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  Love By Accident

  Written by Michelle Beattie

  Published by Michelle Beattie

  Copyright 2011. Michelle Beattie

  Cover by Kim Killion at Hot Damn Designs

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. To obtain permission to use excerpt portions of the text, please contact the author at [email protected].

  All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author's imagination.

  www.michellebeattie.com1

  Praise for books by Michelle Beattie

  What a Pirate Desires

  "This very traditional but fun romance features a feisty heroine, a tortured hero and a sassy parrot along with strong doses of betrayal, action, and plenty of cunning." Publisher's Weekly.

  "Pirates have never been more popular thanks to "Pirates of the Caribbean" and Johnny Depp. Mr. Depp did for pirates what author Michelle Beattie is doing again in her pirate series featuring What a Pirate Desires. This story was filled with lots of swashbuckling action, adventure, mayhem and don't forget the romance." Cheryl @ Manic Readers.

  Romancing the Pirate

  "Beattie's passion for the sea sparkles on every page, as does her love of adventure and of creating a sensual love story between headstrong characters. 4 stars. " Romantic Times.

  "The story line is a fast-paced historical romance that brings to life the seventeenth century Caribbean Islands. The lead couple is a wonderful pairing of two obstinate opposites who find love at sea. Fans will enjoy cruising the Caribbean with Michelle Beattie as their guide. Romancing the Pirate is an enjoyable and exciting tale." Harriet Klausner, the Merry Genre Go Round Reviews.

  A Pirate's Possession

  "Beattie has made her reputation creating fast-paced, exciting high-seas adventure romances with feisty heroines, daring heroes, rapid-fire dialogue and a heady mix of passion, pleasure, and exploits. Her third novel is a delight to read with plenty to savor for the pirate fan hidden within all of us. 4 stars." Romantic Times.

  "Michelle Beattie's third Caribbean seventeenth century pirate romance is an exhilarating action packed high-seas romantic adventure. The fast paced tale grips the reader from the opening card game when Nate and Claire, vowed enemies for life, know the other is in the room. Fans will enjoy the high seas and on land escapades of the lead pair who, to survive, need each other as love and hate have no degrees of separation with this dueling duo." Harriet Klausner, the Merry Genre Go Round Reviews.

  Acknowledgments/Dedication

  First and foremost my thanks go to Steve Malcolm, Human/Wildlife Conflict Specialist for Jasper National Park. Steve was instrumental in this story. From helping me about procedures, poaching, and hazing to reading my scenes for accuracy. Steve, I couldn't have done this without you.

  Thanks also to Wes Bishop, Human/Wildlife Conflict Specialist for the details on the gun, bullets and the forensics behind determining which gun fired the bullet. To Constable Casey Murphy of the Killam RCMP for help on the charge and the fine Lauren was given. To Linda Taylor, RN. for medical help on Matt's early diagnosis and how he would have been treated. These professionals gave me their time and their expertise. Any errors or omissions are entirely my fault.

  I couldn't do this without great friends willing to critique my work and so a huge debt of gratitude to Taryn, Michele, Sheila and Donna. You guys made this book so much better!

  And lastly, this book is dedicated to Raymond Lapointe Jr. A life taken too soon. A life never forgotten. May God bless you. Always.

  PROLOGUE

  Waterton National Park

  Alberta, Canada

  Shock kept her numb.

  Lauren McKinnon sat stoically on the sterile cot in the emergency room while the nurse wrapped her sprained wrist. She'd already had stitches and been x-rayed. No broken bones, no ruptured spleen. Just five stitches on the head and a sprained wrist.

  Life had never been so unfair.

  "You're all set. How are you feeling?"

  Lauren cut her an angry glare. "My boyfriend is dead and my best friend is hurt. How do you think I feel?"

  The nurse smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. You can go see him as soon as you're done talking to the RCMP."

