Kitabı oku: «The Way We Wed»

As an evil traitor threatens

to destroy the top-secret SPEAR agency,

A YEAR OF LOVING DANGEROUSLY continues….

Jeff Kirby

A green-eyed M.D. and a man

very much in love with his wife…

Though he’d married Tish Buckner in haste, this M.D. in training took his vows very seriously. Especially now that his bride was struggling for her life!

Tish Buckner

A stubborn strength in her dark brown eyes

was outdone only by her passion

She never dreamed she and Jeff had a chance, yet her heart could not refuse his sudden proposal. But had her dangerous undercover work jeopardized her future with Jeff?

Del Rogers

An amber-eyed agent

who is determined to get his man

After seeing the havoc the deadly traitor called Simon had caused for his colleagues, Del is prepared to do anything to take down the man who hopes to take down SPEAR….

Dear Reader,

Once again, we’ve rounded up six exciting romances to keep you reading all month, starting with the latest installment in Marilyn Pappano’s HEARTBREAK CANYON miniseries. The Sheriff’s Surrender is a reunion romance with lots of suspense, lots of passion—lots of emotion—to keep you turning the pages. Don’t miss it.

And for all of you who’ve gotten hooked on A YEAR OF LOVING DANGEROUSLY, we’ve got The Way We Wed. Pat Warren does a great job telling this tale of a secret marriage between two SPEAR agents who couldn’t be more different—or more right for each other. Merline Lovelace is back with Twice in a Lifetime, the latest saga in MEN OF THE BAR H. How she keeps coming up with such fabulous books, I’ll never know—but I do know we’re all glad she does. Return to the WIDE OPEN SPACES of Alberta, Canada, with Judith Duncan in If Wishes Were Horses…. This is the kind of book that will have you tied up in emotional knots, so keep the tissues handy. Cheryl Biggs returns with Hart’s Last Stand, a suspenseful romance that will keep you turning the pages at a furious clip. Finally, don’t miss the debut of a fine new voice, Wendy Rosnau. A Younger Woman is one of those irresistible stories, and it’s bound to establish her as a reader favorite right out of the starting gate.

Enjoy them all, then come back next month for more of the best and most exciting romance reading around—only in Silhouette Intimate Moments.

Yours,

Leslie J. Wainger

Executive Senior Editor

The Way We Wed
Pat Warren

www.millsandboon.co.uk

This book is dedicated to my neighbor,

Judy Eddy, whose energy and sense of humor

make her a joy to be around.

A note from popular writer Pat Warren, author of over thirty novels for Silhouette and Harlequin Books

Dear Reader,

As much as I love writing and reading romances, I’m also very drawn to mysteries, which is why when the editors at Silhouette offered me a chance to be a part of A YEAR OF LOVING DANGEROUSLY, I jumped at it. To watch a love story unfold between two special people is heartwarming. Then to see all the dangers their jobs—their very lives—are involved in is pure excitement.

Tish Buckner turned her back on a life of privilege to work with the agents of SPEAR because she believes in what they stand for. She’s intelligent, highly trained and dedicated, as well as very beautiful. She has no intention of falling in love, yet from the moment she lays eyes on Jeff Kirby, she’s his.

Jeff’s had a hard life—abandoned by his alcoholic parents, living on the streets, constantly on the run. Until East Kirby, a highly respected SPEAR agent, found him and showed him how to care. When he meets Tish, he’s ready for love. Now all he has to do is convince her that what they feel is real and lasting.

And all they both have to do is stay alive amid terrorist bombings and an evil man out to destroy SPEAR.

I’ve been a part of several continuities, starting with Harlequin’s TYLER series a while back, then Silhouette’s first MONTANA MAVERICKS and also the more recent MONTANA MAVERICKS series. It’s a privilege and a challenge to join so many talented authors in telling a thrilling love story with a mystery threaded throughout all twelve books. I hope you enjoy reading about Tish and Jeff’s romance as much as I enjoyed writing it for you.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Epilogue

Chapter 1

Condor Mountain Resort and Spa

The late afternoon sun was quite hot along the Pacific Coast of Southern California even in mid-April. Jeff Kirby felt his shirt sticking to his back as well as the dampness of his jogging shorts, but he ignored both. Running on the hard-packed sand of the beach at the foot of Condor Mountain Resort and Spa was something he looked forward to each time he returned. His shoes hit the ground with staccato precision, spraying clumps of wet sand as he made his way north alongside the frothy waves. Some distance out, seagulls artfully dived into the sea in search of a late lunch.

