Undercover Passion
Undercover Passion
Raye Morgan
Follow a handsome detective as he searches for the truth…and finds his soul mate.Detective Daniel O'Callahan didn't like mysteries, so when half the staff at Portland General was in love and kissing in the hallways, he smelled a rat. No sooner had he launched Operation: Aphrodisiac than pretty PR expert Abby Edwards had him wondering if the love bug was contagious. He wasn't in the market for a wife and he had to maintain his distance, especially since Abby might be the key to solving the case. But with her sweet smile and passionate kisses, Daniel knew he was in deep–and that sooner or later he'd have to choose between justice and the woman of his dreams….
“I think it’s time for you to kiss me again.”
He looked at her, a mixture of emotions flashing across his features. “Forget it, Abby. You don’t want to go kissing a guy like me. There’s no future in it.”
Future! “Guys like you are the only kind worth kissing,” she said lightly, hoping he didn’t detect her disappointment at his words. She refused to believe he didn’t feel any attraction toward her. After all, he did kiss her earlier that evening. Thinking of that made her breath come a little faster. No one had ever kissed her that way.
“Abby, you deserve a man who will treat you right. A man who can provide you with a future, someone you have things in common with.”
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe I do deserve some mythical paragon of excellence. But I don’t want that, Daniel.” She touched his cheek and smiled.
“I want you. Now, why don’t you just shut up and kiss me?”
And finally, that’s exactly what he did.
RAYE MORGAN
has been a nursery-school teacher, a travel agent, a clerk and a business editor, but her best job ever has been writing romances and fostering romance in her own family at the same time. Current score: two boys married, two more to go. Raye has published more than seventy romances, and claims to have many more waiting in the wings. She lives in Southern California with her husband and whichever son happens to be staying at home at that moment.
Undercover Passion
Raye Morgan
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Be a part of
Because birthright has its privileges and family ties run deep.
An undercover detective wants to find the reason for strange behavior in the hospital. Can he keep his mission secret as he falls for a woman closely involved in his work?
Daniel O’Callahan: While unraveling the mystery behind Dr. Richie, this detective investigated his attraction to the doctor’s PR representative, Abby Edwards. Her sparkling smile and sweet demeanor enchanted him and made his assignment even harder!
Abby Edwards: She’d never given much thought to mind-numbing romance because her career seemed more rewarding. But the thunderbolt hit her when she met Daniel and he made her dream of those once unreachable goals, such as family and love.
A Man Exposed
Once his past was revealed, Dr. Richie ran off to parts unknown. Could his long-lost wife’s forgiveness redeem this broken man?
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Because birthright has its privileges and family ties run deep.
AVAILABLE JUNE 2010
1.) To Love and Protect by Susan Mallery
2.) Secrets & Seductions by Pamela Toth
3.) Royal Affair by Laurie Paige
4.) For Love and Family by Victoria Pade
AVAILABLE JULY 2010
5.) The Bachelor by Marie Ferrarella
6.) A Precious Gift by Karen Rose Smith
7.) Child of Her Heart by Cheryl St. John
8.) Intimate Surrender by RaeAnne Thayne
AVAILABLE AUGUST 2010
9.) The Secret Heir by Gina Wilkins
10.) The Newlyweds by Elizabeth Bevarly
11.) Right by Her Side by Christie Ridgway
12.) The Homecoming by Anne Marie Winston
AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 2010
13.) The Greatest Risk by Cara Colter
14.) What a Man Needs by Patricia Thayer
15.) Undercover Passion by Raye Morgan
16.) Royal Seduction by Donna Clayton
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
One
D aniel O’Callahan had eyes as cold and clear as the emeralds they resembled. He also had the mind typical of a hard-headed detective and a natural instinct for trouble.
“There’s something fishy going on here,” he muttered to himself, giving his grandmother a hello kiss on the cheek as she lay back in her hospital bed. He turned to stare coolly at the cute little redheaded nurse giving him the eye from the doorway.
“Oh, no, dear,” his grandmother responded cheerfully. “That’s just the remnants of my tuna sandwich. It made a lovely lunch.”
“Right,” he said, not bothering to explain what he’d meant.
Instead, he took a few steps into the doorway and glanced up and down the corridor. Three pairs of eyes turned to stare at him from the nurses’ station. Giggling could be heard. Then, from the other direction, a low wolf whistle. He turned quickly but only caught the tail end of a candy striper’s skirt as she disappeared into another room. The giggling got louder.
He pulled back into the room, frowning. A tall man in top physical condition, with a steely gaze and a chiseled chin, Daniel was used to getting a reaction. Shifty characters tended to draw back into the shadows as he passed, hoping he wouldn’t notice them. Women pulled children a bit closer. Men stepped aside to give him room. When he spoke, others listened as though for instructions on what to do next. All that was routine—at least to Daniel.
But this was different. This was something out of step, unbalanced, completely whacked. He’d never caused women to peer at him and giggle before in his life. It wasn’t normal, and that, along with the weird behavior he’d noticed around the hospital lately since his elderly relative had checked in, needed investigating.
He was a cop, wasn’t he? It was high time he did his job—even if he was on temporary administrative leave from the department while he waited to be cleared of charges of theft during an arrest.
Daniel gazed down at his pretty little gray-haired grandmother, thinking the situation over.
“Listen, Gram, have you told anyone here what I do for a living?”
“That you’re a regular old gumshoe? No, I don’t think so.” Phoebe O’Callahan’s eyes brightened and she dropped into a loud whisper. “What’s up? Are you on a case? Can I help?”
Daniel gazed at the grandmother who had often been more mother to him than anything else and felt a bit of his tension melt away. You couldn’t look at Phoebe and not want to smile.
“Not a case exactly. But I’ve got something I want to look into and it might help if people didn’t know I was a police detective.”
“Oh, goodie.” She pulled herself up against the pillows, her blue eyes sparkling. “What can I do?”
Daniel sighed and half laughed. He took his grandmother’s blue-veined hand in his larger paw and looked at her lovingly. She’d had a very scary fall the day before and he’d brought her in for observation. The doctors had found some problems and since she’d had numerous problems that required hospitalization lately, including a major threat to her hip, she was staying indefinitely while they ran tests and gave her time to recuperate.
“Your job—should you choose to accept it—is to heal those bruises and get yourself well again. That’s what you should be concentrating on.”
“Oh, Danny, come on,” she fretted. “I want to help. Give me a hint. What’s this all about?”
Daniel shook his head. He loved his grandmother, but he was beginning to sense the parameters of a conundrum looming, and when he was working he didn’t usually brook much frivolity. The trouble was, a certain type of frivolity was exactly what seemed to be going on here.
To put it bluntly, the place seemed to have been infected by a love virus—and a pretty nasty one at that. Everywhere you looked, people were billing and cooing. It was pretty disturbing—enough to put you off romance for life.
Just that morning, when he’d dropped by to see how his grandmother had made it through the night, a very angular and heavily made-up occupational therapist had asked him with much batting of eyes if he’d like to share a doughnut she’d saved for him. The cute redheaded nurse had told him he was too handsome to be running around loose, and a tiny little volunteer had offered to give him a neck rub. Women didn’t do that to him. He wasn’t the type. It was just plain weird.
He’d been asking around, trying to find what had changed to bring on this wave of everyone acting like dopey survivors from a sixties love-in. No one admitted to knowing what he was talking about. But the one thing he did know was that a new center had been opened on the hospital campus. He’d been at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, just by accident. Called the Healthy Living Clinic, it seemed to be a fitness center and it was definitely the subject of most of the buzz he heard around the halls. Something told him there was a connection. It might be time to give the clinic a visit.
“Let’s just say I’ve got a professionally open mind,” he said to Phoebe. “But suspicion is lurking in the corners of it.”
Abby Edwards closed her eyes and took a very deep breath. She had to get hold of herself. This was no time to panic. Just because she’d locked herself in the supply closet on the first full day in her new office at the Healthy Living Clinic didn’t mean she was going to prove to the world what a dunderheaded incompetent she was.
“It could have happened to anyone,” she murmured gloomily, trying to convince herself. “Anyone at all.”
Anyone with a disabled attention span and a brand-new inferiority complex that was growing like an overeating teenager.
“Oh!” she cried, rejecting the defeatism with all her might. “Never mind that. What I need is a plan.”
A plan. A plan.
She looked around at the shelves of paper, the boxes of paper clips, the stack of shiny brochures touting the benefits of the Healthy Living Clinic and Dr. Richie’s approach to total health and well-being. You’d think someone would have thought to stock a few tools along with the office supplies. If she could just find a screwdriver, she could go to work on the door hinges and make her escape.
This was so infuriating! She’d arrived this morning so full of excitement, determined to show Dr. Richie that he’d made a good move when he’d decided to take her up on her proposal to revamp his entire public relations operation. It had taken all the nerve she had to put together that presentation and approach the doctor on her own, much less demand larger office space to work in. She wasn’t used to fighting for that sort of thing. Success had always come easily to her in the past.
That was until she’d opened her own public relations firm. Somehow, as though she’d come under some sort of evil spell, she hadn’t managed to do one thing right and her business had failed.
Failed! The word made her gasp, even just thinking it. Failure just wasn’t possible. If her parents had any inkling…
No, she told herself fiercely. You cannot cry just because you’ve messed up again.
Still, she had to wonder. If there was no one there to see you cry, did it really matter?
Yes, it did, she decided. Tears were a sign of weakness. The first step toward that very failure she was so scared of. And she could not afford to fail at this job.
She shook away that nightmare thought. Her luck was supposed to have changed. Developing this new campaign for Dr. Richie was going to fix everything. If she ever got out of the supply closet.
“Hello. Anybody here?”
She froze, listening. Someone had come into the office. Decision time. Was she ready to reveal her pathetic mistake?
“Gone to lunch, I guess,” a male voice muttered.
She smiled her relief. She didn’t recognize the voice. There would be no problem if a stranger rescued her. Saved at last!
“Hello,” she called out. “I’m in here.”
After a pause, the voice spoke again. “In where?”
“In the supply closet. I’m locked in, actually. There’s no handle on this side. If you could just open the doors…”
A sharp click was followed by one of the doors opening slowly. Looking up, she found herself face to face with a very large, steel-jawed man with a suspicious look in his green eyes.
“What are you doing in there?” he asked abruptly.
Abby stiffened and her eyes narrowed. She’d been ready to be grateful. Honest she had. She’d been ready to smile and thank her rescuer with all her heart.
But there was something about the way he looked at her and the suspicious tone in his voice that set her off. She’d been through a lot in the last fifteen minutes, even if it was mostly in her own head. A little sympathetic treatment would have been just the thing. Instead, she got skepticism. Frustrated, and feeling awfully defensive, she reacted a little hastily to his obvious distrust.
“Who, me?” she said, knowing she sounded flippant but not caring very much. “Checking for termites, of course. I always lock myself in closets so I can catch the little buggers unaware.”
“Really.” He wasn’t moving aside and he filled the opening. His icy green eyes had a penetrating intensity. She felt, for a second or two, as if she was being X-rayed. “Find any?”
Her chin rose. “Not yet.” She knew she should smile right now. It was time to make friends, not war.
You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, Abby. The phrase in her mother’s voice echoed in her head, but there was something so annoying about the way this man had jumped to the conclusion that she was up to no good, she just couldn’t make use of it.
“I have found evidence of other pests, however,” she said pointedly, flashing him a look. “I’m hoping I won’t have to call an exterminator.”
To his credit, one corner of his wide mouth quirked with the tiniest sign of amusement at her jibe.
“So you actually belong here?” he asked, still looking skeptical.
“You thought I was looting the place and got caught in the closet?” She resisted rolling her eyes, though she felt like doing it. “Sorry to disappoint you. I work here.”
“Do you?” He paused just long enough to increase her fury. “I was at the ribbon-cutting ceremony last month. Dr. Richie was there. Along with all the counselors and administrators of the clinic and even a few from the hospital.” He raised one dark, sleek eyebrow. “I didn’t see you there.”
She pursed her lips, wondering what he’d do if she just let go and launched herself at his throat. “It would have been pretty strange if you’d seen me there. I didn’t attend. I was out of town.”
“Ah.”
He didn’t believe her? What was he, a security guard she hadn’t run across in her few weeks working here? If so, maybe they needed a seminar on employee-to-employee relations.
