in soap on the rear window.
Isobel and the other guests smiled at each other as the couple drove away.
Mike’s brother motioned to all of them. “Come on. There’s a lot of party left in that backyard. My mother doesn’t want leftovers for the next week.”
As everyone laughed, Isobel trailed behind Ella Wilder as she and J.D. settled at one of the linen-covered tables under the canopy. Mike’s mother cut second pieces of cake for all. Isobel sat staring at hers, not in the least bit hungry. It had been a beautiful late-afternoon ceremony, but her heart had felt like a rock in her chest as she’d witnessed the happy couple share their vows, exchange rings and dance their wedding dance.
The past two days she’d had time to think about Neil and everything that had happened. Had he been torn by what he’d had to do? Had turning the information over to her supervisor been difficult for him? Had she been more than a diversion while he was in Walnut River?
He hadn’t called her before he’d left. From what she’d heard, he’d left the same day West had confessed. That hurt, too. Granted, she hadn’t given him reason to think—
Ella, who was planning a wedding with J.D. for the fall, turned toward Isobel. “I just love your dress.”
Isobel had found a calf-length, multicolored, flowered dress with a sweetheart neckline and a pencil-slim skirt at one of Walnut River’s boutiques. “Simone insisted I buy something I could wear again.”
“It’s perfect for a wedding or anything dressy in the summer. I love the style. Maybe my bridesmaids could find something like it in fall colors.”
There were weddings all around Isobel. Peter and Bethany’s next month, Ella and J.D.’s, Courtney Albright and David Wilder’s the weekend before Thanksgiving.
“Are you getting excited?” Isobel asked Ella, knowing the answer already from the sparkle in her eyes.
“I started writing my vows,” Ella admitted. “J.D. said it’s the perfectionist in me. I want them to be perfect.”
J.D. draped his arm around Ella’s shoulders and gave her a hug. “I told her I’m just going to stand up there and say what I feel. But she thinks I should write down the words so I don’t forget.”
Suddenly, Ella and J.D. were staring over Isobel’s shoulder.
Isobel glanced behind her—and was astonished to see Neil Kane. He was wearing a suit and tie and was too handsome for words. Her heart skipped a beat, then ran so fast she could hardly catch her breath. Why was he here?
Finding her voice, she managed to say, “I—I thought you’d left.”
His gaze focused on her as if she were the only guest at the reception. “I did. I had a lot to accomplish in two days, but I managed it, and that’s why I’m here.” He held out his hand to her. “Will you come talk with me?” He nodded to the patio and the glider there.
Isobel didn’t know what to say or what to do or how to act. But she knew if she didn’t take Neil’s hand, she’d forever have regrets. When she put her hand in his, his fingers enveloped hers. She stood, her mouth bone-dry, and followed him to the patio, away from the crowd of guests. She knew everyone was watching them. But Neil didn’t seem to be bothered by that.
When he motioned to the glider, she sank down onto it and he lowered himself beside her, still holding her hand. It was as if he didn’t want to break the connection, however tenuous it might be.
“I was wrong.” His deep voice was strong, sure and apologetic.
Now she definitely couldn’t breathe.
“I was wrong to put my job before you. Doing that made you think I didn’t care about you, that I just wanted to use you to get to the bottom of the investigation. That wasn’t true, Isobel. I’ve done a lot of soul-searching since the day I turned the information over to your supervisor. Ever since I met you, you rocked my world. The night we spent together in Cranshaw—I’d never had a night that intense with a woman before. The following week I told myself we could continue the affair long-distance. I thought I could control my emotions about you, that I could set them apart from the investigation. But I couldn’t. Remember what your father said? That I worked the way I did because I didn’t want to be close to my ex-wife?”
Isobel nodded.
“I realized that, yes, I was doing my job the ‘right’ way by going to your supervisor. But by doing that I was also pushing you away, even though what I wanted most was to be close to you. I told you I felt responsible when Garrett died, whether my feelings were rational or not. I think all these years I’ve b
elieved I didn’t deserve love because I didn’t love him enough. I was pushing you away because I didn’t deserve you…didn’t deserve to be loved by you.”
