Undercover Fiancee
“Good. So I’ll leave you to deal with him.” There was a slight pause. “It isn’t often that a PI and her client have already made a connection which is so vital in our business. Because the ice has already been broken, so to speak, let it work for you, Annabelle.”
She nodded. In Rand’s case it was more like an iceberg that had been split apart by nature’s force. What you saw jutting above the surface of the water was pure camouflage for the huge mass of indecipherables below.
Praying she could carry this off so he would never know what his unexpected entry into her life had done to her, she walked back to Roman’s office where Rand lounged indolently in a chair, waiting...
She refused to look him in the eye. “Roman has asked me to take your case and I’ve agreed. Leave a number with the receptionist where you can be reached. Before the day is out, I’ll make contact with you. Goodbye.”
On that succinct note she hurried to the back room, pulled her cropped jacket from the rack and slipped it on over the fluid jersey top, both in a claret color. It was a good thing she didn’t pause for a bagel from the kitchen on her way out. Even if she had wanted one, three of the PI’s had already shown up for work and the food was fast disappearing.
The guys tried to get her to hang around and talk to them, but she told them she was working on a new case. Her best strategies for cracking one usually came when she went for a long ride on the old BMW. She had inherited the motorcycle from her dad. He’d died of a heart attack four years ago last January.
Annabelle had never known her mother, she had passed away following complications in childbirth. Her dad had chosen not to remarry. It had been the two of them all the way. Many was the time they’d ridden in tandem. She felt close to him whenever she got on it, like they were still a team, like he was whispering ideas to her, watching out for her.
It was Spring now. She always started to feel a little better by then. But come September and the blues attacked. By December she was in a dark funk. She couldn’t tolerate the blackness of January.
That’s when she went on vacation. She saved up all the time coming to her, then flew to Florida with Janet who was a bankruptcy attorney. The two of them lay out on a beach while they took turns reading books to each other.
This last January had been different. The loss of Rand had made it the bleakest, loneliest period of her life. She hadn’t been able to get interested in anything, least of all reading. Being on a trip only reminded her of things she wanted to forget. Even Janet proclaimed it a miserable failure and they’d gone home early.
Now, unbelievably, he was back in her life.
She headed into the towering Wasatch mountains east of Salt Lake. Snow still covered their peaks. Halfway up Parley’s canyon she happened to look in her sideview mirrors and saw that a motorcyclist was gaining on her. All in black, he looked big and dangerous.
Lots of cyclists tended to ride in packs, enjoying the camaraderie. But without her dad around, Annabelle preferred to be left alone. She couldn’t believe it when he sped up and pulled alongside her on the inside lane, adjusting his speed to match hers.
The Lamb’s canyon turnoff was coming up. She looked through her mirrors once more to make sure the light traffic was far enough away, then she headed for the side road.
Ten seconds later she saw that the dark stranger was still following her. Surprised at his aggression, she slowed down to negotiate a turn, then came to a stop and steadied her cycle with her shoe.
Still he rode closer.
When he was a yard away from her, he stopped and lifted his goggles. Only one man she knew had eyes that blue. She had to be hallucinating again. Since when did he ride a motorcycle?
“Rand—None of your stockholders would recognize you in that gear. I told you I would call you later.”
His mouth quirked. “I know that, but I felt like a breath of fresh air myself. When I saw you head for the mountains, I couldn’t resist joining you. Do you mind?”
He sat back on his bike and folded his arms. While he spoke, his eyes darkened with an intensity that she’d once come to recognize as desire.
Annabelle trembled. “That’s rather a moot point since you’re already here.”
She felt his gaze studying her features. “I’ve hired myself a crack PI and think the time could be more profitably spent by discussing the case over a late lunch.”
Actually, he was right. There was little point in running away from the inevitable. “Do you feel like a hamburger? I was planning to buy one when I reached Park City.”
His smile melted her bones. “Anything would taste better than falafel.”
“Isn’t that vegetarian?”
He nodded. “A woman I used to date was a vegan.”
