Amanda Stevens - A man of secrets

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A Man Of Secrets
A man of secrets [130-4.8]
By: Amanda Stevens
Synopsis:
ALL SHE WANTED FOR CHRISTMAS...
WAS THE TRUTH
Natalie Silver couldn't understand why FBI agent Spencer Bishop was
helping her out.
But when her ex-husband--Spencer's brother--was found dead in Natalie's
shop, she found herself needing the secretive and seductive
Spencer as much as she had once loved him.
The more time Spencer spent with her, and the more clues he unravelled,
the closer he came to her own secret. His brother had wanted to take
her six-year-old son from her. Would Spencer feel the same way... if
he learned her son was also his?
LAWMAN There's nothing sexier than the strong arms of the law!
Silhouette BOOKS
Spencer Bishop was the last person on earth she'd expected or wanted
to see... In the years since she'd seen him, Natalie had managed to
forget--or at least she told herself she had--how tall he was, how
broad his shoulders were.
How masculine he seemed. His green eyes looked darker and deeper than
she remembered, almost sinister as he held her gaze without wavering.
Bishop eyes. Like his brother's. Her ex~ husband
She gazed up at him, the very sight of him--the memories of him--making
her tremble. I didn't do it," she Whispered. I didn't kill Anthony."
He didn't say anything. You think I killed him," she whispered. Just
like the police do." The irony of the situation was devastating.
Natalie didn't know which was worse. Being suspected of a murder she
hadn't committed, or facing the steely eyes of the man she'd once
loved.
Dear Reader,
They're rugged, they're strong and they're wanted! Whether sheriff,
undercover cop or officer of the court, these men are trained to keep
the peace, to uphold the law. But what happens when they meet the one
woman who gets to know the man behind the badge?
These men are on the loose ... and only Silhouette Intrigue brings them
to you--one per month in the LAWMAN series. This month meet Spencer
Bishop, an FBI man who's accustomed to finding out the truth.
He's about to learn one truth that he's not quite ready to handle... We
hope you haven't missed a single LAWMAN ... because there's nothing
sexier than the strong arms of the law!
The Editors
Page 1
A Man Of Secrets
A Man of Secrets
SILHOUETTE Intrigue TM
DID YOU PURCHASE THIS BOOK WITHOUT A COVER?
If you did, you should be aware it is stolen property as it was
reported unsold and destroyed by a retailer. Neither the author nor
the publisher has received any payment for this book.
All the characters in this book have no existence outside the
imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone
bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired
by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents
are pure invention.
All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in
part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with
Harlequin Enterprises H B.V. The text of this publication or any part
thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the
written permission of the publisher.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of
trade or otherwise, be. lent, resold, hired out or otherwise
circulated without the prior consent of the publisher in any form of
binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a
similar condition including this condition being imposed on the
subsequent purchaser.
Silhouette and Colophon are registered trademarks" of Harlequin Books
S.A." used under licence.
First published in Great Britain 1997
Silhouette Books, Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey
TW9 I SR
Marilyn Medlock Amann 1996
ISBN 0 373 22397 8
46-9712
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Mackays of Chatham PLC, Chatham
for my mother, with love.
Chapter One
He was up to something. Natalie Silver twirled her glasses in one hand
as she tracked her ex-husband's slow progress through her shop on
San Antonio's famed Riverwalk. His presence seemed incongruous in the
cheery warmth of Silver Bells, her potpourri-scented Christmas
boutique.
Christmas music played softly in the background, and tiny white lights,
trimming doorways and windows, glowed with subtle magic. But Anthony's
presence reminded Natalie of darker times. Unpleasant times.
Page 2
A Man Of Secrets
He picked up an Austrian-crystal snowflake and held it to the light,
then laid it aside to admire a hand-carved wooden Christmas tree,
meticulously detailed, done by a famous German craftsman. He left the
tree and sauntered toward the Belgian angels.
"What exactly are you looking for?" Natalie finally asked.
