“You will hear me out, Brandy,” he declared confidently in a softened tone.
“No! There’s nothing more to say. You liar! You coward!”
“At least give me the courtesy of explaining my side of this mix-up. You owe me that much,” he stormed back at her.
“Owe you? You have the gall to come here and force your lies on me? I saw the magazine. I know about your treachery!”
“Damn it, Brandy! Listen to me for a minute. I had nothing to do with that story. Somebody pulled a fast one on both of us. Some little schemer sent a telegram to Glitter to release the first story and signed my name. I swear it wasn’t me, Brandy. Casey brought that advance copy to my office. She and I put our heads together and did some fast talking and tracking. It won’t hit the market; I ordered all copies destroyed this morning. If you don’t believe me, call Casey and ask her! I ordered them to destroy all information they had on you. I forbade them to do another story about you.”
“You got rid of every single copy? But that would be a huge loss, a fortune,” she argued skeptically.
“But you would be a bigger one, Brandy love. The money isn’t important, but you are,” he replied in a tender and entreating tone.
“Me? What are you trying to pull now, Steven?”
“I love you, Miss Brandy Alexander. I have since that first moment I pulled you from your car and held you in my arms. I think I knew even that moment you were the woman I’d been waiting and hoping for. I was just too damn stubborn and blind to realize it sooner. So many things kept coming between us, things I couldn’t understand. I couldn’t take the chance you weren’t for real. If necessary, I’d sacrifice every cent I have to prevent your loss. I swear to you all of those issues have been destroyed. Didn’t my note tell you anything?”
“What note?”
“The one I left for you on your dresser. I explained where I was going. I told you I’d return soon. Why didn’t you wait for me? At least confront me and give me a chance to tell my side,” he snarled angrily.
“I don’t want to hear your side, or anything you have to say!”
“You’ve put me through hell, woman, and by God, you will listen!”
As he began to talk, Brandy squeezed her eyes shut to close out his face. She began to hum loudly to drown out his stirring voice. Steven’s anger began to rise. He sat up, capturing her hands beneath his legs. He pulled a black velvet box from his pocket, After removing a ring, he tossed the box aside. He held up the large diamond and growled, “I went to New York to get this.”
He grabbed her hand and slid the ring on her finger. Brandy struggled again. “Don’t you dare put that on my finger, Steven Winngate!”
“I’m asking you to marry me. If you say no, I’ll never ask you again. If you take that ring off your finger, it’ll never be put on again!” he thundered his warnings.
“You think by marrying me you’ll stop me from suing you for every cent you have? The old wife-can’t-testify-against-her-husband routine?” she sneered doubtfully.
“You’re a blasted fool, Brandy!” he stormed, his blue eyes glittering ominously.
“So are you, Winngate,” she purred acidly.
“You shouldn’t look so surprised. I asked you to marry me in my note.”
“If there was a note, I never saw or read it,” she challenged. “Just as there was never any story. You liar! It was all a cruel trick.”
“You’re partly right—there never was any story. I only used that ploy to get an invitation to your ranch. You gave me the idea that night on the terrace. I wanted to get to know you better so I could decide if you were for real. Damn it, Brandy! I’ve never met a woman like you before. You scared me to death with all these crazy, new emotions. I knew I wanted you, but I was afraid to reach out and claim you. At first I saw you as a challenge to my ego. I was angry because I thought you were only using me for hero research for that new book of yours. When Officer Connelly told me your accident appeared awfully suspicious, I assumed you arranged our first meeting. Then when I came to visit you, Ross told me all about you. When he said you were fighting some story in Glitter, what was I supposed to think? When he said he’d read your notes about me and our escapade, I was furious. It looked like a setup to meet the owner of Glitter. Officer Connelly practically said the accident was faked.”
“Faked!” she shot into his explanation. “What are you talking about? I almost died out there, and you believed I was only trying to meet you? Of all the egotistical nerve. Thank God you didn’t think that out there and leave me behind. I don’t care how it looked or sounded, I’m innocent!”
“I know that now, Brandy. But I didn’t know you then. Ross was the one who told me about Tom’s show and Valley. I was furious with you. You didn’t tell me your name or job. My God, Brandy, I thought you were creating a fantasy and then selling it. I thought you were exploiting me and our meeting in that book. That’s why I wanted it.”
“You can’t be serious. I never use personal experiences. Landis Rivera does sound like you, but I wrote that book long before I ever met you. Valley of Fire is located on a tropical island, not in Vegas. It was eerie when I went there, even when I met you. I didn’t exploit you, Steven. I would never do that. In fact, I had a suspicion you had something to do with my accident.”
