Shotgun Bride

Relief made her light-headed. “Emory wanted to see this account.”

He continued to glare at her.

Irritation replaced the relief she’d felt. “I wasn’t aware it was in my job description to check in with you.”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “Renee, something could’ve happened.”

She wanted to tell him he was imagining things, but she recalled her uneasiness in the accounting office. “How did you know I was here?”

“I went back to your apartment to talk to you about us getting married.”

“You’re not going to let this idea drop, are you?”

“No.” There wasn’t any room for argument. When Hawk got that look in his eye, it was a sure sign that not even the Marines would be able to move him. “You ready?”

“I’m going to take this file to Emory tonight.”

Hawk nodded. “I’ll follow you.”

Too bad he wasn’t as diligent two months ago, when she’d walked out of his life, she thought as she headed for her car.

“Get down,” Hawk suddenly shouted.

His yelled command stunned her. He lunged for her at the same instant she heard a shot echo through the empty garage. A second shot immediately followed. She felt the sting in the side of her head, then staggered, falling against the closest car. A warm stream of blood ran down her neck.

Panic raced through her as she crouched with her back to the door.

Hawk crouched beside her. He examined her head. “We need to get you to the hospital.”

“Is the shooter still out there?” Her eyes scanned the darkness of the parking garage. She felt a trickle of moisture run down the side of her face. She touched it and came away with blood on her fingers.

“Just keep down, and I’ll get you out of here.”

She latched on to his words. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and supported her as they ran toward his vehicle. She noticed the blood on his sleeve. He helped her slide into the front seat, then climbed over her, started the car and floored it.

“Your arm,” she murmured.

He glanced at her. “Don’t worry about me.”

She felt dizzy. She leaned back against the seat. She could’ve died or worse, her baby could’ve been hurt or she might miscarry. Secure in the knowledge that Hawk would take care of her, Renee relaxed. It was her last conscious thought.

When Hawk pulled into the emergency entrance of Herman Hospital, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had called ahead on his cell phone, and people were outside waiting for them. His tension shot up 100 percent when he glanced at her and saw that she was still unconscious. Leaping out of his car, he raced around and helped the attendants pull Renee out and place her on a gurney.

“What happened?” asked one of the nurses.

“Someone shot at her,” Hawk answered.

“From the looks of your arm, it appears you were in the way.”

“It’s minor.” Hawk tried to follow Renee but was stopped by the nurse.

“Let’s take a look at your arm,” the nurse commented.

Hawk wasn’t interested in getting the wound tended, but the nurse had a determined look in her eye that told him she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He thought about flashing his badge, but knew he wouldn’t be any help to Renee in the E.R.

He nodded. “Afterward, you’ll check on the woman I brought in.” When she hesitated, he added, “I’m a cop.”

She didn’t look convinced until he produced his badge.

“You got a deal, Lieutenant.”

After his arm was cleaned and wrapped, the nurse went to check on Renee. Hawk couldn’t sit still. Adrenaline still raced through his veins.

Someone had tried to kill Renee. There was a slight possibility that what happened tonight was a random crime, but he didn’t buy that scenario. He had a feeling the crime had been directed at her. Emory’s fears were well-founded, and he was going to have to stick closer to Renee than her skin.

Needing to report the incident to the police, he went back to his car, grabbed his phone and dialed Houston PD and told the operator what had occurred, then asked for his ex-partner, Tony Ashcroft, who was now a homicide detective. In minutes Hawk would have to answer a lot of questions.

But then again, the police weren’t the only ones who wanted answers.

“I don’t know anything else, Detective Ashcroft,” Renee said to the HPD detective. Her head pounded.

The tall, athletically built man closed his notebook and slipped it into his pocket. He was thirty-five, with a youthful appearance that probably fooled a lot of people into believing that Tony Ashcroft was younger than his years. Yet, from the looks he exchanged with Hawk, Renee had the feeling that the detective wasn’t easily fooled.

“If you remember anything more, please contact me, Ms. Girouard.” He handed her his business card.

She nodded.

Ashcroft looked at Hawk. “I’ll call you later and let you know what we’ve uncovered.”

