MisplacedLessons (13 page)
Authors: Mari Carr and Lexxie Couper
Our Amy.
Andrew sucked in a deep breath. “No,” he
wanted to say. Amy was his.
Or so he prayed.
Then an uncomfortable thought emerged. “I was. But now I’m
thinking I might like to know what the hell is going on between you two and my
sister.”
Marc’s anger faded and he looked chagrined. The guilty look
had Andrew’s fists clenching again. He knew it!
“Listen, mate,” Keith raised his hands in surrender. “Harper
and Amy are back at the main house. Why don’t we give you a lift and we can all
have a nice long chat?”
“Or you could answer my question here.”
Keith didn’t seem offended by his demand. Andrew’s respect
for the man notched up, despite his suspicions. It was clear one of these men
was interested in Harper in a more-than-friendly way. Which meant one of them
had upset her enough to call Amy crying. Problem was, Andrew couldn’t figure
out which of them was the villain.
“You’re definitely gonna want to kick our arses later. But I
think you need to talk to Harper before we get down to the brawlin’.”
Our
arses? Andrew wasn’t sure what to make of that.
The image of him and Tom making love to Amy at Velvet Chains
drifted through his mind. Then he looked at Marc’s and Keith’s somewhat guilty
expressions and imagined the same scenario with the cowboys and Harper.
He’d fucking kill them.
“Come on.” Keith turned before he could reply and Marc
grabbed the bag at Andrew’s feet. “I know two women who are going to be over
the moon to see you.”
Andrew followed, trying to calm down. He’d gone from excited
to arrive, to nervous about seeing Amy, to pissed as hell over whatever the
fuck Harper had been up to. If he didn’t find a way to rein all of that in, he
was going to screw up everything.
Marc—and his luggage—sat in the back of the truck while
Andrew claimed the passenger seat. None of them spoke on the short ride back to
what Keith had called the “main house”. As he rode, it sank in how different
his and Amy’s lives truly were. He’d been raised a city boy, but this vast
wilderness had been Amy’s childhood home.
The truck stopped in front of a large, well-kept house.
Andrew stepped out just as Harper emerged, standing on the front porch.
“Andrew?” Harper sprinted toward him, leaping into his arms.
He embraced her, so fucking relieved to find her not only healthy, but happier
than he’d seen her in years.
“Damn, you’re a sight for sore eyes.” He kissed the top of
her head. “Never again, Harper. I swear to God, I don’t care if you travel to
China, you tell me. I promise I’ll give you your space, but you have to at
least tell me where you are, keep in touch.”
“I’ve missed you so much. I’m sorry for leaving the way I
did. I just wasn’t sure how—”
“How to break loose of your insanely overprotective brother.
I get it. I’m sorry I made you feel like you had to go to such extremes.”
Harper shook her head. “I’m just as much to blame as you. I
guess we’re long overdue for a heart to heart chat.”
Andrew nodded. Opening up to Amy had made him realize how
long he and Harper had swept the past under the carpet, ignoring the elephant
in the room rather than facing it and moving on. “Yeah. We are.” Andrew looked
around, aware their conversation could be overheard by the other men.
Harper noticed his glance. “What do you say we table the
conversation until we get home? Enjoy Australia together.”
He pulled her close for another hug. “Deal. Now…about Marc
and Keith. What the hell is—”
“Andrew?”
He stopped speaking as Amy’s voice sounded from behind him.
He released Harper, trying to figure out why his arms had suddenly gone numb.
Turning, he faced her. He grinned, so fucking happy to see
her again. She was even more beautiful then he remembered.
She returned his smile, but her eyebrows lifted in rebuke.
“So Harper was right. You did travel halfway around the world to find her.”
He shook his head. “No. I came for you.”
Her smile faded and he thought she suddenly looked pale. He
stepped closer, worried she was going to pass out.
“For me?” she whispered, tears forming in the corner of her
eyes.
Had he misread everything last week? Been so blinded by his
own feelings that he’d failed to realize they weren’t returned?
An older woman cleared her throat loudly, distracting him.
“I think,” she said, as everyone turned to face her, “that
we should leave Amy and her gentleman alone. I’m Hazel Sullivan, by the way.