“Why?” he demanded. “You know—”
“Quiet, Winngate. I’m not finished,” she stated when he opened his mouth to deny that charge. “I know how upset you were because I had innocently detained and humiliated you. I also know you were furious about your bike, and you blamed me for everything. Officer Connelly got a real charge out of filling me in on the details of how you rescued me and how you resented it later. Since the beginning, I’ve been nothing but one big joke to you! You’ve resented me and tormented me for—for some unknown reason. There were plenty of times when I knew you were lying to me, but I didn’t know why. I couldn’t understand what game you were playing with me—one minute nice and warm, and the next, nasty and cold. I couldn’t understand you or your actions. I think you’ve finally made yourself very clear.”
“When I came to the hospital a few days after your arrival, Dr. Ross told me who you were. He saw your notes, Brandy. What was I supposed to think and feel? He said—”
She injected. “Ross. That vile snake! How could he know who—Of course! So, it wasn’t my imagination. Someone did search my room and briefcase that day. You never came back after that second morning,” she argued, catching a past statement.
“But I did. I was utterly bewitched by you. I was waiting for the police to question you, then I hoped my outrageous behavior wouldn’t damage what I had discovered as a mighty tempting situation. When Ross filled me in on your identity and the book you were writing about me and the Valley of Fire, I was furious and hurt.”
“But I haven’t written any book about you or us. Nor do I intend to do so. Why do you keep accusing me of exploitation?”
“Ross said the Valley of Fire was about me . . . us.”
“But it isn’t! I would never use you in any way.”
“While I’m confessing my sins, I might as well lay all of my cards on the table. Another reason I so hurriedly left your ranch was to reach New York in time to see the galley of Valley before final printing. I even tried to purchase the draft from Webster weeks ago. I know it has nothing to do with me or us. I also know when and where it was written. I know just about everything there is to know about you, Brandy, personally and professionally. I have every interview you’ve given, video of each television appearance, and a copy of every single book you’ve written. So if you think I have any doubts or qualms about you, you’re wrong. This might sound insufficient and late, but I’m sorry I didn’t trust you completely. But I had to make certain I was not mistaken about you.”
Those stunning confessions slowly and incredibly
sank in on Brandy’s whirling mind. She gaped at him in astonishment.
“I went to New York to settle this matter once and for all, and to buy that ring,” he went on.
“But why did you leave without a single word? I didn’t know what to think. Then, when that magazine arrived—”
“I told you before, I left a note in your room. At least you could have come to see me or called me. You owed me the chance to give my side of this. The letter didn’t mean anything to you?”
“I haven’t seen or read any note or letter from you. Why?” she asked in bewilderment.
“It explained everything. I put it on your dresser before I left.”
“Then it disappeared. I never saw any letter or message from you. Not even a good-bye or a polite thank you! When the Glitter arrived, I assumed it explained your hasty retreat.”
“Then you really don’t know why I left? What it said?”
“I know nothing of this mystery letter.”
He threw back his head and sent forth peals of hearty and relieved laughter. “What’s so funny, Winngate?”
“That so-called mystery letter contained my proposal of marriage. I told you I had some business to take care of in New York. I asked you to consider me as a husband while I was out purchasing this,” he said, pointing to her finger.
He grinned and murmured huskily, “Since you didn’t get that mystery letter, I’ll give you the gist of it: I love you. Will you marry me as quickly as possible? I can’t survive without you. I feel as if you’ve forced me through my own mental Valley of Fire.”
She simply stared at the dazzling three-carat engagement ring. She tried to absorb these new facts and to reason out some of the old ones. Steven continued at her silence, “Thanks to Ross, Connelly, and Camille we’ve had a lot of interference and misunderstandings. Too, I could blame my own pride and suspicious nature for some of the trouble.” Should he reveal his daring ace-in-the-hole?
“Camille? You mean that little joke you two played on me?”
“I never intended for it to happen that way. Fact is, I was a little too carried away to even notice anyone or anything. I’m sorry I hurt you and embarrassed you, more than once.”
He sighed heavily and went on, “I think she’s the one who sent the okay for the story . . . or Laura McGavin. I have someone checking it out now. Whoever it is will rue that day.”
“Revenge is a mighty costly product, Steven. Forget about her. Besides, trouble would only draw attention to the story. Ross had his reasons. I embarrassed and spurned him several times. As for Connelly, that was pure mischief. You wouldn’t believe the things he told me about you! I was literally terrified of you. You kept confusing me with your unpredictable behavior. I couldn’t tell if you liked me or hated me.”
“The truth is, I love you and want to marry you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me yesterday? Or last night?”
“I had to clear my own head. You’re like some potent drug, Brandy. I knew I had to get this ring and marry you immediately. I’ve given you lots of reasons to despise me and mistrust me. To tell the truth, I’ve been petrified you’d refuse. Do you know how hard it was to stay away from you when you were so close and vulnerable? I wanted you at my side every minute. It was sheer delight when old Nigel left.”
