His By Design (27 page)

“You son of a bitch. You drugged her.”

Jeff lunged at Barker and grabbed him by his shirt. His fist connected with a satisfying crunch and the man’s nose spurted blood. The next punch to his solar plexus doubled Barker over, his breath knocked out of him. He fell to the floor and curled into fetal position.

Jeff swept Zoe up in his arms. “It’s all right, baby. I’ve got you.”

Zoe nodded sleepily “Purse.” She rested her head on his shoulder.

He grabbed her bag and opened the door. “You’re done, Barker. Understand? You lose, you disgusting prick. Don’t ever come near Zoe again or you’ll be behind bars so fast it’ll make your head swim.”

He carried Zoe down the steps as Dev angled the SUV to the curb.

Amanda got out and rushed over to the couple. “What happened?”

Zoe gazed at Jeff, a silly smile plastered across her face. “My hero.” She noticed Amanda and said brightly, “Hi, Mandy. What’s up?”

“The damned mother-f—asshole drugged her. We need to get her to a hospital right away.” He settled Zoe in the back seat and raced to the other side to get in.

Amanda shut the door and Dev sped away. “Thank God for GPS. I’m locating the nearest hospital now.” Amanda tapped the display on Dev’s SUV with frantic fingers. “Okay. Two blocks up and make a left. Then three traffic lights and make a right.” She looked over her shoulder at Zoe. “Did you . . .?”

Zoe grinned. “Oh yeah, I got him good.” She pushed the button to stop the recording and took the camera out of her pocket. “Hold this for me, will you, Studley? It’s the key to our happy ending.”

Chapter 27

“Jeff, I have to get out of here now. The gallery opens in two hours and it’s the big event for you and Jen. Your interview is in the local paper and I want to be there to see all the customers who want to meet you two.” Zoe looked around the small hospital room and threw back the covers. “Where are my clothes?”

“Listen, sweet cheeks, you are not going anywhere until the doctor says it’s okay. Yesterday’s fiasco took at least a year off my life, so no more risky business from you. Besides, you look sexy in a hospital gown.”

Zoe quirked a brow. “Did you drink some of that water, too?”

“Just chill, babe. The doc said he’d be here by eight to check you out and Dev and Amanda should be here any minute with clean clothes.”

“But you’ve got the camera, right? I remember giving it to you before . . . before . . .” She frowned. “What exactly happened after that?”

“You passed out. I had a heart attack, Dev got a speeding ticket, and Amanda cried her eyes out until the docs said you’d be fine.”

“Oh.” Zoe winced. “That wasn’t the way it was supposed to go.”

“No kidding.” Jeff tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “The best thing about the entire day was me punching out Mr. Sleazebag.” Jeff flexed his fist. His knuckled looked a bit the worse for wear. “I do wish I could have seen his face when he got a look at his new painting, though.” He gave her a wicked grin.

“Why? Do you think he can tell he has the copy now?”

“Mmm, well, I’m sure he knows he doesn’t have the original anymore.”

Zoe tilted her head. “Spill, Studley. What did you do?”

“I left him a copy of ‘Dogs Playing Poker.’ One of Mr. Coolidge’s very well-known paintings.”

Zoe slid her arms around her man and kissed his cheek. “My hero.”

“Stop saying that. I’m no hero. I almost got in trouble with the law and ruined your gallery’s reputation.”

“I guess we both did some things that weren’t very smart. But you’re still my hero, Studley.”

“I’d rather be your husband, sweet cheeks,” he said as he wrapped her in his embrace and kissed her.

Zoe sighed. “Remind me to call Marjorie and book the B and B for our reception. Her clientele drops off a good bit after Labor Day, so she should have a weekend free soon. I don’t want to put our wedding off much longer. It’s a good thing I know a great event planner . . .” She kissed her future husband again and sighed with happiness. All of her dreams were coming true. Just like Amanda’s had. She was starting to believe there was magic in Blue Point Cove.

Also by
Karen Ann Dell
and
Soul Mate Publishing
:

HERS BY REQUEST

In three short minutes the war destroyed Devlyn MacMurphy’s career, killed his best friend, and locked his heart behind a wall of guilt. Now he had a promise to keep and falling for his best friend’s fiancée only made matters worse. As her calls to his request line became more frequent, he used the songs of his favorite composers to hint at what he could not say.

Amanda retreated to Blue Point Cove to cope with her fiancé’s death at the cottage where she’d spent her childhood summers. Her favorite music, played by a velvet-voiced deejay, got her through many a cold, sleepless night, and she thought it was merely serendipity when her new business brought them face-to-face.

How was she to know that Dev had been her fiancé’s best friend ‘Mac’—and the cause of his death?

If “Someone to Watch over Me” was her favorite song, Dev wanted to apply for the job. But eventually he would have to tell her the truth, and no song ever written would prevent Amanda banishing him from her life to the solitary hell he so richly deserved.

Available now on Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/ootyaan