Seduction Under Fire (25 page)

“Mama!” Rosalia shouted with glee.

Camille lifted her over the edge. They watched as mother and daughter cried and embraced.

Aaron scanned the crowd for Jacob and found him standing in the shade with the petite brunette who had captured his heart. Juliana was clutching a pink bundle in her arms.

Jacob looked content, if not a little worn-out, standing with his wife and child. Juliana looked very little like Camille, who had at least three inches on her younger sibling and was far more voluptuous. Both shared the same nose and green eyes, but it was easy to see how Camille had settled into the role of the protective, take-charge big sister.

He squeezed Camille’s hand. “Ready?”

“Ready.” She took a breath, squared her shoulders and marched from the dock.

Aaron followed, marveling at her. She radiated self-efficiency and unflagging strength, but he knew better. He was keenly aware of the privilege it was to be the only man allowed to see her at her most vulnerable and he loved her all the more for it.

Camille and Juliana reached each other first, embracing and cooing over the baby. Aaron and Jacob hugged and slapped each other’s backs. Then the teasing began.

“Is that a perm you’ve got, bro?” Jacob asked. “And brown, too? I’ve never seen your hair that dark and shaggy before.”

“Hell, I thought it was Halloween with those dark circles you’ve got under your eyes. You put makeup on to get them that way or did you give up on sleeping?”

Jacob wiped a hand over his face. “I tell you what, this parenting stuff really knocks it out of you. Just you wait. Someday you’ll know what I mean.”

Aaron smiled. They’d need a pregnancy test to confirm it, but in the past few days, the signs all pointed to the possibility that a new life had taken root the first time he and Camille made love.

Camille eased the little pink bundle from Juliana’s arms into her own and stole away to a bench. “Hello, Alana Rose. I’m your aunt Camille.”

Aaron watched her with a wistful smile. “Did you bring it?” he whispered to Jacob.

Jacob rummaged in his jacket and handed Aaron his car keys. “Brought your car, like you wanted, but something tells me this is what you’re really asking about.” He slipped a small black velvet box into Aaron’s hand.

“That’s what I meant. Thank you.”

Jacob eyed him curiously. “Your mom was pretty suspicious when I asked for your grandmother’s wedding ring. She made me promise to tell you to use it wisely.”

Aaron grinned even wider. “No worries there.”

“Are you sure about this? Last I heard, you two hated each other.”

“Yeah, that was way too much work. This—” Aaron rattled the box “—is much easier than pretending to hate her ever was.”

“I bet it is. Your mom would have liked to see you today, you know. She and your dad have been worried.”

“We wanted as little fanfare as possible. And I was afraid once my mom got a hold of me, she might never let go. Pass it on to them that we’ll be back soon. This is just something we have to do for a while.”

At that moment, Juliana rushed by. “Camille, are you crying?”

Aaron’s head snapped up to see Camille holding the baby with fat tears streaming down her cheeks. Jacob snagged Juliana’s arm. “Let Aaron take care of her.”

Juliana responded, but Aaron didn’t hear what she said. He strode to Camille, scooped both her and the baby into his arms and sat on the bench. He spared a glance and a wink at a stunned Juliana, who stood frozen, gawking at them openmouthed.

Between sniffles, Camille said dejectedly, “I’m crying, Aaron. I can’t stop.”

“It’s okay to cry, babe.”

“Not for me.”

Aaron chuckled and tucked some stray hairs behind her ear. He’d loved her blond hair, but he’d take her any way she came. And the chocolate-brown was starting to grow on him. “It’s been one heck of a ride.” Then he whispered for her ears only, “Not to mention that your hormones are all out of whack.”

Despite her tears, she deviously arched a brow at him. “My sister will strangle us for not telling her right away.”

“She and my mom will have to fight each other for the honor. But you and I deserve a little time to enjoy the news privately. We’ve earned that much, I think.”

“Yes, we have.” She swiped at the wetness on her cheeks.

“Glad I found you both.” It was one of the officers who’d escorted Rosalia’s mom to the boat. “Sit tight because reporters are on the way. You’re national heroes now. Your faces are going to be all over the news.”

Aaron cringed. “Thanks for the warning.” After the officer walked away, he kissed Camille’s cheek. “I don’t know about you, but being a national hero isn’t on my agenda today.”

“Uh, no.”

“Then that’s our cue to leave. Let me hold my goddaughter once before we go.” He placed Camille on her feet and took the baby. “Hey, Alana, your aunt Camille and I are going to take off, so don’t do anything interesting until we get back, okay? Take good care of your mommy and daddy for us.”

With a kiss to her chubby, soft cheek, he handed her to Juliana, whose mouth still hung wide open. He kissed the top of Juliana’s head and punched Jacob on the shoulder. Then he offered Camille his hand. “Will you come with me, Camille?”

She crossed her arms and smiled indulgently at him. “Where to?”

He twirled his car keys. “Thought we’d just pick a direction and go.”

That garnered a laugh from her as she entwined her fingers with his. Making her laugh was probably his favorite thing in the world. He planned to spend a lot of time in the future perfecting the art.

“How about north,” she suggested. “I’m sure they’ve got great doctors in San Francisco.”

“Doctors?” Juliana asked. “Why do you need a doctor? Are you hurt?”

Camille answered with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Don’t worry about it.”

Aaron caught a suspicious look from Jacob. He ignored it. “North it is.”

Jacob shook his head, chuckling. “Have fun, you two.”

