Hero In Disguise

“I don’t understand why you’re not married, Melissa,”

David said bluntly. “I mean, you love children, that’s obvious, and from the way the fellows at the fund-raiser were looking at you, I’d say you could attract about any man you wanted.”

“I guess that’s your answer.” She lightly tossed her head. “I haven’t found one that I wanted.”

“That picky, huh?” His grin teased her.

“Very,” she agreed. She disagreed with people who said you should compromise with life. Her faith wouldn’t let her willingly make a bad decision and throw the future away.

“What about you? There are plenty of eligible women who would be very happy to be Mrs. David Ardell.”

“But you’re not one of them,” he said lightly, as if teasing her.

LEONA KARR

A native of Colorado, the author has always been inspired by God’s magnificence and the delights in using mountain valleys, craggy cliffs and high, snow-tipped peaks as a setting for many of her books. She began writing professionally in 1980 and has enjoyed seeing more than thirty of her romance books in print. The theme of “love conquers all” is an important message in all her stories.

Even though Leona contracted polio the year before the vaccine was approved, the blessings in her life have been many. “Wheeling and dealing” from a wheelchair, she has helped raise four children, pursued a career as a Reading Specialist and recently, after being widowed for five years, found a new love and soul mate in her own “Love Inspired” marriage.

She strives to write stories that will enrich the spiritual lives of those who read them, and is grateful to the many readers who have found her books filled with warm, endearing characters that they can identify with.

Hero in Disguise

Leona Karr

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Call unto me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things which you have not known.

—Jeremiah 33:3

With thanks to Paul Fanshane,

a very special and delightful friend

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 Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Letter to Reader

Chapter One

Let me say and do the right thing, Melissa Chanley prayed as she entered the Colorado State Capital.

It wasn’t going to be easy, no matter how she approached David Ardell. The contents of the folded note in her purse were going to shake up the handsome young attorney’s life the minute he laid his eyes on it.

How would he react? She’d never met him personally, but she’d seen his picture in the newspaper with the governor, and on television. He was in his early thirties, had wavy hair almost the color of old gold and dark brown eyes. In public he was poised, articulate and successful—but what kind of person lay under that successful political veneer? Was there a compassionate nature that she could appeal to?

As she opened the door to the outer office, Melissa hoped she wasn’t embarking on a fool’s errand. A middle-aged secretary with graying hair sat behind a computer. A wooden desk placard identified her as Elsie Shaw. She gave Melissa a practiced smile and an enquiring raise of her eyebrows. Curiosity was evident as her frank gaze assessed Melissa.

“May I help you?”

“I’m Melissa Chanley. I have a two o’clock appointment.”

When Melissa made the appointment, the secretary had enquired as to the reason for the meeting, but Melissa had sidestepped the question. In her capacity as freelance writer for Colorado’s Women of the West magazine, Melissa had learned to save explanations for the person she was interviewing, and even though her appointment had nothing to do with her professional occupation, she wasn’t about to share that with his secretary.

“Oh, yes, Ms. Chanley. I’ll let him know you’re here.” She spoke briskly into the intercom, listened a moment and then nodded. Turning to Melissa, she said, “He’ll see you now, but only for a few minutes. Mr. Ardell has a busy schedule this afternoon.” She left her desk, opened an adjoining office door, motioned Melissa inside and then quietly closed the door behind her.

Melissa hesitated just inside the office as her sweeping gaze quickly assessed the room, which was crowded with more furniture than any decent interior decorator would allow. Large windows were banked by bookcases and a collection of scenic western oil paintings was mounted on the opposite wall. A ring of chairs took up space in the center of the room as if left by a previous meeting, and a large executive desk was loaded with books and papers. The leather office chair behind it was empty.

“Please, come in, Ms. Chanley.” The masculine voice edged with a hint of impatience startled her.

She saw then that the lawyer was sitting on a dark leather couch in a far corner of the room. As he stood up, he put down some folders on an already loaded coffee table. His eyes traveled over her as she walked toward him.

“I’m David Ardell.” He introduced himself as if he wasn’t certain that she had come to the right office.

“Yes, I know.” She felt a smile hover on her lips. He was definitely more attractive in person than on television, even though a slight frown marred his handsome features. “Thank you for seeing me.”

What now? David thought. At any other time, he might have enjoyed the interruption of an attractive dark-haired woman, but the governor was waiting for a report that was only half finished, and he had to attend a committee meeting in a few minutes. He caught the waver of a smile and the confident lift of her head as she came toward him. Who was she, anyway? Some socialite wanting him to serve on a community committee as representative of the governor? Then he remembered his secretary had told him that she was a reporter for a local woman’s magazine. Great, he thought wryly.

“How can I help you?” he asked, already forming a routine dodge for handling the matter, whatever it was.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Mr. Ardell, but this is important.”

