The Look-Alike Bride (Crimson Romance) (8 page)

“You what?” Zara shrieked. “Everybody will think I’ve lost my mind. Do I paste sequins on velvet, or is it something even more hideous?”

“Actually, you paint flowers on grapefruit-sized rocks, so your rock garden looks like a flower garden. It’s very interesting, and the finished products are beautiful.”

“If you say so.” Zara sounded resigned. “Why don’t you sign up for belly dancing if you’re so interested in taking classes? It’d be a lot more in character.”

“There are limits to my character,” Leonie said, chuckling. “Seriously, Zara, how do you want me to handle Adam Silverthorne? What if he asks me out or something?”

“Oh, my God.” Zara groaned with feeling. “I’m dying out here, and nobody cares.”

Leonie didn’t ask where “out here” was, although she figured it was most likely some hotspot in the Middle East. Zara had already told her it was classified information.

“Maybe you can get a leave of absence,” Leonie said. “You know. A family emergency.”

“What emergency?” Zara asked gloomily.

“You’ve got to rescue me, of course.”

“Rescue you? Are you crazy?” Zara laughed. “Anyone who wants to be rescued from Adam Silverthorne needs a psychiatrist, not a rescuer. Seriously, if he asks you out, go. Don’t even ask. Just go. We don’t want to discourage him.”

Leonie considered this. “Are you sure?”

“And don’t forget to behave like me. I don’t want to come home and find out he’s gotten used to you, then he starts wanting to know why I’ve changed.”

Leonie choked with laughter that was tinged with guilt. “That would definitely be a problem.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Zara joined in her mirth. “I don’t know what to tell you, baby. You’ll have to go with your instincts on this one. To tell you the truth, this is something I never expected.”

“Maybe he’s about to go back to Dallas and wanted to make a friendly gesture. Who knows?” Leonie changed the subject. “Have you had any trouble around here with peeping Toms?”

“Peeping Toms?” Zara was silent a moment. “Are you saying you think you’re being spied on?”

“That’s right.”

Zara spoke over her shoulder to someone. “I’ll have it checked out. It’s possible somebody’s curious about my whereabouts. This is wonderful.”

Wonderful?
“You’ve just made my day,” Leonie said grumpily.

“Don’t worry about anything.” Zara laughed. “I’ll be out of pocket for about a week, so don’t worry if you don’t hear from me, okay? You’re doing a great job, honey.”

“Hah.” Leonie rubbed her forehead. “Be careful, you hear? If somebody’s watching me because they think I’m you, it can’t be good.”

Great, Leonie thought, hanging up the phone. Zara thought the fact that somebody was spying on her was a happy circumstance. What was the world coming to?

“Guess I’d better keep my mouth shut when Adam’s around,” she told Butch. “If Zara thinks someone may be spying on us, then we’re vindicated.”

Butch gazed at her from the rug before the huge, stone fireplace. Even though the weather was far too warm for a fire, Butch always seemed to enjoy a warm hearth.

“Too bad we can’t talk to Adam about it,” she added. “Why is it that men always think women are being hysterical when something like this happens?”

Butch had no reply, but his intelligent gaze soothed Leonie’s huffy spirit.

“It’s an insult to working dogs everywhere. You do your job, and the resident security expert says you’re ascribing evil motives to innocent passers-by.”

Butch’s ears pricked up.

“That’s right, boy. We can’t let him get away with that. You’ll have to nip him on the leg as a warning.”

Whether or not Butch found the prospect of tasting Adam’s leg enticing, Leonie feared she found the knowledge of an evening in his company all too enticing. If she had any sense, she’d develop a headache and stay home.

“My mother didn’t raise me to stand men up,” she told Butch virtuously, peering out at the lake, where the afternoon sun reflected off the water in sheets of silver. “I’m going, and that’s that.”

She decided to make peace with her scruples by wearing something of Zara’s, namely, her sister’s most conservative outfit. But the raspberry-red silk camisole-style blouse combined with a pair of white cotton slacks were pure Zara and set off every feminine curve. Leonie took one look at herself in the mirror and ruined the effect by tossing a silver windbreaker over the blouse. Riding in an open vehicle like Adam’s Jeep called for a jacket of some kind, she assured herself.