Glancing at a cloudless blue sky, Jeff felt glad to be alive, grateful for each day. A near-death experience will do that to a person, he decided. He’d come a shade too close for comfort last year and didn’t ever want to repeat the ordeal. Yet he was increasingly aware that the work he did, the job he’d chosen, would ultimately put him in danger more often than not. He knew that, yet chose to stay, and his reasons were many and varied. They included his dad, the exciting challenge and the assurance that he was contributing, doing some good in some small way.

Jeff’s adoptive father, Easton Kirby, had once been one of the top field agents for SPEAR, a secret government agency that dated back to the Civil War and was rumored to have been founded by no less than Abraham Lincoln himself. But a devastating personal incident had all but turned East into a recluse, a man haunted by his own demons, one who holed up in his room at Condor and withdrew from all who cared about him.

Until the night he’d encountered a fourteen-year-old boy who’d run away from the latest in a series of foster homes, a boy as damaged and needy as East was. That boy’s name was Jeff.

They’d both been the walking wounded back then, but each had managed to overcome a disturbing past, to bond with one another and learn to care, to trust again. After a slow healing time, East, who’d been twenty-five ten years ago, only eleven years older than Jeff, had adopted the boy and taken over the running of Condor Mountain Resort as a civilian employee. Only occasionally these days did either of them speak of those past terrible years.

Through most of his teen years and later, Jeff had met or heard about several agents—men and women—who’d been badly hurt in the line of duty, some physically, some emotionally. A few had even died. But with the arrogance of youth, he’d felt certain none of those things would happen to him. He’d quickly shot up to a height of six feet, lean and muscled from training sessions and working out regularly. He’d felt confident, invincible, ready to take on the world.

Until the day he’d been kidnapped, buried alive and left to die.

Slowing his steps, Jeff came to a stop, breathing deeply. He bent over, bracing his hands on his knees, letting his body cool. That episode had changed him forever.

Finally he straightened, squinting into the sun, swiping the dampness from his face. It was after he’d been rescued that he’d learned from Alicia, the woman Easton eventually married, how the kidnapping had affected his adoptive father. East had left the comfort and safety of Condor Resort and spearheaded the operation that had saved Jeff’s life. That was the second time Easton had rescued Jeff. His gratitude and love for the man knew no bounds.

A curious gull executed a graceful landing close to where Jeff stood, cocking his head at the human intruder before taking off overhead. Jeff watched the bird circling for a minute, envying his freedom of movement, then started on his run back to the only real home he’d ever known. He ran more slowly this time, appreciating the pull and strain of his muscles. He’d recently returned from Australia where he’d received more field training for his medevac specialty before the summer session began. He’d doubled up on his courses and attended med school year-round, and he’d just finished his first year of residency with two more to go before becoming a full-time doctor and SPEAR agent.

Jeff frowned as his thoughts drifted to another matter, one equally if not more important to him: Tish Buckner. Skirting a moss-covered rock, he wondered why the course of love never ran smoothly. Certainly East and Alicia—or Ally as she liked to be called—had had some difficult times and it was no different with almost everyone he knew. Falling in love was only the beginning, Jeff decided. It was the happily-ever-after part that was a problem.

He’d met Tish last year at Red Rock Ranch in northern Arizona where he’d gone to recuperate after his ordeal, and he’d fallen for her fast and hard. She was a SPEAR agent who’d come to take a refresher course on her vacation because she wasn’t the type for lazing about. But their road to happiness had been filled with stumbling blocks right from the start and, sadly, they’d gone their separate ways. Running across her in Australia a few weeks ago had been a lucky break, but they’d had too little private time. He’d pretty well convinced her they should try again when the call had come in that Tish was needed along with several other SPEAR agents. A traitor known as Simon, who’d been orchestrating all sorts of treasonous acts against the country and framing Jonah, the head of SPEAR, had been traced to New York. Tish had quickly boarded a helicopter to follow him. But she’d promised to meet with Jeff to talk more as soon as her assignment ended.

