Finding Kate Huntley (24 page)

Chapter 30

Mid-September in Los Angeles wasn’t only heat and smog, Jack noted as he headed down the street toward his house on Fifth Street. September also brought blue flowers called leadwort and hedges thick with green leaves and clusters of orange berries. Two months had passed since Jack asked Kate to marry him the first time. He looked at the flowers in his hand and hoped the heady fragrance would do the trick. Kate was still headstrong and stubborn, but she’d come a long way since he’d found her in Haiti months ago. She had grown more patient and was prone to letting her guard down every once in a while. She laughed often.

Last week, Harrison had been indicted, along with all founding members of CFAF. They would all be spending the rest of their lives in prison. Ever since the indictment, Kate had seemed restless. And that worried him. Instinct told him he was running out of time. He used his key to unlock the door. Shutting the door behind him, he turned and had to catch his breath when he saw Kate standing in the hallway. Tendrils of silken blonde hair swept about her rosy cheeks and glossy lips. She was sexy as hell, but either she didn’t know it yet, or she didn’t care, which only added to her appeal.

He was looking at her, he realized, as if he’d never laid eyes on a woman before.

“You like it?” She did a pirouette, making the silky fabric of her dress swirl around her legs above her knees.

“I do.”

She smiled as she breezed toward him, planting a generous kiss on his lips before she stepped back. She looked at the gardenias. “You’re not supposed to get me flowers on your birthday.”

“Too late,” he said.

She must have caught the glint in his eye because right away she started chewing on her bottom lip. “Jack,” she admonished as if she could read his mind. “You’re not going to propose again, are you? Not on your birthday.”

“I’ve got to,” he said. “Because one of these days you’re going to say yes. Stay here in Los Angeles with me. Marry me,” he asked, handing her the sweet smelling gardenias. Last time he proposed, he’d taken her to Lake Tahoe for a week and surprised her with daylilies. The time before that he’d tried an expensive dinner along with two dozen red roses. A ray of hope coursed through his veins when her eyes brightened.

“Jack. Did you smell these?”

“I did.”

“A touch of Lyso-lemon juice, a dash of Ribo-Rosemary nucleas or fresh minced tarragon, take your pick. Whisk until emulsified, and then throw in all the usual adjuvants and thimersol along with a cup of vinegar and one spoonful of superfine mustard. Only then do you add a sprig of
gardenia
. I can’t believe it!”

“Neither can I. Is that a yes?”

She laughed as if he were the funniest man on earth. “That’s the recipe my father had me memorize on my twelfth birthday. This is the first time I’ve remembered the whole thing.
Gardenias
. That’s what Dad was looking for when we were sailing the Caribbean.”

“He was looking for gardenias?”

She took another whiff of the plant and nodded. “When Adam showed me how to use your computer, we pulled up a site about Haiti. It was right there, something about a rare gardenia that only grows in Haiti.”

Kate leaned her nose into the blossoms and inhaled. “It’s the—” she snapped her finger. “The seed oil from the flower that he wanted! Do you have any idea what this means?”

“That you’re going to marry me?”

She laughed again. “My father was a clever one. I remember Dr. Forstin asking me about my father’s recipes. He said my father mentioned that only one other person knew the recipe for the cure for AIDS. Dad planned to share his findings with Dr. Forstin upon his return from the Caribbean. But we never returned.”

Jack put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer. “I love you. Marry me.”

“I can’t, Jack. I need to go back to Haiti and start where my father left off. Those people need me and I need them. I’ll use my father’s inheritance. After that’s gone I’ll raise money. I’ll set up a lab. Only I’ll do things a little differently than my father. I’ll share my father’s findings with hundreds of other researchers. I can do this, Jack. I can make a difference.”

He nuzzled her neck. “I need you.”

“You have unfinished business you need to take care of,” she reminded him. “You’ve said as much yourself. I would only get in the way.”

“Never.”

“I’m sorry, Jack. I have to do this.”

He saw that her mind was made up. “I’m not going to let you get away that easily, you know?”

