Almost Heaven

by Charlotte Douglas

  “I’ve spent the happiest years of my life with your mother,” Jim said. “And I hope to spend the rest of my life with her.”

  “Now,” her mother said, “before you clean up, tell your father where to make dinner reservations.”

  MJ’s heart sang all the way to the shower.

  GRANT STUMBLED with weariness as he walked in the door. The past three weeks had seemed like years, a blur of disappointment, hard work and lonely nights when he’d been too exhausted to suffer the depths of his loss for long before falling asleep. And too tired to dwell on the anger that consumed him. He’d learned to live without Merrilee until she’d waltzed back into his life last month. Relearning that skill was even more difficult the second time around.

  He’d awakened the morning after Merrilee’s birthday dinner and reached for her, only to find her gone. Downstairs he’d discovered a note, short but to the point.

  “Grant,” she’d written, “thank you for everything. I’ve called Brynn to take me home. My plane leaves in the morning. I don’t know when, or if, I’ll be back in Pleasant Valley. Please don’t try to contact me. My mind is made up. I’m sorry. MJ.”

  In spite of her request, he’d tried calling her home, but no one answered. The same at her grandmother’s. He’d thought of driving to the airport to intercept her, but discarded the idea. He shouldn’t have forced her to make love with him, even though he’d sensed she’d wanted it as much as he did. He’d hoped their lovemaking would change her mind about leaving. But if the love they’d shared that night hadn’t kept her with him, nothing he could have said the next morning would have changed her mind.

  He’d berated himself for pushing her too far too fast. Then he’d finally accepted that her mind had been made up and her flight booked long before he’d taken her to his bed.

  When he’d arrived late at the clinic that morning, Fran had greeted him with a puzzled expression. “Jim left a voice mail message. Said he’s taking off for a few weeks and wants you to cover for him. What’s going on?”

  “Damned if I know.” His guess was that Jim had gone away with Ginger. “Good thing that new vet’s on board in Walhalla. I’ll be putting in overtime as it is.”

  But he’d been thankful for the extra workload in the long run. Keeping busy had kept him sane, kept him from dwelling on the questions that swarmed him like killer bees, alighting to sting every now and then. What more could he have done to ease Merrilee’s fears? How could he have kept her with him? Had he only imagined their lovemaking had been as special to her as it had to him? And what had happened to Jim? Was he still with Ginger? And how was Cat faring? Not a breath of gossip had circulated in town since the dinner party at Grant’s. Even Jodie, his usual source of information, could tell him nothing.

  Without appetite but needing his strength to keep the practice going, he was heating leftovers in the microwave when the phone rang. He didn’t dare hope it might be Merrilee, but nonetheless, he felt breathless with anticipation when he answered.

  “Hey, Grant. It’s Brynn. Hope I’m not calling too late.”

  Disappointment rolled through him. “No, I just got in.”

  “Any word from Merrilee?”

  “Why would she contact me?” He didn’t try to hide his bitterness.

  “I’m calling about that other matter you wanted me to check into.”

  Grant drew a blank.

  “The phone threats Merrilee received,” Brynn reminded him.

  “Moot point now, aren’t they?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Grant’s pulse revved. “You don’t think she’s in danger?”

  “Not anymore.” Brynn’s satisfied chuckle sounded through the wire. “Not since I gave the culprit a good chewing out.”

  “Who was it? Ginger Parker?”

  “Closer to home. Your niece.”

  “Brittany?” Grant shook his head in disbelief. “Why would Brittany threaten Merrilee?”

  “She also flattened her tires. Seems your niece didn’t take too kindly to Merrilee’s breaking her favorite uncle’s heart.”

  “My heart’s not broken,” he lied. “I hope you straightened Brittany out.”

  “She’ll walk the line. For a while.” Brynn sighed. “Jodie has her hands full with that one. By the way, have you heard from Jim?”

  “Not since his message saying he was taking time off. I’m hoping he’ll be back soon. Have you heard anything?”

  “Not from the Strattons,” Brynn said. “Cat may be back in Asheville. The good news is there’s a For Sale sign in Ginger Parker’s front yard and no one’s seen her for weeks.”

  “I no longer have a stake in Stratton family business,” Grant assured her, “except in getting my partner back to work so I can get some rest.”

  “It’s late,” Brynn said. “I’ll let you go.”

  “Thanks for the info on Brittany. I’ll keep a closer eye on her.”

  “No problem. See you around.”

  Poor Jodie, he thought. Brittany was growing more problematic every day. He’d have a talk with his sister to ask how he could help his niece’s rebelliousness, if he could find a spare minute.

  The microwave had dinged during his conversation with Brynn. Grant removed his plate and took it and Gloria’s kibble into the living room in front of the fireplace. Days were growing longer and warmer with spring in full bud. Soon it would be too hot for fires.

  Grant stared at the flames as he ate, trying to block images of Merrilee from his mind. When that proved futile, he planned a raid on NewYork in which he’d kidnap Merrilee and bring her home. Home to him and this house.

  You’re fantasizing, he warned himself. Look where that kind of thinking landed Jim Stratton. Besides, even if you could drag Merrilee back here, what would you do? Chain her to the wall to make her stay?

  Disgusted with his thoughts, he carried his plate to the dishwasher and returned to the sofa. He’d slept there the last three weeks, unable to endure his bed with its memories of Merrilee and her honeysuckle fragrance still clinging to the sheets.

  He was reaching to turn out the light when the doorbell rang. Gloria lifted her head and barked softly.

  “Easy, girl. It’s probably Brynn, working the night shift and wanting to talk more about Brittany.”

