The Look-Alike Bride (Crimson Romance) Read Free Page B

faint voice.
    Now he knew something was up. Normally, Zara would have instantly claimed she was going his way. He’d have needed a shoehorn to shift her from his side.
    Adam knew better than to test his luck. He swiftly turned on his heels and vanished the way he had come. A little farther down the trail, he turned off and stepped silently behind a thick tangle of wild grape vines.
    After waiting a good five minutes, he was even more baffled than ever. No tall, silver-blond bombshell glided down the path in his wake.
    Weird
, Adam thought. It was almost as if Zara had forgotten who he was. Perhaps that was it. Maybe she had been injured in the line of duty and suffered temporary amnesia.
    Adam emerged from hiding and followed the path back to the cabin, thinking intently. Something strange was going on, and for the first time in his short acquaintance with Zara Daniel, he discovered himself interested in finding out more about her.
    Considering the way she usually tried to attract his attention and failed, that was probably the ultimate irony.
    • • •
    Leonie waited until the man disappeared back the way he had come before letting out her breath in an explosive gasp. “Wow. Well, what do you think? This is why I named you Butch, by the way.”
    Butch, who had no argument with his new name, remained at attention, peering down the forest path.
    “That’s got to be Adam Silverthorne.”
    Butch glanced back at her then resumed his guardianship of the path.
    “I don’t think he’ll be coming back this way for a while. We’d better make tracks while we still can.”
    She could see why Zara fell for the man. He was a good six-feet-three-inches tall, lean and well-muscled, with thick, dark hair and a rugged face highlighted by straight, dark brows and arresting green eyes. Adam Silverthorne wasn’t classically handsome, but he was definitely all male, something Zara was bound to appreciate.
    In fact, now that Leonie thought about it, Adam’s movements were similar to Zara’s, as if he’d spent long hours learning stealth and hand-to-hand combat techniques the way she had. That was probably why Zara was so attracted to him. Adam was the male counterpart of herself, a well-honed, covert agent for the United States Government.
    Well, Leonie Daniel didn’t appreciate covert agents or their crazy schedules, and she knew better than to think she’d like being involved with a man who could be ordered at any moment into a dangerous country to do whatever terrible deed the government deemed necessary. Adam Silverthorne had nothing to fear from her. All she wanted was to get back to her own business.
    Leonie burst from the woods and headed for the cabin, chuckling. If she didn’t know better, she’d have sworn Adam Silverthorne was scared of Zara. She couldn’t blame him. Her sister could be awfully determined, and she nearly always got what she wanted.
    Still, Adam didn’t impress her as a pushover. If he didn’t want Zara, she had no doubt he’d make it known.
    Maybe he disliked hurting women.
    On top of that, he looked and sounded like a man who appreciated a good dog.
    Leonie decided Adam was probably a very nice man, one she’d love to get to know better. But alas, he was like all the other men she met. Once a man belonged to Zara, he was Zara’s. He’d never want plain Leonie Daniel, the younger sister who enjoyed her quiet life and ordinary job and disliked the idea of too much excitement and danger.
    Besides, Leonie wouldn’t dream of going after the only man she’d ever seen Zara really interested in. She focused on that thought and refused to allow herself to daydream of what would happen if a man like Adam ever fell in love with her instead of Zara. It would never happen, so why torture herself?
    Leonie let herself into the cabin, relieved that she wasn’t followed, and reached for the telephone book. Perhaps she could call around and locate some crafts courses. Anything to create a vacation to remember