“So now you’ve decided I’m a burglar?”
“I don’t know what you are. I’m just wondering why you’re in this closet.”
She’d had enough of this. If he wasn’t going to move, she was going to have to scrunch past him. Setting her jaw, she did just that and looked up defiantly.
“I’m not in it anymore. Happy?”
He turned, following her progress across the office, and she had second thoughts. Didn’t security guards usually wear uniforms, or at least a badge of some sort? He didn’t have either. And if he worked here, he should know about her. Shouldn’t he?
Reaching out, she grabbed the brass nameplate from her desk and held it up for him to see.
“This is me. Abby Edwards. Public Relations. And this is my office.” She set the plate back down and fixed him with a stare, folding her arms across her chest. “Can I help you with something?”
He shrugged, jamming his hands down into the pockets of his jacket and looking her over in a way she found particularly insolent.
“What exactly were you doing in there?” he asked, giving the closet a quick scan before looking back at her. “Besides the termites, I mean.”
She met his gaze levelly, but she had a moment of unease. Could he possibly be someone in the chain of command here at the clinic—someone she should be treating like a boss? But no. It seemed unlikely. He just didn’t have the right look. She could relax and give as good as she got.
“Hmm. Just what was I doing in that supply closet?” She pretended to think it over for half a second. “I’d say it was pretty obvious to anyone who was paying attention. Dealing with supplies would have been my first choice. Still, others may differ.”
“These supplies?” He indicated the piles stacked around the edge of the office. “That’s a lot of stuff to move.” He looked at her assessingly. “Tell you what. I’ll help you.”
She frowned. What the heck was this guy’s game, anyway? He’d come out of nowhere and now he wanted to help. If he was so suspicious of her, maybe she ought to return the favor.
“Wait a minute. Who are you exactly?”
He hesitated, then held out his hand. “Name’s Daniel O’Callahan,” he said shortly. “Nice to meet you, Abby Edwards.”
She glanced at his hand. It looked strong and tanned, the fingers long and tapered, the nails neat and even. For a split second, she considered refusing to shake hands with him. But she knew immediately that would be a mistake. Hey, she was supposed to be spreading good feeling, not making enemies. Gritting her teeth, she put her slender hand in his and felt a jolt as his warmth enveloped her.
She pulled her hand back a little too quickly and immediately regretted it when she saw the glint of humor in his eyes. Now he was laughing at her. This was possibly the most infuriating man she’d ever dealt with in her life.
“You still haven’t explained what you are doing here,” she said sharply.
“Haven’t I?” He grinned at her, going into a casual slouch that showed how very relaxed he was. By now his body language was telling her that he was completely at home and obviously feeling in control of things.
“No, you haven’t. Why don’t you tell me what you want and I’ll try to direct you to the office where they can help you.” There you go. Maybe she could get rid of him.
“What do most people who come to this clinic want?” he countered.
“To improve their lives,” she said promptly. “To attain a natural state of well-being through nutritional counseling, a fitness regimen and self-awareness instruction.”
He shrugged. “Count me in.”
She studied him for a long moment, glanced at the tight, narrow set of his hips, the thigh muscles that bulged beneath the fabric of his slacks, then back at the cocky set of his shoulders and head.
Nope. She just wasn’t buying it.
Of course, it was conceivable that the look of fitness and assurance was just a facade. Perhaps beneath that cocky exterior lay a hidden supply of raging neuroses. It was possible that this was all a front to hide his insecurities.
Possible, but not very likely. Not with that look in his eyes.
“What aspect of our services would you be interested in?” she asked him incredulously.
“The whole rigmarole I guess. Tell me about it.” Snagging an office chair, he swung down into the seat, stretching his long legs out in front of him. “Do you have a brochure of your product line?”
“Yes. But it’s not current. We’re having new ones printed up that are more informative.” One of her main projects since she’d been hired earlier in the summer had been to revamp the marketing plan. “Tell you what. If you come to the seminar tomorrow night, I’ll make sure you get a copy of the new ones.”
His nod was saying, “Okay,” but the look on his face was saying that wasn’t going to satisfy him. “Why not just give me a brief rundown right now?”
She hesitated. “I hate to try to do that.” She slumped down into the chair behind the desk, then leaned toward him confidentially. “Okay, I’ll be honest with you. Everything is in chaos right now. Once I get moved into this office and have a chance to go over the inventory and the scheduling routines, I’ll be able to give you a clearer picture. In the meantime…”
Reaching out, she picked up a flyer and handed it to him. “There you go. Seven-thirty on Tuesday, in the Blue Bayou Room.” Spinning in her chair, she took another look at the piles she still had to deal with.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me here.”
Daniel gazed at her speculatively. He knew he’d just been dismissed, but he wasn’t going anywhere. He hadn’t succeeded in getting any closer to the truth about what was going on at this clinic, but at least he’d made a start. Developing a relationship with Abby Edwards, PR person, should give him a lot of access to the inner workings of the place. Besides, he had to admit, he didn’t mind the view.
She hadn’t seemed all that attractive at first. Despite her luxuriously long brown hair and her deep-brown eyes with the golden flecks, she wasn’t classically beautiful. In fact, his initial reaction had been negative. She’d come across as a know-it-all with a chip on her shoulder.
But once she’d settled down and started talking about her work here at the clinic, her natural warmth had taken over and her face had become animated in a way that was quite winning.
Abby Edwards wasn’t so bad.
Still, she very much wasn’t his type.
What was his type exactly? Hard to tell. A picture of Charlene flashed in his mind but he shoved it away. No, Charlene wasn’t his type either. Experience had borne that out. In fact, he probably didn’t have a type. He was just a guy wedded to his job. The fact that that job might be in jeopardy right now made that situation all the more bittersweet.
“You know I’m really interested in the work this clinic does,” he told her. “And I don’t want to wait until tomorrow. Do you have any samples around that I could take a look at?”
“Samples?” She turned back, blinking at him. “Of what?”
“Your products. I understand you have a line of vitamins, for one thing.”
“Oh, sure. The vitamins are very popular. In fact, last year they outsold one of the national brands in the hospital pharmacy.”
Last year. That wasn’t going to help his search. Whatever was going on here, it seemed to be of recent vintage. The vitamins didn’t appear to be contenders. He was looking for something new, something that had just been introduced lately.
“I’ll have to look into those vitamins,” he said smoothly. “In the meantime, have you got anything else?” Anything that might make a whole population of hospital workers turn into love-crazed androids? “Any elixirs? Love potions? Aphrodisiacs? Libido revivers?”
To his surprise, she reddened. “Hey, if you’re looking for Viagra,” she began indignantly.
He straightened, horrified. “No, no!” Now he felt himself reddening, and that hadn’t happened in years. “That’s not what I meant.”
She bit her lip, then leaned toward him, losing the outrage and looking sympathetic.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” she said quickly. “If that’s your problem, I’m sure that a regimen of exercise will really help. But you might want to consult a sex therapist.”
He groaned. “No, wait—”
“It’s a common problem. Please don’t feel that you have to hide it.”
“Hide it!” He choked. This was getting him in deeper and deeper. It wasn’t funny. Well, maybe a little bit. But at the same time, it was damned humiliating.
“I don’t have a problem,” he told her forcefully. “Listen, you took it wrong. I’ve never had any trouble….” His voice faded out. Looking at her sweet, innocent face, he just couldn’t say it. “That way,” he said lamely at last. “Really. I’m a normal, healthy male.”
She was still looking sympathetic. Damn it all, she thought he was just covering up his embarrassment. There was definitely a good way to prove that she was wrong, but he didn’t think she’d go for it. So he stared at her in frustrated silence, wondering how the conversation had taken a turn down this blind alley.
“I can give you a referral,” she was saying, digging through the papers on her desk for a note pad.
Reaching out, he grabbed her hand. “I don’t need a referral,” he said firmly. “I don’t need therapy. All I want to know is what sort of products you dispense here besides vitamins.”
She was staring at him in bewilderment and he didn’t blame her. He was coming darn close to shouting, and that wasn’t going to help anything. He forced a smile, knowing it must look pretty ghastly.
“Hey,” he said, remembering something and releasing her hand. “Dr. Richie was saying something about a new product at the ribbon cutting last month. Something called NoGo or Nutrait or—”
“NoWait!” she chimed in, beaming with relief. “Yes, that is a new homeopathic oil he’s developed himself. He’s such a genius.”
“That’s the one.”
“Oh, it’s flying off the shelves. It’s used for weight loss, and people are getting the most wonderful results.”
Right. He knew a little something about these snake-oil salesmen. If the oil was doing anything, it was through the power of suggestion, no doubt about it. Still, this could be the missing link he’d been looking for. Except for one thing. As he remembered, it wasn’t something people took into their system in the usual way.
“It’s not ingested, is it?”
“Oh, no.” She smiled. “In fact, it’s kind of cute. You put a dab behind your ear.”
That pretty much shot down his hopes. If you didn’t drink it or eat it, how could it change the way you acted to the extent it seemed to be changing the people he was seeing all over the hospital?
“One ear or both?” he asked with a rueful smile.
She blinked. “Tell you the truth, I’m not really sure. I haven’t tried it myself.” She scrunched her nose at him. “And I hardly think you need to lose any weight.”
“You never know,” he said quickly, not wanting to go back to speculating on what he might be needing help with again. “I’m not getting any younger. And you know how weight tends to accumulate as you age.”
“Oh, sure.” She was nothing if not understanding. “You can never start working on fitness too early.”
He nodded. She was charming when she started talking about the things she felt most passionately about. She sort of lit up with an inner glow that was quite appealing. He wondered, fleetingly, if there was a man in her life. But he dismissed the thought as soon as it formed. Despite her spunk, Abby was soft and sweet and seemingly naive—all the things he wasn’t. The women he dated tended to be the women he met in the course of his workday, and as a cop, he mostly mixed with a fairly rough level of society. He wouldn’t know what to do with a woman like this.
“So tell me about the exercise programs. What are they like?”
She perked up markedly, her eyes brilliant. “Now those I have tried. They’re great, really the most comprehensive I’ve found anywhere. That was what made me so interested in joining Dr. Richie. I admire him so much. He’s been able to do what is so difficult to do—marry serious health advantages with movements that are just really fun and relaxing to do.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow. “But can he walk on water?”
She looked startled. “What?”
“Nothing. I was just being rude.”
The way her face was shining as she spoke of the good doctor, Daniel felt a twinge of jealousy. Though he would face death rather than admit it.
“How much do you know about this Richie character?”
She drew herself up sternly. “Dr. Richie is a well-respected expert in the fitness field. It’s a real honor to get this opportunity to work with him.”
She was cute in her righteous indignation, and he had trouble not grinning at her again. Could it be the exercises that were making people act crazy? It didn’t seem likely. But he couldn’t afford to overlook anything just because it didn’t fit the pattern he expected.
“How about a demonstration of the exercises?”
“What— Right now?”
“Can you think of a better time?”
“Well, if you come to the seminar…”
“I’ll come to the seminar. But I’d like to get a hint of what I’m letting myself in for.”
She frowned. She didn’t want to do it. She glanced at her piles of supplies, still languishing on the floor, and he knew she wanted to get things finished here. But she was too polite to say so, and he actually felt a twinge of guilt over putting her in this position. But it was just a twinge. He could easily ignore it.
“Okay,” she said, just a hint of her reluctance showing. Then she visibly put all that behind her and got into the swing of things. “Tell you what. I’ll do it if you help.”
Her smile was impudent. And that made him suspicious.
“What? How can I help?”
“I know some really fun things for two people to do together,” she said happily.
He forced back a laugh. He knew a few fun things for two people to do together, too, but he had a feeling they weren’t what she had in mind.
“Don’t worry,” she told him. “I’ll show you what to do.”
Reaching under her desk, she pulled out a large exercise mat and plopped it down in the middle of the room. “Okay, we are now going to demonstrate the Giaza.”
He was skeptical. He’d much rather watch than join in. “What is the Giaza?”
“It’s a set of exercises.”
“Sounds more like a set of steak knives.”
Grabbing his hand, she pulled him to his feet. “Come on, mister. You asked for it, you got it. Come sit down cross-legged.”
“Like this?” He did as she’d ordered.
