Regan Harris Box Set

by Kelly Wood

  “You need fresh air? Couldn’t we just go for a walk?” I suggested. Gray gave me a funny look.

  “We’re in Vegas, babe. There is nothing ‘fresh’ around here. Especially the air.”

  “It could be worse. We could be in L.A. The air there is way worse.” I smiled at him.

  Gray tickled me while I screamed for mercy. “You think you’re funny, don’t ya, Mrs. Thomas?”

  “I am funny. And it’s Regan Harris to you, mister,” I said between giggles. I wiggled to get away from the assault. He relented and stopped tickling me but pulled me back into his arms. I snuggled into his embrace.

  “So, you’re not taking my name then?” Gray asked.

  “We’ll see. Where would we go?” I asked, changing the subject. I wasn’t completely on board with a trip yet, but I wanted out of here as much as he did.

  “What about that place in Africa? The one your friend goes to all the time?”

  “Susie? In Tanzania?” I asked.

  “Yes. I noticed on Facebook she’s there now. I bet we could hop on a plane today and be there—”

  “—sometime tomorrow,” I finished for him. Africa wasn’t a quick hop, skip and jump away. It was almost twenty-four hours of flying.

  “We don’t have our vaccinations. Africa isn’t like Canada,” I pointed out, playing devil’s advocate.

  “We’ve already had the basics from our other trips. A quick trip to a clinic for Malaria pills and we’d be off.” Gray gave me a fast kiss on the mouth.

  “I think you’re playing me.” I eyed him. My husband, Gray Thomas, was trying to pull one over on me. “You are too well-informed. How long have you been planning this?”

  “Since the moment I was confined to this room.”

  “For three weeks? Are you kidding me? Why didn’t you say something before now?”

  I held my finger against Gray’s lips to stop him from answering me. I knew why. Because I would’ve fought him all the way on it. He waited until he was healthier. Until I could clearly see he was better. If Gray was anything, it was methodical and consistent. He would make sure he had all of his bases covered before broaching the subject. “Don’t say anything. I know why.”

  “So, now you’re funny and smart?” Gray asked.

  “And, strikingly good-looking, too.” I winked at him.

  “No, not ‘strikingly good-looking.’” Gray kissed me again. “Beautiful.”

  My cheeks warmed at his compliment. I was joking with him about my looks, but I knew, in my heart, he meant every word. This time, I kissed him so he couldn’t see me blush.

  “Is that a yes?” Gray asked.

  “No.” Gray’s face fell at my reply. He was still weak. The infection had taken more out of him than he realized. I couldn’t risk him going to a country rife with infectious diseases. I wouldn’t ever risk him again. “I can’t, babe. We can’t. It’s too risky.”

  “We can’t live in a bubble, Regan.”

  “I know that.” I pulled away from him and propped myself up on my elbow. “But, look at you. You’ve lost more than ten pounds. The infection from the stab wound ravaged your body. The travel alone would wear you out.”

  Gray rolled onto his back and ran his fingers through his hair. The sheet slipped further down, exposing him to his waist. I turned on the bedside lamp and pointed to his body.

  “Look at you. Look long and hard. You aren’t ready. You need rest.”

  “I need out. I need to move around and go for walks that wouldn’t involve bumping into drunk tourists. I need quiet. I hear the sounds of slot machines in my sleep. It’s making me crazy. I need it.”

  The urgency in Gray’s voice kept me from shooting down his request. I flopped onto my back and huffed out in exasperation. The man was driving me crazy. I’d admit that. I was driving me crazy. I wanted to hike and be outside as much as he did. But the fear of his health still nagged at me. I especially wanted out of Frank’s hotel. At first, we were only here out of necessity and ease. At the weeks went on, it just became easier to stay than to move Gray while he rested. As much as I hated to admit it, Frank and Michael went above and beyond making sure we had everything we needed. It freed up my time to focus only on Gray and his care.

  “We’d be on a medical compound,” Gray said the words softly, interrupting my train of thought. I covered my eyes with my hand so he wouldn’t see me rolling them at him. I hated it when he read my mind.

  “A medical compound there is like a small county hospital here. It doesn’t really offer that much.”

  “They have antibiotics, Regan.”

  “And typhoid.”

  “I’ve been vaccinated. As have you,” Gray countered.

  “Still.” Ah, my pithy comebacks.

  “What would make you say yes? Whatever it is, I’ll do it.”

  “I don’t think I can.”

  “What happened to the girl that jumped in feet first? Who jumped off the Stratosphere? The girl who fought to find me when I was missing? Where’d your courage go?” Gray asked, poking at me. I heard the challenge in his words.

