“Hmm,” Joseph said, his frown deepening. “Josie is acting as though she’ll be glad to have everyone out of here so she can take a nap, for heaven’s sake. I swear, that girl is so stubborn.”
“I wonder who she takes after?” Jeff said, smiling.
“Yes, yes, I know,” Joseph said impatiently. “She reminds me of myself when she lifts that chin and pokes her nose in the air. There’s no budging her. But, damn it, Jeff, I know she loves Max Carter. She said it herself that day he got hurt.”
“She was awfully upset, though.”
“Which is even better. Those words just spilled out, without her thinking. Oh, she’s in love with Carter, all right. She doesn’t remember telling me that she is, but I know it’s true.”
“My wife and I agree with you,” Jeff said. “We saw Josie and Max together. I’d never seen Max act like he had with her. He was so open, so at ease, so happy. But I have to tell you that if you’re running a stubborn contest, Max would win hands down.”
“Damn it,” Joseph said, smacking the top of the table with the palm of one hand. “I put them together in this apartment so their relationship could progress from where it had gotten to while Josie was staying at Max’s ranch.”
“That progression may very well have happened,” Jeff said, then drained his coffee cup.
“Not that I can tell. I’ve had regular reports from Gertie. She informed me that there’s something between Josie and Max, no doubt about it. She could see it, sense it, even feel it in the air at times. But she said they seemed to be holding back, protecting themselves or some such nonsensical thing.”
“That sounds like Max. Would you like some coffee, Mr. Wentworth?”
“Yes, thank you. Have another cup yourself and drink it slowly. We’ll give those two more time to quit acting so foolishly.”
Jeff got to his feet and crossed the large kitchen to get the coffee. He returned with a cup of the steaming liquid for Joseph, then refilled his own cup. When he sat down again at the table, he had a thoughtful expression on his face.
“You know, Mr. Wentworth, I can concoct a story about why we’re not going to put a walking cast on Max, after all. He’s eligible for one, but I can pretend to have talked to the specialist who has now had second thoughts about it. That would leave Max here in Josie’s apartment, stuck in the wheelchair.”
“No,” Joseph said, shaking his head. “I’m not satisfied with how things went here. More of the same isn’t the answer. We’ll stall over this coffee. If the ridiculous status quo remains, we’ll take Max out the door. Maybe they’ll come to their senses if they’re not together.”
“This matchmaking stuff is hard work,” Jeff said.
“It wouldn’t be if we were dealing with reasonable people who would follow the program I mapped out.”
“Oh, I see.” Jeff laughed. “Well, Max Carter, for one, marches to his own drummer.”
“So does Josie Wentworth. The stubborn little minx.”
“I have to say, sir, that I’m more than a bit surprised that you’re in favor of a relationship between Josie and Max.”
“Why?”
“Well, Max is a good man. He’s honest, works hard, and I’m proud to call him my friend. But Max surely wouldn’t be able to provide for Josie in the manner she’s accustomed to. Max has a fine spread and top-rated cattle, but he’s land-poor and doesn’t have much money in his pocket.”
“I’m aware of all of that,” Joseph said. “I had him investigated.”
“Oh, Lord, you’re kidding.” Jeff grinned and shook his head. “Don’t ever tell him that. He has a major thing about personal privacy. Max would go ballistic if he knew you had someone checking on his background and his day-to-day life.”
“I don’t intend to tell him. I’m cagey, not stupid. And as for his financial and social status, that doesn’t come into consideration when dealing with matters of the heart.”
Joseph stared into space for a long moment, then looked at Jeff again.
“My wife, rest her soul, was a waitress in a coffee shop when I met her. My family was already wealthy from Wentworth Oil Works. They gave me nothing but grief about wanting to marry my Emily. She wasn’t of ‘our class of people,’ you see.
“But I married her, anyway, and we had many happy years before she died of heart disease. Josie and Max will have to work out the subject of her money and his lack of it as they see fit.” Joseph paused. “If they ever get that far. Mules. That’s what they are—stubborn as two mules.”
