Extract- Millionare Cop
and the Mother-to-Be

CHAPTER ONE

She was sleeping beneath her wedding dress, a mountain of satin and crinoline and a mile-long train. Neil Logan shook his head sadly at the sight.

“Okay, Katie. Come out from under there, or I’m coming in after you.”

The dress seemed to take on a life of it’s own, going into a slow bump-and-grind routine as the woman wormed her way out. A mane of blond hair appeared, framing a flushed, sleepy-eyed face. She peered up at the man in tight faded jeans and matching jacket and groaned. “Oh, Lord, it’s Satan. Go away.”

“One—”

“Beat it, Logan.”

“Two, three.” He grasped two slender wrists and tugged.

Katie muttered a four-letter word as she struggled to free herself from his grasp, but it was useless. He pulled her from beneath the dress, exposing her backside to the chilly air in her bedroom. “Dammit, Neil!”

Two dark brows arched high on Neil’s forehead as he took in Katie’s attire -- a wispy bra and gossamer panties that exposed the small of her back and a perfect rump. He swallowed. What had happened to the six-year-old his parents had taken in after her mother died? Gone was the skinny little girl with braces and knobby knees. He gave a low whistle. “Nice butt, Miss Jones.”

She shrieked, bolted upright on the floor, and pulled the gown to her breasts. Her pretty features wore a look of pure indignation. “Who do you think you are barging into my bedroom like this, you … you—” “Pervert? Hound from hell?”

He crossed his arms over his broad chest and leaned against the wall, a glint of humor in his eyes. “What I’d like to know is, whatever happened to those shapeless flannel gowns and furry bunny rabbit bedroom shoes you used to wear?”

He loomed over her, six-feet, two inches of brawny male, wearing a grin that a girlfriend of hers claimed could melt a woman’s bones. Katie suspected he used it to his advantage every chance he got. “How did you get into my house?” she demanded.

“Grabbed your key from beneath one of your flowerpots. How original, Katie. It’s people like you who keep me in a job. Of course, I knocked and rang the doorbell, but there was no answer.”

“I suppose it never entered that thick skull of yours that I didn’t wish to be bothered.”

One corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “Now you’ve gone and cut me to the quick, Squirt, what with that razor-sharp tongue of yours.”

“Don’t start with me, Neil. I’m not in the mood. And don’t call me Squirt. I’m not a kid anymore; I’m twenty-nine years old, almost thirty.”

She knew she was being unkind, but what could people expect after what she’d been through? She had specifically told everybody she wanted to be alone, but the telephone hadn’t stopped ringing in the twenty-four hours since she’d locked herself in her house and pulled the drapes closed. How like Neil to just barge into her bedroom like he had every right. And try to get a free peek at what she wasn’t wearing while he was at it.

Some things never changed. He was still a scoundrel. She pointed to the door. “Go!”

His startling blue eyes remained fixed on her, noting the mussed hair that brushed past her shoulders. The color reminded him of buttercups. “Katie, Katie, Katie. Is that any way to talk to the man who was sent here to rescue you?”

“I don’t need rescuing. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

“Have you looked into a mirror lately? Your hair is all over the place, your mascara is smudged, and your eyes are red and puffy. Why, you look worse than some of the women I’ve dated.”

“That’s scary, Neil.”

He made a “tsking” sound, but there was a look of pure amusement in his eyes. “And you’ve wrinkled your wedding dress which, no doubt, cost half my inheritance. I hope it’ll keep me warm when I’m forced to live in my car.”

Katie was in no mood for his teasing, which is what Neil did best when she found herself in a predicament. As sole heir of a magazine dynasty, he had about as much chance of living out of his car than a member of the Kennedy family. Nevertheless, she wanted to cry at the sight of her gown. Neil’s mother had designed it, a dress fit for a queen, although Katie had thought it a little much for a commoner like herself. It had been showcased in Bride Magazine, and the society column in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. Now, the dress was an amorphous lump. Katie pulled it to her chin.

