Ransom (64 page)

She stopped trying to run away. “He is?”

He slowly nodded. “I have it on good authority that he's stupid and arrogant and obstinate, or at least he was until he realized what a fool he has been.”

“But that's what I said about . . . you.”

“I love you, Bridgid. Will you marry me?”

*   *   *

Brodick didn't know what the hell he was going to do. He felt as though his hands were tied behind his back because Morgan was his elder and he therefore couldn't browbeat him into ordering Gillian to go home with her husband, and he sure as certain couldn't tear the man's home apart searching for her. At the root of his frustration lurked the
dark possibility that Gillian would never forgive him for breaking his word to her, but life without her at his side would be unbearable.

Ramsey might have been able to help him sway the baron—he was the diplomat, after all—but he was too busy wooing Bridgid to think about anything else. It had taken him a good hour to convince her he was sincere and determined to marry her, and after she had finally agreed to his proposal, they'd left for home. Iain hadn't stayed around to help either, as he was anxious to get back to his wife.

And that left Brodick to deal with the bad-tempered baron on his own.

Morgan was vastly amused when Brodick didn't eat any of his supper. Just as he finally made up his mind to help the poor, lovesick man, Morgan spotted Gillian coming down the stairs.

Brodick's back was to the entrance, and Morgan knew he hadn't spotted his wife.

“Son, you had to have known how stubborn Gillian was before you married her. Anyone who spends more than five minutes with the woman figures that out.”

“I knew she was stubborn,” Brodick agreed. “But I don't consider that a flaw.”

“I think you should leave her here and go on home. You'll be better off.”

Brodick was shocked by the obscene suggestion. “I don't have a home without her,” he muttered. “How could you think I would leave her?”

“I would,” Morgan replied cheerfully. “Tell me, why did you break your word to her?”

“I've already explained why,” he snapped.

Morgan snapped back. “Explain it again.”

“Because the thought of her in danger was unacceptable to me. I cannot lose her.”

“Then don't ever lie to me again.”

The sound of her voice made his heart feel as though it were about to burst with joy. He sighed, calm now, for his world suddenly made sense to him again. And then he turned around. “Don't you ever put me through this torment again,” he ordered.

“Promise me that you will never lie to me again.”

“Not until you promise me that you'll stop taking such foolish risks. When Proster told me you were inside with that bastard, I thought I was going to . . . damn it, you scared the hell out of me, Gillian, and I never want to go through that again.”

“You hurt me.”

“I know.”

“That's all you have to say? You know you hurt me? Then I'm staying here. Go home, Brodick.”

“Fine,” he answered. Bowing to Baron Morgan, he walked out of the hall. She waited until the doors had closed behind him and then burst into tears.

“He's leaving me,” she cried as she ran to her uncle.

“You just told him to leave,” he pointed out.

“He's going home without me.”

“But you just told him to,” he argued. “I heard you plain and clear.”

“But he never does what I tell him to do. Uncle, how am I going to live without him?”

He awkwardly patted her back, trying to console her. “You'll do just fine.”

“I love him so much.”

“But he lied to you, remember?”

“He was only trying to be noble. He wanted to protect me.”

“Then why didn't you forgive him?”

“I was going to forgive him,” she sobbed. “I don't want to live without him. How could he leave me?”

“You're giving me a pounding headache, lass. Sit down and calm yourself,” he suggested as he pulled a chair out and gently pushed her down. “Let me go look out the window and see if he's left yet.”

“I cannot believe he would leave me,” she whispered.

Morgan rolled his eyes heavenward and prayed for patience. Was his niece blind? Couldn't she see how much her husband loved her? He was too old and cranky to deal with a near hysterical woman, and he decided then that matters of the heart should be left to the young. They had more stamina.

He watched Brodick remove the saddle from his horse and toss it to one of his men. All of his soldiers had dismounted and were making themselves at home in his yard. When Brodick started back to the castle, Morgan decided to go upstairs. He'd had enough excitement for one day, and Gillian and her husband needed privacy.

“I'll be right back,” he lied. “You stay where you are and wait for me,” he hastily added so she wouldn't get the notion she could follow him the way she used to and drive him daft with her complaints until he gave in to whatever it was she wanted. He smiled when he realized she was more stubborn and strong-willed than he was.

Pausing at the entrance, he called out, “You know I love you, girl, don't you?”

“Yes, I know. I love you too, Uncle Morgan.”

He started up the stairs then, but stopped when he heard
the door open behind him. He didn't have to turn around to know who was there.

“You'll treat her well.” It wasn't a question but a statement of fact.

“Yes, sir, I will.”

“You don't deserve her.”

“I know I don't, but I'm keeping her anyway.”

“You know, son, you remind me of someone, but I can't think who it is.” He shook his head in bewilderment and then suggested, “You'd best get on inside before she floods my hall with her tears. If anyone could do it, she could.”

At the sound of her uncle's laughter, she glanced up and saw Brodick standing in the entrance, watching her. She stood up then and took a step toward him.

“You came back.”

“I never left.”

As though drawn by a magnet, they moved toward one another.

“You were angry with me. I saw it in your eyes.”

“Yes, I was angry. I didn't know if I could keep you safe, and that scared the hell out of me.”

He was close enough to take her into his arms, but he didn't dare touch her yet because he knew that once he started kissing her, he wouldn't stop, and he needed to mend the hurt he had caused her. Telling her what was in his heart seemed so easy to him now, and he couldn't understand why he'd been such a fool. Love didn't weaken a man; it strengthened him, made him feel invincible when he had a woman like Gillian at his side.

“I thought you went home.”

