Friends and Lovers Trilogy 03 - Seduced (30 page)

“Bad advice,” said the cowboy, after commandeering the phone.

“What the hell did you give her?”

“Just something to keep her quiet. Time’s ticking, Spy Girl.” He signed off.

Sofia snatched up her purse and slid her phone inside. Her phone. The link to her sister’s kidnappers, Cavendish’s murderers. The link, the link.

She had an epiphany just as the door opened and Joe stepped inside. She dropped her purse on the bed behind her, heart and mind racing as they locked gazes.

“What’s wrong?”

She dug deep and affected calm. “Nothing.”

He angled his head, closed the space between them. “Nice try.” He smoothed his hands over her shoulders, down her arms. “You’re flushed. You’re upset. Talk to me, babe.”

Sweet Jesus, how she wanted to confide in him, but if she did, no way would he let her face the cowboys alone. She could hear him now.
Trust me
. In a blinding rush, she realized she did. She trusted Joe Bogart with her heart. She trusted him with her sister’s life.

But, she didn’t trust the cowboys.

“I was just … I was worried about you.” That, at least, was true.

He smiled and brushed his lips across her forehead. “Good to know you care.”

She more than cared. She eased back and framed his face in her hands, her course clear. He was going to be mad as hell, but she refused to risk his life anymore than Lulu’s. She pressed her lips to his and poured her heart and soul into a kiss that said
I love you
. A kiss that had him moaning and melting against her. A kiss that said
I’m sorry
as she utilized a pressure point and knocked him unconscious.

Rainbow Ridge, Vermont

B
y the time Jake got to the hospital, Afia was in an operating room.

“What took you so long?” she asked in a soft, raspy voice.

“I’m sorry, honey. Murphy and I were at a neighboring bed and breakfast putting the fear of God into Rudy’s
ghost
. My cell wasn’t receiving signal and …” He shook his head, laid a comforting hand to her furrowed brow. “It doesn’t matter. I’m here now.”

Exhausted from labor and groggy from pain medication, she looked up at him with teary eyes. “Is Jean-Pierre okay?”

“He’s fine. He and Rudy are pacing in the waiting room. They’d rather be in here. They send their love.”

She quirked a lopsided smile, then frowned. “What about Lulu?”

He didn’t flinch. “I’m sure she’s fine. Murphy’s on it.”

She didn’t know what to make of that. “They’re having a baby.”

“No honey, we’re having a baby.”

She lolled her head to the right. The anaesthetist winked. She looked back at Jake, acknowledged the flash of worry in his beautiful green eyes. “Don’t be scared. You can’t be scared, because I’m scared. One of us has to be brave. I pick you.”

He chuckled at that, a hoarse, nervous sound that warmed her heart.

“I went into pre-term labor. The baby kept pushing to get out, but my cervix wouldn’t dilate enough.” A tear slid down her temple. “He’s turned around and his heart rate dropped.”

“Shh. I know. The nurse explained. It’s all right, Afia. The baby’s breech. The doctor’s performing a caesarean section.”

She couldn’t see anything. Thanks to an epidural, she couldn’t feel anything aside from a strange pressure. “Does he look like he knows what he doing?” She heard amused chuckles from south of her waist. “No offense, doctor.”

“None taken,” she heard him say. “You’re doing fine, Mrs. Leeds. Almost there.”

Not that she didn’t believe him, but … “Can you see, Jake?”

He looked over the cloth barrier. “Yes, honey. I can see.”

His voice sounded gruff. She imagined what it must look like. The incision, the blood. A baby being pulled from her stomach. “You’re not going to faint, are you?”

“No, sweetheart. I’m watching a miracle. I’m good. Everything’s good. Right, Doc?”

“Everything’s great,” he said.

She felt more pressure, tugging, heard commotion, conversation. She closed her eyes and prayed, but something disturbed her mantra.

A baby’s cry. A croaky wail that shouted,
hello world!

The doctor and staff were offering congratulations when Jake turned back to her, tears shimmering in his eyes.

