In Harm's Way (Heroes of Quantico Series, Book 3) (43 page)

Now, cherished and safe in the shelter of Nick's arms, she
gave thanks for miracles great and small.

Four Months Later

Rachel pulled into Nick's driveway, rolled to a stop near the front
door, and set the brake on her car. It was going to be tight, but
she was determined to finish the mural in his dining room by
her self-imposed deadline of Fourth of July.

Tomorrow.

Reaching for her purse on the seat beside her, she shook her
head. Talk about a photo finish While the date hadn't seemed
unrealistic when she'd begun, progress had been far slower than
she'd expected. Two of the fingers on her right hand continued
to give her problems, the tips alternating between tingling and
loss of sensation. Though the aftereffects of the frostbite were
diminishing, holding a paintbrush-or playing the piano-still
proved challenging. It had taken her two months to recover
enough dexterity to perform at tea again, and even now she
stuck with simpler pieces. She'd gone back to painting a couple
of months ago too, but completing a scene took far longer than
usual.

Although Nick didn't seem in the least concerned that his
dining room had been transformed into an art studio and
had urged her not to push herself, she wanted to finish before
Coop and Monica came into town with their baby for the long
holiday weekend. Tomorrow, when they gathered here for a barbecue along with Mark and a newly expecting Emily, she
wanted them to be able to appreciate the tranquility of the
scene she'd painted rather than be distracted by the clutter of
a work-in-progress.

As she stepped out of the cool car, the stifling air of a typical
Missouri July enveloped her in a muggy embrace. On such days
in the past, she'd been prone to complain about the oppressive
heat of St. Louis summers.

Never again.

She knew all too well that the other extreme was far worse.

Pulling the key Nick had given her out of her purse, she
slipped it into the lock of his stately brick home. Now that school
was out, she was able to put in a lot of time on the mural during
the week while he was at work. All that remained today were
a few finishing touches that shouldn't take more than a couple
of hours to complete.

She turned the knob and entered the gracious foyer, marveling as always at the sense of homecoming she felt whenever she
stepped through Nick's door. She liked it best when he was there
to welcome her with a warm hug and kiss. But even alone in the
house on workdays like today, she felt happy and content.

Perhaps because she felt happy and content with Nick.

As she deactivated the security system and set her purse on
the dining room floor, she inspected her mural. Like the painting,
their relationship had grown in the preceding months, taking on
depth and dimension. Spurred by the dramatic incidents early
in their acquaintance, their initial romance had quickly blossomed into something far deeper. While both believed in the
value of prudence and patience, and both wanted to avoid the
pitfalls inherent in hasty decisions, it was clear to Rachel they
were headed down a serious path. Barring some sort of bizarre
twist of fate, she expected that one day in the not-too-distant
future Nick would ask her to marry him.

And she already knew what her answer would be. She'd prayed
about it at the Sunday services she attended with Nick, and often
during the week in between. She knew with absolute certainty
the two of them were meant to be together.

Smiling, she took a step back and tipped her head as she
examined her work. It was the largest piece she'd ever tackled,
but the scale and subject matter fit the room. Two rows of tall
poplars receded into the distance, flanking a formal garden of
patterned boxwoods, reflecting pools, and fountains. It was
the kind of garden common in France or England in days gone
by, and it fit the character of the Federal-style house perfectly.
Restful shades of green dominated, but Rachel had added spots
of color by placing overflowing stone urns of flowers in strategic
spots. Today she wanted to add a few more deep pink blooms
to two of them and tuck a bench into the poplars on both sides
of the pool.

But first ... she needed to check the kitchen. On mornings
Nick knew she was coming, he always left some sort of decadent
bakery item for her on the counter, along with a pot of freshbrewed coffee. On her last visit, she'd found a fabulous caramel
pecan roll. What treat awaited her today?

Stepping into the foyer, she pulled out her cell phone. She
needed to find out when Rebecca and her family were planning
to arrive tomorrow. An emergency at Colin's office had delayed
their departure, but Rachel still hoped they'd make it in before
the afternoon barbecue at Nick's.

As she headed for the kitchen, tapping in her sister's number
en route, she cast an idle glance toward the living room.

And froze.

Tucked into the front corner beside the fireplace, where she'd
pictured it the first time she'd seen this room, was a baby grand
piano, the patina of the satiny walnut finish gleaming in the
morning light.

Stunned, Rachel took a few uncertain steps toward it, afraid it
was a mirage that would disappear if she approached too quickly.
Paused. Took a few more steps. She was close enough now to
read the title on the crisp, new piece of sheet music resting on
the stand: "Our Love Is Here to Stay"

Her signature piece.

"Like it?"

At the soft question, Rachel gasped and spun around. Nick
stood in the doorway leading to the study, one shoulder resting
against the molding, hands in the pockets of his jeans, a tender
smile warming his face.

"I didn't know you were home. The security system was on"

"I took the day off. And there aren't any motion sensors in
the study"

She gestured behind her, confused. "You bought a piano?"

"Yep. It was delivered yesterday."

"You don't play."

"No. But I know someone who does"

He pushed off from the doorframe and strolled toward her.
An undercurrent of excitement zipped through the air as he
approached, sending a tingle racing up her spine.

