The Getaway Bride

Gabe scanned hastily through the other photographs. There were nine or ten of them in all. He didn’t recognize the subjects, though the same faces appeared in a couple of them. A smiling young man with a woman and two small children. A pretty, chubby blond carrying a baby. The same blond walking down a sidewalk, pushing a carriage and holding the hand of a round-faced little boy. A heavyset woman in jeans and a University of Iowa sweatshirt stood outside what appeared to be the apartment building where Gabe had found Page in Des Moines.

His eyes were drawn back to the shots of himself. Who the hell had taken them? And why?

A cracking sound from the other room brought his attention abruptly back to the present

Page had been in there quite a while, he realized suddenly. And now he had a whole new batch of questions to ask her.

Clutching the photos, he frowned in grim determination and headed for the bedroom. This time, he vowed to himself, he wasn’t letting her get away with her lies.

PAGE FIGURED it was her last chance to escape, though the odds were stacked against her. Keeping one eye on the open bedroom door, she stood by a window that couldn’t be seen from the other room. As quietly as possible, she’d slid the window open and was now working at removing the thin sheet of plywood that covered the opening from the outside.

Unlike Blake, Gabe wasn’t the most adept of kidnappers, she thought wryly. Lack of experience, probably. Though he’d managed to get her here—thanks, in part, to her own stupidity—he’d left her with her jeans, top and shoes. And he hadn’t searched her clothing. She’d been relieved to find the slender, nearly flat penknife still hidden in the lining of her right sneaker. She’d carried it by habit, finding it occasionally useful...now, for instance.

She pried carefully at the thin sheet of wood. It had apparently been hastily tacked into place, more to provide protection for the glass panes than to guard against break-ins. It certainly wouldn’t have kept out a determined intruder—and Page hoped it wouldn’t keep her “in,” either.

She held her breath as she felt the board give a little. A sense of urgency gripped her. She had so little time.

Gabe was getting too close to the truth, and she didn’t want to think what he would do if he learned the whole story. He tended to overreact, she thought, wryly considering her present situation. But taking on her problems could prove more dangerous than he ever imagined.

The board loosened further, but this time with a creaking sound that made her cringe and look nervously at the door.

Time ticked swiftly away from her, making her next actions critical. Should she continue to move slowly, trying to be silent, or simply shove the board away from the window and make a dash for freedom?

She heard Gabe moving around in the other room and knew her time was almost out. Taking a deep breath, she slammed both hands against the wood and pushed against it with all her strength.

The board fell away with a loud crack, revealing a thick stand of woods and a cloudy gray sky outside. Page dove through the open window. She hit the rocky ground and rolled instantly to her feet.

She heard Gabe call her name, but she was already running. If she could lose herself in the woods, hide somewhere until she had another chance to run again...

Some deep, logical part of her mind knew her actions were irrational. She knew Gabe would never let her get away this easily. But she had to try. The emotions that had overwhelmed her when she’d cried in Gabe’s arms were driving her now, urging her on, haunting her with the high price of failure.

Hearing Gabe close behind her, she sprinted and dodged among the budding hardwoods and scraggly evergreens, her heart pounding, her vision clouded, with tears and fear. She stumbled over the uneven ground, but kept her footing. If only—

Gabe’s hands fell on her shoulders, jerking her abruptly to a stop. She strained against him, but he turned her roughly around.

His face was flushed with anger, and his amber eyes snapped fire. He was breathing harshly, and the lines around his eyes and mouth had deepened, emphasizing his fierce scowl.

“Why do you keep doing this?” he bellowed, giving her a shake that spoke as much of frustration as anger. “What the hell are you trying to do to me?”

“I’m trying to keep you alive!” Page shouted, her control finally gone. “I will not have another man die because of me. Don’t you understand that I would ,rather die myself than have anything happen to you?”

>

6

STANDING IN THE WOODS outside the little cabin, Gabe stared into Page’s distraught face, trying to comprehend her words. “What are you talking about?”

She’d gone so pale he thought she might faint. He tightened his grip on her shoulders.

Her eyes were huge. Wild. Glittering with barely suppressed emotions and unshed tears.

And they were blue. Bright, summer-sky blue. Apparently she’d removed her appearance-altering brown contacts while washing up from her bout of tears.

She tried to avert her face. He caught her chin in his hand and turned her to look at him again. He was shaken by the sudden reappearance of the woman he’d married. “Page—”

Still half hysterical, she shoved against him. “Let me go! You have to get away from me, don’t you understand? As long as you’re close to me, your life is in danger. I won’t be responsible for another family’s grief.”

He held on to her, easily overcoming her efforts to break away. “Who died because of you?”