When Adam arrived a few minutes before five, she made sure he found her waiting, binoculars in one hand, and Butch’s leash in the other. His gaze ran over her swiftly, with just enough admiration to warm Leonie’s heart, but not so much that she determined to hide inside the windbreaker the rest of the evening.

“I hope Butch won’t jump out when we get on the road.” Adam held the door open for Leonie and took the dog’s leash from her. He wore a green polo shirt with his usual khakis and looked spectacular to her, entirely too male for any woman’s peace of mind. “He doesn’t usually ride with his head out the window, does he?”

“Butch is a perfect gentleman.” Adam’s warm hand beneath her elbow set off a quiver of excitement in her middle. “How far away is this mountain you’re talking about?”

“It’s a little more than an hour’s drive.”

From the charming smile he gave her, Leonie figured the drive was almost a good two hours, and he didn’t want to say so. That fit with the information she’d obtained from Zara’s weather radio, which said sunset that night was a little after eight-thirty.

She might as well enjoy herself, considering Adam had more or less tricked her into what amounted to a full-fledged date. But she tried hard not to dwell on the fact that she was looking forward to every minute she could spend in his company a lot more than she should.

“We must be heading north, further into the mountains.” Her voice quivered a little because she sensed the strength and warmth of his body as he stood beside her, waiting to help her climb up into his Jeep.

“That’s right. It’ll be well worth the drive,” he promised, still wearing his engaging smile. “You’ll see.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” She could also smell the enticing scent of his aftershave when he boosted her onto the high seat.

She was looking forward to this way too much, and it was too late to back out now. She was already in the car, buckled into her seat, with Butch in the back behind her. Ready or not, she was about to spend at least four hours, and maybe even more, in Adam Silverthorne’s company.

“What are you grinning about?” Adam climbed in beside her.

“I’m hoping to see an . . . uh . . . a sky blue warbler.” She indicated the binoculars and wondered if Adam knew anything about warblers, say, enough to know she had just made up a new warbler that never would be found in any bird book “I understand the Ouachita Mountains are the best place to see them.”

“Then let’s hope we see one.” He headed the vehicle down the long, winding road that fed into the highway. “I didn’t know you were a bird watcher.”

She almost slipped and said she wasn’t. “I’ve always been fond of watching the birds at my mother’s feeders. This is supposed to be the next step up.” She indicated the binoculars.

“You need a bird book to go with those. I’ll get you one.”

Great. Just what she needed. Leonie loved the outdoors when it came to jogging trails and hiking, but she drew the line at identifying fauna while she exercised.

“Do you watch birds?” she asked.

“I’ve been known to scatter bread crumbs on occasion,” he said.

A kindred spirit. Leonie cast a broad smile at him. Zara knew birds, just as she knew a dozen other subjects well enough to come off as an expert if necessary. Bird watching, Zara said, served as a cover for all sorts of covert activities.

“What about plants?” she asked.

Zara could also identify every plant, tree, shrub, and grass, and describe their parts. While Leonie enjoyed flowers and greenery as much as anyone, her enjoyment cratered if she had to memorize facts.

“I understand plants very well,” Adam said, grinning back at her. “My job usually involves planning security at plants. I’m especially knowledgeable about the workings of oil refineries and electric utility plants.”

She broke into laughter. While she intended to continue pretending she had an interest in both birds and trees, Leonie recognized Adam as an even closer kindred spirit than she’d thought possible. They both enjoyed nature a lot more if they knew less about how it operated.

Those thoughts could be dangerous to her peace of mind. Leonie shoved them aside and tried to concentrate on the view.

That, too, was a mistake.

Mountains were spectacular and lovely when a woman studied them from a distance, but she could do without actually riding a narrow highway up the side of one. To her right, sheer rock rose straight up. To her left—and far, far too close for Leonie’s comfort—an equally sheer drop gave anyone interested a spectacular view of the pine-forested valley below.

She sucked in her breath and squeezed her eyes shut. “Isn’t there another way we can get there?”

“What do you mean?” He glanced at her.

Leonie’s eyes popped open in time to see his attention focused on her, and not on the road where it belonged. “Look out.”

Adam jerked the wheel and almost fish-tailed the Jeep. “Look out for what? You’re going to get us killed if you keep yelling like that.”

