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Rafferty's Romance
by Teresa Southwick
Social worker Amanda Everhart is a woman on a mission: raise enough money to expand the Good Shepherd Home for Children, the place she grew up after her mother died and her father disappeared. A fund-raising gala brings back many of the home's past residents—including one Amanda hoped she'd never see again: Luke Rafferty!
Rafferty was the resident bad boy, nicknamed The Ruffian by the other kids, and constantly in trouble with Sister Margaret, the home's director. Amanda saw through his tough exterior to his soft heart—but he broke her heart by running away with another girl!
Amanda can never forgive Luke for leaving her behind, but the self-made billionaire just might be the answer to her prayers….
Don't miss Amanda's friend Maggie Shepherd's story in Teresa Southwick's latest book, Marrying the Virgin Nanny !
Chapter One
The Ruffian was back.
Amanda Everhart stared across the crowded room at the man from her past. Her heart pounded; her palms started to sweat. He no longer looked like the tough teen he’d once been, but she would have known him anywhere. In a traditional black tuxedo, Luke Rafferty was now every inch a sophisticated, smooth, sexy man. The one she’d never managed to forget.
The Bellagio ballroom on the Las Vegas Strip was drenched in glittering light from the chandeliers overhead. Men and women in formal wear separated her from Luke. A lifetime ago he’d been the boy everyone at the Good Shepherd Home for Children called The Ruffian—capitalized. He was civilized now, but his black wavy hair and dark eyes had always made her think of a pirate. Whoever had said not to judge a book by its cover hadn’t crossed Luke’s path.
He’d plundered and pillaged her heart as surely as any buccaneer on the high seas. She’d believed that he would take care of her, but like everyone else she’d put her trust in, he’d left. She’d never expected to set eyes on him again.
She turned away and bumped into Sister Margaret, director of the children’s home. “Sorry, Sister.”
“No harm done,” the nun said.
Sister Margaret wasn’t more than five feet two in her low-heeled black shoes. For this occasion she’d worn a matching black skirt and jacket instead of cotton slacks and shirt, but her short, gray-streaked brown hair looked the same as always. On the up side of fifty, Sister was the force of nature who kept the home for abandoned children going. Tonight’s event was all about another building to take in more children no one wanted.
“This is an impressive turnout,” Amanda said, deliberately not looking in the direction she’d last seen Luke.
“Your fund-raising committee did an outstanding job of coaxing
Amanda laughed. “Don’t sugarcoat it, Sister. Tell us what you’re really up to.”
“Turning children away isn’t an option. You wouldn’t be chairwoman of the committee if you didn’t know better than anyone why we’re here.”
Once upon a time Amanda had been one of those throwaway kids. She was all grown-up now and could take care of herself after earning a bachelor’s degree in social services. Now she did her best to help the littlest victims. There were too many of them and finding homes was difficult, making this project incredibly important. Without the Good Shepherd home Amanda didn’t even want to think about what would have happened to her. Now she prided herself on not needing anyone or anything. Except, of course, donations for her project.
Amanda was in charge of the committee, but someone else had taken care of sending out the invitations, including the ones to alumni of Good Shepherd. Obviously Luke had received his, but the real mystery was why he was here. He’d hated the home and rode his motorcycle out of there one minute after
“Oh, look,” Sister said. “Maggie Shepherd is here. Do you remember her?”
“She was at the home when I was there, but we lost touch after she left.” Unlike Luke, Amanda had missed Maggie. She studied the beautiful, dark-haired young woman in the high-necked black cocktail dress that concealed more than it revealed yet managed to be incredibly sexy. “What happened to her?”
“She went to college, then into the convent.”
“She doesn’t look like a nun to me,” Amanda commented.
Sister laughed. “She didn’t take final vows. The convent’s loss is the secular world’s gain. Actually, she’s going to work in child care for The Nanny Network. She was very good with the kids at Good Shepherd while she was there.”
“We all pitched in,” Amanda reminded her. Everyone except Luke. She glanced around and her gaze found him almost instantly. He was easy to spot since he stood head and shoulders above most of the men there.
Unfortunately, like Moses and the
The smile that turned up the corners of his mouth was a clear indication that he recognized her, too, but the warmth never reached his eyes.
Suddenly he was in front of her. “Hello, Amanda. It’s been a long time.”
Not long enough, she thought.
Chapter Two
Luke Rafferty stared down at Amanda and his pulse revved like the engine of the chopper he’d ridden fast and hard to get away from her.
It wasn’t hard to calculate the amount of time they’d been apart. Every year on his birthday he didn’t celebrate another year, but added three hundred sixty-five to the total number of days since Amanda Everhart had sliced and diced his heart. He wished he could say she hadn’t lived up to her beauty potential. Technically he could say that, but it would be a lie.
She was stunning.
Light caught the gold in the sun-streaked brown hair pulled away from her oval face into a knot of curls behind her ear. Her green eyes, always serious and solemn, turned darker as she regarded him gravely. There was still a hint of the dimples that deepened when she smiled, which she wasn’t doing now. The strapless gown made from sheer material shot with silver revealed the swell of her breasts and sent a jolt of need shooting through him. The sensation was completely unexpected—and most unwelcome.
“Hello, Luke.” The pulse in her neck fluttered. She glanced at the older woman beside her. “Sister, you remember Luke Rafferty?”
“I do.” She held out her hand. “But I’m sure he’d like to forget me.”
The tough-as-nails nun wasn’t someone he was likely to forget. Too many times to count he’d ended up on the business side of her desk. “How are you, Sister?”
“Excellent, thank you.” She squeezed his fingers, a no-nonsense grip that accurately reflected the woman herself. “Aren’t you the one they called The Ruffian?”
A nickname he’d taken great pride in deserving and couldn’t help smiling about now. “One and the same.”
Sister nodded, studying him in that critical, miss-nothing way that had intimidated everyone but him. “If that fancy suit is any indication, you’ve done very well for yourself, Luke.”
“I can’t complain.” He could, but had learned long ago that it was a waste of energy.
“Good.” The older woman nodded with satisfaction. “Success stories have a way of making people open their wallets. And that’s why we’re here.”
Others maybe, but not him.
“It’s a remarkable turnout,” Amanda said, a breathless quality to her voice that produced images of tangled legs and twisted sheets.
“Speaking of that,” Sister said, “I’m here to be the muscle and squeeze money until my victim screams for mercy. I need to mingle. Have fun, you two.”
Strictly speaking, what he had in mind wasn’t classified as fun, but he planned to enjoy it.
“Good luck with that, Sister,” he said as she disappeared into the crowd.