“Oh, Neil.”
He squeezed her hand. “Let me finish. I guess I’ve come to realize the best way to serve Garrett’s memory is to love more, not less. To accept love whether I deserve it or not. I love you, Isobel. I don’t want an affair with you, I want to spend my life with you. I know I’ve hurt you, and I have to do more than say the right words. So…the past two days, I’ve been rearranging my life. I’ve resigned my position at the Attorney General’s Office, effective in two weeks.”
“You’re not serious!”
“Yes, I am. I’m going to get my private investigator’s license and do investigative work for the D.A.’s office in Pittsfield.”
“Pittsfield?” It was actually dawning on her that Neil had arranged his life around hers.
“Yes, Pittsfield. It’s only a half-hour commute. I’ll probably still have odd hours. This isn’t nine-to-five work. But we can live in Walnut River. We can buy a house or build a house with an apartment for your dad.”
“You want my dad to live with us?”
Neil smiled at her words. “Yes. Remember? He and I get along really well.” His smile faded away as he asked, “Can you forgive me? Can you believe that from this day on I’ll put you first?”
Gazing into his eyes, seeing truth and love there, her reply came from her heart. “Yes, I can forgive you. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, too. I’ve realized that just because you followed the rules didn’t mean you didn’t care about me. You were caught in the middle. I guess I…was still insecure…afraid my feelings were one-sided. I should have tried to understand.”
Instead of kissing her, which is what Isobel wanted Neil to do, he stood. Before she could grasp what was happening, he went down on one knee before her, holding a beautiful marquise-shaped diamond ring between his fingers. “Up until now I’ve handled everything all wrong. Now I intend to handle it right. I want to start my life with you today. Will you marry me, Isobel? Will you accept this ring as a promise that I will join my life with yours and make you as happy as I possibly can?”
She was overcome by the love and the hope in Neil’s eyes. Tears welled up in hers as she easily found the answer to all of her confusion and all of her questions. “I love you, too, Neil. Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you.”
After he slipped the ring on her finger he stood, pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her. His kiss told her everything that was in his heart. It was a promise that their future lay before them and that they would walk into it together.
Their hunger for each other was intense and demanding. Isobel received Neil’s passion and gave her own until—
The sound of applause finally penetrated the haze of desire, love and need surrounding them. Neil broke away, and still holding her, murmured close to her ear, “I think we have an audience.”
They both turned their attention toward the guests gathered under the canopy. The clapping grew louder until, with one arm still around her, Neil held up a hand.
Grinning, he declared, “She said yes.”
There were cheers and calls of congratulation. And then Neil was kissing her again, lifting her into his arms and carrying her away from the rest of the guests.
“I didn’t give up my room at the Inn. How about if we go there for a while and then tell your dad the good news?” he proposed.
“A while?” she teased.
“Why don’t you call your dad on the way? Tell him I’ll bring you home after we’ve made wedding plans.”
“Is that what we’ll be doing?” she asked innocently.
“Yes. In between showing each other the perfect married couple we’re going to be.”
“Perfect,” she agreed, knowing she had found her Mr. Right.
She held on to him as he carried her to his car and he held on to her, ready to start the journey of promises, commitment and love that would last a lifetime.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-1669-7
HER MR. RIGHT?
Copyright © 2008 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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˜Logan’s Legacy
†Montana Mavericks: Gold Rush Grooms
*Baby Bonds
*Baby Bonds
*Baby Bonds
‡‡Logan’s Legacy Revisited
††Talk of the Neighborhood
**Dads in Progress
°The Wilder Family
‡The Best Men
‡The Best Men
§Do You Take This Stranger?
§Do You Take This Stranger?
§Do You Take This Stranger?
˜Logan’s Legacy
Her Mr. Right? Page 18
