Random Acts (25 page)

Her heart melted with longing. Smoothing the child’s hair, she bent to press a kiss to the crown of Ava’s head. “Hi, sweetheart. What a wonderful food drive.”

Ava’s eyes brightened. “We hope to feed over one hundred families. And you came!”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” With the toe of her shoe, Danielle tapped the box Patrick had set down on the floor.

“I’ll sort it.” Ava bent over and grabbed the handle and started dragging it across the smooth gym floor toward the other boxes. She stopped suddenly and stood upright and planted her hands on her hips. “You’re not going anywhere, are you?”

Danielle shook her head. “I’ll be right here.”

Patrick closed the distance between them and whispered in a husky voice. “For how long?” His proximity sent a tingle racing through her body.

“It depends.” Danielle worked her lower lip, suddenly afraid to reveal what she had come home to say.

Reaching out, Patrick ran his warm thumb across her cheek, his minty breath whispering across her cheek. Her body quaked at his nearness. “I’m sure you talked to Jenny?”

Danielle nodded. “Thank you for putting in a good word for her. I’m relieved the District Attorney dropped all charges. I suppose he has his hands full sorting out the charges against Parker and his son Jimmy.”

“I hate to even think about what happened that night.” Patrick clutched her forearms. “Thank goodness Billy didn’t keep a lot of gas in his boat and the Coast Guard was able to pick up him and the chief…Parker—” he quickly corrected himself, “— a mile off shore. He must have realized he’d reached the end of the road to be so compliant. We caught a break.”

“Lucky for Billy too, otherwise Parker might have thrown him off the boat for spite. As it was, Billy had suffered a pretty nasty head injury.” Danielle winced, remembering how Billy’s head had slammed on the deck.

Patrick frowned. “Jimmy and his father were sent to Erie County Holding Center, away from Mayport. I heard they’re sharing a cell for now. Jimmy doesn’t have money for bail and the chief—” Patrick shook his head, “—Parker is also under investigation for the murder of Jimmy’s mom. I can’t imagine Jimmy’s childhood. No wonder he grew up to be an abuser like his father.” He let out a long breath. “It’s crazy how you think you know someone.”

Danielle squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry. This must be hard for you.”

He met her gaze. “I thank God every day that you’re okay. That’s what matters.”

“We have a lot to be grateful for.” Danielle noticed Ava unpacking the box of food and chatting with friends. “I never heard what happened to Henry.”

“The DA struck a deal with him in exchange for information on his dealer. Turns out Billy provided the drugs to Henry. Billy’s in some trouble, but both Henry and Jenny are lucky they can put this behind them.”

“Now Jenny can go back to school. I’m so relieved she got out of her abusive relationship with Jimmy. He really had her under his thumb.” Anger bubbled up just below the surface. “The only memories she has of the night of the accident are of Jimmy beating her up in a jealous rage. She remembers nothing beyond that.”

“Maybe it’s better that way.”

Danielle shook her head in disbelief. “And the entire time his father was secretly terrorizing Jenny to keep her quiet about what happened. To protect his son. No wonder she tried to push me away. She wanted me far away from here so I’d be safe.”

“It’s over now.” Patrick squeezed her hand.

Danielle cleared her throat, not knowing how to say what she had to say. Heat crept up her neck.

Patrick gave her a wary smile, looking a little uneasy himself. “Enough of all that. How are you?”

“Good. I—” Danielle started to say and Patrick cut her off.

“I called some police departments around Atlanta and—”

She held up her hand for fear she’d lose her nerve. An excited giggle sounded on her lips. “I quit my job in Atlanta.” The words tumbled out.

His face broke into a huge smile. “Really?” His eyes widened and he took a step back.

Danielle nodded. “Really. I want to set up practice here. Help people who really need it. I went back to Atlanta and was able to save Tina’s home. Now her little family won’t be living on the street.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “It gave me such a feeling of elation. There are a lot of people I can help here. Like Billy Farr’s girlfriend. She could use some help while he sorts out his legal mess.”

“I can’t believe it. I thought you loved your job,” he teased, stepping closer and cupping her cheeks in his hands. “What about your townhouse?”

“I’m letting Jenny live there so she can take classes at Georgia State. Get a fresh start. It’s my turn to be here for Gram.”

“Well, I guess now is a good time to tell you they made me police chief.”

“And you were willing to give that up for me?” Her heart soared.

“I’d do anything for you,” he whispered, his breath caressing her warm cheek.

“I know that…now. After I went home, I prayed a lot about the future. I want us to have another chance. Get to know one another again.” She cleared her throat. “But I don’t want you to feel—”

Patrick put a finger on her lips. “I know how I feel.” He grabbed Danielle’s hand and pulled her toward the door. “Come here. Let’s talk outside.”

He grabbed his coat on the way out the door. Danielle walked out ahead of him. Large white snowflakes danced in the sky. Her heart filled with joy. “Oh, I love the snow.”

Patrick gently grabbed the lapels of her coat and pulled her close so that their bodies were touching. He feathered a soft kiss across her lips. “I love
you
,” he whispered in a husky voice.

“I love you too.” Excitement fluttered in her stomach. The words came so easily.

“Then marry me, Dani.”

“What?” Overwhelmed with emotion, she bowed her head, resting her cheek on his warm chest. His heart was beating as fast as hers. She lifted her face to meet his hooded gaze. “I thought I’d move back here, set up my practice and become part of this community. Take some time.”

“You are part of this community. I don’t need anymore time to know what I already know. I’ve missed you terribly these past few weeks. I want to spend my life with you.”

