“I know who your father was. He was a real Indian and you’re not.”
Words like that would normally sting but concern for Leigh’s well-being eclipsed everything else. “I know,” David’s glance traveled around the room. “I’ve got it easy here, but it hasn’t always been like this. It used to be pretty bad. But I met someone who turned my life around. Let me help you turn your life around. Put the knife down and I promise, I will help you.”
Red Cloud loosened his grip on Leigh and pulled the knife away from her throat.
David breathed a sigh of relief. Encouraged by the positive effect his words were having, he flipped through the inmate’s manifesto. “This is a lot of work. How long have you been working on this?”
A bit more of Red Cloud’s distrust seemed to melt away. He shrugged. “Couple months — ” The distinct wail of sirens interrupted him. “Shit.” Anger and panic tinted his voice. “You called the cops.”
David put the notepad down and raised his hands. “I had to for the guy downstairs. Take it easy. It’s okay. I’ll talk to them. I’ll explain everything.”
“Close the door!” Red Cloud yanked Leigh into the corner of the room the furthest from the door. His right eye was twitching again and he shook from head to toe. “Do it now.”
David did as Red Cloud bade him. Then, he put his hands up nice and high so there wouldn’t be any doubt in the cops’ minds who was the bad guy. His clothes weren’t that different from Red Cloud’s. He’d left Serendipity in such a rush, he hadn’t paid much attention to what he was wearing but just grabbed the first thing that fell into his hands.
Through the glass partition David glimpsed a couple of cops, guns drawn, taking position outside Leigh’s office. Red Cloud was cornered.
The inmate was so amped up with stress, his entire body shook and beads of sweat pealed on his forehead. He squeezed Leigh even tighter against him and the box cutter’s blade pierced her flesh. A small rivulet of blood seeped from her neck.
Leigh breathed in sharply and her gaze clouded over with tears.
“Shit. I didn’t mean to.” Red Cloud wiped the sweat from his brow, completely freaked and agitated. “This is bad. This is really bad.”
David glanced at the slash on Leigh’s throat. The sight of blood on her delicate neck nearly sent him over the edge. Thank God the cut didn’t look very deep. All he wanted to do was run to her and hold her in his arms. To Red Cloud he said, “It’s okay, man. It was an accident. We’ll explain everything.” Then, raising his voice, he turned to the cops outside, making eye contact through the glass and added, “Stay back. Stay back.”
Red Cloud moved the knife away from her neck, but held on tight, as though her presence were the only thing keeping him alive.
Silent tears streamed down her face. The fear in her eyes tore David up inside. This was all his fault. She was working nights because she was avoiding him. And she was avoiding him because he’d been a jerk. Out loud he said, “We’re gonna get you out of this. Put the knife down, Red.”
“I gotta get my message out,” Red Cloud repeated, the determination in his tone waning.
“Leave it with me,” David said. “I promise you I will get your message out. You’ve done what you came to do. This,” he said, running his glance from the inmate to the cops outside, “is going to make the eleven o’clock news. You’re passionate. You’ve made that very clear. Things need to change and everyone will know that you, Red Cloud, took a stand.”
Leigh perked up and smiled faintly. “David’s right. What you’ve done tonight is going to be big news. We can print this. Every bit of it, with your side of the story.”
“And people will listen, especially if nobody gets hurt,” David concurred. “They’ll say, ‘Red Cloud took the law into his own hands to make the world listen. But, as soon as things got out of hand, he surrendered. So no one would get hurt.’”
“Because he’s one of the good guys,” Leigh added.
“Put the knife down, Red. You made your point.” David studied the young inmate covered in tribal tattoos. His father had been one of the good guys, too, and he’d been shanked by another inmate and died alone in a state prison– a fate many of Red Cloud’s friends would likely share if he didn’t intervene. “I swear on my father’s memory, I will print your story.” He looked up to the heavens, and recited the prayer his father had so often told him when he was a child.
“Great Creator, I send this prayer out to my father, Thunderwolf, and to all his brothers who lost their lives fighting for what they believed in and to those, who, like me have lost their way. We are the children of the dawn. The people of the East.” Emotion welled up in his throat and he looked over at Leigh, his glance filled with remorse.
After a moment’s hesitation, Red Cloud continued the prayer in his harsh, raw voice. “May the Great Spirit and the Great Creator bless us and smile upon us.”
David nodded, and repeated, solemn. “May the Great Spirit and the Great Creator bless us and smile upon us.”
Something akin to grace, lit up the fugitive’s features and he dropped the knife to the ground.
Police officers burst into the room. “Police. Put your hands up where we can see ’em.”
David stepped back, hands in the air. “It’s okay. He’s unarmed.”
Red Cloud’s face contorted with a mixture of defeat and resignation. He put his hands up, and winced as though preparing himself for the inevitable ensuing beating.