“Is that a threat or a promise?”

“Both.”

She smiled. “When you’re ready, you’ll know where to find me.”

Kate exited the center where she’d set up a small lab and where she’d spent the past few months holding endless meetings with AIDS researchers from all over the world, including the chief of the Division of International Medicine and Infectious Diseases from a highly respected United States university. In a few weeks, she would begin interviewing scientists who would be willing to work with her full-time.

The disc Jack had found in Dr. Forstin’s lab had contained all of her father’s notes combined with Dr. Forstin’s notes, which was everything she needed to continue on with her father’s work.

A group of bikers congregated in front of the graffiti-splashed wall across the street, one of the poorest slums in Port-au-Prince. They all chattered at once as she locked up the center and headed off for the docks to see if Esri needed any help with the boats. She waved the bikers off, shaking her head. They only grew louder, but she knew they wouldn’t harm her. They were her people. She helped them and they helped her. It was a win-win situation.

Kate weaved around a manhole. That minor task made her think of Jack. If she tried hard enough, she could smell his cologne and remember the way he’d felt smack against her when she’d first run into him.
Stop it, Kate. It’s time to move on. He’s not coming for you this time.

Avoiding the ruts in the road was not an easy task as she made her way to the docks positioned in a horseshoe bay at the foot of surrounding hills. The wide treeless streets did little to protect her from the tormenting heat of the midday sun. Still, not once since her return had she regretted coming back. There was no denying she missed Jack, so much so it pained her to think of him at times. But nearly three months had passed since leaving him in the States. They had talked on the phone twice, and he sent a letter every week. But all correspondence stopped three weeks ago.

She tried to convince herself it was for the best. She couldn’t expect a man like Jack to pick up and move to a place like Haiti all in the name of love. She only wished she had told him she loved him. At the time, she hadn’t wanted to make it more difficult to leave.

A rickety old pick-up that had been colorfully transformed into a means of public transportation honked its horn until baskets and blankets covered with wares were moved from the dusty ground to make a passage for the truck to get by. Vendors balanced their baskets on their heads, making it easier for them to get around and move out of the way. The smell of pork and meat-filled pastries floated in the air as she walked by.

Haiti would most likely always be one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, but there would always be color in the lives of its people. Nobody could deny that they were resourceful.

Usually a white face in their midst was a strange occurrence, but Kate had been around long enough not to cause much commotion. They knew she was one of them. A gust of wind hit the street as she walked along, picking up the smells and giving the place some needed ventilation.

Esri Dalton waved when she saw Kate approaching. If not for Esri taking her in so long ago, Kate would more than likely not have survived. The woman had taken her under her wing, taught her to sail and given her a job. Esri’s daughter, Fiona, was another story. Fiona didn’t like sharing her mother’s attentions, but despite the tension between them, Kate considered Fiona a sister.

“How is Kate today?”

Kate looked into Esri’s kind dark eyes, saw a flash of mischief there and wondered what the woman was up to. “I’m well. Thanks for asking. I came to see if you needed me to take any tourists to the islands.”

Without responding to her offer, Esri said, “Fiona was looking for you earlier. That boat of yours finally sold.”

“
Paradise
?”

Esri nodded. “The man who bought it paid cash. Since I sold the boat, I will receive a hefty commission. Enough money to allow me to work shorter weeks, maybe even retire.”

“What will you do?”

“Not sure,” Esri said with a spark in her eye. “I think I’m going to sail away on this smaller boat here and spend a few days thinking about it.”

“Where will you go?”

“Don’t worry about me,” Esri said, waving her off with a limp hand. “Don’t you want to know who bought your boat?”

“It wasn’t my boat. Besides, I have lots of work to keep me busy. I don’t have time to sail off into the sunset.” She had no regrets.

“Not even the least bit curious?”

“Nope.”

