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“Get up slowly or I’ll shoot your woman, Harding. Lose the gun,” Gilmore called from the kitchen.
Seeing the gun barrel pointed at Roxie’s head, Sloan obeyed.
“Get in here where I can see you. Hands up. No tricks,” Gilmore said.
As he crossed the threshold, hands held high, Sloan’s gaze flicked over to Roxie. Her chalky face spoke volumes. So did the red handprint on her face. “You must be Jared Gilmore.”
Gilmore smirked. “Good guess. Know why I’m here?”
Sloan stopped near the center island. “Leave Roxie out of this. She’s done nothing to you.”
The gun waggled. “No can do. She’s my leverage point. You got any more weapons on you? Hand ’em over.”
“Do what he says, Sloan,” Roxie stated flatly.
He couldn’t risk Roxie getting hurt. “Take it easy. We can work this out.”
Gilmore jabbed the gun into Roxie’s temple. “I know your type. You gung ho grunts swear by weapons. Empty your pockets.”
“No problem.” Sloan laid a pocketknife on the center island next to his billfold and keys. The white queen he palmed. “Now what?”
“Step back.” When Sloan complied, Gilmore stepped forward and moved the knife out of reach. “Give me my money, so I can get the hell out of this dump.”
“What money is that?”
“The Harding fortune. I know you’ve been searching for it. Give it to me, or you’ll both get a bullet in the gut. Painful way to die, I’ve been told.”
Fury howled through Sloan. “The Harding fortune is a myth, Gilmore. A drunken dream my father chased his entire life. It doesn’t exist.”
“It better exist. I’ve got a lot riding on this score. Give me that money.”
“I can’t. The money isn’t there. My father filled your dad’s head with nonsense. There is no Harding fortune.”
“Stop right there. Don’t come any closer.”
Ignoring the warning, he continued to edge around the center island, with the intent of herding Gilmore toward the back porch door. “Or what? You’ll shoot me? Put down the gun and fight me like a man.”
Gilmore retreated as Sloan approached, giving Sloan room to step in front of Roxie. If Gilmore wanted to shoot her, he’d have to pump the bullet through Sloan. Roxie’s chair squeaked behind him. The noise reminded Sloan that Gilmore had tied her up. He growled deep in his throat and assumed a boxing stance.
“Give me the money, Harding.” He pointed the gun at Sloan. “Or she gets it.”
“There is no money,” Roxie yelled from behind Sloan.
Gilmore moved right to see his prisoner, taking his eye off Sloan. Just the opening Sloan wanted. He kicked out at the gun. It roared into the ceiling. He charged Gilmore, slipped the white queen from its hiding spot in his palm, and hammered the man’s temple with the chess piece. Gilmore went down hard, and the wooden queen shattered.
Sloan dropped the chess piece, secured Gilmore’s gun, and checked him for additional weapons. Nothing. The man was an idiot. When he turned back to Roxie, he was amazed to see her untying her feet.
“You’re okay?” He knelt beside the chair and untied her left ankle.
She beamed. “I was gonna save us, but you beat me to it. Nice kick, by the way.”
He swept her into his arms and allowed himself the luxury of a full breath. “I’ve never been so scared in my life. You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m sure. But I can’t breathe with you holding me so tight.”
Reluctantly, he released her and examined her wrists and face. “I’m sorry. I never intended for my past to harm you.”
“Sonny wasn’t your past. He was a slimy opportunist. And you clocked him good.”
“Speaking of Gilmore, I called for backup on the way in. The cops should be here soon to take out the trash.”
From the doorway there was a sick cackle. “I’m rich!”
Gilmore. The man’s head must be thick as a trawler’s ice hold. Sloan glanced over at the man crumpled on the floor. A sea of glittering stones surrounded him. Diamonds by the looks of them.
Diamonds?
Gilmore swept up a handful, pocketed them, leapt to his feet and scrambled out the door.
“He’s getting away,” Roxie cried.
Sloan whistled twice. A loud scream rent the air. Sloan smiled and gathered up the discarded clothesline. “Got ’em.”
“What? How?” she sputtered.
Sloan stashed the gun in his waistband and nodded toward the yard. “My best man is outside. You watch for the cops and direct them to the backyard, okay?”
“What about the diamonds?”
“They aren’t going anywhere. Unless I miss my guess, there are more where those came from.”
He kissed her, then with a smile that reached to his toes, sauntered out and took care of business.
***
THREE HOURS LATER, Sloan’s hands still shook. There’d been more diamonds in other chess pieces. And more in the heart-shaped Army medal. After his grandfather converted his fortune into diamonds, he’d hidden them in plain sight. Not much of an investment strategy. And the only clue he’d left Sloan had been that remark about treasure being in your heart.
“You could have been killed,” he said for the third time and snugged Roxie close to him on the sofa. Mac lay at their feet. Soft guitar music played in the background and candles flickered on the coffee table. The scent of vanilla wafted through the air.
“I’m alive, and so are you,” she answered contentedly. “But I was surprised Sonny looked so banged up when Laurie Ann got here.”
Sloan allowed a wry smile to reach his lips. “He had trouble with his balance in the backyard.”
She shot him a sharp glance. “Laurie Ann said Sonny won’t get out on bail. That he’ll go to jail for a very long time for attempted murder. Sonny also admitted to ransacking my kitchen and opening the fire hydrant so my house would flood. He tampered with the other hydrants to deflect the blame.”
