Seth captured her hand again. Suddenly he looked uncertain. “You’ll stay in Lookout, won’t you? I mean, after you visit your family. You have to know I’m in love with you.”
“I’m in love with you, too.” Her vision was annoyingly blurry. “Damn it, you’re turning me to mush.”
“Good.” This smile blazed with happiness. “C’mere.” He tugged, and she went.
Normally Robin would have wondered how he could kiss like this with a cocktail of drugs still in his bloodstream and a heavily bandaged arm. As it was, all she could do was kiss him back. Starting gentle, they took the leap into passion. If he’d been in a private room, they might have gotten really serious, or as serious as his blood loss allowed. As it was... Robin broke away to rest her head against his shoulder.
His hand played in her hair, and his chest rose and fell with each breath. Robin felt impossibly young. No, that wasn’t quite it, she decided, finally identifying a long unfamiliar emotion.
Hope.
Epilogue
On a sunny July afternoon, Robin’s small family barbecued and celebrated in her mother’s backyard. The sun shone, Mom’s treasured roses bloomed brilliantly, Seth flipped burgers on the ancient Weber grill set up on the patio and Jacob had just collapsed in the shade after running in circles until he was too dizzy to stand.
Having refused help beyond Seth’s contribution, Mom bustled in and out of the house carrying food and dishes. Her cheeks looked a little pinker than the warm day justified, possibly because Michael smiled every time he saw her.
Robin and Allie lay back comfortably in matching chaise lounges. Sunlight and shade flickered over them when the breeze moved the leaves of the flowering cherry tree. Robin wore a strapless sundress, Allie shorts and a polo shirt that hid her dialysis catheter and port, but let Robin see how frail her sister had become.
“You know I’m going to lose my best reading time,” Allie commented lazily.
Robin turned her head to grin at her. “Dialysis was so relaxing?”
Allie laughed. “I just figure I should add a cloud so the silver lining isn’t too dazzling.”
The surgery was scheduled for tomorrow. By the end of the day, Robin would be short one kidney, and Allie would finally have a healthy, functioning one. Sometimes Robin still had trouble believing they’d gotten this far. And as she did every time she had that thought, she looked toward Seth. Her savior, her lover, her fiancé.
He’d asked to adopt Jacob, who would soon have a grandfather as well as a grandmother.
The smile he gave her was warm, sexy...and a promise.
He set down the plate of burgers on the table and raised his voice. “Come and get it.”
Jacob leaped and ran straight to him. Seth scooped him up, gave him an exceptionally gentle airplane ride and plopped him into his booster seat.
Feeling as if she could float to the table like dandelion fluff, she instead rose to her feet and held out her hand for her sister’s. “Enjoy this. I think you’re about to find out if hospital food stinks as much as I hear it does.”
Allie smiled with simple delight. “Small price to pay.”
“You’re right.” They hugged, found their places at the picnic table and started to dish up.
* * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from Reining in Trouble by Tyler Anne Snell.
Join Harlequin My Rewards today and earn a FREE ebook!
Click here to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Intrigue story.
You crave excitement! Harlequin Intrigue stories deal in serious romantic suspense, keeping you on the edge of your seat as resourceful, true-to-life women and strong, fearless men fight for survival.
Enjoy six new stories from Harlequin Intrigue every month!
Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Other ways to keep in touch:
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com
Join Harlequin My Rewards and reward the book lover in you!
Earn points for every Harlequin print and ebook you buy, wherever and whenever you shop.