“I’m not yelling. I’m merely requesting you to keep your eyes on the road.” It was hard to sound dignified when her heart pounded and she hyperventilated. “In case you haven’t noticed, that’s a sheer cliff over there.”

“So it is.” Adam looked to the side, much to her horror. “It gets even steeper a few miles ahead.”

“Steeper?” She was doomed. She might never get out of this one alive.

“Are you afraid of heights?” He returned his attention to her. “I’m sorry. You’ve always impressed me as something of a daredevil. I had no idea heights bothered you.”

The concern in his voice ought to have warmed her heart, but Leonie would have preferred he concentrate on the road. “Not at all. It’s just that I’m not used to mountains. The terrain around Houston is flat, flat, flat. I’m more used to a truly horizontal horizon.”

“I think I remember reading somewhere that Houston lies on a coastal plain,” he agreed. “But there are some spectacular rises on the freeways. I’ve seen them.”

Leonie winced and hoped Adam didn’t place any importance on her mention of the Houston terrain. She comforted herself with the thought that Zara couldn’t possibly expect her to remember her story when facing death via sheer drops off the highway.

“This isn’t funny.” She gripped the seat with both hands. “Any little twitch on your part, and off the cliff we go. I’d appreciate it if you’d keep your eyes on the road.”

“If I keep my eyes on the road, how can I appreciate this beautiful scenery?” he asked in reasonable tones. “See that cabin over there?”

Leonie looked and felt her heart stop. “That does it. Let me out of here.”

Adam laughed. “Calm down, angel. I’ve been driving these mountain roads for years. Besides, I’m on the inside lane, in case you haven’t noticed.”

At these sinister words, Leonie’s heart, which had been totally still, leaped into her throat with one giant throb. “You mean—?”

“That’s right. On the trip back, we’ll have the outside lane, and it’ll be dark.”

Leonie sat very still and thought of all the ways she could kill Adam Silverthorne. Then she recalled that she didn’t need to kill him. The road would do it for her.

On that note, she decided that if she was fated to die, she would die bravely. “In that case, you’d better step on the gas. We don’t want to be late for the sunset, do we?”

Adam found that statement hilarious. “We’re going to be there in plenty of time. You might even get to see a sky blue warbler or two before they turn in for the night.”

Leonie shut up. For all she knew, there really was a sky blue warbler in the birdie books.

She turned to check on Butch, who appeared to view their surroundings with equanimity. He sat in lordly fashion on the narrow back seat without hanging his head out the window, and watched the scenery go by. The fact that his leash was fastened to one of the door handles seemed almost an insult.

The drive through the Ozark Mountains tried Leonie’s courage to the utmost, but even she had to admit the scenery was spectacular. Adam kept pointing out items of interest along the way, which told her he was thoroughly familiar with the route. The knowledge soothed her jittery nerves somewhat and calmed her jumping stomach.

He had called her “angel.” Her stomach lurched again, but not with fear. She watched the scenery to her right, carefully avoiding the spectacular view to her left, and wondered what he meant.

Probably nothing, she adjured herself, frowning, knowing not to try and make something out of nothing.

“I’m sorry.” Adam glanced at her. “I didn’t mean to really scare you.” The vehicle slowed perceptibly. “Well, maybe I did, but that’s no excuse. What is it about feminine fright that makes a man feel so manly?”

He sounded droll and genuinely penitent, and Leonie broke into laughter.

“I didn’t know I was exhibiting feminine fright.” She caught a movement in the side-view mirror and frowned. “That’s weird. There’s a car way behind us, and it’s trying to match our speed.”

“Is it a bronze sedan?”

Leonie felt a chill move over her skin. “As a matter of fact, it is.”

Adam said nothing, but from the way he peered into the rearview mirror, Leonie knew he was giving his full attention to the matter. It comforted her so much she knew she’d better find a way to avoid Adam Silverthorne in the near future.

“They seem to have either dropped back, or disappeared,” Adam observed at last. “Maybe they turned off on a side road.”

“What side road? We’re in the mountains, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Let’s try an experiment,” he suggested, narrowing his eyes on the road ahead. “We’ll pull over around this bend and see if they pass us.”