Cold River - Carla Neggers [128]
“I’m excited, too.”
The valet brought Sean’s car, and he opened the front passenger door for Hannah. She hesitated, but he put his arm on her shoulder and she got in. A woman who obviously knew him waved from the walk as she switched from her high heels to a pair of running shoes. “That’s the way to do heels.” Hannah looked over at Sean. “You fit right in with that tux.”
“Different uniforms for different occasions.”
“I don’t have that many excuses to dress up. It’s fun sometimes. We’re having a Valentine’s Day celebration at the café. I’ll dress up for that.” Her eyes sparked with sudden humor. “I might even buy a pair of ruby-red high heels on Rodeo Drive and wear them.”
“It’s not helpful for my driving,” Sean muttered, “picturing you in red high heels.”
“Beth and Dominique want us to wear red aprons. Red aprons and red high heels. Kind of sexy, don’t you think?”
Sean cleared his throat and kept driving.
Devin had described Sean’s house in detail, and Hannah was prepared. He showed her to a quiet room on the first floor, and she set her suitcase in the middle of the floor and looked restless. “If you packed a swimsuit,” Sean said, “feel free to make use of the pool. It’s heated.”
Sean waited, restless, by the pool. Finally Hannah walked out onto the terrace in an oversize T-shirt, with her slim, pale white New England winter legs. It was a warm night for Los Angeles in January but still relatively cool. She didn’t seem to notice as she dipped a toe in the pool. Her toenails were painted watermelon-pink.
Sean smiled. “You knew what you were getting into coming out here.”
“So I did.”
Without a second’s hesitation or a hint of self-consciousness, she dove into the still, blue water. Sean watched her breaststroke underwater, her movements strong and sure. She surfaced, splashing him, laughing.
“You’re going to ruin my tux,” he said.
“Then maybe you should take it off.”
He needed no more encouragement and was out of it in seconds and into the water, swimming to her, his mouth finding hers. “Don’t say anything,” he whispered.
She eased her arms around him. “I have to say this one thing.” Her eyes held his as she continued. “I’d never have made it these past seven years without the support I received from so many people. Sean…” She kissed him lightly. “I often thought I was alone, but I never was.”
He couldn’t breathe. “Hannah…”
“I love you,” she said. “In some ways, I always have.”
He smiled. “I know what you mean. Latin class…” He was aware of her slipping off her swimsuit and was glad they were in five feet of water and not ten, or he was sure he’d have drowned. “I love you, Hannah. I want to be with you. Here, Vermont—wherever you are.”
“Home is Vermont,” she said, “but this is good. The pool, the bougainvillea, the sunshine. You.” Her swimsuit was gone now, and she wrapped her legs around his hips and sank onto him. “This is very good.”
“It is,” Sean said, knowing there was nowhere he’d rather be at that moment than right where he was, with Hannah Shay in his arms.
Dear Readers,
Thank you for reading COLD RIVER! I hope you enjoyed the story and are wondering what’s next for the Camerons, the Harpers, the Shays, their friends…and their enemies. Rose Cameron and her golden retriever, Ranger, a search-and-rescue dog, take center stage in COLD DAWN, my next Black Falls novel, due out in late 2010. As private and competent as her three brothers, Rose is coming off a tough year, and big challenges await her.
We’ll also get to see A.J., Elijah and Sean Cameron in COLD DAWN, as well as learn more about Navy SEAL Ryan “Grit” Taylor and Charlie Neal, the genius, incorrigible son of the vice president of the United States. Look for the return of Secret Service agent Jo Harper and the “sisters” of Three Sisters Café, too. Jo and Elijah Cameron, of course, played a central role in COLD PURSUIT, the first Black Falls novel, which introduces this fictional small town in my home state of Vermont.
Also in 2010, the paperback edition of my New York Times bestseller THE MIST will be out in