Two men in SWAT force uniforms ran over and grabbed him by the arms. They slammed him against the glass partition and cuffed him.
Red Cloud looked back at David as they dragged him away. “Thank you, David.”
“Thank you, brother, for helping me realize how much this woman means to me.”
Leigh ran into David’s arms, burying her face into his chest. She clung to him, silent tears streaming down her face. His heart swelled with love and he looked around in a daze. Someone flipped on the overhead lights, and he blinked in the sudden brightness.
A young paramedic flashed a light in his eyes. “Mr. Stone. My name is Michael. I’m taking Miss Cameron to the hospital.” He raised his hand in a calming gesture. “Everything is fine. We just want to get that cut patched up.”
David grabbed the notebook and turned toward the door. “I’m coming with you.”
Chapter Eleven
A nurse poked her head into Leigh’s room. “All set? Well, don’t run off just yet. There’s someone here to see you.” The girl mouthed the words, “and he’s hot” and shook her hand as though she’d just touched scalding water.
Leigh smiled at the young caregiver. It had to be David. A mixture of anxiety and anticipation coursed through her veins. She swallowed with difficulty and found her voice. “Just give me a minute.”
She took one last look in the mirror and tried to hide the dried blood on her clothes with her hair. The events of earlier in the night flashed before her eyes. Red Cloud holding a knife to her throat. David coming to her rescue. The ambulance ride to the hospital. She struggled to keep her heart still, but the pulsing knot within her demanded more. She took a long steadying breath. “All right. I’m ready.”
The young nurse wheeled a chair into the room and motioned for her to sit.
“I’m okay to walk. Really. I’m fine.”
“Of course you are. But we’d prefer to send you out by wheelchair. Hospital policy. Have a seat.”
The path from her room down to the foyer seemed endless. She struggled with the urge to jump out of the chair and run out the door. Oh God. What if he took it all back? What if he’d just gotten caught up in the drama of the moment? Then she saw him. He seemed big and out of place in the Watford County Hospital’s glossy minimalist foyer.
He looked over and their gazes locked. She fought her overwhelming urge to ru
n into his arms. The expression in his black eyes seemed to plead for forgiveness. The tight knot in her stomach began to melt.
“Leigh.” He took a step toward her and caught her hand in his.
Her heart lurched, and her pulse beat at the base of her throat. She pulled her hand away shocked by the strength of her emotions.
For a moment he seemed to hesitate. Then all traces of uncertainty left his face. He smiled at the nurse. “I’ll take it from here.” He grasped the chairs handles and wheeled her toward the exit. He was so near she could feel his body heat.
Leigh swallowed hard, trying to seem unaffected.
• • •
David breathed a sigh of relief when the automatic hospital doors slid open. He’d reluctantly left her side at the request of the police, who had brought him back to the station to take his statement. Outside, Zeus waited in the Pick Up/Drop Off area, his head sticking out of the Jeep’s passenger window. He let out a happy bark at the sight of his mistress.
“You better go to him before he digs his way through the passenger door.”
Leigh laughed and hopped out of the wheelchair. “Hey, Buddy.”
At the sound of her laughter, the dog started howling with excitement. David’s heart squeezed, and he thanked God she was still alive. She walked to the car and stroked Zeus behind the ears. “There’s my big guard dog.” The dog nuzzled her neck and licked her face all the while letting out happy little yelps.
She laughed and for a moment, the night’s events seemed like a distant memory. A light breeze carried the scent of wild roses he’d come to associate with her. She’d just been through hell and back and, she still smelled like a beautiful summer day.
He knew it then. She might break his heart, but no matter what happened between them, his attraction and love for her would never subside. He watched as she stood petting the dog, her back to him. He froze a few steps away, palms sweaty and gut wrenched into a tight knot. He tried to sound nonchalant. “I hear it’s really hard to find a place in New York this time of year. Can you help me look?”
She turned a confused glance toward him. Astonishment touched her pale face to be instantly replaced by careful reserve. “You can have my place at the end of the month.”
It was his turn to be surprised. Thoughts of her walking out of his life clouded his vision and made his stomach lurch. “Your place in New York?”
“And my job. I turned down the Arts and Entertainment Editor position.” She lifted her chin and met his gaze with defiance.
A wave of hope flooded through his veins. “You’re keeping The Sun?”
She bit her lip and looked away before answering. “Not quite.”
David’s stomach squeezed. “Oh.”
“I’ve decided to split my shares of The Sun among the company’s staffers. Employee share ownership will keep the paper in the family, so to speak, and give them a reason to ensure its success. Personnel shares will be proportionate to their time with the company and level of responsibility. Then, in two years’ time, share owners will have the option to keep their shares or sell them.”
“That means I — ”
“That means you will be the one to most benefit from the arrangement. I’m sure that’s what my father would have wanted.”