  Lauren's stomach fell hard. The RCMP? Was she going to be charged? Was she going to jail for what she'd done to Matt and Gil? Tears filled her eyes. She hadn't meant to hurt anybody.

  The nurse disappeared through the pastel curtain. Within seconds a tall uniformed constable stepped in. Dread pounded in time with her heart as she faced the man who held her future in his hands.

  "Miss McKinnon?"

  Lauren wiped her cheek, nodded.

  "I have to ask you some questions."

  Lauren answered "no" to most of them. She hadn't been speeding, hadn't had more than one beer, hadn't been sleeping at the wheel. She'd simply looked away for a moment, lost control on the ice and skidded off the road. Right into a tree.

  "This is standard, you understand," he said as he handed her the Breathalyzer.

  She took the test. The officer made a note in his book when she passed it. He handed her a paper. "I'll need your statement."

  Though she tried to write it clinically, she couldn't hold back all her emotions; they were simply too heavy against her heart to be contained. Tears dampened the paper. Had it only been an hour and a half ago? Had her whole life turned upside-down in just ninety minutes? Why? Why did it have to happen? Why couldn't she go back and make it all right?

  With a trembling hand she finished the statement. When she was done, he took her signed copy and exchanged it for a yellow ticket.

  Lauren looked down at the charge. Driving with undue care and attention. It came with a three-hundred dollar fine.

  Guilt choked her as relief flooded her.

  "Now what?"

  "The instructions are on the back. You have three options: pay the fine, plead not guilty and wait for a court date or appear before the court to enter your plea. Either way, I'd suggest getting a lawyer since someone died."

  Tears poured down her cheeks. Her heart fisted painfully. Someone had died. Gil, the man she'd been dating and living with for several years. The man she'd hoped to marry. The man who'd ripped her heart out.

  The officer slipped through the folds in the curtain a moment before the nurse whipped them open. "If you're ready, I'll take you to your friend now."

  Lauren clutched her bandaged hand over her heart. "Are you sure I can go in? I don't want to get in the way."

  And she wasn't sure she could bear to see him either. She'd been knocked unconscious and hadn't come to until she'd heard the sirens. She hadn't seen Matt other than a brief glimpse as they'd laid him on a backboard and carried him up the ditch into the waiting ambulance.

  "Is he--" She swallowed the lump in her throat. "How does he look?"

  The nurse squeezed her shoulder. "A few bruises and minor cuts."

  Lauren heaved a relieved breath.

  He had a room to himself with several lab-coated medical staff buzzing about. Between them she saw the clear line of the IV tube snaking out from his hand. The nurses shifted. Lauren sucked in a breath at the sight of Matt wearing a cervical collar. And he was still strapped to the backboard. What did that mean? Had he broken his legs? His neck?

  Her breath hitched on a sob.

  "Are you his friend?" The nurse who'd taken her in had l
eft and another, taller this time, had taken her place at Lauren's side.

  Lauren pressed her lips together and nodded.

  "You can go closer."

  Lauren didn't feel her feet move, but suddenly the medical staff made room and she was at Matt's side.

  He had a bandage on his forehead, a few scrapes along his cheekbone. His eyes were closed; his breathing was low and even. Thank God he was breathing.

  But he was so still. There was nothing attached to him but his IV, no beeping noises filled the room. Other than the sound of hushed voices and rubber soles squeaking on the floor as the staff moved about, it was silent.

  "Why is the neck brace on? Why is he still strapped to the board?"

  "The x-ray showed some fractures. We can't tell until the swelling goes down how bad the injuries are. So we're keeping him sedated and still so he doesn't do himself more damage."

  Another nurse pulled back the covers at Matt's feet and poked him with a small needle. She shook her head as she replaced the covers. "Still nothing," the woman said as she jotted something in his chart.

  Lauren staggered into the nurse at her side.

  "Come, let's sit down."

  Lauren shook her head, forced her knees to lock. "He didn't move. Does that mean he can't walk? Is he paralyzed?"