This time he’d make her see that they belonged together, Jeff vowed, as his steps brought him back to the foot of the majestic resort where he paused. As always, this view from below captured his imagination. The first time East had walked with him along the beach and they’d paused at the steps leading up, forty-four to be exact, Jeff had said the place looked like pictures of castles he’d seen in books. He never had figured out how they’d managed to put up such a magnificent building that was five stories from the beach side, yet appeared to be only four from the front entrance. As boy and man, the arrangement had intrigued him.

It was part of the Monarch Hotel chain owned and operated as one of SPEAR’s legitimate business enterprises. The lobby floor of Condor offered moneyed guests a luxurious retreat with a magnificent view and a cosmopolitan atmosphere with a renowned chef holding court in both restaurants. Floors two, three and four offered suites of varying sizes, all beautifully appointed. But the penthouse floor was where East and Alicia had their quarters plus there were private rooms reserved for agents who might need a little R and R, some downtime. East saw to it that they got what they needed and went back to the field refreshed. Jeff’s room was also located on the fourth floor.

At the sound of a barking sea lion, Jeff turned to watch the slick seal sun himself on a spit of land that zigzagged into the sea. Some Californians didn’t care for this rocky, often treacherous section of beach, but Jeff loved it. There was majesty here and power and, ultimately, peace. He stood for a minute more gazing at the relentless waves pounding at the shore, then began the steep climb.

He was nearly to the landing that led to the stone stairs of the terrace dining room where waiters were setting the tables for the evening meal when he spotted his dad standing by the waist-high railing. As always, Jeff was aware that there was a certain presence about East that people recognized immediately. Perhaps it was his height, a couple of inches taller than Jeff’s six feet, or his powerful build that suggested he might be a professional athlete. There was a hint of mystery about East that attracted women and intrigued men. He was definitely a formidable man, but Jeff had experienced the kindness and compassion beneath the tough exterior of those chiseled features.

Now, as Jeff hurried up the last few steps, he couldn’t help wondering what had put that very serious look on his father’s face. From the beginning, they’d shared a remarkable intuition about one another that was usually right.

Jeff felt a worried frown form as he stepped onto the terrace. “What’s wrong?” he asked East.

“Let’s go to my quarters and I’ll tell you.” East made his way through the tables, nodding to the maître’d who was arranging dinner menus.

Jeff followed him across the rustic lobby past the guest elevators and stopped in front of the one at the far end, their private car to the fourth floor. As East inserted his special key to gain access, Jeff felt a shiver skitter down his spine which had nothing to do with the air-conditioning cooling his sweaty body. Dad had taught him patience as a teenager—which went against his nature—and also that they were never to discuss SPEAR business in front of outsiders. Stepping into the elevator and turning to face the doors that silently slid shut, his thoughts ran through several possibilities, but he couldn’t seem to settle on any one thing. The most probable choice was that SPEAR needed him at some other location where his medevac training, incomplete though it was, would be useful.

Stepping out on the penthouse floor, East again used his key to enter his quarters and walked directly to the kitchen where he handed Jeff a clean towel before pouring him a tall glass of orange juice.

Jeff knew his dad was not one to be rushed, that he would say what needed to be said in his own way. So he drank the juice and wiped his face, then draped the towel around his neck as his anxiety built. East was openly studying him, as if gauging how best to deliver bad news. Finally Jeff could stand it no longer. “What is it?”

“There’s been an accident. In New York.” The ever present shadows in East’s brown eyes seemed to darken to near black. “Several agents were checking out a warehouse where Simon was reportedly stockpiling weapons. A bomb went off.”

Jeff felt the blood drain from his face as his hands tightened on the glass he was holding. “Tish?” He managed to get her name out, his voice strained. Oh, God! Not now, please.

“She’s in the hospital, unconscious.” East reached over, placed a hand on his son’s shoulder and squeezed hard.

“The prognosis?” Jeff asked as a terrible weight took up residence in his chest.

East shook his head. “No one knows.”

Jeff was not a man who could wait for answers. He had to take action, to find out for himself. He set down the glass and picked up the phone on the kitchen counter. “What hospital?”