When he left, Renee asked, “You know Detective Ashcroft?”

“Yeah, Ash and I were rookies together. I went to law school and he became a detective.”

Her eyes fluttered closed.

“Are you feeling sick, Renee?”

Her eyes popped open. “No,” she lied, pressing her fingers to her lips. “I was trying to go over what happened to see if I could recall anything new.”

“Did you?”

“No.” She paused. “But there is something bothering me.”

Caution entered his eyes. “What exactly is that?”

“Why were you so sure something might happen?”

He flushed. “I had an itch between my shoulders.”

“What?”

“Sometimes cops get a feeling—” He shrugged.

Her eyes widened. “Are you talking about intuition?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t shake this feeling that something wasn’t right. I went to your place, but you weren’t there, so I drove to your office.”

He moved to the side of the bed. His fingers lightly brushed back the strands of hair that had caught on her bandage at her temple. A look of tenderness crept into his eyes, making her breath catch. It was the look that had stolen her heart before everything had fallen apart.

“Your father was right. Someone doesn’t want you to inherit his company.”

“I don’t believe anyone—”

“When I went to Emory’s locked drawer to get the copy of your birth certificate, it was open, which means someone knows.”

She knew he was right, but didn’t want to accept it. “What if I publicly say I don’t want Emory’s money?” She felt as though she was trying to push a boulder uphill.

“You could, but what if that won’t make a difference? Emory has already decided that no matter what, his family won’t get the company.”

She didn’t have an answer for that.

“And what if the killer decides you’re a threat to them while you’re still living? Emory might change his mind if you die before him. The danger’s not going to go away.”

His arguments were ugly and persuasive.

“Emory’s solution seems the best way to deal with the problem,” he added.

“By marrying you?”

He nodded.

“My own personal bodyguard.” Her gaze met his. She felt his will pulling her to agree. There was such passion in the man, and she knew that only too well. But his passion—his loyalty—was for Emory, not her. Her eyes fluttered closed, not wanting him to see her pain.

“I’ll think about it, Hawk.”

“You do that, Renee.”

He walked out the door, leaving Renee staring at the closed door.

Renee knew he was going to break her heart again.

After making sure that a private guard was posted outside Renee’s door, Hawk made his way to Emory’s room. “Emory, you were right. Someone’s after Renee.” Hawk explained what had happened.

“Is she okay?” Emory demanded, his expression full of anxiety.

“Yes.”

“How are you?” Emory glanced at Hawk’s arm.

“It’s nothing.” He rubbed the back of his neck to ease the fear twisting the muscles into knots. “I was almost too late.”

“So I was right to be concerned when you discovered the drawer open,” Emory sighed.

As Hawk had told Renee, when he had gone to get Renee’s birth certificate from a secured file in Emory’s office, he’d found it unlocked. The key hadn’t been in the place Emory had said it would be. When Hawk informed the older man of the situation, he offered to come up with a protection plan for Renee. Emory insisted that marriage between the two of them was the best way to keep her safe. “I’m afraid so. Now I think Renee believes us.”

Emory frowned. “After you two get married, we’ll announce it to the world.”

Hearing Emory speak of that event brought Hawk a mixed bag of feelings. With his track record of a failed marriage and his parents as a miserable example, Hawk didn’t expect he would be good at being a husband. And yet…

He slipped his hands into his pockets. “Do you have the files that the private detectives gathered when your son was kidnapped? I’d like to look at them along with the police records. Maybe I can see something with a fresh eye after all these years.”

“All right, Hawk. I don’t want anything to happen to my child. Or to you.”

“If I have anything to say about it this time, Emory, you’ll not lose this child. You have my word on it.”

Of course, Hawk didn’t know if he could live up to the promise, but he would die trying.

“All right, Hawk, you win.” Early-morning light streamed into her hospital room, outlining Hawk’s tall frame as he leaned against the wall. Her breakfast tray was untouched, a testament to the fact she would throw it up if she ate. “We’ll get married, but it will be in name only,” she warned. Since she didn’t see another way out of the mess, they would marry, but she wasn’t willing to risk her heart again. “No sex.”