“Fiona met with him earlier and collected the money for me,” Esri went on. “She said the American man had Mel Gibson eyes and a nice—”

At the sound of movement on the
Paradise
, Kate whipped around. Jack stood on deck, looking way too good for man who hadn’t called or sent word in three weeks. He had on a dark shirt and a silk tie. His hair appeared darker and had grown long enough to flip upward here and there, especially around his ears.

“You bought my boat, rookie?”

“Yeah, I did. What are you going to do about it?”

She headed his way, hips swaying with each step. “You don’t think I’m the sort of woman who would make a deal, do you?”

He rubbed his stubbled chin. “No. You’re right. I guess not.” He tossed her the keys. “It’s all yours.”

Disappearing inside the cabin, he returned after a few minutes with his jacket draped over his arm. He asked Esri if she would take him to the Caymans.

Esri nodded happily.

Kate stiffened. “You’re going to give up that easily?”

He snorted. “I’ve asked you to marry me three times, technically four. I’m not doing it again.”

He jumped off the deck and onto the dock, leaving a fleeting kiss on her cheek before he hopped onto Esri’s boat.

Esri looked at Kate, waiting for her to tell her what to do.

Kate jumped into Esri’s boat and wrapped her fingers around Jack’s tie. He smelled like sandalwood and soap. She wanted to haul him closer and kiss him until the sun went down, but Esri was standing right behind him and Esri might get bored. “Okay, rookie, have it your way. I’m only going to ask once because unlike some people, I don’t like to repeat myself. Will you marry me?”

“I’ll have to think about it.”

She pulled on his tie until he was close enough to kiss, and then she planted her lips on his and let him have it. Moments of bliss passed by before he lifted his head and said, “I thought you’d never ask.”

“Are you two finished then?” Esri asked.

They both laughed.

Kate took Esri into her arms and hugged her tight while Jack climbed off the boat and onto the dock. After Kate finished saying goodbye, she leaned toward Jack and reached out for him.

He swept her into his arms and brought her feet gently to the dock.

After Kate released the ties to Esri’s boat, Jack gave the boat a push. He put his arm around Kate’s shoulder and together they watched Esri set the mainsail before heading out to sea.

After a moment, Kate turned to Jack. “Did you get him?”

He nodded, his eyes filling with something that looked a lot like satisfaction. “The DNA was a match. There was a funeral and my parents were finally able to lay my sister to rest. Annie’s killer will be spending the rest of his days behind bars.”

The sun threw sparks of light across her face.

“I love you, Jack.”

“I know.”

“How could you know?”

“I saw it in your eyes that first day we met when I cuffed you to my wrist.”

She laughed.

“God,” he said, taking her by the waist and pulling her close. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed that sound.”

“I was beginning to think you weren’t coming back.”

“Nothing could have kept me away. I thought you knew that.”

“What about the agency?”

“They’ll do fine without me. I thought you could teach me to sail so I could spend my days searching for gardenias.”

Her eyes sparkled. “We can make a difference, Jack.”

He kissed the tip of her nose. “We can certainly try.”

* * *

Theresa Ragan is a member of RWA and the Sacramento Chapter of RWA and has garnered six Golden Heart nominations in Romance Writers of America’s ® prestigious Golden Heart ® Competition for her work. She lives with her husband, Joe, and the youngest of her four children in Sacramento, California.

Want to read more books by Theresa Ragan?

Theresa Ragan writes Medieval Time Travels, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Suspense, and her first Romantic Thriller will be released May, 2011!

RETURN OF THE ROSE

Twin sisters are born in Medieval England. One of the infants is dying and is taken to the Witch of Devonshire, who uses supernatural powers to transport the ailing babe to the future. It is the year 1986 when Cathy Hayes, a woman who has lost her child and husband in a car accident, finds the baby at her doorstep, gets her the medical attention she needs, and raises the baby as her own. Morgan grows up in the twentieth century with a mysterious attraction to a hollow suit of armor that stands in the window of her mother’s antique store.