Fierce protectiveness surged through his bloodstream. “He won’t come near you again.”
“While we waited for you to arrive, he told me he stole my identity and sent the boat to mess with my head. He saw my kayak picture in my desk when he searched the place during the burglary.” She rubbed her temples. “What messes with my head is the Harding fortune is real. You’re rich, Sloan.”
“That money nearly got you killed,” Sloan growled. “I ought to throw it away.”
Her jaw dropped. “That’s your inheritance. You can’t throw it away. That would dishonor your grandfather.”
He smiled and stroked the side of her face, savoring the welcome slide of her soft skin against his fingertips. “Wouldn’t want to do that.”
“I’m serious, Sloan. Your grandfather wanted you to have that money. That’s why he made sure your dad couldn’t find it.”
And his granddad’s secretiveness had nearly cost Sloan his heart. “I almost didn’t find it either.”
“How did you happen to have the chess piece in your hand?”
How did he explain his need for her without sounding like a dope? He took a deep breath and shoved his pride aside. “It reminded me of you. I’ve kept the white queen in my pocket ever since we parted ways.”
“Oh, Sloan. That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Thank you.”
She pulled him into her arms for a drugging kiss, wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him, loving him.
He was home.
***
THE NEXT MORNING, THEY strolled through the woods over to his house to get more food for the dog. With Sloan’s hand tucked in hers, all was right in Roxie’s world. And now that she knew she hadn’t been imagining things, shadows no longer held dominion over her.
“We should put those diamonds in the bank,” she said. “Someone else might be tempted to steal them.”
“You got more thieves around here that I should know about?”
“None that I know of, but why tempt fate? That’s a lot of diamonds.”
“Mmm,” Sloan said. He stopped to kiss her again.
She sighed delightedly. She could spend the rest of her life in his arms. Easy. He seemed to feel the same way about her. But he hadn’t said the words yet. I love you. That’s what she wanted to hear.
“Rox, I’ve been thinking,” he said. “We’re not doing this again.”
Her heart stopped. “Doing what?”
“This together and apart dance. It’s killing me.”
“What do you suggest we do about it?
His dark brown eyes gleamed. “You’re marrying me.”
“Oh?” She retreated from his embrace, leaves crunching underfoot. If he wanted to marry her, that was fine by her, but by God he better do it right. “You’re not seriously calling that a proposal. A woman likes to be asked and not told she’s getting married.”
His mouth dipped into a deep frown. “You’re not going to make this easy on me, are you?”
Two months ago, any proposal would have sounded wonderful. But now that she’d tasted love, she wouldn’t marry a man who didn’t have the courage to tell her he loved her. “Call me a stickler for tradition. Gran always said it paid to do things right the first time. If you want me, you have to risk asking me.”
Sloan went very still. Roxie’s heart stalled as her senses muted. The light thinned. The chirping of birds quieted. The rich smell of decaying leaves faded. So this was what it felt like to lay it all on the line. She wondered who was more terrified, herself or Sloan.
“I’m waiting.”
Pressure built within her chest. Please, she silently hoped, please see how important this is to me. Please understand that I’m your future and that you don’t have to live in the past anymore.
He reached over and cradled her hands in his. Heat shot from his dark eyes as he dropped to one knee. “Roxie, I love you with my whole heart, and I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?”
The tightness in her chest eased. He loved her. A heady sense of power rushed through her. “What if people say I married you for your money?”
“We know that’s not true. Who cares what people think anyway? I only care about what you think.”
“What if something terrible happens to me, and I’m paralyzed for life? Would you take care of me or run off with a trophy wife?”
“You’re the one I want, now and forever. We’re going to be a family, you and me.”
“What if I want to have children right away?”
“You’re killing me, Roxie. Answer my question. Will you marry me?”
Her grin stretched from ear to ear. “Of course I’ll marry you, Sloan Harding. I’m crazy about you.”
“When?”
“My parents are coming home for Christmas. That soon enough for you?”
He nodded. “What about my past? I wasn’t a model citizen. Being married to me might hurt your real estate career. If you still want to work, that is. You don’t have to because we’re filthy rich.”
She blinked in confusion. This was what she’d wanted, but this couldn’t be what was best for him. “You want us to live here?”
“I want to live where you are.”
“But your security business—”
“I’ll work something out with my team. Now that I’ve got a fortune to invest, I was thinking of buying property. Luckily, I’ve got the best real estate agent in the county in my pocket.”
“You do?”
He grinned. “Sure.” He whipped out her business card from his pocket and kissed where she’d written “Love, Roxie.”
Laughter bubbled out of her. Her wish had come true. When she’d first seen him she’d wanted him to be the real estate speculator of her dreams.
“I also plan to make a large donation to the Friends of the Museum.”
“You do? I mean, you will? You don’t have to do this, Sloan. That money is yours.”
“It’s about time Hardings gave back to Mossy Bog. Donating money to rehab the building will help atone for the damage my father did to this town.” He studied her. “Do you worry that I’m like him?”
“You’re nothing like him.”
“I was afraid to love until you came along, Roxie. You opened my eyes and my heart.”
“You’re the only man for me.”
The sexy glint returned to his dark brown eyes. He scooped her in his arms and headed for his back door. “Then what do you say we get started on those children you mentioned?”
Her laughter filled the air as joy flooded her heart, mind, and soul. “By all means.”
THE END