Hawk stared at her, then nodded. “Then let’s go down to city hall and get the license.”

“Sounds good, then you can drive me to work.” Too bad that it didn’t sound romantic. It sounded more as if they were closing a business deal.

But, of course, that was exactly what they were doing.

Chapter 2

“Hawk looked down at the marriage license issued by Harris County. The event he’d tried so hard to avoid for the past five years was about to come to pass.

“Here you go, sir,” the clerk said, handing Hawk the change for his twenty.

After pocketing the money, he turned to Renee. She stared at the paper in his hand as if it were a snake coiled to strike. Apparently, her reaction to this marriage wasn’t any better than his. “Ready to leave?”

She nodded, her face pale.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” she muttered.

They were halfway down the hall of the courthouse when she stumbled against him. His arms shot out, catching her as she collapsed.

“Damn.” He scooped her up and walked to a nearby bench. Sitting, he cupped her face. “Renee?”

“Oh, dear, what’s wrong?” a woman asked.

Good question, he thought to himself. Was the reason she fainted due to the wound on her head or was it a reaction to them getting the marriage license?

“Would you like me to get a wet paper towel from the bathroom?” she asked.

“Thanks.”

The woman hurried away.

“Come on, sweetheart, wake up.” If she didn’t come around he’d call the paramedics.

“Here’s the towel,” the woman said, offering it to him.

Carefully, Hawk brushed the towel over Renee’s face. She moaned and her eyelids fluttered. Relief flooded him.

“Why don’t I get her something to drink?” the woman suggested.

Hawk nodded, his attention focused on Renee.

Confusion, then embarrassment filled her eyes. “What happened?”

“You fainted.”

Her brow knitted into a frown. “I never faint,” she replied, struggling to sit up.

“Maybe it has something to do with your wound. We should go back to the hospital.”

“No, I don’t think so. I didn’t eat this morning. The oatmeal they served at the hospital looked like paste.”

“Here you go, young lady,” the woman said as she returned. “Try this soft drink. It might help.”

Renee took the can and slowly sipped it. After a moment the color started to return to her cheeks.

The woman glanced at where they had just come from. “Are you two going to get married?”

“Yes,” Hawk answered.

“Congratulations.” The woman walked to the office beside them and opened the door. The strong smell of coffee hit Renee like an eighteen-wheeler and her stomach roiled. She pressed her hand to her mouth and looked around for the bathroom door. Spotting it, she ran across the hall.

Alarm raced through Hawk, and he started after Renee.

“I’ll check on her,” the woman told him, stepping between him and the bathroom.

He wanted to do it himself, but he didn’t need to create a riot in the courthouse. Things were already enough of a mess. He didn’t need to make it worse.

After she lost the contents of her stomach, Renee stumbled out of the stall to the sinks. The woman who’d brought her the soda handed her another wet towel.

“When I was pregnant with my oldest, I couldn’t take the smell of coffee. My husband was sure glad when he could have his morning cup again.”

Renee’s eyes fluttered closed. Coffee, congealed oatmeal, what next? “I do miss my morning coffee.”

“I’m sure your young man is excited by the prospect of becoming a father.”

That was a question that she’d wrestled with since the day the pregnancy stick had turned blue. She still hadn’t come up with an answer. Would Hawk be pleased? Furious? Would he try to deny being the father? At this point, it didn’t matter.

“You okay now?” the woman asked.

Renee nodded and they walked into the hall.

Hawk stood outside the door, waiting. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

He didn’t look convinced.

The older woman smiled at Renee, then turned to Hawk. “Just hang in there. Her morning sickness should pass soon. And take comfort, my poor husband couldn’t drink coffee, either, until I gave birth to our son.”

“Morning sickness,” Hawk repeated. “Morning sickness?”

“I’d like to go home, Hawk.” Renee didn’t wait for him but started down the hall.

He quickly caught up with her. “Are you pregnant?”

She stopped and glared at him. “You want to have this discussion here in the hall of this public building so all of Houston can see and hear us, or do you want to have it back at my apartment?”