Steven relaxed his grip, then released it. He eased back on his knees before her, waiting for her response, his heart drumming wildly.
Brandy sat up, staring at the ring on her finger. Slowly she eased off the sparkling diamond. She looked up into Steven’s shocked and tormented expression. “You once asked me if I had ever loved a man. The answer is yes. I loved him the first moment I met him, and I still love him with all my heart. I doubt I will ever love another man, if I lived forever. You also asked me if I’d ever received an irresistible proposal. The answer is yes. I fully intend to accept it.”
Steven swallowed with great difficulty. He stared at the ring between her fingers. His very soul threatened to explode with the anguish building there. Brandy smiled. She held out the ring in her right hand, then offered her left one. “If you don’t mind, Steven, an engagement ring goes on the left hand, third finger, not on the right hand.”
Astonishment flooded his face. Her point and answer struck home. He laughed and followed her soft order. “You scared the hell out of me, Brandy,” he admitted.
“That makes us even. I was terrified of the things you made me feel and think. I’ve written that same scene many times, but I’ve never lived it. I don’t think I even honestly thought such emotions were real or possible. Yet, the only reality I knew was you. I wanted you so much. But I didn’t know how you felt about me. When you came to see me last night, it took every ounce of willpower I could muster not to tell you how I felt. I was so afraid it would shatter what we had. I was going to tell you this morning, but you had gone.”
She laughed as she tenderly caressed his tanned cheek. “I love you, Steven Arthur Winngate, alias Lance Reynolds. I have since that first moment when I looked over Ross’s head and gazed into those pools of blue. I could hardly complete my last assignment for thinking and dreaming about you. Do you really want to know why I selected a blond alien with amber eyes? I didn’t want you or anyone to know how deeply you had affected me. I made certain he was your exact opposite. I had never met or known anyone like you. You walked into that room, and no other man ever existed again. Not before or after or during . . .”
His hand reached out to stroke her satiny cheek and slip into her silky, tawny tresses. “Why don’t we drive through the Valley of Fire on our honeymoon?”
Her emerald eyes melted into his sapphire ones. Her fingers laced through his raven black hair. One hand then slid down his finely chiseled jawline and moved across his proud, cleft chin. “There is no one more captivating than you, Steven.” Her finger teased over his sensual mouth and brought a smile to his face. She studied the entrancing blue eyes as she jested, “You cheated at the skeet range. You knew a kiss would devastate me and my aim. Every time you touch me or look at me, I want you.”
He chuckled lazily. “I think you missed on purpose just to collect that kiss.”
“Naturally. I love you. I can hardly wait to marry you, my love.”
“Then how about tonight? If not, don’t kiss me. I feel as if I’ve waited so long for you; I can’t wait any longer.”
“How can we get married on such short notice?”
“We can use the jet I borrowed from a friend and fly to Vegas where this all began. With the time change, we can be married before this day ends.”
“I don’t dare give you the time or chance to think twice. Give me a few minutes to change and to pack.”
“I could think about this a thousand times and never change my mind. Get packed, my love. You can change clothes on the jet. It’s outfitted with everything: bathroom, lounge, bedroom, and bar.”
She looked up into his happy, relaxed features. He added, “Everything, once you’re aboard . . .”
“I’ll pack right after a much deserved and much needed kiss and embrace, Winngate,” she murmured.
He pulled her into his arms. His lips leisurely moved over her face, eyes, throat, and mouth. The last kiss deepened to one of total love and commitment. She clung to him tightly, knowing her dream had finally come true.
He reluctantly set her away from him, eyes blazed with passion. “We have to pack and leave here right now, Brandy love, or not at all tonight,” he warned playfully.
“You call the airport and have the pilot ready that jet. After all, you did say it was fully equipped . . . with everything.”
Their eyes met and locked in mutual understanding. “Five hours in the air, all alone, is a mighty long trip, Mrs. Winngate-to-be. Do you trust yourself to be alone with me that long?” His blue eyes gleamed with passionate mischief.
“Yes, it is a very long trip, isn’t it? I love you, Steven, and nothing else matters now. Nothing.”
She could not resist claiming one more kiss. He pulled her tightly to him. His mouth came down on hers, erasing everything from her thoughts except him and their fiery future. As Brandy’s arms eased around his neck, the diamond sparkled in the vanishing sunlight, blazing as brightly and clearly as their love and passion.
(Continue reading for information about the author)
About Janelle Taylor
This beloved author has written more than fifty novels, with nine New York Times bestsellers and sales in the millions. Bell Bridge Books is proud to publish her novel, VALLEY OF FIRE, for the first time in ebook. Visit her at www.janelletaylor.com.
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