Seduced In Seattle. Kristin Gabriel

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СКАЧАТЬ hear her over the loud music reverberating from the reception hall. The strong odor of pine-scented air freshener was giving her a headache.

      When her fist grew sore, Kate leaned against the sink and debated her options. Staying stuck in the ladies’ room wasn’t an option. Not when an event that could change her entire future was about to take place.

      She glanced at her watch, noting that it was almost time for the bride, Gwen Kempner, to toss the bouquet. But Kate didn’t care about that. She wanted the skirt. The secret weapon that had snared husbands for all three of her old college roommates.

      The skirt came from an island hidden deep in the Caribbean and a rare, powerful thread ran through it. A thread that drew men to the woman who wore it and entranced them forever.

      Wearing the skirt, which she had caught at Torrie’s wedding, Chelsea Brockway had found true love with Zach McDaniels and been married at Christmas. Kate and Gwen had both been bridesmaids, only Gwen was the one lucky enough to catch the skirt that night. Shortly afterward, Gwen had met Alec and this morning, on Valentine’s Day, she had become Mrs. Alec Fleming. Now it was Kate’s turn.

      If she could get out of the bathroom.

      She looked around the small lavatory for some kind of tool that she might be able to use to pry the door open. But all she found were some extra rolls of toilet paper and an empty tube of lipstick. This couldn’t be happening. Not when she’d finally found the perfect man.

      Todd Winslow, her former next-door neighbor and the current owner of one of the most successful home shopping channels on cable television. He was smart, successful and, best of all, single. In two weeks, he’d be coming to Seattle to attend her parents’ fortieth wedding anniversary party.

      That’s when she planned to snag him. All she had to do was catch the skirt, then catch Todd. She’d waited so long for true love that she wasn’t about to let a locked door stop her now.

      Kicking off one shoe, she whacked the three-inch heel against the edge of the sink until the small rubber tip on the end of the heel came loose. She pulled it off, then rubbed one finger over the sharp metal point. She’d chisel her way out of here, if necessary.

      A knock sounded on the door, sending a rush of relief flowing through her. Kate dropped her shoe and ran to the door, pounding as hard as she could on the solid wood. “Please, help me! I’m stuck in here.”

      “Kate?” Chelsea’s familiar voice drifted through the door. “Is that you?”

      “Yes, it’s me. Have I missed it yet?”

      “No, but Gwen’s been stalling until I found you. She can’t hold off much longer. Alec is more than ready to start their honeymoon.”

      “You’ve got to get me out of here!”

      “Okay,” Chelsea replied through the door. “Hold on and try to stay calm. I’ll get Zach and see what he can do.”

      Kate paced back and forth across the porcelain tile floor. She had to catch the skirt. At twenty-seven, she’d kissed more than her share of toads in search of a prince. And endured yet another Valentine’s day without a date. It was time to take her future into her own hands.

      “Zach tracked down the manager,” Chelsea called through the door. “He’s getting a key.”

      “Tell him to hurry.”

      “I can’t believe this is happening to you,” Chelsea said, laughter bubbling in her voice.

      “I can.” Kate slumped against the door. “This kind of thing happens to me all the time. I find a decent guy, then fate steps in and snatches him away.”

      “I think you’re exaggerating just a little.”

      “Then how come the last guy I dated got transferred to Hong Kong? And the one before that got hit by a car?”

      “That’s terrible,” Chelsea exclaimed. “Was he killed?”

      “No. The car was only going five miles per hour. But he fell in love with the emergency room nurse who treated him. They were married six weeks later.”

      The door was finally opened by a grinning Zach. Chelsea pulled Kate toward the reception hall. “Let’s go. Hurry!”

      Kate kicked off her remaining shoe, then rushed out into the decorated hall, noting the excited group of women gathered in the center of the room. She could see Gwen standing on the balcony above them, her new husband next to her.

      Elbowing her way through the crowd, Kate did her best to ignore the growls of displeasure and dirty looks all around her. Gwen gave her a relieved smile when she finally saw her, then tossed the skirt high in the air.

      Kate watched it float toward her, almost in slow motion. She boxed out her competition, just like her big brother had taught her to do when going up for a rebound in basketball. Adrenaline and hope fueled her leap as she reached up to snatch the skirt out of the air. She pulled it down. The unusual fabric felt soft and silky in her hands.

      Victory.

      Until the woman standing next to her, a buxom blonde wearing a gown with huge shoulder pads, tried to grab it. “That skirt should have been mine.”

      “Sorry, it’s mine,” Kate said firmly, tightening her grip on the skirt. “I caught it.”

      “Possession is nine-tenths of the law,” the woman said through clenched teeth, giving it a hard tug.

      “Be careful!” Kate exclaimed. “You’re going to…”

      The sound of tearing fabric made the words die on her lips.

      Chelsea arrived, her eyes wide with horror. “What happened?”

      The blonde dropped her end of the skirt, then pointed accusingly at Kate. “She tore it. Now it’s probably ruined.” Then she stomped away.

      Kate held up the skirt to survey the damage. “It looks like it’s just ripped a little at the side seam. All it needs is some mending.”

      Chelsea nibbled her lower lip. “I’m not so sure, Kate. It’s the thread that makes it special. I don’t know what will happen if you mend it with plain old cotton thread.”

      “Don’t worry.” Kate squared her shoulders. She had the skirt and that’s all that mattered. “I’ll think of something.”

      1

      BROCK GANNON walked into Dooley’s Bar and looked through the smoky haze. He didn’t feel any of the old excitement at embarking on a new mission. Maybe turning thirty had something to do with it. Or the fact that nothing seemed to challenge him anymore. He specialized in recovering stolen goods that the police couldn’t, or wouldn’t, find. Of course, sometimes the clients didn’t want to involve the police, especially if a relative was involved in the theft.

      Working as a mercenary had taught Brock to suspect everyone and trust no one. It was a cynical attitude, but it had kept him alive and well for the past eight years. His occupation was a dangerous one, since it often brought him into the company СКАЧАТЬ