Golden beams of October sunlight poured through the tall windows of the big kitchen and reflected off the sand-colored granite of the countertops and the bright lemon yellow of the walls. She’d loved this room with its pale maple cabinets and terra-cotta tiled floor the minute she first saw it. Her father had suggested they hire a cook and a housekeeper, but Laura had refused. As much as she enjoyed her public relations work for the Institute, she loved homemaking more.
She supposed some women would call her crazy, but she was happiest either in the kitchen preparing a special meal or performing the myriad chores that kept the elegant Western-style chalet sparkling.
But that had been before her father died. With no one for her to take care of, the house, and especially the sunny kitchen, mocked her now with its emptiness.
A house needed family, she thought, and remembered Molly Foster’s charming giggles. Her heart ached for a child of her own, a shield against the loneliness, but her head reminded her of her responsibilities. She had to pick up where her father had left off, assuming many of the administrative tasks he’d tackled in addition to his research. She had no time for a family of her own.
And no time for contemplating a handsome not-cowboy named Kyle Foster, who’d set her pulse racing with his killer smile and dancing eyes that mirrored a sharp intellect and hints of a sense of humor.
If she agreed to his undercover assignment, she’d have to avoid him if she intended to get any work done. The emotion she’d tagged as simple gratitude was beginning to feel too much like attraction. She should squelch that feeling fast. She didn’t have time for the distraction.
And even if she had time, she didn’t have the courage to risk her heart again. Not after what Curt had done to her.
She found herself standing in front of the stainless-steel refrigerator door, hand on the handle, staring blankly into space. She’d forgotten that she’d come to the kitchen to eat. While removing lettuce, tomato and cold cuts from the refrigerator, she replayed in her thoughts her earlier conversation with Kyle. She’d been stunned to discover he wasn’t a cowboy, but an undercover government agent.
Looking back, she should have guessed something was strange when none of the media coverage of the capitol bombing had carried pictures or even mentioned the name of her rescuer. Heroes like Kyle were usually snapped up and interviewed on the Today show. She’d been too devastated by her father’s death to notice Kyle’s lack of notoriety until now. It made sense. A man working undercover couldn’t have his face splashed across the front of every newspaper and television screen in the country.
Even more shocking than his cowboy masquerade had been his allegation that someone at the Institute was in league with foreign terrorists, had helped them steal the D-5. As she assembled a sandwich on whole-grain bread, she struggled over whether to accept Kyle’s request and wished her father was there to give advice.
“Science can be a savior or a monster,” she recalled Josiah saying in his moving speech to the employees the day the Institute opened. “It can be used for unlimited good or unspeakable horror. The purpose of our Institute is to block the efforts of those who would bend science to their own evil purpose.”
Remembering his words, she had no doubt what her father’s answer to Kyle Foster’s request would be.
Leaving her sandwich untouched on the kitchen island, she returned to her father’s office. In his address book, she found the telephone number of the Lonesome Pony and placed her call.
“Ms. McMurty,” she said when Dale answered. “Tell Kyle Foster I want to see him. I’ll be there within the hour.”
KYLE PERCHED on the porch railing of the main house and watched the black sport-utility vehicle leave a trail of dust on the road from the highway as it approached the ranch. Even at a distance, the silver lettering of the Quinlan Research Institute was visible on the doors. Laura Quinlan had apparently reached a decision about his undercover job in her lab, but the fact that she’d decided so damn fast made him nervous.
A quick no was always easiest.
If she turned down the request, he didn’t know what would disappoint him more, the roadblock in their search for the Black Order or the fact that he’d no longer have an excuse to spend time with a woman he couldn’t seem to banish from his thoughts.
He recognized the thrumming of his nerves, the adrenaline rush coursing through his veins at her approach. That hyped-up, ready-to-fight feeling always took over when a dangerous task loomed ahead of him. But the other sensation, the heady anticipation of spending time with her again, was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Too long.
Damn. He had to get his emotions under control.
His preoccupation with Josiah Quinlan’s pretty daughter was not only not smart, it could be fatal. Undercover assignments were always hazardous, and an intriguing distraction like Laura could get him—and others—killed.
Her car pulled to a stop in the parking area. Laura hopped out, dressed as she’d been that morning, with the addition of a gray suede jacket against the growing chill. He couldn’t tell whether the increasing cold or emotion had heightened the color in her cheeks, but her blue eyes flashed with determination, and her delicate mouth was set in a firm line.
She wasn’t smiling.
Not a good sign.
Kyle climbed down from his perch on the railing and walked to meet her.
“Didn’t think I’d see you again so soon,” he said.
With hands jammed in the pockets of her jacket, she met his gaze without flinching. “I’ve made up my mind.”
He gave a cautious shake of his head and lowered his voice. “Let’s not talk here. Voices carry.”
“Sorry.” She blushed in embarrassment. “I’m not used to this.”
He took her elbow and steered her toward the hitching rail in front of the main house. When the housekeeper had called to announce Laura’s coming, he’d gone to the barn and saddled horses. His own Appaloosa and a gentle bay mare stood waiting, their warm breath misting in the cold air.