“You’re nice and limber, aren’t you? And athletic, I’ll bet.”
He muttered something. For no known reason, he was suddenly feeling a little self-conscious.
“Okay,” he said, settling down, hands on his knees. He was glad he’d worn fairly loose slacks. “What’s next?”
“This is the two-person routine. I’m going to sit down, too. We’ll be back to back.”
That seemed odd. “No kidding.”
“No kidding.” She stood before him and held her hands together in front of her stomach, looking like an Asian princess. “This is a way to center yourself and prepare for a more strenuous workout. It’s mind over matter. See if you can tune into the wavelength where I’m floating.”
Oh, brother. Psychobabble. Still, he’d better keep his caustic comments to himself if he didn’t want to get kicked out of her office.
“Okay,” he said gruffly. “What happens if I bump into you?”
She started to ask him what he meant, then stopped when she no doubt realized he was referring to the floating thing. She gave him a wry look instead and he had to give her points for getting it.
“Our spiritual selves don’t bump,” she said lightly as she began to lower herself behind him. “They melt right into each other.”
“Hmm.” For some reason that appealed to him.
She settled in against him. “See? Back to back.”
“‘And belly to belly,’” he muttered to himself.
“What?”
“Nothing. This just reminds me of an old folk song. About zombies.”
He could feel her stiffen.
“Listen, I don’t know what you’ve heard, but this clinic does not turn people into zombies. That’s a slander put out by another clinic in town that is being left in the dust as Dr. Richie takes off.”
He paused, a bit taken aback by her vehemence. “It was just a joke,” he said softly.
She changed immediately. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little touchy about it.”
She settled back against him. “This exercise works better when the two are more evenly matched in size, but you can get the general idea. Raise your arms. Now sway with me.”
He raised his arms and swayed.
“Calm your mind. Let your eyelids droop. Think of water lapping on the white sands of a tropical beach. Feel it lap. Feel the hot sun on your shoulders. Feel the gentle breeze ruffle your hair.”
Little by little, he was feeling more than he’d expected to. As she moved against him, he became aware of just where her rounded bottom was touching his. It was incredibly arousing. The more she swayed, the more he forgot about the beach and focused on her body.
Sensation shot through his system and he held back an urge to make an appreciative noise. This was unbelievable. He’d been turned on by a woman’s backside before, but not like this. This was overwhelming.
He was vaguely aware that she was still talking. He didn’t need talking. He’d found that floating thing she’d mentioned and he was up there, drifting on a sensual cloud.
“Okay, now I’m going to lean my head back on your shoulder and you lean your head on my shoulder.”
Whoa. He’d had sex that was less exciting than this. His heart was beating as though he’d just run a mile. Their heads were now side by side and the sense of her was flooding into his system. He turned his face toward her. He couldn’t help himself.
She was saying, “Arms at shoulder height and straight out. Now turn the palms up,” and he was breathing in her scent, filling his lungs with it and wondering what her mouth tasted like.
She glanced over, saw his face too close and hesitated. That was all he needed. He was going to kiss her. It was going to be a little odd, upside down and all, but he was going to do it. He made a move toward her and saw her eyes widen.
Whether they were widening with shock or interest he would never know. He would have liked to think the latter, but realistically, it wasn’t likely. At the moment of reckoning, the door opened and a voice interrupted everything.
“What’s going on here?”
Two
A bby was up and flying away from Daniel like a scalded cat. He would have looked twice, just to see how she could possibly have done that, but he was too busy taking the measure of the man in the doorway.
“Oh, Dr. Richie!” Abby was saying. “I’m just— We were just— Well, this is Daniel O’Callahan and he’s just—”
Daniel hadn’t really paid too much attention to the good doctor before, but now he looked him over and decided he didn’t much care for what he saw. Dr. Richie was a tall, good-looking man, but there was something a little too polished, a little too calculated in his manner. His dark hair was salon-perfect and streaked with silver the way an actor would have had it done in an attempt to give gravitas to his appearance. That was it. Somehow the man looked like a performer to him. Something just didn’t quite ring true.
And—let’s face it—he didn’t much like the way Abby was lapping him up with a spoon. Did she have to idolize the man?
Daniel rose slowly, just to make sure the doctor didn’t think he was as embarrassed at being caught in this vaguely compromising position as Abby was.
“I didn’t hire you to do this sort of training,” Richie was saying to Abby, turned as though he thought he could carry on a conversation in private if he just didn’t admit there was anyone else in the room. “We have counselors for that, Abby. I hired you to take charge of our public relations operation. You don’t have time for this sort of work.”
“I was just showing him. He was interested and I thought—”
Dr. Richie turned, acknowledging Daniel with a slight nod.
“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you’ll have to come to one of our seminars if you want to get a good overview of what we have to offer,” he said, his attitude pleasant but distant. “And, Abby, I’ve called a senior staff meeting in the library. Please join us. The others are waiting.” Another curt nod and he was on his way down the hall.
Daniel turned to look at Abby. Her cheeks were bright red in a very attractive way, but he regretted that she was taking this so badly.
“Sorry,” he said. “Didn’t mean to get you into trouble with the big boss.”
She looked up at him but she didn’t smile. He could tell she’d had it with him, and she was ready to let him know that.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave,” she said shortly.
“Okay,” he said amiably. “But I’ll be back when—”
“Out.” Her dark eyes smoldered with anger and she pointed at the door. “And don’t come back here.”
With a shrug, he started toward the door. “I’ll see you at the seminar tomorrow,” he said, glancing back at her.
“Fine. But you won’t be talking to me.” She followed as though ready to shove him out into the hallway if he balked. “There is really no need for us to have any further communication. I’ll make sure they assign a good counselor to you.”
He stepped through the doorway and looked back.
“Someone who will be a good match for your needs,” she added.
That stopped him cold. “My needs?”
“You know. That little problem you have.” With a look of quiet triumph, she closed the door.
“Women!” Daniel said a few minutes later to his grandmother as he strode back into her hospital room. “Who needs them?”
“I’m a woman, darling.” Phoebe looked up with a loving smile.
“Yeah, but you’re sane. Not many other women can say that.”
“Watch your tongue, young man,” a tart voice stated, emanating from the tiny bathroom off to the side. “In the war between the sexes, I’m a major general.” A woman about his grandmother’s age emerged, carrying a vase full of roses.
Phoebe laughed. “Ella, meet Daniel O’Callahan, my grandson. Daniel, Ella Crown is the hospital florist and she has kindly delivered the flowers your brothers sent me.”
Ella nodded but she didn’t smile. Instead, she went on grumbling as she carried the vase to a shelf where Phoebe could have a good view of it. Her long white hair was twisted into a braided ring at the top of her head, and her naturally craggy face was enhanced by some of the brightest blue eye shadow he’d ever seen.
“So you’re an expert on relationships, are you?” Daniel noted casually. “Then you might be the one who can explain to me why women are so perverse.”
“I’m not explaining anything,” she said, turning to fix him with a steady stare, her hands on her slender hips. “Why should I give secret intelligence to the enemy?”
Daniel grinned. She was a feisty one, and probably annoying as all get out in the long run, but he found her amusing. “Don’t you want to make this a fair fight?” he asked.
“Heck no.” She snorted. “Listen, youngster, I’ve married, harried and buried four men. I’ve done my part.”
Daniel nodded, impressed. “Going for a fifth?” he asked her.
She practically snarled. “I think not. I’ve retired from those battles. Hung up my spurs. I think I’ve probably had more than my share of heartbreak. Why would I ask for any more punishment?”
“Oh, come on, Ella,” Phoebe remonstrated, her eyes dancing. “You work every day with flowers, the language of love. How can you ignore the effect on you?”
“I keep my vaccinations up to date,” she snapped back. “I’m not falling for any of this romantic twaddle. There’s enough of that going on around here to choke a horse, anyway.”
“You’ve noticed it, too?” Daniel said quickly. So few would admit it.
“Noticed it?” Ella rolled her eyes, an interesting movement backed as it was with the heavy blue eye shadow. “You can’t get down the hallways without tripping over lip-locked lovers these days. I don’t know what’s come over everyone.”
That was a relief. He was beginning to think he was the only one who saw the difference. The thing was, he knew this hospital pretty well. His partner had taken a round in his leg a few years ago, the by-product of a major drug bust, and he’d visited Jimmy almost every day until they’d let him out. And there had been others—Minnie the office secretary when she’d had her heart attack, Kirk with his hip replacement, Mike with the broken back from falling off a roof while chasing a kidnapper. And then when Jimmy and his wife had decided to adopt a child, he’d become well-acquainted with Maggie Sullivan, a social worker with Children’s Connection, which was affiliated with the hospital. All in all, he’d been in and out of the place dozens of times. If things had been like this he would have noticed. It had only been this summer that he had begun to notice people here acting strangely. Only since the new clinic had opened its doors.
So he nodded in agreement with the woman.
“I don’t suppose you’ve visited the Healthy Living Clinic by any chance?” he asked. “Or had any dealings with their products?”
“Heck no. I’m fit as a spring colt, thank you very much. I don’t need any of that alfalfa-sprout mumbo-jumbo.”
She started for the door, then glanced back at Phoebe. “You take care, honey. Enjoy your flowers.” Looking back at Daniel she added, “And you take care of this little lady. Don’t go running off after some flirty skirt and leaving her to fend for herself. You hear?”
Daniel put his hand over his heart. “On my honor,” he told her earnestly.
She nodded as though satisfied and went on her way, her high heels clicking on the tiled floor.
Phoebe laughed. “Quite a character, isn’t she? I’ve known her since we were in the Oregonian Historical Society together, years ago. I’ve even met a couple of her husbands.”
“Sounds like you had to work fast to do that,” Daniel noted. “None of them lasted very long.” He looked thoughtful. “I wonder just what the circumstances were.”
“Oh, no you don’t!” Phoebe cried. “You leave Ella alone.” She gave him a look of pure exasperation—a look he’d seen many times before. “She’s a peach. Look, she stopped by the travel bureau and picked up some brochures on cruises for me.” She waved the brightly colored leaflets at him. “I’ve already got my cruise picked out.”
Daniel stopped, groaning internally. “Gram, I don’t think you’re going to be in any condition for cruising for some time,” he said carefully. “I hate to see you get your hopes up when—”
“Don’t start with me, young man.”
He bit his tongue. There was no way she was going on a cruise. It was impossible. The summer had begun with her being hospitalized with circulatory problems, and then there had been the fall she’d taken, an accident that had left her lying helpless in the street. He couldn’t bear to think of her risking another accident like that. And even if she were in physical shape to do it, the money wasn’t there.
He’d just sunk every penny in a wonderful retirement community for her. Now all he had to do was convince her that she wanted to move in. But there would be plenty of time for that once she was back on her feet again.
“You just get over here and adjust these pillows for me,” she was saying. “Then you can turn on my television and go out and find a nice girl to date.”
He obliged about the pillows right away. “That’s just my complaint, you know,” he said with a sad smile, meant to get her sympathy. “There are no nice girls left.”
Phoebe looked up at him, her eyes narrowing speculatively. “That cute little redheaded nurse was asking about you again.”
He threw out his hands in a mock gesture of irritation. “Now see, that’s what I mean. That’s just plain weird.”
“Why?”
He shrugged, ready to pass her question by. But the way she was looking at him, he could tell she wasn’t going to be satisfied with that, so he tried to explain. “Women just don’t do things like that around me. I’m not that type of guy. Never have been.”
“Oh, Danny, don’t be so dense,” his grandmother said crossly. “Women would love you if you just give them half a chance. And the redhead is the proof.”
“No, Gram.” He shook his head. This was one thing in his life that he didn’t doubt. “There’s something wrong here. Women have never fallen all over me like this before. And in such strange ways. I don’t trust it.”
“Oh, Danny.”
“It’s the truth. Women just don’t act like that around me.”
“Well, how do women usually act?”
He grimaced. “Most of the women I deal with these days reach for their license first, and then for their cell phone.”
She looked bewildered. “Their cell phone?”
“To call their lawyer.”
“Oh.” She laughed. “Of course. They’re afraid you’re going to arrest them.” She shook her head. “Well, very few here know you’re a cop so that isn’t the problem.”
