Harlequin Romantic Suspense May 2018 Box Set

by Regan Black

Such a battle. But she’d made peace with it, for the most part, by pursuing her work in the outpatient world. Nothing really made her happier than knowing that she was keeping patients from having to go back inside a hospital.

  The sooner they were out of here, the better. But she understood the need for Rico to be here, to see his dad before surgery. She understood the need for families to band together, more so now, for having lived through her and Joe’s splitting at the seams when he disagreed with her.

  She opened her bag and retrieved a coloring book and colored pencils. She also pulled out a handful of doll clothes. Dressing and undressing her doll could keep Hannah busy for quite a while because they could make up a story about the doll in every outfit.

  Hannah grabbed for one of the dresses. “Ja-Ja has to visit the hospital. She needs to have her heart put back in.”

  * * *

  For the last hour, his head had been whirling. Hannah had said her parents were in heaven. Laura had said they were traveling outside the country. What the hell was the truth?

  He’d initially been prepared for Laura to lie to him. But now. After having been so close, it seemed to hurt so much more.

  He’d wanted to drill Laura for more information but Hannah had stayed awake the entire drive, and it wasn’t as if he could have that discussion in front of her.

  And now he needed to focus on what was in front of him and sort the rest out later. He pulled a chair up next to his father’s bed. “How are you, Dad?”

  “Feeling as if everybody’s making a heck of a fuss,” he said. “But I guess I’ve got a problem with my ticker.”

  “What’s the doctor saying?” Rico asked.

  “That he needs bypass surgery. And he’s going to have it.” This from his mother.

  “What time?” Rico asked.

  “In the morning. That’s all they’ve told us,” his mother said.

  “Are you both comfortable with this?” he asked, looking at his mom first, then his dad. “Do you want a second opinion?”

  Janice and Placido shared a quick glance. His dad shook his head. “I trust the doctor. She’s a pretty lady.”

  Rico smiled. Glad that he still could. His dad always noticed a pretty woman and generally commented on it. Many times within earshot of said woman. Never said it suggestively, just appreciatively.

  “That one on your arm, she’s also very lovely,” his dad said.

  “Not on my arm,” Rico corrected. If his parents even suspected that he was romantically interested in Laura, she was toast. It would take a small army to keep them from ambushing her with a thousand questions. It wouldn’t matter that his father had just had open-heart surgery. He’d still find a way.

  “Is the doctor expected back in?” he asked. He really wanted to talk to her himself.

  “Not until morning,” his mom said. “Charro and I were just discussing which one of us would stay tonight. We don’t want to leave your dad alone.”

  “Of course. I can stay,” Rico said.

  “And what will Laura and Hannah do? Hang out in the waiting room all night?” Charro asked.

  It wasn’t a good plan but he did want to spend some time with his dad. “They can take my car and drive to the hotel.”

  The minute he said it, he realized he’d made a big mistake.

  “A hotel?” his mother asked, like he’d said a four-letter word. “The three of you will stay at the house.”

  “Mom, we don’t want to put you to any trouble,” he said. How was he going to explain this to Laura?

  “It’s no trouble. You’re family. She is your friend. She is going to have a tired child on her hands in a little bit. I’m not crazy about driving at night so it probably is a good idea if we take your SUV and she drives. I’ll leave my car here for you in the event of an emergency.”

  Rico held up a finger. “Just give me a second, okay?”

  He quickly left the room and walked down the hallway. Laura and Hannah were coloring in one of the coloring books that she carried in her big purse.

  “How’s it going?” he asked.

  “Good. Any news?” Laura asked.

  “No. Doctor will be back in the morning. Somebody needs to stay with my dad and I’d really like to do it. My mom…well, let me just say it, my mom wants you and Hannah to stay at the house. With her.”

  Her reaction wasn’t as bad as he’d prepared himself for. She just raised one corner of her lip. “Really?”

  He nodded.

  “She’s going to think I’m really rude if I say no?” Laura asked.

  Rico held up his hands. “I can handle my mom.”

  Laura shook her head. “No need. This is fine. It’s very sweet of her.”

  He was relieved that it wasn’t going to be a big deal and that he wasn’t going to have to make some excuse to his mom. But still, he didn’t really want to let her go with his mom. He wanted a minute with her by herself, out of earshot of Hannah, to demand an explanation for the child’s odd statement that her parents were in heaven.

  It appeared that conversation was going to need to wait. “Okay, take this,” he said, pulling the valet ticket from his pocket.

  “I can’t drive your SUV,” she protested. “What if you need a vehicle?”

  “My mom will leave her car here. You better get going. It’s still coming down pretty hard.”

  “I want to play in the snow,” Hannah interjected.

  “Tomorrow, sweetie. It’s too dark now. Let’s pick up your crayons. Mrs. Metez, Rico’s mom, has invited us to stay at her house.”

  “Another new bed?” Hannah said.

  “That’s right.”

  “All part of the adventure,” Hannah said.

