1、ALSO BY JULIANNE MACLEANWOMENS FICTIONThese Tangled VinesA Fire SparklingA Curve in the Roade Color of Heaven SeriesThe Color of HeavenThe Color of DestinyThe Color of HopeThe Color of a DreamThe Color of a MemoryThe Color of LoveThe Color of the SeasonThe Color of JoyThe Color of TimeThe Color of F
2、oreverThe Color of a PromiseThe Color of a Christmas MiracleThe Color of a Silver LiningCONTEMPORARY ROMANCEPromise Youll StayHISTORICAL ROMANCE SERIESe American Heiress SeriesTo Marry the DukeFalling for the MarquessIn Love with the ViscountLove According to LilyTo Annabelle, With LoveWhere Love Be
3、ginse Pembroke Palace SeriesIn My Wildest FantasiesThe Mistress DiariesWhen a Stranger Loves MeMarried by MidnightA ?iss Before the Wedding (a Pembroke Palace short story)Seduced at Sunsete Highlander SeriesCaptured by the HighlanderClaimed by the HighlanderSeduced by the HighlanderReturn of the Hig
4、hlanderTaken by the HighlanderThe Rebel (a Highlander short story)e Royal TrilogyBe My PrincePrincess in LoveThe Princes BrideDodge City Brides TrilogyPrairie BrideTempting the MarshalA Time for LoveSTAND-ALONE HISTORICAL ROMANCEAdams PromiseThis is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organization
5、s, places, events,and incidents are either products of the authors imagination or are usedfictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actualevents is purely coincidental.Text copyright 2022 by Julianne MacLean Publishing Inc.All rights reserved.No part of this book may be rep
6、roduced, or stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permissionof the publisher.Published by Lake Union Publishing, SAmazon, the Amazon logo, and Lake Union Publishing are trademarks
7、 ofA, Inc., or its affiliates.ISBN?13: 9781542036702ISBN?10: 1542036704Cover design by Caroline Teagle JohnsonCONTENTSCHAPTER 1 OLIVIACHAPTER 2 OLIVIACHAPTER 3 MELANIECHAPTER 4 OLIVIACHAPTER 5 MELANIECHAPTER 6 OLIVIACHAPTER 7 MELANIECHAPTER 8 OLIVIACHAPTER 9 OLIVIACHAPTER 10 MELANIECHAPTER 11 DEANCH
8、APTER 12 MELANIECHAPTER 13 MELANIECHAPTER 14 DEANCHAPTER 15 DEANCHAPTER 16 DEANCHAPTER 17 MELANIECHAPTER 18 DEANCHAPTER 19 DEANCHAPTER 20 DEANCHAPTER 21 OLIVIACHAPTER 22 OLIVIA1993 NEW YORKCHAPTER 23 OLIVIACHAPTER 24 OLIVIACHAPTER 25 OLIVIA1997 NEW YORKCHAPTER 26 OLIVIACHAPTER 27 OLIVIACHAPTER 28 OL
9、IVIA2012 NEW YORKCHAPTER 29 OLIVIACHAPTER 30 OLIVIACHAPTER 31 OLIVIACHAPTER 32 DEANCHAPTER 33 OLIVIAEPILOGUE OLIVIAAUTHORS NOTE?UESTIONS FOR DISCUSSIONABOUT THE AUTHORCHAPTER 1OLIVIAMiami, 1990I should have known better. I shouldnt have said the things I did.Thats what I told myself when I learned w
10、hat happened to myhusband on his return flight from the US Virgin Islands. But isnt that whatwe all say after something goes terribly wrong and we look back and wishwe had behaved differently?At least I was not directly to blame for what happened to Dean. Imnot sure whose fault it was, exactly. Its
11、a mystery that will probably remainunsolved until the end of time. My own regret involves something of amore personal nature, a series of events that began on a Sunday morningwhen my mother called. Dean and I were still sleeping, and he groaned ashe sat up to answer the telephone.“Hello?” He ran a h
12、and down his face to rouse himself. “Goodmorning, Liz. No, its not too early. No, you didnt wake us. How are you?”Dean gave me a look, and I responded by pulling the feather duvet upover my head.“Yes, the weathers been great.” He nudged me with his knee.“Olivias right here. Hold on a sec . . .”I pok
13、ed my head out, crinkled my nose, and shook my head. Hepushed the phone at me with a look that said, Dont make me talk to her.I couldnt possibly torture him like that, because he and my motherwerent exactly closewhich was a tactful way to say that they dislikedeach other immensely but remained civil
14、 for my sake.None of that was Deans fault, of course. It was entirely my mothers.I sat up and took the phone from him. “Hi, Mom.”Dean kissed me on the cheek, slid out of bed, and padded toward thebathroom. Mom said something to me, but I was distracted by the image ofmy handsome husband as he stripp
15、ed off his T?shirt before closing the doorbehind him.“Olivia, are you listening?”I sat up straighter against the thick pile of feather pillows. “Yes, Mom,Im here.”“Did you hear what I said?”“No. Im still half?asleep. Say it again?”“Can you come over for dinner tonight?” she repeated. “Sarah andLeon
16、are in town until Wednesday, and Sarah was so sweet to call meyesterday. I havent spoken to her in such a long time, probably not sinceyour fathers funeral, so I invited them.”I scratched the back of my head because I was surprised that Sarahhad called my mother. Sarah was my half sister, almost twe
17、nty years olderthan me, and a product of my fathers first marriage to a woman namedBarbara who died before I was born.“As Im sure you know,” my mother continued, “tomorrow is thesecond anniversary of your fathers passing. Maybe thats why she called. Idont know. At any rate, you should be here too.”I
