Take 5

by Delinksy, Barbara; Thompson, Vickie; Major, Ann

• ISBN13: 9780373835027
• ISBN10: 0373835027
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-03-01
• Publisher: Harlequin Books

Summary

Three favorite Harlequin and Silhouette authors contribute five sizzling love stories for this collection. Includes "Chances Are" by Barbara Delinsky; "Be Mine, Valentine" and "Mingled Hearts" by Vicki Lewis Thompson; and "Dazzle" and "Married to the Enemy" by Ann Major.

Excerpts

Chapter One

"I think Veronica should be handling the public relations for the DIG Group," Liz Jerome informed her boss.

Karen Reynolds set down her coffee cup and eyed Liz. "She has her hands full."

Liz began to pace across the plush mauve carpet. "I met with Donovan Grant yesterday. We talked." That was an understatement. While she'd tried to talk strictly business, he'd mixed in more than a little sexual banter. Plus he'd insisted they have lunch together, and they'd ended up, not at the safe little restaurant Liz had imagined, but at his private retreat in the Adirondacks. "I'm the wrong person to work on this case," she added.

"Damn it, Liz. Don't start pacing on me. Sit down and tell me what the problem is."

Liz sent her a frustrated glance. "The problem is Donovan Grant. I don't think I can work with him. He's a tease."

" Donovan Grant? Are you sure we're talking about the same man? A tease? No. Charming, maybe." She grinned. "It's been a few years since I've seen him&nbsp--other than grainy photos in magazines. Has he aged well?"

Liz reluctantly met her gaze. "He looks...good." Liz recalled the fine sprinkling of dark hair on the backs of his hands, the way his Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed, the litheness of his walk. But she didn't want to tell Karen about those things. They persisted in haunting her. Even the memory of his voice, warm and soothing, was a balm that grated.

"So, what's the problem?" Karen broke into her thoughts. "You did discuss the contamination of his fields, didn't you?"

"Oh, yes. According to Donovan, the only sprays used on organically grown products are derived from plants such as garlic and nettle. Someone obviously went out of his way to spray something else."

"Does he have any idea who?"

Liz shook her head. "He's as much in the dark as the authorities are. He makes daily calls to the hospital in Sacramento where patients are being watched. We agreed the best thing would be for him to go public, discussing the problem and the security measures he's taken."

"Security measures?"

"Hired guards and a radar-type detector that can scan his fields and make sure nothing hits them from the air. That's how it was done&nbsp--a fine-grain poison dusted over one of the fields at night."

"And there are no leads at all as to who it was?"

Liz shook her head.

Karen retrieved her coffee and took a thoughtful sip. "Okay. So you'll go public. What did you have in mind?"

Liz didn't even see herself as stepping into a trap. "There should be letters to stockholders, distributors, and retailers. But the most effective thing would be a barrage of television and radio talk shows and news spots-- Donovan would be perfect&nbsp--and large ads in prominent newspapers. If fear leads to a boycott of his entire line of health foods&nbsp--even though the contaminated items have been removed from the shelves&nbsp--it could cause irreparable damage to the division. We have to hit soon and hard."

Karen sat forward. "Go to it then. I assume you can get background information at DIG headquarters. Did you arrange something with Donovan?"

Did I arrange something with Donovan? The question brought a jolt. Bounding from her seat, she made it to the window before she turned back. "He said he'd be by later to take me over. I thought you and I could agree on a replacement by then."

"A replacement? This case is tailor-made for you."

"I'm going to have trouble, Karen," Liz countered. Something in her gut stirred. "I just can't relax with him," she ventured at last. "And if I can't do that, I doubt I'll be able to do the kind of job this firm prides itself on. I'd really feel better if you put someone else on his case," she pleaded softly.

"And I think I'd never forgive myself if I did," Karen countered, walking Liz to the door. "Look, Donovan's a special person and I know that you're the best one for this job."

Liz sent her a look that said she saw through the flattery, but her position at Reynolds Associates meant too much to her to jeopardize because of one client.

* * *

Liz had second thoughts when Donovan appeared at her office door. This time it wasn't his balmy voice that disturbed her, or his smile, which was as brilliant as ever. It was the way he looked. Where were the crew-neck sweater, soft jeans, and sneakers he'd sported yesterday?

He glanced down at himself, then sheepishly met her wide-eyed hazel gaze. "I wanted you to be more comfortable today. This was&nbsp--is more what you expect, isn't it?"

He wore a three-piece suit of the finest beige wool and looked positively gorgeous. "What I expect?" she echoed.

"Formality and all?"

"You look fine," she finally managed, at which point he grinned and she dropped her gaze to the desk. "Shall we go? We've got a lot of ground to cover." She kept focusing on the paper and pens she was stuffing into her bag.

"I thought we'd stop for lunch before we hit the office."

She ventured a skeptical glance. "You're always hungry."

"At mealtimes, yes." He grinned. "See, I'm trying to watch myself. That comment could have drawn a less innocent response. I just want you to know that I'm trying not to say things that upset you."

She took a deep breath, then let it out. "I'm just supersensitive, but it's my problem, not yours. You've got a job that needs to be done. I have no problems on that score."

"Then if I keep things on a business level we'll be okay?"

"Yes. That's what I was trying to say yesterday." When her phone rang, she excused herself and turned to answer it.

"Elizabeth Jerome here."

"Liz? It's Cheryl. I think we've got a problem." Cheryl Obermeyer was the chief executive officer of her family's nationwide chain of discount department stores. It was presently having financial worries, and Liz, who'd spearheaded the chain's public relations for the past five years, was intimately aware of them.

"Uh-oh. Not something with the designer contract?" The chain had recently paid dearly for the right to carry the clothing of an internationally known designer.

"No, thank heavens. This time it's Ray. My brother is threatening to leave. It's bad enough that Ray seems to bungle whatever he's given, but now he's asking&nbsp--no, demanding&nbsp--more. I can't give him more responsibility if he can't handle what he's got, but if he walks out, he'll take the family image with him."

"Maybe it's time to rethink the family approach," Liz suggested softly, but Cheryl's resistance was immediate.

"Not yet. There's got to be some way of calming Ray down. If you could speak to him--"

"But I'm in no position--"

"If you were to suggest to Ray that he'd do well to shine with what he's already got, he'd listen."

"I don't know, Cheryl. It's really not my place."

"As a friend, Liz? That's how I see you and why I've called."

This last argument was potent. "Dirty play, Cheryl."

"I know."

Replacing the receiver in its cradle, she turned to Donovan. He didn't seem any the worse for his wait. "A client?"

"And friend." She rolled her eyes then narrowed her gaze on Donovan. "See? It's a mistake to mix business with pleasure."

He grinned. "So there's hope for us after all."

Excerpted from Sizzling Love Stories by Barbara Delinsky, Ann Major, and Vicki Lewis Thompson. Copyright © 2002 by Harlequin Enterprises Limited. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.