He slumped down into the chair beside her bed and squinted his eyes, thinking. “That’s just it. It’s driving me nuts. I’ve got to get to the bottom of it. I’ve got women making goo-goo eyes at me all over the place.”
“Well, of course you do, darling.” She patted his arm. “I think you just never noticed it before. You’re quite a handsome man. I’m sure there are lots of women sizing you up as a very good catch. You just don’t pay enough attention.”
He gave his grandmother a patient look. “That’s not it, Gram. I pay a lot of attention. It’s part of my job to pay attention. And I’ve never been a ladies’ man before.” He sighed, mulling things over. “Anyway, it’s not just me. Half the people in this hospital seem to be wandering around in a lovesick daze. You heard your friend Ella. She’s noticed it, too. Something deeply suspicious is going on around here.”
Phoebe still looked dubious, but she was lost in memories for the moment. “The trouble is, you don’t take advantage of opportunities when they slap you right in the face. I remember that talkative Taffy Williams who used to come around to see you. She wasn’t a beauty, but she seemed to be such a nice girl. You never did ask her out, though, did you?”
Daniel looked at her, considered for a moment, then decided to tell her the truth. “Gram, Taffy had a sex-change operation three years ago. She’s now a he. You can stop trying to get me to ask her out. Uh, him out… Oh, hell!”
“My goodness. I’m sorry to hear that.” She put a finger to the side of her nose, thinking. “I must send her a get-well card.”
Daniel laughed out loud. “You don’t ‘get well’ from a sex change.” He sobered. “At least, I don’t think you do.”
“Never mind. Everyone likes to get a card showing concern. Even if we’re not too clear what that concern is all about.” She smiled at him, then looked eager. “Now tell me. What is your investigation turning up?”
He turned to look at the wall. “Nothing so far.”
“Danny! Don’t hold out on me now. Tell me what’s up.”
He looked back at her. “Gram, I don’t think you need to—”
“It has to do with that Healthy Living Clinic place, doesn’t it?”
He reacted with surprise, then resignation. “How did you figure that out?”
Her smile was smug. “Where do you think you got your inquisitive genes? I heard what you said to Ella. That snapped it into place right away. So give.”
“There’s nothing to ‘give,’ you rascal.” Leaning forward, he kissed her cheek with genuine affection. “I’ve been snooping around, but so far nothing looks even vaguely promising.”
She pouted. “At least tell me what I can do to help.”
He gazed at her, loving the way she wanted to get involved, but knowing it was something she just couldn’t do. He would lay down his life for this woman who had stepped in and taken over when his parents had been killed in a boating accident. She’d been way past her most energetic years at the time. By all rights, she should have been spending her days having tea and cookies with her lady friends, joining the gardening club, taking tours of Europe. Instead, she’d pitched in and taken over parenting duties that had helped keep him and his three younger brothers together.
It had been no bed of roses for her, either. He and his brothers hadn’t appreciated her at first, and they’d rebelled, each in his own way. As he looked back now, with the perspective of time, he could see that he had been emotionally devastated by the death of his parents, that he had taken it out on his grandmother, his community and, probably most of all, himself. There had been a time when it had been a toss-up as to which side of the law he would end up on. If it hadn’t been for his grandmother, always a steady rock of love and understanding, he wasn’t sure he would have made it back.
Oh, what the hell. If she wanted to help, there must be something he could think up to let her feel useful.
“Okay, here’s what you can do. You can ask around about the Healthy Living Clinic. Just casually work it into the conversation. When nurses and therapists drop by, ask if they know anything about it, or if anything strange is going on there.”
“What is going on there?” she asked in a stage whisper, her eyes huge.
He looked at her and hid his grin, answering her with the same sort of whisper. “That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
“Ah.”
“It’s not anything big or deep or dangerous. I don’t think. I’m just curious.”
“I see.” She nodded wisely and gave him a little wink.
“No, Gram, I mean it. Just ask around. No big deal.”
She stuck her nose in the air. “I know how to keep my cool, as we used to say in the jazz age.”
“The jazz age.” He laughed softly. “Okay, Gram, have your fun.”
He sobered, realizing he might be unleashing a whirlwind.
“But under no circumstances are you to take any products from that place. No vitamins or tonics or lozenges. Don’t do any of their exercises either.”
He thought for a moment and added, “In fact, don’t let any people from that place into your room. Okay?”
“You can trust me,” she said stoutly.
“Good. Now can I trust you to get some rest?”
“Of course. Just turn the TV to my favorite soap and I’ll be out like a light in no time.”
If only he could believe it was really that easy.
He headed down the hallway toward the elevator, punching the button and looking up as the doors opened to reveal the very attractive redheaded nurse already ensconced.
He hesitated. There was something about the look in her eye that reminded him of a cat with a captured mouse.
“Come on in,” she said, batting her eyelashes. “There’s plenty of room.”
He nodded to her warily and stepped into the opposite corner of the car. She immediately moved toward him, and as the doors closed again, she reached out and fingered the fabric of his suit coat.
“Nice,” she said softly.
He frowned at her, unable to believe this. “You like this suit?” he said incredulously. It was off the rack at a discount store.
She smiled up at him seductively. “I like what’s in it.”
He stared at her, aghast. Now that just wasn’t natural. Nice, but not natural. And when the doors opened again, he escaped as quickly as he could.
Abby was just passing through and she really didn’t have time for this. That was what she told herself as she stepped lightly down the hall in search of Room 707.
She’d stopped by the nurses’ station to pick up some reports and they had told her of a lady who wanted more information about the clinic. That wasn’t really her function, but she didn’t want to be rude. She supposed she could drop by and be friendly at least. If she could only find the room.
There it was.
She stuck her head in and found a little gray-haired woman dozing in her bed.
“Hi, there,” she said brightly.
The woman looked up and smiled a welcome. “Hello.”
“Are you Phoebe—” she glanced at the chart on the wall “—O’Callahan?” She turned and stared at the woman, suddenly remembering the O’Callahan she’d met the day before. Frowning, she decided there must be a lot of O’Callahans in the city. Funny coincidence, though.
“The nurse at the station told me you were asking about the Healthy Living Clinic, and since I’m spending some time on this floor, I thought I’d stop by and see if I can answer any of your questions. I’m the public relations representative.”
Phoebe beamed. “Well, thank you, dear. Come right in.”
Abby made her way to the side of the bed. “I wish I had some literature to give you, but we’ve recently revamped the brochure and new ones won’t be available until later this evening. But I’ll be sure to have some sent over for you.”
“Isn’t that nice of you.” Phoebe gestured toward the chair. “In the meantime, you just come and sit right down here where I can look at you and you can tell me everything.”
Abby laughed, pulling the chair over and dropping down into it. “Everything? Well, the clinic was started—”
“No, honey. That’s not what I mean.” Phoebe’s eyes sparkled. “First off, are you married?”
“Married?” Abby was startled by the question. “Why, no.”
“How nice. Got a fella in mind?”
“N-not really.”
“Wonderful.” She was grinning ear to ear. “Now tell me about your job. How did a nice girl like you get mixed up with that bunch?”
“Mrs. O’Callahan!”
“Call me Phoebe. And tell me what that good-looking Dr. Richie is really like.”
Abby laughed. “Well…”
Half an hour later they were still chatting, though Abby was beginning to glance at her watch. She was just getting her things together and preparing to say goodbye when a figure appeared in the doorway. Looking up, her smile froze on her face.
Darn! This was the same O’Callahan after all.
The man had been plaguing her mind for the last day and a half. Whenever she got a moment of rest, his image came back to her and she found herself wondering what his visit to her office had been all about. His attitude had been so strange and his requests sort of oddball. She’d tried hard to accommodate him, to the point where Dr. Richie had thought he had to give her what she considered a humiliating reprimand. But now that she thought it over, she knew her employer was right, and she also knew that Daniel was someone she should avoid.
Now here he was again, looking tall and lean and somehow vaguely dangerous in a way she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It was definitely time for her to take her leave.
Daniel was staring at her in surprise that quickly turned to suspicion. Again. What did the man instinctively have against her? It was so strange. People usually took her at face value, and her value was pretty high, if she did say so herself.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded.
Her chin rose. The man had a lot of nerve. “What are you doing here?” she countered.
He nodded toward Phoebe. “This is my grandmother.”
That was too bad. She’d really liked the older woman a lot. Now she was going to have to be careful to avoid her.
“Well, that’s something I guess the poor dear can’t be cured of, isn’t it?” she said, then recoiled, immediately wanting to bite her tongue for using such a sarcastic tone. But the man had asked for it.
“Children, children,” Phoebe scolded. “I see you already know each other, so I won’t introduce you. But I may have to give you a quick lecture on playing nicely with each other.”
Abby turned apologetically and took Phoebe’s hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you. We’ve had such a nice talk and I hope we get a chance to do that again. But I’m overdue at work. I must get back. There’s a staff meeting at eleven.”
Daniel snorted. “Poor old Richie Strong is probably wandering the halls like a lost puppy, looking for you right now,” he said.
Throwing him a poisonous look, Abby smiled at Phoebe. “I’ll be back in the morning with those brochures.”
“Ah, the famous brochures,” Daniel said softly.
She blinked and forced herself to smile even more broadly. “What time does your grandson usually come to visit?” she asked Phoebe as she turned to go. “I want to be sure to miss him.”
“I don’t want you coming back here at all,” Daniel said, his voice pleasant, but his eyes steely.
“Daniel!” Phoebe was outraged.
“I mean it, Gram. I don’t want you dealing with stuff from that clinic. They’ve got some kind of voodoo vibe going on over there, and I don’t want you involved.”
“You are impossible,” Abby said through clenched teeth.
Fury sizzled all through her system. She’d never before come across anyone who could instantly turn her usual complacency to rage the way this man did. Turning on her heel, she meant to make a dramatic exit. The only problem was, her first target seemed to be a closet. She realized her error immediately, but not soon enough to hide it from Daniel.
He grinned, standing in her way with his arms crossed.
“I’m beginning to understand where you make your mistakes,” he told her, “and how you end up locked in places you shouldn’t go into. You see, this is a door, but it’s not the right door. This is a door to a closet. That is the door to the outside world. Not the same thing.”
She knew her face was bright red, but right now she didn’t care. She only wanted to get out of the room before she did something really stupid. Her hands were already balled into fists. What would he do if she took a swipe at his nose? Oh, was she ever tempted!
“Could you just please get out of my way?”
“Oh. Certainly.” He stepped back, but at the same time, a crew began rolling another bed into the room and they both had to stand against the wall to let them pass and maneuver the bed.
“So what are you doing now?” he asked her softly, his words covered by the commotion in the room. “Trying to go after me through my grandmother?”
“Go after you!” Her jaw dropped and her hands itched to grab something to throw at his head. She had to suffice with glaring daggers at him. “Of all the egos I’ve ever known, yours is the most inflated. It’s practically bouncing off the ceiling.”
The pretty redheaded nurse had come into the room along with the moving crew. Abby noticed her distractedly as she handed Phoebe a cup with pills in it and turned to go, pausing to glance at the other two, deep in their argument.
“Well, I don’t know,” Daniel was saying in what Abby thought was a truly insolent manner. “Evidence isn’t everything, but it sure can point in a direction and—”
“Evidence!” She jabbed her forefinger at his chest. “I’d say the evidence shows you were the one coming after me yesterday. Name one good reason why I would be going after you.”
The nurse shook her head and grinned as she passed them. “Just check out those biceps, sweetie. They’ll give you a clue.”
Abby whirled and glared at the woman, but she was disappearing through the doorway.
Daniel grinned. “See? Why would I be going after you when I’ve got beautiful redheads following me around?”
“Oh!” She tried to leave but the crew was wheeling the bed back out again. Something about a broken control button. So she contented herself with hissing at him out of the side of her mouth. “Just stay away from me, Mr. O’Callahan.”
“Fine. And you stay away from my grandmother.”
She turned her head so fast, her hair whipped around her face. “Your grandmother is a grown woman. She can have visits from any friends she wants.”
He shook his head, looking exasperated. “Why are you always talking back?”
“You can only talk back to an authority figure. And I don’t see one here.”