East handed him a notepad where he’d jotted down the phone number, knowing his son would want to call. “Metropolitan General in Manhattan.”

It took Jeff some time to get through to the right floor, the right nurse’s station. Tish was in surgery, he was told, her injuries quite serious, but the nurse wouldn’t elaborate. Trying to stay in control of his emotions, Jeff scrubbed a hand across his face. “I’ve got to go there,” he told East as he hung up.

His dad handed him a sheet of paper. “You’re booked on the red-eye out of Los Angeles International Airport. Get ready and I’ll drive you to the airport.”

Jeff saw the concern in East’s eyes and it was almost his undoing. He took a step closer and felt his father’s arms close around him in a comforting hug. “I can’t lose her, Dad. Not again.”

“You won’t, son. Go to her, let her know you’re there. It could make all the difference.” East stepped back, then let him go.

Jeff hurried to his room, his mind racing, his heart heavy.

“Why can’t we get this guy?” Jeff asked, frustration evident in every word. Seated beside East in his fortified ATV as his dad expertly maneuvered the steep, winding roads of the mountainous area where Condor was located, he wanted to lash out at something, someone. “SPEAR agents have been chasing this traitor all over the globe for months and no one’s come close to capturing or killing him. How long are we expected to keep this up, until all our best people are maimed or dead?”

In direct contrast, Easton’s voice was calm, reasonable, reassuring. “I understand how you feel. Actually, several agents have come close to capturing Simon, but…”

“Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades,” Jeff muttered, then realized what he’d just said. A hand grenade was similar to a bomb and a bomb was what had put Tish in the hospital.

“It’s hard to be patient when someone you care for is involved,” East continued in the same quiet tone and Jeff was reminded of all that his father had gone through when he’d been held captive. “You’ve been with SPEAR quite a while now, Jeff. You’re aware how treacherous and devious this man is. But we have to keep trying until we get him. It’s a matter of national importance.”

Jeff let out a shuddering breath. “I know and I’m sorry. I’m just so damn worried. I don’t even know if she made it through the surgery.”

“Use your cell phone. It’s been several hours. Call the hospital again.”

Jeff pulled out his cell, the special phone all SPEAR agents carried. The system was established by orbiting satellites, not dependent on normal cells, so he could talk to anyone on the planet at any time. The signal also was digitalized and encoded so no one else could unscramble the conversation.

When he finished his call and disconnected, he drew in a deep, calming breath. “She made it through surgery and she’s in recovery. She’ll be transferred to the intensive care unit from there. But it’s still touch-and-go.” He turned toward East. “Did you talk with the hospital earlier?”

“Yes, while you were showering. I let them know who you were and that you were to have top clearance for visitation. They didn’t much like it, but then hospital personnel usually don’t like outside interference, even from government agents. However, they promised to cooperate.” East entered the freeway and headed for LAX.

They drove in silence for several miles, each lost in his own troubled thoughts. Finally, Jeff spoke, a sudden rush of emotion clogging his throat. “I thought, after Australia, that we’d have a chance, but we didn’t have enough time.”

A muscle clenched in East’s jaw. “When there’s a crisis, there’s never enough time.”

“And there’s always a crisis somewhere.” Jeff sounded defeated, which wasn’t like him. Normally, he was upbeat, hopeful. But this wasn’t a normal circumstance.

“You can always quit SPEAR,” East suggested, then held his breath.

Jeff took a moment to consider that. “You know as well as I do that if I were a quitter, I wouldn’t be here at all.”

His father sent him a look of understanding, of love and gratitude. “Nor would I, son.”

Minutes later, East pulled up at the boarding terminal and stopped. He shoved the gearshift into Park as Jeff climbed out and grabbed his leather overnight bag. East walked around the vehicle, stopped in front of his son and gazed into his eyes. The look held and seemed to say volumes. “Keep me informed, will you?”

“I will. Give my love to Ally and the baby. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.” East and Alicia’s baby girl, Annie, had been born three days ago; mother and child were still in the hospital.

“She’ll understand,” East assured him.

Jeff hugged his father tightly for several long seconds, then picked up his bag and walked toward the double doors, not looking back. He didn’t want his dad to see the moisture in his eyes.