Looking up at him Amanda pressed her full lips together. “Actually, I need to circulate, too. If you’ll excuse me—”
“Not yet.” He made a point of looking her over from head to toe, the act meant to throw her off balance. Unfortunately her delicate beauty had the same effect on him. “We have some catching up to do. If success is measured in loveliness, you’ve done all right, too.”
“Thank you,” she answered politely.
Would she still say that if she knew why he’d come tonight?
Chapter Three
Amanda had given an automatic response to Luke’s compliment, but more than anything, she’d wanted to demand an explanation for why he’d left her behind all those years ago.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“No.” The trembling was from the chaotic feelings pouring through her. She still had an emotional investment in Luke, but no way would she expose the weakness. “You look well, Luke. As Sister said, very successful.”
“Something Sister didn’t expect while I was a resident at the home.”
“Resident?” She laughed. “Didn’t you used to call yourself inmate Rafferty? And then you got numbers tattooed on your shoulder?”
“It was my birthday.”
“Still,” she said. “You were underage. That was what pushed Sister Margaret over the edge. More than once I remember her saying that you would try the patience of a saint and she hadn’t earned that rank yet.”
“I survived on the street and got by just fine on my own until the state of
She remembered his restlessness, all the times he’d lost privileges for things like poker games in the recreation room, sneaking out to get that tattoo, shoplifting a locket for her, beating up a boy who bullied the younger kids. He’d argued that doing the wrong thing for the right reason made it right. Sister hadn’t agreed. Every time he was in hot water he’d vowed to run away from Good Shepherd and Amanda had cried, begging him not to go without her. He’d reluctantly stayed because she’d been too young to go with him. But when his eighteenth birthday approached and she realized he’d be turned out of the home when state funding stopped, Amanda hadn’t been able to bear the idea of being separated from him. She’d initiated an all-out campaign to change his mind, convincing him she was old enough to know she wanted to be with him forever.
How right she’d been. Her hero worship had turned into the kind of love that didn’t go away just because he eventually abandoned her. And right now she was feeling seven kinds of stupid to still be so attracted to him.
He moved closer, his jacket sleeve brushing her bare arm, making her more nervous, which didn’t seem possible. He was taller, broader in the chest now. He’d filled out in body and certainly in his life. The deck had been stacked against a rebellious kid who had no one and she wondered how he’d overcome the odds.
Amanda took a step away from him. “How did it happen that someone who pushed back against the rules ended up being so wealthy and successful?”
“I’m a risk-taker, Amanda. It’s easy when you’ve got nothing to lose.” He slid his fingers into the pockets of his tuxedo pants looking like a confident man of the world. “I managed to accumulate a small financial stake and made some unorthodox investments that turned a profit. I reinvested and diversified. Now I own more than one lucrative company because long ago I got a lesson in the wisdom of not putting all my eggs in one basket.”
She noticed his eyes darken and knew that lesson had been painful. Who hurt him? She knew someone had and was surprised that she could still read his emotions.
“You make amassing a fortune sound simple, Luke.”
“Hardly. But, nothing worth having comes easily.”
Love was worth having and for her, loving Luke Rafferty had come pathetically easily. Even if she’d known he would leave her behind and take another girl with him when he left, she wasn’t sure she could have kept herself from falling for him.
Chapter Four
Luke was well aware that he was worth a fortune, but it hadn’t come so easily. He’d gone to college and worked. Rented a crappy room and slept when he was too tired to function. On the upside, it had been the best way to keep his mind off Amanda.
If only that were as easy as making money.
Luke had thought the past was buried until his secretary had put the invitation to this fund-raiser on his desk. He’d glanced at the pertinent information and was just about to shred it when a name caught his eye. Amanda Everhart. She was chairing the committee for the children’s home expansion. He felt like a fool, but even after all this time just seeing her name had been enough to get him here.
A waiter held out a tray with glasses of champagne. Luke grabbed two flutes then handed one to Amanda. “To success,” he said, touching his glass to hers.
“Success,” she echoed, then took a sip of the bubbly liquid.
“Now—” He stopped, breathing in the sweet scent of her skin, hating that his heart rate kicked up as she filled his senses. “You know all about me. What have you been up to?”
“I’m a social worker for
“A noble profession.”
One she was good at if she could still make lost souls believe in themselves, as she’d done with him. But he’d found out she wasn’t willing to put that belief to the test when push came to shove. He’d needed her; she was his home. But he wasn’t worth the risk.
“Noble, but challenging,” she said. “There are too many children who need homes and it breaks my heart to turn anyone away.”
Then she was very different from the girl who’d turned him away.
He glanced around the crowded ballroom. “So this event is important to you?”
“I don’t have the words to explain how vital. Children want to be safe and secure. When I get called in there’s a crisis situation. There are more ways to desert children than you can imagine. Death of a parent is the easiest to explain unless the other parent is responsible for it. So many little ones have seen the worst and it’s crucial to get them into a protected environment as soon as possible, to reverse the emotional damage. Tonight is all about raising money and providing a home for these kids. So whatever you can donate to the cause will be greatly appreciated.” Clouds gathered in her eyes as passion filled her voice.
Damned if he didn’t want to pull her into his arms and make everything better, just like he’d done the first time he’d met her. The two of them were taken to the home and waiting in Sister Margaret’s office. Amanda was afraid and struggling to hold back tears, but couldn’t manage it. The sight of her—so delicate, so scared—had touched something in him that had never been touched before. When he’d reached out to her, she’d clung to him and he’d felt like her hero. He’d never been anyone’s idea of a hero.
If only he’d known right then that she was setting him up for failure. Little did she know that someday she would need him.
Showing up tonight at her shindig was all about seeing the look on her face the moment she was sorry she hadn’t loved him enough to follow through on her promise to go away with him.
Chapter Five
Finally the evening was over.
After managing to escape from Luke, Amanda had spent the evening circulating among the invited guests and chatting up her cause. It would take a few days before numbers were totaled to know how successful the evening had been. For her, personally, it was an unqualified disaster. Luke wasn’t the only person from her painful past that she’d faced.
But face them she had and now it was time to go home. She settled her silver shawl around her shoulders and grabbed the matching evening bag from the table and headed to the exit and the chance to finally be alone.
In the wide, chandelier-lit hall, she saw Luke, black jacket held by one finger and rakishly slung over a broad shoulder. All night she’d felt his presence and was relieved when he’d walked out hours ago.
“Luke, I thought you’d left.”
“Now I’m back.”
“Too late. Everyone’s gone.”
“Except you,” he said.
“Yes.” Alone with him was proof that no good deed goes unpunished. “Are you here to give more money to the Good Shepherd Home for Children Development Fund?”
“More would imply that I’ve donated already.”
“Did you?”