Neil dropped down beside her, knees bent, resting a wrist on each one. His heavy-lidded gaze met hers. “You don’t have to hide behind the dress, sweetheart. Sexy underwear doesn’t turn me on. My tastes are more … eclectic.”

Katie could only imagine. “Gee, I’m sorry to hear that, Neil, but the lingerie store was out of whips and chains.” He shot her another disarming grin. The man had no shame. He was a good seven years older than she, but one would have never guessed it. Mother Nature had been good to Neil Logan. He was lean and muscular, with only a fine network of lines on either side of his eyes, barely noticeable beneath a deep olive complexion. His hair was still dark, the color of Brazil nuts, without the first hint of gray, curling well past his collar. The thick stubble on his jaw was black as tar, giving him a dangerous look that appealed to women. And Neil had had his share of admirers. Katie had been thirteen years old when she’d developed a crush on him, but he hadn’t noticed.

“Like what you see, Katie?”

She felt a blush creep up her neck. Neil assumed every female, including her, couldn’t take their eyes off him. Smug was his middle name. True, he was about as handsome as they came, in a rugged, tough-guy sort of way, but she preferred a more polished look. “Actually, I was just about to ask if you’d lost your razor.”

“I shaved for your wedding. Just keeps growing right back.”

“Sounds like a testosterone thing.”

“I’m just oozing with it, baby. Besides, I can’t afford to look too clean cut. I’m on a case.”

“Which side of the law are you working for this time?”

“I’m one of the good guys.”

He didn’t look like it, what with his clothes as ratty as something plucked from a rag bin. A direct contrast to his father, who wore Armani suits, carried a Gucci briefcase, and purchased a new Mercedes every two years. Father and son had never seen eye-to-eye. Neil had been groomed to take over the family magazine, but he’d shown absolutely no interest. Instead, he’d become a cop. Obviously a good one, he’d made detective at thirty.

“I really need to be alone, Neil.” Katie sniffed.

He noted her glistening eyes, a brilliant emerald color that flashed when the light caught them just right. “Oh, so you’re going to turn this into a real pity party. Wish I had known. I could have brought cheap wine, dead flowers and black helium balloons. We could have done it up right.”

A single tear slipped down her cheek. She had tossed fitfully through the night and what little sleep she’d had, had not deadened the raw hurt and humiliation she’d felt when Drew hadn’t shown up at the church. She still remembered the looks of embarrassment and pity on her bridesmaids’ faces, the sorrowful expression in Neil’s mother’s eyes. It had reminded her of another time -- when her mother had died, and she’d had no one, not one single relative to claim the illegitimate orphan. Poor little Katie Jones, they’d all said. Well, she hadn’t wanted anyone to feel sorry for her then, and she didn’t want it now.

“I’m not having a pity party, as you call it,” she replied. “I’m just trying to decide what to do. I’ve sold my house and put most of my belongings in storage. I have no place to go.” She had screwed up royally, only this time she had more than herself to consider.

Neil’s look softened. Katie could raise his ire quicker than anyone he knew, but he realized this was not the time to get into a battle of wills. “Look, kiddo, it’s not the end of the world. If I told you how many times I’ve been dumped—”

“Give me a break. You’ve never been dumped. You’re the one who always walks away from a relationship because you can’t handle commitment.”

“I was dumped in first grade by Marcie Henderson, but that was before your time.”

“I love Drew.”

“He’s not good enough for you. I think he figured it out in the end, and tha t’s why he pulled a no-show.”

Another tear. “You’re wrong, Neil. Drew’s a good man with a bright future.” She had no idea why she was taking up for the skunk, but she was not about to let Neil think she’d almost married a loser. “Why, he’s honest and decent and caring and … and—”

“And drinking those cute little umbrella drinks with another woman in Jamaica right now.”

Katie couldn’t hide her astonishment. “I don’t believe you.”

“You have that option.”

She stared at him. He wasn’t kidding. “How do you know that?”

“I have ways of finding out. Your fiancé used the airline tickets and honeymoon package my mom and dad gave you as a wedding gift, only he didn’t board the plane alone.”

