Jennifer Greene - Mesmerizing Stranger

The second book in the New Man in Town series, 2010

Dear Reader,

In real life my kids were lucky to survive my cooking. One time, just trying to boil water, I nearly burned the house down. Another time I tried a new recipe that even the dogs wouldnt eat.

But in fiction I get to playand this story gave me a chance to play with fabulous, interesting food. My heroines knowledge of food enables her to identify a murder-even if no one else could see it. And my hero, of course, never knows what hit him from the time he first meets her.

This story was so much fun to write-murder, mayhem, Alaska, gourmet delicacies and a hero and heroine who are so, so positive they couldnt possibly belong together.

I hope you enjoy.

Jennifer Greene

In the army, Harm Connolly had developed a reputation for trouble. Not for getting into it, but getting out of it, and he was most attracted to trouble when the odds were against him.

Temporarily, though, impossible problems didnt strike him as any fun at all.

For the first time in his life, he couldnt find his guts. He really, really wanted to disappear in a deep, dark cave under an assumed name where no one could possibly find him.

It was the boat.

Since hed arrived in Juneau yesterday, the rain had gushed down in thick, drenching sheets, and still showed no sign of letting up. The rain didnt bother him. That he was cold and soaked didnt bother him, either.

But standing on the dock, staring at the l03-foot yacht-ironically named Bliss-Harm reflected gloomily that hed rather suffer a burst appendix, get married again, face a firing squad-anything but climb aboard.

Hed never liked boats. Didnt matter if it was a dingy or a luxury yacht. The idea of being trapped on one for the next two weeks was enough to give him shuddersand the funny part of it all was that the boat trip had been his idea.

The gray, relentless rain blurred any chance of clear visibility, but Harm still kept his gaze homed on the four men climbing aboard ahead of him. They were all brilliant-a ton smarter than him-yet theyd become his employees a mind-boggling few weeks ago.

Theyd sucked up to him from the get-go, but with each other Hell. This morning, typically, none were speaking to each other. Enough friction sizzled among the four to fry a hole in the ozone. The silent anger pouring off the men was so toxic that it was bound to combust unless Harm somehow found a way to identify and defuse the source. Soon. Damn soon.

The yacht staff-captain and mate-greeted each of the men and ported their gear. Harm was last by choice. He wanted to board that boat like he wanted to cuddle up with a hornets nest. Still, if he had to find something positive about this incredible messat least there were no women around.

When push came to shove, Harm didnt doubt his ability to handle financial crises or catastrophes or unexpected avalanches.

He was pretty good at handling most anything but estrogen.

Mr. Connolly-Harm! Welcome aboard! The captain, in full rain gear, surged forward and extended his hand. Hope your trip into Juneau was pleasant. Nice weather for whales, huh?

Harm was beginning to recognize Alaskans unique brand of humor, and even wet and raw, the captains smile was deferential. Harm got mighty tired of people treating him as if he walked on water, but in this case, he didnt mind the wary respect. Naturally, hed thoroughly researched Ivan Gregory before signing on for this trip.

The captain was thirty-eight, of Lithuanian descent, a mans man with a history of hard drinking, womanizing and maverick morals-but Harm didnt mind a mans faults as long as he knew what they were. The critical factor was Ivans experience. The captain knew the seas around Admiralty Island like the back of his hand, and had an unbeatable track record for sailing his way through rough weather, always bringing home passengers and boat undamaged.

It was good to meet your men. Ivan grabbed his duffel before Harm could reach for it. Interesting group. My crew is especially looking forward to this tripwell get your gear taken below, give you some time to wander about and get familiar with the ship

That sounds fine. Thanks. Harm tuned out the captains small talk as he stepped aboard.

Hed seen pictures, done his homework, of course, but was still startled by the reality of the boats interior. Peeling off his wet hood and jacket, he noted the aft deck was big enough to hold a board meeting. Double doors led into a spacious salon, the inside wall paneled in wild cherry, the cabinetry done in a rich burl. The leather seating clustered midroom was framed by bookshelves, all stuffed with books and references on Alaskan lore. Harm was just leaning closer to study the signed oil painting on the inside wall when his head suddenly shot up.

For an instant, he thought he heard a soprano. A womans voice, emanating from the next room off the passageway-the entrance to the dining area.

But his attention was immediately distracted by the shock of hearing laughter from his team. His four guys were all peeling off their wet-weather gear, same as he was, but they were suddenly talking, clearly surprised and enthralled with the comforts of the yacht, sounding animated about the trip ahead. Harm wanted to hold his breath. He had no illusions the camaraderie would last, but it was a beginning-the whole reason hed put this trip together. All four of them, he believed, were good men. Or had been good men, once upon a time. This trip was a chance to see if there was a prayer he could pull them back together.

Ivan pushed up his captains cap and was clearly trying to channel the groups attention. Okay, everyone, Hans here is my first mate. He motioned at a spectacled, gray-haired man who looked like a quiet grandfather type. Cates our chef this trip. Youll meet her shortly. Hans, in the meantime, will take you below, help stow your gear and then give you a tour of the ship. The only place off-limits is the crews quarters. Otherwise, youre free to go anywhere, and explore all you want. Ill be topside for a few minutes, calling the harbormaster. Well lunch in the dining room at twelve-thirty and do some Q & A, fill you in on the schedule, safety features and all that. A-OK?

Cate? Harms head whipped around again. Thered been no womans name on the crew roster. He was positive.

And then he saw her.

Actually, what he precisely noticed was her shrugging off the captains attempt to cup her fanny as she hiked past him into the main salon.

She dodged the captains move, smooth as silk, but Harms gaze still narrowed. Since she was female, she was inherently a problem. The captains behavior hinted there could be an additional awkward problems between employer and employee. Yet, determining how much difficulty she was likely to add to the trip was confounding because her looks didnt remotely fit the picture.

Her hair was blond, paler than wheat, and she wore it razor short, spiked up every which way. Maybe shed gotten around to brushing it last year. Her clothes revealed the flat figure of a kid-skinny jeans, mocs, a long-sleeved T-shirt with the slogan Forget Love! Id Rather Fall In Chocolate! If she reached five-three, Harm would be surprised. With no makeup and a patch of freckles on her nose and a downright stubborn chin, she looked young. twenty-four, twenty-five? And far more like a scrapper than a siren.