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Raye Morgan
Follow a handsome detective as he searches for the truth…and finds his soul mate.Detective Daniel O'Callahan didn't like mysteries, so when half the staff at Portland General was in love and kissing in the hallways, he smelled a rat. No sooner had he launched Operation: Aphrodisiac than pretty PR expert Abby Edwards had him wondering if the love bug was contagious. He wasn't in the market for a wife and he had to maintain his distance, especially since Abby might be the key to solving the case. But with her sweet smile and passionate kisses, Daniel knew he was in deep–and that sooner or later he'd have to choose between justice and the woman of his dreams….
“I think it’s time for you to kiss me again.”
He looked at her, a mixture of emotions flashing across his features. “Forget it, Abby. You don’t want to go kissing a guy like me. There’s no future in it.”
Future! “Guys like you are the only kind worth kissing,” she said lightly, hoping he didn’t detect her disappointment at his words. She refused to believe he didn’t feel any attraction toward her. After all, he did kiss her earlier that evening. Thinking of that made her breath come a little faster. No one had ever kissed her that way.
“Abby, you deserve a man who will treat you right. A man who can provide you with a future, someone you have things in common with.”
“Maybe you’re right. Maybe I do deserve some mythical paragon of excellence. But I don’t want that, Daniel.” She touched his cheek and smiled.
“I want you. Now, why don’t you just shut up and kiss me?”
And finally, that’s exactly what he did.
RAYE MORGAN
has been a nursery-school teacher, a travel agent, a clerk and a business editor, but her best job ever has been writing romances and fostering romance in her own family at the same time. Current score: two boys married, two more to go. Raye has published more than seventy romances, and claims to have many more waiting in the wings. She lives in Southern California with her husband and whichever son happens to be staying at home at that moment.
Undercover Passion
Raye Morgan
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Be a part of
Because birthright has its privileges and family ties run deep.
An undercover detective wants to find the reason for strange behavior in the hospital. Can he keep his mission secret as he falls for a woman closely involved in his work?
Daniel O’Callahan: While unraveling the mystery behind Dr. Richie, this detective investigated his attraction to the doctor’s PR representative, Abby Edwards. Her sparkling smile and sweet demeanor enchanted him and made his assignment even harder!
Abby Edwards: She’d never given much thought to mind-numbing romance because her career seemed more rewarding. But the thunderbolt hit her when she met Daniel and he made her dream of those once unreachable goals, such as family and love.
A Man Exposed
Once his past was revealed, Dr. Richie ran off to parts unknown. Could his long-lost wife’s forgiveness redeem this broken man?
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Because birthright has its privileges and family ties run deep.
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8.) Intimate Surrender by RaeAnne Thayne
AVAILABLE AUGUST 2010
9.) The Secret Heir by Gina Wilkins
10.) The Newlyweds by Elizabeth Bevarly
11.) Right by Her Side by Christie Ridgway
12.) The Homecoming by Anne Marie Winston
AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 2010
13.) The Greatest Risk by Cara Colter
14.) What a Man Needs by Patricia Thayer
15.) Undercover Passion by Raye Morgan
16.) Royal Seduction by Donna Clayton
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
One
D aniel O’Callahan had eyes as cold and clear as the emeralds they resembled. He also had the mind typical of a hard-headed detective and a natural instinct for trouble.
“There’s something fishy going on here,” he muttered to himself, giving his grandmother a hello kiss on the cheek as she lay back in her hospital bed. He turned to stare coolly at the cute little redheaded nurse giving him the eye from the doorway.
“Oh, no, dear,” his grandmother responded cheerfully. “That’s just the remnants of my tuna sandwich. It made a lovely lunch.”
“Right,” he said, not bothering to explain what he’d meant.
Instead, he took a few steps into the doorway and glanced up and down the corridor. Three pairs of eyes turned to stare at him from the nurses’ station. Giggling could be heard. Then, from the other direction, a low wolf whistle. He turned quickly but only caught the tail end of a candy striper’s skirt as she disappeared into another room. The giggling got louder.
He pulled back into the room, frowning. A tall man in top physical condition, with a steely gaze and a chiseled chin, Daniel was used to getting a reaction. Shifty characters tended to draw back into the shadows as he passed, hoping he wouldn’t notice them. Women pulled children a bit closer. Men stepped aside to give him room. When he spoke, others listened as though for instructions on what to do next. All that was routine—at least to Daniel.
But this was different. This was something out of step, unbalanced, completely whacked. He’d never caused women to peer at him and giggle before in his life. It wasn’t normal, and that, along with the weird behavior he’d noticed around the hospital lately since his elderly relative had checked in, needed investigating.
He was a cop, wasn’t he? It was high time he did his job—even if he was on temporary administrative leave from the department while he waited to be cleared of charges of theft during an arrest.
Daniel gazed down at his pretty little gray-haired grandmother, thinking the situation over.
“Listen, Gram, have you told anyone here what I do for a living?”
“That you’re a regular old gumshoe? No, I don’t think so.” Phoebe O’Callahan’s eyes brightened and she dropped into a loud whisper. “What’s up? Are you on a case? Can I help?”
Daniel gazed at the grandmother who had often been more mother to him than anything else and felt a bit of his tension melt away. You couldn’t look at Phoebe and not want to smile.
“Not a case exactly. But I’ve got something I want to look into and it might help if people didn’t know I was a police detective.”
“Oh, goodie.” She pulled herself up against the pillows, her blue eyes sparkling. “What can I do?”
Daniel sighed and half laughed. He took his grandmother’s blue-veined hand in his larger paw and looked at her lovingly. She’d had a very scary fall the day before and he’d brought her in for observation. The doctors had found some problems and since she’d had numerous problems that required hospitalization lately, including a major threat to her hip, she was staying indefinitely while they ran tests and gave her time to recuperate.
“Your job—should you choose to accept it—is to heal those bruises and get yourself well again. That’s what you should be concentrating on.”
“Oh, Danny, come on,” she fretted. “I want to help. Give me a hint. What’s this all about?”
Daniel shook his head. He loved his grandmother, but he was beginning to sense the parameters of a conundrum looming, and when he was working he didn’t usually brook much frivolity. The trouble was, a certain type of frivolity was exactly what seemed to be going on here.
To put it bluntly, the place seemed to have been infected by a love virus—and a pretty nasty one at that. Everywhere you looked, people were billing and cooing. It was pretty disturbing—enough to put you off romance for life.
Just that morning, when he’d dropped by to see how his grandmother had made it through the night, a very angular and heavily made-up occupational therapist had asked him with much batting of eyes if he’d like to share a doughnut she’d saved for him. The cute redheaded nurse had told him he was too handsome to be running around loose, and a tiny little volunteer had offered to give him a neck rub. Women didn’t do that to him. He wasn’t the type. It was just plain weird.
He’d been asking around, trying to find what had changed to bring on this wave of everyone acting like dopey survivors from a sixties love-in. No one admitted to knowing what he was talking about. But the one thing he did know was that a new center had been opened on the hospital campus. He’d been at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, just by accident. Called the Healthy Living Clinic, it seemed to be a fitness center and it was definitely the subject of most of the buzz he heard around the halls. Something told him there was a connection. It might be time to give the clinic a visit.
“Let’s just say I’ve got a professionally open mind,” he said to Phoebe. “But suspicion is lurking in the corners of it.”
Abby Edwards closed her eyes and took a very deep breath. She had to get hold of herself. This was no time to panic. Just because she’d locked herself in the supply closet on the first full day in her new office at the Healthy Living Clinic didn’t mean she was going to prove to the world what a dunderheaded incompetent she was.
“It could have happened to anyone,” she murmured gloomily, trying to convince herself. “Anyone at all.”
Anyone with a disabled attention span and a brand-new inferiority complex that was growing like an overeating teenager.
“Oh!” she cried, rejecting the defeatism with all her might. “Never mind that. What I need is a plan.”
A plan. A plan.
She looked around at the shelves of paper, the boxes of paper clips, the stack of shiny brochures touting the benefits of the Healthy Living Clinic and Dr. Richie’s approach to total health and well-being. You’d think someone would have thought to stock a few tools along with the office supplies. If she could just find a screwdriver, she could go to work on the door hinges and make her escape.
This was so infuriating! She’d arrived this morning so full of excitement, determined to show Dr. Richie that he’d made a good move when he’d decided to take her up on her proposal to revamp his entire public relations operation. It had taken all the nerve she had to put together that presentation and approach the doctor on her own, much less demand larger office space to work in. She wasn’t used to fighting for that sort of thing. Success had always come easily to her in the past.
That was until she’d opened her own public relations firm. Somehow, as though she’d come under some sort of evil spell, she hadn’t managed to do one thing right and her business had failed.
Failed! The word made her gasp, even just thinking it. Failure just wasn’t possible. If her parents had any inkling…
No, she told herself fiercely. You cannot cry just because you’ve messed up again.
Still, she had to wonder. If there was no one there to see you cry, did it really matter?
Yes, it did, she decided. Tears were a sign of weakness. The first step toward that very failure she was so scared of. And she could not afford to fail at this job.
She shook away that nightmare thought. Her luck was supposed to have changed. Developing this new campaign for Dr. Richie was going to fix everything. If she ever got out of the supply closet.
“Hello. Anybody here?”
She froze, listening. Someone had come into the office. Decision time. Was she ready to reveal her pathetic mistake?
“Gone to lunch, I guess,” a male voice muttered.
She smiled her relief. She didn’t recognize the voice. There would be no problem if a stranger rescued her. Saved at last!
“Hello,” she called out. “I’m in here.”
After a pause, the voice spoke again. “In where?”
“In the supply closet. I’m locked in, actually. There’s no handle on this side. If you could just open the doors…”
A sharp click was followed by one of the doors opening slowly. Looking up, she found herself face to face with a very large, steel-jawed man with a suspicious look in his green eyes.
“What are you doing in there?” he asked abruptly.
Abby stiffened and her eyes narrowed. She’d been ready to be grateful. Honest she had. She’d been ready to smile and thank her rescuer with all her heart.
But there was something about the way he looked at her and the suspicious tone in his voice that set her off. She’d been through a lot in the last fifteen minutes, even if it was mostly in her own head. A little sympathetic treatment would have been just the thing. Instead, she got skepticism. Frustrated, and feeling awfully defensive, she reacted a little hastily to his obvious distrust.
“Who, me?” she said, knowing she sounded flippant but not caring very much. “Checking for termites, of course. I always lock myself in closets so I can catch the little buggers unaware.”
“Really.” He wasn’t moving aside and he filled the opening. His icy green eyes had a penetrating intensity. She felt, for a second or two, as if she was being X-rayed. “Find any?”
Her chin rose. “Not yet.” She knew she should smile right now. It was time to make friends, not war.
You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, Abby. The phrase in her mother’s voice echoed in her head, but there was something so annoying about the way this man had jumped to the conclusion that she was up to no good, she just couldn’t make use of it.
“I have found evidence of other pests, however,” she said pointedly, flashing him a look. “I’m hoping I won’t have to call an exterminator.”
To his credit, one corner of his wide mouth quirked with the tiniest sign of amusement at her jibe.
“So you actually belong here?” he asked, still looking skeptical.
“You thought I was looting the place and got caught in the closet?” She resisted rolling her eyes, though she felt like doing it. “Sorry to disappoint you. I work here.”
“Do you?” He paused just long enough to increase her fury. “I was at the ribbon-cutting ceremony last month. Dr. Richie was there. Along with all the counselors and administrators of the clinic and even a few from the hospital.” He raised one dark, sleek eyebrow. “I didn’t see you there.”
She pursed her lips, wondering what he’d do if she just let go and launched herself at his throat. “It would have been pretty strange if you’d seen me there. I didn’t attend. I was out of town.”
“Ah.”
He didn’t believe her? What was he, a security guard she hadn’t run across in her few weeks working here? If so, maybe they needed a seminar on employee-to-employee relations.
“So now you’ve decided I’m a burglar?”
“I don’t know what you are. I’m just wondering why you’re in this closet.”
She’d had enough of this. If he wasn’t going to move, she was going to have to scrunch past him. Setting her jaw, she did just that and looked up defiantly.
“I’m not in it anymore. Happy?”
He turned, following her progress across the office, and she had second thoughts. Didn’t security guards usually wear uniforms, or at least a badge of some sort? He didn’t have either. And if he worked here, he should know about her. Shouldn’t he?
