Tandem jumping with Eddie?

The thought sent shivers down her back, but not entirely uncomfortable shivers for once. Her brain stopped calculating impact against the ground and started plotting impact of a totally different type, and the first thought—very improper and probably physically impossible—was potent enough to turn her knees weak. She had to sit down.

She hadn’t counted on Eddie sitting down next to her, tenderly putting his arm around her and saying reassuring things.

He was assuming she was scared out of her wits right now, not overcome with lustful thoughts, but, whatever the reason, she was quite enjoying her present predicament.

Hannah Bernard always knew what she wanted to be when she grew up—a psychologist. After spending an eternity in university studying toward that goal, she took one look at her hard-earned diploma and thought, “Nah. I’d rather be a writer.” She has no kids to brag about, no pets to complain about, and only one husband, who any day now will break down and agree to adopt a kitten.

Recent titles by the same author

HARLEQUIN ROMANCE®

3792—MISSION: MARRIAGE

3814—THE HONEYMOON PROPOSAL

3829—THE DATING RESOLUTION

The Marriage Adventure
Hannah Bernard

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

PROLOGUE

THE river roared past, hissing and foaming.

Maria sat on a rock and tossed pebbles into the stream, an endless collection of smooth gray stones that had seen an eon of wear and tear. They sank without a trace.

When she’d exhausted all the stones within reach, she started pulling up straws, weaving them together in a vague semblance of a kayak. As she tossed them in, they were quickly engulfed and vanished, even in the relative calmness of the water flowing next to the riverbank. This was one angry river. Why did her parents have to insist that riding these monsters was fun?

In a few hours she might be the one engulfed, vanishing forever under the dark turbulent waters where there was no air to breathe, where up and down lost meaning.

She shuddered. There were still two weeks until she’d start high school. Two long weeks of adventure after terrifying adventure.

“Hey.”

Maria twisted around and squinted against the sun. Eddie was a tall shadow, hands in his pockets and his head tilted to the side as he looked down at her. She looked at him carefully, hoping she wasn’t wearing her crush on her face.

Eddie was cute.

But he was much too old for her. And by the time she got to his age, he’d be twenty-four. Ancient.

She’d never catch up with him.

It was a shame because he’d make a really cool boyfriend. “Oh. Hi.”

“Your mom and dad are looking for you.”

“Oh.” Maria looked down and rubbed her hands against the grass to clean them. She hadn’t brought her watch and had lost track of time. Now her nervous stomach reminded her she needed something to eat. On the other hand, eating something just before the nauseating trip down the river might not be a good idea.

Which was better, to eat and get some energy, or stay hungry and avoid embarrassing herself by throwing up out there? “Right. Thanks. I’ll get back.”

She stood up, and looked out over the river once more. Wild water, dark and deep. Again fear tightened in her chest. She swallowed and turned around to follow Eddie back to the cottage. The paralyzing fear followed her. But there was no choice. She had to do it. She had to climb into that stupid kayak and practice being an adventurer.

What was wrong with her? This was supposed to be fun. Everybody else thought it was fun.

They’d walked in silence for several minutes when she noticed Eddie glancing at her. She turned her face away, because a couple of tears had escaped, and slowed her steps, hoping to fall behind, but he just slowed down, too, matching her speed. Then finally he stopped altogether and crossed his arms on his chest, staring at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.”

Eddie shifted his weight from foot to foot. She was looking down and saw only his sneakers, but he still looked uncomfortable. Not uncomfortable enough to let her off the hook, though. “Bull. You’re crying. Should I run ahead and get your mom?”

Maria wiped the back of her hand over her eyes and shook her head hard. “No. Don’t tell them I was crying. You can’t tell them.”

“Oh, damn. Are you in some sort of trouble?”

“No! I’m okay. It’s nothing.”

“Nothing?” He sounded skeptical, and then bored. “Oh. You’re crying over a boy.”

“No!”

“Hey, no offence, but that’s what girls your age do.”

“I’m not crying. Not really. It’s just minor…leakage.”

Eddie grinned. And then he scowled. “Well, stop leaking, kid.”

“Don’t call me kid!”

“You are a kid. Look at you, crying like a baby.”

“Oh, shut up!”

“I bet it’s boy trouble,” he said, giving her a teasing look.

“It’s not boy trouble,” she snapped at him. “It’s that stupid, ugly river.”

Eddie glanced back toward the river. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m scared,” she confessed. And it felt so good to confess that the rest came spilling out, like the lid on her feelings had finally burst open. “I hate adventures. All kinds of adventures. I even hate roller coasters. I don’t like being scared like you all do. And I’m really afraid of the river. I hate it when I’m underwater and can’t breathe…” She knelt down and pulled at the grass. “I’m a coward,” she mumbled. It was out. Someone knew her big dark secret.

“It’s not that dangerous, you know,” Eddie said, sounding bored. “Your parents wouldn’t bring you along if they thought you were in danger.”

“I know.”

“This will be fun. You’ve rafted before. You’ve done easier rivers before, and you’ve been through training.”

“I know.”

“And you know all of us would jump after you if you got in trouble.”

“I know. And I’m still so scared I can hardly breathe.”

Eddie sank in the grass beside her and joined her in ripping up tufts and shredding them between her fingers. “Well, if you really don’t want to do it, just tell your parents you’re scared. They wouldn’t make you.”

“No!” Her heart almost stopped at the thought of them finding out. “I’m not telling them. I’m never telling them. You can’t tell them, either, Eddie, you can’t! Promise?”

“What the hell do you want to do then?”

“Nothing.” She pursed her lips and ripped harder at the grass. She couldn’t do anything. There was no way out.

“Kids,” he muttered, but Maria felt he hardly had the right to. He’d been a “kid”, too, until very recently. “Well, okay, in that case, we should get back before everybody starts to worry.”

Two hours later they were at the landing site. Her parents and Eddie unloaded the kayaks and carried them to the river. Maria carried the oars. As they approached the river her feet got more and more heavy. A lump lodged in her throat and her heart sped up, even while she cursed herself for being such a coward.

“The water is high,” her father said, looking at the furious river with a smile. “Excellent. It’ll be a great ride.”

Maria tossed the oars on the ground and busied herself with her shoelaces. She was starting to tremble. Stop it, she told herself fiercely. You’ll be fine. This is fun!