That didn’t surprise him. Heaven knows, half of what crossed his desk was stuff somebody at the capital thought was urgent and needed his immediate attention. Sometimes he felt like a firefighter with a dozen fires to put out. “Yes, Ms. Chanley?”

From his tone Melissa knew that he was ready to get rid of her as quickly as possible. Only the dire necessity of her visit stiffened her resolve to take as much time as she needed to make him understand the situation.

“I’m here at the request of someone else,” she said evenly. “And when you know who, I’m sure you’ll agree that my mission is important enough to take up a few minutes of your time.”

Something in her tone warned David that his intention to dismiss her in short order might be premature. For a moment he let himself appreciate the way she held her slender shoulders and kept her unbelievable pansy-blue eyes locked on his face. Even the trim summer suit couldn’t hide feminine curves or lovely long legs showing under a modest-length skirt as she stood in front of him, her head high, her eyes fixed directly on his as if she was the one in control of the situation.

“May I ask who sent you?” David’s involvement in the political world had made him appreciate a worthy adversary. He sensed that in some fashion Melissa Chanley was here to challenge him.

“This will take a few minutes,” she said smoothly. “Shall we sit down?”

“Of course. I’m sorry.” He chuckled to himself at how deftly she’d taken charge of the interview by that simple request. Maybe this was going to be interesting, after all. Her firm yet gracious manner was fresh and appealing, and in spite of himself he was intrigued with the reason for her visit. He couldn’t ever remember meeting her at any of the political fundraisers or rallies, and he was certain he would not forget a woman as attractive as she.

“Please, sit down.” He motioned her to the leather couch and he eased down into a chair opposite her. Moving a few things around on the coffee table, he said, “As you can see I’m trying to dig out from under some paperwork that the governor’s office unloaded on me. I’m sorry I don’t have time to offer you some coffee. Unfortunately, I have a meeting in a few minutes. Perhaps you’d rather make an appointment on another day when I have more time?”

“No. I’m afraid this can’t wait.” Melissa’s heart began to race. Speak into my words, Lord. Give me the wisdom I need.

“All right, Ms. Chanley.” He raised a questioning dark brown eyebrow. “I understand that you’re a writer for Women of the West magazine?” He allowed himself a smile. “I really can’t see that I have anything to offer in the way of material for your publication.”

“I’m not here in my professional capacity,” Melissa explained as she reached into her white leather bag and took out a piece of paper. “I have a message for you from Jolene McCombre.”

Jolene McCombre.

He stiffened and for one startling moment he wondered if he’d heard the name correctly, but something in the way Melissa Chanley was looking at him said that there had been no mistake. Just hearing the name jerked the scab off a wound that had never quite healed. Until that moment, he’d thought that he had successfully buried everything having to do with his high school sweetheart.

They had planned to marry as soon as he finished law school, but Jolene had jilted him a month before their wedding, disappeared from his life and married a serviceman who was home on leave. David had never gotten over Jolene’s cruel betrayal, and even though some protective instinct warned him not to open that door again, he knew better than to lie about knowing the woman who had left him at the altar.

“You have a message for me from Jolene,” he repeated in a tight voice. “What kind of message?”

Melissa fingered the letter in her hand, unsure how she should prepare him for the contents. His expression had become a closed mask, and hardness flickered in the depths of his brown eyes. She knew that the success of her mission depended upon how well she handled the next few minutes. “Before I give you the letter, I want to explain how I got it.”

David gave her a noncommittal nod and remained silent. Better not to say anything until he knew exactly why this woman was here and what her intent was. She was a writer, after all. Had Melissa Chanley stumbled into this juicy tidbit of his past and planned to use it for some nefarious purpose of her own? Busy with his life and career, he had lost all track of Jolene through the years. Why would she be sending him a letter through this stranger? A flicker of intuition warned that this meeting was going to challenge his determination to leave the past buried.

“My magazine does profiles on women, past and present, who have shown strength and dedication in a lifetime of helping others,” Melissa explained. “I was doing an article on May Bowers who founded the Denver Christian Shelter for homeless women and children. While spending time with May and collecting information for my article, I made friends with some of the women in the shelter, and they shared their stories of abandonment and poverty with me.” Melissa drew a firming breath. “Jolene was one of them.”

His eyes widened in disbelief. “She was one of the women at the shelter?”

Melissa nodded. “Yes. Penniless and homeless with two little boys. Apparently, the father of the boys died when they were two and three years old, and she raised them by herself until last year when she married a man who took her for everything she had. The scoundrel ended up in prison for fraud, and left her with huge bills and no money. She came to Denver, hoping to find a job and start again, but she became ill before she could find work and ended up at the shelter. I befriended her two little boys, Richie and Eric, and when Jolene was taken to the hospital she asked me to take care of them instead of leaving them at the shelter.”

