Jane Blythe – USA Today Bestselling Author

Author: Jane Blythe

  • Week 238 – Is he hiding from someone?

    What was he thinking?

    No way he should have hired Zara Wentworth as his housekeeper. The woman was stunning, long silky black hair hung to her waist, large brown eyes framed by the longest lashes he’d ever seen, and soft white skin that would tempt any man.

    This had bad idea written all over it.

    He was a dangerous man, one not fit to be around, yes the estate was a lot to manage on his own but it wasn’t like anyone would be around to see the mess. He really only lived out of three rooms, and he could manage to keep those clean himself. He had nothing to do all day so he should be able to manage the gardens but he couldn’t face another day alone here in this huge house.

    Not that Adam would admit he was lonely.

    He watched the woman walk slowly down the driveway. There was a hesitancy about her that befitted the situation she had willingly walked into. It was too late for her to back out now, too late for him to back out as well.

    With a groan he dragged himself out of his chair and made his way through to the foyer to greet his guest.

    A woman.

    A beautiful woman.

    Staying here alone with him in the middle of nowhere.

    The woman would have been better off if she’d never answered that ad.

    The doorbell rang and he opened the door to see Zara’s wide brown eyes staring up at him. She had a ‘is he hiding from someone?’ look on her face but she pasted on a bright smile.

    “Mr. Riitner?” she said, smile still in place.

    Adam ignored her outstretched hand and gave a sharp nod. “Adam,” he said gruffly, he wasn’t used to talking to people anymore, it had been a long time since he had been in anyone’s company. “Make yourself at home, choose any bedroom you want as yours. Dinner is at seven, and there’s a list of your responsibilities on the kitchen table.”

    Having said more in the last fifteen seconds than he had in the last few years, Adam turned abruptly and fled the room as quickly as he could. Back in his study he locked the door and leaned heavily against it, unsettled by his new houseguest.

    Zara Wentworth was a beautiful woman but that was the problem.

    He broke beautiful things.

  • Week 237 – Absolutely love it

    “Wow,” Zara Wentworth said as she paid the cab driver and climbed out. She stared in awe at the enormous Tudor mansion. “Absolutely love it,” she exclaimed to herself. It was hard to believe she was going to be living here.

    She approached the large gates but checked her watch before pressing the buzzer. When she’d applied for the job of housekeeper at this remote estate she had been at a loss for what to do with her life. A four year relationship ended when she found her fiancé cheating. Since they worked together and she couldn’t stomach seeing him every day she’d quit her job. Her family hadn’t been supportive, blaming her for putting her career before her fiancé, and Zara had needed to get away from everything and everyone.

    What better way to do that than by spending the next year alone on this remote estate with no one but the owner.

    All she knew about him was that his name was Adam Rittner, he was retired military, a billionaire, and that he had told her to arrive at exactly noon.

    Zara watched the seconds tick by and when it was exactly noon she pressed the buzzer.

    Immediately he was answered, and a deep, rich voice, spoke. “Yes?”

    She shivered as the voice washed over her, making her go all delightfully tingly. Never before had a voice had such a powerful affect on her. “Its Zara Wentworth.”

    There was no reply but a moment later the gate swung open.

    Grabbing her suitcase, she rolled it along behind her and started walking down the long tree lined driveway. She hadn’t gone more than a few steps when the gate clanged closed behind her, with an almost ominous air.

    All of a sudden she wondered whether coming all the way out here to live alone with a man she had never met didn’t seem like such a great idea. She hadn’t even told her family where she was going, other than to say she needed time and space.

    Slower now she continued towards the house, she was probably just imagining the whole ominous air.

    What could possibly go wrong out here? After all the man had a sexy voice, everything was going to be fine.

    Just fine.

  • Week 236 – Was it all a dream that amazing kiss

    Finally.

    Cooper watched as Sarah’s eyelashes fluttered on her pale cheeks. She’d been out since before the ambulance arrived. Hadn’t woken up on the ride to the hospital, or since being put in a room after surgery.

    But she was alive, and that was enough to be grateful for.

    He didn’t know what the future held for them. They’d only just met, and because of him she’d been swept up into Hunt’s deadly game, but he liked her, and she’d helped save their lives, and he wanted to see if something could develop between them.

    “Hey, sleeping beauty,” he said, leaning his elbow on the bed so he could get closer to her.

    “Was it all a dream that amazing kiss?” she murmured.

    “You tell me.” Coop leaned down and whispered his lips across hers.

    “No, it wasn’t a dream.” Those sweet, tempting lips curved up into a smile. “We’re both alive, and you’re here,” she said as she opened her eyes to look up at him.

