PRAISE FOR LINDA TURNER:
“Ms. Turner mixes delicious humor with heartfelt emotion.”
—Romantic Times
“Ms. Turner develops a luscious romance with great sensitivity, capturing all the wonder of the first moments of love.”
—Romantic Times
PRAISE FOR INGRID WEAVER:
“Ms. Weaver combines topnotch suspense with hot-blooded romance to provide the very best for your reading enjoyment.”
—Romantic Times
“Ms. Weaver’s tight blend of sizzling romance and exciting suspense provides super entertainment for romance fans.”
—Romantic Times
PRAISE FOR JULIE MILLER:
“With skilled characterizations and plenty of excitement, Julie Miller gives readers pure enjoyment.”
—Romantic Times
“Julie Miller’s crisp writing style highlights her well-developed characters, complex intrigue and strong plot.”
—Romantic Times
Dear Reader,
The editors at Harlequin and Silhouette are thrilled to be able to bring you a brand-new featured author program for 2005! Signature Select aims to single out outstanding stories, contemporary themes and oft-requested classics by some of your favorite series authors and present them to you in a variety of formats bound by truly striking covers.
We want to provide several different types of reading experiences in the new Signature Select program. The Spotlight books offer a single “big read” by a talented series author, the Collections present three novellas on a selected theme in one volume, the Sagas contain sprawling, sometimes multi-generational family tales (often related to a favorite family first introduced in series) and the Miniseries feature requested previously published books, with two or, occasionally, three complete stories in one volume. The Signature Select program offers one book in each of these categories per month, and fans of limited continuity series will also find these continuing stories under the Signature Select umbrella.
In addition, these volumes bring you bonus features…different in every single book! You may learn more about the author in an extended interview, more about the setting or inspiration for the book, more about subjects related to the theme and, often, a bonus short read will be included. Authors and editors have been outdoing themselves in originating creative material for our bonus features—we’re sure you'll be surprised and pleased with the results!
The Signature Select program strives to bring you a variety of reading experiences by authors you’ve come to love, as well as by rising stars you’ll be glad you’ve discovered. Watch for new stories from Janelle Denison, Donna Kauffman, Leslie Kelly, Marie Ferrarella, Suzanne Forster, Stephanie Bond, Christine Rimmer and scores more of the brightest talents in romance fiction!
The excitement continues!
Warm wishes for happy reading,
Marsha Zinberg
Executive Editor
The Signature Select Program
Linda Turner
Ingrid Weaver
&
Julie Miller
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CONTENTS
FOOLING AROUND:
Linda Turner
Letter to Reader
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
THE MAN IN THE SHADOWS:
Ingrid Weaver
Letter to Reader
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S MURDER:
Julie Miller
Letter to Reader
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Bonus Features
While the Teton Mountains are a real location for this adventure, many of the place names for encampments and natural features on Mt. Moran are fictitious.
I’d like to thank my parents, my hubby and the University of Missouri for taking me to the Tetons time and again. It truly is God’s country.
Thanks to my eighth-grade English students for letting me make grammar a fun class to teach! And for one young man, in particular, you’re welcome. I’m glad my methods helped you “actually get it now!”
FOOLING AROUND
Linda Turner
Dear Reader,
I’ve written a lot of stories over the years, but I can’t remember the last one I enjoyed so much. There was something about the hero and heroine and parrot in “Fooling Around” that I just loved. And I have my late, great, wonderful grandmothers to thank for that. When I was growing up, Ludie Mae, my maternal grandmother, used to tell me stories about her aunt and her pet parrot. Whenever someone in the family had a baby, the parrot would fly to a perch on the roof of the house and yell, “New baby in town!” Don’t you love that? I can just see the parrot sitting on the roof of a Victorian house in small town, Texas, spreading the good news.
In honor of Grandmother, who felt as if she was thirty-two at the age of ninety-two, I had to add the parrot.
Then, there was my paternal grandmother, Evelyn. She had spunk. She joined the circus with my grandfather and traveled all over the country, singing opening acts and hanging by her teeth. She eventually lost her teeth, but not her gumption. She was the type of woman who would have owned her own detective agency.
So this story is for both of my grandmothers, who are, no doubt, dancing in heaven and having a wonderful time. I hope you enjoy reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Best wishes,
Prologue
It was a dark and stormy night, and normally, Josephine London would have been curled up in bed with a good murder mystery. Instead, she sat at her small kitchen table and stared at the letter she’d just found in her afternoon mail.
Dear Miss London,
I am writing to inform you of the death of your great-aunt, Boonie Jones. She died quietly in her sleep two weeks ago and was cremated, as she requested. As you may or may not know, your late father was her favorite nephew, and it was always her intention to leave you all of her worldly possessions. As the executor of her estate, it is my duty to inform you that you have inherited her home in San Antonio, as well as her ownership in a private detective agency. I have included a full accounting of her possessions, as well as several documents that you need to sign and return to me. You will also find in the paperwork a personal letter from Boonie that she requested I give you upon her death.