Taking her hand, he led her toward the piano. "Do you like
it?"

Flustered, she tried to focus on his question. "It's gorgeous.
But Nick ... it had to cost a fortune"

"It's okay to splurge on special occasions"

"Is this a special occasion?" A tremor ran through her voice
as she regarded him.

"I hope so" He guided her to the piano bench and urged her
to sit.

She didn't need much persuasion. Her legs were getting more
wobbly by the second.

Perching beside her, he tugged the phone from her grasp, laid it beside the music stand, and lifted the piece of sheet music.
She noticed that his fingers weren't quite steady. That was okay.
Neither were hers. "We found your original copy of this in the
well after you were abducted. I remember standing in the cold,
looking at it, wanting to believe it was a message. And with every
day that's passed, I've become more convinced it was"

Nick set the music back on the stand and turned to her, enfolding her hands in his. "I know we said we'd take our time,
Rachel. And I don't want to rush you if you're not ready. But
these past few months have been the best in my life. And I don't
want them ever to end' His fingers tightened on hers, and his
lips flexed into a brief, nervous smile. "You know, I used to rib
my buddies about being too reserved. I was always encouraging them to open up, communicate, share their feelings. Now I
understand why they held back. This is a very scary place"

"Why?" Rachel tugged one of her hands free and touched
his cheek.

He grasped her fingers and pressed a kiss to her palm. "Fear
of rejection. That's harder to deal with than any armed fugitive
I've ever faced"

She felt the pressure of tears in her throat at his candid reply.
"You don't need to be afraid, Nick" Her words were soft, and he
leaned close to hear her as she touched the piece of sheet music
and stared at the words of the familiar Gershwin song. "The truth
is, while music has always been part of my life, it was an external
thing. I studied music. I played music. I taught music. But you
put the music in my heart:" Her voice caught on the last word.

There was a suspicious sheen in his eyes as he slid off the
bench and onto one knee, putting them at eye level as he cocooned her hand in his. "You brought music into my life too.
And I want the melody to go on forever" He took a steadying
breath. "Rachel Sutton, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

The room went silent. Yet Rachel heard soaring notes, a joyous crescendo, a blare of trumpets in her heart as she gazed into
the blue eyes of the man she had come to love with a depth and
intensity that sometimes overwhelmed her.

"Yes;' she whispered.

The tension melted from his features, leaving relief-and
elation-in its place. Cupping her face in his hands, he leaned
toward her and ...

The sudden, strident ring of her cell phone shattered the
tender moment.

He stopped, his lips hovering inches from hers. "Talk about
rotten timing, he murmured.

"We could ignore it. Or shut it off." She draped her arms
around his neck and scooted toward him.

"Good idea." He groped for the phone. Checked the caller ID
as he searched for the power button. Hesitated. "It's Rebecca."

I can call her back:'

He jabbed the button and set the phone back on the piano.
"Now where were we?"

"I think we were about to seal our engagement in a very
traditional way."

"Oh yeah:" He smiled. "I remember. Let's try this again'

He stroked her cheek, tipped his head, moved closer,
and...

His home phone began to ring.

Heaving a sigh, he rested his forehead against hers. "This isn't
working out quite like I expected"

The answering machine in the adjacent study kicked in, and
Rebecca's voice came over the line. "Rachel, are you there? I
think you told me you were going to work on the mural today.
Listen, sorry to interrupt, but I'm standing here folding clothes
and I just had the most incredible feeling of happiness. Since
doing laundry doesn't usually engender such positive feelings, I wondered if you might have some ... news. Anyway, call me.
Nick, if you get this message first, well ... never mind. See you
both tomorrow'

The line went dead.

"That's weird" Nick backed up a few inches, raked his fingers
through his hair, shook his head. "I think she already knows
about this"

"She doesn't know anything for sure" Rachel scooted forward
again, closing the gap between them. "We just get vague feelings
about each other"

"This is going to take some getting used to"

"We don't know details, if that makes you feel any better.
Rebecca might have an inkling that something momentous has
happened, but that's it. She'll want all the romantic details later,
down to what I'm wearing:" Rachel cast a wry glance over her
paint-spattered jeans and T-shirt. "Except I'm not sure how I
can make this outfit sound romantic"

"You look gorgeous to me. As appealing as if you were wearing a designer gown from the most expensive French couturier.
How's that for romantic?"

"Wow. I'm impressed"

"Oh, I have more:" He rose and pulled Rachel to her feet,
looping his arms around her waist as he smiled down at her.
"Tell her I gave you a baby grand piano because I want to make
beautiful music with you for the rest of our lives. Tell her that
when you accepted my proposal, I felt like the sun had come
out after a long, cold winter. Tell her I adore you, and that when
you're in my arms, I feel as if I've finally come home"

"Double wow" Rachel breathed the words. "But you know
what? She's only going to get a condensed version of that. Much
as I love her, she doesn't need to know all the details."

"That's good to hear. Because this next detail is just between us."

And as he gathered her close and bent to claim her lips at
last, Rachel gave thanks.

For the caring cop in Nick's past who had taken a chance on
a wayward kid.

For the sustaining faith that guided their lives today.

And for the extraordinary gift of love that would grace all
their tomorrows.