Anthony looked up and gave her a cool smile. "I'll know it when I see
it." As he lifted his left hand to remove one of the angels from the
shelf, the glint of sunlight flashing off his gold watch attracted
Natalie's gaze. He wasn't wearing his wedding ring, she noted, feeling
more wary by the moment.
He'd been married to his current wife for six years--ever since he and
Natalie had divorced--and the sudden absence of his wedding band seemed
ominous to her somehow.
"Maybe if you told me who the gift is for, I could help you find
something," she suggested. Not that she had any particular desire to
be helpful to Anthony--or to any of the Bishops, for that matter--but
the sooner he found what he was looking for, the sooner he would
depart.
Of course, that notion wasn't exactly consoling since when he left, he
would be taking her son with him for the evening. That alone was
enough to fill Natalie with trepidation, but this new attitude of
Anthony's... this new congeniality... He was up to something, all
right. Natalie hadn't yet figured out what, but she was very much
afraid it had something to do with her son. In the six years since
their divorce, Anthony had shown no interest whatsoever in Kyle, had
done nothing more than have his secretary send the occasional birthday
or Christmas card, along with an obligatory, impersonal check.
Even Irene, Kyle's grandmother, had kept her distance, and Natalie had
begun to hope the Bishops were out of her life for good.
But a month ago, out of the blue, Anthony had called her to say he
wanted to start spending time with Kyle on a regular basis. Since
Anthony had legal visitation rights and he'd always paid his child
support on time, there was nothing Natalie could do to prevent him from
seeing her son--no matter how much she might wish to.
And besides, she knew Kyle was curious about Anthony.
About all the Bishops. Because he was one.
"The gift is for the mother of one of my clients," Anthony explained.
"She's very old and her son's been away for quite some time. I want to
send her something that will help brighten her holidays." Natalie
slipped on her glasses and scrutinized him again.
He looked the same--impeccably dressed in a dark, double-breasted suit,
black hair combed straight back from a high forehead winged with heavy
eyebrows, green eyes fringed with thick lashes, and a wide, generous
mouth that could look either sensuous or cruel, depending on his
mood.
Natalie had had the misfortune to witness both those moods on occasion,
but this new persona--showing fatherly interest, concern for a client's
elderly mother--was a side of Anthony she hadn't seen since he had
caught her on the rebound and swept her off her feet nearly seven years
ago in a whirlwind courtship that had left her breathless; and almost
immediately filled with regrets.
Page 3
A Man Of Secrets
Her ex-husband was a master of deception. He could fool most of the
people most of the time, but he would never again dupe Natalie. She'd
been taken in once by his lies, by his impersonation of a caring man,
but she would never believe him again. Natalie knew too well what
Anthony Bishop was capable of. She walked around the counter and faced
him. "Why don't you tell me what you really want?"
He gave her an innocent look. "I don't know what you mean." .
"You know exactly what I mean. Why this sudden interest in Kyle?"
The dark eyebrows slowly rose. Tm him father. Or had you forgotten
the details of his parentage?"
"I'm not likely to forget anything concerning my relationship with
you," she said bitterly. "But I can't help wondering why, after all
these years, you suddenly want to be a part of my son's life." "He's a
Bishop." Natalie's lips tightened but she said nothing.
Sunlight silvered the gray at Anthony's temples as he turned to study
her. "Like it or not, Natalie, the boy's my heir. I have certain
legal and moral responsibilities toward him, which I intend to start
exercising. You may as well get used to it. In fact, I'd like for him
to spend the Christmas holidays with me at Fair Winds." Over my dead
body. Images of her first and only Christmas at the Bishop mansion
raced through Natalie's mind. She'd been a new bride--shy, insecure,
and still heartbroken from a love affair gone bad. Her marriage to
Anthony, who was fifteen years older than she, had been an act of
haste, an impulsive, desperate decision that she had, even then, begun
to regret.
But after that week at Fair Winds, the full weight of what she had done
hit her. Anthony's cruelty--no longer masked by a warm, caring
facade--his mother's coldness and his sister's bitter resentment of
Natalie had made the holiday season almost unbearable for her that
year.
