The Complete Mackenzies Collection Read online

  That couldn’t all be true, she thought, yet the tales had a ring of truth to them. Then she remembered that Chance was a consummate actor, and bitterness would swamp her again.

  She couldn’t seem to pull herself out of the dismals. She had always been able to laugh, but now she found it difficult to even smile. No matter how she tried to distract herself, the knowledge was always there, engraved on her heart like a curse that robbed her life of joy: Chance didn’t love her. It had all been an act.

  It was as if part of her had died. She felt cold inside, and empty. She tried to hide it, tried to tell herself the depression would go away if she just ignored it and concentrated on getting better, but every day the grayness inside her seemed to spread and deepen.

  The day she was released, the escort finally arrived with a wheelchair and Sunny called a taxi to meet them at the entrance in fifteen minutes. She gingerly lowered herself into the wheelchair, and the escort obligingly placed the small bag containing her few articles of clothing and her backpack on her lap, then balanced the bromeliad on top.

  “I’m sure I have to sign some papers before I’m released,” Sunny said.

  “No, I don’t think so,” the woman said, checking her orders. “According to this, you’re all ready to go. Your husband probably handled it for you.”

  Sunny bit back the urge to snap that she wasn’t married. He hadn’t mentioned it, and in truth she hadn’t given a thought to how she would pay for her hospital care, but now that she thought about it, she realized Chance had indeed handled all of that. Maybe he thought the least he could do was pick up her tab.

  She was surprised he wasn’t here, since he’d been so adamant about being a part of the baby’s life, and persistent in visiting. For all she knew, she thought, he had been called away on some mysterious spy stuff.

  She underestimated him. When the escort rolled her to the doors of the patient discharge area, she saw a familiar dark green Ford Explorer parked under the covered entrance. Chance unfolded his long length from behind the steering wheel and came to meet her.

  “I’ve already called a taxi,” she said, though she knew it was a waste of breath.

  “Tough,” he said succinctly. He took her clothes and the bromeliad and put them in the back of the Explorer, then opened the passenger door.

  Sunny began to inch herself forward in the wheelchair seat, preparatory to standing; she had mastered the art when seated in a regular chair, but a wheelchair was trickier. Chance gave her an exasperated look, then leaned down and scooped her up in his powerful arms, handling her weight with ease as he deposited her in the Explorer.

  “Thank you,” she said politely. She would at least be civil, and his method had been much less painful and time-consuming than hers.

  “You’re welcome.” He buckled the seat belt around her, making certain the straps didn’t rub against the surgical incision, then closed the door and walked around to slide under the steering wheel.

  “I’ve booked a room in a hotel,” she said. “But I don’t know where it is, so I can’t give you directions.”

  “You aren’t going to a hotel,” he growled.

  “I have to go somewhere,” she pointed out. “I’m not able to drive, and I can’t handle negotiating an airport, so a hotel with room service is the only logical solution.”

  “No it isn’t. I’m taking you home with me.”

  “No!” she said violently, everything in her rejecting the idea of spending days in his company.

  His jaw set. “You don’t have a choice,” he said grimly. “You’re going—even if you kick and scream the whole way.”

  It was tempting. Oh, it was tempting. Only the thought of how badly kicking would pull at the incision made her resist the idea.

  The dime didn’t drop until she noticed he was driving to the airport. “Where are we going?”

  He gave her an impatient glance. “I told you. Hell, Sunny, you know I don’t live in Des Moines.”

  “All right, so I know where you don’t live. But I don’t know where you do live.” She couldn’t resist adding, “And even if you had told me, it would probably be a lie.”

  This time his glance was sulfuric. “Wyoming,” he said through gritted teeth. “I’m taking you home to Wyoming.”

  She was silent during the flight, speaking only when necessary and then only in monosyllables. Chance studied her when her attention was on the landscape below, his sunglasses hiding his eyes. They had flown around so much during the time they’d been together that it felt natural to once again be in the plane with her, as if they were where they belonged. She had settled in with a minimum of fussing and no complaints, though he knew she had to be exhausted and uncomfortable.

  She looked so frail, as if a good wind would blow her away. There wasn’t any color in her cheeks or lips, and she had dropped a good ten pounds that she didn’t need to lose. The doctor had assured him that she was recovering nicely, right on schedule, and that while her pregnancy was still too new for any test to tell them anything about the baby’s condition, they had taken all precautions and he had every confidence the baby would be fine.

  As thrilled as he was about the baby, Chance was more worried that the pregnancy would sap her strength and slow her recovery. She needed all the resources she could muster now, but nature would ensure that the developing child got what it needed first. The only way he could be confident she was getting what she needed was if he arranged for her to be watched every minute, and coddled and spoiled within an inch of her life. The best place for that was Mackenzie’s Mountain.

  He had called and told them he was bringing Sunny there, of course. He had told them the entire situation, that she was pregnant and he intended to marry her, but that she was still mad as hell at him and hadn’t forgiven him. He had set quite a task for himself, getting back in Sunny’s good graces. But once he had her on the Mountain, he thought, he could take his time wearing her down.

  Mary, typically, was ecstatic. She took it for granted Sunny would forgive him, and since she had been prodding him about getting married and giving her more grandchildren, she probably thought she was getting everything she wanted.

  Chance was going to do everything he could to see that she did, because what she wanted was exactly what he wanted. He’d always sworn he would never get married and have children, but fate had stepped in and arranged things otherwise. The prospect of getting married scared him—no, it terrified the hell out of him, so much so that he hadn’t even broached the subject to Sunny. He didn’t know how to tell her what she needed to know about him, and he didn’t know what she would do when she found out, if she would accept his proposal or tell him to drop dead.

  The only thing that gave him hope was that she’d said she loved him. She hadn’t said it since she found out how he’d set her up, but Sunny wasn’t a woman who loved lightly. If there was a spark of love left in her, if he hadn’t totally extinguished it, he would find a way to fan it to life.

  He landed at the airstrip on Zane’s property, and his heart gave a hard thump when he saw what was waiting for them. Even Sunny’s interest was sparked. She sat up straighter, and for the first time since she’d been shot he saw a hint of that lively interest in her face. “What’s going on?” she asked.

  His spirits lifting, he grinned. “Looks like a welcoming party.”

  The entire Mackenzie clan was gathered by the airstrip. Everyone. Josh and Loren were there from Seattle with their three sons. Mike and Shea and their two boys. Zane and Barrie, each holding one of the twins. And there was Joe, decked out in his Air Force uniform with more rows of fruit salad on it than should be allowed. How he had carved time out of his schedule to come here, Chance didn’t know—but then, Joe could do damn near anything he wanted, since he was the highest ranking military officer in the nation. Caroline, standing beside him and looking positively chic in turquoise capri pants and white sandals—and also looking damn good for her age—had probably had a harder time getting free