A muffled curse and a yell had them pausing. Maria turned around to find Eddie leaning against a rock, cursing and pounding his fist against the cliff while cradling his foot with the other.

“You okay?” Mom asked.

“I think I twisted my damn ankle,” Eddie bit out, grimacing. “Damn. I think it’s swelling up already.”

“How in the world could you twist your ankle here?” Maria’s dad asked. “You climb mountains without trouble, but twist your ankle on a simple gravel path?”

Eddie grimaced in pain, but managed a crooked smile. “Yeah, well, Harlan, I try my best.”

“Let me take a look,” her mother said, but he waved her off.

“No need, Kara. Really, I’m fine. It’s not like this has never happened before. I know the drill. I’ll go back to the cottage and wrap it in ice. Go on without me.”

“Can you drive?”

“Sure. Only need one foot for that.” Eddie’s gaze shifted to Maria. “I might need some help…”

Relief flooded Maria when she spotted the way out. “I’ll stay behind with you, Eddie. No problem.”

“I don’t know,” Mom said doubtfully. “It’s not fair that you miss out on the ride, Maria. I’ll stay with Eddie.”

“No!” Maria said. “You need to make the trip. It’s on our list of adventures for next year. Go on. I’ll take care of Eddie.”

She saw the adults exchange a smile at the thought of the fourteen-year-old taking care of nineteen-year-old Eddie, but they eventually agreed. The extra kayaks were carried back to the truck, and then their parents waved goodbye.

Eddie and Maria started toward the truck, Eddie leaning slightly on Maria for assistance as he hobbled along.

A few minutes later they were out of sight, and Eddie took his hand off Maria’s shoulder. He started striding toward the truck and she stared after him, not understanding. “Eddie, your ankle!”

He glanced back with a smirk. “Don’t tell me you bought it, too?”

Maria still didn’t get it. “Bought what?”

“My act?”

Her brain seemed to be functioning in slow motion. “There’s nothing wrong with your foot?”

Eddie rolled his eyes as he yanked the door of the truck open. “No. It’s fine.”

“But you…you love rafting. You love crazy rivers. You’re not scared of them.”

“Right.”

“Did you pretend you hurt your ankle so I wouldn’t have to go?” It seemed unbelievable. Why would he do something like that for her?

“Get in, Maria. Let’s go to the cottage and you can play with your crayons.”

“I brought charcoal,” she corrected dignified as she got into the truck. “Crayons are for children.”

Eddie winked at her through the open window. “And you’re not one?”

Maria grunted, and stared out the side window when he got in on the driver’s side. Eddie had grown up quickly. They’d played together once, even though she’d always been much younger, of course. Last year he’d gone off to college, and when she saw him again, he’d crossed completely over into the world of adults.

She missed the old Eddie.

They pulled up to the cottage and went inside, sitting for a while in complete silence, Eddie on the couch staring up at the ceiling, Maria at the table with her art supplies.

“Hey, no need to thank me,” Eddie muttered at last.

“Thank you,” she said grudgingly.

“You’re going to have to tell them, kiddo. They think you like this stuff. Heck, I always thought you did. You’re good at pretending. They’ll keep dragging you along unless you put your foot down.”

“My foot is fine where it is, thank you.”

“Why are you pretending?”

“Because I will be an adventurer like…” You, she’d almost said. “Like Mom and Dad. I’ll get there. I’ll get over this. I just need to discover my adventurer’s spirit.”

He grinned, making her feel silly and childish. “Discover your adventurer’s spirit, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Did you read that in a book?”

“No. I made it up myself.”

He chuckled and sat up, reaching into his pocket for his cell phone. “Okay, kid. Now, run off and play, will you? Go discover your adventurer’s spirit. I need to phone my girlfriend.” He winked at her. “We’d like privacy.”

Maria stomped off, angry and disgruntled at the world in general and Eddie in particular.

She just bet his girlfriend had plenty of adventurer’s spirit.

CHAPTER ONE

THERE he was—her mother’s dream son-in-law.

He hadn’t noticed her yet, and Maria paused in the hallway, looking him over as he sat there on the living room sofa.

It had been a while.

He’d been wandering the world, while she’d been living a quiet life just a few blocks away from her childhood home. He’d been rafting down glacial rivers and hang gliding from mountain tops while she’d gradually removed herself from her parents’ adventures and settled down to a calm, quiet life, taking art classes and spending her evenings with a good book or a movie, a cat or two by her side. There was much to be said for living vicariously.

But now Eddie was back.

He was sitting alone in the living room, which probably meant her mother had excused herself to help her father resolve a crisis in the kitchen. His profile was to her as he stared into the fire.

He was looking good. He hadn’t changed much. He was a few years older, but his hair was still thick and dark, long enough to brush his shoulders. That was how it usually had been. Once in a while Eddie would get his hair cut really short—and then he didn’t bother with it for months and months. She didn’t like long hair on men. She always thought it made them look feminine, sissy and pretentious.

Except Eddie. Anything looked good on Eddie.

Not that she should notice. She should be looking at him as a brother figure. Nothing more—but it hadn’t been that simple for a long time. Not since her hormones came out of hiding and started playing tricks on her.

In the determined spirit of playing a mischievous little sister, she sneaked into the room and came up behind him, intending to cover his eyes with her hands in an old childish game. But before she got that far, Eddie had twisted around and grabbed her wrists—and somehow she was flying through the air.

She landed on her back across the sofa, her head resting on his arm. She blinked up at him and worked on catching her breath. “Hello, Eddie. Long time no see. Welcome home.”

“Hello, Maria. Did you really think you could sneak up on me?”

His voice was like she remembered. Rough velvet, if there was such a thing. Sandpaper wrapped in silk.

Sexy.

Oh, damn it. So much for the brother figure.

She struggled to sit up, but his arm was across her middle, holding her in place. She grinned up at him. “Hey, I had to try. The way you always bragged about your honed reflexes…”

“Ah. So you wanted to see if I was getting old and decrepit yet?”

His eyes were dark. From a distance they seemed brown, but up close their color was revealed as a deep blue. It was an illusion she never got used to. “Age never crossed my mind. You may be over the hill, but it’s quite a long way down. Don’t worry.”