“You’re like a dog with a bone. And the answer is, no. I didn’t open my wallet.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” More than he knew because preliminary estimates were that they’d fallen far short of tonight’s goal. The country’s economic downturn wasn’t helping the kids’ cause. Her shawl slipped off her shoulders and she knew he noticed when heat and intensity slid into his eyes. “Then why did you come back?”
“For you.”
Her heart hammered against the inside of her chest and she thought surely he could hear. All those years ago she would have given anything for him to say those words, that he’d changed his mind and chose her. Now it was too late.
“I don’t think so.”
“Let me be more specific. Have a drink with me. Or a cup of coffee.”
She stared at him, trying to read the unreadable expression in his eyes, then pulled her wrap tightly around her. “It’s late and I’m tired. And it’s probably not a good idea.”
“I disagree. Just a drink. What have you got to lose?”
Everything. She’d learned to make it on her own without leaning on anyone. She was independent and strong and worked hard to be that way. She didn’t need the bad boy from her past messing with her mind.
“Look, Luke, I’m not sure what game you’re playing. Surely there are any number of women who would jump at the chance to spend the rest of the evening with you for drinks, coffee—or whatever. In fact, tonight was old home week. There were so many familiar faces from the past. So many people we knew from our time at Good Shepherd. Did you see Diane Coulter? You remember her, don’t you? As I recall, she’s an agreeable sort of girl.”
“What’s your point?”
“My point is that she went with you when you left Good Shepherd. Maybe she’d do the same tonight.”
Chapter Six
Leaning a shoulder against the wall, Luke hoped he looked casual because he didn’t feel that way. What game was she playing? Amanda was acting as if she were the wronged party when she was the one who hadn’t shown up as promised the night he left Good Shepherd. The past was dead and calling her on the attitude would imply he was still emotionally invested in what happened and nothing could be further from the truth.
“I spoke with Diane tonight. And her husband.”
“I see.”
The hostile expression in her eyes said she didn’t see anything and was ticked off. Mentioning Diane had done it. For reasons he couldn’t explain, Luke felt the need to give her details. “As you are no doubt well aware, as soon as a kid turns eighteen they age out of the system and no longer receive funds from the state.”
“It’s my job to know that.”
“Diane was almost eighteen and would have had to leave the home with nowhere to go. I’d made no secret of the fact that I was out of there and she asked for a ride.” He shrugged. “I gave her one.”
“And you dropped her off on the nearest street corner?” she asked.
“Apparently your opinion of me is pretty low. Given that, I wouldn’t expect you’d believe this, but I didn’t dump her somewhere.”
“What happened?” It was like someone dragged the words out of her. She didn’t want to ask but apparently was too curious not to.
“We hooked up—”
“Of course you did.”
“Let me rephrase. We became roommates. To share expenses. It was all about survival.”
Amanda’s big green eyes looked wounded as she stared up at him. “I’ve heard that in certain situations people share body warmth for the same reason.”
“It was strictly platonic.” Not that Diane hadn’t wanted more. She’d come on to him, but Luke wasn’t in to her, not in that way. More than once he wished he could have cared, but Amanda had mutilated his heart and the wound was still too raw. “We were friends and there were no benefits involved. We split expenses down the middle.”
“I see.”
“Eventually she met a guy. We parted ways when she moved in with him.”
“That sounds like Diane. Never let an opportunity to take advantage pass you by.”
“Some would call it seizing the day. Taking a chance—” Luke stopped and sucked in a breath as he struggled to suppress his anger. The phrase “never let ’em see you sweat” was a cliché for a reason. Show no weakness or your adversary will use it against you.
But he was puzzled. Tonight when he’d chatted with Diane, she openly teased about what an idiot she’d been not to hang on to him. He was on the Fortune 500 list and in a national magazine as sexiest billionaire bachelor. He wasn’t after being coveted for his money, but he wanted Amanda to admit that she was wrong to turn her back on him. They also said success was the best revenge. So far he wasn’t feeling it.
“Look, Amanda, I’d just like to have a drink.”
“Why?”
Chapter Seven
“I’d like to talk about old times,” he said.
All those years ago Amanda had told Diane how she felt about Luke. Diane had been her roommate at the home. So many nights when the feelings were too big to keep inside, she’d bared her soul to the girl who was worried about what would happen to her when she had to leave Good Shepherd. Amanda wanted to believe that Luke hadn’t had a romantic fling with Diane. She could understand him helping the girl, because he’d had a soft heart that no one recognized. But apparently not soft enough, because he had never come back for Amanda. She wanted to ask why, but wouldn’t because then he would know how much he still mattered after all this time.
Amanda knew Luke didn’t care about her but still wasn’t ready to say good-night and watch him walk out of her life again. She wanted to have a drink with him. She wanted it more than her next breath, which was exactly the reason she couldn’t do it.
“What if I told you I’m married?”
His mouth turned up at the corners. “I’d say that your last name is still Everhart, you’re not wearing a wedding band and you’re throwing up a smoke screen because you’re afraid to be alone with me.”
Had he acquired mind-reading skills or was she just that easy to read?
“Look, Luke—“ She let out a long sigh. “I don’t want to talk about the past. My focus is the future—for the kids I’m trying to help. All my energy has to go into them.”
“So you have no personal life?” He straightened away from the wall and moved a step closer.
“I didn’t say that.”
“So there’s someone special?”
“I didn’t say that, either.” She wouldn’t tell him there’d been no one special for her since him. She wouldn’t give him that much power over her ever again. And she definitely wasn’t going to spend any more time talking to him. “All I’m going to say is good night.”
Amanda stepped sideways, to walk past him. He reached out a hand and curled his fingers around her wrist, stopping her.
“Not so fast, Mandy—”
No one called her that. Only Luke. His voice was silky, sexy, seductive. With just a hint of gravel, the tone and his touch made her skin tingle. Suddenly the huge hall seemed to close in on her and she couldn’t draw enough air into her lungs.
“Please let me go,” she begged.
“In a minute.”
He slid his arm around her waist and nestled her to him. This wasn’t the first time he’d pulled her against him like this, but he’d been a boy then. Now he was a man, all hard muscles and firm strength. It was the same and different—in a heart-pounding, breathless, trembly kind of way. When he lowered his head, she stood on tiptoe and met him halfway, touching his mouth with her own.
She heard him groan when she slid her hands up over his chest and around his neck. He tightened his hold on her and brushed his tongue over her bottom lip, demanding entrance. She opened to him and he swept inside, taking as well as giving.
“Oh, Mandy—” His voice was ragged.
The sound broke his sensual spell and let in rational thought along with a realization that wasn’t pretty. What she’d done, what she’d let him see, was a big, fat mistake.
Chapter Eight
“Amanda, it’s not your fault. I agreed that going glitzy for the event was the best way to put people in a giving mood.” Words to comfort, although Sister Margaret still looked troubled. “Never doubt that you did the right thing.”