Katie froze as a multitude of emotions ran through her: shock, denial, and finally a scalding fury that seemed to vibrate through her body. She felt as if the breath had been knocked out of her. “Who is she?” Her voice was barely audible.

“I don’t have the details. Besides, what does it matter at this point?” Katie suspected Neil knew exactly who had climbed on that plane with Drew, but he would never tell her. He could be as closed-mouthed as they came. “Thanks for nothing,” she muttered.

“You have to move on, kiddo. Maybe it’s time you realized love is not all it’s cracked up to be.”

“What do you know about love?”

“Oh, I know all about love. I’ve seen what happens when it goes bad.”

She suspected he’d seen enough domestic violence in his career to last a lifetime. “How about when love goes good, Neil? Have you looked at your parents lately? They’ve been married for forty years now, and they’re just as much in love today as they were when they first married.” She didn’t give him a chance to respond. “You’ve hardened. You automatically think everybody in the world is bad. I prefer to think most people are kind and decent at heart. When you expect the best of people you usually get it.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Is Drew one of the good guys, Katie? And how about your old man, who walked out on your mother the minute he found out she was pregnant?” Neil saw her flinch and wished he could take back his words. “Hey, I’m sorry I said that.” But it was too late. The ice-cold look in her eyes told him he’d gone too far.

“Thank you for putting me in my place, Neil.” He let out a sigh of pure frustration. “I said I was sorry, but dammit, Katie, you have a tendency to bring out the worst in me.” He sighed heavily. “I don’t know why I even bothered to come here.”

“Why did you?”

“Because my parents sent me. They’re worried sick about you.”

“I’ve called them twice,” she said, defensively. “I plainly told them I just needed to be alone for a little while. I need time to get over this, and I don’t want June and Richard fussing over me and making things worse. You know how they are.” Her eyes misted. “Besides, I’ve embarrassed them. All those wedding showers and gifts and parties. And all those people in church, witnessing first hand my mortification when the groom didn’t show. I’ll never be able to make it up to your parents after all they’ve done for me.”

“You haven’t done anything wrong,” he said. “And the only thing my parents are feeling right now is a great deal of relief that you didn’t marry the bastard.” Neil saw the dress had slipped off one shoulder. He caught sight of Katie’s bra and one enticingly erect nipple. He knew he should be ashamed of himself for noticing, but hell, how could he help it? Little Katie Jones had turned into a beautiful woman, almost overnight. “How come it’s so cold in here?” he asked.

“The utilities were cut off yesterday. I wasn’t planning on coming back; the new owners are taking possession tomorrow.” Katie covered her face with her hands. “My life is such a mess. Most of my clothes are at the new house. The one Drew and I were to share after our honeymoon,” she added miserably. “The others are in suitcases sitting in Drew’s trunk. Unless his new girlfriend decided to take them as well as my fiancé.”

“My source didn’t mention Drew was forced to board that plane at gunpoint.” He was rewarded with a dark look. “Things could be worse. You could have sold your bookstore like Drew wanted and invested the money in one of his get-rich-quick schemes.”

“How do you know about that?” she asked. It wasn’t as if they shared confidences. The only time she saw Neil was on holidays or other special occasions that involved family get-togethers. He had simply drifted in and out of her life for as long as she could remember, barely acknowledging her. Katie tolerated him; his mother made excuses. But neither parent had been too happy when Neil had not shown up for Katie’s engagement party.

“Like I said, I have ways.” He would not mention that his mother had told him of Drew’s request and asked him to check the guy out. The man had been clean, but that didn’t mean he had Katie’s best interests at heart. Her bookstore meant everything to her.

“I’ll never sell my store,” she said. “Not for Drew or anyone else.” Which was true. She had bought the store out of foreclosure, using the money from her mother’s insurance policy that the Logan’s attorney had put into a trust fund for her. With the exception of Christmas and Thanksgiving, she’d worked seven days a week for the first two years so as not to miss a single customer. It had paid off. Five years later she’d purchased the attached building. Not only had she gained more space for her beloved books, she’d installed a small kitchen and lunch area where people stood in line for her gourmet coffees and specialty sandwiches. Authors, even the big names, were more than happy to accept her invitations to book signings.

