Over the past thirty years, she’d had a broken heart or two. None of them compared to the pain she was feeling right now.
Curling up in her seat, she shut her eyes and let the emotion eat at her from the inside out. She was determined not to cry. There were people they were found onhe was around—people who were probably already staring at her oddly, due to the commotion surrounding her boarding of the plane and all the security in her midst.
She supposed some of the pictures of her and Beau had probably surfaced. That would account for some of the whispering she was hearing. For the first time since she’d met Beau, she realized what it was like to be him for a moment. People looked at you as though they knew you—talked about you like they were your friends. But they were nothing but strangers. Strangers, who like Beau said, just wanted a piece of him.
When the plane landed in Montana, Kate was thankful to depart the aircraft. Trey was waiting for her at the terminal, as promised. He took one look at her face and swore.
“I’m sorry, Kate.” He gave her a hug that she didn’t return. She was still determined to hold on to her last shred of dignity and not cry—especially in front of Trey Callahan.
“Can we just go home?” she asked softly. “It was a long flight and I’m beat.”
“Sure thing. Kylie wanted to come meet the plane but I didn’t think it was a good idea, what with everything going on.” He led her to the baggage claim, where they picked up her things. Ten minutes later, they were in his truck heading down the freeway. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine, Trey. Don’t use kid gloves on me. I knew what I was getting into when I went to bed with him.”
Trey had the decency to wince and swore again. “This isn’t entirely his fault.”
She really wasn’t in the mood to hear him defend his brother and she found herself scowling.
“Okay, I know you’re upset and you have a right to be. But for what it’s worth, he’s scared for you. Someone is dead, Kate. This freak isn’t messing around anymore. It could have been you. Do you get that?”
The realization that he was right slapped her in the face. She let out a wheezy breath. “I can’t do this right now, Trey. I just can’t.”
“You should have told him how you feel.”
The words caught her off guard and she finally met his gaze. “I did tell him.”
Trey looked surprised, his blue eyes narrowed. “You did?”
“I told him I’m in love wi’d known
17
Christmas came and went. New Years followed. Beau spent the holidays alone on his Texas ranch, a case of beer at his feet and his Glock at his side.
It hadn’t been easy keeping his family away, but eventually he’d gotten his point across that he wanted to be alone. The more people he involved in his life, the worse things got. He had to deal with this situation on his own now. It was the only way.
Unfortunately, as was usual with his stalker, the bastard had fallen off the radar again. It they weree d into her driveway had been nearly three weeks since Patrick Longwell’s death. The man had been buried in a private ceremony back in L.A. that Beau hadn’t even been able to attend, due to the media circus surrounding him.
He was damned tired of what his existence had become.
Hearing his phone ring, he grimaced. He knew it was probably one of his brothers or his sister. He got a dose of Callahan lecture daily from one of them or another. Dusty and Elle wanted him to come to Callahan. Trey wanted him back in Montana. Joey was the only one who seemed to accept Beau’s decision to stay where he was. He’d offered to come and stay with Beau but Beau had turned him down. He wasn’t willing to put anyone else close to him at risk.
Checking the caller ID on his cell, he grimaced. It was Trey. As close as he was to his older brother, he was not in the mood for any more crap right now. He let the call go to his voicemail.
Immediately the phone rang again.
“What do you want?” he growled into the receiver, realizing Trey would call him all night if he kept ignoring him.
“Get off your high horse. You’re starting to piss me off,” Trey snapped. “I’ve been calling you for days. The only thing that’s kept me from jumping on a plane and coming down there is the fact that my wife is five months pregnant and I can’t leave her here alone.”
“I don’t need you to come here, big brother. I’m fine.” Beau scratched at his stubbly face. It reminded him that he needed a shave. It had been a while since he’d bothered. His hair was too long too. He sure as hell didn’t look like one of Celeb Weekly’s sexiest men alive now.
“So everything’s quiet there?”
“As a tomb,” Beau said, and took a long swig of beer.
“Are you drunk?”
“Not yet,” Beau answered. “But I’m working on it.”
“Don’t do this to yourself. This has gone on long enough. When are you going to care enough about yourself to fight back, instead of running away?”
The words annoyed him and Beau scowled. “Mind your own business, Trey. I don’t need you mothering me.”
“This is my business. You’ve made quite a mess of things. And while I realize that some of this isn’t your fault, there is a portion of it that is. She doesn’t deserve this from you.”
Knowing who he was talking about, Beau snapped his eyes shut and blocked out the pain that shot through his heart. He didn’t want to talk about Kate. He’d worked harder than hell over the past few weeks to get her out of his system.
“I shouldn’t even tell you this because she wouldn’t want you to know, but she’s in trouble, Beau.”
Beau sobered somewhat. “What do you mean, she’s in trouble?”
“I’m not sure exactly what’s going through her head but she’s missed quite a bit of school. She spent Christmas and New Year’s Eve alone. She has completely shut Kylie out. Richard’s the only one she’s let in her house and even he’s having trouble getting to the bottom of what’s going on.” Trey paused. “To put it bluntly for you, Beau, you fucked this up, now fix it.”