Reaching out, she grabbed the brass nameplate from her desk and held it up for him to see.
“This is me. Abby Edwards. Public Relations. And this is my office.” She set the plate back down and fixed him with a stare, folding her arms across her chest. “Can I help you with something?”
He shrugged, jamming his hands down into the pockets of his jacket and looking her over in a way she found particularly insolent.
“What exactly were you doing in there?” he asked, giving the closet a quick scan before looking back at her. “Besides the termites, I mean.”
She met his gaze levelly, but she had a moment of unease. Could he possibly be someone in the chain of command here at the clinic—someone she should be treating like a boss? But no. It seemed unlikely. He just didn’t have the right look. She could relax and give as good as she got.
“Hmm. Just what was I doing in that supply closet?” She pretended to think it over for half a second. “I’d say it was pretty obvious to anyone who was paying attention. Dealing with supplies would have been my first choice. Still, others may differ.”
“These supplies?” He indicated the piles stacked around the edge of the office. “That’s a lot of stuff to move.” He looked at her assessingly. “Tell you what. I’ll help you.”
She frowned. What the heck was this guy’s game, anyway? He’d come out of nowhere and now he wanted to help. If he was so suspicious of her, maybe she ought to return the favor.
“Wait a minute. Who are you exactly?”
He hesitated, then held out his hand. “Name’s Daniel O’Callahan,” he said shortly. “Nice to meet you, Abby Edwards.”
She glanced at his hand. It looked strong and tanned, the fingers long and tapered, the nails neat and even. For a split second, she considered refusing to shake hands with him. But she knew immediately that would be a mistake. Hey, she was supposed to be spreading good feeling, not making enemies. Gritting her teeth, she put her slender hand in his and felt a jolt as his warmth enveloped her.
She pulled her hand back a little too quickly and immediately regretted it when she saw the glint of humor in his eyes. Now he was laughing at her. This was possibly the most infuriating man she’d ever dealt with in her life.
“You still haven’t explained what you are doing here,” she said sharply.
“Haven’t I?” He grinned at her, going into a casual slouch that showed how very relaxed he was. By now his body language was telling her that he was completely at home and obviously feeling in control of things.
“No, you haven’t. Why don’t you tell me what you want and I’ll try to direct you to the office where they can help you.” There you go. Maybe she could get rid of him.
“What do most people who come to this clinic want?” he countered.
“To improve their lives,” she said promptly. “To attain a natural state of well-being through nutritional counseling, a fitness regimen and self-awareness instruction.”
He shrugged. “Count me in.”
She studied him for a long moment, glanced at the tight, narrow set of his hips, the thigh muscles that bulged beneath the fabric of his slacks, then back at the cocky set of his shoulders and head.
Nope. She just wasn’t buying it.
Of course, it was conceivable that the look of fitness and assurance was just a facade. Perhaps beneath that cocky exterior lay a hidden supply of raging neuroses. It was possible that this was all a front to hide his insecurities.
Possible, but not very likely. Not with that look in his eyes.
“What aspect of our services would you be interested in?” she asked him incredulously.
“The whole rigmarole I guess. Tell me about it.” Snagging an office chair, he swung down into the seat, stretching his long legs out in front of him. “Do you have a brochure of your product line?”
“Yes. But it’s not current. We’re having new ones printed up that are more informative.” One of her main projects since she’d been hired earlier in the summer had been to revamp the marketing plan. “Tell you what. If you come to the seminar tomorrow night, I’ll make sure you get a copy of the new ones.”
His nod was saying, “Okay,” but the look on his face was saying that wasn’t going to satisfy him. “Why not just give me a brief rundown right now?”
She hesitated. “I hate to try to do that.” She slumped down into the chair behind the desk, then leaned toward him confidentially. “Okay, I’ll be honest with you. Everything is in chaos right now. Once I get moved into this office and have a chance to go over the inventory and the scheduling routines, I’ll be able to give you a clearer picture. In the meantime…”
Reaching out, she picked up a flyer and handed it to him. “There you go. Seven-thirty on Tuesday, in the Blue Bayou Room.” Spinning in her chair, she took another look at the piles she still had to deal with.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me here.”
Daniel gazed at her speculatively. He knew he’d just been dismissed, but he wasn’t going anywhere. He hadn’t succeeded in getting any closer to the truth about what was going on at this clinic, but at least he’d made a start. Developing a relationship with Abby Edwards, PR person, should give him a lot of access to the inner workings of the place. Besides, he had to admit, he didn’t mind the view.
She hadn’t seemed all that attractive at first. Despite her luxuriously long brown hair and her deep-brown eyes with the golden flecks, she wasn’t classically beautiful. In fact, his initial reaction had been negative. She’d come across as a know-it-all with a chip on her shoulder.
But once she’d settled down and started talking about her work here at the clinic, her natural warmth had taken over and her face had become animated in a way that was quite winning.
Abby Edwards wasn’t so bad.
Still, she very much wasn’t his type.
What was his type exactly? Hard to tell. A picture of Charlene flashed in his mind but he shoved it away. No, Charlene wasn’t his type either. Experience had borne that out. In fact, he probably didn’t have a type. He was just a guy wedded to his job. The fact that that job might be in jeopardy right now made that situation all the more bittersweet.
“You know I’m really interested in the work this clinic does,” he told her. “And I don’t want to wait until tomorrow. Do you have any samples around that I could take a look at?”
“Samples?” She turned back, blinking at him. “Of what?”
“Your products. I understand you have a line of vitamins, for one thing.”
“Oh, sure. The vitamins are very popular. In fact, last year they outsold one of the national brands in the hospital pharmacy.”
Last year. That wasn’t going to help his search. Whatever was going on here, it seemed to be of recent vintage. The vitamins didn’t appear to be contenders. He was looking for something new, something that had just been introduced lately.
“I’ll have to look into those vitamins,” he said smoothly. “In the meantime, have you got anything else?” Anything that might make a whole population of hospital workers turn into love-crazed androids? “Any elixirs? Love potions? Aphrodisiacs? Libido revivers?”
To his surprise, she reddened. “Hey, if you’re looking for Viagra,” she began indignantly.
He straightened, horrified. “No, no!” Now he felt himself reddening, and that hadn’t happened in years. “That’s not what I meant.”
She bit her lip, then leaned toward him, losing the outrage and looking sympathetic.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” she said quickly. “If that’s your problem, I’m sure that a regimen of exercise will really help. But you might want to consult a sex therapist.”
He groaned. “No, wait—”
“It’s a common problem. Please don’t feel that you have to hide it.”
“Hide it!” He choked. This was getting him in deeper and deeper. It wasn’t funny. Well, maybe a little bit. But at the same time, it was damned humiliating.
“I don’t have a problem,” he told her forcefully. “Listen, you took it wrong. I’ve never had any trouble….” His voice faded out. Looking at her sweet, innocent face, he just couldn’t say it. “That way,” he said lamely at last. “Really. I’m a normal, healthy male.”
She was still looking sympathetic. Damn it all, she thought he was just covering up his embarrassment. There was definitely a good way to prove that she was wrong, but he didn’t think she’d go for it. So he stared at her in frustrated silence, wondering how the conversation had taken a turn down this blind alley.
“I can give you a referral,” she was saying, digging through the papers on her desk for a note pad.
Reaching out, he grabbed her hand. “I don’t need a referral,” he said firmly. “I don’t need therapy. All I want to know is what sort of products you dispense here besides vitamins.”
She was staring at him in bewilderment and he didn’t blame her. He was coming darn close to shouting, and that wasn’t going to help anything. He forced a smile, knowing it must look pretty ghastly.
“Hey,” he said, remembering something and releasing her hand. “Dr. Richie was saying something about a new product at the ribbon cutting last month. Something called NoGo or Nutrait or—”
“NoWait!” she chimed in, beaming with relief. “Yes, that is a new homeopathic oil he’s developed himself. He’s such a genius.”
“That’s the one.”
“Oh, it’s flying off the shelves. It’s used for weight loss, and people are getting the most wonderful results.”
Right. He knew a little something about these snake-oil salesmen. If the oil was doing anything, it was through the power of suggestion, no doubt about it. Still, this could be the missing link he’d been looking for. Except for one thing. As he remembered, it wasn’t something people took into their system in the usual way.
“It’s not ingested, is it?”
“Oh, no.” She smiled. “In fact, it’s kind of cute. You put a dab behind your ear.”
That pretty much shot down his hopes. If you didn’t drink it or eat it, how could it change the way you acted to the extent it seemed to be changing the people he was seeing all over the hospital?
“One ear or both?” he asked with a rueful smile.
She blinked. “Tell you the truth, I’m not really sure. I haven’t tried it myself.” She scrunched her nose at him. “And I hardly think you need to lose any weight.”
“You never know,” he said quickly, not wanting to go back to speculating on what he might be needing help with again. “I’m not getting any younger. And you know how weight tends to accumulate as you age.”
“Oh, sure.” She was nothing if not understanding. “You can never start working on fitness too early.”
He nodded. She was charming when she started talking about the things she felt most passionately about. She sort of lit up with an inner glow that was quite appealing. He wondered, fleetingly, if there was a man in her life. But he dismissed the thought as soon as it formed. Despite her spunk, Abby was soft and sweet and seemingly naive—all the things he wasn’t. The women he dated tended to be the women he met in the course of his workday, and as a cop, he mostly mixed with a fairly rough level of society. He wouldn’t know what to do with a woman like this.
“So tell me about the exercise programs. What are they like?”
She perked up markedly, her eyes brilliant. “Now those I have tried. They’re great, really the most comprehensive I’ve found anywhere. That was what made me so interested in joining Dr. Richie. I admire him so much. He’s been able to do what is so difficult to do—marry serious health advantages with movements that are just really fun and relaxing to do.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow. “But can he walk on water?”
She looked startled. “What?”
“Nothing. I was just being rude.”
The way her face was shining as she spoke of the good doctor, Daniel felt a twinge of jealousy. Though he would face death rather than admit it.
“How much do you know about this Richie character?”
She drew herself up sternly. “Dr. Richie is a well-respected expert in the fitness field. It’s a real honor to get this opportunity to work with him.”
She was cute in her righteous indignation, and he had trouble not grinning at her again. Could it be the exercises that were making people act crazy? It didn’t seem likely. But he couldn’t afford to overlook anything just because it didn’t fit the pattern he expected.
“How about a demonstration of the exercises?”
“What— Right now?”
“Can you think of a better time?”
“Well, if you come to the seminar…”
“I’ll come to the seminar. But I’d like to get a hint of what I’m letting myself in for.”
She frowned. She didn’t want to do it. She glanced at her piles of supplies, still languishing on the floor, and he knew she wanted to get things finished here. But she was too polite to say so, and he actually felt a twinge of guilt over putting her in this position. But it was just a twinge. He could easily ignore it.
“Okay,” she said, just a hint of her reluctance showing. Then she visibly put all that behind her and got into the swing of things. “Tell you what. I’ll do it if you help.”
Her smile was impudent. And that made him suspicious.
“What? How can I help?”
“I know some really fun things for two people to do together,” she said happily.
He forced back a laugh. He knew a few fun things for two people to do together, too, but he had a feeling they weren’t what she had in mind.
“Don’t worry,” she told him. “I’ll show you what to do.”
Reaching under her desk, she pulled out a large exercise mat and plopped it down in the middle of the room. “Okay, we are now going to demonstrate the Giaza.”
He was skeptical. He’d much rather watch than join in. “What is the Giaza?”
“It’s a set of exercises.”
“Sounds more like a set of steak knives.”
Grabbing his hand, she pulled him to his feet. “Come on, mister. You asked for it, you got it. Come sit down cross-legged.”
“Like this?” He did as she’d ordered.
“You’re nice and limber, aren’t you? And athletic, I’ll bet.”
He muttered something. For no known reason, he was suddenly feeling a little self-conscious.
“Okay,” he said, settling down, hands on his knees. He was glad he’d worn fairly loose slacks. “What’s next?”
“This is the two-person routine. I’m going to sit down, too. We’ll be back to back.”
That seemed odd. “No kidding.”
“No kidding.” She stood before him and held her hands together in front of her stomach, looking like an Asian princess. “This is a way to center yourself and prepare for a more strenuous workout. It’s mind over matter. See if you can tune into the wavelength where I’m floating.”