Nice to meet you, Andrew.”
He nodded by way of introduction, struggling to find his
voice. Harper gave him an encouraging smile as she followed Keith and Marc into
the house.
“You seriously flew all this way to see me?”
Amy’s bewildered tone had him turning once more. “Of course,
I did.”
“What about your job?”
He lifted one shoulder. “I’m actually here under the guise
of scoping out a new location. And to hire a personal assistant.”
She frowned. “You want to do a story on Australia? Haven’t
you already done that?”
She’d missed the most important part. Even so, he nodded.
“My producer is in discussions with a nearby cattle station. One that’s open to
tourists. I think it’s sort of the equivalent of a dude ranch back home.”
She seemed to consider that. “Sounds cool.”
“And do you think you might be persuaded to accept my job
offer?”
Amy blinked rapidly. “What job offer?”
“I want you to work as my personal assistant, Amy. Part of
my contract negotiations said that I could hire someone to help me prepare for
my trips, to travel with me, to keep me on schedule.”
Her mouth dropped open. “And you want me?”
“I’ve witnessed your researching abilities firsthand. I grew
up in Chicago and you managed to show me things I’d never seen. And your
itinerary was superior. I could really use someone with your skills out on the
road.”
His astute Amy didn’t waste any time asking the hard question.
“And just how
personally
would I be assisting you?”
He grinned ruefully. “That’s up to you. I’m not going to
lie. That one week wasn’t enough for me. Maybe this isn’t an ideal situation,
the perfect way to pursue a relationship, but I don’t have a fucking clue how
else to do it. You live in Australia and I live in America. This was the only
way I could figure out to get us in the same time zone. I want to date you,
Amy. I want to see if what I think I’m feeling is real. I need to be with you
to do that.”
Amy took his hand and squeezed it. “I’d like to explore my
feelings as well.”
“Give me one year. Hit the road with the show for twelve
months. If things go south and you decide you hate me, you can come home. And,
in the meantime, you’ll have marked some of those dream places off your travel
list.”
Amy nodded slowly. “It sounds so tempting, but there are so
many things that would have to be worked out.”
“I know I’m asking you to give up a lot. I mean I’d be
asking you to leave your home, your job.”
Amy’s face brightened. “My job.” Her smile grew. “Don’t
worry about that. I think I know a suitable replacement for Farpoint’s
schoolteacher.”
Andrew’s gaze narrowed. “Shit. You’re thinking of Harper,
aren’t you?”
She shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“What the hell is going on between my sister and those
cowboys?”
“They’re not cowboys, Andrew.”
“Damn it, Amy. I’m not playing semantics with you.”
“Let’s just say that you owe my friends a favor. While you
were being nice to me in Chicago, they were being very nice to your sister
here.”
He swallowed heavily, beating back the sudden rush of anger.
“And before you go into that house with guns blazing, I
think you need to talk to Harper about it. And maybe you could try
really
listening to her. You know, pay attention.”
He chuckled. Saucy little wench. God, he loved her.
His breath caught, then he threw caution and common sense to
the wind. “I love you, Amy.”
She wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up into his
face, her eyes shining with happy tears. “I love you, too.”
Epilogue
Amy shielded her eyes with her hand as she looked out over
the expanse of the valley below. Andrew spoke to the camera. They were in
Virginia this week and had just tackled Blackrock. The lush, green valley was
more beautiful in real life than the pictures she’d studied online and trillium
was blooming all around them.
She glanced at Andrew’s handsome face and smiled. They’d had
so many adventures together this year. He filled her days with discovery and
her nights with passion.
“Hey, Amy. The rest of the crew is about to head back down
before it gets dark. Last chance to change your mind and sleep in the comfort
of the hotel. Tom says it gets cold up here in April.”
She knew he was teasing her, trying to get her to give in.
They’d sort of dared each other to do some backcountry camping while on this
excursion. There was a definite chill in the air that they wouldn’t be able to
counteract with a campfire. Fires weren’t allowed.
Even so, she wasn’t worried about the cold.
“I’ll be fine. But if you’re backing out—”
Tom laughed and gestured for the rest of the crew to pick up
their equipment. “These two will never cry uncle. Let’s roll. See you guys
tomorrow afternoon. Happy anniversary.”