  “I left it back on that cliff in Honduras,” I said. Those few days he was missing were nothing short of traumatic for me.

  “No, you didn’t. You fought tooth and nail to get me home. You’ve hovered over me like a mama bear. You’ve been protective and supportive and have given all of yourself to take care of me. But,” Gray held up his pointer finger, “but, it’s time to focus it elsewhere.”

  The bed creaked under his weight. He pulled my hand away from my eyes and looked down at me. I took in every inch of his face. I wouldn’t admit it to him, but he did look better than he had in weeks. Even better than he did yesterday. Color had returned to his skin, washing away the gray, sickly pallor. He wasn’t sleeping as much, and he was eating more. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, he was on the mend.

  “You’d have to get clearance from your doctor, first.” I barely had the words out of my mouth before he was agreeing to my terms.

  “Okay.” His head nodded in agreement.

  “And if I say you need to rest, you will rest. Immediately.” My tone left no room for argument.

  “Great. As long as you ‘rest’ with me.” Gray waggled his eyebrows suggestively before his face turned serious. He ran his finger over the scar on my shoulder peeking out from the edge of my t-shirt. “You still need rest, too. I wasn’t the only one hurt.”

  I looked down at the scar from a bullet hitting my shoulder. It sounded worse than it looked. Gray was hurt much worse by the knife and infection. My wound required nothing more than a few stitches and keeping it clean.

  “It was just a scratch. It doesn’t even hurt anymore,” I said.

  “Mine, too,” Gray said.

  The look I gave him conveyed the “liar, liar, pants on fire” I was thinking. I knew when I was defeated. My only choice now was to lay down the law about what I expected from him. Excitement started to flutter in my belly at the thought of escaping and going someplace new.

  “If you don’t seem to be getting your strength back, we leave. Also, immediately.”

  “Fine. You’re the boss. This time.” Gray jumped out of bed and grabbed his phone, not giving me any time to change my mind. He spoke quickly and with authority, ordering a private jet to fly us across the world. I still felt uncomfortable with our new-found wealth. Well, my new-found wealth. Gray was used to money. The kind of money that could change lives.

  “Get moving, woman. The plane will be ready to be wheels up in an hour.”

  “An hour? You promised me a doctor’s appointment first. And we need antibiotics for malaria,” I pointed out. I couldn’t be ready in an hour. We’d lived in this hotel room for three weeks. That was a lot of stuff to pack up and organize. Another thought struck me. “What if there’s not room available for us to volunteer?”

  “There is. Susie’s got it all ready,” Gray said.

  A knock at the door halted my reply. I checked the be
dside clock for the time. It wasn’t even eight in the morning yet.

  “Who could that be?” I asked, not expecting Gray to answer me.

  “The doctor. We already had an appointment scheduled for this morning. Nothing more than a checkup. And a couple of prescriptions.”

  “You had this planned. You bamboozled me! You knew I would cave if the doctor said you could go.”

  “I know you better than you know yourself.” Gray grinned at me. His smile disappeared behind a shirt as he pulled it over his head.

  I grunted in reply and threw one of the bed pillows at him. Gray managed to finish pulling the shirt on and to catch the pillow one-handed before it could hit him. I threw myself back down on the bed and covered my face with one of the remaining pillows.

  “You played me.” My voice was muffled through the pillow.

  “Like a violin, dear.” Gray’s voice grew distant as he walked away from me to answer the door. “Good morning, doc!” Gray’s cheeriness grated on me.

  “Why do I feel like I will regret this?” I asked.

  The End

  To the Readers . . .

  Thank you for reading the first three books in the Regan Harris Romantic Mystery Series. If you enjoyed the books, please leave a review for other readers to find it. I love the adventures Regan and Gray find themselves in. Keep an eye out for their next adventure at kellywood.net where you can also sign up for my super, non-annoying newsletter to learn about upcoming releases. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for updates and free give-a-ways. I hope you enjoyed it and will recommend it to your friends!!

  About the Author

  Kelly Wood loves to write the kind of books she likes to read, light-hearted cozy mysteries. She likes to curl up with a good book or seek adventure. She has hiked active volcanos only to sled down them, jumped out of airplanes, hiked behind waterfalls, and run up the 700+ stairs at the Vatican.

  Kelly loves to travel. Her passport has 23 stamps and counting. She has backpacked through Europe and Central America, along with many other countries in between. She now lives in Northwest Indiana with her husband and can be found writing most days.

  Read more at Kelly Wood’s site.