And through it all, the conspicuous absence of Anthony's younger
brother, Spencer, the Bishop Natalie had come to hate the most, had
been a constant reminder of how stupid she'd been. How gullible.
She rubbed her temples now, trying to rid herself of the dark visions
dancing in her head. "There is no way I'll let Kyle spend Christmas at
Fair Winds." "Are you sure about that?" Anthony wasn't looking at
her, but was gazing instead at the pine armoire in which she kept the
more expensive antiques and rare collectibles.
He glanced over his shoulder. "Supposing you don't have a choice in
the matter?" A dark premonition slipped over Natalie. She shivered in
spite of the seventy-degree weather San Antonio was enjoying.
"What do you mean?" "I mean, why don't you let the boy decide? Ask
him where he wants to spend Christmas. Or ... are you afraid of his
answer?" Anthony's taunt sent a spasm of anger shooting through
Natalie, but it wasn't quite enough to dispel the fear that had
suddenly seized her. She'd been nineteen when she'd first seen the
Bishop mansion. Her own impression had been one of starkness, of a
cold, sterile mausoleum completely lacking in warmth or love. But Kyle
was only SIX years old. He could easily be swayed by the ostentatious
grandeur of Fair Winds; and even more persuasive was his own sense of
adventure.
Page 4
A Man Of Secrets
The thought of not having Kyle with her for Christmas filled Natalie
with the kind of aching loneliness she hadn't known in years. Her son
meant everything to her.
"Kyle will be with me for Christmas," she said firmly. "And that's
final. You may see him the day before or the day after, as per the
custody agreement, but on Christmas Day, he will be with me." Anthony
looked on the verge of arguing with her.
Then, for some reason Natalie could only guess at, he merely smiled and
inclined his head. "Whatever you say, Natalie. In the meantime, I
think I've found what I'm looking for." His green eyes swept her in a
manner so proprietary, so intimate, Natalie felt herself blushing.
Slowly, his gaze left her face to travel downward and linger where the
neck of her dark red cotton sweater dipped demurely, and downward
still, tracing the lines of her short pleated skirt and the black
opaque stockings encasing her legs.
When his eyes moved back up to meet her defiant gaze, Natalie felt as
if she'd just been undressed-- against her will. It wasn't a pleasant
sensation.
"I'd like to have a closer look." The deep, seductive quality of his
voice startled her. "What?" He motioned toward a piece in the
armoire, but his eyes told her he meant something else. "I'm
interested in the music box. The one with Saint Nick on top." Leave
it to Anthony to zero in on the piece de resistance of her collection,
the one item Natalie had been hoping to keep for herself.
"It's an ltienne," she explained, brushing past him to remove the
delicate porcelain music box from the shelf. "An exact replica of the
ones made in Paris before the war and used by the underground during
the occupation to smuggle messages back and forth." She touched a
spring, cleverly concealed by the intricate design of the piece, and a
hidden compartment popped out. She gave him an ironic glance. "I
remember how much you love secrets." He grinned. "And how much you
hate the em." With good reason, she thought. During their short
marriage, Anthony had kept a lot of things from her, but the worst had
been his affair with Natalie's best friend, the woman who was now
Mrs.
Anthony Bishop.
Anthony removed the music box from Natalie's hands. "How much is
it?"
She named a figure that was twice as much as she'd planned to ask, but
she knew her ex-husband could afford it.
He whistled, studying the music box at length. "I had no idea you
could command that kind of price for a Christmas ornament." "Only from
my most discriminating customers," Natalie said dryly.
Both dark eyebrows rose at that. "Well, that's a challenge I can
hardly refuse, now, isn't it? I presume that price includes gift
wrapping?" "Of course." "And delivery?" "Within the continental
United States,"-" Natalie said.
"Shall I wrap it up for you?" "Why not?" Anthony fished in the inside
pocket of his coat and handed her a piece of paper. "Here's the
address I want you to send it to. It's here in San Antonio, so I'd
like for you to make arrangements to have it delivered today." Natalie
glanced up. "That'll cost extra. I'll have to hire a special
Page 5
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