Harlequin Special Edition July 2013 - Bundle 1 of 2: Marooned with the MaverickHer McKnight in Shining ArmorCelebration's Bride

by Christine Rimmer

  He picked up the phone and called his sister.

  * * *

  After work Alex drove to his home from the job site, and Ellie sat beside him in the front seat of the truck.

  “It was a long day,” he said. “How do you feel?”

  She noted the concern in his voice but the aviator sunglasses hid the expression in his eyes. She wouldn’t blame him for being annoyed with the whole situation.

  “My ankle doesn’t hurt.” Ellie glanced over at him. “That’s not particularly surprising, since you wouldn’t let me walk anywhere on my own except the bathroom.”

  “Just following doctor’s orders,” he said.

  “Speaking of Ben, I updated him today. The cast is a little looser, and he said it means the swelling is going down. He wants me to stop by in a couple days to make sure, but he said the surgery will probably be a week from now.”

  “I’ll drive you to the hospital,” Alex offered.

  “Before you officially volunteer, we should wait and see what’s going on at the site. There’s some delicate work ahead with meeting all the building codes for the dedicated X-ray and Magnetic Resonance Imaging rooms.”

  “You’re right. But depending on where we are, if necessary we can schedule busywork for the crew for that day. Getting your ankle on the mend is the number one priority.”

  Ellie couldn’t ever recall being a man’s number one priority except the sleazeball married guy who’d made it his business to seduce her and ruin her life. What Alex just said started a lovely glow inside her. It wasn’t wise to trust it, so she didn’t.

  “I’m as anxious to get back on my feet and return to my regularly scheduled life as you are to make it happen.”

  Alex glanced in the rearview mirror. “I think we’re being followed.”

  “Really?” Ellie looked over her shoulder and saw a sporty little red compact behind them.

  “It’s my sister, Daisy Ray.”

  “Isn’t her name Sydney?”

  “That’s what it says on her birth certificate, but she got the nickname about ten years ago. I was here for a visit and brought a buddy. We stopped in at the garage where she works with my dad, and she was wearing shapeless overalls covered with grease. Her hair was a mess. The guy said she smelled fresh as a daisy and looked like a ray of sunshine.”

  “How did she react?” Ellie hadn’t met his sister yet but didn’t want to make a bad impression.

  “She liked the name and it stuck.” Before there was time to evaluate the weird, mischievous smile he said, “Here we are. Home sweet home.”

  He pulled to a stop in front of the house and his sister parked behind them. “Sit tight and I’ll help you out.”

  “That’s okay. I can do it.”

  Ellie was starting to get the hang of the crutches and managed to get them out of the truck. Gravity was her friend when she slid out and propped herself up, but Alex wasn’t too happy when he saw her.

  “I told you to wait for me.”

  “It’s time I manage for myself. These things are going to be around for a while.”

  “And Rome wasn’t built in a day. Hurting yourself more will just set you back.”

  Sydney McKnight joined them and Ellie noticed the family resemblance, partly because she didn’t look any happier than her brother. Ellie had brothers and knew from personal experience how judgmental sisters could be. Later she would think about why it was important to make a good impression, but right now the sister in question would be a tough nut to crack.

  “Hi, Alex.”

  “Hey, Daisy Ray.”

  “Don’t call me that.” Sydney’s brown eyes flashed with annoyance.

  Ellie realized Alex had set her up and was glad she hadn’t fallen into his trap and tried the nickname out. Clearly it was a brother/sister thing. “He told me you liked to be called Daisy.”

  “My brother is a world-class toad.” She gave him another glare for good measure then said, “Hi, I’m Sydney. I’d shake hands but it looks like yours are otherwise occupied.”

  “Yeah. Ellie Hart,” she said, balancing on the crutches. “It’s nice to meet you, Sydney.”

  When his sister pointedly didn’t respond to that statement, Alex said, “To what do I owe the honor of a visit from my favorite sister?”

  “I’m your only sister.”