And then Drew Hastings had walked into her life. It was love at first sight, and after a six-month courtship, they’d become engaged. All her dreams had come true. She would finally have a family of her own. Or so she had thought.

Neil noted her sad look. “You okay?”

Katie was determined not to start crying again. “Neil, I realize I have a lot to be thankful for. I have people who care about me, and I have my store, but—” She swallowed. “I’m not ready to face anyone just yet.”

He could see that she was in pain, and something inside tugged at his gut. “You need to go home, Katie,” he said, his usual matter-of-fact tone becoming gentle. It was the tone he used when he pulled frightened, cowering children from crack houses and domestic violence, the same voice he used when little ones watched one or both parents being led away in handcuffs. And sometimes, no matter how hard he fought it, some of their pain seeped inside and became his.

Katie shook her head emphatically. “Your mother won’t give me a moment’s rest, and you know it. She’ll insist on dragging me to teas and plays and luncheons, and I’m simply not ready for that.”

“Can you stay with a friend?”

“That would be worse. They’ll expect me to attend parties, and they’ll try to set me up with their male friends, even though that’s the last thing on my mind, thank you very much.”

“You can’t stay here, Katie.”

“I’ll go to a hotel.”

“Bad idea.”

“You got any better ones?” Neil was growing weary. He’d been working a rape case for weeks that had turned personal when an elderly woman became the latest victim. He did not like becoming emotionally involved with a case because it distorted his thinking. He wanted the facts and nothing more. Fact solved cases, and he was damn good at solving cases.

He and his partner had acted on a hunch last night and caught the guy at two AM. Neil had spent three hours interrogating him before the man confessed. They’d booked him a dawn, and Neil had driven home looking forward to a little shut-eye. He’d managed to get in about three hours before his mother called about Katie.

“Come to my place,” he said, suppressing a yawn. The words were out of his mouth before he realized it. Now what had made him go and say something like that? Fatigue, probably.

Her jaw dropped. “Your place? Are you out of your mind?”

He must be. But he was tired and hungry, and he wanted to be done with it, at least temporarily. Once he rested, he would be able to think more clearly. “What’s wrong with my place? You’ve never even seen it.” She knew he had purchased a home in the last year, but she had no idea what it looked like or where it was located. “You’ve never invited me.”

“I am now.” When she hesitated, he went on. “Look, I’m in no mood to argue with you,” he said. “Mom sent me here with strict orders to bring you home. She doesn’t want you alone at a time like this. So you have a choice. I either take you there or I take you home with me for the time being.”

“Why can’t people just leave me alone?”

She looked so miserable that Neil cursed his own impatience. Katie was hurting, and she had every right. No matter what he personally thought of Drew Hastings, she loved the man, and people couldn’t expect her to get over it in one day.

Finally, he reached for her hand. It felt so tiny, so delicate. It was difficult to remember she was built small because she had always had such a presence, and a strength that amazed him. He still remembered the day his parents had stood on either side of her and announced she was coming to live with them. He knew it hadn’t been easy for her, what with just losing her mother and the only family she had. But she’d stood there, her tiny chin hitched high, shoulders squared, as though she were doing the family a big favor by agreeing to move in.

June and Richard Logan hadn’t thought twice about taking her in. Not only had Katie’s mother been a devoted employee for more than a decade, she had risked her life years before, pulling three-year-old Neil from the family pool, despite the fact she could not swim. The fact that she had the sense of mind to immediately administer CPR had saved his life.

His parents had never forgotten. When Sara Jones gave birth to a baby out of wedlock, they’d not only helped out financially, they’d offered to be Godparents.

Now, Neil could only try to reason with Katie. “Like you said, people care about you. You’re not in this alone.”