She swallowed hard. “Are those tears of joy?”

“Absolutely.”

“Does he have ten toes and ten fingers? Does he look healthy?”

“Looks like a fighter.” Jake leaned down and rested his forehead against hers. “And sweetheart, he’s a she. We just had a daughter.”

She smiled, sighed. “Rainbow. We have to call her Rainbow.”

“Uh.” He looked shell-shocked. “I thought we decided on Samantha.”

“
Please
.”

“Just because she was born in Rainbow Ridge?”

“No, because Rainbow represents hope. Oh! Maybe we should go with Hope.”

He caressed her cheek, his eyes twinkling with relief and affection. “Hope it is.”

Her heart soared when the nurse cleared her throat, and Afia caught the first glimpse of her little girl. “I knew this was going to be a spectacular day.”

“If anything happens to Afia or the baby, I’ll never forgive myself.”

Jean-Pierre watched as the man he loved wore a path in the waiting room carpet. “You, of all people, should know better than to toss negative thoughts into the universe, Bunny.”

“I’m having an off day. What can I say? First, some crazy person breaks your arm, then Afia goes into premature labor, and Lulu disappears. Then, I learn from Murphy that ‘Casper’ is really the team of Parker and Lewis, competing B&B owners hoping to ‘scare’ me into selling Hollyberry Inn cheap!” He snorted. “Haunted, my ass. I can’t believe I fell for that ghost crap.”

“First of all,” Jean-Pierre said, “although it is unfortunate that the baby saw fit to come early, I am optimistic all will be well. Jake is with Afia, and any moment he will plow through those double doors, announcing we are uncles. As for Lulu, Murphy is looking for her. He is most competent and most determined when it comes to
Chaton
. He
will
find her.” He glanced over at Rudy. “How am I doing so far with my pep talk?”

Thankfully, the sullen man’s lips twitched. “Not bad. What else have you got?”

“That part about Parker and Lewis, that is good news, no?” Jean-Pierre adjusted his sling, and fidgeted to get comfortable on what the hospital dared to call a couch. A bench with cushions was a more apt description. “The disappearing wine bottles. The faulty wiring and plumbing. All the mishaps that were making you crazy will now cease and desist. Jake and Murphy confronted those vandalizing jerks and told them you would press trespassing charges should they ever again set foot on your property.”

“Our property,” Rudy corrected.

Jean-Pierre smiled. “Murphy is certain there will be no more problems. Hollyberry Inn is not haunted.
We
can finish preparing and open the inn for business within a month.”

Rudy shot him a glance. “You mean you still want to live here knowing that we’re stuck with a couple of jerks for neighbors?”

“I can live next to a couple of jerks. I cannot live without you. You are here. Our new home and business is here. I am not going anywhere.” To think two days ago, he’d been relying on Valium and an analyst to ease his nerves. All he’d really needed was a heart-to-heart talk with Rudy and to get the hell out of Los Angeles. Since arriving in Rainbow Ridge his nerves had calmed significantly. He realized suddenly that Rudy had stopped pacing and was now staring down at him. “What?”

“I love you, Jean-Pierre.”

He blinked. Blinked again.

“Yeah, you heard me right. I should have told you months ago. But, I’m a little slow in the commitment area.” Rudy closed the space between them and got down on one knee.

His heart stuttered. “What are you doing?”

“What’s it look like? Although, damn, I don’t have … shit.” Rudy stroked a hand down his goatee, sighed. “Wait. Take off your thumb ring and give it to me.”

Jean-Pierre glanced around the waiting room. Two other families awaited news about a loved one’s birth, and yet the two gay guys were suddenly the center of attention.

“The longer I’m down here on bended knee, the more attention we’re going to attract. Give me your freaking ring.” He smiled. “Please.”

The knuckle to shoulder cast slowed his progress, or maybe it was his shaking hands, but he managed to twist off the ring and hand it to Rudy whose blue eyes twinkled with amused affection.

