“But where did he go?”
“The rain forest. He had me give him directions to the tree house.”
The rain forest. A ripple of shock went through her, followed by an instant and sweeping rejection. What could have possessed him to go back there, after what he had gone through last night? She felt panic clutch at her as she thought of Gideon alone and reliving that nightmare by himself. “No,” she whispered. “It doesn’t make any sense. Why?” Her gaze lifted to Jeffrey’s face. “I have to go after him. Will you show me the way?”
“Sure, if you think it’s better to follow him.” He raised a brow as he glanced down at the high-heeled sandals in her hand. “Those aren’t very practical trekking shoes.”
“They’re all I have with me. I left my jeans and tennis shoes at the tree house when Julio brought me this outfit. He thought that purse with the bamboo handles wouldn’t be carried by a woman wearing jeans.”
“Sounds like Julio.” There was a touch of pride in Jeffrey’s voice. “He pays attention to details.” He turned away. “I might be able to find you a pair of Manuel’s sandals in the cottage. They’ll be too big, but at least you won’t be turning your ankle.”
“Hurry. Please hurry.”
Jeffrey looked back over his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll see that you’re with Gideon in forty-five minutes, tops.”
It was closer to thirty minutes when Kate’s tree came into view. It was strange, but since Julio had told her the story of Kate and Beau Lantry that night while they were waiting for Gideon to return from Mariba, Serena now always thought of the tree house as belonging to Kate rather than Julio.
“Here you are,” Jeffrey said. “Gideon must still be up there since we didn’t run into him on the way over here.” He stopped under the tree, his eyes twinkling. “I think I’ll go back to the cottage and wait for you there. I don’t believe either of you will need me anymore.”
“Thank you, Jeffrey.” She began to climb the rungs of the ladder. “I appreciate you bringing—” She broke off as she looked over her shoulder and realized Jeffrey had gone. She tilted back her head and called, “Gideon, Are you there? Is everything all right?”
“I’m here.”
Serena felt relief pour through her. As far as she could tell from his voice, he couldn’t be suffering any traumatic upset. “I’ll be right up. I was worried when you ran off like that. If you wanted to come back here, why the devil didn’t you wait for me?” She stepped onto the platform. The door was wide open as it had been last night and she could see Gideon sitting on the mattress at the far end of the room. “I didn’t spend that much time with my honorable stepfather.”
“How did it go?”
“Well. Wonderfully well. I feel … free. It wasn’t easy, but—” Her eyes widened in surprise as she gazed around the tiny room.
The entire house was brimming, exploding with flowers. Brilliant coral and cream-colored wild orchids had been thrust into the formerly empty black vase on the nightstand and into the rattan holders on the walls until they were overflowing with fragrance and beauty. The tall vase in the corner now held maidenfern and exotic white and gold blossoms. Wild flowers had even been strewn over the denim cover of the mattress next to the window.
“Do you like it?” Gideon asked quietly.
“It’s beautiful.” Serena’s gaze returned to his face. “You’ve been out in the rain forest picking flowers?”
He nodded. “Jeffrey told me a little about Kate, and how she had loved this little tree house and everything about the rain forest. How she always filled her world with flowers and tried to make the best of life. It reminded me of some of the things you said to me on the beach.”
She crossed the room and dropped to her knees on the mattress beside him. “What things? I remember rambling on about any number of subjects.”
“About coming to terms with the past.” His gaze met her own with grave tranquillity. “I realized I’d been so busy running away from the memory of Na Peng that I was letting it poison my judgment of the present. So I walked back through the rain forest and tried to see what Kate had seen here. The flowers and the birds, the sounds and … the beauty.”
“Did it work?”
“Not at first. My stomach was tied in knots; I felt sick. I wanted you beside me, holding my hand.”
She reached out and gathered both of his hands, threading her fingers through his in a silent bonding. “I’ll hold your hands now. I’ll hold them forever.”
“Forever. You finally got around to saying it.”
She smiled shakily. “I’m a little slow, but I always manage to get there eventually.”