  Rico raised an eyebrow but Laura said nothing. She did, however, very much regret that she’d initially explained to Hannah, as they were crossing Missouri, that they were having an adventure. At the time, she’d thought it would ease the child’s fears because one of the child’s favorite books at the daycare was about a monkey who went on grand adventures.

  When they got back to the room, Laura took a step forward. “It’s very kind of you to offer us your home,” she said.

  “Hotels,” Janice said, waving her hand. “A house is better for a child.” She knelt down to Hannah’s level. “I have two grandchildren. They’re older than you now but we’ve got lots of their old toys. Would you like to see what we’ve got?” The woman extended her hand and to Laura’s surprise, Hannah took it without hesitation.

  “My mom never met a child she didn’t like,” Rico whispered.

  “Have you had dinner?” Janice asked, looking at Laura.

  “Uh…no.” She figured she needed to be honest because Hannah would likely just correct her.

  “We’ll make something at home.” Janice leaned over her husband’s bed. “Behave. Do what they tell you.”

  “I’m lying in a bed, woman. How much trouble can I get into?” Placido asked, feigning outrage.

  She kissed him, smack on the lips. “I will be here early. Before the doctor arrives.” She turned to her daughter. “Charro, are you coming?”

  “I’ll be along in a few minutes. I want a chance to catch up with Rico.”

  “Of course. You’ll be there to eat with us?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Laura gave Rico a smile and followed Janice and Hannah, who were still hand in hand. She was nervous about driving Rico’s SUV in the snow. The city streets had been plowed but there was still a whole lot of snow.

  Once the valet delivered the SUV, they piled in. He’d already used the snow brush to clear all the windows. She could see the snow gathering on the cars in the lot, making it look that it might have snowed another inch in the time they’d been inside. She checked to make sure her lights were on and how to work the windshield wipers before taking off.


  “I don’t drive in snow very much,” she confessed to Janice.

  “Where do you live?”

  “Tennessee.”

  Janice frowned. “You’re a long way from home. How did you and Rico meet?”

  They’d not had time to perfect a story. But she was fairly confident of how he’d answer the question. “I rented his cabin,” Laura said.

  “I didn’t know he was renting it out,” Janice said.

  “Guess I just got lucky. Wasn’t expecting the snow, however.”

  “I love the snow.” This from Hannah in the back.

  Janice laughed. “Of course you do. Adults fret about it and children simply enjoy the wonder of it. When Rico and Charro were young, they would play outside all day in it.” She pointed at the street running in front of the hospital. “Go left here. Six blocks down, take a right and we’re almost there.”

  “We were there earlier. Rico left his dog. Someone must have shoveled your driveway. It was in good shape.”

  “My grandson. He’s a gift,” Janice said. “So is my granddaughter. We are blessed. We didn’t think we were ever going to have children and now we have grandchildren even.”

  Laura felt a pang near her heart. Her mother would have loved Hannah so much. Would have loved having a granddaughter.

  When they got close, the garage door went up and she realized that Janice had the opener in her hand. “Pull in,” the woman said. “Then we won’t have to scrape snow in the morning.”

  Laura did, noting that the garage was spotless. Tools were hung from hooks on a wall, the floor was swept, and the white paint on the walls looked fresh. She got out and then helped Hannah out of her car seat. By that time, Janice was holding open the door leading to the house.

  They entered through a laundry room, then into a small kitchen, which led to a living room. The house was also spotless, with well-used furniture. The newest item appeared to be the flat-screen television, which she suspected had been a present from Rico or his sister. “Down that hall,” Janice said, “is a bedroom with twin beds. You and Hannah can stay there.”

  “Perfect,” Laura said.

  “Where’s the toys?” Hannah asked.

  Janice laughed. “Didn’t forget about that, did you? Right there, in that chest. Help yourself.”

  Once she got Hannah settled on the floor with some puzzles, Laura walked back into the kitchen. Janice was taking food from the freezer. “I’ve got a nice chicken and white bean chili,” she said. “Maybe that with some ham and cheese sandwiches.”

  “That would be great. What can I do to help?”

  “Just have a seat and chat with me. It’s good to have something to think about besides the surgery. It’s hard when a person has to be strong for someone else. I think it’s more wearing than being strong for yourself.”

  “I’m sure he’s going to be fine,” Laura said. They were empty words because she had no real knowledge of Placido’s health but in her career, she’d seen hope work some pretty terrific miracles. Hadn’t for her parents but that hadn’t soured her on knowing that positive thinking was powerful medicine.

  “I’m grateful that Rico was able to be here. We didn’t know he was in Colorado. That’s unusual. Generally, he tells us.”

  Was there a question there? She wasn’t sure. She said nothing.

  “My son was in the air force.”

  “Yes, he mentioned that.” Wasn’t sure where the conversation was headed.

  “He had a very dangerous job. And every day I prayed that he would come home.”

  “Of course.”

  “But for a man like Rico, a man who is brave and honorable and cares too much about others, there are some things that are as dangerous as war.”

  Now she felt pretty confident the direction Janice was heading. “I’m sure Rico can take care of himself,” she said.