“Is Jolene there now? In the hospital?” When she shook her head, he said, “Oh, I see. You took her home with you.” Now, he understood. Ms. Chanley was here to get money from him for Jolene and her kids.

“No, I’m afraid Jolene never made it out of the hospital.”

He swallowed hard. “She died?”

“Yes, I’m sorry. She gave me this letter in the hospital, and asked me to read and deliver it if she didn’t make it.” She handed him the folded sheet of paper.

David’s stomach took a sickening plunge as he focused on the familiar handwriting. Jolene had written him every week while he was in law school, and there was no doubt that she had penned this letter. For a moment he wanted to hand the note back without reading it. Then he took himself in hand. He was not the same person he’d been ten years ago.

Melissa watched as David read the letter written by a mother who knew she was dying. Jolene had simply reminded David Ardell of the love they had once shared and asked him to look after her sons now that she was no longer able to care for them. Her greatest fear was that they would end up in foster homes, and she begged David to use his resources to assure their care and happiness.

Melissa searched David’s expression as he read it, but his thoughts were hidden from her. Only his long fingers tightening slightly on the letter hinted at an inner turmoil. He was good at hiding his emotions, she thought. Jolene had not shared much about their past relationship, and Melissa only knew what was in the letter.

Slowly he folded the letter, and when he raised his dark eyes and looked at her, his gaze was guarded and his mouth set in a firm line. “I’ll have to check this out, of course.”

“Please do. May Bowers and St. Joseph’s Hospital can verify everything I’ve told you. I’m sorry to be the messenger in this situation,” she said sincerely, sensing a deep concern beneath his professional demeanor. She suspected that he tried to keep his personal hurts hidden from everyone.

“It isn’t that I doubt your integrity,” he assured her.

“I understand. Anyone in your prominent position has to be careful. You can check out the handwriting with May.”

“That won’t be necessary, but there are some other things that I want to verify. Where are the boys now?”

“They are still with me.”

“And how old are they?”

“Eric is six, and Richie is almost five. They’re very bright little boys.” She smiled. “Most of the time, they’re pretty easy to handle.”

“Unfortunately, it may take a little time to track down any relatives who could take them, but I’ll put an investigator on it right away.” David had recovered from his initial shock, and his agile mind had begun to search for ways to handle the situation with impersonal dispatch. If things were exactly as she had told him, he didn’t have much choice but to get involved, temporarily at least.

“I hope we can find someone soon. We need to get the boys settled as soon as possible.”

“I know that Jolene’s parents passed away some years ago—and I know nothing about the father’s relatives,” he added with a hard edge in his tone, referring to the man Jolene had chosen to marry. “Did she make any mention of family while she was at the shelter?”

“No, and I doubt that she would have been there with her children if she’d had any family to go to,” Melissa said. “I took the boys because there was no one else she could ask.”

“I see, and you’re willing to keep them until some other arrangements have been made?” He used a professional lawyer tone, as if he were taking a deposition instead of handling a very personal matter. He did not want to meet the children that under different circumstances might have been his.

“No, I’m afraid not. I’m not in any position to keep Eric and Richie at my place,” she said firmly. Where was a sign of compassion for the woman he had once intended to marry?

“If it’s a matter of monetary compensation, I’m sure we can come to some satisfactory arrangement. I’m willing to assume the expenses of the children’s care while you have them.”

“How generous of you,” she said with gravel in her voice. Obviously, his checkbook was as close as he intended to get to the sweet little boys who could use a caring man in their lives right now.

“You should be compensated in some fashion for their care,” he said, well aware of the sarcasm in her tone. A flash of anger in her lovely blue eyes startled him. She looked ready to light into him. What was the matter? His offer seemed reasonable enough. Was she after more money than just expenses for keeping the boys? “Did you have some specific arrangement in mind?”

“Although I would love to keep Eric and Richie, I can’t. And it isn’t a matter of compensation.” She didn’t want him to think she was trying to fleece him out of any money for keeping them. “I live in a studio basement apartment with a fold-down bed. We’ve been playing camping with sleeping bags. I’ve managed to keep Eric and Richie fairly entertained in the small space, but some other accommodations have to be made.” She eyed him frankly. “What kind of living space do you have?”

He knew the question was rhetorical. From the thrust of her chin, he could tell that she already knew from reading the society pages that he lived in Denver’s fashionable Cherry Creek district in a spacious family home, which was his residence now that his parents had retired and moved to Florida. He decided to deliberately sidestep the inference that he had a home large enough to comfortably house the two boys.

“Frankly, I’m not quite sure what Jolene expected me to do in this situation.” There was no way that he was going to become personally responsible for the care of Jolene’s two boys. He’d do his best to find a relative to take them, and he’d foot the bill for their care until then. That was it.

