reached for her bag.
He nodded. "Law." He snapped his fingers. "I almost forgot. I'm supposed to wait until you open the flowers. There's another present inside, and I was told to make sure it was in your hands before I left."
"Another present?" she asked, frowning as she handed him a bill.
He stuffed the tip in his back pocket while balancing the large box in the other arm. He shrugged. "That's what the man said." He fumbled at the lid of the box. "Here, let me help you."
Long stemmed roses filled the box. They were a crimson shade so deep and vibrant that she caught her breath at the sheer beauty of them. There was a small square box elegantly wrapped in silver foil nesting among the dark ferns.
She touched one gorgeous petal with a delicate finger. "Beautiful," she breathed softly.
"What?" She glanced up to see his eyes narrowed on her face with an odd intentness. "The package is right there, ma'am. If you'll just let me see you take possession of it, I'll be on my way."
"Of course." She gave him a warm smile and reached for the package. "I'm afraid I got carried away. They're such a lovely color, aren't they?"
"Lovely," he agreed absently. "They came from Mr. Windloes own greenhouse on the estate."
Her hand tightened on the box as her eyes flew up to meet his. Greenhouse? There wasn't a greenhouse on the farm. The bright blue eyes of the delivery man were no longer cheerful, and he suddenly looked older and harder. "I don't underst—"
The rest was lost as she was enveloped in a cool mist that seemed to spray from the silver box in her hand. She was vaguely conscious of the lovely roses falling in slow motion through the air to the carpet as the delivery man dropped the box and swiftly stepped back, a handkerchief pressed to his nose and mouth. Then all consciousness faded as she followed the beautiful crimson blossoms to the floor.
Chapter 3
Kevin looked up at him from the mat, a rueful smile on his craggy face, his blue eyes dancing. "One of these days, Jared. One of these days." He gave a pained groan as he rose stiffly to his feet. "I'm definitely going to have to give this up. It's not only excruciatingly taxing to my fragile physique, it's positive hell on my ego."
Ryker threw him a towel, watching with a grin while Kevin McCord wiped the sweat off that massive "fragile" physique. With the gleam of perspiration coating the rippling muscles of his chest, McCord looked more like a gladiator in the arena than a senatorial aide. His short auburn hair curled rebelliously about the rough-hewn toughness of his features, and only the dusting of freckles over the bridge of his nose and the open, engaging frankness of his expression saved him from appearing truly intimidating."You almost had me once or twice, there," Ryker said. "Next time, maybe."
"Almost isn't good enough. You're a scientist, for God's sake. Didn't anyone ever tell you that scientists are supposed to be stoop-shouldered, ninety-eight-pound weaklings? Where did you learn karate, anyway?"
"Nam. But I'm sure you're aware of that already. It's
all in my dossier, isn't it?" He smiled cynically. "Perhaps it was even you who compiled it, McCord."
McCord frowned. "It wasn't, as a matter of fact. Senator Corbett hires an agency for that type of investigation." He wiped his forehead. "I've studied it, of course, but I don't have a photographic memory, as you do, Jared. Some things do slip my mind occasionally." He turned in the direction of the door leading to the sauna, adjacent to the shower area. "Now I think I'm ready to bake out some of these aches and pains you've produced in my decrepit body." He sighed. "When the senator assigned me to the chateau as your aide, I never even dreamed I'd be the object of this kind of battering. I had visions of handling world-shaking correspondence and inspiring you to burn the midnight oil to make other mind-blowing discoveries. Instead, I'm a glorified sparring partner." He glowered. "You don't even play
He nodded. "Law." He snapped his fingers. "I almost forgot. I'm supposed to wait until you open the flowers. There's another present inside, and I was told to make sure it was in your hands before I left."
"Another present?" she asked, frowning as she handed him a bill.
He stuffed the tip in his back pocket while balancing the large box in the other arm. He shrugged. "That's what the man said." He fumbled at the lid of the box. "Here, let me help you."
Long stemmed roses filled the box. They were a crimson shade so deep and vibrant that she caught her breath at the sheer beauty of them. There was a small square box elegantly wrapped in silver foil nesting among the dark ferns.
She touched one gorgeous petal with a delicate finger. "Beautiful," she breathed softly.
"What?" She glanced up to see his eyes narrowed on her face with an odd intentness. "The package is right there, ma'am. If you'll just let me see you take possession of it, I'll be on my way."
"Of course." She gave him a warm smile and reached for the package. "I'm afraid I got carried away. They're such a lovely color, aren't they?"
"Lovely," he agreed absently. "They came from Mr. Windloes own greenhouse on the estate."
Her hand tightened on the box as her eyes flew up to meet his. Greenhouse? There wasn't a greenhouse on the farm. The bright blue eyes of the delivery man were no longer cheerful, and he suddenly looked older and harder. "I don't underst—"
The rest was lost as she was enveloped in a cool mist that seemed to spray from the silver box in her hand. She was vaguely conscious of the lovely roses falling in slow motion through the air to the carpet as the delivery man dropped the box and swiftly stepped back, a handkerchief pressed to his nose and mouth. Then all consciousness faded as she followed the beautiful crimson blossoms to the floor.
Chapter 3
Kevin looked up at him from the mat, a rueful smile on his craggy face, his blue eyes dancing. "One of these days, Jared. One of these days." He gave a pained groan as he rose stiffly to his feet. "I'm definitely going to have to give this up. It's not only excruciatingly taxing to my fragile physique, it's positive hell on my ego."
Ryker threw him a towel, watching with a grin while Kevin McCord wiped the sweat off that massive "fragile" physique. With the gleam of perspiration coating the rippling muscles of his chest, McCord looked more like a gladiator in the arena than a senatorial aide. His short auburn hair curled rebelliously about the rough-hewn toughness of his features, and only the dusting of freckles over the bridge of his nose and the open, engaging frankness of his expression saved him from appearing truly intimidating."You almost had me once or twice, there," Ryker said. "Next time, maybe."
"Almost isn't good enough. You're a scientist, for God's sake. Didn't anyone ever tell you that scientists are supposed to be stoop-shouldered, ninety-eight-pound weaklings? Where did you learn karate, anyway?"
"Nam. But I'm sure you're aware of that already. It's
all in my dossier, isn't it?" He smiled cynically. "Perhaps it was even you who compiled it, McCord."
McCord frowned. "It wasn't, as a matter of fact. Senator Corbett hires an agency for that type of investigation." He wiped his forehead. "I've studied it, of course, but I don't have a photographic memory, as you do, Jared. Some things do slip my mind occasionally." He turned in the direction of the door leading to the sauna, adjacent to the shower area. "Now I think I'm ready to bake out some of these aches and pains you've produced in my decrepit body." He sighed. "When the senator assigned me to the chateau as your aide, I never even dreamed I'd be the object of this kind of battering. I had visions of handling world-shaking correspondence and inspiring you to burn the midnight oil to make other mind-blowing discoveries. Instead, I'm a glorified sparring partner." He glowered. "You don't even play
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