  Cold dread snaked up Lauren's spine. It couldn't be. She couldn't have done this. Not Matt and Gil. God, they were only twenty-eight years old! She sniffed loudly and accepted the tissue that was handed to her.

  "All we know right now is there's swelling on the spine and the x-rays show some spinal cord injuries. It could be--"

  But Lauren stopped listening.

  Matt was paralyzed and it was her fault. She'd killed his best friend which was also her fault. How could she face Matt? How could she face his parents? Or, God help her, Gil's? Grief pressed on Lauren making breathing difficult. She was sorry, so damn sorry. The warm trail of her pain slid down her cheeks. God, if she could only go back. Go back and do it differently. Make sure Matt was belted in, instead of asleep across the back seat. She wouldn't take her eyes of the road, not even for a second. She wouldn't have said those words to Gil, words she'd never be able to take back.

  God, Gil was gone. How could he be dead? How would she live with it? Because she couldn't think of Gil gone, couldn't bear to accept the finality of it, she concentrated on Matt. Matt, who may never walk again.

  Lauren wiped the tear that fell on Matt's hand. When she touched him, felt the warmth and vitality in him, grief racked her body. He shouldn't be lying there. He shouldn't be hurt. Why couldn't it have been her? How would he ever be able to look at her? How would they ever be able to remain friends now?

  A sob burst from her lips. She jammed her fist against it, trying to keep herself together, keep from shattering into a million pieces on the hospital floor.

  She couldn't stay. She would never be able to face him, to see him knowing all was gone, all because of her. Head bowed, she stepped away. At the door, she turned and looked back. Though she knew by the silence and stillness that the nurses in the room were watching her, she also knew this was the only way.

  In her mind she saw Matt smiling, the teasing grin he often used to keep him in dates. She'd never see his smile again, never hear his voice. Seeing him lying there, broken, ripped her heart open. Because of her he'd lost Gil. He'd lost everything.

  "I'm sorry," she whimpered.

  As an apology, it was pathetic. It didn't change the facts, wouldn't change the future.

  The room remained silent as Lauren walked away for the last time.

  ***

  No, no, no! Gil thought as he reached for Lauren. But his hand went clear through her hoodie and she kept right on walking. He stumbled to a stop. His mouth dried.

  Denial filled his head until it echoed with it. He wasn't dead. When he'd seen the car wrapped around the tree, when he'd looked down at the ambulance and police car, at the circulating red and blue lights cutting across the frozen night, he'd been dreaming. Shit, he'd been dreaming, right? Right?

  He tried to ask the passing nurses, but though he heard his voice, they didn't seem to. Ah, hell! He ran down the hallway, frantically looking for a bathroom. Seeing a sign on the wall, he raced for it but he wept when he tried to push it open and instead almost fell through the other side.

  Stumbling, he made it to the sink. He saw himself in the mirror. So he was alive, right? Behind him a toilet flushed. A guy walked out, right up to the very sink Gil was standing at and washed his hands. Knees buckling, Gil slid to the ground.

  Fuck, he really was dead. Then where the hell was the bright light everyone talked about? Or, considering what he'd done, was he even going to see a light, or was he doomed to go the other direction?

  "God, if you're listening, I'm sorry. I was an ass, I know that. I hurt the people I loved most. I was selfish and stupid and--"

  There it was. The bathroom doorway became a blinding, pearly portal. He came to his feet. He walked toward it and warmth enveloped him until he was wrapped in it like a big cozy hug. Yet as great as it felt, he knew he couldn't go. Not yet. He had to right the wrongs but was it up to him, he wondered? Did he even have the choice?

  The portal shimmered and he knew he did.

  He thought of Matt lying on that bed, of Lauren, broken and in pain, running away.

  "I can't come. I have to make sure they're okay."

  He wasn't sure to whom he was speaking, but he figured when the bathroom door returned to its grey self someone had heard. He reached for the handle, nearly fell again.

