Now, this was kissing
Jordans fingertips found the silky skin between Ashleys short sweater and little skirt. He longed to explore farther, but theyd agreed on just a kiss.
So he focused on her mouth, kissing her longer, harder, deeper. Only coming up for air to pepper the corners of her mouth with mini-kisses, tasting her soft skin, treating himself to her hidden scent where her neck curved into her shoulder.
But the kiss was a lie.
He was living a lie.
She thought he was Jeffrey, and Jeffrey thought she was the enemy. And here in L.A., Jordan Adamson didnt even exist. Of all the off-limits women in the whole off-limits world, Ashley took first prize.
There was no way for this to turn out well.
Ashley took a step back, slipping from his arms, breaking their touch. That wascataclysmic.
And he so wanted it to.
Dear Reader,
When Colleen Collins and I decided to write two connected books, we knew we had to use the big cityher area of expertiseand the far north, which is mine. We came up with the idea of The Parent Trap for adults, and both realized we were onto something fun.
Throughout the writing I helped her with northern details, such as whether or not youd find trees on the tundra and how a dogsled works. At the same time she told me about the peculiarities of television executives and where to eat and shop in L.A. It was an experience wed both like to repeat someday.
I sincerely hope you enjoy meeting Jordan Adamson, the hero in Too Close To Call, along with his long-lost twin brother, Jeffrey Bradshaw, in Too Close for Comfort.
Happy reading,
Barbara Dunlop
Books by Barbara Dunlop
HARLEQUIN TEMPTATION
848FOREVER JAKE
901NEXT TO NOTHING!
HARLEQUIN DUETS
54THE MOUNTIE STEALS A WIFE
90A GROOM IN HER STOCKING
98THE WISH-LIST WIFE
Too Close to Call
Barbara Dunlop
www.millsandboon.co.uk
MILLS & BOON
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For my dear friend Colleen Collinscity girl extraordinaire.
And for my brilliant editor, Kathryn Lye. Were not in Kansas anymore!
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
1
NATIONAL WEATHER says theres a snowstorm building off the Gulf of Alaska, Jordan Adamson called to his dispatcher in the reception area of True North Airlines as he tore the printout from his fax machine.
Is it going to shut us down? Wally Lane swiveled on his chair, eyebrows lifting. Cyds heading out on the Arctic Luck run in about ten minutes.
Weve got a few hours leeway, but radio Bob and make sure he keeps an eye on it.
Flying in adverse weather conditions was part of being an Alaskan bush pilot. Though late October snowstorms could be fierce, Jordan didnt want his pilots taking unnecessary chances. Go or no-go was a combination of meteorological reports, the view outside the cockpit window and gut instinct.
Jordan reached through the window opening from his small office and handed Wally a copy of the report. Tell Bob to hold tight in Sitka if necessary. After a seconds pause, he added, And remind him to
Keep the customer satisfied, Wally echoed the rest of Jordans words with perfect rhythm and intonation.
Jordan rolled his eyes heavenward. The staff at his small airline in Alpine, Alaska had been teasing him for months about his evangelical customer satisfaction mission.
Bobs picking up his ex-wife, said Wally. He might prefer the storm to holing up with her in Sitka overnight.
Jordan grinned. Pilots discretion. He took a step back.
Roger, said Wally, with a snappy salute.
The front door opened, and Wally swiveled back to the counter as a man stepped into the reception area. Jordan assumed it was Cyds four oclock passenger.
In that European suit and shiny loafers, the man was overdressed for a plane ride to Arctic Luck. In fact, he was overdressed for anything north of the sixtieth parallel.
The man looked up, and Jordan did a double take. There was something startlingly familiar about him. Had they met before? The mans eyes widened, and he drew back. For a moment, Jordan wondered if hed somehow offended him.
While Wally talked to the customer, Jordan turned to the stacks of papers on his desk, making a quick search for a passenger list to check the name. Part of delivering good customer service was remembering your customers needs and treating them as though they were important to the business. It was all right there in the Alaska Tourism Association brochure guidelines.
Jordans airline currently held first place in this years Alaska Tourism customer satisfaction surveys. If he could hang on to the lead for the rest of the season, it would mean free advertising in all of the government brochures next summer. That kind of exposure was sure to increase his businessa necessity if he wanted to add a commuter jet to his fleet.
Which he did.
As soon as possible.
While he located the manifest for the Arctic Luck trip, he heard Cyd land the Cessna. Right on time, but shed have to be quick with the turnaround if she wanted to beat the snow.
Jordan squinted at the passenger name, hoping it would trigger a memory.
Jeffrey Bradshaw.
The name didnt mean anything to him. He glanced back through the window, racking his brain. He knew hed seen the man before.
JEFFREY BRADSHAW is due back in L.A. on Monday. Rachel Bowen, a set designer at Argonaut Studios stopped beside the treadmill where Ashley Baines was jogging to the beat of vintage Springsteen.
What? Ashley pulled off the headphones, snapping them around her neck.
Jeffrey. Here. Monday, said Rachel.
Ashley hit the button on the treadmill control and rocked to an abrupt stop, turning to stare at her friend and co-worker. She drew a deep breath, winded from her workout. So, thats it, then. She wiped a hand across her hair, down over her tight braid. Its him against me?
Rachel nodded. Sure looks that way.
Ashley felt her stomach clench. Jeffrey showing up to challenge her for the promotion to vice president wasnt exactly a surprise, but she had held out a slim hope hed stay away and leave the field clear.