Two days after seeing Luke, Amanda sat in the nun’s office to update her on the amount of money that night raised. She’d raised things all right, like pulse rates and old feelings, proving that kissing Luke had been the wrong thing. Unfortunately, what she hadn’t raised enough of, was funds.
“Remember, Sister, the totals are soft. We still have donations coming in from people who received invitations but couldn’t attend.”
The nun looked up from the report. “It’s not enough to begin construction.”
“I know.” Sister had been her friend, cheerleader and mother, playing each role when she’d needed it most. Sister Margaret had truly been there for her always and she’d so badly wanted to return the favor. “We’ll think of some way to raise what we need.”
“There’s a global economic crisis. Money is scarce and people are desperate. Unfortunately, that makes this project especially important.” Sister removed her reading glasses and set them on her scratched-up old desk. “When times are hard, people tend to take out their problems and frustrations on the ones who can’t fight back. More kids are abandoned and abused.”
Amanda knew it was true. She was on the front lines, getting the police calls to pick up children in the worst possible situations. Every single kid deserved to live in an environment where they could grow, learn and simply be safe. It wasn’t right for any little one to be hungry, or hurt or at the mercy of adults who were obsessed with getting their hands on a drug for another high instead of giving a hug to the ones they should love the most.
“I’ll contact local news programs. There are some people at
“You are such a dear girl, Amanda. There’s an inherent sweetness about you that was always there.” Sister smiled, but it was small and sad. “I believe it’s what Luke Rafferty responded to. He had such a wild, independent streak, but you had a way with him. I like to think we here at Good Shepherd had something to do with the success he’s earned and the way he turned out, but it’s my opinion that you influenced him more than anyone.”
If that were true, he wouldn’t have disappeared from her life without a word. But she hadn’t come here to talk about Luke or the past. “Don’t worry, Sister. It’s going to be okay.”
“I always tell the children that God gives us what we need when we need it, but I’m having trouble believing that.” Sister’s mouth trembled as a tear slid down her cheek.
Amanda was shocked. She’d never seen this woman cry. “Sister? What happened?”
“Social services called me about placing two children at Good Shepherd. Little girls—three and five years old. We only had space for one.” She brushed the moisture from her cheek and her eyes were bleak. “How can I choose? The need is so great that it makes my heart hurt.”
Amanda felt frantic to help the woman who had done so much for her. “I’ll do something, Sister. I’ll get this done. I’ll make some calls—”
It was the first time Sister had ever looked utterly hopeless. “Who hasn’t already given what they can? Who’s left to talk to?”
Luke. She would contact him and this time Amanda planned to use her mouth for talking instead of kissing.
Chapter Nine
Luke hadn’t expected to see or hear from Amanda again after kissing her. The last thing she’d said to him was something about snowballs in hell before that happened. Since she was now sitting across from him in the nightclub at Green Valley Ranch Resort, the lost souls in the underworld must be scrambling for overcoats.
This wasn’t hell, and the dim lights, mirrors and chrome interior were anything but warm. Luke wasn’t complaining because the view was to die for.
He reached for the drink on the small glass table between them and watched her toy with the wineglass in her hands. “I was surprised that you called me, Amanda.”
“Being the head of the Good Shepherd Home expansion project gives me access to all the contact information on our list of contributors.”
“Not how you did it, but that you did it at all.”
Luke had planned to get in touch with her after letting the effects of their kiss sink in. It wasn’t the first time he’d had the pleasure of tasting Amanda’s mouth, but she was just a girl then. Now she was a woman, with the soft curves to prove it. He’d thought about little but her since watching the sexy sway of her hips in that seductive silver dress as she’d walked away from him. Wanting more from her had bordered on obsession, but how to achieve that goal was a big question mark. Unlike most women he met, Amanda seemed disinclined to fall into his bed.
“There’s something I need to talk to you about,” she said.
He knew that. She’d wanted to discuss the issue over the phone. He’d insisted on a face-to-face meeting. Call him a bastard. Most people in his business circle did. Instinctively he knew that his purposes would be better served if she had to see him in the flesh. Despite her profession and dealing with the harshest of life’s realities, there was still an innocence about her that got to him, as much or more than the very first time he’d met her. If he could exploit that, he’d do it in a heartbeat, because he very much wanted to know that she regretted what she’d done to him.
“I’m listening.” With every part of his body.
“It’s about the expansion project for Good Shepherd.”
“So you said.” Luke took another sip of Rémy Martin from his glass, never taking his eyes from her mouth.
“Earlier today Sister Margaret made me aware of the pressing need to add more room to the children’s home. I intend to leave no stone unturned in making that happen.”
“And I’m one of the stones?”
“In a manner of speaking.”
“You have heard the expression can’t get blood from a stone?” he asked.
Her green eyes were big and beautiful and pleading. “Before you say no, please listen. When you were at Good Shepherd did you ever see Sister Margaret shed a tear? Did she ever once look like she wasn’t the Rock of Gibraltar?”
“Mostly she looked like she wanted to wring my neck. Or tar and feather me. Or both.” Older and wiser now, he knew he’d given her ample reason for it.
“When I left her today she was terribly upset that she couldn’t take two little girls who had nowhere to go.” Amanda set her wineglass on the table. “I’m here to ask you to change your mind about donating to the expansion fund.”
“Why should I?”
“Because it’s a worthy cause and I promised Sister I’d do everything in my power to get the project done.”
What Luke thought of as his close-the-deal instinct went into high alert. He hadn’t expected to see her again and had resigned himself to the fact that he didn’t always get what he wanted. Now she was here for a handout and had just handed him an idea.
His body tightened with need for the woman across from him. “Everything?”
Chapter Ten
Amanda saw Luke’s eyes smolder when he said everything. A shiver slid down her spine that had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with awareness. She wasn’t the naive girl he’d once known; she knew what he was saying but hoped to appeal to his charitable nature.
“Sister Margaret only wants to save kids. Too many are neglected or abused and have to be taken from their families for their own good. From your own experience you know that many run away from the situation and live by—”
“I know exactly what survival on the street means. They’re using sinks in public restrooms to wash off the grime. Scrounging food from Dumpsters. Begging for a few coins while people walk by as if you’re invisible.” He tossed back the remaining liquor in his glass. “I don’t need your pity, Mandy.”
“I don’t feel sorry for you.” Not now. But once upon a time she had grieved for what he’d been through and vowed to make him happy forever.
“Your eyes give you away, Amanda, but they always did. It’s nice to know some things don’t change.”