“How could I go home without you? I've searched my entire life for you. I could never leave you. Home is wherever you are.” His hand shook as he gently caressed the side
of her face. “Don't you understand? I love you, and I want to wake up with you beside me every morning for the rest of my life. If that means I have to live in England to be with you, then that's what I'll do.”

Tears of joy brimmed in her eyes. She was overwhelmed by the depth of his feelings for her and the tender, romantic way he'd told her how he felt.

She knew it was difficult for him. He hid his feelings behind his gruff exterior. She realized then she knew him better than he knew himself. It didn't matter that he'd broken out in a cold sweat or that he looked quite ill now; he'd given her what she needed. Aye, he'd said the words, and he couldn't take them back.

“Say it again,” she whispered.

Gritting his teeth, he did as she asked. “I'll live in England.”

She blinked. “What?”

“Ah, love, don't make me say it again. If it makes you happy, we'll live here.”

She knew he meant it and was staggered by the sacrifice this dear, gentle man was willing to make for her. Lord, she needed to kiss him, but she decided to put him out of his misery first.

“Will it make you happy to live in England?”

Her poor, distraught husband was rapidly turning gray. “If I'm with you, I'll be happy.”

She began to laugh. “Then I'm about to make you delirious. I don't want to live in England. I want to live with the Buchanans. Take me home.”

An Exciting Interview With Julie Garwood

Heartbreaker
is a contemporary romantic suspense novel. This is something new for you. What made you decide to make the transition from historical fiction to contemporary suspense?

The deciding factor is always the story. The idea for this book came to me a couple of years ago. I was attending a church service in London, and—I hesitate to admit—my mind began to wander, as it sometimes is prone to do. I was glancing around at the incredible architecture surrounding me, and I noticed the ornate confessional against the wall. That's when a story began to take shape. I've been letting it percolate ever since that day. It's a thriller and a mystery and a love story all at the same time, and while I love the historicals, this is a story that could be told only in a contemporary setting.

Do you think that the type of characters you create, in a fundamental way, are the same in both the historical and the contemporary?

It's my belief that human nature hasn't changed all that much over the centuries. The people of the Middle Ages had the same basic concerns that we do now. They wanted to find love; they cared and worried about their families, etc. —It's just the world outside that's changed.

Tell us a little about the characters from
Heartbreaker.
Where did you get your inspiration?

My characters are created from the initial scene that inspires the book. Once I've visualized that particular scene, the people who will play a part in the story begin to come to life. In
Heartbreaker
, the two main characters are Laurant and
Nick. Laurant is a strong woman, but she is also quite vulnerable and looking for some stability in her life. Having grown up in Europe virtually alone, she is searching for the one place she feels she truly belongs. She believes she's found it in Holy Oaks, Iowa. Nick, on the other hand, comes from a large, nurturing family, and his roots are deep and strong, but as a result of his work with the FBI, he's developed calluses on his heart and has learned to guard his feelings. When danger brings them together, the lives they've chosen are turned upside down.

The plot of
Heartbreaker
is very gritty and edgy. How did you research the book?

I've been reading as many books on profiling and the criminal mind as I can find. I've also interviewed FBI agents, psychologists, and priests, and they've been very helpful and patient as I pester them with endless questions.

Do you find the Internet to be useful in your research?

I still go to books for in-depth research, but the Internet gives me immediate answers when I'm looking for a quick response to a detail question.

Speaking of the Internet, do you have your own Web page?

Yes. For some time I've had an ongoing Web site at
www.SimonandSchuster.com/garwood
but I'm in the process of developing another one and I'm really excited about it. The new site—
www.juliegarwood.com
—is going to have lots for the viewers to see and do, and I'm hoping they'll want to visit it often.

Your Irish Catholic upbringing seems to have played an important role in your life. Is there a little piece of you or those you love in all your characters?

I think it's inevitable that writers put a little of themselves in every book they write. I've often been accused of passing on my warped sense of humor to my characters. And, since I grew up in a large Irish Catholic family, I think it's only natural that their influence shows up in my work.

Now that you've written your first contemporary novel, do you think you'll ever go back to writing historicals?

I love history, and I love writing stories set against exciting historical backdrops. So I don't think I'll ever stop writing them. But I also have a number of contemporary stories I'm dying to tell. I just hope I can find the time to do them all.

Speaking of more books, what is the next project you are working on?

I have two ideas I'm working on. One is a follow-up to
Saving Grace
, a medieval I wrote several years ago. And the other is a contemporary that involves the brother of Nick, the hero in
Heartbreaker
. As I was creating the characters for the book, something funny happened. Nick's large New England family of six brothers and sisters began to fascinate me. Even though they don't play a large part in
Heartbreaker
, I know them inside and out. Some of them have already had incredible lives, and some of them have some real adventures ahead of them. I'd love to write one of their stories. I'll keep working on both ideas until one of them pushes its way to the front.

POCKET BOOKS

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Heartbreaker

J
ULIE
G
ARWOOD

Coming soon in hardcover

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The following is a preview of

Heartbreaker . . . 
.

I
t was hotter than hell inside the confessional. A thick black curtain, dusty with age and neglect, covered the narrow opening from the ceiling of the box to the scarred hardwood floor, blocking out both the daylight and the air.

It was very much like being inside a coffin someone had absentmindedly left propped up against the wall, and Father Thomas Madden thanked God he wasn't claustrophobic. He was rapidly becoming miserable, though. The air was heavy and ripe with mildew, making his breathing as labored as when he was back at Penn State running that last yard to the goalposts, with the football tucked neatly under his arm. He hadn't minded the pain in his lungs then and he certainly didn't mind it now. It was all simply part of the job.