“From what I understand, you aren’t to think about it, you are to do it,” she said.
“No one else could handle my job,” Warren said fiercely.
“I’m sure there are many qualified people around who could run the office.” Shelby spoke carefully. She sensed it wouldn’t be a good idea for her father to find out she knew the truth. Her father a government agent! She still had trouble imagining his carrying a gun or dealing with strange little men in out-of-the-way cafés. Or chasing foreign agents through a city. “The doctor feels you need the rest. Besides, think of all the time you’ll have to play golf and perhaps take a vacation,” she murmured. “You’ve always said you wanted to take a cruise up to Alaska. What a perfect time to do it.”
“I talked about taking the cruise as a nice break, not because I’d have so much time on my hands I wouldn’t know what to do with myself,” he grumbled. “Besides, young woman, I want to hear about you. I’m glad Jed was able to get up there and find you.”
“Did you doubt he’d succeed?”
“Not at all. He used to spend a lot of time hiking in the mountains,” he explained. “I knew if anyone had a chance in finding you, he did. And I didn’t have any trust in that sheriff up there.”
“Jed did show an affinity for that kind of thing.” Shelby wasn’t even going to try to trip up her father, no matter how tempting it was. She knew he wouldn’t have attained the position he had if he could be so easily caught by an amateur.
Warren squeezed her hands. “I heard there were three men.”
“Not in the beginning. Only two broke into Meredith’s cabin,” she explained. “They decided I’d make a great new playmate for their uncle since the old one was wearing out, and they took me along. The uncle didn’t show up for another day. He wasn’t my idea of Mr. Right.” She wrinkled her nose. “Luckily, Jed came along that night.”
He shook his head. “When I asked him to go up after you, I didn’t expect he’d almost get killed in the bargain,” he murmured.
“But he didn’t. He would have been fine if he hadn’t insisted on driving down with me, but I was able to talk him into checking back into the hospital here,” she told him. “We left so early this morning that I’m surprised he got any rest today, even if I did do all the driving.”
“The man is more stubborn than a Missouri mule.” Warren shot his daughter a keen glance. “It sounds as if you two might have settled your differences.”
Shelby made a sound of dismissal. “All I have in my bag of tricks is a variety of threats, and I just happened to find the one that worked. I figured if that hadn’t worked, I would have brought in the heavy guns. I would have told him I was bringing Meredith over to be his nurse. After several hours in a car with her, I think he would rather climb into a hospital bed and behave himself than spend any more quality time with her.”
Warren grimaced. “Good thing. She’s all right?”
She nodded. “She plans on dating her doctor.”
“She never gives up, does she?” Warren stared at his daughter, noting something new in her eyes, in her manner. He knew her kidnapping would make some changes in her, but he had an idea some of them had been brought about by Jed. Warren dared not hope they had reconciled. At the same time, Jed was his best field agent and he didn’t want to lose him. But how could he explain it to her? That he needed someone traveling for him while someone else took over his desk? She must be hoping that man would be Jed, and she’d wonder why he wasn’t given the position. Then she would make Warren’s life hell until she found out why.
Shelby’s shoulders rose and fell in a huge sigh. “I tried calling you I don’t know how many times, but all I got was your voice mail,” she said in a small voice. “I wanted to tell you I was all right, but I couldn’t just leave a message.”
He nodded in understanding. “Daniel explained it all to me. I’m afraid he wasn’t too sure how my body would take the news. All I know is my heart was glad to hear Jed had found you.” He settled back, clearly the man in charge now. “Tell me everything.”
Shelby. began her story with the night she was rudely awakened by the men breaking into the cabin and didn’t stop until she told him how Jed had ended up at the hospital. She thought it best to leave out any intimate details. That was something she preferred to keep to herself.
Warren was stunned at the idea of his little girl picking up a rifle and shooting a man and was gratified that she’d done it. He chuckled when she told him she’d broken the sheriff’s nose.
“I had the perfect defense. I was under the influence of a tranquilizer,” she explained, which only had him laughing more.
“Pompous fool,” he muttered. “I did some checking on him after he gave me a song and dance that they’d do what they could. He’s hung on to that position by the skin of his teeth. Something tells me that’s going to change very soon.”
“He has a deputy, Rick Howard, who would be perfect for the job,” she told him.
“Maybe he’ll get lucky and take over.”
Shelby had no doubt her father would find a way to make sure Sheriff Rainey was out and Rick was in.
She stared at her father, feeling concern and love welling up inside her. It had been a little over a week since she had last seen him and it was as if he had suddenly turned into an old man.
Concern turned into fear. She had almost lost her father and the man she loved within the space of days. The fear transformed into anger.
“Why did you overwork yourself so badly that you got into this condition?” she demanded. “Why couldn’t you have slowed down even a year ago? How do you think I would have felt if I’d come back only to learn you’d died because of me?”
Warren opened his arms and she lurched forward. Even in his embrace she could feel a fragility that hadn’t been there before. Her well-intentioned vacation had left its mark on all of them.