Joy blossomed in Danielle’s heart. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

A bright smile lit his face. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned in close to press his warm lips to hers. A delightful shiver swept through her body. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. A peacefulness filled her soul despite the winter wind whistling through the empty branches.

“Look at the snow.”

They broke off the kiss in unison at the sound of Ava’s delighted squeal. Heat warmed Danielle’s cheeks when she noticed Ava standing in the doorway pointing to the snow.

Huge snowflakes danced and fluttered to the ground, making her dizzy in a good way. A magical way. One landed on her eyelash, making her blink. A tear—a happy tear—rolled down her cheek. Patrick kissed it away.

Some things you can never escape.

Danielle looked into Patrick’s green eyes, so much like his daughter’s. “I’m so happy to be home.”

About the Author

Growing up, Alison Stone never imagined becoming a writer. She enjoyed math and science and ultimately earned a degree in engineering. Go Yellow Jackets!

After the birth of her second child, Alison left Corporate America for full-time motherhood. She credits an advertisement for writing children’s books for sparking her interest in writing. She never did complete a children’s book, but she did have success writing articles for local publications.

Finally, Alison got up the nerve to try her hand at full-length fiction. After completing a handful of manuscripts, she sold her first book to Samhain Publishing in 2011, followed a few weeks later by a second sale.

Now, Alison has the best of both worlds. From her home office in Western New York, she writes fast-paced romantic suspense while her four children are in school. It never fails to amaze her how soon the afternoon bus arrives.

Alison loves to connect with her readers. Visit her at her website,
www.AlisonStone.com
, or meet up with Alison on Twitter,
www.twitter.com/Alison_Stone
, or Facebook,
www.facebook.com/AlisonStoneAuthor
, or write to her at
[email protected]
.

Look for these titles by Alison Stone

Coming Soon:

Too Close to Home

They say you can never go home. If you do, better watch your back.

Too Close to Home

© 2012 Alison Stone

Ten years ago, after her father’s gruesome death was ruled a suicide, Kathryn McNabb left her hometown, vowing never to return. And never to let anything—business or personal—break her heart.

Now an overachieving manufacturing engineer, she thrives on order, control and solitude. But an unexpected inheritance makes her the co-owner of the company her father founded, forcing her to face the ghosts of her past. Including Ben Nowak, childhood friend, secret crush, and son of the man who ruined her father.

Ben hadn’t planned on returning home either, but with his own father’s death it falls to him to continue the family legacy. When he learns Kathryn plans to sell the plant out from under him, his quest takes on new urgency—Midport Industries is the main source of jobs in town.

Butting heads strike sparks of attraction that entangle business and pleasure into a hopeless knot. And someone is watching. Someone with a darker reason to prevent the deal from going through. Someone desperate enough to kill…

Warning: Beware of the shadows, disgruntled employees, and childhood crushes all grown up.

Sometimes the only way to leave the past behind is to ignore the voice of reason—and leap.

Past Promises

© 2009 N.J. Walters

Jamesville, Book 7

For Linda Fletcher, the sign in front of her new business says it all. Past Promises Antiques is her declaration of independence from her powerful and manipulative family—and a vow to herself that her future will be different.

She never considered herself the no-strings-affair type, but the chemistry between her and her newly hired handyman is too intense to ignore. Moving to Jamesville was a bold step, so what’s the harm in taking one more—into his arms?

Levi Mann’s shadowed past keeps his bags packed light and his feet on the move. But one look at Linda, and he finds himself willing to hang around—just long enough to figure out what it is that triggers their explosive passion.

Warning, this title contains very explicit language, a dysfunctional family, a very large inheritance and lots of wild, hot sex.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Past Promises:

“Are you okay?” A low, male voice startled her out of her daydreams of the past. Linda whirled around, hand on her chest, heart pounding.

He stood just behind her. Watching. Waiting.

She had no idea how long he’d been there. It should have been impossible for a man his size to sneak up on her. At six-and-a-half feet tall, Levi Mann took up a lot of space. His body was massive, but it was all solid muscle. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on the man.

He was wearing his usual uniform of jeans and a T-shirt. The faded denim clung to his thick thighs like a second skin. The soft cotton of the shirt molded to his biceps and chest, leaving little to the imagination.

And she had imagined him. A lot.

Lying in bed late at night, Linda had wondered more than once what it would feel like to touch all that sculpted muscle. She knew what it looked like. Levi had helped her with much of the renovation work on the building, as well as the painting, often removing his shirt while he worked. She’d lost count of the number of times she’d stopped painting just to stare at him while he was working. Levi gave new meaning to the phrase abs of steel. His tanned flesh looked as though it was pulled tight over slabs of muscle.

And the man was just as potent from behind. He had wide shoulders that tapered down to his thick waist, the muscles making a perfect V. His butt was first class all the way.

“Linda?” The way he said her name gave her shivers. “Are you okay?”

Oh, God. She was standing here like a ninny, staring at him again. “I’m fine.” She shook herself and dropped the letter in the garbage. “Just thinking about things.” That was vague enough for him to drop it. In her experience, most men were just as happy to avoid lengthy, in-depth discussions with females.

Levi stared at her, his golden-brown eyes sending a shiver down her spine. He had a way of watching a person that made you think he could see all the way to your soul. Then he blinked and the moment passed. “Excited about this morning?”

She ignored the fact that his shoulder-length hair was down this morning, making him look even sexier. Usually, he kept it tied back while he worked. And there was no doubt about it. Levi was a man of action. If not for him, she’d still be working on the building instead of opening the doors on her new business.