“So do I.” Gideon’s smile was warm and tender, lighting up the room, lighting up the world. “After a while I found it got better and, by the time I got to the tree house, I was seeing Kate’s world as she had seen it. The ugliness was gone, lost somewhere in the past. It’s possible that it may not stay lost and I may need a little help to push it back when—”
“When it tries to ambush you?” Serena finished softly. “Once upon a time a very wise man told me that whenever the ugliness comes back, all we have to do is think of something beautiful and it will fade away again.”
He chuckled. “I’m wonderful at solving other people’s problems. But I’m lucky, I don’t have to think of something beautiful. I have it right in front of me.” He bent his head and kissed her with lingering sweetness. “Say you love me again. Hike to hear it.”
“I love you,” she whispered. “I’ll always love you and stand beside you. I’ll give you my strengths and my weaknesses, my mind and my heart. There won’t be a day or a month or a year I won’t need and want you and not a second when you won’t fill my life. Is that enough for you?”
He smiled with a joy as radiant as the emotion reflected on her face. “No, but it will do for a start. You’ve got the next seventy years or so to get it right.’
She laughed. She felt wild and free and positively dizzy with happiness. “You’re a hard man to please.”
“Not at the moment.” He pulled her into his arms. “I couldn’t be more pleased at the moment.”
“Are we going back to the cottage?” She snuggled closer into his arms. “Jeffrey said he’d wait for us there. I guess we should be thinking about starting for Santa Isabella and beginning to make plans.”
“Soon.” His warm lips brushed her temple and his hand began to stroke the dark silk of her hair. “Now I think we’ll sit here for a while and smell the flowers and listen to the birds and just be together. We can think about the future tomorrow. Right now, the present seems mighty sweet to me.”
Serena closed her eyes in sublime contentment and relaxed against his lean, hard strength. All the dark yesterdays had faded into oblivion and all the bright tomorrows were yet to come. They could rest and enjoy what they had won.
For a long, long time, they sat in the tree house, surrounded by flowers, the song of the birds, and the magical reality of their love. And she discovered that Gideon was right. The present was more than sweet enough.
THE EDITOR’S CORNER
Welcome to Loveswept!
I’m always excited when we have new e-originals to share with our wonderful readers, and this month is no exception. We have four fantastic books coming up in October and I wouldn’t want you to miss any of these amazing reads.
… like Maggie McGinnis’s superb Loveswept debut, ACCIDENTAL COWGIRL, where a feisty city gal and a dreamy cowboy clash … in all the right ways. Or check out Megan Frampton’s WHAT NOT TO BARE, a super witty and red-hot historical romance. Then there’s Katie Rose’s delightful MISTLETOE & MAGIC, an intriguing read set in Victorian New York City. And we also have a nice holiday treat for you: HEATING UP THE HOLIDAYS, a sexy and enchanting 3-story bundle from talented authors Lisa Renee Jones, Mary Ann Rivers, and Serena Bell. And if you’re loving New Adult as much as I am, you’ll adore our new Flirt release, ISN’T SHE LOVELY, Lauren Layne’s new adult take on Pygmal
ion—with an edgy twist!
And of course, we have some terrific reissues for you, too: Connie Brockway’s dazzling stories, DANGEROUS MAN and MY DEAREST ENEMY, Ellen Fisher’s memorable THE LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS, Ruth Owen’s riveting works, SMOOTH OPERATOR and SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME, Iris Johansen’s delicious ACROSS THE RIVER OF YESTERDAY, Julie Orton’s exceptional DRIVE ME WILD, and three wonderful books from Sandra Chastain, THE MORNING AFTER, FOR LOVE OF LACEY, and GABRIEL’S OUTLAW.
If you love romance … then you’re ready to be Loveswept!
