by Cara Summers
“It is. I tell you it is. I’ll kill you all if I have to,” Gracie hissed.
Jed slid out of the car and aimed his gun at Gracie too.
“He’s mine,” Ryder said and watched with some satisfaction as Gracie swung the gun in his direction. Jed would take him out, but before either of them had a chance, Sierra lunged for his gun arm.
Then Ryder was only aware of a series of bright images. The flash of gunfire, the movement of Gracie’s arm as he struck Sierra to the ground. Ryder launched himself at the man. There was another burst of gunfire. He felt the impact as it slammed into his shoulder, but he forced Gracie to the ground.
They rolled twice before Ryder managed to get on top. Gracie grabbed his throat, but Ryder delivered a blow to the man’s jaw. A lethal arrow of pain shot up his arm. Ryder’s vision grayed for a moment, but he managed to lean forward and press his other forearm into Jack Gracie’s neck, cutting off his air. The man went still beneath him.
“I’ve got him,” Jed said as grabbed Gracie’s wrists and slipped cuffs on them.
“Sierra?” Ryder could see her now. She was on her knees a few feet away. He felt another sharp stab of pain when he levered himself off Gracie, and when he reached for her, one of his arms wouldn’t lift.
“You’re hit,” Sierra said. “Your shoulder. He shot you in the shoulder.”
For a moment the world was foggy again, and all Ryder could see was Sierra’s face. “You’re all right.”
“I’m fine. You’re not. You’re bleeding.”
It was getting darker, harder to see. “You got him, Jed?”
“You got him. He’s cuffed and down for the count, and I’m calling in the troops.”
Ryder felt Sierra’s arms go around him and then his world faded to black.
18
“IF THIS is a family meeting, you don’t have to drag me along,” Zoë said.
Sierra turned to her as they reached the door of the Blue Pepper. “My sister Natalie called the gathering to celebrate the closing of the Gracie case. You were a lot of help to us, and I want you to be there.”
Sierra stopped short when she spotted Ryder’s red convertible turning the corner, but her heart sank when she saw only Jed and Jensen were in it. There was no sign of Ryder.
She put a hand on Zoë’s arm. “Let’s wait for them.”
They might have news of Ryder. There’d been no sign of him since he’d checked himself out of the hospital two days ago. She’d held his hand while they’d patched up his bullet wound, and she’d slept in the chair by his bed.
In the morning she’d still been holding his hand when Natalie and Matt Ramsey had stopped by to report on what they’d learned from the vice president and Jack Gracie. Brian McElroy had indeed stolen John Gracie’s identity. When the bomb had destroyed the other members of his platoon, McElroy had known that his face and legs had been damaged, and that Gracie was dead. It was while he’d been lying there, waiting for someone to find him that the plan had been born, and he’d switched dog tags with Gracie. Then with the help of plastic surgery, he’d actually looked like Gracie, too.
Initially, his purpose had been to escape court martial. But during the time he’d spent in rehabilitation, McElroy claimed he’d become a changed man and thought he could make up for his life so far by stepping into John Gracie’s shoes. He’d already known a lot about the man. Once he was released from the rehab centre, he’d gone back to Kansas City and moved into Gracie’s family home. And he’d studied. Eventually he’d become the role he’d decided to play—John Gracie, returning war hero.
According to McElroy, his son Jack, though brilliant, had always been a bit unstable. From the time he was a child, he had been prone to flashes of uncontrollable temper. After his mother’s death, the attacks had become more frequent. McElroy had tried to keep an eye on Jack by putting him in charge of running his office. For the most part, Jack would do an exceptional job. He was an astute politician and well-liked in Washington circles. But on the occasions when things didn’t go his way, his temper could be a problem.