18、 was ashamed of myself for forgetting what day it was, but Id had alot on my mind lately. Id been making a conscious effort to not look at acalendar.Hearing the sound of the shower running in the bathroom, I slippedout of bed and pulled on my robe. “Itll be nice for us to get together. Wedbe delight
19、ed to come. Assuming the invitation includes Dean as well?”“Of course it includes Dean,” she replied with a note of sassiness thatconfessed everythingthat she didnt approve of him, we both knew it, butshe didnt want to cause any more rifts.“Just checking,” I said, having decided long ago that it was
20、 pointlessto try and convince her that shed always been wrong about my husbandthat he wasnt “beneath me,” as she had once put it, simply because hedidnt come from money.Thank goodness Dean was a good sport about my mothers flagrantsnobbery. Mostly we made fun of her, and he laughed it off. There was
21、plenty of eye?rolling when she showed off a flashy new handbag that cost athousand dollars or made a not?so?subtle dig about his financial situationgrowing up.As I stood at the window watching a wispy cloud float lightly acrossthe morning sky, I asked her if I could bring anything to the dinner.“Jus
22、t yourselves,” she replied. Then we chatted for a minute or twobefore we hung up.Dean was still in the shower, so I went to put some coffee on and grabthe Sunday paper from outside the door. A short while later, I was seated atthe kitchen table, reading the arts and entertainment pages. Dean appeare
23、din shorts and a light?blue cotton T?shirt, his hair still wet.“Thats a nice clean shave,” I said to him with a flirtatious grin, havingcommented about his rough stubble the night before when we were in bed.He moved behind me and massaged my shoulders. “Ill try to besmoother next time.” He kissed th
24、e top of my head and poured himself acup of coffee. “What did your mother want?”“She invited us to dinner tonight.”Dean faced me, his head drawing back slightly. “Both of us? Meincluded?”“Yes, I know. I was surprised too,” I said. “But Sarah is in town, andtomorrow is the second anniversary of Dads
25、passing, so Mom decided todo something, I guess. Its really last minute, nothing too elaborate. Itll justbe us, a four?course meal, and a few bottles of Dads favorite wine whileMom gets sentimental and tells romantic stories about him.”Dean was quiet while he sipped his coffee.I sat in silence for a
26、 moment, knowing he wasnt going to enjoy any ofthat because he and my father had not been on speaking termsnot a wordsince Dad cut me off for marrying Dean. But nothing could have stoppedme from walking down that aisle.I rose from the chair and carried my empty cup to the dishwasher. “Doyou still wa
27、nt to take Sarahs boat out today?” I asked. “Now that we havethe dinner party to go to, well have to head back early.”Dean looked out the window and thought about it. “Its a gorgeousday. We should still go.”“Agreed. Lifes too short. Let me grab a quick shower.”I was pleased we were on the same page
28、because I wanted to talk tohim about something important, and I wasnt sure how Dean would feelabout it. I was banking on the gorgeous sailing conditions to help mepresent my case.As I stood on the foredeck of DaydreamerSarahs thirty?nine?footcruising yacht that she let us borrow from time to timeI f
29、elt revitalizedand optimistic about the future. Dean was at the helm, breathing in thefragrance of the sea and enjoying the salty spray on his face, while I hungon to the shrouds, my ponytail whipping in the wind. The hiss of the wavesbeneath the leeward bow was music to my ears.“Ready to come about
30、!” Dean shouted, and I prepared to release thejib.He turned the wheel hard over, hand over hand, and swungDaydreamer around. “Boom coming across!”I ducked as it passed over my head, and within seconds, we were on anew tack, the sails snapping taut. The wind became still, and all was quietas I hopped
31、 down to the cockpit.“Want me to take over?” I asked.“Sure.” He stepped aside as I moved into position.The return trip to the marina was a more relaxing affair with gentle butsteady winds to take us home. I gripped the wheel while Dean reclined onthe bench beside me, his face turned toward the sun.“
32、Can we talk about something?” I asked, gazing at him contentedlyand feeling quite blessed.He turned toward me, and I saw my reflection in his sunglasses. “Iseverything okay?”Dean had always been attuned to my moods and emotions. I was mytruest self with him, and I felt accepted and loved. Perhaps ev
33、enworshipped. I knew he would do anything for me. I was his whole world,and he was mine. I was a very lucky woman.“Everythings wonderful,” I replied, glancing up at the mainsail andadjusting the wheel slightly. “But Ive been thinking . . .”Dean sat forward on the bench and rested his elbows on his k
34、nees,attentively.“You know how we decided that I would go off the pill and wed seewhat might happen?”He nodded.“Well . . . its been three months, and nothings happened.”He nodded again and waited patiently for me to continue.“Weve been trying,” I said, “sort of, but not officially. Not activelytryin