A smile hovered on his lips. “You’re rolling with me, remember?”

“Happy birthday, Eddie.”

“Happy birthday, Maria.”

They shared a birthday—five years apart. For a while, their parents had celebrated their birthdays together. Until, of course, Eddie became too old to share his birthday with a little girl.

The little girl had sulked quite a bit on that first birthday alone.

“You should let me go,” Maria said, pushing at his arm. “Mom and Dad still wouldn’t mind seeing us get married and live happily ever after, you know. Not a good idea to raise their hopes.”

Eddie grinned and tangled his fingers in a strand of her long hair. He seemed in no hurry to let her go, and well, she probably could escape if she wanted to, but she really was quite comfortable where she was. He pulled gently on her hair. “I’ve always liked to live dangerously.”

“I know you do. But I don’t, remember?”

“Still haven’t found your adventurer’s spirit, kiddo?”

Kiddo. Damn. She wasn’t twelve years old anymore. Couldn’t he see that? “I’m not a kid anymore. And I’m no longer searching for my adventurer’s spirit.”

An eyebrow lifted. An interesting view from this angle. “Really?”

“Yup.”

“Come clean with the folks and all?”

“Yup.”

“Brave of you.”

“Wisdom comes with maturity. Ouch! Stop pulling on my hair!”

“Sorry. Just checking for gray.”

Eddie teasing her. She was on familiar turf now. Still, she should probably get her head away from his chest.

Soonish.

“Oh, damn. You found it?”

“Found what?”

“That gray hair.”

His eyes warmed in amusement. He had tiny laughter lines, and the curve of his lips as he smiled was close to irresistible. She was in trouble.

Why hadn’t he stayed away for a few more years? She still hadn’t found her stable, calm, boring, stamp-collecting dream husband.

“You have one gray hair?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yes. It was there this morning. I thought about pulling it out, but Mom’s superstitious. She always claimed seven new gray hairs grew in its place. So I decided to let it live.”

Eddie’s chest shook as he laughed. As she was pressed against it she couldn’t help but notice. His fingers brushed through the hair at her temple, sifting through it, as if in search for that lone gray ranger. “You could always get a magic marker and color it. I’m sure they make one in auburn.”

“Nah. I’ll let it live and grow old gracefully.”

“It’s your birthday, kiddo. Gray hair or not, why aren’t you out on the town with a hot date?”

“Why aren’t you?” she countered. She really should sit up now.

“I am,” he assured her. “Your mother told me I would be having dinner with the most beautiful girl in the world.”

Oh, jeez. “I see. Did she tell you the most beautiful girl was already married?”

Eddie’s gorgeous eyes went wide in shock. “You got married?”

She giggled as she used the opportunity and slid away from him. She moved to the other side of the sofa and smirked at him. “No. I’m not married. Yet. But Mom is. She’s the one who invited you to dinner, isn’t she?”

He glowered at her. “Tease. You had me worried there for a minute.”

“Aw, Eddie, no need. You know you’ve ruined me for all other men. No one else has ever thrown me over his shoulder and carried me down a mountain almost comatose after sunstroke.”

Eddie winked at her. Maria looked away and grimaced at herself. They should turn to good old-fashioned adult conversation. No more flirting. Not that she’d anything against flirting. It was all fine and well, but not with Eddie. Definitely not since he could make her insides flutter like that.

Sneaking up on him had been stupid. Now her face was flushed, her breathing was off, and the way he felt against her was imprinted on her memory.

Not good. Not good at all. Time to act like a serious grown-up.

“It’s been forever,” she said. “How’ve you been? Where have you been?”

He put an arm across the back of the sofa and shrugged, flicking his hair away from his face. “Here and there. Mostly there.”

“Imagine that,” she said dryly. “When did you get back? Been in town long?”

“Almost a week.”

Maria smiled ruefully. “For you, that’s quite a long stay.”

“I’m staying for a while, this time,” Eddie told her. “My nephew needs me. He’s my godson, remember?”

Maria nodded, surprised—and skeptical. Jenny’s beautiful little son had been diagnosed autistic last year. He was a challenging little boy—didn’t need much sleep and was on the go around the clock, getting bigger and stronger by the day. Jenny was starting a behavioral program at home, one that required a lot of time and effort. She had high hopes—but it would take a lot of work.

Yes—Jenny and Samuel desperately needed help, especially now that her husband had jumped ship, but for Eddie to settle down and become a professional uncle—it seemed almost absurd.

“I haven’t seen Jenny forever,” she said. “We speak on the phone occasionally, but we sort of lost touch after she got married. It’s a shame. I should give her a call this week.”

“Next week is better. She’s out of town with Samuel, doing some sort of a workshop to prepare for the new treatment program.”

Maria nodded. “I’ll call her next week, then. So, you might be here all summer?”

Eddie shrugged. “I’m staying a while. For now, your parents have hired me as a consultant for Intrepid Adventurers—and we’re approaching an agreement on things.”

Agreement? What kind of an agreement?

Before she could ask, Eddie was pointing at her. “Enough about me. Let’s talk about you. How’ve you been?”

“Fine. Great. I quite like life without adventurer’s spirit. Life is pretty good. Tell me—how are your parents doing? I haven’t seen them in years.”

Their parents had spent many vacations together—doing something exciting and thrilling. Maria had hated those vacations, everything from skiing to bungee-jumping.

Later, when she’d finally gotten up the nerve to tell her parents her true feelings about adventuring, they’d allowed her to stay behind, and she’d gotten to hang around at the cabin or the ski lodge or whatever lodgings were available. Life had become lovely. Finally, vacations she didn’t have to fear. She could curl up in an armchair with a book and hot chocolate, or sketch the scenery, or bundle up to build a snow army outside, or go for quiet walks and just let her mind wander.

She liked excitement to stay put inside her head. It was just the way she was, and she didn’t apologize for it any longer.

Eddie, on the other hand, had loved every minute of it. He’d come along on every single trip, and bit by bit Maria had become more and more irritated by the way her parents would look at him and then at her, as if thinking “why can’t she be more like Eddie?”

Almost unaware of what she was doing, Maria frowned. Eddie had always been perfect. The perfect son—only he wasn’t theirs. He was the boy next door, always brave and competent, laughing through danger when she was holding back tears, singing his way up a mountain while she was sweating and panting and wishing she’d been born to a pair of couch potatoes.