Gina Wachtel
Associate Publisher
P.S. Watch for these Loveswept titles coming soon: November arrives with three e-originals: Sharon Cullen’s sizzling LOVING THE EARL, Serena Bell’s enthralling YOURS TO KEEP, and Samantha Kane’s ultra-sexy DEVIL IN MY ARMS, plus classic romances like Connie Brockway’s utterly romantic AS YOU DESIRE, Jean Stone’s poignant BIRTHDAY GIRLS, Fran Baker’s captivating THE WIDOW AND THE WILDCATTER, Iris Johansen’s exhilarating STAR-SPANGLED BRIDE, Ruth Owen’s sensual SORCERER, and Sandra Chastain’s scintillating reads TOO HOT TO HANDLE, REBEL IN SILK, and THE SILVER BULLET AFFAIR. December brings in these great new originals: Lauren Layne’s charming LOVE THE ONE YOU’RE WITH, Cassie Mae’s splendid SWITCHED, and Juliet Rosetti’s irresistible CRAZY FOR YOU, as well as Adrienne Staff and Sally Goldenbaum’s brilliant GREAT AMERICAN BACHELOR, Iris Johansen’s absorbing WINTER BRIDE, Ruth Owen’s unforgettable stories, TAMING THE PIRATE and THE LAST AMERICAN HERO, Sandra Chastain’s scorching reads, HANNAH’S HUNK and IMAGINARY LOVER, and Connie Brockway’s breathtaking trilogy, MCCLAIREN’S ISLE: PASSIONATE ONE, MCCLAIREN’S ISLE: RECKLESS ONE, and MCCLAIREN’S ISLE: RAVISHING ONE. Don’t miss any of these extraordinary reads. I promise that you’ll fall in love and treasure these stories for years to come.…
Read on for excerpts from more Loveswept titles …
Read on for an excerpt from Elisabeth Barrett’s
Slow Summer Burn
Chapter 1
“Sweet office,” a tall, dark-haired man wearing a pair of hipster glasses and a well-cut suit said as he stepped inside and leaned his broad shoulders back on the door frame. “Why don’t you spend more time in it?”
Val Grayson looked up at his brother, put down the pen he was holding, and rubbed his eyes. “Because when I’m here, I actually have to work. You know how much I hate work.”
Theo smiled, the corners of his green eyes crinkling at the edges. “Liar. You just hate being indoors.”
Val inclined his head in agreement. “That, too. Looks like you got through security all right. Marion escort you in?” He could always count on his secretary, Marion Heeps, as a gatekeeper.
“Yeah,” Theo said. “This place is like Fort Knox, though. Thought they were going to give me a full-body search.”
“What did you expect? It’s the Feds.” Not just the Feds—the Drug Enforcement Administration, the premier drug enforcement organization in the world. For more than a decade, Val had been putting his life on the line to dismantle major drug-trafficking operations up and down the Eastern Seaboard. But because it was the government, there was always a hell of a lot of paperwork to get through.
Papers were piled everywhere. Each pile represented a separate ongoing drug investigation that he was either supervising or organizing. His whole life’s work, neatly laid out. He placed a few sheets on top of the nearest stack. No matter how messy things got during the day, they were always organized when he left. “Is it time to go?”
“Yes,” Theo said, taking a quick glance at his wristwatch. “The event starts at six, but from what I’ve heard, it’s going to be a late night.”
“I’ll definitely be working from home tomorrow,” Val muttered, standing up and retrieving his own suit jacket from the back of his chair.
“Which one?”
“Boat,” he said. His refurbished houseboat in Star Harbor was his home base. If he could, he’d work there every day, but special agents were encouraged to work from the office anytime they weren’t in the field. Val came in a few times a week, and to keep his boss happy, he rented a bare-bones studio apartment in Boston as a place to crash when he was in town.
“You don’t have to come,” Theo said, a twinkle in his eye. “It’s not that big a deal.”
Val swung his jacket over his shoulders and regarded Theo. “Yeah, I do. It’s a huge honor for you.” Tonight, his younger brother was receiving a Kirkland Award for his series of local, historical seafaring novels. And if watching Theo get one of the state’s highest artistic awards wasn’t enough of a reason to attend, someone being investigated by his office was expected to be there. It was the perfect excuse, even if the ceremony and reception at the Commonwealth Club wasn’t really his type of thing.
Theo cocked his head and muttered something.
“What?” Val asked.
“You should wear nice clothes more often. You look good.”
Val just snorted. He was far more comfortable in worn jeans and a henley. But he knew how to dress the part when the situation required.
“If you’re ready, we’d better leave,” Theo said. “Avery’s meeting us there.” Avery Newbridge, a kindhearted social worker with fiery red hair, was Theo’s fiancée. She’d been good for his brother, both grounding and inspiring him.