The first-class ticket East had arranged got Jeff a comfortable aisle seat on the big jumbo jet in the second row. After takeoff, he stretched out his long legs and accepted a cup of black coffee from the flight attendant, but refused the snack she offered. He didn’t need food. He needed a miracle.

A bomb blast. Good Lord, how could anyone survive such a thing? Myriad questions whirled around in his brain. How close had Tish been to the blast? How extensive were her injuries? What had she been operated on for? What was her revised prognosis? The nurse he’d spoken with had said, “It’s still touch-and-go.” What exactly did that mean?

Jeff had two more years of medical training left, planning to specialize in trauma injuries, the choice SPEAR felt would be most beneficial to the organization. Well, a bomb injury certainly qualified as a trauma. Yet he had no idea what kind of injuries she’d sustained.

Just a few weeks ago in Australia, he’d treated SPEAR agent Lise Meldrum for a gunshot wound to the shoulder. Simple things like that didn’t throw him. But bomb injuries? Most doctors never even run across such a thing in a lifetime of practice. But then, most doctors don’t work for secret government agencies.

The coffee was hot and strong. Jeff drank half a cup before leaning his head back and shutting his eyes. He knew he couldn’t sleep so he might as well enjoy the caffeine. Who could sleep when his imagination had him picturing all sorts of terribly traumatic injuries? Behind closed eyelids, scenes past and present, along with future possibilities, vied for his attention.

Actually, on second thought, Lise’s injury hadn’t exactly been cut-and-dried. The bullet had exited through the other side, but had come perilously close to the pulmonary artery causing a great deal of bleeding. Lise also had difficulty breathing because the passage to her lungs was involved. A grateful Russell Devane, another SPEAR agent who’d fallen in love with Lise, had thanked Jeff profusely for saving her life. The doctor at the hospital where they’d finally taken Lise also had praised his work.

But that was still small potatoes compared with bomb injuries, he was certain. He’d heard through the grapevine that Russell and Lise were getting married. Not for the first time, he wondered if it was possible in this crazy business to be happily married? East and Ally seemed content, but they were only on the fringes of SPEAR now, managing Condor.

Restless, he leaned toward the window and gazed out into the dark night. It was dark with not a cloud visible. Jeff reached for the phone on the seat back in front of him and dialed the New York hospital. After much transferring about, he finally was able to talk with the recovery room nurse. But all he learned was that Tish was resting comfortably considering the circumstances.

What the hell did that mean?

Disconnecting, Jeff vowed that when he became a full-fledged doctor, he would never be vague with relatives of his patients. If only they knew what they put people through, they’d be more forthcoming. Maybe.

Sitting back, he drained his coffee cup and again closed his eyes. The overhead cabin lights had been dimmed and the half dozen other passengers in first class appeared to be settling down for some shut-eye. If he couldn’t sleep, at least he could rest his body, Jeff decided, and pushed his seat back as far as it would go. He tried closing his eyes and emptying his mind, but it didn’t work. Awake or asleep, he pictured Tish, her lovely smile, her wonderful laugh.

Sighing, he let himself remember the summer day last year that he’d seen her for the first time….

Red Rock Ranch, previous summer

Jeff leaned against the corral fence, one booted foot propped on the bottom rung, lazily watching the horses on a hot August afternoon. Red Rock Ranch in northern Arizona was the perfect place for him to recuperate after his ordeal in Idaho, or so East had said. His dad had told him to do as little or as much as he wanted, not to push himself, to let his psyche heal.

However, Jeff had arrived only yesterday and he’d already discovered that he wasn’t very good at doing nothing.

Red Rock was another of SPEAR’s legitimate businesses, a working cattle ranch that also provided adventure vacations for monied tourists. But more importantly, it was a SPEAR training site ideally situated in the rugged mountains surrounding the ranch. It was beautiful country with its freshwater streams, the isolated location that brought about pitch-black nights, the silence broken only by the animals nearby.

And there were plenty of them, two thousand head of Brahman-cross cows, twenty bulls and a couple dozen horses. The nearest town was two hours away on a rough dirt road scarcely navigable without an ATV. There were several of those around, too, and even an ultralight aircraft the manager used to fly out each morning over the 120 acres to check the water supply, fences and livestock. It was a huge operation and Jeff had learned to respect the dozen or so ranch hands who kept things running smoothly.