Her emotions had gone through a regular roller-coaster ride where Eddie was concerned. As a child she’d adored him when they were at home, when things were calm. She’d resented him during summer vacations when he’d been her parents’ surrogate son, the perfect one. She’d developed a huge crush on him in her teens, culminating in a mortifying incident when she was eighteen.

Since then she’d rarely seen him. He’d been away, adventuring all over the world. Her parents got regular postcards—always with a PS she’d come to depend on as one of the constants in life: Say hi to Maria for me.

“Mom and Dad are fine,” Eddie was saying. “They’re still in Egypt, no talk of returning anytime soon.” He tapped her shoulder. “But weren’t we talking about you?”

Maria crinkled her nose. “I’m boring, Eddie. Remember? Nothing remotely interesting about my life.”

Eddie was nice enough to chuckle, as if she’d made a joke instead of stated a fact. “Your mother tells me you’re working as an artist and a writer now.”

Maria felt like snorting. She could imagine just what her mother had said, and Eddie had probably done some heavy editing on her precise words. She glanced toward the kitchen, where she could now hear voices. “Did she actually tell you that? Did she say working?”

Eddie chuckled. “Not exactly. She might have phrased it a bit differently.”

“Yeah, I thought she might have. Well it is a job. Not a very well paid one, unfortunately, but I’ll get there. Meanwhile I work full-time at the library, too, and call it research.”

“You’re doing children’s books, right?”

“Yes. I started out illustrating other people’s books, but now I’m working on writing them as well. It’s a challenge.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“Well, it’s not jumping out of airplanes or scaling Everest, but to me, it’s exciting and fulfilling.”

Already she was on the defensive. Why? There was nothing to defend. There was nothing wrong with enjoying a nice, quiet, calm, boring life. She wanted boredom. She craved boredom. She’d craved it practically from birth but been denied it far too long. She had no reason to make excuses for the way she chose to live her life.

But a part of her desperately wanted Eddie’s approval. Always had. His respect had been hard-won. Little girls generally had a tough time impressing older boys. It was for Eddie, more than for her parents, she’d struggled for so long, pretending to be another adrenaline junkie, although she hadn’t realized that until much later. But that was all in the past now. She had no reason to seek his approval. She didn’t need it.

“What are you working on now?”

She tossed her hair back and glanced toward the kitchen. She should probably go check if her parents had gotten lost inside the fridge or something. They could cook well enough, but they weren’t very good at practical things—indoor things. Like cleaning up after their gourmet cooking sessions. “Are you really interested?”

“Of course I’m interested.” He made that sound like a given. She relented, vowing to stop being so defensive.

“Well…it’s a fantasy story. You know, heroes and dragons and monsters and stuff.”

“Aha. You mean—an adventure.”

She scowled at him, then grinned. “Yeah. I guess. Adventures on paper—that’s excitement enough for me, thank you.”

“So you did discover your adventurer’s spirit after all.”

She stared at him, not sure if he was joking or not. Yes—that was one way of putting it. She liked working on adventures inside her head. As long as they didn’t involve actual heights or actual tarantulas or actual flame-breathing dragons, adventures were just fine.

She did have an adventurer’s spirit after all. One that was now pushing her relentlessly toward fictional journeys of danger and excitement.

Eddie had homed into that instantly, while nobody else had ever made the connection—not even she. How? She almost felt as if he’d invaded her private thoughts and feelings.

“How’s the book going?” Eddie asked, oblivious to her inner turmoil. She blinked, snapping back to reality.

“Okay. Not bad. Well, bad, but I know it will pass. It always does, eventually. I have most of the story down in my head, except for the very ending, and some minor issues.” She sighed. “Well, a huge issue, actually.”

“What’s the problem?”

“The hero. I can’t get him to materialize properly on the paper.” She looked at Eddie and frowned, trying again to picture Marius. Eddie raised an eyebrow in question and his face was superimposed on her mental picture of Marius.

Yes!

She clicked her fingers and frantically looked around for a pencil and paper. “That’s it!” She jumped to her feet and glanced around, as if a sketchpad were likely to materialize in her parents’ living room. She slapped a hand against the back of the sofa in frustration. “Oh, damn it, why didn’t I bring a sketchpad? Why don’t I ever have a sketchpad when I need one?”

Eddie chuckled. “Is this what a sudden burst of inspiration looks like?”

Her heart was actually beating faster in anticipation of finally getting Marius on the page. Didn’t she have a small sketchpad in her purse? “Oh, yes. Would you—?”

Her parents burst into the room, voices raised as always in an attempt to drown out each other, and it was too late to wrangle a promise out of Eddie.

Later, Maria promised herself. Even if she had to corner him after dinner and draw on paper towels with a ballpoint pen, she would take advantage of this. She was getting quite desperate for inspiration.

“Maria!” Mom said, hugging her. “Happy birthday, darling. Isn’t Eddie a nice birthday surprise?”

Oh, yes, Mom. Wrap him up in a bow and nothing else and he’ll do nicely….

Argh! What was wrong with her? Return of the Killer Hormones?

“Yes, it’s nice to see him again,” she muttered. She hoped she wasn’t blushing too much. It really wasn’t polite to picture old friends in their birthday suits, even on their birthdays.

“It’s been a while since the two of you celebrated your birthday together, hasn’t it?” Mom continued chattily. “Remember, Maria, when we mixed up the presents, and he got your Barbie doll and you got his model fighter jet?”

“Well, I haven’t forgotten,” Eddie drawled with a lopsided smile. “It was an extremely traumatic experience. I have buddies who still bring up my Nurse Barbie when they need to twist my arm.”

Maria shook her head. “I remember. Poor Nurse Barbie had been stripped naked when I got her back. I had to go on a dangerous excavation through the pile of wrapping paper to find her uniform. Typical.”

“Boys will be boys,” her mother said.

Her father laughed. “Remember what Maria used to retort whenever you said that after one of Eddie’s escapades?” He mimicked a little girl’s voice. “Well, boys just aren’t a good idea in the first place!”

Maria smiled wistfully at the proud way her father slapped Eddie on the back. Dad had always adored Eddie. She’d never doubted her father’s love for her, but they’d never been much in tune and had grown apart even more when Maria withdrew from the expeditions.