And how she wished some things were different. She still wanted to put her arms around him and take away the hurt he tried so hard to keep anyone from seeing. He’d told her about his mother dying of cancer, then running away from home because of beatings. His father didn’t hit him, but the parade of his father’s women did and Luke left because he wanted to hit back and knew it was wrong. Amanda had thought him noble and heroic. She’d once believed her love could protect him from his dark past, but that was romantic nonsense that made her feel stupid and foolish. No one would make her feel that way again. Not even Luke. Especially not him.
If Luke was hurting now, he had no one but himself to blame.
“This isn’t about me. Sister Margaret needs your help. She has no ulterior motives for her work, Luke—”
“And you’re implying that I do?”
“Do you?”
“Of course.”
Her heart pounded. “Are you going to tell me what they are?”
He swirled the ice in his empty glass as he stared at her. “The best education I received was on the street. If you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere.”
“I thought that was
“You never get something for nothing.”
“Are you telling me that you won’t help build the addition to the home?”
“I’m asking what you’ll give me if I do,” he countered.
With an effort, Amanda met his heated gaze. “You mean the glow of doing something nice isn’t enough?”
“Don’t make the mistake of confusing bad boy makes good with bad boy is good.”
Obviously, appealing to his better nature wouldn’t work. She decided to stop dragging this out. “All right, Luke. I’ll bite. Tell me what you want in exchange for your help.”
“I’ll give you whatever you need to make the development project happen if you spend the weekend with me.”
Although she desperately wanted to, she knew turning him down wasn’t an option. When there was no choice, it was remarkably easy to make a deal with the devil.
Chapter Eleven
Luke watched Amanda walk through his expansive home in
It was Friday night and he had two more days to make that happen.
“So, what do you think?” he asked, sliding his fingers into the pockets of his slacks.
“You might want to be more specific. Are you talking about the limousine to the private executive air terminal at
“Any or all of it,” he answered.
“Offhand I’d guess that you’re showing off. Trying to impress me.”
“Is it working?”
“That depends.” She glanced around the room, then back at him. “How big is it? This house, I mean.” Even the dim light showed the pink of embarrassment in her cheeks.
“Six thousand square feet—give or take a square foot or two.”
“Do you get lost?”
“No.”
He’d only been lost once and she’d been responsible. Surviving her rejection had made him tougher, stronger. What doesn’t kill you and all that.
She shook her head and sighed. “I’ve never been very good at finding my way around.”
“I’ll get you your own personal GPS system.”
She smiled. “I guess the tried-and-true trail of crumbs to get from point A to point B without getting hopelessly turned around isn’t high tech enough for a man like you.”
“Define ‘a man like me’,” he said.
She turned away from the view of the sun shining low in the sky over the ocean and folded her arms beneath her breasts as she slid him a nervous look. “Wealthy. Enigmatic. Ruthless, I think.”
“You’re implying I would do anything to get what I want?”
“That’s for you to say.” She caught her top lip between her teeth as the pulse at the base of her neck fluttered. “Would you?”
“Do you want me to lie?”
Her eyes turned a shade of green that was like the ocean on a cloudy day. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”
This from the diva of deception. But digging up the past was definitely going in the wrong direction. “And it won’t be the last.”
“Do the private jets and ocean-view mansions make up for selling out?” she asked.
Selling out? Because he was successful? Or because he wouldn’t put up the money for Good Shepherd without strings attached? Instead, he said, “If you’re asking whether or not all my expectations are met, I’d have to say yes.”
It all proved that he’d crushed out the softer side of his nature, the part of him that had cared for a skinny, green-eyed orphan who always looked at him as if he’d hung the moon.
“So why did you bring me here? What do you expect of me?”
Chapter Twelve
Amanda wondered if she’d said that out loud until a predatory gleam slid into Luke’s eyes and told her she had.
“I don’t expect anything you don’t want to give,” he said.
“You bought the weekend with me so I’d sleep with you.” It wasn’t a question.
He folded his arms over his wide chest. In his worn jeans and white shirt with sleeves rolled up to reveal strong forearms dusted with dark hair, he cut a masculine pose that was pretty irresistible. “Is that what you want? Sex?”
Yes, she thought, knowing she couldn’t tell him so. He hadn’t denied any of the words she’d used to describe him. Wealthy was a given, what with this fabulous house and idyllic location. Enigmatic? He’d proven to be unknowable. All those years ago she’d thought she knew him as well as she knew herself. He’d told her about his abusive home life, his hopes and dreams. He’d promised to take care of her but it was a lie. So ruthless described him pretty well. If she let on how deeply and profoundly attracted she was, he surely would use it against her. The same way he was using her devotion to Good Shepherd.
Originally he’d asked her to have a drink with him, just so they could talk. “What I’d like,” she said, “is to get to know you. Again.”
“Okay.”
“As easy as that?” she asked.
Without answering, he said, “Have you ever taken a walk on the beach at sunset?”
“I grew up in
“It’s a lifetime’s worth of far. It’s serene and wild at the same time. The waves pounding on the shore churn up treasures from the ocean or batter the castoff shells into oblivion.”
“I never knew you to be so poetic,” she commented.
He shrugged. “Living by the water brings out the best in me.”
“If that were true,” she said, “you’d write a check and send me on my merry way.”
“Maybe it’s best for us to spend some time together before I make that donation. Are you afraid of me, Mandy?”
“Of course not. And just so you know, I can swim.”
“And why would I need to know that?”
She wasn’t sure why she’d said it, although it probably had something to do with feeling as if she were drowning. “In case you decide to throw me to the sharks.”
He looked amused. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you don’t trust me. Have I given you reason to feel that way?”
“Not recently.”
His slight frown had confusion around the edges, but he didn’t question her comment. He simply held out his hand and said, “Come with me. It will be romantic.”
She hesitated, staring into his dark eyes, wondering where he was going to take her. Then the corners of his mouth turned up, showing a glimpse of the young man she’d once known, the one who could hurt her the most.
Chapter Thirteen
It was breezy by the water lapping on the shore and, with Amanda beside him, Luke turned into the wind. He’d never taken the easy path and now was no exception. She’d accused him of selling out, and he figured that was because he’d turned his back on the home he’d resented for trying to clip his wings. After leaving Good Shepherd behind, being on his own had been a badge of honor. Pride. Before seeing her again it had been enough. Now he recognized the loneliness. He had the uncomfortable sensation that a weekend he’d intended as a lesson to her was going to bite him in the backside.
“The children at Good Shepherd would love this,” she said, looking at the sand, sea and sunset turning wisps of clouds in the sky shades of orange, purple and pink. “Can’t you just picture the little ones digging in the sand with plastic shovels and buckets? The older kids would bodysurf and play in the water. They’d get to be carefree.”
“What about you?” he asked, looking down. The wind blew the hair back from her face and there was nothing to hide her beautiful features. Something in his chest tightened, then shifted almost painfully.
