The Fall Of Jacob Del Garda (28 page)

Bronte knew she'd scared Nico.

Hell, she'd scared herself.

How many times had she relived the moment when she'd hit the deer? Every time she closed her eyes, it all came flying back. And every time she cried out, her wonderful husband had held her tight and told her she was fine and the baby was fine and to go back to sleep. When the nurse had given her a mirror to show her a face that was battered and bruised, she'd burst into tears. Nico had held her again until the storm passed.

The evidence of the strain he'd been under over the last two days was clear to see on his gorgeous face. His eyes looked too heavy. The only time he'd left her was for a quick shower and change of clothes. He hadn't shaved. Not once had the poor man complained when he'd settled down for the night, folding his big frame into a tiny camp bed in her room. And Bronte knew that if it wasn't for the strap holding the sensors to her belly to monitor the baby twenty-four-seven, he'd have climbed in beside her and to hell with the rules.

But now she pouted. "You're being ridiculous. I'm feeling better, and the baby is fine. No bleeding. I have a business to run, a family to look after." Not that she'd shown it, but to be honest she was worried sick about the amount of work backing up at
Sweet Sensations
. Plus she was missing the twins terribly.

His eyes narrowed into hers and she recognised that Bronte-do-not-mess-with-me look.

Stubborn man.

However, before Nico could utter a word, the door flew open.

A fabulously tanned Rosie Ludlow swept into the room, closely followed by Bronte's brother, Alexander. Oh thank God, they must have dropped everything and flown straight home from the Bahamas.

One look at the way Rosie's eyes teared-up and went too wide, when she saw the mess of her face, Bronte mortified herself by bursting into tears, again.

Nico couldn't help the big smile that split his face as he watched Bronte's spirits lift when her best friend and her brother fussed over her. After more tears had been shed and Alexander had assured himself that his sister and her baby were on the road to recovery, Rosie turned to give Nico a bruising hug and a smacking kiss on the mouth.

Nico kissed her back. "Welcome home," he said.

Rosie's curls danced on her slim shoulders as dark Bambi eyes stared unblinkingly into his. "It's good to be home. So, apart from Jacob and Tobin finding lurve, and Bronte's car hugging a tree. Gimme the skinny... what did I miss?"

Aaaaand, she was back!

Six months later, on the island of Bimini in the Bahamas.

In the minutes before dawn Ella Del Garda sat on cool sugar-white sand, hugging her knees to her chest, and waited.

A breeze stirred her hair, bringing with it the salty tang of the ocean. She listened to the steady beat of the tide ebbing and flowing. The sound of the heartbeat of the earth.

She never took for granted now the gift of witnessing the birth of a new dawn, a new day. Just before the spectacle for which she was patiently waiting, Ella snuggled deeper into the too big sweater that smelled of Jacob.

The last six months had been nothing short of magical. Her husband had taken a sabbatical from running the Ortiz hotel group. These days he spent time doodling with architectural plans for a new hotel and encouraging her photography. Life was calm. Life was good.

Ella felt him at her back as he eased his strong body around hers, tucking her between long legs. And then he covered them both with a soft blanket and held her close.

They watched the miracle of the first flare of the sun on the ocean's horizon. And Jacob's mouth nuzzled the top of her head.

"I awoke and you were gone. No nausea this morning?"

She smiled as he squeezed her tight, then she tipped back her head to receive a kiss on the nose.

"Nope. Your son has given his mother a break for three days on the trot. Maybe the worst is over." Please God, because she was three months pregnant and for six weeks had grown heartily tired of throwing up her breakfast every morning.

Then she lifted her face to the spectacle that was the break of the day. "Oh look, Jacob. Isn't it glorious?"

"Not as glorious as the smile on your face," his deep voice rumbled in her chest, against her back. "I love you, Ella."

She turned to rub her cheek on the T-shirt stretched across his wide chest, felt the beat of a heart filled with love for her. Contentment. Happiness. Those feelings and more filled her. And last night, to top it all, she'd talked to a deliriously happy Sophie in New York. Her sister and Tobin were thrilled to announce they were pregnant, too. Tobin's crow of delight making Jacob roar with laughter. Her husband laughed a lot these days. The haunted look in his dark eyes long gone.