She stared at the big warm hand holding hers. It was strong and brown and feathered with the same dark hair that grew on his head. He had never shown her affection, and now she felt uncomfortable with it. At the same time, she experienced an odd sensation of feeling protected. And something else. Was it what people referred to as sexual magnetism? Was this flux of energy what drew women to him like hungry fish to a baited hook?

Confused, and more than a little flustered, she pulled her hand away and crossed her arms.

Neil’s eyes darkened as she withdrew. It had been his one attempt to offer comfort, but Katie obviously didn’t want him touching her. She had no idea how difficult it was for him to make such a gesture, and it irked him that she’d pulled away. “Make a decision, Katie,” he said, his voice terse. “Where do you want to go?”

She tried to pull her thoughts together. None of her choices sounded particularly appealing. “You and I wouldn’t last twenty-four hours under the same roof, and you know it.”

He suspected she was right. The last thing he needed in his life was a heartbroken female, one who got under his skin faster than a chigger bite. But he knew she would rip out her lungs with her own teeth before asking for help. “You’re in a jam, and I’m offering to help. Simple as that.”

“I’ll be in the way,” she said. “What if you should decided to entertain some young sweet thing?”

“I’ll try to be discreet if you’ll promise not to be so disagreeable.”

“I resent that remark.”

“See what I mean? Get dressed, and let’s get out of here. We can fight on the way back to my place. You’re going to love Bruno.”

“Bruno? Are you living with a professional wrestler?”

“He’s my dog. He loves women and cheese.” He stood and reached for her hand. She hesitated. “Come on, let’s go,” he said.

When she continued to just sit there, he became impatient. “Look, Katie, I have a life, and I’m not going to spend it watching you mope.”

“I don’t have any clothes.”

He’d forgotten. “You don’t have anything?”

She pointed to the gown. “This is it. No clothes, no money, nothing.”

“How’d you pay the taxi driver after you raced out of church?”

“I didn’t. He felt so sorry for me after I told him what happened that he didn’t charge me for driving me here.”

His frustration was growing. “Surely you have an old coat lying around?”

“I don’t even have a bath towel.”

He looked at the dress and then wiped his hand down his face. All he wanted was a few hours of sleep. “Katie, please put on the dress so we can get out of here.”

“Oh, this is great!” she muttered. “Just great.” She leapt to her feet, so angry she’d forgotten how little she wore. “My only hope is that all my neighbors will be home so they can witness the fact that Katie Jones has sunk to new levels of humiliation.”

Neil couldn’t speak for staring. One raking gaze convinced him she was the best thing he’d ever laid eyes on. He drank in the sight like a man who has thirsted for a long time. His body reacted immediately, a curious swooping pull in his gut that had no place to go but downward. The once chilly room suddenly felt too warm for his skin. He mentally chided himself for noticing. Hell, he and Katie had grown up together.

Katie was oblivious to the whole thing as she fussed with the dress. Lord, there was enough crinoline and satin to clothe a small town. What had June been thinking? Katie tried to find the opening in back. She gritted her teeth. “In fact, I will be the yardstick by which all humiliation in Atlanta will be measured.” Finally, she found the back of the dress and tried to step inside. “Neil?”

“Huh?”

His voice sounded strained. Katie looked over her shoulder and blushed profusely when she caught him staring. She half turned, stood there for a moment, utterly speechless, as the room seemed to shrink in size, and the man before her became larger-than-life. It reminded her of when she was thirteen and thought herself madly in love with him. His steady gaze bore into her wide eyes. What was going on here, she thought, trying to quell the dizzy current racing through her veins? She realized she was holding her breath. She exhaled, and hot air gushed from her lungs.

Katie drew herself up sharply. This would not do; it simply would not do. Neil was more like a brother to her, and she was supposed to be in love with another man. No doubt she was still feeling the sting of rejection; that was the only excuse she had for feeling this … this surge of excitement over the fact that Neil Logan was staring. Her flesh prickled, and she was tempted to hide behind the dress again, but that would only draw attention to what was best left ignored. Besides, Neil Logan liked women, and the fact they’d grown up together obviously didn’t matter at the moment. The only problem Neil had with women was committing to them.

