Wanted: Bodyguard Read online

  He walked down the hallway toward the kitchen, where the light was still on, and found her seated at the table working on her jewelry. She didn’t appear to notice his presence as she worked with a soldering iron.

  He remained in the doorway, taking the opportunity to study her. She was pretty in an unassuming way. If she wore makeup it was subtle, not screaming like many of the women that he usually dated wore. She had a slamming figure, full breasts and a tiny waist and shapely hips that could definitely turn a man’s head.

  “Is there something you need, Agent Kincaid?” she asked, not taking her gaze off her work.

  “The first thing I need is for you to call me Riley,” he replied and walked over to the table. “Calling me Agent Kincaid could ruin this entire operation.”

  He sat in the chair across from her and looked at the items she had strewn across the top of the table. Pieces of metal and semiprecious stones battled for space with tiny tools, spools of wire and velvet boxes displaying finished products.

  “You do nice work,” he said as he looked at the necklaces and bracelets she’d completed.

  She set the soldering iron down and finally looked at him. “Thanks. I enjoy it.”

  “What are you working on now?”

  “A necklace that will be part of my winter collection.”

  He wanted to keep the conversation flowing, not only enjoying the sound of her voice but also the momentary respite from the tension. “What’s the difference between a winter collection and a summer collection?”

  She leaned back in her chair and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Mostly color. My summer collection is filled with bold, chunky, brightly colored jewelry, and the winter one has the more traditional colors. There’s a big show here in town in two weeks and I want to make sure I have plenty of pieces to sell.”

  “You make a living at this?”

  “I do okay, although I’m certainly not getting rich,” she replied. “Most women can’t resist a beautiful piece of jewelry at an affordable price. I’m steadily building up a clientele that’s respectable. My goal over the next couple of years is to get my jewelry into some of the upscale stores not only here in town but around the country.”

  “You sell it on the Internet?”

  She nodded. “Right now most of my sales come in through my Web page, Designs by Lana. Speaking of jobs, as my husband, what exactly is it that you do?” She unplugged the soldering iron and leaned back in her chair once again.

  He liked that she had a directness to her gaze, that there was nothing flirtatious or simpering about her. “I’m an investment broker. I do most of my work at home.”

  “Where’s all your furniture and personal belongings?”

  It was apparent that she was thinking, working all the elements of their subterfuge around in her head. He couldn’t help but admire the intelligence that shone from her eyes.

  “Right now it’s all in storage,” he replied. “I couldn’t wait to get out here to be with my bride, so I stored everything and decided that once I got out here I’d figure out what to do with my stuff.”

  “Where exactly did we get married? We need de tails if we’re going to make it sound real.”

  “You’re right,” he agreed. “We got married by Elvis at one of those little white chapels.”

  She shook her head vehemently. “No way. I’m not the type and all of my friends would find that odd.

  A little white chapel is fine, but Elvis, as much as I loved his music, is definitely out.”

  For the next few minutes they discussed their wed ding, deciding the name of the preacher and making up those little details that would make their story ring true.

  Twice he made her laugh with his silly suggestions, and he was stunned by how much he liked the sound of her laughter. It did amazing things to her face, lighting her eyes and making the freckles dance across the bridge of her nose.

  “It must be tough being a single parent,” he said when they’d sobered and felt as if they’d solidified their story.

  She shrugged and began to pack her jewelry items into the drawers of a large tote on wheels. “Sometimes it’s rough,” she replied. “Being alone is the worst part, but I imagine you don’t have to worry about that much.” She cast him a sly, knowing gaze.

  “When I want company, I can usually find it.” It wasn’t a boast; it was merely a statement of fact.

  “Finding company is different than finding some body to share things with,” she countered.

  “I gather from that statement that you don’t intend to be alone forever, that you will probably eventually remarry?”

  “I would be open to the possibility. There were a lot of things about being married that I loved.” She glanced down at the table but not before he saw a whispered pain darken her blue eyes.

  An uncharacteristic softness swept through him. He knew what it was like to grieve, to miss somebody so badly you almost lost the will to live. “You got a bad deal,” he said gruffly.

  She looked at him once again and this time there was a steely strength shining from her eyes. “I’m not the only woman in the world to lose a husband. Bad stuff happens and you just have to deal with it. What about you, Riley? Ever been married?”

  “Nope, and I have no interest in getting married. Footloose and fancy-free, that’s the way I like my life.”

  “Sounds lonely to me.”

  He grinned. “Trust me, I’m never lonely.”

  “It’s a good thing this marriage is just pretend, otherwise I have a feeling we wouldn’t last together a month.”

  “A two-week marriage, that I can probably handle,” he replied.

  “I wouldn’t want you to strain yourself with anything more lasting.” She got up from the table. “And now it’s time for me to say good night. Fresh towels are in the bathroom closet along with anything else you might need.”

  He stood as well. “No good-night kiss from my bride?”

  “In your dreams,” she replied with a wry grin. “Good night, Riley.”

  He watched as she left the room and then he walked over to the kitchen window and peered outside to the house next door.