  "Fuck, this is going to take some getting used to," he muttered as he headed for Matt's room.

  ONE

  Jasper, Alberta, Canada.

  Four years later

  "I'm leaving."

  The softly spoken words ripped through Lauren McKinnon with the ferocity of a raging blizzard, leaving her shaken and cold.

  "When?" There was no point in asking why? She'd learned from bitter experience that answer never came.

  "The day after tomorrow."

  She swallowed hard. "So soon?"

  Ted Hardy, Human/Wildlife Conflict Specialist for Jasper National Park, was her rock, even if he didn't know it. She hadn't known him when she'd moved back to the mountains. She'd enjoyed being on the coast, had adored Vancouver Island. She'd had time with her sister, Carmen, time to, if not heal the wounds, at least allow them to scab over.

  But the mountains were her home and she'd finally listened to their calling. Waterton wasn't a possibility, but Jasper was far enough away to maintain anonymity while once again living in a mountain town. Waitressing wasn't what she'd dreamed of nor worked for, but it paid her mortgage. And it had allowed her to meet the rangers and their staff, to form friendships. Well, as much as relationships could be forged considering nobody knew her real story or that she was as qualified as they were.

  She'd never even told Ted.

  God, she couldn't believe she was losing him. The thought of him leaving was ripping open old wounds, but she made sure Ted didn't see it. She was good at putting up a brave front; she'd had years of experience after all.

  "Kiddo, you knew I was thinking of retiring."

  She forced her lips to smile. "Fifty-seven isn't retirement age for most people."

  "It is when you've been working since you were fifteen."

  "You'll be bored and you know it," she muttered. She shook her head, blew out a breath. So much for the brave front. "I'll get us more coffee," she said.

  Lauren grabbed the pot from behind the counter. Juliet, the waitress on shift to close, didn't even look up from the latest celebrity gossip magazine she was reading.

  Ted waited until their cups were doctored with the required cream and sugar before he reached over the red checkered tablecloth and wrapped his large hand around hers.

  "This isn't goodbye."

  Then why did it feel like it? She kept stirring long after the coffee had lightened with the
cream, it kept her hands busy, gave her something else to focus on. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

  His smile was sad. "I hate goodbyes."

  She took a sip of coffee. Though it tasted bitter, she swallowed it along with the pain squeezing her heart at the thought of another goodbye. It wasn't as final as the hardest two she'd had to say four years ago, but it didn't lessen the hurt.

  He came to his feet, pulled her up and wrapped her in a fatherly hug. His wool vest scratched her cheek while the classy smell of Fahrenheit filled her senses. It wrapped around her, made her feel safe, cherished. Loved. What would she do without Ted?

  It was Thursday night and the Mountainview Café was empty except for them and Juliet. Nobody sat on the red vinyl-covered stools facing the long counter. The chairs around the twenty-some tables were tucked in for the night. The black and white photos on the walls, which depicted the town through the last few decades, watched silently as Lauren leaned into Ted.

  "Are you going to the coast like you always said you would?" she asked when they'd once again taken their seats.

  "Yep, the warmer climate will be better for my arthritis."

  She snorted. This time her smile was genuine. "You don't have arthritis. You're the healthiest man I know." Her grin wavered. "Is it selfish that I don't want you to go?"

  "I have a phone, e-mail, fax, and as far I can tell Canada Post still delivers to Victoria. Your sister lives close by, doesn't she?"

  "Up by Nanaimo."

  "There, see? You can visit me and Joy when you come visit her."

  Considering Lauren had spent much of the last year wandering the island and living with her sister on and off while she tried to find where she belonged, Lauren doubted she'd go back anytime soon. She sighed, blew her bangs off her forehead and said, "Yeah, next time I go, I'll let you know."

  The tinkling of bells over the door announced a customer and helped shift her focus. If Ted was leaving then someone else in the office was up for a promotion. Since she knew and liked his staff, she was glad something good would come of Ted's leaving.