Kingsley Baby Trilogy: The Hero's Son\The Brother's Wife\The Long-Lost Heir (67 page)

His expression remained stoic, but I felt the same stir of exhilaration and trepidation that I'd experienced upon our first meeting. I suspected I would always find myself a little disconcerted in his company. The power of his charisma could be overwhelming, and yet his manner remained formal and reserved. He was a beguiling puzzle, my Devlin. An enigma to his very core.

“It's not a waste if it puts your mind at ease,” he said, lightly kissing my forehead. He disappeared into the kitchen and I heard the back door close behind him. A moment later, he was in the garden, the beam of his flashlight outing tree trunks and exposing dark corners. Moonlight glinted in the new silver at his temples—a souvenir from his near-death experience—and bathed his face and shoulders in an ethereal glow.

My breath quickened as I watched him in the garden. Without ghosts feeding on his energy, he'd lost that gaunt, desolate look. His eyes were no longer sunken, his cheeks no longer hollow, but regardless of his physical well-being, he would always be tormented by memories. There would always be an empty space inside his heart that I could never fill.

He lingered in the garden, his shoulders rigid as he lifted his face to the moon before turning—with a shudder, I could have sworn—back to the house.

“All clear,” he said as he came into my office. “Nothing to worry about.”

I let out a breath. “Thank you for checking. I'm glad you're here tonight.”

“I'm glad, too.” He moved back to the windows and we stood gazing out into the moonlit garden where the early yarrow gleamed like silver. Garlands of wild roses cascaded down from the tree branches, adding a touch of old-world romance to the night as nothing else ever could.

Devlin slipped his arms around my waist, pulling me against him once more. “I've missed you so,” he murmured against my ear. “I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately.”

I dropped my head against his shoulder and turned my face up to his, scouring his profile in the dark. Marveling yet again that after all this time, after all we'd been through, he could remain so unknown to me. A stranger still in so many ways.

“You've nothing to apologize for,” I said. “Your job is important.”

“This case…” Dread crept into his voice. “It's a bad one.”

“You've still no leads?”

“Nothing substantial. It's as if that little girl vanished into thin air.”

“But she didn't.” I flicked my gaze back to the garden. “She's out there somewhere, and if anyone can find her, it's you.”

There was a heartbreaking silence, a grim moment of reflection before he said in resignation, “I hope you're right.”

“That child is your priority right now and I wouldn't have it any other way. When all of this is over, we'll have our time.”

But would we?

With Devlin's arms so tightly around me, I didn't want to think about the past or the future. The only certainty we could ever have was in the moment. It was a lesson I'd learned the hard way.

But even when he kissed me, I couldn't shake the feeling of doom that had been building for weeks. Even as I clung to him, I couldn't help glancing over my shoulder to scour the shadows.

Something bad was headed our way. Something from the other side was coming to tear us apart.

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ISBN-13: 9781460336144

THE KINGSLEY FAMILY TRILOGY

Copyright © 2014 Harlequin Books S.A.

The publisher acknowledges the copyright holders of the individual works as follows:

The Hero's Son

Copyright © 1998 by Marilyn Medlock Amann

The Brother's Wife

Copyright © 1998 by Marilyn Medlock Amann

The Long-Lost Heir

Copyright © 1998 by Marilyn Medlock Amann

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