"I love you, too, my darling. I never dreamed I could be so happy."

Standing, Jacob hauled her to her feet, took her hand in his and together they walked across the fine sand to the narrow path that led to the sprawling building they called home.

The End.

A letter from Christine to her awesome readers.

Writing this story was a labour of love for me. But it was also a time of great sadness in my personal life. Right in the middle of writing, my mother died very suddenly. I want to thank everyone who reached out to send me condolences and told me to take my time. You will never know how much your support and sympathy meant to me.

I hope you enjoyed Jacob's story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Four years ago, I underwent a mastectomy and breast reconstruction after being diagnosed with breast cancer. One day, sitting in the hospital waiting room to see my surgeon before yet another operation, I met twins. They were in their early twenties - too young - I felt - to have breast cancer. We started chatting and they told me that one had already undergone a double mastectomy after finding a lump in her breast. After a myriad of tests, it was discovered the girl carried the BRCA1/2 gene mutation. Thankfully, she is now in remission, but it was discovered that her twin also carried the gene mutation. And the girls were about to discuss a preventative surgery date for a double mastectomy. Their bravery and great good humour, in spite of the blow fate had dealt them really inspired me. And right there a story about sisters and the disease that stalked them was born.

I have a lot of people to thank. Dr. Sarah Oliver - GP extraordinaire. Miss Chandeena Roshanlall - the woman who saved my life and on a daily basis is a warrior who battles to save many more.

Emily Turcotte Gadwah for the daily laughs. Karen Davies for her unstinting support of the series. Jane Aschtgen Bowen for medical support. Amanda Coleman, Lucy Wright, Elissa Mills, and the rest of The Ludlow Girls. Authors, Diane Capri, Jillian Dodd, Steena Holmes, Lauren Hawkeye, Carly Phillips, Ruth Cardello, Marie Force, Mary Campisi, Lindsay J. Pryor, Natalie. G. Owens, Jennifer Lewis Oliver, Karen McFarland, Dana Delamar, Kristine Cayne, Nana Malone, Liz Matis, Lisette Giroux, Stacey Joy Netzel, Diana Layne, Rhonda Hopkins, Nigel Blackwell and many more! And a special thanks to the wonderful Catie Rhodes for Sophie's 'Party Hats'.

But most of all thank you to my awesome readers who email, comment on my blog, tweet and Face book me on a daily basis - I write these stories for you.

CC

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(Available Now)

The theme tune to the movie 'Jaws' swam through exhaustion to penetrate Matt's comatose brain.

He seriously hated that freaking music. Every time he heard it he got the heebie jeebies. And his agent damn well knew it. His hand slid out from under his pillow smacked the cell phone hard then tossed the big white to the floor. That was the second attempt to kill the shark this week. But just like the movie that bastard was hard to kill, and the music started up again, this time from somewhere under the bed.

He slung his arm over the side. Long fingers explored the glossy surface of solid oak until finally he gripped the cell and pulled it under the duvet.

"Unless someone's died, you're sacked," he growled.

"Har, har. I was about to tag Nico to see if Ludlow Hall had a famous dead person in the penthouse suite. Actually, if you were found dead the film would make even more moola."

With the duvet over his head, Mathias Carter groaned at the voice thundering in his ear, then yawned hugely. "It's nearly Christmas. Get a fucking life, Tobin."

"My wife, and yeah I
love
saying that so suck it up, says she had visions of you lying drowned in the bath."

"Bed," Matt grumbled and nuzzled deeper into his pillow. "In bed. Sleeping. Bye."

"Hold it! Hold it right there, sunshine. I've sent you a surprise, something nice."

"Nope. Sleeping. Eighteen hour flight. Tired."

"The reviews of the film are stellar, pal. Stellar," Tobin said with something like glee.

In his head Matt could see his agent doing a bum boogie.

"Fucking don't care."

