Woman Of Innocence. Lindsay McKenna

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ her, anyway.

      “Oh yes…sorry! I’m so sorry, Mr. Davis….” Jenny quickly leaped away from him. She nervously smoothed her tan slacks and gave Morgan a regretful look. “I’m such a klutz. I’m okay, Morgan. Really.” And she held out her hand to stop him from coming around the desk. The look on his face was one of genuine concern. She loved her boss so much. He treated her as an equal, not as some dumb, airhead blonde.

      “You sure?” Morgan asked, halting.

      “Very sure.” Flustered, she ran her fingers through her thick, short hair. “It’s just me.” Flashing Matt Davis a slight smile, she said, “Thanks for saving me from totally embarrassing myself.”

      Matt couldn’t help but smile back. She was such a sprite. More like sunlight dancing on the choppy waters of life than an ordinary woman.

      “Don’t worry about it,” he murmured, and reached for the coffee.

      “I’ll leave you now,” she said and hurried out of the room.

      Morgan picked up a Krispy Kreme doughnut. “You know, these doughnuts are the best in the world.” He eyed it like a jeweler eyeballing an expensive diamond.

      Snorting, Matt poured them coffee. “You eat ’em. I don’t need the sugar today.”

      “Humph, I don’t, either, but…Sure you don’t want the other one?”

      Davis grinned and sipped the hot, fragrant coffee. “Positive.” He patted his hard, flat belly beneath the white cotton shirt he wore.

      Morgan bit into the doughnut, a look of absolute pleasure crossing his face. “This is one of life’s little gifts,” he sighed as he enjoyed every bite. “When I heard they were going to have a Krispy Kreme come to Philipsburg, I knew I was in heaven.”

      Davis chortled a little and sat down, sprawling his six-foot-two-inch length out again, the coffee balanced between his hands. “Better you than me. If I eat bread products of any kind, I gain weight right off the bat. In our business, we don’t need that riding against us.”

      Patting his middle, Morgan said, “I’ve got about five pounds here I don’t need.”

      “Yeah, well you’re in your fifties and I’m thirty. Big difference.” Matt grinned.

      Good humored, Morgan took the second doughnut and sat down. He ate it with the same slow satisfaction as he had the first one. “This will be our secret. Laura thinks I’m getting one a day.”

      “Our secret,” Matt agreed with a lopsided grin.

      Dusting off his hands on the white linen napkin from the tray, Morgan picked up his coffee and sauntered back around his desk. “Now,” he murmured, “I have a favor to ask of you.”

      Chapter Two

      “Happy birthday, Jenny,” Morgan called to his assistant. He looked fondly over at her as she hurried into the war room, where all assignments were handed out. Laura stood at his side, smiling.

      Jenny came to a halt in front of Morgan, who sat opposite her at the huge, oval table. Her eyes grew huge at the sight of the white frosted cake decorated with yellow roses. “A cake?” she gasped. Her hand flew to her heart when she saw the lit candles—all twenty-five of them. “You didn’t have to do this,” she said, touched. With a lump in her throat, she made a wish and blew out all the candles, while the Trayherns applauded.

      To the left of the cake was a blue folder. She recognized the file as a merc assignment. On top of it was placed a bright red-and-silver bow. What stymied her was the fact that her name was on that file. Clasping her hands in nervous anticipation, she asked, “What’s this?”

      Laura smiled fondly. “Your gift, Jenny. From all of us to you. Go on, open it.”

      She saw the smile that Morgan traded with Laura. They looked like they knew the punch line to a joke she wasn’t privy to. Anticipation wound through her. “B-but,” Jenny stammered, gesturing toward the file, “that’s a merc assignment file. Did I not file it correctly?” She took pride in her filing system and had never lost a folder yet.

      “Yes,” Morgan murmured in his deep voice, “that’s exactly what it is. And no, it’s not misfiled.”

      Giving them a confused look, Jenny slid her fingers beneath the bow, then carefully set it aside. Balancing the folder in her hand, she gave them a perplexed look. “It has my name on it. That’s not right. The merc who’s assigned this duty should have his or her name on it….”

      Morgan allowed a hint of a smile. Jenny was truly confused. “Why don’t you open it up and look at the assignment? I think a lot of your confusion will be put to rest.”

      Sitting down, Jenny placed the file in her lap and opened it. Her eyes widened. She gasped. Snapping a look up at Morgan and Laura, she whispered, “This can’t be!”

      “Why not?” Morgan demanded.

      “Why, er, I’m just an assistant to you, Morgan…for Perseus….” She stared disbelievingly at the assignment. It had her name on it as the commander in charge of the mission. Below it was another name: Matt Davis. He was second-in-command. Looking farther, she saw that the assignment was to Agua Caliente, Peru, to a top-secret military installation known as the Black Jaguar Base.

      Her heart began skipping beats as she continued to rapidly scan the information. She was being assigned to interview all volunteer candidates at the Black Jaguar Base who would want to work undercover for Perseus on an upcoming mission along the Mexican-American border. She was to lead this mission! Her! She was to interview all the pilots and then select the three she considered best qualified for the tasks. It was a level one mission, which meant there was no risk or danger to it.

      Morgan traded a warm look with Laura. He turned his attention back to Jenny, whose head was still bent over the file as she read voraciously. She nervously chewed on her full lower lip, and her thin, arched brows worked up and down as she read. She had a very open, readable face, and Morgan enjoyed watching her response.

      “Jenny, we felt that you’ve worked here long enough to undertake a safe, but very necessary mission for Perseus,” he told her in an authoritative voice. Jenny lifted her chin, her full attention on him. Morgan saw tears in her eyes. He felt Laura gently squeeze his shoulder. “We know you’ve dreamed of going on a mission rather than just sitting here behind your desk processing orders and reports. I felt that if you undertook a mission, that would help you understand your job here better. And Laura felt this was a worthy birthday gift to you. Is it?”

      Choking on tears, Jenny fought them back. Her gaze swung from Morgan’s gentle look to Laura’s proud and smiling features. She knew in her heart that Laura had engineered this. “I—I don’t know what to say….”

      “Yes will suffice.” Morgan chuckled indulgently.

      “But…how do you know I’m up for it? I mean, I’m not a trained merc. I have no experience in the military. I’ve never picked up a pistol to fire it….” She suddenly stood up, gripping the file to her chest, and her voice went off-key with anxiety. “Oh, I know I’ve told you a million times I wished for a chance to go on a mission…but I know better. I really do. I know I’m a big ’fraidy-cat, not a hero or heroine like the wonderful СКАЧАТЬ