A familiar friend, jealousy, reared its ugly head. She firmly squashed it. Her parents were allowed to love Eddie. It didn’t take anything away from her, and it was childish and immature to begrudge him that. He’d been their dream son—and had grown up to follow in their footsteps. Of course they were proud of him.

If only they were proud of her, too.

She glanced toward the shelf where her illustrated books were displayed and bit her tongue in punishment for the self-pitying thought. They were proud of her. It just wasn’t quite as obvious as their pride in Eddie. That was only natural. He was working in their field, following up on what they’d taught him through the years.

She felt Eddie’s gaze through her thoughts, and broke free of her musings to glance at him. He was grinning. “Boys not a good idea? I hope you’ve changed your mind since then.”

“About boys in general or only about those who terrorize little girls?” she shot back, another horrid childhood memory zapping to mind. She shuddered—and didn’t even have to fake it. He’d better be sorry.

He winced. “Ouch. Are you still holding that tarantula against me?”

“Yes! I would have needed years of therapy to get over it! I didn’t get therapy, so I’m scarred for life, and it’s your fault.”

Eddie’s eyes twinkled in hurt innocence. “It was locked in a jar. It couldn’t have harmed you. It was just a nature lesson.”

“Just like old times,” Kara said. “Too bad your parents are so far away, Eddie. Still happy in Egypt, aren’t they?”

“Yup. They love it there. Dad has a new obsession with mummies and a secret fantasy of discovering a lost tomb. Mom just rolls her eyes and enjoys the sunshine.”

“Good for them. I did reach your sister on her cell phone, but she and Samuel are out of town for that workshop for a few more days, aren’t they?”

“Yes. I haven’t even seen Jenny since I got back. And I haven’t seen Samuel since he was a baby. Really looking forward to it.”

“We haven’t seen her in ages, either. She told me getting a competent sitter for Samuel is almost impossible so she rarely leaves the house these days. Well, sit down, kids. Birthday dinner coming up.”

Her parents and Eddie talked business over dinner, and as she had little to contribute to a discussion about rafting and gliding, Maria felt free to space out and think about Marius and his adventures.

Finally. Eddie was the perfect model for Marius. It would all come together now—and about time. Her deadline was approaching too rapidly. She stared at Eddie as much as she could without it looking weird, and hardly tasted the wonderful food as all the missing scenes came to life in her mind’s eye. Finally.

She woke up abruptly from her musings when her father started talking about Intrepid Adventurers, possibilities for the company’s future, the new things Eddie would bring to the business, expansion and all sorts of things she’d never heard about before.

She cleared her mind of Marius and his adventures and focused. There was no mistake: the conversation was sounding more and more as if they thought Eddie would one day take over Intrepid Adventurers. A lot of fatherly advice was being dished out—and then she caught her mother’s gaze, moving between her and Eddie with a secret smile.

It became terribly obvious and terribly embarrassing what they were thinking, and she felt like sinking under the table—or pouring gravy over their heads. She prayed that Eddie wasn’t catching on to their matchmaking scheme.

Eddie to take over Intrepid Adventurers one day—when they got married.

It had been a running joke when they were kids, but had faded away when Eddie got old enough to find the constant jokes about his promised child bride annoying and embarrassing.

Now, out of nowhere, it had resurfaced.

What were her parents thinking?

She did her best to steer the conversation in a safer direction, and succeeded, then cornered her mother off in the kitchen as dessert was about to be served. “Mom, have you and Dad lost your minds?”

“Not recently,” Mom replied. “Why? You in the lost and found business now?”

“You know what I’m talking about, Mom! What do you think you’re doing?”

Mom looked innocent as ever, digging in the fridge for something. Maria hoped it involved chocolate. She needed chocolate. “What? What are we doing?”

“Eddie!”

“What about Eddie?”

“Come on! All this talk about the future of the company! I know this was funny when I was five, but now it sounds like you’re trying to sell me off! Arranged marriages went out of fashion quite a while ago, you know!”

Her mother just shook her head and stared at her in astonishment. “Arranged marriages? What in the world are you talking about?”

“Look, Mom, you can forget it. There’s never going to be anything between Eddie and me. Even if I were madly in love with the guy, I wouldn’t want him because he’s not good for me. I want a boring life, okay? I spent all my childhood with a couple of adventurers, I wouldn’t want another one if he came served on a silver platter.” Of course, on a silver platter in nothing but a bow…Maria bit hard on her lip. Brain, please cooperate, she ordered. What was with the sudden bow fetish, anyway?

“Wait, love. What did you just say? You saying you’re madly in love with Eddie?”

Mom had always had selective hearing. She was also looking joyfully surprised. Maria rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth at the same time. “No! I’m not in love with Eddie! I would never, ever, in a million years, get involved with someone like him. So forget it!”

“Ouch. You just broke my heart, kid.”

Eddie and her father were standing behind them, carrying piles of dishes. She didn’t care he’d heard. In fact, all the better. It would rid him of any misconceptions he had after that terribly embarrassing dinner conversation. “Don’t call me kid!” she snapped.

“Look, honey…” he said, and she gritted her teeth even harder because he’d called her honey and she liked that much more than kid. She held up a hand and cut him off.

“Eddie, I’m sorry about my parents’ nostalgia, but don’t worry. I’m not in on the plot. I don’t want you.” She smiled to show it was nothing personal. “No offense. If you’re ever the last man on earth, I promise to reconsider. You know, for the future of mankind.”

Eddie put the dishes away and clutched his chest in pretend pain. “Ow! That’s the only loophole? You’d only have me in order to save the human race from extinction?”

“You’re being silly, Maria. And you’ve got it all wrong,” her father said, frowning. “This has nothing to do with you. Eddie is buying Intrepid Adventurers. The deal should be final next month.”

CHAPTER TWO

OKAY.

Maria felt her face ignite. Then her lungs, as she’d forgotten to breathe. She wasn’t sure if it was with embarrassment or anger.

Of course her parents weren’t trying to sell her to Eddie, what a thought—but…

He was buying Intrepid Adventurers?

Her parents were selling Intrepid Adventurers?

She took a deep breath, not sure which issue to tackle first.

Eddie was buying Intrepid Adventurers.

Her parents were selling Intrepid Adventurers.

