Love turns perilous in this adventurous, fan-favorite tale from New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods.
Sexy adventurer Riley Walker had vowed to protect Abigail Dennison with every breath in his body. And whenever Abigail got herself into trouble, Riley was right there by her side. Now she’s engaged in a perilous struggle that will determine the fate of her life…and their love.
Sherryl Woods Booklist
The Sweet Magnolias
Stealing Home
A Slice of Heaven
Feels Like Family
Welcome to Serenity
Home in Carolina
Sweet Tea at Sunrise
Honeysuckle Summer
Midnight Promises
Catching Fireflies
Where Azaleas Bloom
Swan Point
Chesapeake Shores
The Inn at Eagle Point
Flowers on Main
Harbor Lights
A Chesapeake Shores Christmas
Driftwood Cottage
Moonlight Cove
Beach Lane
An O’Brien Family Christmas
The Summer Garden
A Seaside Christmas
The Christmas Bouquet
Dogwood Hill
Willow Brook Road
The Devaney Brothers
The Devaney Brothers: Ryan & Sean
The Devaney Brothers: Michael & Patrick
The Devaney Brothers: Daniel
The Calamity Janes
The Calamity Janes: Cassie & Karen
The Calamity Janes: Gina & Emma
The Calamity Janes: Lauren
The Adams Dynasty
A Christmas Blessing
Natural Born Daddy
The Cowboy and His Baby
The Rancher and His Unexpected Daughter
The Littlest Angel
Natural Born Trouble
Unexpected Mommy
The Cowgirl and the Unexpected Wedding
Natural Born Lawman
The Unclaimed Baby
The Cowboy and His Wayward Bride
Suddenly, Annie’s Father
The Cowboy and the New Year’s Baby
Dylan and the Baby Doctor
The Pint-Sized Secret
Marrying a Delacourt
The Delacourt Scandal
Riley's Sleeping Beauty
Sherryl Woods
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
Epilogue
CHAPTER ONE
“Riley Walker, you are without a doubt the most mule-headed, most arrogant, most opinionated, most...”
“Incredible?” the man in question queried, a dimple forming in his cheek.
“Obnoxious,” Abigail Dennison retorted, refusing to be distracted by that dimple or the glint of amusement in his wicked, green eyes. Riley had an irritating habit of winning points by default. He’d gotten away with an unbelievable array of classroom sins all through adolescence because he managed to look so deceptively innocent. That smile of his, which he used to such disgusting effect, ought to be outlawed. Abby doubted she was the first female to come to that conclusion.
Even more irritating, to Abby’s way of thinking, was the realization that once again Riley was not taking her seriously. He thought her determination to stay with him, despite the unexpected dangers in Chiapas, Mexico, was cute. He’d just declared for the hundredth time that she would be going back to Arizona on the first flight he could book in the morning. He said it was for her own good, a phrase which set her teeth on edge with its implication that she wasn’t up to the same challenges he was.
“I am not going home,” she stated emphatically. “You cannot force me to get on that plane.”
Amusement turned to grim determination, a formidable expression when matched with Riley’s wiry strength and powerful, wide-ranging persuasive skills. International terrorists had been intimidated by that look...or so he claimed. Wincing under that stubborn stare, Abby had no reason to doubt him.
“Want to bet?” he challenged as if they were in their teens again and playing some stupid game of chicken.
Abby heaved a sigh. “Why are you doing this?”
“It isn’t safe,” he explained patiently...again. “You know what happened in San Cristobal when the guerrillas took over the town.”
“That was ages ago,” she said brusquely. “Everything was settled long before you brought me along on this trip. I read all about it in those piles of clippings and research material you gave me before we left Phoenix. I read every blasted paragraph. Did you?”
He scowled at the taunt. “I’ve just had word that some of the Mayan Indians up in the hills around San Cristobal are dissatisfied with the way things have been going,” he countered. “The central government in Mexico City has not been living up to the promises made during the election campaign. Trouble is expected again.”
Abigail remained undaunted. “But you’re staying, aren’t you? You’re still planning to find that Mayan treasure, aren’t you? What makes you think you’ll be any safer than I would be?”
“I don’t. That’s the point. Come on, Abby,” he coaxed in that unwittingly low, seductive voice that turned her knees to jelly and her resolve to mush. “Be reasonable. How can I do my job, if I’m worried to death about protecting you?”
Riley’s refusal to see her as a strong, independent woman was just one of the things that grated on Abigail’s nerves. He’d known her since they were both in elementary school. He’d saved her from tumbling out of a tree when she was ten. Unfortunately that had set the tone for their relationship. Four years older than Abby, Riley had seen himself as her protector ever since he’d caught her in midair, despite the fact that she could run as fast, climb as high as he could and was every bit as daring. Or so she desperately wanted to believe.
The problem was that that backyard tree climb was just about the very last adventure Abigail had ever had. Daredevil Riley had done all the things she’d once dreamed of doing before she’d found herself taking on too much responsibility for raising her rambunctious brothers and sisters. With both of her parents working to support six children, Abigail, as the oldest, was the one who got her younger siblings off to school. Abigail put meals on the table. Abigail saw to it that the laundry was done, that homework was finished. The nurturing and levelheaded advice she doled out came as naturally to her as breathing. There was a lot of love in the Dennison household, but rarely much money and never any excitement.
There had been very few times when Abby had found herself resenting the weight of all that responsibility. For the most part, she thrived on being needed.
She’d even found herself engaged to a pleasant, well-to-do, but decidedly unimaginative attorney, who specialized in tax law. Abby couldn’t imagine a more tedious occupation, but Martin Henry seemed to love it. Her parents loved the stability he represented, loved that she would be