Beau grimaced, blowing a painful breath they wereon
“You can. You’re running scared like you always do. I seem to remember you saying something like this to me when Kylie and I broke up way back when. Take your own advice, little brother.”
“I’m not good for her, Trey. My lifestyle and her—” He shook his head, frustrated. “It’s just not meant to be.”
“You didn’t give it an honest try. You walked away before you could.”
“You know why I walked away.”
“She’s no safer here without you. This guy could pop up anywhere, at any given time.”
Beau had convinced himself that that wasn’t likely, even though he knew his brother was probably right. “I can’t fix this,” he finally repeated and disconnected the phone. It rang again, and this time he ignored it.
Kate lay in her bed, trying to block the throbbing in her head out. Her stomach was roiling again. She’d already been sick twice that day. Richard had called—insisted he was coming over to take care of her. She’d begged him not to. Of course he hadn’t listened. He was bustling around her kitchen right now warming up some soup.
It had been a week since she’d been at school. She knew her kids had to miss her and she missed them. That fact only depressed her more and she buried her head in her pillow.
“Here, try to get something in your stomach and it will probably feel better.” Richard leaned over and set the TV tray next to her on the bed. Then he sat down and reached a hand for her forehead. “You’re not hot.”
“So?” she grumbled.
He sighed, and she knew what he was going to say before he said it. “How long have you known?”
She ignored him.
“Kate, don’t bullshit me. I can see what’s going on here. I thought you took a test and it was negative.”
Kate felt the tears seep from her eyes and she tried to blink them away. “I did take a test.
It was negative. Beau saw it too. I thought everything was okay.”
“But it’s not,” he figured out.
She eventually shook her head wearily. “I never got my period so I took another test. It was positive.”
Richard sighed. He reached over and moved the TV tray, setting it down on the floor next to the bed. Then he lay back next to her and held out his arms.
Tired of dealing with everything on her own, Kate scooted into them and let herself have a good cry. She had been in a state of denial for two weeks now, ever since the first bout of morning sickness that she’d had—ever since she’d taken the second pregnancy test.
“You need to call him,” Richard said gently.
“I can’t,” she sniffled.
“Why not?” he demanded. “Because you’re too proud to? I know it’s not that you’re afraid he’s going to turn his back on you. He already told you he’d never do that.”
“He’s already turned his back on me.”
“He doesn’t know about this, Kate. You can’t judge him when he doesn’t know the truth.” they wereuc b” “
Kate buried her nose in Richard’s chest, thankful that he was always there for her, even when she probably didn’t deserve it. “He won’t know how to deal with this. He’s on the road six months out of the year. When he’s not on the road, he’s too busy being a brand.”
“What are you talking about?” Richard asked, backing up and looking down into her face. “You’re not making any sense.”
“He’s Beau Callahan, Richard. He’s not some guy I met in a bar, or a guy that works at the local phone company. He’s Beau Callahan. I have nothing to offer him.”
“You have his child, Kate. And I think you’re selling him short, by the way. The Beau Callahan I met and spent time with was not a brand. He was a normal guy who swings a hard bat for a living. So what if people know who he is? So what if he’s on television or in magazines? What does all that really matter if you love him?”
“Because he doesn’t love me.” The words came out in a hiccup.
“That’s where I think you’re wrong. I’m pretty good at reading people and I saw it in his eyes. You want to know when?”
She hiccupped, finally calming down enough to look him in the eye. “When?”
“When you were standing in the front yard of Trey and Kylie’s house, arguing over whose fault the car accident was.”
She thought that over, surprised. “We hardly knew each other then.”
Richard shrugged. “I’m a guy and I know how testosterone works. Trust me, he was dead in the water the minute he saw you. That’s why he kept doing nice stuff for you.”
“He likes to do nice stuff for people. It’s just the way he is.”
“You didn’t see him doing any nice stuff for me, did you?”
She supposed that was true enough. But it was still hard for her to believe that Beau had those kinds of feelings for her. He hadn’t even called her in the three weeks since they had left New York.
“From what Trey’s told me, he’s worried about you. That’s why he’s staying away. I’m not sure he’s doing the wrong thing, little girl.” Richard gave her a knowing look. “But he has a right to know that you’re having his kid. You can’t keep that from him. Not only that, if Trey finds out—”
“You can’t tell him,” Kate said, immediately alarmed. “I’ll tell Beau myself. Just let me figure this out.”
“You don’t have much longer to figure it out. The longer you wait, the worse things are going to be.”
She knew he was right. She pulled away from him and sat up straight, ignoring the dizziness that assailed her.
“You’re awfully sick, Kate. You should see a doctor. You don’t look good at all. I can go with you if you want.”
She’d been thinking the same thing herself. She slowly nodded and let her feet dangle over the side of the bed. Then she rested her hands over her still flat abdomen. She hadn’t fully wrapped her head around the fact that there was a baby inside of her. It seemed surreal.