His eyes narrowed. “I’ll wait until we’re home. But then—”

“Then I’ll talk to you.”

She thanked Heaven that Hawk didn’t demand answers there in the courthouse. She didn’t know what her reaction would’ve been if he’d pressed the issue.

They were almost at her apartment when Renee’s stomach growled, breaking the tense silence. When Hawk glanced at her, a blush colored her cheeks. He pulled into the fast-food restaurant across from her apartment building and went to the drive-through window. He ordered the breakfast biscuit he knew she loved. When he ordered a coffee, she shook her head.

“No coffee. Orange juice, please.” She rested her head on the back of the seat.

After getting their order, he drove to her apartment. He followed her up the stairs and into the building. Once inside, he put the bags on the kitchen table where a thick book sat. The Complete Guide to the Nine Months of Pregnancy. Hawk picked it up.

The book detailed the changes in her body and even mentioned food that might upset a pregnant woman. Too bad it hadn’t mentioned coffee.

“Were you going to tell me?” he asked accusingly.

Guilt swamped her, followed by anger. “You can get off your high horse. As I recall, you didn’t want to get married, so why would I think my being pregnant would make a difference?” Her harsh indictment hung in the air.

“It would’ve.”

That wasn’t a comfort to her. Or was it? “How was I to know?”

“Have you been sick often?”

“I’ve been puking in the mornings and in the afternoons. Certain smells drive me into the bathroom to lose my lunch. Obviously, coffee is one smell I can’t tolerate.”

“Then I’d say it’s fortunate we’re going to get married.”

“You should write for a greeting-card company,” she replied. “You’ve got a way with words.”

He tensed as if she’d hit him with a lash, but he didn’t return the hostility.

The instant the words were out of her mouth, Renee wanted to take them back. It would gain them nothing to be at each other’s throat. In spite of everything, marriage to Hawk was the logical solution for this mess and probably the easiest. Too bad it wasn’t the most palatable.

She wanted to ask him why he was doing this, but she knew the answer. Hawk’s devotion to Emory was legendary around the company. It was as if Hawk had become the son that Emory had lost. And not only would Hawk protect her, but Emory would also have his socalled son marry his illegitimate daughter. It was perfect solution for some people. Just not for her.

“Why don’t we eat? We can talk about how we’ll tell your father about the baby. It makes our marriage that much more important. Now it’s not only your safety that’s up to me, but our child’s, as well.”

Although Renee didn’t want to sit down and talk, her stomach growled. Ignoring him, she stepped around his body and reached for one of the sacks. If he thought everything was going to be as it was before, then he was in for a big shock.

He waited until she was almost finished with the biscuit before he repeated his earlier question. “Did you plan on telling me about the baby?”

“It wasn’t going to be a secret much longer.”

“But you weren’t going to tell me,” he pressed.

“As I recall, you didn’t appear to want any involvement.”

“I wouldn’t have walked away,” he tersely replied.

Her eyes narrowed. “I see. You would’ve endured.”

A muscle jumped in his jaw. “We can speculate all we want but the facts won’t change. We’re going to be parents, and that should be our main concern…and your safety, of course.”

He reached out and grasped her hand. The electricity that always seemed to be there ignited.

“Renee, I know you wanted something different. A romance, a church wedding with all the trimmings. But I can’t give those to you. I wish I could.”

“I don’t want your pity, Hawk.”

Cupping her chin, he shook his head. “It isn’t pity, Renee. It’s regret.”

Great, just what a prospective groom shouldn’t say. He regretted the situation. It didn’t comfort her.

Hawk leaned against the passenger side door of his car. Pregnant. Renee was going to have his child. The very idea of it shook him to the core and ripped through the wall of emotions that he’d fought a lifetime to suppress. His own mother had been expecting him when his parents were forced to marry. She had used the event as a club in every argument his parents ever had. He could still hear her shouting how he’d ruined her life. He clamped down on the memories.

Instead, he thought about Emory. Would Emory be excited about the idea of a grandchild? Of course he would be, but Hawk knew that none of the other Sweeneys would welcome the news. It made protecting Renee all the more important.