"Not to worry," his friend yelled in that permanent happy clappy voice he had these days. And Matt was genuinely pleased for him, he was. But all this falling in love shit was pitiful. It was spreading like flu. Every single one of his friends had been hit hard by the love bug. Dimly he heard Tobin continue, "I care enough for the both of us. The surprise will be there in an hour. Shake a leg, shave and shower."

"Yeah, yeah. Happy Christmas to Sophie for me."

Matt turned the phone to silent, tossed it on the floor, burrowed deep under the duvet and sank like a stone into the land of nod.

(Due late 2014)

'Can She Find The Courage To Love Again?'

A Daddy for Daisy

Janine Faulkner is a woman who lives life by her own rules. After the death of her husband, she's thrown herself into raising her baby daughter, and then into her work as Chief Operating Officer for
Sweet Sensations...

Janine likes life just as it is. She's not looking for love. Not even with gorgeous Joshua Erichsen, the Architect she hired to bring her family home, The Grange, back to life. His charm and ruthless good looks invade her every waking moment, but she's wary of a man who seems too good to be true...

Joshua Erichsen is drawn to the beautiful single mother right from the start. But Janine's past hides horrific secrets that have returned to haunt her... And it seems someone is determined to keep them apart, forever...

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he, who conquers that fear.

NELSON MANDELA

"Hey, how's my best girl?"

Joshua Erichsen crouched down to look into blue eyes that danced into his. Boo's little fists, wrapped in cute sheepskin mitts, batted his cheeks as he kissed her. The kid gave a happy laugh and blew bubbles from her tiny rosebud mouth. His eyes rose to the woman gripping the handles of the stroller and he didn't miss the way she'd gone absolutely still.

Shit.

He thought they'd gone past that. His eyes slid over the slim figure wrapped up in a quilted jacket the exact colour of her fabulous blue eyes. Those eyes met his and he recognised the usual wariness. As if he was the big bad wolf.

Six months ago, when he'd first met Janine Faulkner, he'd been attracted and intrigued. Then over time intrigue had morphed into irritation, and then from irritation into pissed off. A few weeks ago, they'd had a clearing of the air and things had been nice and friendly. So what the hell was her problem with him now?

What harm would it do, he wondered, to kiss that sulky mouth?

No. A pouting mouth, Josh decided. It was a mouth made for kissing. A mouth made for sucking his... Okay. Stop now.

But hell, she was an attractive woman. A beautiful woman, he corrected.

No matter how hard he tried, why couldn't he behave like a normal person around her? He didn't have a problem with woman. Women liked him. When he'd been with a woman, nobody got hurt, no harm, no foul. With a normal woman he'd do the little mating boogie, date once, twice, then the sex part of the deal. But Janine was not a normal woman. She had issues. She'd had a rough time. He got that. He did. With Janine he had as much chance of dating and mating as flying to the moon.

Dream on, sucker.

Janine wasn't interested. Worse, she was downright hostile if he even twitched in the wrong direction.

And why was he standing in front of her with his heart going boomdidiboom while she gave him a look that would melt solid steel? He didn't need this woman. A woman who was nothing but hard work. He didn't need the fucking hassle.

However, one female held his heart in her tiny fist and that female was one Daisy Boo Faulkner. Nearly eight months old and the light of his life. And the feelings were mutual because Boo adored him, too. And Josh knew that her daughter's love for him drove her mama crazy. However, she didn't do anything about it. And Josh reckoned that fact made Janine not only beautiful but a wonderful parent.

One day, he was sure, she'd make a lucky man a wonderful wife. And it would be a very lucky man to inherit that little ready-made family.

The pisser was it would never be him.

He whispered a curse and rubbed the ache that now lived in the back of his neck every time he was around her.

Josh rose and frowned as he took in Janine's pale face.

He admired her on so many levels. She was a fantastic mother. She worked hard and was doing an outstanding job running
Sweet Sensations
. Her friendship with Bronte and Rosie was deep and true. Granted she was a bit skittish around Nico Ferranti... and Josh Erichsen.

He sighed.

She was looking at him right now as if he was about to jump her bones.