Oh, brother. Psychobabble. Still, he’d better keep his caustic comments to himself if he didn’t want to get kicked out of her office.
“Okay,” he said gruffly. “What happens if I bump into you?”
She started to ask him what he meant, then stopped when she no doubt realized he was referring to the floating thing. She gave him a wry look instead and he had to give her points for getting it.
“Our spiritual selves don’t bump,” she said lightly as she began to lower herself behind him. “They melt right into each other.”
“Hmm.” For some reason that appealed to him.
She settled in against him. “See? Back to back.”
“‘And belly to belly,’” he muttered to himself.
“What?”
“Nothing. This just reminds me of an old folk song. About zombies.”
He could feel her stiffen.
“Listen, I don’t know what you’ve heard, but this clinic does not turn people into zombies. That’s a slander put out by another clinic in town that is being left in the dust as Dr. Richie takes off.”
He paused, a bit taken aback by her vehemence. “It was just a joke,” he said softly.
She changed immediately. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little touchy about it.”
She settled back against him. “This exercise works better when the two are more evenly matched in size, but you can get the general idea. Raise your arms. Now sway with me.”
He raised his arms and swayed.
“Calm your mind. Let your eyelids droop. Think of water lapping on the white sands of a tropical beach. Feel it lap. Feel the hot sun on your shoulders. Feel the gentle breeze ruffle your hair.”
Little by little, he was feeling more than he’d expected to. As she moved against him, he became aware of just where her rounded bottom was touching his. It was incredibly arousing. The more she swayed, the more he forgot about the beach and focused on her body.
Sensation shot through his system and he held back an urge to make an appreciative noise. This was unbelievable. He’d been turned on by a woman’s backside before, but not like this. This was overwhelming.
He was vaguely aware that she was still talking. He didn’t need talking. He’d found that floating thing she’d mentioned and he was up there, drifting on a sensual cloud.
“Okay, now I’m going to lean my head back on your shoulder and you lean your head on my shoulder.”
Whoa. He’d had sex that was less exciting than this. His heart was beating as though he’d just run a mile. Their heads were now side by side and the sense of her was flooding into his system. He turned his face toward her. He couldn’t help himself.
She was saying, “Arms at shoulder height and straight out. Now turn the palms up,” and he was breathing in her scent, filling his lungs with it and wondering what her mouth tasted like.
She glanced over, saw his face too close and hesitated. That was all he needed. He was going to kiss her. It was going to be a little odd, upside down and all, but he was going to do it. He made a move toward her and saw her eyes widen.
Whether they were widening with shock or interest he would never know. He would have liked to think the latter, but realistically, it wasn’t likely. At the moment of reckoning, the door opened and a voice interrupted everything.
“What’s going on here?”
Two
A bby was up and flying away from Daniel like a scalded cat. He would have looked twice, just to see how she could possibly have done that, but he was too busy taking the measure of the man in the doorway.
“Oh, Dr. Richie!” Abby was saying. “I’m just— We were just— Well, this is Daniel O’Callahan and he’s just—”
Daniel hadn’t really paid too much attention to the good doctor before, but now he looked him over and decided he didn’t much care for what he saw. Dr. Richie was a tall, good-looking man, but there was something a little too polished, a little too calculated in his manner. His dark hair was salon-perfect and streaked with silver the way an actor would have had it done in an attempt to give gravitas to his appearance. That was it. Somehow the man looked like a performer to him. Something just didn’t quite ring true.
And—let’s face it—he didn’t much like the way Abby was lapping him up with a spoon. Did she have to idolize the man?
Daniel rose slowly, just to make sure the doctor didn’t think he was as embarrassed at being caught in this vaguely compromising position as Abby was.
“I didn’t hire you to do this sort of training,” Richie was saying to Abby, turned as though he thought he could carry on a conversation in private if he just didn’t admit there was anyone else in the room. “We have counselors for that, Abby. I hired you to take charge of our public relations operation. You don’t have time for this sort of work.”
“I was just showing him. He was interested and I thought—”
Dr. Richie turned, acknowledging Daniel with a slight nod.
“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you’ll have to come to one of our seminars if you want to get a good overview of what we have to offer,” he said, his attitude pleasant but distant. “And, Abby, I’ve called a senior staff meeting in the library. Please join us. The others are waiting.” Another curt nod and he was on his way down the hall.
Daniel turned to look at Abby. Her cheeks were bright red in a very attractive way, but he regretted that she was taking this so badly.
“Sorry,” he said. “Didn’t mean to get you into trouble with the big boss.”
She looked up at him but she didn’t smile. He could tell she’d had it with him, and she was ready to let him know that.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to leave,” she said shortly.
“Okay,” he said amiably. “But I’ll be back when—”
“Out.” Her dark eyes smoldered with anger and she pointed at the door. “And don’t come back here.”
With a shrug, he started toward the door. “I’ll see you at the seminar tomorrow,” he said, glancing back at her.
“Fine. But you won’t be talking to me.” She followed as though ready to shove him out into the hallway if he balked. “There is really no need for us to have any further communication. I’ll make sure they assign a good counselor to you.”
He stepped through the doorway and looked back.
“Someone who will be a good match for your needs,” she added.
That stopped him cold. “My needs?”
“You know. That little problem you have.” With a look of quiet triumph, she closed the door.
“Women!” Daniel said a few minutes later to his grandmother as he strode back into her hospital room. “Who needs them?”
“I’m a woman, darling.” Phoebe looked up with a loving smile.
“Yeah, but you’re sane. Not many other women can say that.”
“Watch your tongue, young man,” a tart voice stated, emanating from the tiny bathroom off to the side. “In the war between the sexes, I’m a major general.” A woman about his grandmother’s age emerged, carrying a vase full of roses.
Phoebe laughed. “Ella, meet Daniel O’Callahan, my grandson. Daniel, Ella Crown is the hospital florist and she has kindly delivered the flowers your brothers sent me.”
Ella nodded but she didn’t smile. Instead, she went on grumbling as she carried the vase to a shelf where Phoebe could have a good view of it. Her long white hair was twisted into a braided ring at the top of her head, and her naturally craggy face was enhanced by some of the brightest blue eye shadow he’d ever seen.
“So you’re an expert on relationships, are you?” Daniel noted casually. “Then you might be the one who can explain to me why women are so perverse.”
“I’m not explaining anything,” she said, turning to fix him with a steady stare, her hands on her slender hips. “Why should I give secret intelligence to the enemy?”
Daniel grinned. She was a feisty one, and probably annoying as all get out in the long run, but he found her amusing. “Don’t you want to make this a fair fight?” he asked.
“Heck no.” She snorted. “Listen, youngster, I’ve married, harried and buried four men. I’ve done my part.”
Daniel nodded, impressed. “Going for a fifth?” he asked her.
She practically snarled. “I think not. I’ve retired from those battles. Hung up my spurs. I think I’ve probably had more than my share of heartbreak. Why would I ask for any more punishment?”
“Oh, come on, Ella,” Phoebe remonstrated, her eyes dancing. “You work every day with flowers, the language of love. How can you ignore the effect on you?”
“I keep my vaccinations up to date,” she snapped back. “I’m not falling for any of this romantic twaddle. There’s enough of that going on around here to choke a horse, anyway.”
“You’ve noticed it, too?” Daniel said quickly. So few would admit it.
“Noticed it?” Ella rolled her eyes, an interesting movement backed as it was with the heavy blue eye shadow. “You can’t get down the hallways without tripping over lip-locked lovers these days. I don’t know what’s come over everyone.”
That was a relief. He was beginning to think he was the only one who saw the difference. The thing was, he knew this hospital pretty well. His partner had taken a round in his leg a few years ago, the by-product of a major drug bust, and he’d visited Jimmy almost every day until they’d let him out. And there had been others—Minnie the office secretary when she’d had her heart attack, Kirk with his hip replacement, Mike with the broken back from falling off a roof while chasing a kidnapper. And then when Jimmy and his wife had decided to adopt a child, he’d become well-acquainted with Maggie Sullivan, a social worker with Children’s Connection, which was affiliated with the hospital. All in all, he’d been in and out of the place dozens of times. If things had been like this he would have noticed. It had only been this summer that he had begun to notice people here acting strangely. Only since the new clinic had opened its doors.
So he nodded in agreement with the woman.
“I don’t suppose you’ve visited the Healthy Living Clinic by any chance?” he asked. “Or had any dealings with their products?”
“Heck no. I’m fit as a spring colt, thank you very much. I don’t need any of that alfalfa-sprout mumbo-jumbo.”
She started for the door, then glanced back at Phoebe. “You take care, honey. Enjoy your flowers.” Looking back at Daniel she added, “And you take care of this little lady. Don’t go running off after some flirty skirt and leaving her to fend for herself. You hear?”
Daniel put his hand over his heart. “On my honor,” he told her earnestly.
She nodded as though satisfied and went on her way, her high heels clicking on the tiled floor.
Phoebe laughed. “Quite a character, isn’t she? I’ve known her since we were in the Oregonian Historical Society together, years ago. I’ve even met a couple of her husbands.”
“Sounds like you had to work fast to do that,” Daniel noted. “None of them lasted very long.” He looked thoughtful. “I wonder just what the circumstances were.”
“Oh, no you don’t!” Phoebe cried. “You leave Ella alone.” She gave him a look of pure exasperation—a look he’d seen many times before. “She’s a peach. Look, she stopped by the travel bureau and picked up some brochures on cruises for me.” She waved the brightly colored leaflets at him. “I’ve already got my cruise picked out.”
Daniel stopped, groaning internally. “Gram, I don’t think you’re going to be in any condition for cruising for some time,” he said carefully. “I hate to see you get your hopes up when—”
“Don’t start with me, young man.”
He bit his tongue. There was no way she was going on a cruise. It was impossible. The summer had begun with her being hospitalized with circulatory problems, and then there had been the fall she’d taken, an accident that had left her lying helpless in the street. He couldn’t bear to think of her risking another accident like that. And even if she were in physical shape to do it, the money wasn’t there.
He’d just sunk every penny in a wonderful retirement community for her. Now all he had to do was convince her that she wanted to move in. But there would be plenty of time for that once she was back on her feet again.
“You just get over here and adjust these pillows for me,” she was saying. “Then you can turn on my television and go out and find a nice girl to date.”
He obliged about the pillows right away. “That’s just my complaint, you know,” he said with a sad smile, meant to get her sympathy. “There are no nice girls left.”
Phoebe looked up at him, her eyes narrowing speculatively. “That cute little redheaded nurse was asking about you again.”
He threw out his hands in a mock gesture of irritation. “Now see, that’s what I mean. That’s just plain weird.”
“Why?”
He shrugged, ready to pass her question by. But the way she was looking at him, he could tell she wasn’t going to be satisfied with that, so he tried to explain. “Women just don’t do things like that around me. I’m not that type of guy. Never have been.”
“Oh, Danny, don’t be so dense,” his grandmother said crossly. “Women would love you if you just give them half a chance. And the redhead is the proof.”
“No, Gram.” He shook his head. This was one thing in his life that he didn’t doubt. “There’s something wrong here. Women have never fallen all over me like this before. And in such strange ways. I don’t trust it.”
“Oh, Danny.”
“It’s the truth. Women just don’t act like that around me.”
“Well, how do women usually act?”
He grimaced. “Most of the women I deal with these days reach for their license first, and then for their cell phone.”
She looked bewildered. “Their cell phone?”
“To call their lawyer.”
“Oh.” She laughed. “Of course. They’re afraid you’re going to arrest them.” She shook her head. “Well, very few here know you’re a cop so that isn’t the problem.”
He slumped down into the chair beside her bed and squinted his eyes, thinking. “That’s just it. It’s driving me nuts. I’ve got to get to the bottom of it. I’ve got women making goo-goo eyes at me all over the place.”
“Well, of course you do, darling.” She patted his arm. “I think you just never noticed it before. You’re quite a handsome man. I’m sure there are lots of women sizing you up as a very good catch. You just don’t pay enough attention.”
He gave his grandmother a patient look. “That’s not it, Gram. I pay a lot of attention. It’s part of my job to pay attention. And I’ve never been a ladies’ man before.” He sighed, mulling things over. “Anyway, it’s not just me. Half the people in this hospital seem to be wandering around in a lovesick daze. You heard your friend Ella. She’s noticed it, too. Something deeply suspicious is going on around here.”