  And she was gorgeous, in spite of the old jeans and shapeless white T-shirt with McKnight Automotive spelled out in big black letters on the front. She reminded Ellie of a young Catherine Zeta-Jones and was showing off some attitude that was all McKnight.

  “Are you following me?” he teased.

  “Are you going to invite me in?” she shot back.

  “Of course.” He slung his arm across her shoulders, then pulled her close and rubbed his knuckles across the top of her head.

  “Hey, knock it off.”

  He looked back at Ellie. “Are you all right? I can carry you in.”

  “I’m fine.” If you didn’t count her inner conflict. Part of her wanted to be independent, but the other part sort of liked the way he took care of her. “I’ll be along.”

  Watching the two of them made Ellie miss her own brothers. Lincoln called every day to check on her and had been ready to fly in from Dallas when he found out she’d broken her ankle. After convincing him she had things under control, he’d reminded her if she ever needed him, he would be there.

  “Want a beer?” Alex’s voice carried from the kitchen.

  “Sure,” his sister answered. “Got anything to go with that?”

  “I think so.”

  Ellie click-clacked into the room as he was pulling cheese out of the refrigerator. “Let me slice that.”

  Alex gave her a disapproving look. “Go sit in the family room. And elevate that foot.”

  “But—”

  “Daisy can help me.” He pointed at her. “Don’t argue. Doctor’s orders, remember?”

  “Wow, you’re really bossy.”

  “If I were you, Ellie,” his sister said, “I’d tell him where to go.”

  “I would, if he were wrong. But your other brother did tell me to stay off my feet as much as possible so the swelling would go down. And I think it’s working.”

  “Okay, then. Go put it up,” he ordered.

  Ellie hobbled out of the room but heard Sydney ask, “You don’t need any help in here, do you?” There was a mumbled reply to which she answered, “Okay. I’ll keep your friend company.”

  Ellie was touched by the words until noting the emphasis on the words “your friend” where the tone reeked of hostility and distrust. The truth was if one of her brothers was in a similar situation, she’d have had the same reaction. Sydney was here to see what was going on and run interference if necessary.

  When she settled on the leather couch in front of the flat-screen TV with her foot on a throw pillow, Sydney sat in front of her on the large leather ottoman that doubled as a coffee table.

  It was best to deal with this in a straightforward way. “You’re here to defend your brother’s honor.”

  The other woman looked surprised. “Do I need to?”

  “As you can probably see, I broke my ankle.”

  “So Alex told me.” That sounded a lot as if she didn’t want to accept as true the evidence in front of her.

  But Ellie zeroed in on something else. “You talked to him?”

  “He called me first thing this morning, and I wanted to see for myself what’s going on here.”

  “Nothing.” That was the honest truth at this moment in time. There was no good reason to bring up anything that had transpired previously. “The apartment I rented is upstairs, and with the cast it’s impossible for me to get up and down. The lodge is completely full, so that wasn’t an option. Alex very kindly offered to help me out.”

  “He told me that, too.”

  “You don’t believe him?” Ellie didn’t see that she was making any headway on the trust front even with the cast and crutches to p
rove it.

  “It’s not him I don’t believe.”

  “So you think I’m using him.”

  “It’s happened before.” Syd’s eyes brimmed with suspicion and sparkled with dislike.

  “He told me about his wife.”

  “So you can see where I’m coming from.” The other woman leaned forward. “The thing is, my mother died giving birth to me. My dad was in shock and grieving. He had a business to run and no emotional reserves. Friends and neighbors helped out some when I was a baby, but Alex was the one who stepped in to raise Ben and me. He did it until we were big enough to be on our own. Ben went to college and I hung out at the garage with my dad while going to college. Alex took off for California because it was way past time for him to have a turn at footloose and fancy-free.”

  “That’s a lot of responsibility.”

  “No kidding. And that witch took advantage of him.” There was determination in Sydney’s eyes. “Now he needs me to look after him.”