“Yes, sir,” Jeff said, chuckling. “I’d say that just about sums it up.”
Gertie came into the kitchen. “I’m leaving now, Mr. Wentworth,” she said. “I’ve said my goodbyes to Max and Ms. Wentworth. Max is ready to go, although he didn’t eat his breakfast.”
“Where’s Josie?” Joseph asked.
“She’s sitting in a chair in the living room. Both she and Max remind me of pouting children. No disrespect meant, of course.”
“I’ve called them worse than that in the last few minutes,” Joseph said. “Thank you for everything, Gertie. You’ll be receiving a bonus check in the mail.”
“Thank you, sir. This has been a very pleasant and interesting assignment. I must say, however, that if any of my grandchildren ask me to play Candy Land, I’m going to plead a headache. I’ve had enough of that game to last me the rest of my life. Well, goodbye, and I hope the love bug does a proper job with Ms. Wentworth and Max.”
“Goodbye, Gertie,” Joseph said.
When the nurse had left the room, Joseph sighed.
“I’m afraid it’s going to take more than a bug to set this situation to rights. Do you have any brilliant ideas, Jeff?”
“No, sir, I’m afraid I don’t. I believe it’s out of our hands now.”
“Being in love can be the most wonderful and the most confusing thing in the world.”
“Yes, sir,” Jeff said.
Being in love was the pits, Josie thought, slouching lower in the living room chair. She was a befuddled mess, not knowing what to do or say next.
She wanted to leap to her feet, race down the hall and into Max’s bedroom. She’d fling herself into his arms, kiss his delicious lips, then tell him she loved him with every breath in her body.
Then euphoric Max, her mind raced on, would smile because of her announcement and declare that he loved her, too, and would until death parted them.
Then she’d tell him about the baby and he’d be thrilled, struck speechless with excitement. They’d return to the Single C and live happily ever after. The end.
“Oh, ha,” Josie muttered. “Catch the name of that ranch? The Single C.”
No, she wasn’t going to dash into Max’s room with the hope of making her fantasy a reality. She was keeping her bottom planted firmly right here in this chair.
Any second now Jeff and her granddad would appear and whisk Max away.
Any second now.
Tick...tick...tick.
Chapter Fourteen
Josie pressed the damp washcloth more firmly to her forehead and closed her eyes. She lay stretched out on her bed, the curtains drawn across the windows to darken the room.
She had cried—no, she’d wailed very loudly—for nearly two hours after Max had been taken out the door of the apartment.
And what did she have to show for her display of unhappy emotions? A killer of a sinus headache. She also had a heart that felt as though it had splintered into a million pieces, and the same huge, empty, lonely home that had screamed its silence at her before she’d given way to her tears.
“Oh-h-h,” Josie moaned. “I’m dying. I won’t live through the next hour, and it’s all your fault, Max Carter.”
There, she thought wryly. How was that statement for exhibiting maturity? Her misery wasn’t Max Carter-induced. He hadn’t put a gun to her head and ordered her to fall in love with him even though he didn’t love her.
No, she had to take responsibility for her own actions. She
had failed to be sophisticated enough to have an affair, then walk away, her heart, soul and mind no worse for wear, when it was over.
She hadn’t followed the rules. She’d messed up royally by falling deeply and irrevocably in love.
“Dumb, dumb, dumb,” Josie said. “Oh-h-h, my poor, aching head.”
She sighed and attempted to blank her mind.
If she could sleep, despite it being early afternoon, the slumber might ease the pain in her head. A nap would also give her a reprieve from her despair.
But the oblivion of sleep was elusive. Instead, her mind replayed the final minutes she’d spent with Max over and over.
Jeff had come into the living room and announced that he was going to telephone the ambulance driver, who was waiting down on the street, and would Josie please inform Max that they’d be ready to roll as soon as the men arrived at the apartment with the stretcher?