“You’re here for a horseback ride, aren’t you?” he suggested with a lifted eyebrow.
Laura caught on to the charade immediately, reminding him that she was not only beautiful, but intelligent as well. “I’ve been looking forward to riding again ever since we moved to Montana. I just haven’t taken the time until now.”
“I think you’ll like the bay. Her name’s Sugar. She’s easy to handle with a good disposition.”
Kyle untied Sugar’s reins and held her head while Laura mounted with a graceful swing. He untied Flash and climbed into his own saddle.
“Which way?” Laura asked.
He glanced to the sky where low, leaden clouds portending snow scudded in quickly from the west. “We’ll head for the creek. It’s not too far from shelter, in case the weather worsens.”
With an expertness he couldn’t help admiring after his own trials and torments in learning to ride, Laura turned Sugar toward the creek. Kyle did the same with Flash and settled in at a trot alongside her.
Once they were a good distance from the main house, she glanced across at him. “You handle a horse like a pro. Thought you said you weren’t a cowboy.”
He flicked her a grin. “I had to learn. Spent a lot of time on heating pads and coated with Ben-Gay when I first arrived. Before then, my closest encounters with horses were reruns of Mr. Ed.”
She smiled then, not a full smile, but a ghost of one that lifted the corners of her full mouth slightly. She’d been through so much pain recently, he’d give anything to make her laugh.
For the next ten minutes, they worked their way across the broad pasture between the ranch house and the creek. Dead grass crunched beneath the horses’ hooves. At one point, a ruffled grouse, startled by their approach, flew up almost beneath Sugar’s nose with a frightened cry. The bay shied, but Laura maintained her seat and control of the mare.
“You’re much better at riding than I am,” he said with
admiration in his voice.
She shrugged. “Like I said, I rode often at boarding school. I guess it’s like riding a bicycle. Once you learn, you never forget.”
“I hope so,” he said with a rueful smile. “I don’t think my backside could handle having to learn again.”
This time her smile broadened and lit her face for an instant before her expression sobered again. With a skillful nudge of her knees, she coaxed the mare into a run and galloped ahead of him toward the trees that lined the creek.
For a moment, Kyle watched her go, admiring the way her slender behind held the saddle, the graceful posture of her back, the way the wind tossed her thick black hair behind her.
Pure, unadulterated lust poured through him, and he silently chastised himself for it. Laura Quinlan was a sweet, gentle woman who had recently suffered the loss of her only living relative. She didn’t need the irritation of some horny male trying to put the make on her. She needed courtesy, respect and kindness.
He groaned inwardly.
All he wanted was to kiss her, but that wouldn’t be wise. Not for her, and damn well not for his undercover investigation.
Reining in his desire, he kicked Flash into a gallop and followed.
Laura pulled up at the tree line and waited for him. With her hair tousled from the wind, her lips and cheeks rosy from exertion and the cold, she looked even more alluring than she had when she arrived. He maneuvered Flash alongside her and folded his hands, hands that itched to touch her, on the pommel of his saddle.
“It’s beautiful here.” She gazed at the creek, rushing over its rocky bed at their feet, widening to calm pools just past them, where aspen leaves floated, flecks of gold in the clear water.
With a worried glance at the approaching cold front, Kyle cut straight to the matter at hand. “You said you’d made up your mind. Can I work undercover at the lab or not?”
“Yes.” She turned slightly in the saddle to face him. “But only on my terms.”
The thrumming of his nerves increased, and he wanted to shake her. Didn’t she know how much was at stake? Why was she throwing roadblocks in his path? “Guess I’d better hear those terms before we clinch this deal.”
She turned up the collar of her jacket against the growing wind, calling attention to the slender column of her neck. “My father’s life insurance benefits arrived today. There’s enough money now to increase security and keep the Institute’s programs running.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?”
She nodded. “But I know nothing about security.”
“Daniel can put you in touch with a good firm—”
“No.”
“No?”
“I want you to oversee protection of the Institute.”
“My cover is as a research scientist. Taking over security would call too much attention to me.”
She thrust her chin forward at a determined angle, but her full lips quivered slightly, and tears darkened the blue of her eyes. “You’re the only one I trust.”
“Let’s be reasonable about this.” He forced a gentle tone to hide his exasperation. “If I agreed to oversee security, I’d simply call Daniel for his help. You’d have the same results in the long run.”
“I’ll feel safer with you in charge.”
He leaned across the space between them and laid his hand on her gloved ones, crossed on the saddle horn. “We can’t always have what we want. I want to keep Molly with me at the Institute, but I can’t.”
She made no effort to hide her disappointment. “Why not? We have an excellent day-care center—”
“I won’t place my daughter in jeopardy.”
“But if you hired the right security, she’d be safe.”
Kyle swung out of the saddle, tied Flash’s reins to a nearby tree and held out his arms to Laura. “Let’s walk.”
