From the desk of Emerald Larson, owner and CEO of Emerald, Inc.
To: My personal assistant, Luther Freemont
Re: My grandson, Hunter OâBanyon
My grandson, Hunter, has arrived in Devilâs Fork, Texas, to take over running the Life Med Evac Helicopter Service. Iâm sure heâll be less than pleased when he learns that his flight nurse is a single mother-to-be, who has no intention of grounding herself until just before she gives birth. However if our sources are reliableâand I have no doubt they areâhe should not only come to terms with his past, but heâll find his future, as well. That said, I expect you to assist him in whatever way he deems necessary to bring about a complete and satisfactory conclusion to his current dilemma.
As always, I am relying on your complete discretion in this matter.
Emerald Larson
Silhouette Desire is proud to present an exciting new miniseries from
KATHIE DENOSKY
The Illegitimate Heirs
ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN ENEMIES
REUNION OF REVENGE
BETROTHED FOR THE BABY
When Hunter OâBanyon glanced over at the pretty little blonde heâd met only moments ago, adrenaline began to pump through his veins. Her porcelain cheeks were flushed with a mixture of heat and excitement, and he could tell from the sparkle of urgency in her violet eyes that he was in for one hell of a ride.
âI hope you donât mind, but this is going to have to be faster than Iâd planned,â she said, sounding a little breathless.
Grinning, he nodded. âBring it on. I can take it as fast as you want to go.â
âI like the way you think.â Her smile caused his heart to race like a twelve-stroke engine hitting on all cylinders. âHang on, big guy. This might get a little wild.â
Hunter took a deep breath and braced himself. âBurn it, darlinâ.â
At the same time as she pushed the gas pedal all the way to the floor, she reached out to flip a switch on the dash. Lights and the keening wail of a siren competed with the sound of spinning tires kicking up a huge cloud of gravel and southwest Texas dust as the pickup truck careened away from the tarmac at Devilâs Fork Community Airfield.
When Hunter had discovered there was no commercial air service to the little town, heâd wondered why the pilot of the Cessna Skyhawk heâd chartered to fly him to Devilâs Fork from El Paso had laughed like a hyena when Hunter had called it an airport. Now he knew why. The entire thing consisted of an asphalt landing strip that heâd bet barely met FAA standards, a storage shed that leaned precariously to one side and a wooden pole with a tattered wind sock attached to the top just above the United States and Texas flags. As far as he could tell, there werenât even any lights for landing at night. He could only hope the Life Medevac operation looked better.
âBy the way, Iâm Callie Marshall, the flight nurse on the Evac II team,â the blonde said conversationally.
Nice name for a nice-looking woman, he thought as they approached the edge of town. âIâm Hunter OâBanyon.â
âThank God.â She grinned. âWhen my pager went off, I didnât give you time to introduce yourself, and it suddenly occurred to me that you might not be the man I was supposed to meet.â
His heart stalled and he had to clear his suddenly dry throat. When she smiled, Callie Marshall wasnât just pretty, she was drop-dead gorgeous.
âWhat were the chances of anyone else flying into Devilâs Fork?â he asked when he finally got his vocal cords to work.
Her delightful laughter was one of the nicest sounds heâd heard in a long time. âGood point,â she said, nodding. âI think youâre the first person Iâve heard of flying into Devilâs Fork since I arrived two months ago.â
âSomehow that doesnât surprise me.â He tightened his safety harness when she turned a corner, seemingly on two wheels. âDid you arrive by plane?â
âNo way.â She shook her head, causing her ponytail to sway back and forth. âI drove over from Houston. I wasnât about to take one of those puddle-jumper flights in here.â