Kiss and Tell by Amanda Stevens

Author:Amanda Stevens
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2003-10-22T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE NEWS HIT the papers the following morning with the headline LANGWORTHY’S FIANCÉE RUSHED TO HOSPITAL.

The accompanying article went on to say that gubernatorial candidate Joshua Langworthy had rushed a young woman in her early thirties to the emergency room in Aspen following a riding accident on Saturday. According to unnamed sources, the woman sustained a head trauma and was admitted to the hospital for overnight observation. While being treated, she identified herself as Langworthy’s fiancée. Witnesses reported that Langworthy seemed visibly shaken by the accident.

The article went on to remind readers of the rumors of a secret engagement, which had swirled around Langworthy’s campaign several weeks ago. Josh, the paper said, had denied the rumors at the time, but was unavailable for comment concerning the more recent incident.

He arrived at his office early that morning amidst a cacophony of ringing telephones, humming fax machines and short-tempered campaign staffers.

Nell, Dana and Robert—the Iron Triangle—were already assembled inside his office, and Josh could feel the tension the moment he stepped through the doorway. He had no idea how long Nell had been waiting for him, but she’d already worn a path in the thick carpet with her pacing. She looked as if she could easily rip someone’s heart out for a cigarette, but she’d quit several months ago and her willpower was only exceeded by her ambition.

Robert appeared on edge as well. Tall, lanky, with an often blasé demeanor that belied his keen, fertile mind, he stood at the window, jangling change in his pocket—a dead giveaway for him—as he stared down at the traffic on Main Street.

Only Dana appeared cool and collected. She sat in a chair directly across from Josh’s desk, her dark head bent over her notebook.

Nell, with her political savvy and driving ambition, and Robert, with his advertising expertise and media contacts, were widely considered the powerhouses behind Josh’s campaign, the two most influential sides of the Iron Triangle.

But it was Dana on whom he’d come to rely more and more as Election Day drew near. She’d always been a trusted and efficient assistant, but her calm and reasoned approach to the hundreds of daily problems that cropped up in the course of a campaign had made her indispensable. And the fact that she was an optimist in the face of Nell’s eternal pessimism didn’t hurt. She was worth every penny of her salary and then some.

She looked up from her notes as Josh strode around his desk and took his seat.

“I suppose you’ve all seen the headlines,” he said.

Dana’s dark gaze was still on him. Her expression was benign as usual, but there was something in her eyes, a wounded look, that made Josh curse himself for not having called her the night before.

She wasn’t just a close advisor, but also a trusted friend. She’d helped him through the dark days after Schyler’s disappearance, and she was one of the few people he’d confided in when he’d considered dropping out of the race. She was also the only one who hadn’t tried to dissuade him.

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