By Request Collection April-June 2016. Оливия Гейтс

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СКАЧАТЬ Setting the dishes back on the table, he rounded the side of the house to the front yard. He didn’t recognize the gray sedan parked in the driveway, and for a minute he didn’t see anyone. But another excited bark drew his attention to the front porch. A woman stood with her arms around two bags of groceries, while a dog on a leash nearly pulled her off balance. Setting the bags down, she bent to try and quiet the animal, who leaped up and gave her face a happy lick.

      Kate. And she had Charity with her.

      His heart began to pound fast in his chest, and his first instinct was to bound up the stairs and grab her. Instead, he rubbed his palms against his thighs and walked to the bottom of the steps.

       “Kate.”

      She whirled around, but before she could respond, Charity gave a yelp and lunged forward, leaping off the porch and yanking Kate with her. Chase reacted quickly, grabbing the dog and the leash, and extending an arm to catch Kate as she pitched down the steps, the bags of groceries falling out of her arms and spilling across the walkway. She clutched at his shoulders, laughing, as Charity squirmed with delight and tried to lick him anywhere she could reach.

      Keeping an arm around Kate, he crouched down to greet the dog, rubbing her head and ears, and murmuring words of affection to her. When she rolled onto her back, he scratched her belly and then, with a final pat, stood up and pulled Kate into his arms. She gazed up at him, her coffee-dark eyes filled with welcome and an enticing shyness.

      “You’re even more beautiful than I remembered,” he said, his voice husky.

      She flushed and looked down, and then determinedly lifted her chin and met his gaze. “Thank you. I was hoping to have dinner ready for you before you arrived.”

      He trailed the backs of his fingers along her cheekbone. “You think I’m hungry for food?” he growled softly, teasing her. But it took all of his self-restraint not to pick her up and carry her bodily into his bedroom. For six months he’d fantasized about this moment, but he wasn’t going to ruin it by moving too fast.

      Crouching, he scooped pasta and bread and fresh vegetables back into the bags. “How did you manage to bring Charity back?” he asked, reaching out to rub the dog’s ears. He felt an unfamiliar tightening in his throat as he patted the animal. He’d thought he’d never see her again. “I left her with the K-9 unit three months ago, when I had to leave for a mission. When I came back, she was just gone. I was told her owner had come back to claim her.”

      Kate smiled and bent down to retrieve a tomato that had rolled into the grass. “I’m so sorry. I asked them not to tell you. I wanted to surprise you when you came home. Actually, it was Tenley who arranged it all,” she said, on eye level with him. “She heard through Doug that one of the women from the USO was coming back to the States on a commercial flight. Tenley asked if she would be willing to escort Charity, and she said she would. We weren’t sure if we’d have another opportunity like that one, so we just grabbed it.”

      Chase gave a disbelieving laugh. “Wow. That’s amazing. So Tenley and Doug are still together?”

      “They’re married, for keeps this time. He came home about a month ago. She’s taking some time off from touring, and so far they seem to be doing great.”

      “And you and Tenley …?”

      “Also doing great,” Kate assured him, rising to her feet. “In fact, it’s amazing how our relationship has changed, now that I’m not trying to run her life. I finally have the sister I always wanted.”

      “And you and me …?” Chase stood up and threaded his fingers through her silky hair, studying the strands. “How are we doing?”

      Kate stepped closer to him, her hands going to the front of his uniform, where she rubbed her fingers over his embroidered name tag. “Much better, now that you’re home.”

       Home.

      He couldn’t believe how much promise that single word held. Cupping her face in his hands, Chase bent down and kissed her, putting everything he had into it and letting Kate know how he felt. When he finally raised his head, her eyes were shining with unshed tears. “I’ve missed you so much, Chase. I still can’t believe this is real.”

      Chase smiled and tipped his forehead to hers. “What can’t you believe?”

      “All of this. You … being here … finally doing all the things I want to do.”

      “Oh, it’s real,” he assured her. “Let me show you.”

      Without giving her a chance to protest, he swept her into his arms and took the steps to his house two at a time, with Charity following close on his heels. Kate threw her arms around his neck and hung on tight, but he could feel her smiling against his neck. He didn’t pause until he reached his bedroom, where he stopped in the doorway and looked down at the dog. She stared at him with hopeful eyes, her tail wagging.

      “Sorry, girl,” he said, leaving her in the hallway, “but this mission is all mine.”

      Turning toward the bed, he kicked the door closed behind him.

       No Holds Barred

      Cara Summers

      Was CARA SUMMERS born with the dream of becoming a published romance novelist? No. But now that she is, she still feels her dream has come true. And she owes it all to her mother, who handed her a romance novel years ago and said, “Try it. You’ll love it.” Mum was right! Cara has written over forty stories for Blaze, and she has won numerous awards including a Lifetime Achievement Award for Series Story-teller of the year from RT Book Reviews. When she isn’t working on new books, she teaches in the writing program at Syracuse University.

      To my grandchildren, Marian and Andrew.

      All my love for the future.

       Prologue

       Glen Loch, New York, Summer, 1812

      ELEANOR CAMPBELL MACPHERSON stood on the cliffs alone, except for her memories. And there were so many good ones. In a marriage that had lasted over fifty years, she and Angus had come here so often. The caves below in the cliff face had always been one of their secret places. They’d picnicked there often during the early years of their marriage, sometimes climbing up from the lake below and sometimes climbing down. And later, after the children and even the grandchildren had arrived, it had been one of their secret trysting places. Sneaking away to make love here with Angus had always made her feel wicked and wild and very like the young girl who had allowed him to sweep her away all those many years ago.

      She missed him so much. How often had they walked together here on mornings just like this one?

      The mists swirled over the lake, but the newly risen sun, a bright red ball, would burn them away quickly. To the west on a rocky promontory stood Castle MacPherson, the home that Angus had built for them. There it rose, three stories high, strong and graceful and as enduring as СКАЧАТЬ