A fellow acquisitions director at Argonaut, Jeffrey was definitely her most serious competition. He was smart, experienced and connected. He was also crafty, with a ruthless edge that she wouldnt want to test.
Perspiration tickled her forehead and her temples, and her damp spandex top stuck to the skin between her shoulder blades. She picked up a white towel that shed hung over the handle of the treadmill and scrubbed it across her forehead, flipping her braid out of the way to dry her neck.
Got any more scuttlebutt on him? she asked.
Rachel was a close friend, and a gifted set designer at Argonaut. She was friendly and outgoing, and had an amazing ability to keep her finger on the pulse of office politics.
Just that hes checking out locations in Alaska, said Rachel.
Alaska? Ashley blinked in confusion.
You know. Snow, ice, you have to cut through Canada to get there.
His big, innovative idea is Alaska?
The chairman of the board had let it be known that an innovative new hit series was number one on his wish list right now. Whoever came up with the right series had a huge leg up on the promotion.
Jeffrey had spent the last year on special assignment in New York. What could have given him a sudden interest in Alaska?
He must be pitching a Northern Exposure thing, said Rachel.
A comedy? Ashley tossed the towel into a nearby bin. Comedies were always risky, but when they hit, they hit big.
Or an outdoor adventure, said Rachel.
Adventures on the decline. Its medical, cop or comedy this year.
An Alaskan cop? An Alaskan hospital? Neither of those rang true to Ashley. It had to be a comedy.
Shoot. The last thing she needed was for Jeffrey to deliver something more original than her edgy, California-based detective series.
Think I should add a comedic element? she asked Rachel, raising her thumb and capturing the nail between her teeth. Maybe straight drama wasnt the way to go.
Comedy is big right now, said Rachel.
Of course it was. Comedies were getting all the attention this year, all the awards, all the ratings. How could she have been so foolish?
Ashley headed for the change rooms. I should have thought of this earlier.
Its pretty late in the game to switch, said Rachel.
I know. Itll mean redoing the storyboard and the video clips.
And rewriting all the scripts.
Ashley paused with her hand on the change-room door. Itll mean redoing the entire presentation. From scratch. A near impossibility, since this was Saturday, and the pitch meeting with the chairman of the board was scheduled for Monday.
Rachel tucked her dark hair behind her ears. I suppose you could take a chance to submit it as is.
Ashleys hardboiled detective drama suddenly seemed pale and flat, and somehow safe, even if it did have beaches, plenty of buff bods and guaranteed action sequences in every episode.
If Jeffrey was going for broke with a comedy/drama, set in Alaska of all places, she was going to have to make her California location feel fresher and more interesting.
Think hes going for broke? asked Rachel, skipping to keep up with Ashley as she headed down the tiled hallway, past the racket courts.
Alaskas a pretty bold move for a setting, said Ashley. The more she thought about it, the more she realized Jeffrey was taking a risk, pulling out all the stops.
And, why wouldnt he? It was the promotion of the decade.
Shed made a mistake when she let his absence lull her into a false sense of security. He might not have been in L.A. all year long, but he was still a force to be reckoned with.
Any way to put off the Board meeting? Ashley asked. She definitely needed more time.
Rachel stopped in the middle of the hall and gave her an incredulous look.
You know his secretary, right? asked Ashley.
Rachel knew everybody.
Not that well, said Rachel.
She got any weaknesses?
Chocolate and Chippendale Dancers, said Rachel.
Ashley smiled. What about Fire Dance tickets. I hear the male lead is burning up the headlines.
Youve got tickets to Fire Dance?
Front row, center, balcony one. Ashleys grin widened. Clive Johnston traded me for the Lakers last week.
Throw in dinner at La Salle, and I think I can get you a deal.
Done, said Ashley. Get her to switch the meeting to Friday. She stopped at the door to the change room. You going to be around tonight?
You want to grab dinner and sketch out some ideas?
Ashley nodded. That would be terrific.
Meet you on the deck at the Breakwater Café.
Give me half an hour to shower and change. Ashley pushed open the door with the heel of her palm. Her workout was officially over. She now had more important things to worry about than her glutes.
JORDAN WASNT GOING to worry about Cyd, even if she was overdue by half an hour. The storm had grown faster and more violent than anyone had predicted. The radios werent working, but if shed gone down, theyd have an emergency beacon signal coming in. They didnt.
Shed probably landed short of Arctic Luck.
Everyone but Cyds accounted for, said Wally, hanging up the office telephone and tossing his clipboard onto the counter. Bobs holed up in Sitka, and the rest never got off the ground.
Just then an operators voice came over the radio phone.
Jordan was closer, so he grabbed the mike.
It was Cyd. And, thank goodness, she was fine.
But before Jordan could get more than a few particulars, an angry male voice took over. Im the passenger who paid to be flown to Arctic Luck, Jeffrey Bradshaw thundered.
Terrific. Maybe Cyd wasnt so fine.
But I was flown to KatiKati
Jordan didnt wait for Jeffrey to spit out the word Katimuk. He keyed the mike. Sorry about that, he interrupted, putting on a relaxed, professional voice. Cant fight the weather. But well get you to Arctic Luck as soon as possible.
I need to get there immediately. The command crackled through the static of the radio waves.
Wally raised his eyebrows.
Afraid we cant do that, said Jordan. Weather delays were a necessary hazard of flying in the North, particularly in the fall. Jeffrey needed to buck up and wait it out.
Nothings impossible, said Jeffrey. Ill contact my office. Have them call another airline.