It shouldn’t have come as a shock. They’d talked about selling before—they’d talked about retirement. It had always seemed something in the far distant future—definitely not something to worry about. And after all, there weren’t many choices since they didn’t have a child interested in following in their footsteps. She certainly wasn’t the type to run an adventuring company. But…

This was the company her grandfather had founded and made work in a time when such things were almost unheard of. The company her parents had taken over and made flourish.

Her hackles rose. They were selling Intrepid Adventurers to Eddie. Passing it on to the man they’d always wanted as a son and heir.

As a child and teenager, he’d grabbed his share of her parents’ love and affection and the lion’s share of their time.

Now he was taking their company, too.

Her family company.

She turned to him and glared, but he was studying the ceiling carefully. She turned on her parents instead, fuming.

“What?” she bit out, as if getting them to repeat the information would somehow change the content. “Run this by me again. You’re selling Intrepid Adventurers—to Eddie?”

Her parents looked surprised at the vehemence in her voice. “You knew we would sell the company sooner or later,” her mother said. “It shouldn’t come as a shock to you.” She laughed, gesturing awkwardly. “It’s not like you’re interested in taking over.”

Of course not. She wasn’t Eddie. She wasn’t brave and strong, laughing in the face of danger, playing a combination of Indiana Jones and Spider-Man all over the world. She hadn’t been named after Sir Edmund Hillary, either.

But the company was her birthright. Not Eddie’s. It had never been Eddie’s.

“Why not?” she blurted out. “Yes! I should take over. I should keep up the family tradition. This is a family company. Grandpa founded it. It’s natural for me to take over. Eddie is not family.”

“Maria,” her mother said, reaching out and patting her arm. “Don’t worry. We’re not expecting you to step in. We know you’re not an adventurer, let alone an intrepid one. The company is better off with Eddie. You don’t want it. You’ve never wanted it.”

“What are you talking about? True—I don’t like adventuring. But it doesn’t take an adventurer to run a company! It’s mostly paperwork, and I’m good with paper. I’m great with paper!”

“Maria—your mother and I are adventurers,” her father said. “Or at least we were, until middle age started to threaten us with old age. Your grandfather was one, too. That’s what this business is all about. It’s not just a company. It’s a vision. A dream.”

“Exactly! That’s my point. It was my grandfather’s dream. Our family’s dream. If you want to retire, I can take over. Granted, I’ll need some help getting started, but I know I can do it.”

Her father was shaking his head. “No, Maria.”

“What do you mean, no?”

“This company has to be led by an adventurer.” He paused, looking at his wife for support. Maria saw her squeeze his hand. No help there. “Else it has no soul.”

“No soul? No soul?” Great. On top of everything else, now she had to deal with metaphysics. “And Eddie is going to give the company soul?”

“Yes—”

“What can Eddie possibly give Intrepid Adventurers that I can’t?” Her mother and father both opened their mouths, but she charged on before they could start listing Eddie’s attributes. “Sure, he may be a good guide and hopeless adrenaline junkie and a real adventurer, but that has nothing to do with running a business! You can’t just give him Grandpa’s company!”

“Maria—listen!”

Maria sat down on a kitchen chair and crossed her arms, fuming. Emotionally fulfilling as a tantrum might be, it probably wouldn’t help her case. Real adventurers didn’t throw tantrums. “Listening.”

“We’re planning our schedule for next summer,” Harlan said. “You know what we always do when we’re adding something new—we try it out ourselves.” He looked down, and his wife put her arm around him. “But the doc says no. No extreme sports.” He cursed. “He’s quite insistent. I can’t even do calm relaxing things like skydiving.”

Skydiving—calm, relaxing?

Had she really gotten her genes from these people?

Then reality kicked in. The doctor was pulling the brakes. The doctor.

The anger drained from her in an instant. Oh, God. “Dad…”

Her father waved a hand irritably. “Don’t worry, Maria—it’s nothing serious. It’s just my blood pressure. It’s high and the medication doesn’t agree with me, and…Well, he insists I need to start taking it easy.”

“And you can’t take it easy in this business,” Mom continued. “It would be a contradiction in terms, wouldn’t it? So we’ve decided to retire. Not an easy decision, but we’re going to make the best of it.” She looked at her husband with a smile. “We’ll still travel. We can go on cruises with other old fogies.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She should have noticed something was wrong. “Dad…I didn’t know…”

“I’m not sick,” her father said, still sounding annoyed. He’d never liked being fussed over. “I’m fine. It’s just this pesky blood pressure. As the doctor put it: I need to start making allowances for my age. That’s all.”

That’s all?

Maria had a feeling it wouldn’t be quite that simple. What would her parents do now? For so long, they’d lived for the business. It was their entire life, their hobby as well as their job. And, thanks to her being their only child, they didn’t even have grandchildren to spend their newfound free time on, as several of their friends seemed to do.

Guilt, guilt, guilt and more guilt.

Great. Now she was feeling guilty about having failed to procreate.

“How long have you known this?” She gestured to Eddie, an almost childish petulance rising again, and she hated the whine she heard in her own voice. “I mean—if you’re selling to Eddie, obviously you told him all this before you told me. Why?”

“We didn’t want to cause worry or put pressure on you, Maria,” her mother said softly. “There was no reason to tell you anything until everything was settled. We were going to tell you tonight after dinner—but I guess we got carried away discussing the future with Eddie.”

“But…Damn it!” She shouldn’t stomp her foot. Not at her age.

But not only had they discussed the business with Eddie, not only were they selling the business to Eddie— they’d told Eddie about her father’s health problems.

Who was their flesh and blood here?

“What’s the problem, Maria?” her father asked. “You’ve never been interested in our business. You hate everything about it. You don’t want this company.”

“I do!”

“You don’t,” the three of them said in unison, and for lack of a better option Maria chose Eddie to glare at.

“I do! You don’t know anything about what I want!”

“This way is much better, Maria,” Kara said soothingly. “Eddie is willing to take over. It’s a relief not having to sell to a stranger.” She patted Maria’s shoulder. “The company is worth quite a bit, you know. We’ve decided to give you your share. You’ll have enough to support yourself while you work on your books.”

Was this supposed to be good news? Money? They were giving her part of the money Eddie would pay them for the company? That was supposed to help? “What?”