He eased his hat back farther on his blond head and glanced up to watch a hawk chase a low-flying quail. He’d only visited Red Rock once before in his late teens, but the manager, Slim Huxley, remembered him well. That summer, Slim had taught him to ride a horse, how to spot fresh mountain lion tracks and the best way to round up cattle to herd them to a different pasture, and a whole lot more. East had commented when Jeff had returned to Condor that fall that he’d sent away a boy and gotten back a man, for Jeff had filled out and muscled up.

Suddenly the lazy afternoon quiet was broken by the sound of a galloping horse coming closer. Jeff turned his head in the direction of the open pastureland off to the left.

She was some distance away yet, astride a chestnut mare, her short dark hair flying about her face. With the pounding of each hoof, red dust sprayed from the dry rocky soil beneath the short, tough grass. Luckily there were no trees in her path for she was riding at a pretty good clip, heading for the barn right behind him. Straightening, he watched her approach.

Now he could tell she was as one with the horse, leaning forward over the thick neck, grasping handfuls of coarse mane. She was a small woman, yet she seemed totally un-afraid of the huge beast. Fascinated, Jeff wondered who she was, this woman who rode so confidently. He was aware there were about twenty tourists staying at the ranch just now, but none that he’d seen ride like that.

The mare sensed the ride was nearly over and seemed reluctant to stop even though they were nearing the barn. Finally, the big horse gave in and moved into a canter, then a walk. Moments later, both mare and rider came to a halt near him. The woman swung out of the saddle with a move so graceful that he knew she’d done it many times before.

Jeff studied her in silence, taking his time to admire. She was small and feminine-looking despite the outsize man’s shirt and snug jeans she wore. Her wind-tossed hair was a rich brown, glossy, curling forward at her chin. Her face was flushed from her ride, a lovely olive complexion hinting at a Mediterranean heritage, her features fine-boned. Her mouth had a full lower lip that immediately had him wondering how it would feel to kiss her.

Jeff leaned against the fence and waited for her to notice him.

“Good girl,” the woman told the mare as she stroked the horse’s hide. The horse bobbed her big head up and down, then stretched to nuzzle the rider. The woman let out a husky laugh, then swung about and spotted Jeff for the first time. She shook back her hair while her chocolate-brown eyes slowly took inventory of him from his black Stetson to his leather boots, lingering just a heartbeat too long on his midsection.

Suddenly she smiled and Jeff felt his heart do a somersault.

“You must be new,” she said in a voice as husky as her laugh. She stepped closer, held out her hand. “I’m Tish Buckner.”

He straightened, took her hand, slender but capable, and felt a jolt skitter up his spine. Her fingers trembled in his grasp and he knew she felt something, too. He watched nerves dance in her surprised gaze, saw her try to conceal her reaction.

“Jeff Kirby,” he said, relieved that his voice hadn’t cracked since he felt like a pubescent teenager meeting his first girl. He could easily stand here holding her hand and staring into those fathomless brown eyes forever, he decided. Lord, but she was beautiful.

“Nice to meet you,” Tish replied, then tugged her hand free of his, but kept her eyes on his face. She studied him a moment longer, then raised her firm chin that hinted at a stubborn streak and handed him the mare’s reins. “Would you cool her down, please? Her name’s Belladonna and she belongs in stall 10.”

It took a moment for Jeff to realize she thought he was one of the ranch hands. Amusement bubbled up inside him, but he struggled not to react to her somewhat haughty, lady-of-the-manor attitude. A natural mistake, he supposed, seeing as how he was hanging around the corral wearing worn jeans, a denim work shirt and scuffed boots.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, smiling down at her. He was half a foot taller at the very least. He had a sudden urge to reach over and touch her shiny hair, to watch the heat move into those big eyes. Or would they turn cool and frosty? he wondered. He decided to find out.

Moving one step closer, Jeff raised his hand and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, then let his fingers linger in the softness. He watched the sun get caught in her eyes and fleck the brown with gold as she narrowed them at him, then stepped back.