FIRE AND ICE by Julie Garwood Read Free Book Online Page A

him, but Harrington bailed on me.”
    She then told them about the 5K and how Harrington had disappeared.
    “Do you think he got sick?” Cordie asked.
    “Maybe he was hurt warming up,” Regan offered.
    “No, I think I know what happened,” Sophie said. “I talked to a couple of the event coordinators after the race. They told me they knew Harrington and that he’d never checked in. The winner of the race was a newcomer named Brett Mason, and everyone was talking about how fast he was. I think Harrington heard all the talk before the race and was afraid of the competition. He wasn’t about to take the chance that he might lose his twenty-fifth race, so he took off. I can’t believe I wasted all that time on him and ended up without a story. I don’t know what happened to him, but I’m determined to find out and make him apologize.”
    Regan shook her head at her two friends and their frustrations. “Do you know what both of you need?” she asked.
    Sophie groaned.
    Cordie sighed and said, “Let me guess. You think we need to fall in love and get married. That’s easy for you to say, you found the perfect man.”
    Regan’s lips curled upward in a dreamy smile. “Yes, that’s true. Alec is perfect.” She quickly switched back to being serious. “But we’re not talking about Alec and me. We’re talking about the two of you. I don’t think you have to get married necessarily. Just fall in love. Make room for a relationship, that’s all I’m suggesting. I know both of you could go out with a different man every night of the week if you wanted to …”
    “You’re not going to tell us we’re too particular, are you?” Cordie asked.
    “No, no, of course not. But I think you’re doing what I used to dobefore Alec came along. You’re dating the wrong kind of men. They’re all … I don’t know … country club. You know what I mean?”
    Ignoring their dismissive frowns, she continued, “I want to fix both of you up with real men.”
    “Real men as opposed to … ?” Sophie asked.
    “I don’t do blind dates,” Cordie said at the same time.
    Regan ignored their protests. “Alec has lots of friends. He has a partner now. He’s really good-looking, and he’s unattached. Sophie, I think you should go out with him.”
    For a second or two Sophie thought Regan was joking. When she realized she was serious, she said, “He’s FBI. You can’t honestly think I would be interested in him, and he certainly wouldn’t be interested in me. You do remember who my father is?”
    Regan shrugged. “I didn’t forget, but I think going out with an FBI agent might help you get over your aversion to anyone associated with law enforcement.”
    “What is this? Behavior modification? I don’t have an aversion,” she protested. “You know I love Alec, and I like his friends Gil and John, and they’re both in law enforcement.”
    “Gil’s retired, and you’ve known both John and him for a long time. You’ve gotten used to them, and they don’t work with the agents who have been investigating your father. It’s not the same thing. You still have the aversion. I really think you ought to give it a shot. His name is Jack MacAlister, and I’m sure Alec could talk him into a blind date.”
    “You’re joking, right? You have to be joking. You are, aren’t you?”
    Regan didn’t answer. “I have news. Alec and I are going to be looking for a place to live here in Chicago.”
    “You’re staying permanently?” Sophie asked excitedly.
    Everyone started talking at once. Sophie couldn’t stop smiling. Regan and Alec had moved a couple of times since he’d joined the FBI.
    Cordie was also thrilled. “How did this happen? Did Alec put in for a transfer? I knew he was tired of undercover work, but how—”
    “No, he didn’t have to ask. The last year and a half, he’s had cases in Chicago, so the agency has decided to assign him here permanently. His new partner had something to do with it, too. Sort of,