Her body quickened. “Since you used the past tense, I assume she’s not the one mentioned in the Today’s Fortune article.”
He eyed her intently. “So you did read it. What did you think of the write-up?”
“The reporter did an excellent job of covering the facts.”
“Except for the part about there being a Mrs. Dunbarton in my near future.”
“Really.” Her heart was pounding so hard she feared he could hear it.
“That’s right. As for the vegetarian, her eating habits were not the reason we stopped seeing each other.”
“I see.”
She didn’t see at all. In fact the mention of any other women pierced her to the quick.
“Aren’t you going to ask me why?”
“It’s not something I need to know to help solve your case.”
“But you’re dying of curiosity.”
“What makes you say that?”
His eyes held a dangerous gleam. “Because you’ve been sending out vibes so strong, I could feel them through the walls of Roman Lufka’s office. Admit you’re glad to see me again.”
Her mouth had gone too dry to say anything else and he knew it.
“At this juncture I think it’s important we start off with a clear understanding of certain fundamentals since we’re going to be working closely together from here on our.”
Her hands gripped the handlebars tightly. “Your love life is not relevant to our business.”
“I disagree. Since we’re going to have to come up with a strategy to catch this hacker, I wanted you to know that I’m available on a twenty-four-hour basis. My sources tell me that you’re not seriously involved with another man at the moment, either, which means you can devote your full time to my case. As I see it, with both of us unattached, it makes things less complicated all the way around.”
Annabelle couldn’t take much more of this. “I don’t know about you but I’m hungry. If by any chance we get separated on the mountain pass, I’ll meet you at Madson’s Dairy Freeze at the south end of Park City.”
“Have no worry. I’ll find you.”
Her eyes closed tightly as those words resonated in her heart.
CHAPTER TWO
THEY were the same words he’d said to her at the close of the bomb scare investigation she’d headed on the first day they’d met in Phoenix.
When she’d finished filling out the incident report, she’d told Mr. Dunbarton to call into the police station if he had any more concerns. Someone would know where she was.
As she had started to leave his office he’d said in a deep, rich voice, “Have no worry. I’ll find you.”
The very next day, as she was getting ready to go off shift, Paco, one of her colleagues said, “Annie? There’s someone waiting for you out by the Sarge’s desk. I didn’t know you had a hot date tonight.”
She couldn’t imagine what he was talking about. There hadn’t been an important man in her life either before or after her move to Phoenix to join the police department. Though some of the officers were attractive, they didn’t count because of the department’s rule about “no dating among the staff.”
Actually she had to take that back. Yesterday, while she was on a bomb scare case, she had met one man not in uniform.
He was the kind of male you knew existed, but for an act of nature, you would never meet except in your dreams.
Just the thought of him did strange things to her heart. She didn’t like the feeling and had tried hard not to think about him. To her chagrin he refused to go away. It meant she hadn’t tried hard enough.
“I don’t have a date. I’m going bowling with you and the guys.”
“That’s good because I have big plans for us after I allow you to win.” Paco was very dashing with his dark eyes and mustache, and he knew it.
“Forget them, Romeo. Two games and I’ll be ready for a shower and bed.”
“My idea exactly.”
She grinned. “It’s never going to happen. I’ll get my bowling bag and meet you guys in the parking lot.”
“We’ll give you five minutes to get rid of whoever.”
She made a detour to the lockers, then hurried out to the front desk with her bag to see who had been asking for her. As she rounded the corner and caught sight of the man responsible for last night’s lack of sleep, her legs came to a standstill. She honestly couldn’t make them move because they were shaking so hard.
Yesterday he’d been wearing an expensive-looking gray business suit and tie. Tonight he was informally dressed in a black silk shirt and tan chinos. It didn’t matter what he wore. He had the rugged features and powerful build of an athlete who played contact sports, like football or ice hockey.
No one seeing him would dream he was the head of the nationally reputed Dunbarton Electronics Corporation. His mind fascinated her. His body excited her. In more ways than one, he was larger than life.