Amanda looked up, puzzled. “What about me?”
“Do you ever get to be untroubled?”
“Of course,” she answered, too easily. “I have days off.”
“But can you turn your mind off?”
Her expression grew pensive. “You’re asking if I ever don’t think about the kids and that would be a big no.”
“Why?”
“That’s like asking why my favorite color is green or what makes me unable to resist a sugar cookie.” She shrugged. “I’ve always loved kids. You remember when we were at Good Shepherd?”
“Yes.” He tried to forget, but lately it was harder.
“One of the rules was to help with the other children. For me it was never a rule to be followed. I’m drawn to them. Even on my time off if I’m out shopping or seeing a movie, my attention is snagged by a little one in a stroller, a tiny baby cry, a toddler challenging parental authority. I just have a thing for children.”
He remembered. She’d been like the pied piper. They’d followed her around and competed for her attention. She’d never been short-tempered or impatient, at least not that he saw. Besides her loveliness, it was another quality that had drawn him to her. The nurturing instinct that he’d never experienced before or since. He hadn’t realized until now how much he’d missed that, and her. He’d always liked her and that was another thing that hadn’t changed. It was possible he felt more than “like” for her.
Now what?
He’d bought her for the weekend, but maybe he should take her back to
He stopped walking and looked down, noting her shiver in her light sweater. After taking off his jacket, he dragged it around her. “Do you want to go back?”
“You promised me romance.”
Chapter Fourteen
Amanda wasn’t sure what made her remind him about romance except that the warmth from his body enveloped her along with his jacket and sent a different kind of heat pooling in her belly. It was hard to think straight but one thing was crystal clear.
She could be in a mall or on the moon with Luke Rafferty and it would be romantic. As they stared at each other a wave crashed on the shore and raced toward them. Just in time, Luke swung her into his arms, rescuing her from a soaking.
“My hero.” Past and present, she realized.
“Hardly.” His arms tensed. “But I’m definitely wet.”
“We better go back,” she said.
He nodded, set her back on the wet sand, then turned back the way they’d come. After climbing the private stairway to the house and leading her inside, he left her while he went to change. The phone rang and when he didn’t answer, the machine took a message.
“Luke, it’s Hildie. Just wanted to let you know that Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth was giddy with excitement over your generous donation and said you’re off the hook for tonight’s benefit. They were most understanding that things come up for a busy man like yourself even though you haven’t missed one. Ever. They’ll look forward to seeing you as usual next year. Have a wonderful weekend.”
Amanda was stunned. Luke acted as if he didn’t care about anyone, yet he was obviously a major benefactor to an organization that helped homeless kids.
When he walked back into the room wearing black sweatpants and carrying two brandies, she wasn’t sure whether or not to pretend she hadn’t eavesdropped. In the end, she had to ask.
“
“My secretary.”
She didn’t want to analyze the relief that flooded her when he clarified his relationship with the smoky-voiced woman. “So you do have charity.”
“A charity,” he said, ducking the praise. “A center in
“Because you know what they’re going through.”
He set the brandy snifters on the glass coffee table. “The biggest misconception is that homeless teens choose a life of drugs or prostitution. In so many cases they take off because home isn’t safe for them.”
She sighed and shook her head. “You, sir, are a big fibber.”
“Excuse me?”
“You go out of your way to make everyone think you’re tough as nails when you’re really like the gooey marshmallow in a s’more.”
“Do not say I’m sweet.” He grinned the grin that had always made her insides turn to jelly. Now that she was all grown-up she knew it was sexual heat making her melt. “And if you blow my cover there will be hell to pay.”
Maybe, but there were all kinds of hell. Somewhere she’d read that good girls go to heaven; bad girls go everywhere. Right now she wanted to be the girl he would take wherever he was going.
In the next instant his grin disappeared, replaced by a look of longing, so intense it was almost a physical ache. He took her face in his big, warm hands and settled his mouth on hers, a touch so soft and gentle it was more persuasive than an all-out assault on her senses. Her resistance dissolved and there was no way to say no way when she’d been waiting for this moment forever.
She was going to hell and couldn’t find the will to care.
Chapter Fifteen
Amanda had never found a kiss more thrilling. It was like finding a piece of herself that had been missing, making heat and desire swell inside her. A needy moan gathered in her throat and she couldn’t hold it back. The effect of the strangled sound on Luke was dramatic and instantaneous. His breathing grew ragged as he gathered her into his arms.
“I want you, Mandy,” he said against her hair. “I always have and couldn’t seem to make it stop.”
Just a little while ago in this room she’d asked what he expected of her and he’d answered that he didn’t need anything she didn’t want to give. When he flat-out questioned whether or not she wanted sex, she’d put him off. Said they should get to know each other again. She’d loved the boy she’d known; he’d become a good man, though he tried to hide it. Then he wondered if she was afraid of him, and bravado made her say of course not, although she had been just a little. She wasn’t afraid now.
She slid her arms around him. “I’m here and there’s no reason to stop.”
He pulled back to look into her eyes, his own smoldering with passion. “Are you sure?”
The fact that he gave her a choice convinced her. “Very sure.”
Luke took her hand and led her down the hall and into the master bedroom with a mattress as big as a small country. After pressing a button on the nightstand, the window covering swept aside, revealing a view of the full moon shining on the ocean. It was breathtaking, but that probably had more to do with the man slowly unbuttoning her blouse. Within seconds she was naked, proving that a man driven by purpose could accomplish goals in record time. She expected to be shy and embarrassed but the appreciation in his expression made her feel bold. White shirt, pants and boxers dropped beside her clothes, showing that a woman handled with tenderness and sensitivity was a match for any man.
“You’re even more beautiful than I imagined,” he said.
He’d imagined her?
There was no response to that except a glow inside, so she stepped close and rested her palm over his pounding heart. The dusting of hair tickled her fingers even as it highlighted his masculinity. He drew in a shuddering breath, then swept the comforter and blanket down, exposing the cream-colored silk sheets beneath. He scooped her into his arms and settled her in the center of the mattress.
“You won’t regret this—”
Amanda touched her index finger to his mouth, stopping him. “Just kiss me, Luke.”
His smile was wolfish, predatory, but turned her on more than she would have thought possible. She pulled his face to hers and kissed him as her blood caught fire and her heart pumped it to every part of her. He trailed kisses down her neck, the amazingly sensitive spot beneath her ear, over her breasts, belly and the inside of her thighs. When she thought it impossible to stand more pleasure, he brushed his thumb over the bundle of nerve endings at the apex of her femininity. When she was on the edge, he reached into the nightstand, pulled out a foil packet and covered himself. Gently he entered her and at the same time they both sighed with contentment before his thrusts increased in intensity. Moments later she shattered into a thousand points of light while his strong arms held her together. Then he buried his face in her neck and he groaned out his own release.