Amy grinned. It had been one year to the day since she’d agreed
to join Andrew as his personal assistant. Obviously, Andrew had told his best
friend they were celebrating. They’d agreed to talk tonight about her job and
the relationship. Amy jokingly referred to it as their contract renewal
negotiations.
Andrew didn’t speak as the others left. Instead, he took her
hand and the two of them picked their way through the woods, following the path
to the camp they’d set up earlier in the day.
When they arrived, Andrew unzipped the tent and gestured for
her to crawl inside. The wind was picking up and their chilly night was indeed
turning cold. They would have to eat their simple dinner inside, sheltered from
the brisk air.
As soon as they were snug in the tight space, Andrew sank
down, pulling her with him to cuddle on his sleeping bag. She relished the
familiarity of his arms. They’d spent month after month in each other’s arms.
Amy had never regretted her decision to leave home, to follow her heart.
“Happy anniversary.” He’d mentioned the one-year milestone a
few times today and she sensed he was anxious to see if she would return home
or stay.
Foolish man. Was it really a question?
Sitting up, she reached for the tiny flask she’d snuck into
her backpack. Uncapping it, she lifted it. “Here’s to many, many more years.”
She took a sip then passed the Bundy to him. She’d made a
rum lover of him this past year.
He accepted the flask then added to her toast. “Here’s to a
lifetime.” Rather than take a drink, he reached into his pocket.
Amy’s heart began to race the moment he pulled out the small
ring box.
Andrew flipped the lid back, revealing the most beautiful
engagement ring she’d ever seen. “Marry me, Amy.”
So much for popping the question. Andrew, in typical
fashion, made it a demand.
And as always, she responded in kind. “Hurry up and put that
ring on my finger.”
They laughed as he slid the diamond in place.
The perfect fit.
The End
About
Mari
Carr
Writing a book was number one on Mari’s bucket list and on
her thirty-fourth birthday, she set out to see that goal achieved. Now her
computer is jammed full of stories—novels, novellas, short stories and
dead-ends. A
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestseller, as well as
winner of the Passionate Plume, Mari finds time for writing by squeezing it
into the hours between 3 a.m. and daybreak, when her family is asleep and the
house is quiet.
About
Lexxie
Couper
Lexxie’s not a deviant. She just has a deviant's imagination
and a desire to entertain readers with her words. Add the two together and you
get darkly erotic romances with a twist of horror, sci-fi and the paranormal!
When she's not submerged in the worlds she creates, Lexxie’s
life revolves around her family: a husband who thinks she's insane, a
pony-sized mutt who thinks he's a lap dog, and her daughters, who both utterly
captured her heart and changed her life forever.
Living in Australia makes it a bit tricky for Lexxie to pop
by for coffee, but she still loves to chat! Contact her by email or find her at
her website or her blog (
http://lexxiecouper.wordpress.com/
).
Mari and Lexxie welcome comments from readers. You can find their
websites and email addresses on their author bio pages at
www.ellorascave.com
.
Tell Us What You Think
We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You
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contacting Customer Service, be sure to state the book title and author).
Also by Mari Carr & Lexxie Couper
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Foreign
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Also by
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Cougar Challenge 5:
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Wild Irish 3:
Waiting for Wednesday
Wild
Irish 5: Friday I’m in Love
Wild Irish 6:
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Wild Irish 8: Wild
Irish Christmas
Print books by Mari Carr
Sugar
and Spice, Everything Nice
Tease
the Cougar
anthology
Also by
Lexxie
Couper
Cougar
Challenge: Copping a Feel
Seven
Deadly Daemons 1: Timeless Wrath
Seven
Deadly Daemons 2: Endless Lust
Print books by Lexxie Couper
Cougar
Hunt
anthology
Going
Down Under
anthology
Passionate
Peridot
anthology
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
Misplaced Lessons
ISBN 9781419940286
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Misplaced Lessons Copyright © 2013 Mari Carr & Lexxie Couper
Edited by Kelli Collins & Whitney Mae
Photography and cover design by Syneca
Additional photo: Conrado/Shutterstock.com
Model: Eli
Electronic book publication January 2013
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