He started walking toward her. “Is that a bowling ball in there?” His blue eyes danced between lashes as black as his curly hair.
“Yes.” The ability to talk had left her.
“Did you have to have it custom made?”
“No.” She was losing the battle not to smile.
“I didn’t know they came that small. It makes me wonder if I could even get my pinkie in the holes.”
“Probably not,” she chuckled. He had large hands, just like the rest of him. Because of her diminutive size, her mouth went dry just thinking about the rest of him. “How can I help you, Mr. Dunbarton? Do you have a lead on the person who called in that bomb threat?”
“No. I doubt I’ll ever know who it was.”
She doubted it, too. “Then I don’t understand why you’re here.”
“I found out you’re off duty now, and hoped we could go to a movie together. That is, if you don’t have other plans.” His gaze wandered to the bag she was clutching.
Annabelle stared up at him in shock. To her mind, the Rand Dunbartons of the world traveled in exclusive circles with exclusive kinds of women who didn’t have to work for a living.
As far as going to a film, the mere idea of sitting next to his big, solid frame in the dark had already started to constrict her breathing. A movie theater provided a certain atmosphere of intimacy that would be dangerous.
Surely he was joking. He might not be sporting a wedding band, but a man like him would never be without a gorgeous, ultrafeminine creature in tow. At five foot two with short curly hair and wearing a police officer’s uniform, Annabelle hardly qualified.
“Actually I’ve already made plans to go bowling with the guys, but thank you anyway.”
“Maybe I could bowl with all of you, then you could accompany me. It’s a new film just released called The Cop. I’d rather see it with the bona fide article like yourself. That way you can tell me what’s wrong with the film, how outrageous and impossible it is.”
By now her heart had slammed into her ribs. He was the one who was outrageous and impossible. I want to go with him more than anything I’ve ever wanted to do in my whole life.
“I’m sure the guys won’t like me tagging along,” he murmured, “but since it’s a group date, I can’t see a problem with adding one more. Unless you’re not at all interested in spending off-duty time with me.”
“Annie? Are you coming or not?”
She had no idea how long Paco had been standing there eavesdropping. His scowl was meant to intimidate, but it seemed to have the opposite effect on the man waiting for her answer.
“Ms. Forrester was just making up her mind.”
Paco’s black eyes flashed impatiently before he looked at Annabelle. “Everyone’s outside ready to take off.”
I should go with you guys. I know I should.
“Maybe you’d better go without me, Paco.”
After a pause, “All right. See you tomorrow.” He wheeled away from them and disappeared around the corner of the hallway.
“He has too short a fuse to be a police officer.”
“He’s one of the best!” she defended, furious with herself for not listening to the little voice inside telling her to end this now, before she got in over her head.
“My car’s right out front. We can go to the movie, then I’ll bring you straight back here.”
Annabelle was tempted. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t already been introduced. She’d spent all of yesterday afternoon with him looking for a bomb that didn’t exist. It had been her job to take down the background information on him as part of the paperwork. Everything she’d learned proved him to be an upstanding citizen and member of the community.
How could it hurt to go to one little movie with him before they went their separate ways for the rest of their lives?
Surely she could handle two hours while she pretended she wasn’t affected by everything he said and did, the way he moved and breathed. In the dark she could watch him out of the corner of her eye while he watched the movie. Just anticipating that pleasure made her insides melt.
“I’ve never had a date with a woman who could protect me before. It will be a novel experience.”
So that’s why he’d asked her out. His life experiences hadn’t paired him with a policewoman yet. Curiosity, not attraction, had brought him to the police station.
If it came down to who could protect whom, even with the moves she’d learned and a weapon in hand, she would place her bets on him any time of the day or night.
“A cop movie sounds like a good way to unwind. I can enjoy the chase without doing any of the work. Let me put my bag away and I’ll meet you out front. What kind of a car do you drive?”