That had been one of the reasons that McElroy had been having second thoughts about running for the presidency even before MarkAnderson had come around asking questions about his relationship with Brian McElroy. When he’d met with Anderson at Le Printemps, McElroy had admitted the truth to Anderson. In light of John Gracie’s record, Anderson had offered to keep the secret. But McElroy had asked for some time to think it over. Although he’d admitted telling his son about his confession, he claimed that he’d had no idea about Jack’s dreams of a presidential dynasty and no knowledge of his plans to kill Mark Anderson.
When Natalie and Matt had left the hospital, Ryder had sent Sierra home to get some rest. The next day, he’d checked himself out of the hospital and disappeared.
There’d been some good news in the past two days. Mark Anderson had made a full recovery, and Brian McElroy had offered him an exclusive interview in which he would confess the story of his thirty-five-year impersonation of John Gracie. It was Rory’s opinion that even though Brian McElroy wouldn’t ever be president, he was going to become a rich man once he decided what book contract to sign. In the meantime, Jack Gracie was being evaluated to see whether or not he was fit for trial.
But none of that news had come from Ryder Kane.
She’d spent two days without him. That had given her two long days and nights to ponder the question that currently overrode all others in her life.
What was she going to do about Ryder Kane?
And she not only had her answer, but she had a plan.
What she didn’t have was Ryder Kane.
As the two men crossed the street, Sierra glanced sideways at her reflection in the glass door of the Blue Pepper. The woman she saw was no longer a stranger to her. In the short, brightly colored skirt and white strapless top, she was the new Sierra Gibbs. And thanks to Harry, she was dreaming big.
“Good evening, Sierra.”
Sierra smiled as Jed reached her.
“What are you doing here?” Zoë asked.
Jed looked down as if he were just seeing Zoë for the first time. “Oh, it’s you. I was invited.”
“So was I.”
His brows shot up. “That’s not a problem for me. Is it a problem for you?”
Zoë’s frown deepened. “Of course not.”
“Then after you.” Jed gestured with his hand and then followed Zoë through the doors of the Blue Pepper.
Jensen chuckled as he paused by her side.
“What is it with the two of them?” Sierra asked.
Jensen’s eyes twinkled. “I’d say they’re attracted to one another, and neither is too thrilled about it.”
“Jed and Zoë? They’re so different.”
“Sometimes it’s more interesting that way,” Jensen said.
Of course, Jed and Zoë weren’t any more different than she and Ryder were. And yet she and Ryder had found common ground. A lot of common ground. As soon as she found him, she was going to point that out to him. “Do you know where Ryder is, Jensen?” she asked.
“I do, but I’m sworn to secrecy,” he said as he held the door open for her.
“I thought he would be here tonight.”
Jensen smiled. “I can say this much. You’re a smart woman.”
So he was going to be here. As a mix of panic and anticipation raced through her, Sierra passed through the glass doors of the restaurant. She was about to take the biggest risk she’d ever taken.
Once inside the Blue Pepper, Sierra blinked, blinded for a moment by the darkness after the bright sunlight on the street. She nearly bumped right into Rad.
He grabbed her hands and held her at arm’s length. “Look at you. Rory and Natalie told me you’d changed…but I never expected. The shoes, the clothes. And the hair! Ooooooh my! That’s a fabulous cut!”
It took her a moment to grasp the fact that the Blue Pepper was empty. And dark. That was why she couldn’t see ver
y well. Even Zoë, Jed and Jensen had disappeared into the dimness.
“Where is everyone?” she asked.
“This way,” Rad said as he turned and led her up the short flight of stairs into the bar.
As she drew closer, she could see candles flickering at intervals along the bar. And the TV was on.
“What’s going on?” she asked Rad. “Where is everybody?”
“They’re on the patio, but a gentleman asked me to give you this.” It was then that Rad handed her the card. When she glanced down, she could hardly make out the four words. Grant me a favor?
“Where is he?” she asked Rad.
“He’ll join you in a few moments.”
A favor. Is that all he was interested in?
Walking forward, her heart shot to her throat when she saw the candy bars and canned soft drinks lined up on the bar. She drew in a deep breath and willed her nerves to settle. But her mind kept returning to the favor. A little flame of anger began to burn inside her. After drawing in another deep breath, she climbed up on a stool.