When their breathing slowed to something approaching normal, he gathered her close against him. That’s when sanity returned and dragged her misgivings along for the ride.
Sleeping with Luke was going to cost her big-time.
Chapter Sixteen
More than anything, Amanda wanted to snuggle into Luke’s warmth. The sensation of his strong arms around her brought back memories of the two of them against the world. Some of the kids at Good Shepherd, especially the ones from unstable, abusive situations, could be aggressive before counseling and Sister Margaret worked their particular brands of magic.
Luke had made it clear to everyone that anyone who messed with Amanda messed with him. And there would be serious consequences. No disrespect to the children’s home that took her in when her father disappeared and her mom died, but Luke had made her feel connected to someone in a way she never had before. He’d been her shelter physically as well as emotionally.
In this very bed he’d satisfied her body, but now her feelings had never been more exposed and vulnerable. She felt unsafe in a way she never had before.
“Earth to Amanda. You’re awfully quiet.”
She pulled the sheet and molded it around her, keeping it in place with her arms. “Just catching my breath.”
He turned on his side and raised up on his elbow, resting his cheek in his palm. “Are you all right?”
“Fine.“ Such a lame word, but she didn’t know how to explain that being with him had been the most perfect experience of her life.
He didn’t respond and she sneaked a glance at him, noting his frown. Dark eyebrows were pulled together as he studied her, his expression indecipherable. Without a word, he got up, pulled his pants on and walked away, returning with a terry cloth robe that he set on the end of the bed. Then he opened the sliding glass door and walked onto the patio.
Amanda slipped into the robe, then followed him outside. Sea-scented air cooled her hot cheeks as she heard waves crashing below. It mirrored her own emotions—peace blending with pandemonium and the result was confusion. When she had agreed to a weekend in exchange for his donation, she’d known ending up in his bed was probably going to happen. And she’d been okay with it, believing the experience would put to rest any lingering feelings for this enigmatic, magnetic man. Hindsight being twenty-twenty, she realized the foolishness of the rationalization. If anything, her feelings were more intense than ever.
His broad, bare shoulders were highlighted by the moon’s silver light. Without turning around, he said, “I love the ocean. If I could pick anywhere on earth, I’d choose to be right here.”
“It is beautiful,” she agreed.
“I have a home in the mountains, a villa in
“Why did you bring me here?” she asked.
He glanced at her over his shoulder. “As opposed to
“As opposed to getting a room in
During the years after Luke she thought she’d found love but could never make it last. Now she knew why. Intimacy with him had shown her more clearly than she would have imagined that she’d never come close to knowing what it was like to love a man. Until now.
Worse, she knew with complete certainty that she wouldn’t survive losing him a second time.
“What’s wrong, Mandy?”
Chapter Seventeen
Luke knew something was bothering her.
He’d known the moment Amanda hid beneath the sheet. Maybe because their physical connection had been so complete, so compelling, so consuming, he’d felt the instant she’d withdrawn and the absence of her warmth went clear to his soul.
“There’s nothing wrong, Luke. I’m fine.”
There was that four-letter word again. He had another one for her. Liar. She’d never been good at concealing her feelings, which had made her betrayal more devastating, because it was so unexpected. She still wore her heart on her sleeve and that made him wonder about what had happened all those years ago. He couldn’t believe her feelings for him had been a complete lie.
He looked down at her. Normally romantic, the silvery moonlight allowed him to see the bruised expression in her eyes and he fought the urge to take her in his arms. “Mandy?”
Her gaze jumped to his. “I’d like to go home.”
No. He wasn’t ready for that. When they went back to the real world, she would be out of his life again and he wanted to put off the loneliness as long as possible.
“According to our agreement, there’s still one more day left.”
“For what?” She folded her arms over her abdomen as if holding herself together.
He read between the lines and knew she believed that he’d gotten what he wanted and should let her off the hook. If he was being honest with himself, he’d have to admit he planned to have sex with her. But he’d never planned to make love. He’d never intended for the experience to rock his world, or make her look like she did now.
“Did I hurt you?”
“Not tonight.”
This wasn’t what he’d pictured. Amanda wasn’t the first woman he’d brought here, and he knew that the trappings of his wealth were pretty impressive. The most beautiful women on the planet wanted to be with him. All except this woman. Fate was a fickle mistress or she wouldn’t be the only one he wanted.
“Not tonight” meant that he had hurt her before, and he couldn’t stand the idea of doing it again. He couldn’t have her and he couldn’t let her go.
“Your things are in the guest room where you’ll have complete privacy.” He chanced a glance at her before staring out to sea again. “I’m sorry, Mandy.”
As she walked away, he thought he heard a small sound. Crying? It tore him up, but he resisted the urge to go after her. He’d already done enough damage for one day.
Revenge was a double-edged sword. He’d told himself that he only wanted to see her face when she realized what she’d turned her back on. Instead, he’d found out what he gave up on when he left Good Shepherd without her. He kicked himself for not going back to change her mind.
Now he’d manipulated her into being with him by using her unselfish love for the children’s home. Taking her to his bed was the best moment of his life—and the worst, because she’d never forgive him for it.
Chapter Eighteen
Amanda stood outside Sister Margaret’s office feeling as if she were ten years old again and about to face a scolding for feeding her dinner to the dog. This was far worse. She knocked on the door, then opened it.
Sister looked up and smiled. “Amanda, just the person I wanted to see.”
The nun looked so happy, especially in contrast to the last time they’d talked. Sister had shed tears because there weren’t enough beds for children who needed them. Now she’d find out that it could be even longer before the construction could start. Thanks to Amanda’s idiotic deal with Luke.
He’d turned her world upside down years ago when she’d been hardly more than a child. Grown-up now, her reaction to him was a woman’s. A woman in love. What in the world had made her think she could go away with him and come back to life as she’d known it? It would be bad enough if she was the only one affected. But now the expansion project was in jeopardy and it was all her fault.
“I have a confession to make, Sister.” She twisted her fingers together, before the nun’s words sank in. “You wanted to see me?”
“Yes. I have so much to tell you.” Then she frowned. “But confession sounds awfully dramatic. Maybe you should go first.”
As much as she would like to put this off, the sooner she got it off her chest, the better. “It’s about the building fund for the home.”
“I see.” Sister studied her and frowned before standing to walk around her desk. “What in the world is troubling you, child?”
Loving Luke, making love with him, had opened her eyes along with her heart. What scared her was knowing how much it was going to hurt when the weekend was over. Firsthand experience in loving Luke and living without him had clued her in to what she could expect. So she left him without a word before the weekend was over. She hadn’t held up her end of the bargain and she had to tell Sister that the expansion project wouldn’t get the funding.