“Yes. Isn’t it wonderful? You can quit your library job and focus on your art without worrying about putting bread on the table.” Her mother was beaming now. “See? This is best for all of us.”

“I don’t need any charity,” Maria muttered. “My work supports itself.” It wasn’t accurate, of course. Her books weren’t even keeping her in paints and paper yet, but they would. Someday.

It wasn’t a hobby. It was a career. An embryonic one, but still a career.

“Grandpa built up Intrepid Adventurers. We can’t let it go to…” She waved a hand in Eddie’s direction. “To a total stranger!” What else would she lose? Would Eddie take her parents’ affections along with the company? Would she have nothing left? She bit her lip, realizing she was being overly melodramatic. But this was serious, damn it!

Her mother cast an apologetic look to Eddie and reached out to pat his arm. “You know she doesn’t mean that, Eddie. You’ve always been like a part of the family.” She looked at Maria, face stern now, and Maria felt her heart sink. They were serious about this. Very serious. “Maria—if we’re selling to anyone, we want it to be to Eddie.”

“Then don’t sell to anyone at all!”

Her parents stared at her. Finally she seemed to be getting through to them. “I can do it,” she said softly. “I can take over the company. I can make it work. I know I can. Will you let me try?”

“Look—maybe I should leave,” Eddie said, and about time, too, Maria thought grumpily. “This is a family discussion.”

“No!” her father said. He looked relieved at the interruption, glad to escape the question Maria had just asked. “As Kara says, you’re almost a part of the family anyway.” He looked at Maria and winked. “Even if our daughter refuses to make it official.” He snapped his fingers as if a brilliant thought had occurred to him and Maria groaned, knowing what was coming. “That would be the perfect solution of course. How about it, kids? Get married? It would solve all our problems in one strike, and might give us grandchildren, too.”

Great. Dad the jokester, with terrific timing as usual. Maria rolled her eyes, noticing that Eddie just smiled. Obviously he was over the acute embarrassment this joke had caused him at twelve. “Very funny, Dad. Hilarious. I can’t stop laughing.”

Dad chuckled. “Ah, well. Can’t blame a man for trying. But what’s done is done. Eddie’s taking over.”

Her mind was blazing with thought. There had to be a way to stop this from happening. Some way. “Done? Is the sale official yet?”

“Not yet. There’s no hurry. Eddie’s already working for us—we’ll get the details settled soon. There’s an avalanche of paperwork to go through first.”

“So the sale is not final yet?”

Dad glanced at Eddie. “Well, no, if you mean the legal aspects, nothing’s final yet…”

“Good.” She took a deep breath, as if preparing to dive into the deep end. Yes. It was the only way.

“Why is that good, Maria?”

Eddie had asked the question, sounding rather suspicious, but Maria stared at her parents as she answered. “Because I’m going to show you that there’s no need to sell to Eddie. I’m going to show you that I can give the company soul.”

Her father sighed. “Just how do you intend to do that?”

Maria got the notepad and pencil from beside the telephone and plopped back down into her seat. Her feet weren’t altogether certain they wanted to carry her through this. “Watch me. What’s the name of your top private instructor?”

“Maria?” Her mother was staring at her, looking almost frightened. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m going to do it,” Maria said through gritted teeth. “If that’s what it takes to prove to you I can give Intrepid Adventurers a soul, I’ll go through all the extreme sports. Skydiving, rafting, bungee-jumping, hang gliding—whatever. I’ll do it all.”

There was stunned silence in the room.

“Maria…?” The voice was Eddie’s. It came to her dimly, through a fog of panic.

Had she just announced she was going to jump out of an airplane and bounce down a river in a kayak?

She, who had the reputation as the family chicken?

The person who didn’t tolerate even the baby roller coasters?

What was worse: an inner feeling told her she’d meant it. She was really going to do this.

“Maria?” Eddie repeated. His voice held the horror she was feeling inside. “You, rafting? Skydiving?” He laughed. “You don’t really mean that, do you?”

No, that would throw a wrench in the works, wouldn’t it? Stop him from getting his hands on Intrepid Adventurers? From practically stealing her parents? She straightened from her slouch, even more determined now. A woman’s gotta do what a woman’s gotta do. “If that’s what it takes to keep my grandfather’s company, that’s what I’ll do,” she growled at all three of them. “Give me one month. One month, and I’ll show you.”

“Maria!”

She didn’t allow her mother to get a word in. It was time to change the subject. She stood. “Now, I assume there is a birthday cake somewhere in the caverns of that fridge? Let’s go get it.”

Eddie had intended to make his getaway as soon as he politely could, as there was a dire need to regroup and replan, but Maria beat him to it. She shoveled their birthday cake down, kissed her parents and waltzed out the door with nothing more than an arctic “Bye” tossed in his general direction.

The house fell silent when the front door closed after her. Eddie stared at Harlan and Kara, not quite sure what was going on.

They had an agreement. He was already fully involved in the activities at Intrepid Adventurers—he’d started structuring his life around the future they’d been mapping out.

Now what?

Not that he couldn’t see Maria’s point. It had never occurred to him that she’d be remotely interested in running Intrepid Adventurers herself, but he hadn’t imagined her parents had failed to even mention the sale to her before, or her father’s health warnings.

But then he had the feeling Maria and her parents had been traveling separate paths for quite a while.

He cleared his throat. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but…”

Harlan waved a hand. “I know, I know. Don’t worry about it.”

“I know the lawyers aren’t done with everything, but—”

“I know, son. Don’t worry. Intrepid Adventurers is all yours. That won’t change.”

Yup. He’d definitely missed something. “Harlan, you just told Maria she could keep the company if she went through all the stunts we offer.”

Harlan grinned, the expression reminding him of Maria in her more mischievous moods. “Did I, now?”

Eddie shook his head. “What are you talking about? That’s what it sounded like to me.”

Harlan held up a finger, looking smug. “The fine print, Eddie, the fine print. That’s a very important business lesson: always read the fine print.”

“What fine print?”

“What I told her was that the company needed to be run by adventurers and she isn’t one. She said she was going to prove it to us.” He shrugged, expressing case closed. “I didn’t say she’d get the company.”

“You let her assume that!”