Morgan is twenty-four-years old when she becomes entangled within the armor’s metal plates and is whisked back in time where she is mistaken for Amanda Forrester, a twin sister she knows nothing about. In Amanda’s place, Morgan is forced to marry King Henry’s favored knight, Derek Vanguard, Lord of Braddock Hall. Abandoned by his mother and having failed as a child to gain his father’s love, Derek’s heart is as cold as the stone walls of his castle.

A KNIGHT IN CENTRAL PARK

Alexandra Dunn, a spirited twenty-five year old peasant woman feels weighed down by responsibility after her father abandons his family, leaving her in charge of four siblings. There are crops to tend, endless chores to do, and her grandfather is showing signs of feeble-mindedness. To make matters worse, Sir Richard, an overly pampered lord, wants to marry her sister. After Alexandra refuses his offer on her sister’s behalf, he sends his men to destroy her home and takes her sister captive. As their farmhouse is set aflame, Alexandra’s grandfather places his precious stones in her palm, telling her she has until the next full moon to find a hero-a brave, chivalrous knight who must return with her and help save her family. Suddenly, Alexandra is standing in the middle of Central Park, but she has no time to ponder on the wondrous powers of the stones...she needs to find a hero before all is lost.

Joe McFarland is the “lucky” guy who runs into her. He would be the first to admit that he’s about as far as a man can get from hero material. He is a firm believer of truth, justice and quietude. A strong believer of non-violence, he avoids conflict at all costs. At thirty-four, he is one of the younger Professors at NYU where he lectures and teaches History: The High Middle Ages. Joe’s main goal in life is to gain membership into the Medieval Academy, a highly distinguished group of archaeologists and historians. He believes membership will bring him respect and recognition...but what he really wants is to be reunited with his father; a man who has spent his entire life searching for the Black Knight, the last of the medieval knights.

Joe’s organized, well-structured life begins to unravel the moment he meets Alexandra. He figures she majored in medieval history before going off the deep end...until days later when he is miraculously transported through time, to 1499 England. Dressed in Dockers and a button down shirt, Joe thought he was ready for anything...anything but this! An armored man with a very authentic looking broadsword is about to strike him down. Joe has no time to think about such an implausible phenomenon as traveling through time...not if he wants to live to see another day.

TAMING MAD MAX

Max Dutton, a starting NFL linebacker for the Los Angeles Condors, is certain he’s going to die young since his father and grandfather both passed away at an early age. Believing his life will be cut short, Max tries to live every moment to its fullest. For this reason, Max shies away from forming close relationships. What would be the point of falling in love and starting a family only to leave them as his father left him and his sisters? When Max discovers he has a thirteen-year old daughter though, it throws all his years of planning and preparation for an early death into a tailspin.

Nutrition expert, Kari Murphy, used to think Max Dutton, aka Mad Max, was to die for, but she’s older and wiser now. The last time Kari reacted with her heart instead of her brain, she conceived the thing she loves most in life...her daughter, Molly. As much as she dislikes Max Dutton for taking her declaration of love and throwing it in her face fourteen years earlier, she knows that if it wasn't for him her life would be meaningless. And that really ticks her off, especially when she’s hired by the NFL franchise to follow Max around for a couple of weeks and give him healthy-eating advice, foolproof facts about carbohydrates and tasteful tips on cooking and shopping smart.

Kari doesn’t want to be anywhere near the man, but what choice does she have? Her career is on the line.

ABDUCTED
by T.R. Ragan

Elizabeth Gardner (Lizzy) is seventeen when she tells her parents she’s going out with her girlfriends. Instead, she meets with Jared Shayne, her boyfriend of two years. As she walks home beneath an inky black sky, her perfect night becomes her worst nightmare.

Twelve years later, Lizzy is a licensed PI known as the “one who got away.” When she’s not searching for runaway teenagers, working on insurance scams, or talking to her therapist, she’s at the local high school teaching young girls to defend themselves. But her world is turned upside down for the second time after she receives a call from Jared Shayne. He’s an FBI special agent now and he needs her help. Lizzy has no plans to get involved. Not until Jared tells her that the kidnapper left her a personalized note.