  “If you ask me, he’s big enough to take care of himself. Just saying....”

  Before the other woman could retort, the man in question walked into the room. “Beer for you, Daisy.”

  “Don’t call me that.” She grabbed the longneck bottle from him.

  He looked at Ellie. “White wine?”

  “Sounds good.” Boy, could she use it.

  He handed over the glass, then crossed his arms over his chest. “So, what are you ladies talking about?”

  “Ellie was telling me how you invited her to stay here.” Sydney took a sip from her beer.

  “Yeah.” He sat on the couch, far enough to keep from bumping the injured ankle. “It’s just business.”

  “Really?” His sister’s tone said she didn’t believe that any more than if he’d told her elephants could fly.

  “It’s true. There’s no time to find another architect, and I can’t afford to have her out of commission. She needed a place without stairs to stay, and I’ve got plenty of room. It’s as simple as that.”

  “There’s nothing simple about inviting a total stranger into your home.”

  “Ellie’s not a total stranger.” He met her gaze and smiled a smile that said he was thinking about that night on his boat. “We’re friends, too. All I’m doing is helping her out.”

  “Just a roof over her head.”

  “That and I’m driving her to the hospital when she has the surgery.”

  “What surgery?”

  Ellie knew he wouldn’t violate her medical privacy, so she answered. “Repairing the broken bone will require a procedure to put in a plate to hold it together so the healing can happen properly. Your brother Ben is doing it.”

  “I figured.”

  “So, while I appreciate the attack-dog routine, it’s really not necessary.” Alex stood and kissed the top of her head. “You can stand down, Daisy.”

  “If you don’t stop calling me that—”

  “What?” he said.

  “Give me time. I’ll think of something.”

  “Yeah, yeah. You’re meddling,” he said. “I can return the favor. Why are you taking a break from men?”

  “Ben has a big mouth.”

  “So you don’t want to talk about it?” Alex guessed.

  “About as much as I’d want to skydive out of a perfectly good airplane.”

  “Okay, then. My work here is done, and I’m going to get food now.” He walked back to the kitchen and out of earshot again.

  The soft expression on Sydney’s face disappeared, replaced by a fierce, protective look. “He’s a really good guy.”

  “You’ll get no argument from me.”

  “Okay, then. There’s nothing more I can say to him.”

  “I have brothers, too. Believe me, I understand how you’re feeling about this.”

  “I’m not finished yet.” The other woman drilled her with a look. “Consider yourself warned. If you hurt him, there’s nowhere you can hide that I won’t find you.”

  “Sydney, he’s not looking for emotional attachments and neither am I.” Maybe if she told just a little of her past it would strengthen her case. “A couple years ago I had a really bad relationship.”

  “Join the club. I’m taking a hiatus from men.”

  “So you can understand what’s going on here,” Ellie said.

  “Not when it’s my brother.”

  “Okay. Then you’ll just have to take my word that this situation is just temporary. I like Alex and would never do anything to hurt him.”

  She stopped talking. There were no words to convince his sister that she wasn’t weaving some elaborate scheme to do Alex harm. But what if he hurt her? Ellie thought. It could happen. There was an attraction and they were stuck with the circumstances. Syd was right, but not the way she thought.

  There was nowhere to hide, either from Alex or from the feelings for him that seemed to grow stronger every day that Ellie was stuck under his roof.

  Chapter Seven

  “I’m fine, Lincoln. Dr. McKnight said the surgery went as expected. In four weeks the cast will come off and my ankle will be good as new.” Ellie shifted her weight on Alex’s family room sofa to get more comfortable, then adjusted the cell phone to her ear.

  “Way to go, baby sister. So you’re better, faster, stronger? Like the bionic woman?”

  “This is real life,” she answered.

  “Yeah, and you don’t sound fine.”

  “How do I sound?”

  “Drunk or hungover. I can’t decide which.”

  “I’m just tired. The procedure was scheduled for early this morning, and the closest hospital is about seventy-five miles away.”