Camille gave Juliana a one-armed hug. Juliana stammered and gestured at Aaron and Camille’s joined hands. “When did you and Aaron...um... You look happy, Cam. You’re glowing.”

“I’ll tell you about it soon, but we need to hit the road before the news vans show up.”

Aaron smiled at her. “Ready to ride off into the sunset, babe?”

“Ready.” Camille gave Jacob a quick hug, then walked with Aaron toward the parking lot.

“Not sure how you’d feel about the idea, but I’ve got the sudden urge to buy a boat.”

Camille laughed. “Funny you should mention it. Me, too.”

“You know,
Blondie
would make a terrific boat name
.
”

She shook her head. “It would, but I think we should name it after the boat we fell in love on. What did you say before—it pretty much sums up our whole experience in Mexico?”

“At the time, I was being sarcastic.”

“True, but
Happily Ever After
isn’t such a big joke to me anymore. In fact, I’d say it’s just about perfect.”

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt of
The Cop's Missing Child
by Karen Whiddon

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Chapter 1

T
he bright sun felt warm on his skin. If he’d been here for no reason other than a desire to enjoy the weather, Mac Riordan would have stopped and turned his face up to let the bright rays try to heat blood that these days always seemed chilled. Instead, he glanced around while keeping his quarry in sight, taking in the lush greenness of the park crowded with citizens enjoying the early spring air.

He couldn’t believe the hunter’s rush he felt at this planned-for encounter. Finally, after all this time, he’d meet the woman who had, inadvertently or not, stolen everything he had left to live for.

He’d planned this carefully, just happened to take a stroll along the tree-lined, paved walking path when the very woman he’d come to town to find strode past him on her daily walk—Emily Gilley. He’d been watching her for a week, after all, and figured an accidental meeting in the park would be a great way to meet her.

True, if he wanted this to appear unintentional, keeping up with her confident pace without looking as though he was stalking her might prove difficult, though not impossible.

He doubted she’d find him suspicious. From what he’d heard about the east Texas town of Anniversary, everyone was friendly and trusting and looked out for each other. If this was true, then Emily Gilley would have no reason to worry about a friendly stranger.

He allowed himself the slightest of grim smiles. If only she knew.

So far, he’d been careful. After all, he’d only been in town for three weeks. It was just long enough to establish his brand-new trucking business and to put out a few feelers about her, the woman he’d spent several years trying to locate: Emily Gilley, twenty-nine-year-old widow of one of the most notorious drug dealers on the Eastern Seaboard. She’d changed her name, taking back her mother’s maiden name Gilley, and altered both the cut and the color of her hair, all to help her disappear. But for someone with the far-flung resources to which he had access, finding her had been a matter of time and a tenacious effort. He was fortunate to still have a lot of the tools from his law enforcement days at his disposal.

Her long, blond locks were now dark, short and spiky. Instead of designer fashions, she wore clothing that looked off the rack at a big bin department store. She’d gone from a glamorous life in Manhattan to this: a tiny lakefront community ninety miles east of Dallas.

As he hurried around a bend at the end of the trail, trying not to appear in too much of a rush, he nearly ran into her. She’d stopped at the weathered wooden bench that marked the entrance to the paved parking lot of Sue’s Catfish Hut, which was crowded with lunchtime patrons.

She was stopped and turned to face him, apparently willing to wait for him to catch up.

This was going even better than he’d hoped, he thought with some satisfaction. And then he got a look at her annoyed expression.

Hands on her hips, she glared at him, her brown eyes full of anger mixed with only the barest hint of fear. “What do you want? Stop following me! If you’re trying to creep me out, you’re succeeding admirably.”

He dipped his chin, sending her an abashed smile he hoped she’d find reassuring. “My apologies. I had no idea this was a private trail.”

Instead of growing flustered, she shook her head, sending her shaggy spiked hair rippling. “It’s not. But I walk here every day on my lunch break, and I know almost everyone in town. Every time I look up, you’re right behind me. You never pass me or fall back. And while this is the first time I’ve seen you here, you have to understand how such behavior can make a woman feel threatened.”

“Threatened? Interesting choice of words.” He crossed his arms. “I’m new here, and I mean you no harm. I wasn’t aware being a newcomer and taking a walk were crimes.”

Narrowing her eyes, she studied him, apparently not buying his too-easy, confident patter. In his experience, overly suspicious or outright paranoid people usually had something to hide. But then again, she had a point. He was a stranger who was following her, and her former husband had been a drug dealer. No doubt, looking over her shoulder had been deeply ingrained in her psyche. She’d be foolish not to worry. And one thing he’d learned about Emily Gilley, formerly Cavell, was that she was anything but stupid.

Finally, she took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly.

“Look,” she said, her tone reasonable this time rather than furious, “you’ve been following me way too closely. What matters is that you’ve made me very uncomfortable.” Swallowing hard, she studied him, her caramel gaze unflinching. “And even though this is a small town, one can’t be too careful.”

It was especially true for a woman like her, with so many secrets to hide.

He nodded, feigning chagrin. “Again, I apologize. If I’d known I was frightening you, I would have dropped back or—” he grimaced ruefully “—I would have tried to pass you.”

Rather than accept his apology, she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “You said you’re new in town, right?”

“Yes.” Relieved and slightly surprised that getting to know her was going to be this simple, he gave her a practiced, easy smile, holding out his hand. “Mac Riordan.”