  He considered not answering. In his present state of mind, he wasn’t fit company for man nor beast. As he hesitated, a car pulled away.

  Good, he thought. Now I can try to sleep.

  To his surprise, the doorbell sounded again.

  He pushed to his feet and plodded wearily to the door. When he opened it, his weariness evaporated in astonishment. “Merrilee?”

  In the yellow glow of the porch light, she resembled a golden dream, her pale blond hair curling around her heart-shaped face, blue eyes shining, her cheeks flushed with a delightful rosy glow. For a moment Grant wondered if he’d fallen asleep after all. Her luggage sat at her feet and the smile she gave him was tentative, tinged with fear.

  “How’d you get here?” he asked.

  “Dad dropped me off. Can I come in?”

  He held himself back from scooping her into his arms. She’d burned him twice. Was he crazy enough to be burned again? “On your way to a shoot somewhere?”

  Her cheeks flushed deeper red and she shook her head. “I don’t blame you for being angry. I’ve been such a fool.”

  Dazed, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  Her eyes pleaded with him. “I’ve come home, Grant, if you’ll have me.”

  “Home?” He still couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that she was actually standing on his front porch.

  She nodded, eyes shining. “Home to you. Home to stay.”

  With a groan of happiness, he reached for her, lifted her off her feet and crushed her to him. “I thought I’d lost you forever.”

  He kissed her then, like a thirsty man gulping water, as if he could never get enough. She clasped her arms around his neck and held on tight.
When he finally came up for air, he set her on her feet and grabbed her bags. “Come in. It’s cold and damp out.”

  Merrilee stepped inside. With a howl of delight, Gloria lunged at her, placed her front paws on her shoulders and licked her cheek. Merrilee buried her face in the dog’s fur.

  “Hey, girl,” she murmured. “I’ve missed you, too.”

  Grant placed her luggage inside the door, closed it and followed Merrilee to the sofa. With the first shock of her arrival wearing off, his caution returned.

  “What changed your mind?” he asked.

  “Mom and Dad.” She settled in the corner and patted the seat for him to sit beside her. “They came to New York.”

  “Together? That’s good news.”

  So that’s where Jim had been while Grant had been working his butt off. But since his partner’s trip had resulted in Merrilee’s return, Grant considered three weeks of hard labor well worth it.

  Merrilee’s blue eyes sparkled with happiness. “Your dinner party did the trick. Dad took Ginger home that night and hasn’t seen her since. Brynn was right. Seeing Mom and me in the same room with Ginger was the ultimate reality check. It snapped Dad out of his fantasy like a dash of icy water.”

  “And your mom? She’s okay with taking him back?”

  Merrilee’s expression dimmed. “They’re having some rough spots. Who wouldn’t under the circumstances? But they’re seeing a marriage counselor in Greenville three times a week.”

  “But you said they were in New York?”

  Merrilee nodded. “They flew up for the day to talk to me.”

  “About their reunion?”

  She shook her head. “About us.”

  He bit his tongue to keep from reminding her the last time he’d seen her she’d insisted there hadn’t been an “us.”

  “What about your career?” He needed assurance on that obstacle first.

  The excitement in her face lit up the room. “My agent has an offer on my book from a publisher. And, as you always said, I can take pictures anywhere.”

  The knot of apprehension eased in his stomach. “You said your parents came to New York to talk about us. What did they say?”

  Merrilee reached for his hand. “They know I love you. And I’ve always known I love you.”

  Somehow he’d always known, too. “But you were afraid.”

  She stroked his cheek with her other hand. “Afraid it wouldn’t last. Afraid of being devastated when it didn’t. I thought we had too many differences for the long haul.”

  “You were using your parents’ marriage as a yardstick.”

  Merrilee nodded. “But I didn’t have the whole picture. I believed they’d never argued because they never fought in front of me. And I thought they’d always agreed on everything. What I didn’t realize was how well they’d learned to compromise.”

  “And Ginger? Your dad’s affair hasn’t scared you off for good?”

  She shook her head. “Mom and Dad made the trip especially to convince me that when love is real, it can overcome any obstacles.” Her eyes clouded. “I guess that’s what I’m here to find out.”

  He felt a sudden catch in his chest. “Whether your love for me is real.”

  She laughed. “Lordy, no. I know that as sure as I know the sun will rise tomorrow.” She grew quiet for a second before saying softly, “I need to know whether I’ve killed your love for me with all my fears and running away.”

  He was drowning in emotions: love, relief, joy so intense he couldn’t speak. He rose from the sofa and crossed the room to a desk on the other side. From its top drawer, he removed a tiny box and returned to Merrilee’s side.

  Anxiety had created a crease between her feathery brows. “Do you still love me, Grant?”

  He popped open the box and withdrew the aquamarine circled with diamonds. “I’ve always loved you, Merrilee. That’s why I’ve held on to this, hoping against hope you’d wear it again someday.”

  Tears glistened in her eyes. “Oh, Grant. The sky and the stars, just like you promised.”

  He slid the ring on her finger. “Will a June wedding suit you?”

  Merrilee threw her arms around his neck. Her lips brushed his ear. “Two whole months? If I can wait that long.”

  “I love you, Merrilee June.”

  “And I love you. No more running away from that fact.”

  Grant hugged her to him. He was the luckiest man on the planet. With Merrilee at his side, Pleasant Valley had become almost heaven, as close to paradise on earth as a man could get.

  ISBN: 978-1-4603-6916-6

  ALMOST HEAVEN

  Copyright © 2004 by Charlotte Douglas.

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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  †A Place To Call Home

  *Identity Swap