“Jean-Pierre Legrand, you light up my life. Sometimes you annoy me, and I know I sure as hell annoy you, but the good times outweigh the bad, and quite frankly I’m miserable when you’re not around. I love you. I want us to be together forever. I want to make it legal. Will you …?”

“
Oui
!”

Rudy eyebrows shot up. “I didn’t even finish …”

“
Oui
, I will marry you, Bunny.” Heart pounding, his leg started to bounce with nervous excitement. “This is the part where you put the ring on my finger.”

“But, I didn’t even …”

“Put the freaking ring on my finger.” He smiled. “Please.”

Rudy rolled his eyes and slid the ring back on Jean-Pierre’s thumb.

The surrounding audience broke into applause just as Jake plowed through the double doors with a wide-as-a-mile smile. “Congratulation, Uncles!”

Beaming, the two men stood and approached Jake. “Boy? Girl?”

“Girl. Her name’s Hope.”

“That is a beautiful name,
mon ami
.”

Jake jammed a hand through his spiky blond hair, chuckled. “At least it’s not Rainbow. Rainbow Leeds. Can you imagine?”

“How’s Afia?” Rudy asked.

“Thank God, Mamma and baby are doing well. Although, the doctor wants to keep them in the hospital for a few days. Not unusual with a preemie, so they tell me.” He wiped away a renegade tear. “You should have seen it, guys. The way they pulled Hope out of Afia’s belly. It was … I was so freaking scared and then … there she was. This tiny little baby. My
daughter
.”

“I cannot wait to see them,” Jean-Pierre said.

“You can stay with us as long as you like, Jake. You know that.” Rudy interlaced his fingers with Jean-Pierre’s. “Our home is your home.”

“Thanks, I … ” He licked his lips, narrowed his eyes. “What the hell just happened here? Why’s everybody smiling at you and why the hell were they applauding?”

Rudy blushed. “I just asked, well, I didn’t really ask, he didn’t let me finish, but …”

“We are getting, how do you say it?” Jean-Pierre smiled. “Hitched.”

Jake blinked. “No shit? Well, hell. Congratulations.” He processed a second, then threw his arms around both men and hugged them tight. “Wait till Afia hears. You just bumped her spectacular day up to stupendous.”

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

S
ofia stared at the digital picture on her cell phone and relived the worst night of her life for the umpteenth time as her plane rolled up to the gate. If she thought about it enough, stared at the graphic evidence enough, she’d desensitize herself to the horror. At least, that was the theory.

To think all this time she’d had the hard evidence to convince Joe, to condemn the cowboys. Her mind had twisted everything around, making her think she’d aimed and shot a gun, when she’d really aimed and shot a picture. She’d aimed and shot at the precise moment the cowboy had shot and killed Cavendish.

She rarely used the camera function, but her cell had been in her jacket pocket when she’d ventured out of the screening room in search of her host. On a whim, she’d plucked it out to snap a picture of that Picasso painting. She had no idea if it was an original, she doubted it, but it had struck her as unusual and she wanted to document the work so that she could research it later.

Then she’d heard voices.

“
Are you for real
?” she heard Cavendish ask. Then he laughed. “
Forget it
.”

She’d assumed he was joshing with a couple of actors. The guests he’d claimed he’d invited. She’d stepped around the corner to snap a candid shot. A memento of the weekend. Something they could all laugh about later.

Only, no one was laughing now.

The flight attendant jerked Sofia out of her thoughts as she instructed passengers not to forget whatever they’d stored in the overhead compartments. Swallowing hard, she snapped shut her phone and unfastened her safety belt. She wondered if the cowboys realized that she’d taken the grisly shot. Doubtful, as they’d noticed her
after
she’d screamed,
after
she’d taken the picture. A split second later she’d fled for her life. Would they really have made the connection in all that chaos?

Then again, the man who’d called her
had
instructed her to bring her cell along to Vermont. Maybe he wanted to make a trade. The phone for Lulu. Or, maybe it was simply because Lulu had her on speed dial and vice versa. Maybe he just wanted to be able to easily reach her with instructions on where to meet.