  “That’s crazy.” Lincoln Hart sounded truly shocked and it took a lot to shock her seen-it-all, done-it-all brother. “What the hell are you doing in— Where are you? Black Hole, Montana?”

  “It’s Blackwater Lake. A wonderful, warm place.” Don’t make fun of it, she wanted to add. “And you know good and well why I’m here.”

  “The medical clinic.”

  “Right. I did the design and drew up the plans. Now from firsthand experience I see why there’s a need for an outpatient surgery center. When it’s open, patients won’t have to go almost a hundred miles away for the procedure I just had.”

  “Now that I think about it... Please tell me you didn’t drive yourself to the hospital,” Linc said sharply.

  “Of course not.”

  “Don’t of-course-not me, Miss I-can-do-it-myself. Remember who you’re talking to. I know you better than anyone.”

  “That’s true.”

  He was six years older, but still closer to her in age than Cal and Sam. Katherine and Hastings Hart had three boys one after the other and only a year apart. They’d thought the family was complete until Ellie. She was an oops or a surprise, neither of which was a good thing, at best an afterthought.

  Lincoln was her rock. He’d held her while she’d cried after the humiliation of being “the other woman” and her subsequent termination from the job. He’d sympathized for a week, then said it was time to be over it. Her brother routinely got over a relationship in under twenty-four hours so, in his opinion, seven days had been a luxury. But Ellie was convinced that no woman had ever really captured his heart, and that was why he threw them away like used tissues.

  “Are you listening to me?” he said.

  She started to say of course, then caught herself. He did know her pretty well. “Sorry.”

  “Are you in pain?”

  “Not much.” She was a little surprised by that, but the doctor had said the injury probably hurt more before being set. “It aches a little, but nothing an over-the-counter pain killer can’t handle.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “On the sofa with my foot elevated.”

  Alex had carried her from the truck as if she weighed nothing and settled her in his family room, but those were details she kept to herself. She’d never told Linc about her upstairs a
partment and the change in living arrangement after her accident. Some things a protective brother was better off not knowing about his sister. And she was pretty sure if she told, it would be impossible not to reveal that her feelings for this particular coworker were more than they should be.

  “Is someone there with you?”

  “Yes. A friend from work.”

  “Tell her she better take good care of you or she’ll have to answer to me. It’s my duty as your big brother.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “You’re sure I don’t need to come to Black Hole and take care of you?”

  “Absolutely not.” Ellie knew he loved her and meant well, but an obligation was something she didn’t want to be.

  “Okay, El. I have to go. Got a meeting. Big deal in the works. There could be an assignment in it for my favorite architect.”

  “Y’all have to say that because I’m your sister.” Alex walked into the room with a mug of tea that looked small in his big hand. Her heart did that shimmy-shake thing that always made her breath catch when she saw him.

  Apparently Linc noticed. “I heard that. You sure you’re okay?”

  “Fine. Really. I’ll talk to you soon, Linc. Say hi to everyone for me. Love you.”

  “Back at you. Bye, sis.”

  She ended the call and set her cell phone on the sofa table next to the couch. After taking the steaming mug from Alex she said, “Thanks. Just what the doctor ordered.”

  “Actually he ordered you to rest and keep the ankle elevated as much as possible.”

  She glanced at her new hot-pink, below-the-knee cast carefully resting on pillows. Her toenails were almost the same shade and the polish was chipped. When her leg was liberated, the first thing she’d do was a pedicure. The second thing would be buying new sweatpants. This pair and the two others had only one-and-a-half legs since Alex had done a surprisingly neat job of cutting off the left ones.

  “I’ll do my best to be your brother’s star patient. If I succeed, it will be thanks to you.”

  He sat down on the leather ottoman and rested his elbows on his knees. “It’s time to eat something. You’ve been fasting since last night.”

  “I’m not very hungry.”

  “Tell it to someone who’s not responsible for getting you back on your feet.”