Critical Affair
Out of a heavy fog, a private plane smashes through the window of the Grand Hotel. Jennifer Winn's fiance and her best friend are rushed to the E.R. The bride herself isn't hurt, but a few hours later the groom is dead….While Jennifer Winn's husband-to-be is in the E.R., she learns he's been cheating on her. Psychiatrist Michael Temple is there to console her. Five years ago Jennifer fell for Michael, not realizing he was married. She isn't about to make that mistake again, even though neither can deny the electrifying attraction. But then Jennifer's fiance is found dead in his hospital bed, and Jennifer and Michael must work together to uncover the truth–because they have become the prime suspects in his murder.
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Staff memo
From: Liz Otley, KSEA news director
To: All newsroom personnel
As you are aware, the incident at the Grand Hotel ballroom on Saturday afternoon involved our station meteorologist, Jennifer Winn, and her fiancé, Russell Sprague. A small aircraft crashed into the ballroom, killing the pilot and injuring Russell and a female friend. Jennifer was unharmed.
I have just learned that Russell died last night and the death is being treated as suspicious.
Although it is our duty to keep our viewers fully and accurately informed to the best of our ability, I am requesting at this point that all news reports on this story avoid mention of the connection between the victim and Jennifer. Obviously we will not be able to hold back this info indefinitely, nor would we want to as Courage Bayâs premier television news station. However, by doing this, we can buy Jennifer a little time to cope with the shock of the situation.
Jennifer has been assessed by Dr. Michael Temple, a clinical psychiatrist on the staff at Courage Bay Hospital. When she returns to work, we will offer her our support and sympathy, but until further notice, KSEA will not reveal Jenniferâs relationship to the late Russell Sprague.
About the Author
M.J. RODGERS
is a firm believer that whatever we put out into the world is what we receive back. Thatâs why she chooses to write romances. Stories filled with the heartwarming magic of love are, in her opinion, the best kind of messages to both send and receive.
In summer, she and her family wake up to the sound of eagles in a sunlit ocean inlet of Washington State. When winter comes, they travel to southern Nevada, where they enjoy the warm crimson sunsets of the desert mesa.
Dear Reader,
Iâm honored to be a writer on the CODE RED series. We live in a culture that is so quick to idolize actors and sports figures that sometimes we forget the real heroes and heroines living among us. The medical, police and fire personnel who respond to our emergency calls are men and women who have dedicated their lives to helping others. To my mind, there is no better definition of heroes and heroines.
In this CODE RED story, a new kind of medical professional makes his debut. Michael Temple is a psychiatrist at Courage Bay Hospital. When emergency psychiatric problems arise, heâs the one called in to defuse life-threatening situations. After a decade on the job, Michael is a seasoned professional, confident heâs prepared for any challenge.
That is until his summons to the E.R. for an emergency psychological evaluation brings him face-to-face with Jennifer, the woman he lost his heart to five years before.
I hope you enjoy Michael and Jenniferâs story.
Warmest wishes,
M.J. Rodgers
This book is for Margaret Learn,
an exceptionally gifted editor with a warm and generous heart.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER ONE
IT WAS COMING BACK.
Jennifer Winn watched the gigantic black cloud gather momentum as it rolled off the Pacific Ocean, swallowed the sandy shore, the rocky bluff and every last ray of evening light. When its thick saliva began to coat the windowpanes of the Grand Hotel, she took an involuntary step back.
Storms, floods, droughtsâthese Jennifer took in her stride as Courage Bayâs resident meteorologist. But this insidious fog, which robbed her of sight, upset her on a deep visceral level she could not explain.
âIsnât it perfect?â Russell asked from behind her.
Jennifer spun away from the blackened windows to face her fiancéâs bright smile. Sheâd been so caught up in thoughts of the fog that it took a moment for her to realize he was talking about the ballroom.
Her eyes swept over the expansive space with its twenty-two-foot ceilings, sparkling chandeliers and shiny marble floors. Waiters in pristine attire prepared place settings of crystal and fine china on tables covered in white linen. According to the hallway banner, tonight the room would be filled with a prestigious law schoolâs alumni celebrating their twenty-year reunion.
âVery nice,â she said, âbut big.â
âDonât worry about filling the tables,â Russell said. âMy invitation list alone will do that.â
âYours will have to. Mine has no more than a dozen names.â She hadnât meant the comment to come out with sadness, but it seemed to.
Russell clasped her hand, rubbed the large diamond on her finger. âJen, you deserve a big, beautiful wedding, and Iâm going to see that you get one.â
He would, too. Russell was the cliché of every womanâs fantasyâhandsome, charming and more than ready to commit. From the moment theyâd met the year before, heâd done everything he could to sweep her off her feet.
By all rights this should be the most exciting time of her life.
âI gave the hotel manager the deposit,â Gina called as she came into the hotelâs ballroom from the adjacent hall.