“Exactly. No harm in that. She’s not getting the company, though. That can’t happen. Can you imagine Intrepid Adventurers led by someone who hates everything we do?” Harlan shook his head. “She won’t go through with this. She isn’t an adventurer at heart, and it’s not something you can fake.”

Eddie groaned. “Harlan, by now you really should know how stubborn and determined your daughter is.”

Harlan snorted. “Well—can you seriously see Maria bungee-jumping?”

He thought for a moment, picturing Maria’s pale face that long-ago day she’d finally confessed that she hated adventures, and nodded. Maria had intended to kayak out there that day. She would have, if he hadn’t bailed her out. She’d gone through everything her parents threw at her for years and years and hadn’t complained, probably because she wanted to prove herself to them. “Yes. If it’s for a cause she believes in, she’ll do it.”

“Sure. Maybe one easy stunt or two. But she’ll never go through our entire repertoire. I mean—hang gliding? Skydiving? Maria? And all in one month?” Harlan shook his head. “No. She won’t do it.”

They had a point. He wasn’t sure he’d feel up to going through Intrepid Adventurers’ entire list of offerings all in one month.

“Don’t worry, Eddie.” Kara patted his arm. “Maria will come around. You’ll get the company—she’ll realize she doesn’t want it. It’s much better this way.”

Eddie stared at them both with exasperation. “Just how is deceiving your daughter into scaring herself half to death—for nothing—the better way?”

The couple looked at each other as if exchanging telepathic messages. “This is the least painful way,” Kara explained.

Eddie blinked at them in disbelief. “The least painful way? For whom?” It certainly wouldn’t be the easiest one for Maria.

“Maria is a wonderful girl,” Harlan said, his eyes now blazing as if Eddie had been the one to insult his daughter. “She’s lovely and smart and talented—we’re very proud of her.”

Eddie wondered if they’d ever actually told her that. He doubted it. Not that they were bad parents. It had probably just never occurred to them that Maria needed their reassurance.

“But she does not have the soul of an adventurer,” Harlan continued. “You do. And you’re almost a son to us. We want you to carry on the torch.” He sighed theatrically. “In Maria’s hand it would just flicker and die.”

Eddie wasn’t sure, but he thought Harlan might have just gone all poetic on him.

Just what he needed.

He fell into a chair and decided to stop talking for a while. It wasn’t getting him anywhere.

He needed to think. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all. He rubbed his temples, wondering if it was too late to flee the state and start his adventuring business somewhere far away from here.

No. He couldn’t do that. There were Jenny and Samuel to consider. He couldn’t leave. He was stuck.

He took a deep breath, firmly pushing back the sudden claustrophobia that thought brought on. It had been his choice to come back. His choice to be there for Jenny and Samuel.

But for the first time in his life, he wasn’t free to do whatever he wanted, go wherever he wanted. He needed to be right here, right now.

He needed Intrepid Adventurers. He needed the deal to stick.

He needed Maria to get out of his way.

“Don’t you see, Eddie?” Kara said. “This is the easiest way. She’ll realize what she’d be getting into.” She smiled. It seemed the pair of them were quite happy with their little scheme. “This way, she’ll be begging you to take over the company, instead of resenting all of us.”

They did have a point, convoluted though it was. Why would Maria want to run an adventuring business when she’d turned her back on all such activities a long time ago?

He had a feeling he knew why.

The sudden fury in her gaze as she’d realized he’d be taking over had been an ever so subtle clue.

She didn’t want him to take over.

Periodically he’d had the feeling she resented the attention her parents gave him—envied him—although in between she hadn’t seemed to mind, and even welcomed it as it took the pressure off her.

But this was her heritage—and they were selling it to him without even mentioning it to their daughter first.

He had a feeling Maria would not have objected so strongly if he’d been a stranger. In fact, she might not have objected at all.

Eddie crossed his arms on his chest and scowled at the pair of them. “There’s no guarantee she’ll back out. What if she doesn’t? What do we do then?”

Harlan shrugged. “I’m not going to waste my time worrying about that. It won’t happen.”

Eddie drove back to his makeshift office feeling disgruntled. His irritation had shifted from Harlan to Maria. What was she thinking, anyway? Quite apart from the inconvenience her little tantrum was causing him, she couldn’t possibly think she was cut out to run Intrepid Adventurers.

Nothing was ever easy.

He’d come home with clear intentions: to do the best he could for his sister and her son—the godson he’d seen far too little of. It hadn’t been an easy decision, but after Samuel’s diagnosis, and the untold stories he could hear in Jenny’s lost voice after her husband left them, he’d made up his mind. He’d go home. He’d be there for them while they needed him.

And as a compromise he’d start his own adventuring company at last. He’d keep his connections to the industry—he’d still be involved.

But preliminary market research had been depressing. Intrepid Adventurers was established, successful. There simply wasn’t room for another adventuring business in the area. Not unless he was willing to actually wage war on Intrepid Adventurers.

Although he thought he might have an edge with the newer technology and a younger generation, he did not want to directly compete with his old friends—if he was successful, he might drive them out of business.

It had been an agonizing dilemma. The offer to buy the company had been a godsend he’d been quick to accept. It would solve his problems—and theirs. They’d get the company taken off their hands by someone they knew and trusted—he’d be running his own company, and be in proximity to Jenny and Samuel.

He scowled and slapped the steering wheel with his palm as he twisted in his seat to back into his usual parking space. Now what? He’d never imagined Maria of all people would object to his takeover.

The tiny office he and his partner had rented temporarily while they prepared for business was cluttered as always. Adam was still there, at the computer—as usual—two screens, two keyboards, and a whole lot of hardware scattered haphazardly over all surfaces. They were working on creating an interactive interface for their future customers, enabling them to put together their dream excursions. The plan was to bring Intrepid Adventurers into the twenty-first century.

Adventure at the click of a mouse.

The torn old sofa the previous tenant had left behind had scattered computer parts all over it. Eddie had never understood why programming had to involve ripping out the computer’s innards—but apparently that was Adam’s way.

“Problem,” he announced, pushing the junk away and flinging himself onto the tiny sofa. He winced, and dragged something from under his thigh. He waved a motherboard at his partner. “Is it on purpose that all this junk has sharp edges?”

“Sorry,” Adam said absently, reaching for the part and examining it for damage. “What’s the problem?”

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