If you have any questions or wish to talk to me about your great-aunt, please feel free to call me. She was a wonderful person.
Sincerely,
Gene Stevens
Stunned, Josephine read the letter again, then again. She had a Great-Aunt Boonie? Why was she only just now finding out about her? Granted, her father had died when she was just a baby, and her mother had remarried a year and half later. After that, there’d been little chance for her to get to know any London relatives. Her stepfather was in the air force, and they’d lived all over the world while she was growing up. Not surprisingly, her mother had lost touch with her father’s family years ago.
And all this time she’d had a great-aunt who had, according to lawyer Gene Stevens, adored her father. And now it was too late to get to know her…except through her letter. With fingers that weren’t quite steady, she b
roke the seal on the envelope and pulled out a letter written in a delicate feminine scrawl. Transfixed, she began to read.
Josephine, even though I haven’t seen you since you were a baby, I have always loved you. You are your father’s daughter, and he was a darling boy. A day hasn’t gone by since he died that I haven’t missed him. I’m sure you must feel the same.
As Gene has no doubt informed you, I have made you my sole heir. It was the last thing I could do for your father and you, and I do it joyfully. You should know, though, that I didn’t do this blindly without knowing anything about you, sweetie. I had you checked out.
I hope that doesn’t horrify you—you must indulge your old aunt. I tracked you down to Seattle on the Internet, but was unable to travel, so I called one of my contacts in Seattle to do the legwork for me. Needless to say, I was quite shocked by the report I received. You have no beau, no male companion, no fun in your life! You go to the bookstore, to work and church, and appear to spend the rest of your time in your apartment reading romances. Josie, why are you letting life pass you by? There’s a whole world out there just waiting for you to explore. And you’re holed up in your apartment reading about what you’re missing!
Please don’t take this as criticism, but rather the worries of an old woman who only wants the best for you. You’re smart and pretty and, from all reports, an excellent school librarian and a wonderful person. Your father would be proud of your character and academic accomplishments—and worried that you’re sitting on the sidelines watching life pass you by. I, too, am concerned. I want you to have love and adventure in your life…which is why I’m leaving everything I own to you. The business and house aren’t worth a fortune, but I laughed through life and can promise you that by the time you get this letter, I died with no regrets. I wish the same for you and can think of no greater legacy I can leave you than the means to really start living life. Enjoy, sweetheart. Be happy. Love life.
Your loving aunt,
Boonie Jones
Reeling, Josephine didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or cry. Boonie Jones was absolutely right about her. She lived a nice, quiet, boring life—and only found love in the pages of books. She kept telling herself that one day she was going to do something about that, but she never had. And now Boonie had left her everything she owned, including a private detective agency. She was a librarian, for heaven’s sake! Now what was she supposed to do?
Chapter 1
Josie had always considered herself a practical woman, but the day after she received news of her inheritance, she quit her job and notified her landlord that she would be moving out at the end of the week. On Saturday, she squeezed the last of her personal things into her Volkswagen bug and headed for Texas.
She’d lost her mind, she decided. There was no other explanation. All her life, she’d played it safe. She didn’t speed, didn’t drink, never took any drug stronger than an aspirin. And she never, ever took a chance and went out on a limb. So what the heck was she doing?!
Having an adventure, just as Boonie had suggested, she decided, and was shocked to hear herself giggle. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d giggled. Maybe she was going through a midlife crisis. That had to be it. Granted, she was only twenty-eight, but what other explanation could there be? She’d just walked away from her life, and she couldn’t stop smiling. And she hadn’t even notified her aunt’s attorney that she was driving to Texas to claim her inheritance!
She should have called him, but part of her had been afraid she’d change her mind at the last moment and run back to Seattle.
So she’d mailed the papers he’d asked her to sign, then continued on her way. It was, to say the least, a long drive, but she’d never driven across country before and she thoroughly enjoyed it. By the time she reached San Antonio, she couldn’t wait to explore her new home.
First, however, she had to meet Wiley Valentine. After reading more of the paperwork Gene Stevens had sent her, she’d learned that her aunt and Wiley Valentine had been co-owners of the detective agency. And now he was her partner. She almost laughed aloud at the thought. This was so wild. She felt as if she had somehow stepped into the pages of a book.
Wiley Valentine. She hadn’t spoken to him yet, but she loved his name. Was he as wiley as his name? In her mind, she could already see him. He’d be tall and scruffy, in need of a haircut and shave, and have a twinkle in his eyes. Obviously, he was too stubborn to retire—he was still working after her eighty-six-year-old aunt had died—but Josephine didn’t doubt that he was still as sharp as a tack. Otherwise, he would never have been friends with Boonie. She couldn’t wait to talk to him.