    “Haven’t left your side, darlin, except while you were in surgery, and then I waited in outside the door.” He’d refused to leave her side, given his statement while waiting for news if she was going to survive. Walt and Becca had stayed with him until Sarah was moved to her own room and they knew she was going to be okay.

    “Why does it smell like a meadow in here?” she asked, lifting her head and gasping when she saw the room.

    “You like?” he asked, a little smug as he looked at the dozens of bouquets of flowers that filled the hospital room.

    “I like. Why did you do this?” Her gaze was watery but her smile warm as she looked at him.

    “I owe you a first date and I didn’t want to wait.” Cooper pulled up the table he had set with candles and two bowls of jello. “You’re on a soft food only diet for now, so when you feel like eating we can.”

    “This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me,” Sarah said. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

    “I’ve got an idea,” he shot her a grin and then leaned in for a kiss.

    As his lips touched hers Cooper felt like he was standing at the beginning of the what was going to turn out to be the best journey of his life, falling in love with a strong, brave, sweet woman.

  • Week 235 – The shot went wide

    The shot went wide, and Sarah cursed her body’s weakness as she swayed and went down hard.

    Although she hadn’t shot Cooper’s boss she had stopped the man from stabbing him. Recovering quicker from her distraction than Hunt had, Cooper, swung a fist at his boss’ head, connecting with a crack she heard even from here, and the man dropped.

    The world started to shimmer around the edges. Kind of going sparkly.

    Could the world be sparkly?

    Maybe they were snowflakes?

    She was cold.

    Through the haze she could see Cooper tying up his boss, and then he disappeared inside the van, a moment later three of him came out.

    No.

    Not three of him.

    It was him and his partner and his partner’s girlfriend.

    “Sarah?” Cooper’s face was suddenly large in her vision, and she startled. It was like he had turned into a giant. “Hold on, darlin.”

    He touched something to her stomach and pain flared inside her so badly that she cried out and tried to move away from it.

    Strong hands held her down.

    “I’m sorry, honey, but we have to try to stop the bleeding,” Cooper told her. “An ambulance is coming, you just hold on, okay?”

    Hold on?

    Was she dying?

    The world was floaty, and she was cold, maybe she was dying.

    “Hold on, Sarah.” Cooper’s eyes latched onto hers and held them in a vice grip she couldn’t, nor did she want to, break. “I owe you a date remember? I believe I gave you a little preview of what you could expect. Did you forget, darlin? Need a reminder?”

    He leaned down and his lips feathered across hers. As darkness came crashing down around her Sarah clung to the feeling of the kiss.

  • Week 234 – She got it!

    “Sarah!” Cooper screamed as she wrapped her arms around Hunt’s neck and sent them both falling from the van.

    Her cry of pain when they landed spurred him on and he managed to wrench his hands through the ropes Sarah had managed to loosen.

    With a howl of anger at the man who he had always considered a friend, Coop threw himself out of the van.

    Sarah and Hunt were wrestling on the ground, and his boss was getting the upper hand, pinning an injured Sarah beneath him.

    Coop flew at them and slammed a fist into the side of Hunt’s head. After all the man had done to him and his friends the last couple of days it felt good to be the one inflicting pain for a chance. Although the single blow he delivered did little to soothe his raging fury.

    The blow was enough to knock Hunt sideways and Sarah shuffled away on her backside.

    His attention was fixated on his boss and he grabbed for him. Hunt was still functional and swung a fist at his head that Cooper only just managed to dodge before delivering another blow to Hunt’s stomach.

    The two of them were tousling when suddenly Sarah’s weak voice ordered, “Stop.”

    Both their attention swung to Sarah and Cooper mentally cheered when he saw she had the gun in her shaking hands, she got it! Now they had the upper hand.

    “Its over, Hunt,” he said, breathing hard. “Why are you doing this?”

    Arrows of hatred all but shot from his boss’ eyes. “You killed Kyla,” he snarled.

    Kyla?

    Cooper wracked his brain trying to think of who Kyla was. “The CI?” he asked. The only Kyla he could think of was a young informant he’d used to get a dangerous drug dealer behind bars, who had been tragically murdered when the gang found out she had snitched.

    “My daughter,” Hunt spat.

    “Daughter?” He’d had no idea the young drug addict had been his boss’ daughter. “Kyla made her own choices. She wanted to get clean, wanted to testify against her dealer. It was tragic that she died but I didn’t pressure her into doing anything she didn’t want to do.”

    “She’s dead because of you.” Hunt pulled a knife from a sheath at his waist and lunged.

    The gunshot caught both of them by surprise.

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