“I think it’s pretty clear that she wanted you to look after them, Mr. Ardell.”

“It’s David,” he said, brushing away her formality. “And I will do my best to get them placed.”

Melissa looked at him with a warning in her large eyes. If he suggested they call Children’s Services to take the children, she was ready to challenge that decision. “We need to do what’s best for the children.”

“Yes, of course, but we have to consider what would be better for them in the long run. Don’t we, Melissa?”

“The long run,” she echoed in disbelief. “You and I have the responsibility of deciding what should happen to them right now, today. We have two little boys that have just lost their mother. Sadly enough, their lives have been in a state of upheaval almost since the day they were born.” What they need is someone to love and take care of them now!

“What options do we have?” David didn’t like the feeling that she was personally attacking him. None of this was of his making. He sympathized with the homeless little boys and regretted that Jolene had made such a mess of her life, but the responsibility for the situation was not his. “My taking on the personal care of two youngsters is impossible.”

“Surely you know a nice family with children who would take Eric and Richie until a relative can be located,” Melissa insisted, knowing she had lost the first round. He wasn’t going to get personally involved.

“Honestly, I don’t.” He brushed back a forelock of dark blond hair and frowned. “My single life doesn’t include anyone close enough that I can call up and dump two strange kids on them. If you could just keep them temporarily—”

“I told you I don’t have the space. I wish I did, but I don’t. This afternoon I had to leave Eric and Richie with my landlady, whose apartment is almost as small as mine.” She refrained from telling him that the past two weeks had been an almost impossible challenge—trying to meet her deadlines at the various magazines she wrote for, while cooped up in a basement apartment scarcely big enough for one adult, let alone two rambunctious little boys. She fell silent, waiting for him to decide what he was going to do about Jolene’s request—if anything.

He was silent for a moment, then he asked, “And what about time?”

She looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“Have you had the time to care for them?”

“I’ve made the time,” she said flatly. “Since I’m a freelance writer, I can set my own work hours. That’s the only way I’ve been able to spend days at the park with the boys, and compose at night with my laptop computer on the kitchen table.”

“I see.” He surprised her by suddenly getting up from his chair and easing down beside her on the couch. “Well, Melissa, we may have a solution, after all.”

She caught a whiff of spicy men’s cologne as she steadied herself against his nearness. Careful, she warned herself. David Ardell’s ability to deftly manage people was evident in the disarming smile he gave her.

“Let’s look at the problem this way. You have the time to care for the children but not the space. I have the space but no one to care for the children. Doesn’t the answer seem obvious?” He raised a questioning eyebrow.

“What are you suggesting?”

“A businesslike solution. While I hire an investigator to find the boys’ relatives, you could move into my house temporarily to care for them.”

“I couldn’t do that,” she said quickly. “Move in with you, like that. It wouldn’t be proper.”

“You wouldn’t be moving in with me.” David was amused by the indignant spark in her eyes. Her reaction told him a great deal about her moral fiber, and he hastened to reassure her that his offer was strictly based on the children’s welfare. “This arrangement would have nothing to do with me, no more than if I hired you as a live-in nanny for the children. And I’m willing to do that, make it purely a business arrangement. Just consider it a temporary job until this thing is settled. You can still keep up your obligations at the magazines. I think it’s a perfect solution all around.”

“I don’t know. It seems very…irregular.”

He saw a flicker of indecision in her eyes. “You don’t have to be afraid that you’ll have to suffer my company,” he assured her. “I’m rarely at home. Believe me, we would scarcely see each other.”

When she remained silent, obviously weighing what he was saying, he stressed the point that the arrangement would be a good one for Eric and Richie. “The place is large enough for you and the boys to be perfectly comfortable staying there. There’s a lovely fenced-in backyard with plenty of grass for running and jumping. You could even set up your work on the covered patio while the boys are playing.”

Melissa found the idea of living in a place that must be ten times bigger than any place she’d ever had, to be a little frightening. “And we would be alone in the house, except when you’re there?”

“No, I have a wonderful couple, Inga and Hans Erickson, who take care of the cooking and housekeeping. They’ve been with my family since I was in grade school, and they’ll be delighted to have some youngsters in the house.” Inga was always lamenting the fact that David wasn’t married and raising his own children by now. “You’ll like them. And I’ll bet they’ll like you.”

Melissa hesitated. The offer was unconventional, to say the least. She had hoped that David would respond to Jolene’s request and see to the boys’ care, but she hadn’t expected to be part of the package.

Was this the answer she had been praying for? Would it be the best arrangement for Eric and Richie? She had already grown so fond of them. She knew she couldn’t have the boys permanently, but turning them over to strangers pulled at her heartstrings. The possibility of keeping them in her life a little longer was tempting.