Without even looking back at Rad, she said evenly, “Tell him I’m waiting.”
AFTER GLANCING at his watch, Ryder stepped out of the shop and crossed the street to the Blue Pepper. Rad would have had time to escort her to the bar. If she’d agreed to see him. If she hadn’t…well, he’d cut off her escape.
Plans had their merit, but you still had to be able to improvise if things went wrong. And this particular plan had begun to take on a life of its own, like the plant that ate Boston.
Two heads were better than one. He’d come to believe that, as long as it was Sierra he was dealing with. But when he’d consulted her two sisters about tonight, it hadn’t been long before they’d consulted Chance and Hunter. Shortly after that, Jed, Zoë and even Jensen had offered input, and somehow George and Rad had gotten into the act.
Pausing at the door of the Blue Pepper, Ryder pulled out the blue note card on which he’d written all the steps and made an attempt to review them. As he skimmed down the list, he couldn’t help but wonder how in the hell Sierra did this. How was he supposed to remember all the steps he’d written down?
Most importantly, how was he supposed to deal with the woman who’d just walked into the Blue Pepper? If she hadn’t arrived with Zoë, he might not have recognized her.
That realization had started the panic coursing through his veins. He certainly hadn’t recognized the outfit. The skirt had been short and slashed with color. The white top had been strapless, and she’d looked as if she’d been poured into it.
Who had she gone shopping with?
This was definitely not the same woman he’d seen pacing in front of the Blue Pepper. He wasn’t at all sure it was the same woman who’d held his hand all night at the hospital two days ago. Oh, he knew she’d changed. But the fear that gripped him now was that she’d continued to change during the days that he’d left her alone.
Who was she now?
He sure as hell wasn’t going to find out by studying a damn note card. Stuffing it back in his pocket, he pulled open the door of the Blue Pepper and strode up the stairs to the bar.
He stopped short the moment he saw her, sitting on the stool. Meeting her in the bar had been Natalie’s and Rory’s idea. This was where they’d first met and kissed.
The music that was now being piped into the room— “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”—had been his own idea and he’d phoned Rad that afternoon to add the candy bars and soda. But she wasn’t eating the candy, and she hadn’t even turned to look at him.
“Sierra?”
She turned then, but he had to move closer to see her face. The heat and fury in her eyes nearly had him stepping back.
She poked a finger into his chest. “You owe me an explanation.”
Some of his tension immediately eased. This Sierra he recognized. “I wanted to see you alone for a few minutes before we join the others.”
She poked him again. “That’s not what I’m talking about. I want you to explain why you disappeared.”
“I had to,” he said.
“Really.”
The familiar dry tone had his heart taking a tumble.
She fisted her hands on her hips. “You really are like Harry, aren’t you? You think you can walk into my life, make me crazy about you and then walk out of it again? And this.” She picked up the card from the bar and waved it in his face. “You think you can just waltz back into my life and ask for a favor?”
“Yes. Yes, I do.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her. Once he did, and once she returned the kiss, he felt bolstered to continue. Dragging himself back from her, he said, “It’s the last one I’ll ask of you.”
She drew in a deep breath. “You didn’t call.”
“I wanted you to have time. To think. We were on a roller-coaster ride together. I thought you needed some distance.”
“You’re the one who needed some distance.”
He dropped his hands from her shoulders and ran one through his hair. “Yes. Maybe I did. I wasn’t careful enough with you. I nearly got you killed.”
“You’re the one who got shot.”
He grasped her shoulders again. “Look, I wanted us both to have a little time. I’ve always gone with my instincts, trusted my intuition, but you’re a planner. I didn’t want to rush you. And maybe I didn’t want to rush myself. This is too important.” He gave her a little shake. “You’re too important.”
After dropping his hands again, he pulled the crumpled blue note card out of his pocket and slammed it on the bar. “I even made a damn list.”
