Harlequin Romantic Suspense April 2021 by Karen Whiddon (good e books to read txt) 📗

into her life, she not only feared for herself, but she also had him to worry about. Not to mention Bridget, her already well-loved dog, who could be hurt simply by being around Carly and Micha.

While she wasn’t entirely sure, she’d venture a guess that since the bomb had been placed in his rental vehicle, Micha had been the target. Why, he seemed to have no idea, or so he claimed. Of course, considering the fact he’d kept so many secrets from her, she wouldn’t put it past him to have more that he hadn’t revealed yet. As in the reason he might have an enemy who wanted him dead.

Micha, handsome, strong Micha. A single look from his velvety brown eyes still made her weak in the knees. Having him return to her life felt like a blessing—and a curse.

She hated not being able to trust him. And while she’d actually never stopped loving him, she wasn’t sure they could ever have a future together without that. That thought made her heart hurt, so she shoved it aside and concentrated on the seriously ill children who needed her help.

By the time she neared the end of her shift, she sat and did the required charting. She texted Micha, letting him know she’d be out in a minute. He responded immediately, letting her know he was waiting by the side entrance, in a black Jeep Wrangler with the engine running.

Grinning despite herself, she hurried down. Outside, she spied Micha, waving from behind the wheel of the shiny new vehicle. Getting in, she breathed in that new-car smell and checked out the red leather interior. “Nice,” she told him. “But where’s my car?”

“I left it at the dealership,” he explained. “They have security and all that. So we need to go collect it. I hope that’s okay.”

“Sure.” Buckling her seat belt, she glanced at him, her heart quickening. “Did you get everything resolved with the car rental place?”

“I gave them all the information I had. Luckily, I took out their insurance policy, so it’s fully covered. Someone from there is supposed to contact me soon.”

Nodding, she allowed her eyes to drift closed as he drove, letting the cadence of the wheels on the pavement soothe her. For a few minutes, she allowed herself to pretend they were simply a regular couple who lived a normal, quiet life without danger of violence.

Somehow, she must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew Micha had his hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her awake, and calling her name in a soft voice.

Blinking, she sat up straight, looking around with bleary eyes. “Oh,” she said, realizing they were at the Jeep dealership. “I need to get out, stretch my legs and maybe down a cup of that notoriously awful auto dealership coffee before I get behind the wheel.”

He followed her into the showroom, pointing her in the direction of the waiting room. She made herself a cup of coffee so thick she thought of it as sludge, managed to choke down three sips before deciding she was ready.

“I’ll follow you home,” he said.

Relieved, she nodded. Even though she had her new dog to alert her to any intruders, she really wasn’t ready to be alone just yet.

As she pulled into the driveway, she noticed Micha had parked his new vehicle at the curb two houses down. Waiting for him as he walked toward her, she admired his athletic build and tried to decide if that was a wise move or foolish.

“I know,” he said as he reached her. “I had to weigh the possibility of it being broken into versus the chance of whoever attempted to blow us up wanting to try again. I chose the lesser of two evils. At least if it’s parked down there, no one will know it’s mine.”

She eyed him. “Your logic makes sense, even if I don’t like it. This is one of those times that I really need to clean out that old garage behind my house. Maybe I can move some of the stuff that’s in there into the storage shed.”

He slung a casual arm across her shoulders. “I can help you with that,” he said as they walked up the front porch.

As she turned her key in the front lock, Bridget barked a greeting. The instant she had the door open, the dog leaped on her, tail and behind wiggling with joy. Laughing, Carly got down on the floor with Bridget and gathered her close, petting her. When she finally climbed back to her feet, she brushed off the dog hair and grabbed the leash.

“I’ll be right back,” she told Micha, lurching forward as Bridget pulled her toward the back door.

When they returned, Carly headed straight for the kitchen with Bridget trotting along behind her. “Are you hungry, cutie pie?” she crooned. “Mama will get you your food.”

Looking up, she realized Micha had taken a seat at the kitchen table and was grinning at her. With a shrug, she grinned back and filled the dog bowl with kibble. Once she’d placed it on the floor next to the water bowl, she eyed Micha. Damn, he looked good. Even at the end of a long, hard day. Or maybe especially at the end of the day.

“You might as well stay here,” she said, crossing her arms and striving for casual.

Micha eyed her, his handsome face devoid of expression. “For tonight? Or...”

Amazingly, she felt her entire body heat. Flustered, she shook her head. It wasn’t like she’d just invited him to her bed, though she wouldn’t deny that was in the back of her mind, too. “How about we play it by ear? At least until you find your own place. I don’t see a reason why you should continue paying for the hotel room.”

“I see.” Gaze warm, he regarded her. “So long-term, then. Why, Carly?”

“I...I don’t want to be alone,” she admitted. “Plus, I am enjoying your company.”

When he didn’t respond, for one terrifying moment she