  It was dark and silent, as if Greg had already turned in for the night. All the FBI agents had assured Lana that there was no danger to her, but Riley knew that no operation was without danger.

  Certainly he couldn’t foresee what Greg’s reaction might be if he discovered Lana was working with them to put the man on death row, but he had a feeling it wouldn’t be a positive thing.

  He sighed and turned away from the window, his thoughts returning to the woman whose life he’d interrupted.

  He’d been relieved to realize she had a sense of humor. That would certainly make things easier for both of them. And he was surprised to realize that he liked her.

  Not that it mattered. Even though he was flirting with her, he wouldn’t lose sight of the fact that he had a job to do here and that his time with her was strictly temporary.

  Stifling a yawn, he turned out the kitchen lights and headed for the guest room. Haley’s door was open and on impulse he stopped in her doorway and gazed at her.

  He didn’t want a wife and he certainly had never considered having a family, but he had to admit that Haley was one of the cutest kids he’d ever seen.

  He left her doorway and glanced down the hall to Lana’s door. He’d only guessed that she occasionally wore an old shirt of her dead husband’s to bed. He’d heard somewhere about widows doing things like that. On the nights she didn’t wear that to bed he guessed she was probably a nightshirt or pajama kind of woman.

  He frowned, wondering what in the hell he was doing even speculating on what she wore to bed. He went into the guest room, and after checking the cameras to make sure everything was on autopilot, he shucked his clothes and got into bed.

  His day had begun at the crack of dawn with a meeting in the field office to get this all set up. Now, even though it was just after ten, he was exhaust
ed. He knew that part of it was because his body was still healing from the bullet that had slammed into his shoulder three months ago.

  He’d grab a couple of hours of sleep, knowing that the agents in the neighborhood would cover Greg’s house. He rubbed his aching shoulder as he tried to get comfortable in the unfamiliar bed.

  Who knew that the creep he’d gone to interview would suddenly pull a gun and start firing? If it hadn’t been for the quick thinking of Agent Morrel, Riley wouldn’t be alive.

  Fortunately, the near-death experience hadn’t changed his views on life or love. He hadn’t had a sudden epiphany that made him want to jump into a relationship or make babies to ensure the survival of his lineage.

  He closed his eyes and almost immediately fell asleep and began to dream and in his dream, he was back in that place and time where the nightmare resided and horror called to him.

  He watched himself enter the house and immediately smell something odd, something underneath the faint scent of baked cookies. The unusual smell caused his stomach muscles to knot. Bad. He knew something bad had happened. He called out to her, and when she didn’t answer the anxiety inside him grew stronger.

  Even when he saw the bloody handprint on the wall next to the kitchen it didn’t make sense, and he had no warning of what he was about to experience.

  He walked into the kitchen and the first thing that struck him was the blood. It was everywhere. Splashed on the walls, streaked across the floor. His brain began to scream at that moment.

  He found her on the other side of the kitchen island, sprawled on her back on the floor, her eyes staring unseeing and a knife protruding from her stomach. It was only then that the scream that had been trapped inside him released.

  “Riley! Wake up!”

  He jerked awake and winced against the hall light that spilled into the room.

  Lana stood next to his bed. “You were having a nightmare.”

  He sat up as embarrassment washed over him. “Sorry.”

  “No need to be sorry. You just scared me. You were yelling.”

  He raked a hand through his hair and glanced at the clock. It was almost midnight. “Did I wake up Haley?”

  “No. Thankfully, she sleeps like a log.”

  As his eyes adjusted to the light in the room, he got his first good look at her. A pleasant surprise coupled with a faint heat filled him as he saw that contrary to his initial speculation she didn’t wear pajamas to bed but rather wore a sexy black silk nightgown that skimmed her lush curves.

  She must have seen something in his eyes that made her uncomfortable, for she backed away from his bed and to the doorway. “Good night,” she said, and then fled from his view.

  A moment later the hall light went out. Knowing that sleep would be difficult to achieve immediately, he got out of bed and walked to the window. He checked the cameras to make sure everything was working properly and then stared out at the darkened house next door, but his thoughts weren’t on Greg Cary. Rather, he was thinking about Lana in her hot black nightgown.

  Contrary to the impression he had given her, he hadn’t been with any woman for a long time. Before the shooting he’d been working long hours, and after the shooting he’d discovered that most of the women he knew weren’t particularly interested in hanging out with an invalid.

  His initial impression had been that Lana was more than a little bit uptight, but that sexy nightgown had made him think there might be something more to her.

  He got back into bed and closed his eyes, willing away the vision of her. It would be the height of unprofessionalism for him to get involved in any way with her. More than that, it would be completely unfair to her.

  She’d already told him that she wanted to remarry, and he would never let anyone close enough for him to want that kind of a relationship.

  As he remembered the nightmare that had brought her into his room, a knot fisted tight in his chest. He might welcome her into his bed if given the chance, but there was no way in hell he would ever welcome any woman into his heart.

  Chapter Three

  “Surprise!”

  Lana stared in shock at the familiar woman who stood on her front porch. “Rachel. This is a surprise.” Her heart dropped to her feet as she eyed the large suitcase that set next to her sister’s feet.