Would she ever have told him about the child?

Don’t be stupid, his conscience told him. You two weren’t talking. Why would she tell you that she suspected she was pregnant? But as she said, it wouldn’t have stayed a secret much longer.

He didn’t like the idea of not knowing about the child. They hadn’t planned on it, but no matter what, he wouldn’t walk away.

Hearing the front door close, he watched her walk toward him. Renee Michelle Girouard was a beautiful woman, with deep-blue eyes and long auburn hair that caught fire in the sunlight.

The first time he’d seen her, when she’d come to work at Texas Chic between her junior and senior year in college, Hawk knew he was in trouble. His attraction to her had scared him, and he’d tried to ignore his body’s reaction. That was why he made sure not to be around when he knew she was. Her flawless, pale skin was accented by a well-formed mouth, expressive eyes that a man could lose himself in and auburn hair that she wore wrapped in some sort of twist at the back of her head. He remembered when that soft hair had tumbled down and enveloped both of them in a world of pleasure and delight.

He put the brakes on his thoughts. He didn’t need to make himself any more miserable than he’d been these past couple of months. But he had ignored his misery. His ex-wife had taught him well. Don’t listen to your heart. The few relationships he’d had since his divorce five years earlier only reinforced the idea that he would never find a woman with whom he could share common ground.

“Are you ready?” he asked, pushing away from the car. They were going to go back to the hospital to reveal their secret to Emory.

She looked up at him. He always liked the way she’d fit so well into his arms.

“I’m as ready as I can be.”

After he closed her door, he walked behind the car. He was going to be a father and a husband. The news was unsettling. But more than that, in the back of his mind loomed the fear that maybe this woman could find a way to get through the wall he’d built around his heart.

Emory smiled at the couple from his hospital bed. He looked ready to run around the room and shout. “So we’re going to have a wedding this Saturday?”

“Yes,” Renee replied. “Hawk convinced me.”

“When he sets his mind to something, it usually gets done,” Emory replied.

“Tell him the rest, Renee,” Hawk urged.

“What else?” Alarm threaded Emory’s voice.

She swallowed. “I’m pregnant.”

Emory’s gaze went from Renee to Hawk. He knew what the old man was silently asking.

“I’m the father,” he told Emory.

A smile of delight lit the old man’s face. “I’m going to be a grandpa?” The wonder in his voice touched Renee’s heart.

Although she hadn’t worked through her feelings about Emory being her father, Renee liked and respected him as a human being. He was a smart, cagey man, who dealt fairly with those around him. She grasped his hand and smiled. “I guess I don’t have to ask if you’re pleased.”

“That doctor better have gotten all that cancer, because I want to see my grandchild grow and get married one day, too.” A new life seemed to come into his eyes. “I’ll announce your marriage at the reception at the house on Saturday night.”

Hawk nodded.

“I’ll make sure the chapel and the priest are ready. Also, I’ll contact the lawyer.” Emory grinned and grasped Renee’s hand. “Thank you. I’m going to be a grandpa.”

The smile on Emory’s face was pure joy.

“I’m afraid after the announcement on Saturday none of Emory’s family will be happy,” Hawk commented on their way to her office.

They had argued about him driving her to work, but he said he didn’t feel comfortable letting her go alone. With the shooting incident fresh in her mind, she didn’t argue for long. Besides, her car was still parked in the garage at work. She turned to face him. “Are you trying to scare me?”

“Yes.”

“At least you’re honest. But then again, you were faultlessly honest about so much.” It was a low blow, but the words were out of her mouth before she thought.

His face tightened, but he didn’t try to defend himself as he drove the car around a slow-moving truck. “We’ll need to think about how we’re going to handle things after the marriage.”

“What things?”

“Where are we going to live? Do you want to move in with me, or me with you, or get another apartment?” He sounded so blasé, as if their living arrangements didn’t matter to him.

He had a valid point, but all her emotional reserves had been used up, and she didn’t want to slay that dragon now. “Could we talk about that later?”

“That’s fine. I’ll pick you up after work. Also, I’ll have some things with me for this next week. We can go over wedding details tonight.”