by V. R. Marks
"My life is restored. Truly. As is my hope. My family will be grateful."
She ignored the hard look Nichols aimed at her and focused instead on the tears glistening in Abe's eyes. She could practically hear Nichols adding 'enemy sympathizer' to his list of complaints against her. But what had this all been about, if not to restore a man to his rightful place where he was willing to cooperate for the greater good?
In Russian, she invited Abe to the Morris family dinner as well.
He declined with a wan smile, offering a blessing on her and her house instead.
As the official business wound down and everyone went their separate ways, Eva contemplated Abraham's words. Where was her 'house' as he'd put it? It seemed incomprehensible to feel more at home in Haleswood after such a short time, but it was true. When had she become a small town girl?
With Bakr out of commission, she could go home to the RCI office and her apartment in Columbia. She could go home to New York and sip mimosas with her family over Christmas brunch. She slid a glance at Carson. Columbia wasn't that far away, just over an hour's drive. Would he visit her?
Would she visit him here? An hour's drive was a long commute for a booty call – if Carson was willing. If she followed up those nights with a Midnight Rooster breakfast she could keep up with everyone. Maybe find out who his sister was dating.
Good grief. What was wrong with her? She hadn't left town yet. She couldn't be missing the Haleswood camaraderie and friendly routine at the Midnight Rooster already.
She gladly handed Carson the car keys and let him drive. He was quiet until they turned onto the main road. "What's the matter?"
"Just winding down." She pulled the elastic band out of her hair and rubbed at her scalp. "It's going to take forever to get my hair dry. We'll be late for your family dinner."
"I can stop by, make excuses and load up a couple of plates to go."
She laughed. "It'd serve Nichols right if he showed up and we bailed. But no." The bruising on Carson's face and neck might bother them, but she knew what his being there meant to his family. "They'll want to celebrate that your case is closed. And I'm sure Ruth wants her house back."
"Tomorrow's soon enough. Ruth and the sheriff were headed to dinner with Allie and Ross at his house."
"So much domestic bliss." The trace envy she felt surprised her. "I'm happy for them."
"Do you need to call your family?"
"Tomorrow is soon enough." She yawned. "They didn't know about any of this so they didn't know to worry. If you want to just drop me at Ruth's and go alone to see your family I'd understand."
"We'll go together." He reached across and caught her hand. Under the warmth of his touch the envy faded to something closer to contentment. It might be too early for all the long term logistics, but for tonight, she was exactly where she wanted to be.
* * *
It was nearly midnight when Carson pulled up in front of his house. When he opened the door, Sheldon leaped over the back of the seat and out of the car, racing around in circles. "He's glad to be home." Eva's throaty laughter carried across the cold, still air.
"Me too." For a second, he just enjoyed the view of her wide, warm smile.
He felt an answering grin on his own face and knew they were both too wired to sleep anytime soon. Maybe, after the insanity of taking down Bakr, he should wait until morning to tell her how he felt. He should definitely wait to tell her what he wanted to do about it.
Inside, he crouched at the hearth and built up a fire, giving himself a chance to gather his thoughts. When the kindling caught, Sheldon turned three times in a circle and curled up where he could keep an eye on them.
"Your family does Christmas Eve big," she said flopping back on the couch.
"We have generations of practice."
Cleaning up and changing clothes made them very late to dinner, but they'd been forgiven quickly enough when his grandmother had someone new to fuss over. Nichols had handled the whole situation with a friendlier version of his normal stoicism, thanks to Eva's persistent social guidance.
She giggled. "I thought Nichols would have a coronary when he saw all those people."
"You seemed to have a good time tonight," he said. "At dinner," he clarified, stretching out next to her on the couch.
She'd been beautiful, fitting in with his relatives like she'd been a part of boisterous Morris family dinners for years. Now, if he could just find the words that would keep her with him for years to come.
"Too bad your family's got nothing on Battaglia gatherings."
"Really? That's hard to imagine. Do you miss your family?"
"Sure." She laced her fingers through his. "I've been away a long time, helping Ross get RCI started."
"You said you could run the business from anywhere. Did you ever think of working closer to your home?" Was he delusional to think she could she be happy in Haleswood? With him?
"For about two seconds." She sat up, a small frown puckering her brow. "My mom threatened to come here if I didn't make time to get back there soon." She wrinkled her nose. "It just doesn't feel like 'home' anymore."
Air quotes had never looked so good.
"Why don't you head back sooner rather than later?" He'd always wanted to see Times Square at New Year's Eve. He tried to imagine growing up in a place as big and populated as New York City.
"Are you trying to get rid of me?"
"No." He tugged on her hand, but she resisted, scooting further away. "Not at all."
"Wow."
"What?"
"It just dawned on me. We don't have to be joined at the hip anymore."
Panic landed like a fist in his gut. He hadn't felt this vulnerable when Bakr had clocked him on the back of the head and dragged him into the rectory. While he was perfectly content to not have anyone chasing them down ever again, he didn't know what he would do if she was more than an arm's length away. All night they'd been reaching for each other, just small touches and quiet smiles as if they needed the mutual reassurance that they'd come through hell unscathed.
"I don't mind." He smoothed his hand over her hip, down her thigh. "I've enjoyed it."
"I should go back to the motel," she said, as if he hadn't spoken. "Everything can go back to normal." She went to stand by the fire, holding her hands out to the warmth. Sheldon shifted, scooting around and resting his chin on her foot. The dog understood what he was about. Maybe this was just the wrong time.
"Dale took his toys back and returned my computer. He's dreaming if he thinks I'll ever use it again. I wonder if it's too late to ask Santa for a new laptop."
