by Linda Barlow
To her knowledge, he hadn’t been inside the cathedral since the day he’d fired a gun at his oldest friend and watched him fall to his death in almost the same spot where Giuseppe had died. Annie’s memory of the events right after that moment were a little fuzzy now, but there was one exchange she recalled with perfect clarity:
“There was no gunshot wound on your friend,” Detective Sullivan said to Matt “Looks like he either fell, or jumped. “
“What?”
“Yeah, Carlyle, you’re a lousy shot We recovered your bullet from the wooden platform above where the guy must’ve been standing. You missed by at least a yard “
That had been a mercy, Annie knew. Despite everything, Matt hadn’t wanted Sam’s death on his conscience.
“Are you going to be okay about it?” she asked him now.
“About tomorrow? Yes. This place has been finished beautifully, Annie. I’m so very proud of you.”
“The shadows are gone, I think. I hope so, anyway.”
“The shadows are gone.”
“I love you, Matt.”
“I love you too.”
“Vico and Paolina will be coming. And they’re bringing the baby!”
“Well, we went to their wedding, so they’d better show up at ours.”
She rose from the kneeling platform and sat beside him on the red-cushioned pew. He slung his arm around her and pulled her close.
“I’m so happy, Matt.”
“Mmm, me too.” He kissed her hair. “Oh, by the way, now that this project is finally finished, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”
She looked up at him. He smiled. “It’s about Powerdyme. I really hate that new headquarters we built a couple years ago. It was never quite what I wanted, and it’s just not right. I was hoping that you and Darcy might submit a proposal for a new Powerdyme headquarters. Now that you’ve got Fabrications up and running again.”
“Gee, I don’t know, Matt.” She gave him an impish smile. “Seems to me I tried that once before—and got royally rejected.”
“I suggest you try again anyhow. I hear the CEO of Powerdyme has turned into something of a softie.”
“A softie, huh?”
“Yup. The guy’s getting married, having a big church wedding with Barbara Rae Acker officiating. They say he’s got a lot better taste both in women and in architectural design these days.”
She laughed and inclined her face to his. “Do you think anyone’ll mind if we steal a prenuptial kiss in the cathedral where our vows will be spoken?”
He shook his head. “The way I figure it, this cathedral owes us its life.”
As he took her lips, the setting sun slanted in through the great rose window behind them, bathing their bodies in light.
Alex Gotfryd
The author of fourteen novels, LINDA BARLOW is a former lecturer in English literature at Boston College. She began her professional writing career in 1984 with the publication of several contemporary romances. In 1986 she received the Romantic Times award as Best New Historical Novelist of the Year, and in 1989 Romance Writers of America awarded her the Rita for Leaves of Fortune. Warner Books published Her Sister’s Keeper in 1993 and Linda’s first novel of romantic suspense, Keepsake, in 1994.
Highly respected by other writers, Linda was the 1992 president of Novelists Inc. and is currently a member of the Authors Guild Council. She lives in Massachusetts with her daughter.
She loves to hear from readers, and you can write to her care of Warner Books, Inc., Time & Life Building, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
A WOMAN OF VISION
Warm, generous Annie Jefferson, talented architectural designer, is determined to put tragedy behind her and rebuild her future. Designing a fabulous California cathedral can be her ticket to the top—until betrayal and suspicion enter her life.
A MAN OF MYSTERY
Ruggedly handsome Silicon Valley tycoon Matt Carlyle doesn’t look like a man who was once accused of killing his socialite wife. But appearances can deceive. Will the quick, hot attraction between them lead to ecstasy— or to a complex web of danger and deception?
A BLUEPRINT FOR MURDER
As sabotage stalks Annie’s cathedral project, her job and future lie in jeopardy. In finding passion, has she embraced treachery? Dazzled by a golden surface, is she blind to the secret interior of a man’s soul? Trusting in love, will she be trapped by the darkest of emotions: revenge, jealousy, and murderous rage …
INTIMATE BETRAYAL
“A COMPLEX AND FASCINATING TALE.”
—Romantic Times on Keepsake