She picked it up and while she read it, he held his breath.
Five, ten and then twenty seconds ticked by. The only sound that filled the bar was the Beatles song once more building to a crescendo while he waited for her to get to the last step. The one that said, Get Married.
It was going on a minute when she lifted her head and met his eyes. Hers were filled with laughter.
He frowned as her giggle bubbled up and escaped. “What’s so damn funny?”
“There are twenty-five steps.”
“Hell, don’t you think I know that? I talked to your sisters, and they talked to Chance and Hunter. Then Jed and Zoë and even Jensen got involved in the act. Rad and George put their two cents’ worth in. And the whole thing is a bust. I’m never ever going to make another one of those damn lists.”
“Ryder, I—”
“No.” He held up one hand to silence her, while he dug in his back pocket with the other one. “I should have gone with my instincts.”
SIERRA FELT the silk tighten and when she glanced down she saw that Ryder had secured her wrist to his with a white scarf. Her heart swelled. But when she glanced up at him, she said, “That’s the favor? Does it have to do with those bondage games we meant to try?”
He frowned. “That’s not what this is about. I’m tying you up so that you will know that I’m not walking away.” He drew in a deep breath. “Ever. And you’re not going to walk away from me either. Got that?”
She smiled at him. “Yes.”
“Did you mean what you just said—that I made you crazy about me?”
The smile held steady. “Yes.”
“Okay.” He drew in a deep breath. “Then I’m just going to cut to step twenty-five. It’s the only one that matters.” He drew her off the stool and dropped to one knee.
She dropped to her knees in front of him. “This is where it started.”
“Yes.” He took her hand. “I love you. Will you marry me, Sierra Gibbs?”
For a moment, she said nothing. Because she was thinking of Harry’s advice: Always remember that life is better than any dream. It’s a better adventure than anything you can find in a book or a movie.
Harry was so right.
Laughing, she lifted her hands and framed his face. “If I say yes, can we finally play those bondage games?”
He was chuckling too as he lowered his mouth to hers. I
n the background, he could hear cheers, whistles and applause. And beneath all that, the Beatles sang on. He spoke in a voice only she could hear. “Sure thing. In every position.”
Epilogue
“THREE MARTINIS straight up with an olive.” George placed the glasses on the three napkins he’d set on the bar. “And congratulations times three.”
“Thanks, George,” Sierra said.
“And thanks again for throwing us this engagement party,” Natalie said. “It was sweet of you to invite my partner and Tracker McBride and the Wainwrights too.”
George winked at them. “Two out of the three of you got engaged right here in this restaurant. That’s good for business.”
Sierra swept her gaze around the bar of the Blue Pepper. The men, including Ryder, Chance and Hunter, had gathered at the far end of the bar to watch the end of an Orioles game. The discussion seemed to be centered on whether or not the current batter should have been called out at first base. Jensen and Jed were voting yes, but they were outnumbered.
Natalie’s friends, Sophie and Mac Wainwright, were seated with Zoë at a nearby table. The salsa band was tuning up on the patio, and shortly, Rad would show them to their table.
That was why she’d asked her sisters to join her at the bar for a moment. She took Harry’s letter out of her pocket and set it on the bar. “Did you bring yours?”
Natalie pulled hers out of her blazer jacket, and Rory dug hers out of her purse. When the letters were lined up in a neat row, Sierra said, “If he hadn’t sent them, we wouldn’t be here tonight celebrating.”
“We owe him for that,” Natalie said, picking up her glass.
“Here, here,” Rory said as she raised hers.
“We owe him a lot,” Sierra said. “His advice not only led me to Ryder. It changed me for the better.”
“He did that for all three of us,” Natalie said.
“But I was thinking that the advice he gave us in those letters goes beyond that,” Sierra said.
“Meaning?” Natalie asked.
“An engagement is scary enough, but it’s only the beginning,” Sierra said. “It’s the next part that’s really scary.”