If he was absolutely honest he'd been thinking a lot about perhaps dropping a little peck on her cheek to work his away, eventually, around to that fabulous mouth. But the Hand's Off sign was flashing in big red letters so he'd kept his distance.

She'd annoyed him.

Janine could tell by the way those Viking eyes cooled, the way his brows met, as if seriously puzzled and ticked off with her.

He was wearing a black ski cap, his blonde hair escaping here and there.

He stood and she found her head tipping back as she kept her eyes on his.

He thrust his hands into the pockets of his black puffa jacket.

"Got time for a coffee?" he asked in a tone that dared her to refuse. He'd been using that tone a lot around her recently and her eyes narrowed, but before she could speak he continued, "Received the go ahead from planning for the new windows. So you need to make a choice of wood ASAP. I've brochures in the car."

In the early days he'd asked her out for dinner, twice, but she'd made it clear he was cocking his leg on the wrong tree. And that she was, Not Interested.

But for some reason today the challenge in those eyes annoyed her to the point where she raised her chin. Perhaps it was better that they discussed business in a public place. Perhaps her hormones would behave themselves around him for once.

"Okay. Where?"

He blinked and she didn't miss the surprise in his baby blues.

"Cafe Roma? They've Wi-Fi and I can show you a couple of amendments to the specifications for the kitchen."

Now irritation joined the lethal attraction that danced in her belly.

"I hope the amendments are not going to cost me."

His deep voice went soft and low. "I told you we're under budget. The amendments will save you money in the long run."

He was right, they were under budget. But it was okay for him, he didn't have responsibilities. Josh was financially solvent, single, footloose and fancy free. Plus, he had a very busy love life, if all the chit chat about him was to be believed.

Then she told herself that his love life was none of her business.

"Okay."

He walked next to the stroller and they stopped next to his big shiny black BMW parked at the curb to pick up his laptop and her brochures.

By the time Janine had settled Boo into a high chair with her bottle of water and a cookie, in Cafe Roma, Josh had returned to the table with a tray of frothy coffees and a collection of fresh muffins.

Irritation tickled the nerves jumping in her stomach.

She didn't
want
a muffin, Janine decided, happily forgetting she'd promised herself one of Bronte's later in the day.

"How much do I owe you," she asked in a tone that showcased her annoyance.

The way his eyes flashed and held hers as he tugged off his ski cap, unwound his cashmere scarf and shrugged out of his jacket made her belly twitch.

And Janine wished she'd kept her big mouth shut.

Under the jacket he wore a pale blue denim, button down shirt under a navy cashmere sweater. Matching jeans hugged muscled thighs and drew her eyes to a place she had no business looking. So her eyes kept on going down long, long, legs to the expensive boots of black leather. He wouldn't have looked out of place on an ad for GQ showcasing a man about town looking effortlessly gorgeous.

He sat and those eyes met hers as he placed a cup and saucer in front of her before taking muffins off the tray and then his own coffee, a jug of hot milk and a couple of bags of sugar.

"I'll add it to the bill," he said in a silky voice and placed a double chocolate chip muffin, the size of a man's fist, in front of her.

The way he assumed she'd do as she was told, like an obedient child, pressed a hot button.

Janine had never been a woman who went looking for an argument, she'd always been brought up to be polite and always to defer to the men in her life. It would have cost her nothing to say thank you and eat the goddamn muffin. But for some reason she just couldn't let it go.

"I don't believe I asked for a muffin."

Now those smooth brows rose.

"Don't want one? You could do with more meat on your bones."

Could she indeedy? And just who the
hell
did he think he was?

She leaned over the table, into his face.

"I don't want a muffin. And my weight is none of your damn business."

Boo whimpered at her mother's tone and a flush of utter mortification burned up Janine's neck into her cheeks.

"Now look what you've done," Josh said in that horrible silky voice that made her want to belt him. "You've upset the baby."

Josh wanted to snap and snarl right back at her.

But the way her eyes filled as she soothed Boo and the way her hand shook as she stroked the baby's velvet cheek held him back.

She was upset over a muffin?

What. The. Fuck?