Chapter 14
Shelby didn’t leave her father’s room until visiting hours were over and the nurse gently kicked her out. She stopped by Jed’s room but found him sound asleep. Since the guard protecting her father was going off duty, he walked her out to Jed’s car. During the walk, she learned that his name was Allen and that he’d worked for her father for four years. Even that little bit was like pulling teeth.
“You drive carefully, Miss Carlisle,” he suggested. “If you need anything, just call Jasper Thorndyke. Your father has asked him to take over while he’s recuperating.”
She nodded, familiar with the name although she had never met the man. Now that she thought of it, she realized Jed was one of the very few of her father’s employees she’d met over the years. She was tempted to ask if Jasper Thorndyke was also an agent. She had to assume he was.
“All I plan on doing is soaking in the hot tub. Then I’m crawling into bed for a decent night’s sleep,” she replied, climbing into the car. “Thank you for walking out with me.”
His smile was as brief and impersonal as Jed’s had been at times. “Just doing my job.” He stood there and waited until she started up the car and drove off.
“I can’t believe I never noticed any of this before,” she murmured, glancing in the rearview mirror and seeing the man’s watchful eyes still on her.
By the time Shelby reached her condo, she felt ready to drop. She bypassed the hot tub in favor of a shower, then pulled on a nightgown and dropped into bed. Her head barely felt her pillow before she was sound asleep.
Shelby couldn’t remember her alarm clock ever sounding so insistent. Her hand snaked out from under her pillow and slapped at the snooze button, but it didn’t stop. She groaned and slid her head out from under her pillow.
“I’m not here,” she muttered into the telephone receiver.
“Did you know Bridie has an evil twin down here?” Jed stated without bothering with a greeting. “This one looks like Godzilla.”
Shelby’s shoulders shook with laughter. “You called me at the crack of dawn just to tell me that?”
“Hell, no! One, it’s almost noon, and two, she informed me that I couldn’t take a shower this morning, that she would take care of it. The woman is a sadist.”
“Maybe you should compare techniques. She might be able to give you a few tips on dealing with the bad guys,” she suggested.
“Allen said you stopped by after leaving Warren,” he said.
“Oh, does Allen report to you, too?”
“Only when I ask him specific questions. Sorry I was asleep when you came by, but the nurse slipped a sleeping pill in with the antibiotic.” He sounded disgusted.
“I guess they felt you needed the rest.” She pushed her covers back and sat up, plumping up her pillows behind her. “I can’t believe I slept so late.”
“Sounds as if you needed to.”
“Jed, I thought of something. What about that other person—the one you were worried about?” She thought she shouldn’t be too specific. She wondered if knowing the truth about her father and Jed wasn’t making her paranoid. “What will happen about him?”
“I’ve made some calls,” he replied. “Things will be on hold until I’m released from here.”
“Allen said if I need anything, I’m to call Jasper Thorndyke. I gather he’s going to be manning Dad’s desk.”
“He’s agreed to take over for the time being. Look, we don’t need to talk about that. Do you think you can stop by my place and pick up a few things for me?”
“No problem. Just let me get a piece of paper.” She groped in her bedside table for the pad of paper and pen she kept there. “I plan to come in as soon as I get dressed. Go ahead.”
He listed a number of items, then added, “And I need my laptop computer.”
“What do you need—”
“Have to go. Godzilla is here to torture me some more.” He hung up.
Shelby stared at the phone still in her hand. “Well, goodbye to you, too,” she muttered, slamming the phone down. Even if Jed didn’t hear her little flash of temper, it made her feel better.
It took Shelby longer than she expected. She’d forgotten she didn’t have any food in the house and had to stop for breakfast. As she stepped inside Jed’s apartment, she still felt the atmosphere was as sterile as a hotel room. It brought back conflicting emotions, so she was grateful everything he wanted was within easy reach. She tried to ignore the bed as she set a carry-on bag on it. She quickly packed it and left.
“What do you expect to do with your laptop computer?” she demanded, stepping inside his room.
Jed looked more disgruntled than he had the day before. “I have work to do.”
“You’re supposed to be resting.”
“I am resting. I’m sitting in this damn bed, aren’t I?” He scowled at her. Even the sight of her wearing a flirty, lemon yellow dress that ended several inches above her knees didn’t appear to cheer him up. Although he did seem to perk up when she brushed a light kiss across his lips. “That doesn’t mean I can’t write up reports that need to be done and update my files. This is as good a time as any to get them done.”
Shelby pulled the small computer out of the bag and placed it on his lap, along with several paperback books.
“Since I just knew you’d complain about being bored, I brought you these. Maybe you’ll take some time from your all-important work to get in some reading,” she told him.
He studied the titles. “One mystery, one horror, one general fiction, one romantic suspense.” He cocked an eyebrow at the latter.
“She’s an excellent author. You’ll love it. It’s filled with spies. Besides, variety is good for a person. You make a horrible patient, you know,” she informed him. “I’ve heard the nurses are already drawing lots. The loser gets you. Honestly, can’t you behave longer than two seconds?”
“Not when there’s work to be done.” He lowered his voice. “Don’t discuss anything more on the phone, all right?”