A wave of joy and relief washed over him. She wasn’t selling. James, Jennifer, Geoff, Sue … everyone would benefit from the arrangement. His gaze traveled over her face and searched her eyes. “So you’re not going back to New York?”
She smiled. “Nope. Looks like you’ll be going there all on your own. Unless, of course, you decide to stay and help me run The Sun.”
A hot sensuous current passed between them. “On one condition.”
Two dimples flanked her mouth as it curled into an amused grin. She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head. “There’s a condition? Really? And what would that be?”
David pulled a little black velvet box from his jacket pocket and got down on one knee. “Marry me, Leigh.”
Her eyes filled with tears, and she rushed to his side. He stood and took her in his arms, burying his face in her curls. She returned his embrace, hot tears spilling onto his shoulder.
With his index, he traced the fullness of her lips, his touch gentle, almost hesitant. He brushed his lips against hers. “I love you, Leigh Cameron.”
A happy sob escaped her lips, and she smiled through her tears.
“I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He kissed the pulsing hollow at the base of her throat and pressed his lips against her again, devouring its softness. Raising his mouth from hers, he gazed into her eyes. They shone like limitless pools of water filled with the promise of love.
“When I saw Red Cloud holding a knife to your throat, my whole life flashed before my eyes. I realized that the only time I’ve ever been truly happy is when I’m with you. I don’t want to spend another minute of it without you. I love you, Leigh.”
“And I love you, David Stone. I have from the moment we met.”
He clung to her, basking in her love. Fear and excitement bubbled inside him as he gave into his feelings for her. She whispered, her voice a gentle caress. “The past few days have been so awful. Promise me we’ll never fight like that again.”
“I promise.” His throat tightened as he remembered the awful things he’d said in anger. “I said some pretty horrible things to you. Can you ever forgive me?”
She placed her index against his lips. “Shhh. That’s all over now.” Joy curled her mouth into a smile and lit up her eyes. “Let’s go home.”
His heart sang with delight. “I thought you’d never ask.”
A Crimson Romance Sneak Peek
Heart of Design by Ellen Butler
Minding Jackson
Michele Deppe
Avon, Massachusetts
This edition published by
Crimson Romance
an imprint of F+W Media, Inc.
10151 Carver Road, Suite 200
Blue Ash, Ohio 45242
www.crimsonromance.com
Copyright © 2012 by Michele Deppe
ISBN 10: 1-4405-5043-3
ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-5043-0
eISBN 10: 1-4405-5042-5
eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-5042-3
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, corporations, institutions, organizations, events, or locales in this novel are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. The resemblance of any character to actual persons (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.
Cover art © istockphoto/holgs, JoeGough
For Tiffany Taylor Williams and Robert Redford;
my first readers, and forever dear to my heart.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
A Sneak Peek from Crimson Romance
Chapter 1
Winter had come to England, cruelly freezing the late autumn flowers, and scattering angry showers across the country. Jane gazed from the window, watching as Lydia pattered across rivulets of rain streaming down the high stree
t. Something was wrong. Jane couldn’t have said how she knew, but those imperceptable signs, perhaps only obvious to a close friend, conveyed Lydia’s distress. Lydia stepped into the Chinese restaurant, and stood for a moment, dripping on the sodden rug, until she spotted Jane in the corner. The restaurant was quite empty; it was well past the lunch hour. Lydia struggled out of her raincoat and hung it on the nearby peg.
“Isn’t it relentless,” Jane said.
“Yes, and now the wind is getting up, too,” Lydia replied, sliding into the banquette. She lifted her fingers through her damp thick hair, gave it a shake, and let it tumble down her back.
Jane and Lydia spoke daily. Now they were companionably silent, longing for the waitress, the owner’s daughter, Imogen, to finish chatting on her mobile and bring hot tea. By description, the friends were much alike; both of middle height, slender, and brunette. But where Jane was rather average, Lydia was both striking and delicate. Jane recalled a boy in sixth form, saying, “Lydia’s a stunner, possibly the most beautiful girl in Britain.” Jane had smiled at him in agreement, not being one to nuture sour grapes.
Lydia leaned towards the table, dropping her chin in her hand, and shot Imogen a cautionary glance. The Chinese Palace was one of only two restaurants found in the village of Hartsbury. The other was the Rapunzel Inn, so named for the native flowering rampion plant, which christened the maiden in the story by the Brothers Grimm. Ale and sustanence had been served on those fine premesis since Shakespeare trod the earth. The Rapunzel stood on the outer edge of the village by an ancient, crumbling stone wall, still marking the last spot of civilization by the abrupt edge of a dense forest. Although the pub was known for serving a decent ploughman’s lunch, any private conversation at the long tables in the snug, low-ceilinged, dining room was nigh impossible.
Imogen finally came round with a steaming pot of tea, and a pair of smooth-sided Asian cups. They gave her their lunch order, then took long satisfying sips which inspired chat.
Heart to Heart Page 21