Checking her map and the address of the AAA Detective Agency, she soon pulled up in front of an old single-story brick building that looked as though it had been there since the siege of the Alamo. The agency name was painted in a half circle on the plate-glass window, and when Josephine pushed open the front door, a bell tinkled merrily in greeting. Delighted, she took a quick look around and had to grin. There were files piled carelessly on two old-fashioned rolltop desks, a faded map on the wall and a brass hat rack in the corner loaded down with all types of hats and scarves and even wigs. Even though she’d never met Boonie, she could just see her aunt and her partner laughing together as they disguised themselves before going to work.
Then, suddenly a man in the back room growled, “You can’t keep making such a mess with your coffee. I’m tired of cleaning up after you.”
“Kiss my grits.”
“Don’t get smart with me, Ethel. I’m not in the mood. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Take a nap, sweet pea. I’ll watch the place.”
“Yeah, right. Just shut your yap and leave me alone.”
“In your dreams, sweetheart. I was born to sing. La-la-la-la…”
Laughter bubbling up inside her, Josephine slapped a quick hand over her mouth and stifled a giggle. Ethel sounded like a parrot, but she was awfully sassy. Maybe there was a television on in the back.
Stepping further into the office, she called out, “Hello? Is anyone here?”
“C’mon back,” the man retorted. “We’re back here.”
We’re? Josephine wondered. Was he talking about the bird or was there someone else with him? Not quite sure what to expect, she crossed the front office and stepped through the open door into what turned out to be a small kitchen. Normally, the parrot standing on the table, dunking a vanilla wafer in a cup of coffee, would have been more than enough to stop her in her tracks. Then she got a good look at the man seated across the table from the bird.
This couldn’t be Wiley Valentine, she thought, confused. Somewhere in his mid thirties, he was far too young to be her aunt’s partner. “I’m sorry,” she said huskily. “But could you tell me where I could find Wiley Valentine?”
Sitting back in his chair, Wiley observed her with a grin. Well, wasn’t she cute? A little prim and proper in her starched white blouse and linen slacks, but that didn’t bother him. A woman was like a present, a surprise just waiting to be unwrapped, and he’d yet to meet one he didn’t find fascinating. He bet this one held more surprises than most. If she’d let her hair down out of the ponytail she’d scraped it into and loosen up enough to smile, she’d be downright pretty. Of course, she wouldn’t unbend easily—he only had to look at the stubborn set of her chin to know that, but he’d had fantasies about a woman like her. He’d just never had a chance to indulge himself. Maybe—
“Excuse me?” she said with a frown, interrupting his daydreaming. “Do you work here? I’m looking for Wiley Valentine.”
“Watch out, sister,” the parrot piped up. “He’s a hottie.”
His gaze had drifted from her chin to her mouth, but at Ethel’s tart remark, he laughed and tossed the parrot another cookie, which she promptly caught and dunked in her coffee. “I’m Wiley,” he said, flashing his dimples at her. “What can I do for you?”
Stunned, Josephine just looked at him.
This was Wiley? Her aunt’s partner? The man she’d assumed had to be eighty, if he was a day? This man with the lean, rugged good looks and wicked eyes full of laughter was her partner? He couldn’t be!
“I thought you’d be older,” she said, stunned.
His mouth kicked up into a crooked grin. “I’m old enough to do anything that’s legal and a lot of things that aren’t, sweetheart. What’d you have in mind?”
Still reeling, she hardly heard him. “I’m Josephine London,” she said. “Boonie’s niece.”
The words were hardly out of her mouth when he burst out laughing. “Well, I’ll be damned!” Rising abruptly to his feet, he reached for his wallet, pulled out a fifty-dollar bill, and held it out to her. “Here. I owe you.”
Surprised, she blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
“I had a bet with your aunt,” he said, grinning. “I bet her you’d sell the house and your share in the agency without ever putting your big toe in Texas. Looks like I was wrong.” Cutting the distance between them in half with one long stride, he reached for her hand and closed her fingers around the money. “Take it. You won fair and square.”
“But I didn’t make the bet!”
“Doesn’t matter. I promised Boonie I’d pay you if I lost the bet.”
With his fingers still curled around hers, Josephine felt a warmth settle in her stomach she couldn’t understand. Swallowing, she said faintly, “You don’t have to do this.”
“Oh, yes I do,” he said, chuckling as he gave her hand a squeeze and released her. “You didn’t know your aunt. She was the most easygoing, generous woman I ever met, but when you gave her your word, she expected you to stand by it. If I didn’t pay you, she’d be rattling chains and haunting every step I took. I don’t know about you, but I’d just as soon avoid that.”
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