  The past two days had been difficult enough with out her sister showing up unexpectedly on her door step. “Jason and I were on our way back from France and he was going directly to New York for a couple of business meetings, so I told him it was the perfect time for me to drop in and spend a couple of days with you. Oh!” Rachel’s eyes widened at the same time that Lana felt Riley’s presence behind her.

  “Hi,” he said. “I’m the new husband, Riley.”

  Rachel’s blue eyes widened even farther as she looked from Riley to Lana. “Uh, I’m the older sister, Rachel.”

  “Lana, why don’t you take your sister into the kitchen to do a little catch-up and I’ll take her suitcase into the guest room,” Riley said smoothly.

  Lana stared at her sister, then back at Riley, her mind struggling to figure out how this was all going to work.

  “Yes, Lana, let’s go into the kitchen. It appears we have a lot to catch up on.” Rachel linked her arm with Lana’s and pulled her toward the kitchen while Riley stepped out to grab the suitcase and then disappeared down the hallway.

  It wasn’t until Lana had poured her sister a glass of iced tea and they both sat at the table that Rachel began with her questions.

  “New husband? When did this happen? Where did you meet him? Why hadn’t you mentioned him before, and where is my niece?”

  “Haley is down for a nap,” Lana replied, deciding to answer the easiest question first. She knew that this would be the first big test for her.

  As much as she hated doing it, she had to convince her sister that her marriage to Riley was real. She’d figure out later how to smooth out all the lies she was about to tell.

  In two days’ time she would be introducing Riley to her neighbors at a backyard soiree she and Riley were throwing to announce her big news, but at the moment she had to get over this more personal hurdle.

  As she told Rachel their official story she tried not to worry about how this was all going to work. Having Rachel in the house over the next couple of days was definitely going to be a challenge.

  When she was finished telling Rachel how she and Riley had met, where they’d gotten married and how happy she was, Rachel leaned back in the chair and eyed her curiously.

  “There’s no question he’s one hot hunk of man, but this is so unlike you. It seems so impulsive. Internet dating? A Vegas wedding? That’s so not your style.”

  “It was crazy and impulsive,” Riley said from the doorway. “But getting married was also the right thing for us to do. We just couldn’t wait any longer to start our lives together.”

  He deserved an Academy Award. The look he gave to Lana was so filled with love and with a simmering passion that if she didn’t know any better she would have bought into it herself.

  “Sit down, Riley, and let me get to know you better,” Rachel said. “I need to assure myself that you’re a good fit for my sister and my niece.”

  “He’s a perfect fit,” Lana replied, and smiled at Riley. He walked behind her chair and gave her shoulder a little squeeze, then sat down next to her.

  For the next hour Rachel grilled Riley, asking what he did for a living, where his family was located and what his thoughts were on child rearing. She questioned him about his finances, his life goals, and Lana sat back and let him take the heat.

  Riley handled the inquisition like a pro, and it didn’t take long before Lana saw her sister’s reservations melting away beneath Riley’s charms.

  He told Rachel that he was an investment broker, that he’d grown up in Arizona and that he was an only child. He smiled and indicated that he feared he would be a soft touch as a parent, that already Haley had him wrapped around her litt
le finger.

  Lana had no idea how much of what he said was true, but if she didn’t know the real story she definitely would have believed everything he said. He was not only a sexy charmer but an amazing liar as well, she thought.

  With each lie he told, Lana felt worse and wished she could just tell her sister the truth about the situation. It just felt so wrong to lie to Rachel.

  By that time Haley was awake from her nap, and as Rachel played with her on the living room floor, Riley and Lana caught a minute alone in the kitchen.

  “I moved all my things into your bedroom,” he said in a hushed whisper. “And I also stored the camera equipment in the closet.”

  “What about your surveillance?” she asked worriedly.

  “I’ve already contacted agents McDonald and Morrel, and we’re going to just have to improvise until your sister leaves. They’ll keep Greg’s house covered until things settle back down here.”

  At that moment Rachel walked into the kitchen trailed by Haley. “Daddy!” Haley grinned at Riley and held her arms out for him to pick her up.

  Although Rachel didn’t seem to notice Riley’s hesitation, Lana did. He took the little girl and immediately deposited her on his shoulders as she laughed in delight.

  He might be a charmer, he might be hot as hell to look at, but he definitely didn’t have the makings of a family man, Lana thought. Not that she wanted him to be her family man.

  “Why don’t I run out and grab a couple of pizzas for dinner?” Riley suggested as Lana motioned for him to put Haley back down.

  “Please, don’t go to any trouble on my account,” Rachel protested.

  “It’s no trouble. I’ve got to pick up a few things anyway,” Riley replied.

  “And I’ll make a big salad to go with the pizza,” Lana said.

  “I love pizza,” Haley exclaimed.

  “I think I’ll go get settled in,” Rachel said. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to help you with that salad.”

  As Rachel left the room Lana felt some of the tension ease from her. Since the minute she’d opened the front door and seen Rachel on the stoop, nervous tension had stiffened her shoulders and twisted her stomach.