excerpted from

Love Nest

by Kate Carlisle

 

“Annabel? Can you hear me, sweetheart? That’s it, wake up. Open your eyes.”

“Oh, Lance, honey,” Annabel Blake whispered. “Not yet.”

“Okay, who the hell is Lance?”

Oops. Annabel struggled to open one sleep-swollen eye. “Alex?”

What was her brother doing in her bedroom? Where was Lance? Wait, she broke up with Lance last month, didn’t she? She tried to push herself up but immediately fell back on the bed.

“Easy there, champ,” Alex said.

“What are you doing here?” Annabel groaned. Every molecule and synapse in her body hurt. What in the world had she done last night? Not a good sign that she couldn’t recall a single thing about the evening.

Her groggy gaze moved around the dimly lighted room, taking in the white blinds, the utilitarian chair, the television hanging from the ceiling. Obviously, she wasn’t home in her own comfortably elegant bedroom. An uneasy shiver tingled down her spine.

“More importantly,” she continued, wincing as she peeked at Alex. “What am I doing here?”

“You don’t remember?”

Her head was pounding like a jackhammer but she was fairly certain it wasn’t from over-indulging. “Remember what?”

Alex pulled the chair over to the side of the hospital bed and took hold of her hand. “There was a robbery. You were…injured.”

She heard his hesitation and felt another chill cross her shoulders. “You’re leaving something out. What’s wrong? Why can’t I remember what happened? What am I—”

“Everything will be fine.” He flashed her his patented, patronizing, bigger-smarter-older-brother smile, the one that told her she was just a girl and didn’t need to worry her pretty little head over the details.

“Big jerk,” she grumbled, closing her eyes against the pain.

“That’s me,” Alex said. “Rest for a while, then we’ll talk some more.” He didn’t let go of her hand as she slipped back into sleep.

 

“No way,” Annabel said, grabbing the back of the hospital gown as she sat down on the faded naugahyde chair. Was there a nurse in charge of icing these chairs? The thing was freezing, and the drafty gown wasn’t helping. “You’re not shipping me away just because some--”

“Your neighbor heard the guy threaten to come back and kill you,” Alex said. “No way are you going back to that apartment. I want you out of town today.”

“Then I’ll go to a spa,” she declared. She’d been dreaming of luxurious massages after being stuck in this horrible hospital room for three long days. And oh boy, didn’t she sound exactly like the spoiled bitch some people thought she was, based solely on her last name and maybe a few silly pranks she’d pulled in high school. Anyway, the doctors and nurses here had been kind and solicitous and she was grateful for that. She just wanted out. More than that, she wished she could remember something about that night. If only—

“You said you wanted to get back to work,” Alex countered. “So I’ve got a job for you. Besides, there’s no way I’m paying for some giant Swede to rub you down for a month.”

“Well, when you put it like that, forget it.” It was bad enough that Alex considered himself her parent but he was also her boss and a pain in her—

“Cole MacKade needs an accountant,” Alex said. “He’s got a guesthouse and you can stay as long as you want. You’ll be safe. Out of town. That’s all I care about.”

“Out of the known universe is more like it,” she said, pounding the chair with her fist. Which hurt, by the way. She was so fed up with feeling achy and weak and damaged. “They probably don’t even have internet access in Springfield, Springtime—oh, what’s the name of that place?”

“Springdale.” He was pacing in front of her, never a good sign.

“Sounds like Beaver Cleaver country.” She could feel her lower lip moving into a pout and hated that she was sounding whiny. “Why do I have to leave San Francisco? There’s a party this Saturday and—” 

“Let me make this clear,” Alex said, stopping to glare at her. “Someone wants to kill you. You’re not going to any parties in the near future.”

She knew he was right but she wouldn’t be the sister he knew and loved if she didn’t give him a hard time. “I can see your point but—”

“This isn’t a game, Annabel.” He shook his head in exasperation. “I want you out of harm’s way, and Cole’s place is the perfect solution. It won’t be for long. The police have some leads and expect to find this creep soon. Then you can come home.”

“But what if—”

“Annabel.” Alex blew out a breath and stared at the wall. “I thought you were dead.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. Okay, now she was scared. She’d never seen her brother show an ounce of fear, but now she heard it in his voice and it frightened her more than anything else could’ve. “I’m sorry. I can’t remember anything about—”

“Oh, honey, don’t push it.” He knelt and wrapped his arms around her. “You’ll remember eventually. For now, I just need to know you’re safe. Please do this for me.”

She rested her head on her brother’s strong shoulder. Unfortunately, he had no clue what he was asking her to do. Alex had served with Cole MacKade in Afghanistan and Bosnia, and Cole’s exploits had reached legendary status through the stories Alex told in the long letters and photographs he’d sent home. Annabel still had a framed picture of her brother and Cole MacKade, sitting on a tank in their Marine uniforms, laughing for the camera.

Cole MacKade had the most beautiful smile and the sexiest eyes Annabel had ever seen, and she’d been in love with him for ten years. 

Now she was finally going to meet him.

 

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