35、g. Weve just been doing what we usually do.”“And what is that exactly?” he asked with a sly, playful grin.I laughed and shook my head at him. “Want me to describe it?Colorfully?”“Im game if you are.”I chuckled and looked up at the mainsail again to check the tension.Everything was perfect. We were c
36、utting through the water on a fast andsteady tack.“Im wondering if we should try a little harder,” I continued. “I mean. . . I could keep track of my cycle on the calendar and take my temperatureso that we know exactly when Im ovulating.”“And start scheduling sex?” he asked without judgment. He mere
37、lyseemed curious.I made a face. “Yes, but I hate the sound of that. Weve always beenspontaneous, and I love that about us.”“We could still be spontaneous.”I was relieved he seemed open to what I was suggesting, but I was stillwary of it, myself.“I have to admit Im hesitant,” I explained, “because I
38、read an articlethe other day about a couple who had trouble getting pregnant, and they puttoo much pressure on themselves. They started booking appointments forsex, and all the fun went out of it. And then they were devastated everymonth when she got her period. They grew impatient with each other a
39、ndfelt like failures. Then they started IVF, and that was a whole new can ofemotional worms. Their marriage was never the same.”“Did they get pregnant?” Dean asked.“No. They were still trying. And going to couples therapy to fix theirrelationship.”“Couples therapy . . .” After a pause, he rose from
40、the bench andstood behind me, slid his arms around my waist, and buried his nose in thecrook of my neck. “Dont worry about us. Were only just getting started.And if you want to get all clinical and start taking your temperature, I couldget myself a lab coat. If youre really good to me, I might even
41、wear it inthe bedroom.”I laughed and turned around to kiss him, knowing he wouldinstinctively take hold of the wheel. We kissed passionately until themainsail began to flutter in the wind.“I love you,” I said, then faced forward again before we got stuck inthe no?go zone.“I love you too,” he replied
42、 and hopped lightly onto the foredeck toadjust the lines while I steered us back on track. When that was done, hereturned to the cockpit and sat down again. “Just out of curiosity, when willyou be ovulating next? I want to make sure Im free that night.”I smiled. “Tomorrow, as a matter of fact.”Impre
43、ssed by my organizational skills, he checked his watch. “Well, ifwe want to get a jump on things, we could make an appointment fortonight. Midnight would count, correct?”“I suppose, if you look at it that way.”“And wed kill two birds with one stone.”“How so?”“Wed have a legitimate excuse to make an
44、early escape from yourmothers dinner party.”I laughed again. “Youre terrible.”“Guilty as charged.” He sat back, put his feet up on the bench, andraised his face to the sun again. “Take us home, Captain.”A fresh breeze blew across the deck, and I looked up at the clear bluesky. It was a perfect day.
45、Oh, how I loved my life.When we arrived home, the red light on the answering machine wasblinking. I pressed the button to listen to the messages and kicked off myshoes. “Are you hearing this?” I called out to Dean, who had gone into thewashroom. “Its Richard. He wants you to call him.”Dean was a pil
46、ot who flew private jets in and out of Miami, andRichard was his boss. The clients were often business travelers, alwayswealthy, sometimes famous. Flying was Deans passion, and he loved hiswork as much as I loved mine. Or at least my idea of it. I had graduatedfrom film school with the intention of
47、becoming a documentarian, but Ihadnt produced anything yet. I just couldnt seem to find the right subjectmatter to inspire me, and funding was always an issue.Dean returned to the kitchen. “Did he say what it was about?”“No,” I replied. “But he only left the message a few minutes ago. Youshould give
48、 him a call.” I handed Dean the phone, then opened the fridge tograb a can of orange juice. I cracked it open and sat down at the kitchentable. I was thinking about what I should wear to my mothers house fordinner when I listened in on Deans conversation with Richard.“Tonight?” Dean said. “Thats sho
49、rt notice, isnt it?” He looked at me,shook his head, and rolled his eyes. But then his expression changed. Heperked up a little and turned away from me. “Its Mike Mitchell? Are yousure Kevin cant do it? How sick is he?”My insides turned over with dread. Mike Mitchell was a singer andguitarist who ha
50、d just broken into the Hollywood scene with a dramaticsupporting role in an Oscar?nominated film, and his new album wascurrently number one on the Billboard charts. He was on the cover of everyglossy magazine imaginable. It was not the first time Dean had flown himto his luxurious oceanside retreat
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