She noted a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. For no particular reason it made her nervous, which was ridiculous. After all, she wouldn’t have liked it if he hadn’t been pleased she’d accepted his invitation. Face it, Annabelle. You’re hooked.
“A dark blue BMW sedan.”
What else? “I’ll be right out.”
It had only taken her a minute to stash her bag before she joined him. Because she was so used to doing everything herself even though she worked with a partner on duty, it felt nice to be treated like a woman for a little while. He opened and closed doors for her, cupped her elbow to usher her into the theater. If only her body would stop reacting to the contact.
No doubt they made an interesting sight. A big, gorgeous man escorting a little woman still dressed in uniform. While they stood in line for their tickets she noticed a lot of females staring at Rand, then more enviously at her. Annabelle would have done the same thing if she hadn’t been his date. He was really something to look at.
The film turned out to be a cliffhanger. In fact it was so good she forgot he’d brought her along to help him pick it apart afterward. Oddly enough, he didn’t appear to be nearly as involved. To her surprise, during several shoot-out scenes he dropped comments about hoping she didn’t expose herself to those kinds of dangers. At one point she heard him say that he couldn’t imagine her making police work a lifetime career.
His reaction was typical of most men when they found out what she did for a living. The women on the force had to get used to those kinds of asides to survive in a male dominated profession. She didn’t really take Rand’s comments seriously. At the time she’d thought he’d been teasing her. That had been her first mistake.
“Do you go off duty at the same time tomorrow night?” Quiet had reigned in the car until he’d pulled up next to her compact car in the station’s parking lot.
Her heart thundered out of control. “Yes.”
“Good. We’ll get a bite to eat and go bowling.”
She’d been so terrified of never seeing him again, it took her a minute to realize he wasn’t prepared to walk away yet, either.
“Have you ever been bowling?” She hated it when her voice shook like that.
“Not in years. But it doesn’t matter. I’d just as soon watch you. In fact, I’d ask you to breakfast, lunch and dinner tomorrow if I thought it were possible. When’s your next day off?”
By now her whole body was shaking, not just her voice. “Monday. But I have things I have to do.”
“So do I. We’ll do them together. I promise not to touch you until you tell me I can. I’m letting you set the pace.”
Annabelle knew exactly what he was talking about. She knew that he knew how much she wanted to touch him, to be touched by him. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. It was a revelation. Unfortunately her desire to be with him above all else had blinded her to certain unassailable truths.
He’d been deadly serious when he’d expressed his opinion about the dangers of her work and the hope that she would eventually give it up. Six weeks later, after they’d spent every conceivable moment together, he’d proposed.
When he’d put the diamond ring on her finger, he’d let her know that he expected her to have resigned from the police force by the time they were married. “I want a full-time wife, sweetheart.”
Aghast that he’d actually made such a stipulation, she spent the next week explaining what her job meant to her, how happy it made her. Why would she give it up? He had his work and loved it. Couldn’t they both do what they wanted and enjoy their marriage, too?
The more she tried to reason with him, the quieter he grew. Their relationship underwent a drastic change. At one point they agreed that dinner was a mistake and he’d driven her home without taking her in his arms.
Devastated by his reaction and desperate to get back what they’d shared, she went over to his condo that night, unannounced, offering a compromise. She would talk to the captain about working part-time.
“No,” was all Rand said, his face hardened by lines. “Don’t you understand? I don’t care if you only worked one hour a week. In that length of time you could be hurt or killed. Police work isn’t like anything else. If you loved me,” his voice grated, “you wouldn’t want to put me through torture every time you left our bed to report to your job.”
“If you loved me you’d accept it... I love what I do, Rand.”
“More than me?” he almost shouted, his eyes dark slits from the strength of turbulent emotions.
“Can’t I love both?”
“Of course. But you don’t offer me the same choice,” he bit out. “When you leave the house in the morning, there’s every chance that by the end of the day, you’ll have been shot by some lunatic. Should that happen, and statistics have proven that it will, who’s going to be in our bed to comfort me at night after a hard day’s work?”