He checked his watch. "It's technically Christmas already." This wasn't at all how he wanted this conversation to go. He racked his brain for a way to get back on point. "There's no chimney at the motel. You'd better stay here and give Santa a better chance of finding you."
Her shoulders hitched. "I don't need a babysitter anymore."
Sheldon gazed up at her with a forlorn expression Carson feared mirrored his own.
"You never did." He'd never met a more capable woman. Brave, determined, independent. He could practically feel his heart shriveling up if she left. Rolling to his feet, he came up behind her, drew her into his embrace and kissed the top of her head. If she didn't want to stay, he had to let her go. And he would, eventually. "I'll drive you over if that's what you want."
"It's Christmas. Jim's probably booked full."
Not likely, he thought, but he didn't give her the easy out. "So stay."
"Just one more night," she whispered.
He had the image in his mind, had clung to it when he'd been taped to that chair afraid Bakr would pull off the win. She was his hope, his heart, and it was past time he told her so. Circling around, stepping over Sheldon, he dropped to one knee.
"How about we make it every night?"
She scowled at him, typical, gorgeous Eva. "You're not serious."
"I am." He grinned at her consternation. "Please, Eva. Sa
y you'll be my wife."
"But –" she looked to the ceiling, blinking rapidly. "This is so fast." She met his gaze and seeing her dazed, at a complete loss, his confidence grew. "My work –"
"Matters," he finished for her. "I get it. So does mine. Love matters more. Stop analyzing and say you'll marry me, Eva."
She hesitated long enough to stop his heart.
"Yes!"
Pulling his grandmother's engagement ring from his pocket, he held it up and they watched it sparkle in the firelight. "This is temporary, but my grandmother said I couldn't propose without a ring."
"She knows? She's okay with you marrying a stranger?"
"Nah." He shook his head. "You've been a local for a while now. You were just too busy to see it."
"I love you."
As soon as the ring was on her finger he swept her into a hug and a fierce kiss. "I love you too." Sheldon joined the celebration with his own happy dance and a chorus of cheerful barking.
"Oh!" Eva pointed to the window. "It's snowing."
Wrapped up in each other and a throw from the couch, they stood on the porch and watched Sheldon chase snowflakes.
"You're so much better than a new laptop," she said, pressing up on her toes to kiss him again. "Best Christmas ever."
He laughed, hugging her close. "And we're just getting started."
THE END
Dear Reader,
Thanks so much for reading these RC Investigations novels! If you enjoyed this collection, I encourage you to leave a review at Goodreads or your favorite reader site and share your thoughts with others. You can also help other readers by recommending this collection to friends, book clubs, reading groups, and discussion boards as well as reaching out through twitter and Facebook.
If you do write a review, go ahead and send me a link to the review by email at [email protected]. I'd like to thank you for your time with a free copy of one of my other titles.
This kindle edition is lendable, so please share it with a friend.
Be sure to follow me on twitter @VR_Marks or on Facebook at facebook.com/vr.marks.author to keep up with events, new releases, and more. I hope to see you there!
Thanks again for your support!
-VR
p.s. Just in case you're curious about Bart, check out The Informant:
A dead body is no way to start the day... a fake marriage makes it a special brand of hell.
When her witness is murdered, DEA Agent Hannah Thalberg knows she's the next target. The only way she can stay close to the case is to lie about getting married and hope her one-time lover goes along with the deception.
Karl 'Bart' Bartholomew's Army career ended his first marriage before an injury ended his career. Now the owner of a popular truck stop, he stays close to the action by keeping local DEA and law enforcement informed of suspicious activity.
Can Hannah and Bart break the case and save lives before the passion between them breaks apart their friendship?
About the Author
According to Alfred Hitchcock, "There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." V.R. Marks feels the same way about writing romantic suspense. After falling in love with the suspense genre during a Hitchcock film festival, Marks combined that with a passion for writing that eventually became adventurous romantic suspense novels readers crave. Marks resides in Portland, Maine where two cats provide regularly scheduled breaks from the keyboard.
See what's next at www.VRMarks.com
Also by V.R. Marks:
The Informant, June 2013
A Season For Romance (holiday anthology)
Acknowledgements
Books don't write themselves, no matter how much fun an author has crafting the story. The Thief, The Witness, and The Hostage novels are the culmination of belief and encouragement from friends, family, and unflagging support from some very talented people.
My sincere gratitude to Alysan at SmartAuthorCenter.com for the website design at VRMarks.com and her social media expertise.
Many thanks to Jessie Smith, owner-extraordinaire of the real Midnight Rooster in Hartsville, SC for graciously allowing me to use her original name for the restaurant in The Thief and subsequent novels. There's really no place like 'The Rooster' and if you find yourself in Hartsville, stop in, have a coffee and tell them I sent you.
A big thank you to Kyle Saverance of Coker College who went above and beyond providing me with photos and permissions of Hart House and Kalmia Gardens for the website.
And finally, to you the reader: my thanks for taking a chance on a new author. Connecting with fans is one of the best perks of publishing.
-VR
Contents
Dedication
The Thief
The Witness
The Hostage
About the Author
Acknowledgements
copyright
Copyright
The Thief
By V.R. Marks
Copyright 2012 © V.R. Marks
Cover art by Just Write! Communications
Kindle Edition
The Witness
By V.R. Marks
Copyright 2012 © V.R. Marks
Cover art by Just Write! Communications
Kindle Edition
The Hostage
By V.R. Marks
Copyright 2012 © V.R. Marks
Cover art by Just Write! Communications
Kindle Edition
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.
This ebook is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without express permission in writing from the author.