“Yes, certainly,” Josie had said, getting to her feet. “No problem.”
No problem? she’d thought, as she’d walked slowly toward Max’s bedroom. What a joke.
How could she say goodbye to the man she loved? How could she say goodbye to the father of the baby she was carrying?
How could she say goodbye, knowing she was facing a future without Max Carter?
Josie had stopped just out of view by the open doorway of Max’s room and drew a shaky breath, struggling to control her threatening tears.
She’d counted to ten, then entered the room, making a beeline for the chair next to the bed when she felt her legs begin to tremble. She sat down with a thud and tried to produce a smile, failing miserably.
“Max—” she clasped her hands tightly together in her lap “—Jeff is phoning down to the ambulance now. The attendants will be up to get you in a few minutes.”
“Mmm,” Max said, frowning.
“I know you’ll be so happy to get home to the ranch to make certain everything is all right there. I imagine Rusty will be glad to see you. And your horse. Goodness, your horse must have been wondering where you are. Do horses miss people? Well, sure they do, just like a cat or dog would. Right. Yes, sir, I bet your horse—”
“Josie,” Max interrupted.
“Yes?”
“Shut up.”
She nodded. “Yes. Good idea. I’m babbling.”
“A hundred miles an hour.”
“I...I’ll miss you, Max,” she said. I love you, Max. “Very much.”
“I’ll miss you, too, Josie,” he said. Ah, damn it, Josie Wentworth, I love you. “Very much.”
The baby, Josie thought frantically. She had to tell Max about the baby. He had a right to know. Just do it, Josie, say it. Tell Max that you’re carrying his child.
“Max, there’s something I need to—” she started.
“Down this hallway,” they heard Jeff say. “Your patient is ready to go, gentlemen.”
“No,” Josie whispered.
“Come here.” Max extended his arms toward her.
Josie slid onto the edge of the bed and Max wrapped his arms tightly around her. Their lips, their tongues, met in a searing, urgent kiss of want, need and sorrow.
They pressed harder against each other, each feeling so united and complete, yet at the same time so different.
A sob echoed in Josie’s ears.
An achy sensation gripped Max’s throat.
“Oops and uh-oh,” Jeff said cheerfully.
He came into the room, followed by two men propelling a wheeled stretcher. Josie jerked upward, nearly falling off the bed.
“Are you two about finished with the goodbye stuff?” Jeff said. “These fellas and I can just stand here quietly if you need more time.”
“Cripes, Wilson,” Max said, glowering at him. “You’ve got as much tact as a rock.”
Jeff’s eyes widened, and an expression of pure innocence formed on his face.
“What did I do wrong?” he said. “I think I’m being very accommodating here.”
“I’ll get out of your way,” Josie said, starting to rise.
Max grabbed one of her hands. “Josie—”
“Goodbye, Max,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “I wish you every happiness on the Single C. The Single...” Two tears spilled onto her cheeks. “Goodbye, Max Carter.”
She’d pulled her hand free and hurried from the room, mumbling, “Excuse me,” as she’d made her way around Jeff and the ambulance attendants....
Fresh pain prompted Josie to turn the washcloth over and smack it back onto her forehead.
She’d hidden in her room like a child until Max had gone, finally hollering a farewell to her grandfather through the closed bedroom door.
Then she’d opened the door a crack and peered out, finally moving tentatively into the hallway. She’d stopped in the doorway of the room that had been Max’s, and fresh tears had brimmed in her eyes as she stared at the empty bed.
The apartment had been chillingly silent So empty. Even Max’s wheelchair was gone. There were tracks in the plush, white carpeting where the stretcher carrying Max had traveled from his bedroom to the front door.
She’d stood in the quiet living room, unable to tear her gaze from the grooves in the carpeting. When the woman from the cleaning service vacuumed the carpet, the last trace, the final evidence that Max had even been here, would be erased forever.....
Josie lowered the washcloth and flattened her hands on her stomach.
