Code Name: Nanny (SEAL and Code Name #5)(106)

“Buy me some lingerie? Hack into the national airline database and find the missing bag?”

“I could try.”

“That was a joke, Izzy. I’ll be fine. I may simply head for the nearest store and shop till I drop.”

“Then you’d better pick someplace close, with that storm front rolling in. There’s a nice place about six miles away, I see. You want driving instructions?”

“Is there anything you don’t know?”

“Nothing of any value,” Izzy said calmly.

Silence fell. Summer watched two sleepy boys in cowboy boots and miniature Stetsons cross the lobby with their father, a tall cowboy who was waving at a woman with snow dusting her hair.

So the storm was already here.

Izzy cleared his throat. “I’ll tell Gabe I spoke to you.”

Summer gripped the cell phone tightly. “There’s no need. He’s too busy to be interested in me.” She ignored the burning pressure at her throat. “I have to run, Izzy. It’s starting to snow and I don’t want to be stranded.”

“Sure. Drive carefully. I’ll tell Gabe you said hi.”

The phone went dead.

Summer took a hard breath. No more remembering. Gabe had moved on, and so would she. She was halfway to the front doors when she heard her name called.

“Ms. Mulcahey?” It was the woman from the rental car desk.

“Yes.”

“I’m afraid I forgot something.” The woman held out a long box. “This came tonight and was to be held for your arrival.”

Frowning, Summer took the box and opened the cardboard lid. Inside a single red rose nestled on white paper. “For me?”

“Yes, ma’am. It was prepaid. Somebody knows how to be very romantic.”

Probably Izzy, Summer thought. Trying to cheer her up. The man was unbelievable. “Did he leave his name?”

“I’m afraid not.” The attendant glanced out at the white flakes dancing over the entrance road. “Enjoy your rose. And drive carefully. It’s getting pretty nasty out there.”



One hour and two aspirins later, Summer stood in one of Laramie, Wyoming’s, few dress shops. A long red dress and a lacy bra lay on the bench beside her as she stared in the long mirror. Her current selection, a dress of blue silk with a clinging skirt and a beaded hem, was nice. Either this dress or the red one would be perfect for Cara’s wedding—except that Summer wasn’t in the mood for a wedding.

They said when you fell off a horse, the best medicine was to climb right back on. Maybe she should check out the unmarried men and find a nice tall cowboy to carry her off into the Wyoming night.

Except there would probably be six-foot snowdrifts by this time tomorrow, and even if there weren’t, Summer couldn’t summon any enthusiasm for snuggling up with a stranger, no matter how handsome.

She unzipped the dress and pulled it over her head, wincing as the silk caught in her hair. Pain stabbed down her forehead from half a dozen beads tangled in her hair.

Just great. A predawn departure, two delayed flights, and a food quota of four bags of salted peanuts. Life just wasn’t fair.

Cool air brushed against her legs.

She turned around slowly. “Is someone there?”

There was no answer.

“Hello?”

The dressing room curtain rustled behind her. “Why don’t I help you with that?”

Summer’s heart skipped against her chest like a small, frightened animal.

Gabe.

She took a step backward and banged hard into the wall, the dress still stuck over her head.

“Stop before you hurt yourself.”

As if he cared. “I don’t need your help. Just g-go. What are you doing here anyway? You’re supposed to be somewhere working.”

Summer couldn’t seem to breathe. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. She was supposed to be cool and aloof, so beautiful that she broke his heart. Not caught like an idiot with her dress tangled around her and tears on her cheeks.

“I lied,” he said.

“G-go away.”

“I can’t. You break my heart,” Gabe said quietly, bending to untangle the beads from her hair.

Summer peered through a gap in the silk. He looked good, she thought. No, he looked fabulous, lean and dangerous in a black turtleneck and a black leather jacket.

She forced down an instinct to touch his cheek, to comb back an unruly strand of dark hair. Did the man think he could wander back into her life after months of silence, as if the awful scene in San Diego hadn’t happened?

“Fine, Morgan. One night. Decent sex and nothing else. That’s all I’m interested in.” He’d never expect this answer from her, Summer thought grimly.

He stared as if he hadn’t heard her correctly. “You want sex?”

“Yeah, you know sex. That thing two people do when they get naked and make hot, panting sounds. You’ve got one night. And in the morning, you take a hike.”

“I know what sex is, damn it, but you’re out of luck.”

“In that case, good-bye, adios, sayonara.” Summer shoved the dress down, wincing as another clump of hair pulled free, along with three crystal beads.

Cursing, Gabe yanked her into his arms. “Okay, it’s a deal. But it will be one night of incredible sex. Decent won’t even come close.”