“I’m ready,” said Val, flicking off his office lights. As he escorted Theo through the building, he gave a wave to his secretary. “Night, Marion.”
“Good night, Agent Grayson,” the middle-aged woman replied. “Have fun tonight.” She dipped her head down to her desk, but not fast enough for Val to miss the teasing look in her eye.
“ ‘Agent Grayson,’ are we?” Theo said, laughter coloring his voice as they passed through the double glass doors to the elevator lobby.
“Only when I have guests in the office. Otherwise I’m just Val.”
“Sure you are,” Theo said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
Val let it lie. If his brother wanted to think he was some bigwig at the DEA, let him. But with dozens of successful missions completed, with an increasing number of junior agents under his command, and with every passing year, he had gained some serious experience. And some serious age. Damn, he wasn’t that old. Just thirty-five.
But his success at work had come at a cost. He spent so much time working, he’d neglected his personal life. At night, instead of a woman and children to come home to, he returned to an empty place. He had a few too many gray hairs and some days, an aching back from all the gym time he had to put in to keep fit for his fieldwork. Some things never changed. As the oldest of four brothers, he’d given up his youth to help his mom care for the family after his dad died on his boat in a freak hurricane two decades ago. High school weekends hadn’t consisted of parties and football games; they entailed helping his younger brothers with their homework and then scrambling to finish his own. And when their mom died of a stroke, eight years after their father’s death, every ounce of Val’s energy went into making sure his brothers were doing all right, both personally and professionally.
Over the past year, all his brothers had found happiness with good women, and he was glad for it. Of course he was. But he hadn’t found a special woman of his own, and so he’d filled that void with work, work, and more work.
Val held open the lobby door as they stepped out into the early summer evening. Though they were many blocks from the water, he still caught a waft of the harbor, salty and musky.
“Really glad you’re coming tonight,” Theo said, as they began to walk down Cambridge Street. “Lately I’ve been wondering if you do anything but work. It’s good for you to get out.”
Val made a noncommittal noise in his throat.
Theo paused for a second, then laughed. “This is work, isn’t it?”
“Of course not,” Val said smoothly. “I’m coming to support my brother. A Grayson is about to receive a Kirkland Award. You bet your ass I’m going to be there.” No
way could he tell Theo about his latest case—or the man he was shadowing.
“Uh-huh,” Theo said, sounding unconvinced. “All the same, I’m glad you’re joining me. Seb is back in New York again and Cole couldn’t take the time off.” Sebastian, Theo’s twin, was a famous chef who owned a popular restaurant in Manhattan. He’d met his match in Lexie Meyers, a firecracker of a cook who was his equal, both in and out of the kitchen. And Cole, Star Harbor’s sheriff and a war veteran, had found peace with Julie Kensington, a beautiful doctor with a backbone of steel.
“I thought Seb was coming back to Star Harbor this summer.”
“He is,” Theo said. “In a week or two. He told me he had to get his schedule squared away before he opens up his new summer place in town.”
“Damn, he’s really pushing this, time-wise.”
“He’s not as organized as you are,” Theo said with a smile. “But you know Seb. He thrives under pressure. He’ll pull it together.”
“Hope so,” Val said, just as they reached the parking lot.
After paying the cashier, they hopped into Theo’s Jeep. “Tell me again why we aren’t taking the T?” Val asked.
“Because after the ceremony, I want to get back to my hotel as quickly as possible. Avery and I are taking the next week off from work to explore Boston.”
“Forgot you weren’t driving back to Star Harbor afterward,” Val sighed. “Guess I’m crashing in my apartment.” It probably wasn’t such a bad thing. If he was able to make contact with his target, he’d have plenty to write up at the office the next day.
“Maybe you’ll find a good reason to stick around the city,” Theo said, starting the vehicle.
“Maybe,” Val said as he settled into the seat and strapped on his seat belt. Doubtful.
A trickle of perspiration dripped down Cameron Stahl’s neck and lodged right between her breasts. Though it wasn’t that hot outside—or even inside, for that matter—she was sweltering. “I have to get out of here,” Cameron whispered to her mother, who was seated next to her in the ballroom of Boston’s Commonwealth Club.