“Don’t you have any faith in me at all?” she cried out. “I’m good at what I do.”
“You think I don’t know that?” His hands had formed fists. “But the percentages work against you no matter how expert you are, no matter how well trained.”
Her chest heaved. “Is that your final word on the subject?”
“It is.”
“Then this is mine!”
Her pain combined with the adrenaline rushing through her body, caused her to tear the ring from her finger and throw it at him.
White-faced he’d said in a forbidding voice, “If you walk out that door on me, Annabelle, I won’t come after you and beg you to come back.”
“Did I ask you to?” she flung at him before she fled his condo in agony.
Within the week she’d thrown out every reminder of Rand. After resigning from her job, she’d made arrangements to move back to Salt Lake.
The only thing she couldn’t bring herself to part with was her mother’s wedding dress, the one Annabelle had planned to wear when she took her vows with Rand. Just a few days earlier Janet had gone to Annabelle’s house in Salt Lake and had sent the dress Express Mail.
With tears streaming down her cheeks, she’d packed it in the wardrobe part of her suitcase to take back home with her. It would remain a memento of her mother’s, nothing else.
When Annabelle finally boarded the plane, she felt shattered and broken. Her world had exploded and nothing would ever be the same again.
Rand stayed where he was, preferring to watch the expert way she handled the cycle in spite of her small size. It had been a long time since he’d been able to feast his eyes on her alluring body.
A pocket Venus. That’s what he’d thought of her the first time he’d met her dressed in a police officer’s uniform. Everything was there in exquisite abundance, in all the right places. Just sort of in miniature. Amazing.
In her boots she stood about as high as his heart. Her heavily lashed eyes glowed a greenish-yellow color like those of a calico cat. She possessed a generous mouth and a cap of curly auburn curls he had to resist tousling. Her small hands fascinated him. Hell. Everything about her fascinated him.
She’d been part of the bomb squad which had arrived on the scene after Roman’s private secretary had received a bomb threat. In surprisingly short order Annabelle had determined the scare to be a hoax.
Adorable beyond belief, he discovered her intelligence and humor to be as intriguing as her looks. He’d never met a woman like her. She had a mind of her own and could have cared less about his money. Her advent into his world changed his life.
An elusive creature, he started out right away to pursue her in earnest. During the chase scene at the first movie they’d gone to together, he’d fallen in love with her and had never recovered.
Much as he might want to catch up with her now and give her a run for her money on his newly purchased Kawasaki, he decided that would be pushing it. Better to give her five minutes of lead rope before he slowly tightened the noose.
There was no doubt in his mind that he was definitely going to tighten the noose.
Twelve months ago, when she’d thrown the engagement ring in his face and walked out on him, his pride couldn’t take it. He’d told himself he was better off without a woman who didn’t need him or anything he had to offer.
She could stay married to her career as a policewoman and go to an early grave with nothing to show for it but a bullet in her back. He’d convinced himself that he didn’t care what she did.
For the last year he had immersed himself in work, expanding his company with a speed his board of directors could scarcely handle. Staying hellishly busy staved off the pain. Until he’d left for Salt Lake, Caroline had been there to provide a feminine distraction.
But now he realized she had been a mistake. He should never have gone out with her in the first place. Six months after his breakup with Annabelle, they’d met at a mutual friend’s pool party. She’d made it clear she’d like to see more of him. Though he found her attractive and interesting, he told her up front that he didn’t believe in love and had no intention of getting serious with any woman.
She immediately assured him that she wasn’t looking for commitment, only companionship. She, too, preferred an open-ended relationship. Both of them could go and come as they pleased, date other people at any time, no questions asked.
He’d taken her at a word and they’d started seeing each other casually.
But when he called Caroline from his Phoenix office and told her he was leaving for Salt Lake on business for an indefinite period, she’d treated him to the emotional side of her nature.
In a tearful outburst she admitted she was in love with him. Then she accused him of not loving her the way she loved him or he would have asked her to go to Salt Lake with him.