“Why don’ to make him feel better. me b” “t you take a shower and clean yourself up? Maybe then you’ll feel like eating.”
She doubted it, but she did as he suggested. She had to admit that the warm water from the shower felt good cascading over her skin. She stayed there until the water turned cold. After shutting it off, she put on a pair of sweats and grabbed the sweatshirt she’d been wearing all week long. It was Beau’s sweatshirt—one of the few things he had left behind. There was only a little bit of his scent left on the shirt but it was comforting to her all the same. When she was enveloped in its warmth, she felt a little better.
She walked out into the living room where Richard was sitting on the couch, the bowl of soup he’d made her waiting for her on the coffee table.
“Just give it a try. You need to eat.”
She knew he was right so she sat down and lifted the spoon to her mouth. The broth actually tasted pretty good and she found herself taking a few more sips.
A loud pounding on the door interrupted her.
“Damn it, Kate, open up!” It was Trey. She looked at Richard accusingly.
“I didn’t tell him a thing,” Richard said, holding his hands up in defense. “But he’s got a pregnant wife at home. Maybe he figured it out on his own.”
Kate felt her insides clench again.
“He’s not going to go away,” Richard said quietly, as he got up from the couch and headed for the door.
Kate grimaced when the door opened and Trey walked in, Kylie on his heels. His blue eyes were blazing with anger.
“What took you so long to open the door?” he demanded, glaring at Richard. “I told you I was coming over.”
Kate shot Richard a lethal look.
“I was getting around to telling you that. I swear I didn’t say a word to him.”
“What are you talking about?” Trey snapped. Then his eyes landed on Kate. “You look like hell. Are you sick or something?” He backed away from her now, clearly a bit uncomfortable.
“I’m fine, Trey. Take your wife and go home.” Kate didn’t bother looking in Kylie’s direction. She knew she would see hurt in her friend’s eyes and she didn’t want that on her conscience.
Trey snorted. “That’s rich, Kate. Boy, you really are selfish, aren’t you?”
Kate barely had the energy to narrow her eyes at him. He was angrier than she had ever seen him.
“Kylie’s been bawling her eyes out all week, trying to figure out what she did that made you so mad at her. But it’s not her at all, is it?” Trey glared at her. “This has nothing to do with us.”
“Trey,” Kylie said softly, in warning.
“He’s right,” Kate relented, rubbing a hand over her face wearily. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize to me,” Kylie replied, motioning for her husband to be quiet. She walked over and sat down next to Kate on the couch. “I was worried when you called in sick to school. Then when you didn’t answer my calls—”
“I haven’t been feeling well. I just didn’t want to talk. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.” they wereon
“What’s really going on here, Kate?” Trey demanded, his eyes boring into hers.
At that moment, she knew that he knew. He wasn’t saying anything out loud—but he knew.
Immediately, Kate’s stomach felt sick again. She bit the bile back, determined to fight the nausea this time.
“Maybe you guys should come back tomorrow,” Richard said uncertainly.
“I don’t think so,” Trey retorted, his eyes never leaving Kate’s. He walked over and crouched down in front of her. “Why haven’t you called him? He has a right to know.”
She swallowed again, slowly shaking her head in response.
“Call him right now. If you don’t, I will.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, offering it to her. She made no move to take the device. She knew he meant business and she knew he w
as right. But she still couldn’t get herself to face Beau. Not yet.
“She doesn’t need to call me. I’m right here.”
Kate felt her entire world shift at the sound of his voice. She looked up over Trey’s shoulder and realized that Richard had the front door wide open and Beau was standing just inside the living room. She was so stunned she felt her heart stop.
While she knew she looked terrible herself, he was
18
Beau propped his feet up on a chair near Kate’s hospital bed. It was almost midnight. Several nurses had already attempted to shoo him out of the room, insistent that visiting hours were over. He’d ignored them. He was not going anywhere—not this time. He’d left her on her own to deal with this for long enough.
Folding his arms over his chest, he watched her sleep. She looked peaceful now. She had an IV drip hooked up to her that was slowly putting fluids back into her almost completely dehydrated body. The doctor in the ER had told him that along with morning sickness, it was possible that she had a touch of the flu. He’d seen people with symptoms like hers all week long. He had run a battery of tests on her and determined the baby was fine. She needed fluids and they wanted to keep her for a couple of days to be sure she kept them down.
He found himself relieved. The minute he’d learned there was a baby, he had become attached to the idea that he was going to be a father. Not that he wasn’t scared to death. He and Kate had a lot of unfinished business between them. She was stubborn and when she got her strength back things were liable to become very complicated again.
“You need to shave.”
He heard the words and looked over at her. Her eyes were open for the first time in hours. He lowered his feet to the floor andZle b the baby leaned toward her, thankful to see her among the living again. “I know it. I was in a hurry to get here.”
In the Eye of the Storm Page 14