She understood his meaning immediately. “I was very careful what I said this morning.”
“There is no way you can be careful enough. You haven’t learned what can be said and what can’t. These lines aren’t scrambled and neither is yours. It’s just best you don’t say anything at all.”
Shelby felt stung, as if she had just been scolded like a disobedient child. “I realize I know nothing about your work,” she said slowly. “I’ve come to realize I don’t like what you do for a living. I’m not good with secrets. I keep them very well, but I don’t like doing it. It was bad enough to find out my father was leading a double life.”
“Heart attacks happen to people all the time.”
She looked away. “And now I suddenly have to be careful what I say.” She turned back to him. “I swear, Jed, I’m beginning to think the worst day in my life was when I met you and the other worst day was when I fell in love with you.”
She pushed the carry-on case onto the chair. “There’s clothing in here for the day you plan to make your escape.”
“Why do you persist in running away?” His question followed her to the door.
Shelby spun around, her skirt flaring around her thighs. “You know, Jed, maybe I’m not running away from something as much as running to something,” she said softly. “One night of rest and you’re raring to get back to your work. Maybe it’s because of what you had to leave undone. What will happen when that’s taken care of? Something else that will either leave you wounded or killed? Remember what I asked you before? Who will mourn you then?” She walked out of the room.
Jed wanted nothing more than to jump out of bed and run after her. But his wound reopening yesterday had slowed him down more than he wanted to admit. And the new set of stitches hurt like hell.
For a man who always had his life under such strict control, he found himself way out of his depth where Shelby was concerned. He thought of the times he would look at her beautiful face and wonder what it would be like to see that same face for the next fifty years. He already knew she would keep him on his toes that entire time and he would love every minute of it. The word love always seemed to come up when he thought of Shelby. The only problem was, did he understand love enough to give her that special gift?
He pounded his fist against the bedcovers.
“A terrorist is easier to deal with than that woman.”
Shelby smiled brightly at Allen as she dropped a small stack of magazines in his lap. “There’s no reason why you couldn’t have some light reading,” she told him.
Allen glanced at the titles. All of them had to do with either handguns or mercenaries. The look he gave her was identical to ones she’d gotten from Jed in the past.
“All right, not exactly light reading, but you can keep up with new technology,” she said.
“Your friend is already in there,” he said.
“Friend?”
He nodded. “She’s gorgeous, but she makes a hurricane seem tame.”
Shelby could have sworn his eyes looked a little glazed. “Meredith stopped by?”
She walked in to the sound of her father’s laughter. Warren sat by the window with Meredith lounging in the chair across from his. Meredith’s long legs were encased in a pair of black leather pants that fitted like second skin to her body and a matching vest that bared her arms and midriff.
“Can you breathe in that?” Shelby asked Meredith even as she kissed her father on the cheek.
“Very easily, thank you,” she said breezily. “I told Warren the proper way for a man to have a heart attack is during sex, because he can say he was doing something he enjoyed. Then he reminded me the joke usually is the man died that way. I told him he didn’t have to go that far.” Her lips curved in a broad smile. “Did you notice tall, dark and muscles out there? He’s single, not involved with anyone and not gay. He’s perfect.”
Shelby’s head couldn’t stop spinning. “What about Dr. Taylor?”
“The man neglected to tell me he had a wife who’s been visiting her mother for the past month.” She shoo
k her head, clearly not too upset over the loss of a new love. “Can you believe this place?” She waved her hand around. “All this white paint is enough to make you think you’re stored inside a refrigerator.” She shuddered dramatically. “They should consider getting a better decorator. Just because people are critically ill doesn’t mean they can’t have some color in their lives.”
Warren turned to his daughter. “Meredith tried calling you first, but you’d already left. She thought she’d stop by here with a gift.”
That was when Shelby noticed the huge balloon bouquet filling the entire corner of the room. Tiny bells were tied to the multicolored ribbons and tinkled merrily as the balloons drifted back and forth.
“I told him chimes are very soothing to the soul and these are almost as good as the real thing,” Meredith explained. “Did you stop by to see Jed?”
She nodded. “He asked that I pick up a few things for him.”
“And?” Meredith looked hopeful.
“And he’s happily typing away on his laptop computer.”
“We talked earlier this morning,” Warren said. “He mentioned he was going to call you. He needed to update some files.”
“And that’s exactly what he’s doing,” Shelby said much too brightly. “He’s got that sucker turned on and he’s working away like a busy little bee. I’m sure he’ll have his reports whipped out in no time.”
“Sarcasm,” Meredith confided to Warren. “She’s not happy with him.” She didn’t flinch under Shelby’s glare, guaranteed to strip off paint. “All right, I get the hint. But he’s still my favorite second father.” She got to her feet and leaned over to kiss Warren’s cheek.
“Philip was your second father,” Shelby reminded her.
“According to my mother he was, but I chose Warren because he has more class.” She used the pad of her thumb to rub the bright lipstick off his cheek. “Now you behave yourself with all these nurses running around. I understand there are always scandalous goings-on during the night shift.”
No More Mister Nice Guy Page 18