She also had to tell Luke the truth about her feelings. And she owed herself a second chance. When she was a girl, running after him to straighten things out hadn’t been an option. But she was grown-up now and wouldn’t make the same mistake. If he couldn’t forgive her, so be it. But she couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t at least try.
“Amanda?” Concern swirled in Sister’s eyes. “What is it that you have to tell me? Are you ill?”
Did heartsick count? She shook her head. “I’m fine. Physically.”
“Then what? It can’t be that bad.”
She took a deep breath. “I’ve done something. To come up with the money for the expansion. I wanted so badly to make it happen because you’ve always been there for me and I wanted to give something back.”
“What in the world did you do?”
Amanda braced herself for a look of disappointment and disapproval. “I made a deal with Luke Rafferty. One weekend with him in exchange for the money to start construction. But I—I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain. He won’t donate to the building fund.”
“I guess not, since he already gave me a very generous check.” Sister looked puzzled. “I received it just before you walked in.”
“Mandy?”
She turned and saw him in the doorway.
Chapter Nineteen
“Why are you here, Luke?” Amanda stood in front of Sister Margaret’s desk and stared at him in the doorway.
“I knew you’d be here. Sooner or later. I was prepared to wait as long as it took for you to show up.”
He knew this place was her safety net. For a time he’d believed she cared about it more than anything—or anyone. Now he knew he’d been wrong. She would do anything for someone she loved and he hoped he was that someone. He wouldn’t let her get away again—not without putting up a fight.
Sister cleared her throat. “I’m glad you’re here, Luke. There’s something I need to tell you. Both of you. Just before you arrived, I was about to tell Amanda something that came to my attention after the fund-raiser.”
Amanda glanced between them. “I don’t understand.”
“Then pay attention.”
Sister sat in her chair and set her linked fingers on the desk, then looked at them over the half-glasses on the end of her nose. It was what Luke had always thought of as her scare-the-crap-out-of-you expression. He’d never let on to her that it worked. The chip on his shoulder wouldn’t let him reveal that this place had been a haven for him, the only place he could ever remember feeling safe. The time he spent here had made all the difference in his life. Somehow he’d absorbed the skills he’d needed for success. Work ethic. Honesty. Giving back. He was ashamed of using Good Shepherd to get Amanda’s attention. Somehow he’d fix it.
“Luke? You look distracted. Are you listening?”
“Yes, Sister.” The meek tone earned him a shocked glance from Mandy.
“Do you both remember Diane Coulter? She was your roommate, Amanda. And the girl who left with you, Luke.”
“Yes,” they both said and exchanged a surprised glance.
“After the fund-raiser she came to see me. It turns out that she was responsible for disrupting the scheme you two had to run away.”
“You knew about that?” Amanda asked.
“After the fact. Not much gets by me but there was no reason to say anything. It seemed things had worked out for the best. Without my intervention,” the nun added. “But this seems to be the day for confession. Back to Diane’s.”
“What did she do?” Amanda asked, a shocked expression on her face.
“You gave her a note for Luke because you were delayed meeting him. Becky Martin was having a meltdown and—”
“She was five,” Amanda said. “She had nightmares and I was the only one who could get her to sleep. That night I couldn’t leave her. I wrote a note to Luke asking him to wait for me.”
Sister nodded. “Diane threw away the message and told Luke you didn’t love him enough to go with him.”
Luke felt as if he just took a punch to the gut. “She lied?”
“It would seem so.” Sister’s eyes narrowed on him. “And apparently there’s more mischief in the air. Amanda told me about your deal.”
“I can explain, Sister.” Luke squirmed just like the teenage boy he’d once been. It wasn’t any more comfortable now than it had been then.
“Your intentions need no explanation.” Sister Margaret gave him a wry look. “I live as a nun, not under a rock. Diane’s actions, on the other hand, must be brought to light.”
“Go on, Sister,” Amanda urged.
“After seeing you both at the fund-raiser, she felt terribly guilty for causing so much trouble and keeping you apart. Now she’s a happily married woman with a baby on the way. She wanted to make things right so that the two of you can find happiness like she has.”
Sister Margaret stood and before leaving them alone, said, “That’s the truth of what happened. And if you want my opinion, it’s time to stop acting foolish, let go of the past and admit to each other what everyone at that fund-raiser could see.”
Chapter Twenty
“I can’t believe I was so wrong,” they both said at the same time.
Amanda looked up at the only man she’d ever loved. “I’m sorry, Luke. I should have known there was something weird going on.”
He took her hands in his as he stared into her eyes. “How could you? There was an innocence about you. It’s what made me want to protect you from the first moment I saw you. You’d never break a promise. I was an idiot not to come back for you.”
“Maybe it happened this way for a reason.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“We were so young. The odds of making a success of our relationship then were astronomical against us. It’s possible that we weren’t meant to be together then, but to meet again when we could actually make the adult choice to be together.”
“You’re saying the forces of Cupid were against us?” Humor danced in his eyes.
“Just the opposite. Cupid detoured us so that when we found our way back to each other we’d have a better chance of making romance work.”
“I have to question the wisdom of inflicting that kind of pain in the name of a good romantic outcome.” Luke pulled her into his arms and brushed a kiss on the top of her head. “On the other hand, I can’t argue with the results.”
“Which are?”
“I’m holding you.” He dragged in a shuddering breath. “And I never intend to let you go again.”
“And just how do you plan to make sure that doesn’t happen?”
He looked at her and heart-pounding intensity glittered in his eyes. “Marry me, Mandy.”
“Luke, I—”
Touching a finger to her lips, he said, “Before you answer, you should know that no matter what you say I’ll be here for you. I swear to you that I’ll never leave you behind again.”
“Is it all right if I say something now?”
“We’re soul mates. I knew it right away. There’s no other reason for me to open up to you and only you. There’s no one else for me. Never has been, never will be.”
She sighed. “This habit of yours to not let someone get a word in—no wonder you managed to become such a wealthy and successful man.”
“What can I say, I don’t take no for an answer.”
“You won’t have to.” She smiled up at him. “I love you, Luke Rafferty. It wasn’t my innocence that made me reach out to you that first time. It was my infallible ability to judge people. From the first moment I saw you, even with your bad-boy mask on, I knew you were a hero. I would love to marry you. We’ve always been two halves of the same whole. Better together than we are apart.”
“Thank God.”
“Actually, I think Sister Margaret is the one we need to thank.”
“I pledge my undying gratitude to either or both,” he said, cupping her face in his hands. “And to you I pledge my love—forever.”
His kiss sealed that vow and promised a whole lifetime filled with Rafferty’s very special brand of romance.
THE END