She slid from her horse into his arms with ease, and he restrained himself from pulling her close. Her scent, a floral mixture much like the orange blossoms of his youth, tantalized his senses, and he forced himself to take a step back instead of gathering her against him.
After securing her horse, he led her to a path that edged the creek, broad enough for the two to walk side by side. A sharp wind from the northwest blew at their backs and scattered a carpet of falling leaves ahead of them.
“You mentioned terms,” Kyle said. “What other conditions did you have in mind?”
“You wanted to come undercover as a researcher. What I really need right now is an administrator.”
“Whoa!” Kyle came to a quick stop. “Haven’t you been listening? Undercover means inconspicuous, unobtrusive, not calling any attention to oneself. If I come in as the head honcho, every person at the Institute will scrutinize the daylights out of me.”
She lifted her chin and gave him a shy smile. “I admit I don’t know much about undercover work, but isn’t there a saying that often you can hide something best in plain sight?”
“Like me, taking charge? That’s crazy.”
She placed her hand on his sleeve, frankness lighting her face. “Daddy’s authority was unquestioned when he was alive. Since his death, several of the scientists have been openly vying for control. With all the infighting going on, it’s hurting progress in our research. If you come in as our administrator, that’s one conflict solved.”
Kyle shook his head. “And I’ll have made several enemies right off the bat. They’ll wonder what right I, a newcomer and outsider, have to take over when they’ve worked with your father for years. Not only the terrorist collaborator but every other would-be administrator will be researching my background with a fine-tooth comb.”
They had reached a large outcropping of granite. Laura sank onto the rock, shoulders slumped, eyes downcast. “I thought I’d figured it all out. It seemed like a perfect solution to both our problems.”
Kyle settled beside her, longing to pull her into his arms and comfort her, but he kept his distance. Too much desire fought against his better nature for him to take a chance on touching her. His reassuring hug might turn into something deeper, wilder.
The last thing he wanted was to frighten her.
“Just hire me on as a simple researcher and let me start right away. The insider in your lab is our best hope of finding the Black Order before they decide to use that D-5 on innocent people.”
She stooped, picked up a pebble from the path and pitched it into a calm section of the creek. It landed with a plop, sending concentric ripples across the water’s surface, tossing the floating leaves like tiny boats in a squall. When she turned to face him again, her expression was calm, but just as somber and resolute as earlier.
“There’s only one way to do this and both get what we want,” she said.
He smiled at her earnestness. “If you’ve thought of a solution that solves both our problems, you’re a miracle worker.”
“It will work, all right.” Her solemn eyes sought his and held his gaze. “But there’s just one catch.”
“Which is?”
“You’ll have to marry me.”
Chapter Six
At the word marry, his gut tightened as if caught in a vise.
“Been there, done that.” The protest was out of his mouth before Kyle could think. “Didn’t work the first time. I don’t want to hit that slippery slope again.”
Laura cocked her head and looked at him, the corner of her mouth quirked in an ironic smile. Noting the shrewdness in her eyes, Kyle shook his head in embarrassment.
“You’re not talking about a real marriage, are you?” he said.
Her expression sobered. “It would have to be legal, to safeguard your cover, but it would be in name only. Just for the sake of appearances.”
In name only.
Memories of Alicia flooded him. Their last year of marriage, the year after Molly was born, might as well have been in name only. And it hadn’t all been Alicia’s fault. He should have been more understanding. When he’d joined the bomb squ
ad and his job had become even more dangerous than that of a cop on street patrol, she’d pulled away. He’d seen the fear in her eyes every time he’d left the house, but he hadn’t known what to do about it. Her fear of losing him, especially after he’d had too many close calls, had driven a wedge between them. Alicia had begun to distance herself, almost as if preparing for the worst.
He had responded in kind. Unable to alleviate her fears, he, too, had pulled away, until they were strangers living in the same house, with only Molly keeping them together. When Alicia finally stormed out, Kyle had been surprised but not devastated.
And he’d been angry for Molly’s sake.
But the love he and Alicia had shared, the passion that had created his beautiful daughter, had died long before Alicia walked out the door.
Although he understood the reasons for the demise of his marriage, failure hurt, and he’d promised himself he’d never make that mistake again. As long as he was in law enforcement, he couldn’t be involved with a woman. Couldn’t spare the time to build and maintain a relationship. Couldn’t risk the distraction loving a woman could cause in his work.
He shook himself from his memories to find Laura staring at him, a frown creasing the smooth perfection of her forehead.
“I’m not used to proposing.” Her voice was light, her expression grim. “And you’re not making it any easier for me.”
Kyle buried his emotions deep inside and tried to look at Laura simply as a colleague, his partner in tracking down the Black Order. “I don’t see how us being married—in name only, of course—solves the problems at the Institute.”
“It gives you the best reason in the world to be there, as my husband. And who better to administer my father’s institute? Who better to oversee security than the man I marry? Who could question that?”
He removed his Stetson and shoved his fingers through his hair. “Lots of folks.”
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