Phoebe still looked dubious, but she was lost in memories for the moment. “The trouble is, you don’t take advantage of opportunities when they slap you right in the face. I remember that talkative Taffy Williams who used to come around to see you. She wasn’t a beauty, but she seemed to be such a nice girl. You never did ask her out, though, did you?”
Daniel looked at her, considered for a moment, then decided to tell her the truth. “Gram, Taffy had a sex-change operation three years ago. She’s now a he. You can stop trying to get me to ask her out. Uh, him out… Oh, hell!”
“My goodness. I’m sorry to hear that.” She put a finger to the side of her nose, thinking. “I must send her a get-well card.”
Daniel laughed out loud. “You don’t ‘get well’ from a sex change.” He sobered. “At least, I don’t think you do.”
“Never mind. Everyone likes to get a card showing concern. Even if we’re not too clear what that concern is all about.” She smiled at him, then looked eager. “Now tell me. What is your investigation turning up?”
He turned to look at the wall. “Nothing so far.”
“Danny! Don’t hold out on me now. Tell me what’s up.”
He looked back at her. “Gram, I don’t think you need to—”
“It has to do with that Healthy Living Clinic place, doesn’t it?”
He reacted with surprise, then resignation. “How did you figure that out?”
Her smile was smug. “Where do you think you got your inquisitive genes? I heard what you said to Ella. That snapped it into place right away. So give.”
“There’s nothing to ‘give,’ you rascal.” Leaning forward, he kissed her cheek with genuine affection. “I’ve been snooping around, but so far nothing looks even vaguely promising.”
She pouted. “At least tell me what I can do to help.”
He gazed at her, loving the way she wanted to get involved, but knowing it was something she just couldn’t do. He would lay down his life for this woman who had stepped in and taken over when his parents had been killed in a boating accident. She’d been way past her most energetic years at the time. By all rights, she should have been spending her days having tea and cookies with her lady friends, joining the gardening club, taking tours of Europe. Instead, she’d pitched in and taken over parenting duties that had helped keep him and his three younger brothers together.
It had been no bed of roses for her, either. He and his brothers hadn’t appreciated her at first, and they’d rebelled, each in his own way. As he looked back now, with the perspective of time, he could see that he had been emotionally devastated by the death of his parents, that he had taken it out on his grandmother, his community and, probably most of all, himself. There had been a time when it had been a toss-up as to which side of the law he would end up on. If it hadn’t been for his grandmother, always a steady rock of love and understanding, he wasn’t sure he would have made it back.
Oh, what the hell. If she wanted to help, there must be something he could think up to let her feel useful.
“Okay, here’s what you can do. You can ask around about the Healthy Living Clinic. Just casually work it into the conversation. When nurses and therapists drop by, ask if they know anything about it, or if anything strange is going on there.”
“What is going on there?” she asked in a stage whisper, her eyes huge.
He looked at her and hid his grin, answering her with the same sort of whisper. “That’s what I’m trying to find out.”
“Ah.”
“It’s not anything big or deep or dangerous. I don’t think. I’m just curious.”
“I see.” She nodded wisely and gave him a little wink.
“No, Gram, I mean it. Just ask around. No big deal.”
She stuck her nose in the air. “I know how to keep my cool, as we used to say in the jazz age.”
“The jazz age.” He laughed softly. “Okay, Gram, have your fun.”
He sobered, realizing he might be unleashing a whirlwind.
“But under no circumstances are you to take any products from that place. No vitamins or tonics or lozenges. Don’t do any of their exercises either.”
He thought for a moment and added, “In fact, don’t let any people from that place into your room. Okay?”
“You can trust me,” she said stoutly.
“Good. Now can I trust you to get some rest?”
“Of course. Just turn the TV to my favorite soap and I’ll be out like a light in no time.”
If only he could believe it was really that easy.
He headed down the hallway toward the elevator, punching the button and looking up as the doors opened to reveal the very attractive redheaded nurse already ensconced.
He hesitated. There was something about the look in her eye that reminded him of a cat with a captured mouse.
“Come on in,” she said, batting her eyelashes. “There’s plenty of room.”
He nodded to her warily and stepped into the opposite corner of the car. She immediately moved toward him, and as the doors closed again, she reached out and fingered the fabric of his suit coat.
“Nice,” she said softly.
He frowned at her, unable to believe this. “You like this suit?” he said incredulously. It was off the rack at a discount store.
She smiled up at him seductively. “I like what’s in it.”
He stared at her, aghast. Now that just wasn’t natural. Nice, but not natural. And when the doors opened again, he escaped as quickly as he could.
Abby was just passing through and she really didn’t have time for this. That was what she told herself as she stepped lightly down the hall in search of Room 707.
She’d stopped by the nurses’ station to pick up some reports and they had told her of a lady who wanted more information about the clinic. That wasn’t really her function, but she didn’t want to be rude. She supposed she could drop by and be friendly at least. If she could only find the room.
There it was.
She stuck her head in and found a little gray-haired woman dozing in her bed.
“Hi, there,” she said brightly.
The woman looked up and smiled a welcome. “Hello.”
“Are you Phoebe—” she glanced at the chart on the wall “—O’Callahan?” She turned and stared at the woman, suddenly remembering the O’Callahan she’d met the day before. Frowning, she decided there must be a lot of O’Callahans in the city. Funny coincidence, though.
“The nurse at the station told me you were asking about the Healthy Living Clinic, and since I’m spending some time on this floor, I thought I’d stop by and see if I can answer any of your questions. I’m the public relations representative.”
Phoebe beamed. “Well, thank you, dear. Come right in.”
Abby made her way to the side of the bed. “I wish I had some literature to give you, but we’ve recently revamped the brochure and new ones won’t be available until later this evening. But I’ll be sure to have some sent over for you.”
“Isn’t that nice of you.” Phoebe gestured toward the chair. “In the meantime, you just come and sit right down here where I can look at you and you can tell me everything.”
Abby laughed, pulling the chair over and dropping down into it. “Everything? Well, the clinic was started—”
“No, honey. That’s not what I mean.” Phoebe’s eyes sparkled. “First off, are you married?”
“Married?” Abby was startled by the question. “Why, no.”
“How nice. Got a fella in mind?”
“N-not really.”
“Wonderful.” She was grinning ear to ear. “Now tell me about your job. How did a nice girl like you get mixed up with that bunch?”
“Mrs. O’Callahan!”
“Call me Phoebe. And tell me what that good-looking Dr. Richie is really like.”
Abby laughed. “Well…”
Half an hour later they were still chatting, though Abby was beginning to glance at her watch. She was just getting her things together and preparing to say goodbye when a figure appeared in the doorway. Looking up, her smile froze on her face.
Darn! This was the same O’Callahan after all.
The man had been plaguing her mind for the last day and a half. Whenever she got a moment of rest, his image came back to her and she found herself wondering what his visit to her office had been all about. His attitude had been so strange and his requests sort of oddball. She’d tried hard to accommodate him, to the point where Dr. Richie had thought he had to give her what she considered a humiliating reprimand. But now that she thought it over, she knew her employer was right, and she also knew that Daniel was someone she should avoid.
Now here he was again, looking tall and lean and somehow vaguely dangerous in a way she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It was definitely time for her to take her leave.
Daniel was staring at her in surprise that quickly turned to suspicion. Again. What did the man instinctively have against her? It was so strange. People usually took her at face value, and her value was pretty high, if she did say so herself.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded.
Her chin rose. The man had a lot of nerve. “What are you doing here?” she countered.
He nodded toward Phoebe. “This is my grandmother.”
That was too bad. She’d really liked the older woman a lot. Now she was going to have to be careful to avoid her.
“Well, that’s something I guess the poor dear can’t be cured of, isn’t it?” she said, then recoiled, immediately wanting to bite her tongue for using such a sarcastic tone. But the man had asked for it.
“Children, children,” Phoebe scolded. “I see you already know each other, so I won’t introduce you. But I may have to give you a quick lecture on playing nicely with each other.”
Abby turned apologetically and took Phoebe’s hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you. We’ve had such a nice talk and I hope we get a chance to do that again. But I’m overdue at work. I must get back. There’s a staff meeting at eleven.”
Daniel snorted. “Poor old Richie Strong is probably wandering the halls like a lost puppy, looking for you right now,” he said.
Throwing him a poisonous look, Abby smiled at Phoebe. “I’ll be back in the morning with those brochures.”
“Ah, the famous brochures,” Daniel said softly.
She blinked and forced herself to smile even more broadly. “What time does your grandson usually come to visit?” she asked Phoebe as she turned to go. “I want to be sure to miss him.”
“I don’t want you coming back here at all,” Daniel said, his voice pleasant, but his eyes steely.
“Daniel!” Phoebe was outraged.
“I mean it, Gram. I don’t want you dealing with stuff from that clinic. They’ve got some kind of voodoo vibe going on over there, and I don’t want you involved.”
“You are impossible,” Abby said through clenched teeth.
Fury sizzled all through her system. She’d never before come across anyone who could instantly turn her usual complacency to rage the way this man did. Turning on her heel, she meant to make a dramatic exit. The only problem was, her first target seemed to be a closet. She realized her error immediately, but not soon enough to hide it from Daniel.
He grinned, standing in her way with his arms crossed.
“I’m beginning to understand where you make your mistakes,” he told her, “and how you end up locked in places you shouldn’t go into. You see, this is a door, but it’s not the right door. This is a door to a closet. That is the door to the outside world. Not the same thing.”
She knew her face was bright red, but right now she didn’t care. She only wanted to get out of the room before she did something really stupid. Her hands were already balled into fists. What would he do if she took a swipe at his nose? Oh, was she ever tempted!
“Could you just please get out of my way?”
“Oh. Certainly.” He stepped back, but at the same time, a crew began rolling another bed into the room and they both had to stand against the wall to let them pass and maneuver the bed.
“So what are you doing now?” he asked her softly, his words covered by the commotion in the room. “Trying to go after me through my grandmother?”
“Go after you!” Her jaw dropped and her hands itched to grab something to throw at his head. She had to suffice with glaring daggers at him. “Of all the egos I’ve ever known, yours is the most inflated. It’s practically bouncing off the ceiling.”
The pretty redheaded nurse had come into the room along with the moving crew. Abby noticed her distractedly as she handed Phoebe a cup with pills in it and turned to go, pausing to glance at the other two, deep in their argument.
“Well, I don’t know,” Daniel was saying in what Abby thought was a truly insolent manner. “Evidence isn’t everything, but it sure can point in a direction and—”
“Evidence!” She jabbed her forefinger at his chest. “I’d say the evidence shows you were the one coming after me yesterday. Name one good reason why I would be going after you.”
The nurse shook her head and grinned as she passed them. “Just check out those biceps, sweetie. They’ll give you a clue.”
Abby whirled and glared at the woman, but she was disappearing through the doorway.
Daniel grinned. “See? Why would I be going after you when I’ve got beautiful redheads following me around?”
“Oh!” She tried to leave but the crew was wheeling the bed back out again. Something about a broken control button. So she contented herself with hissing at him out of the side of her mouth. “Just stay away from me, Mr. O’Callahan.”
“Fine. And you stay away from my grandmother.”
She turned her head so fast, her hair whipped around her face. “Your grandmother is a grown woman. She can have visits from any friends she wants.”
He shook his head, looking exasperated. “Why are you always talking back?”
“You can only talk back to an authority figure. And I don’t see one here.”
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Raye Morgan
Тип: электронная книга
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
Язык: на английском языке
Издательство: HarperCollins
Дата публикации: 16.04.2024
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О книге: Follow a handsome detective as he searches for the truth…and finds his soul mate.Detective Daniel O′Callahan didn′t like mysteries, so when half the staff at Portland General was in love and kissing in the hallways, he smelled a rat. No sooner had he launched Operation: Aphrodisiac than pretty PR expert Abby Edwards had him wondering if the love bug was contagious. He wasn′t in the market for a wife and he had to maintain his distance, especially since Abby might be the key to solving the case. But with her sweet smile and passionate kisses, Daniel knew he was in deep–and that sooner or later he′d have to choose between justice and the woman of his dreams….