“Do you think you could help me into my dress?” she asked, her voice giving nothing away.

“Oh, yeah.” Somehow, Neil managed to get her inside the contraption, although his fingers trembled as he zipped the back. He tried to think of something else, like the time she fell off her bicycle, scraped both knees, and he’d had to carry her home while she wailed like a banshee. She’d been ten years old, he seventeen. She’d liked dolls and playing house. He’d been playing house since he was sixteen, only in a different way.

Back off, Logan, he told himself. She’s still a kid as far as you’re concerned, and the closest thing you’ve ever had to a sister. He was way out of line thinking about her body. “Where are your shoes?” he asked, noting his mouth had gone dry. He couldn’t have rallied up a drop of spit if his life depended on it.

“I kicked them off when I chased the taxi. Besides, we’d never be able to find my feet in all this material. If you could just do something with this train it would help.”

He fumbled with it. Women were so much trouble. “I can’t find the end of the damn thing.”

“I don’t think it ends. Your mother insisted it be as long as the Brooklyn Bridge. It hooks into the fabric, but there must be hundreds of them, and they’re so tiny you’d need a magnifying glass. It’ll take forever to unhook them.” She could not imagine his large fingers managing such a feat.

“This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen,” he grumbled, once again remembering how tired he was. Neil tried to wad the train into a big ball. Sweat beaded his brow. He was hard as stone and trying his best to pull his thoughts together, at the same time wondering why Katie insisted on talking so much. Yammer, yammer, yammer. Damned if women didn’t go on and on once they got started. Hadn’t he read somewhere that women talked three times more than men? He almost preferred it when Katie moped. At least she was quieter. Once Neil locked up, they started for the car, with him muttering under his breath.

“What are you grumbling about back there?” Katie asked, trying to hold her skirt off the ground.

“I’m wondering why women insist on going to all this trouble with weddings when the divorce rate is so high.”

She turned abruptly, and he bumped into her. “That sounds like something you would say. You want to know why we do it? I’ll tell you why. Because some of us still believe in true love and happily-ever-after. Some of us want homes and babies, but that probably sounds foolish to a man like you.”

“You want babies?” he asked in disbelief.

She blinked at him. “Of course I do. Surprised?” She flounced around and made for the car, and he followed, shaking his head.

Somehow, Neil managed to get Katie inside his Jeep Wrangler, although her dress filled the entire front seat and bunched up to her nose. He tried to shove it aside as he climbed in on the other side. He had seen a lot of strange things in his life, but this beat them all. Still, she was a beautiful bride, despite her mussed hair and smudged eye makeup. He tried to imagine her image on top of a wedding cake and smiled.

She tossed him a dark look. “Okay, I know I look dumb as cow dung sitting here. Go ahead and get your chuckles so we can be on our way.”

He tried to look serious, but he could feel one corner of his lip twitching. “I’ve never sat this close to a bride.”

She glared at him. “Hellooo!” she shouted. “I’m not a bride. Remember? I was jilted? Left at the alter?”

Neil winced as he started the engine. “Would you stop screeching before you shatter both my eardrums and my windshield?”

“I wasn’t screeching. May I roll down my window? I’m not feeling well.”

He lowered it for her. “You need to calm down.”

“Calm down?” she asked, as he backed from her driveway. “I haven’t eaten in more than twenty-four hours, I slept on a cold floor last night, and I would kill for a cup of coffee. Oh, my Lord, there’s Mrs. Henry walking her dog. She’s the biggest gossip in the neighborhood.” Katie ducked. “Did she see me?”

“Are you kidding? I can’t even see you.” They rode in silence for a while as he pondered his situation. Two or three days should do it as far as Katie came up with a plan. Surely that was all she needed to get her act together and find a place. Just to be nice, he’d give her a week.

One week. Seven days. One hundred, sixty-eight hours.

It sounded like a life sentence.