There would be no clues left that Max had resided in her home, she thought. But nestled deeply beneath her palms was proof positive that Max Carter had been a very important part of her life for a magical, fairy-tale length of time.
Tick...tick...tick.
And now it was over.
Max was gone.
“Oh, precious baby,” Josie whispered in the darkened room. “You have the most magnificent father. I’ll tell him about you later when I’m emotionally stronger. Okay?
“But the future is going to be made up of just you and me, little one, together, a team of two. We’ll be just fine. Somehow.”
Then the tears started again, and Josie wept.
Late that evening Max lay stretched out on his sofa, his head on a pillow, his injured leg propped on another that was balanced on the arm of the faded piece of furniture. He was staring at, but not really seeing, an old Cary Grant movie on television.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
He was bone-weary, too exhausted to move, and the pain in his leg had increased from the level of one toothache to about five.
Jeff had assured him that he’d feel much better tomorrow. Changing a cast definitely caused discomfort, he’d said, but it would quiet down quickly. He’d given Max a metal cane to keep from putting his entire weight on the leg when he walked.
All in all, Max mused, the broken-leg situation was much improved. Being able to walk around was great. Hell, he’d even managed to get on a pair of jeans by slitting the seam of the soft, worn material partway up one side of the right leg.
He would feel better tomorrow, he mentally repeated. Yes, he would.
At least physically he’d be up and at it
The ranch had obviously been extremely well tended by Rusty, Max’s own hands and the men Joseph Wentworth had hired. He’d have Rusty take him on a full tour of the spread in the morning, but the little he’d seen indicated that everything was shipshape.
Joseph had firmly declared that the extra men were to remain on the ranch until Max’s leg was totally healed and he was operating at full capacity. So be it. He didn’t have the energy to argue with the mighty, my-directives-are-always-followed Mr. Wentworth.
He would feel better tomorrow.
“Yeah, right,” Max said aloud.
When Jeff had promised that, the good doctor hadn’t known he should add a very important factor to the equation—his buddy, Max Carter, had walked—well, been wheeled—away from the woman he loved.
Max Carter had said goodbye to Josie.
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He could see Josie so clearly in his mind’s eye, see the tears on her pale cheeks as they’d said those last farewells. He’d wanted to grab hold of her, wrap his arms around her so tightly, refuse to let her go and bring her home with him—forever.
He’d wanted to declare his love for her, then ask her straight out if she was in love with him.
He’d wanted to babble the way Josie did at times, spill out plans for a future together—marriage, babies, the wondrous sound of joyous laughter singing through the air on the Single C.
But he’d done nothing more than quietly say goodbye to her.
He had nothing to offer except his love, and that wouldn’t be enough, not for a Wentworth.
His shabby little house was a world and a heartbreak away from a penthouse apartment with plush, white carpeting.
“I love you, Josie,” Max said aloud. “You’ll never know that, but I love you so much.”
He sighed, then closed his eyes, welcoming the somnolence that began to creep over him, welcoming the escape from the stark, cold reality of his loneliness.
At dawn on the third day after Max had left her apartment and her life, Josie made her routine dash to the bathroom, where she repeated over and over in her mind that she would survive this bout of morning sickness as she had the previous ones.
When she crept back into bed on trembling legs, she waited for the tears to begin. But they didn’t come. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and stared up at the ceiling.
Enough of this weeping and wailing, she told herself. She was a Wentworth. She didn’t quit when the going got rough. She didn’t give up, curl into a ball of misery and refuse to face the challenge before her. She lifted her chin, squared her shoulders and fought for what she was determined to have.
Josie stilled as a whispering little voice in her head nudged for attention, gaining volume as she strained to hear it.
Jack be nimble. Jack be quick. Jack...
“Oh, God, Jack,” she said, blinking away sudden tears. “I hear you, Jack. You’re telling me to be brave and strong just as you did all those years ago.
The Rancher And The Amnesiac Bride Page 16