Hero In Disguise. Leona Karr
“I don’t understand why you’re not married, Melissa,”
David said bluntly. “I mean, you love children, that’s obvious, and from the way the fellows at the fund-raiser were looking at you, I’d say you could attract about any man you wanted.”
“I guess that’s your answer.” She lightly tossed her head. “I haven’t found one that I wanted.”
“That picky, huh?” His grin teased her.
“Very,” she agreed. She disagreed with people who said you should compromise with life. Her faith wouldn’t let her willingly make a bad decision and throw the future away.
“What about you? There are plenty of eligible women who would be very happy to be Mrs. David Ardell.”
“But you’re not one of them,” he said lightly, as if teasing her.
LEONA KARR
A native of Colorado, the author has always been inspired by God’s magnificence and the delights in using mountain valleys, craggy cliffs and high, snow-tipped peaks as a setting for many of her books. She began writing professionally in 1980 and has enjoyed seeing more than thirty of her romance books in print. The theme of “love conquers all” is an important message in all her stories.
Even though Leona contracted polio the year before the vaccine was approved, the blessings in her life have been many. “Wheeling and dealing” from a wheelchair, she has helped raise four children, pursued a career as a Reading Specialist and recently, after being widowed for five years, found a new love and soul mate in her own “Love Inspired” marriage.
She strives to write stories that will enrich the spiritual lives of those who read them, and is grateful to the many readers who have found her books filled with warm, endearing characters that they can identify with.
Hero in Disguise
Leona Karr
Call unto me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things which you have not known.
—Jeremiah 33:3
With thanks to Paul Fanshane,
a very special and delightful friend
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter One
Let me say and do the right thing, Melissa Chanley prayed as she entered the Colorado State Capital.
It wasn’t going to be easy, no matter how she approached David Ardell. The contents of the folded note in her purse were going to shake up the handsome young attorney’s life the minute he laid his eyes on it.
How would he react? She’d never met him personally, but she’d seen his picture in the newspaper with the governor, and on television. He was in his early thirties, had wavy hair almost the color of old gold and dark brown eyes. In public he was poised, articulate and successful—but what kind of person lay under that successful political veneer? Was there a compassionate nature that she could appeal to?
As she opened the door to the outer office, Melissa hoped she wasn’t embarking on a fool’s errand. A middle-aged secretary with graying hair sat behind a computer. A wooden desk placard identified her as Elsie Shaw. She gave Melissa a practiced smile and an enquiring raise of her eyebrows. Curiosity was evident as her frank gaze assessed Melissa.
“May I help you?”
“I’m Melissa Chanley. I have a two o’clock appointment.”
When Melissa made the appointment, the secretary had enquired as to the reason for the meeting, but Melissa had sidestepped the question. In her capacity as freelance writer for Colorado’s Women of the West magazine, Melissa had learned to save explanations for the person she was interviewing, and even though her appointment had nothing to do with her professional occupation, she wasn’t about to share that with his secretary.
“Oh, yes, Ms. Chanley. I’ll let him know you’re here.” She spoke briskly into the intercom, listened a moment and then nodded. Turning to Melissa, she said, “He’ll see you now, but only for a few minutes. Mr. Ardell has a busy schedule this afternoon.” She left her desk, opened an adjoining office door, motioned Melissa inside and then quietly closed the door behind her.
Melissa hesitated just inside the office as her sweeping gaze quickly assessed the room, which was crowded with more furniture than any decent interior decorator would allow. Large windows were banked by bookcases and a collection of scenic western oil paintings was mounted on the opposite wall. A ring of chairs took up space in the center of the room as if left by a previous meeting, and a large executive desk was loaded with books and papers. The leather office chair behind it was empty.
“Please, come in, Ms. Chanley.” The masculine voice edged with a hint of impatience startled her.
She saw then that the lawyer was sitting on a dark leather couch in a far corner of the room. As he stood up, he put down some folders on an already loaded coffee table. His eyes traveled over her as she walked toward him.
“I’m David Ardell.” He introduced himself as if he wasn’t certain that she had come to the right office.
“Yes, I know.” She felt a smile hover on her lips. He was definitely more attractive in person than on television, even though a slight frown marred his handsome features. “Thank you for seeing me.”
What now? David thought. At any other time, he might have enjoyed the interruption of an attractive dark-haired woman, but the governor was waiting for a report that was only half finished, and he had to attend a committee meeting in a few minutes. He caught the waver of a smile and the confident lift of her head as she came toward him. Who was she, anyway? Some socialite wanting him to serve on a community committee as representative of the governor? Then he remembered his secretary had told him that she was a reporter for a local woman’s magazine. Great, he thought wryly.
“How can I help you?” he asked, already forming a routine dodge for handling the matter, whatever it was.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Mr. Ardell, but this is important.”
That didn’t surprise him. Heaven knows, half of what crossed his desk was stuff somebody at the capital thought was urgent and needed his immediate attention. Sometimes he felt like a firefighter with a dozen fires to put out. “Yes, Ms. Chanley?”
From his tone Melissa knew that he was ready to get rid of her as quickly as possible. Only the dire necessity of her visit stiffened her resolve to take as much time as she needed to make him understand the situation.
“I’m here at the request of someone else,” she said evenly. “And when you know who, I’m sure you’ll agree that my