  “He’s a good son. A good man.”

  She didn’t need convincing. The last couple days had proven that to her. “You should be very proud,” Laura said.

  “He’s not brought a woman home before,” Janice said.

  “Oh, please,” Laura protested. “We’re not… I mean, we just met a few days ago.” There was no way his mother knew that they’d had amazing sex. Several times.

  Janice raised an eyebrow, so like her son did. “So you both have said. A mother knows her son, Laura. And I know that if he didn’t care for you, he’d have found another solution. He would not have brought you to the hospital. To meet his family. He’s a private man. Very protective of those he loves.”

  She said nothing.

  “So I beg of you,” Janice continued. “I already have my husband in the hospital with a bad heart. Please don’t break my son’s.”

  CHAPTER 11

  Rico watched Laura, Hannah and his mother walk out the door and counted to fourteen before his sister caught his eye and motioned him to step out into the hallway.

  “What’s up?” he asked, once they were a safe distance from his father’s door. Placido might be seventy-two but his hearing was that of a thirty-year-old’s.

  “I’m glad you’re here,” she said.

  He felt a but coming.

  “But…”

  Bingo. “But what?”

  “Do you think that this is the best time to introduce your girlfriend and her child to Mom and Dad?”

  He reached for calm. But it was a slippery son of a gun. “I can see Mom and Dad jumping to crazy conclusions but come on, Charro, I expect more from you.”

  She stared at him. “I’ve known you since you were a child, Rico.”

  “Of course you have. You’re two years older.”

  “And you always get a certain look in your eyes when you care about something. And you’ve got that look in your eyes when you look at her and her daughter.”

  “First of all, Hannah isn’t her daughter. Laura is her caretaker.” Maybe that was true. “And second, it’s really not any more complicated than I explained. We both ended up in the cabin, a booking error, and we rode out the storm together. I didn’t want to leave her alone for the duration of the storm. Certainly not with a small child.”

  “Whatever,” Charro said, reverting back to being thirteen. “I’m worried about him,” she said, looking back at the room.

  “He seems to be in pretty good spirits. Mom, too.”

  “Neither of them wants us to worry.”

  “I get that,” he said. “But Dad’s always been healthy. If they can get this heart problem fixed, he could live for a lot longer.”

  “We should have a big family gathering this Christmas,” she said. “Invite Mom and Dad’s siblings and all the cousins. They would like that. Maybe when you’re home for the class reunion.”

  “Class reunion?”

  “Yeah. A couple guys from your class stopped by a few weeks ago. Needed your address to send you an invitation.”

  Alarm skittered up his spine. He wasn’t sure why but he’d learned a long time ago to trust his instincts. Maybe it was the disturbance outside the cabin that had no explanation. Maybe it was the odd call from his building’s security desk with the crazy story of the two men wanting to deliver a bookcase that Rico hadn’t ordered. Which made Rico remember that he’d not yet seen the footage from his building’s security camera. He would have to check on that. “What did you tell them?”

  “I didn’t tell them anything. I got home from work and they were at my house, talking to Peter. I took them to Mom and Dad’s house.”

  In this day and age, who went door-to-door looking for addresses? That’s what social media was for. Plus, he’d seen Maddy Bristol just days ago. She would have mentioned something about a class reunion. “Who? Who were they?” he asked.

  Perhaps sharper than Charro could have anticipated, because she pulled back. “I have
no idea. Mom said she didn’t remember them from your class but that they were very nice.”

  His graduating class had over two hundred. There would be lots of people that his mom wouldn’t recognize. Still.

  He wanted to run back inside his dad’s room and ask what information had been handed over to the visitors. But he didn’t want his dad to worry about one more thing. He’d ask his mom tomorrow, after the surgery.

  “You’ve been here all day,” he said, gentling his tone. “You should go home, get some rest. Tomorrow could be a long day.”

  She nodded. “I’m going to tell him good night.”

  Rico waited outside the room, his back up against the wall, letting his sister have her privacy. She gave him a quick wave when she came back outside but didn’t stop to chat. He went back inside his dad’s room and saw that his father had his eyes closed.

  Quietly, he sat down in the chair, staring at his father. The man who’d always been bigger than life. Had worked so hard to provide for his children. Had been proud when Rico had enlisted in the air force. Hadn’t been crazy when Rico had chosen to be a TACP specialist because that put him in the thick of things in both Iraq and Afghanistan. But had understood that it suited Rico’s nature.

  His dad was fond of saying that Rico had nerves of steel and that nothing shook him.

  One of the few things his dad had been wrong about. Because it shook him up pretty good to see his dad in the hospital bed. His skin was dark against the white sheets and his face was shadowed with graying whiskers. He’d probably not shaved this morning.

  His dad opened his eyes. “Your sister left,” he said.

  “I know. She and Mom will be back early in the morning.”

  “I hope your friend Laura hasn’t run away by then.”

  “Why do you say that?” Rico demanded. His dad had good instincts. Had he sensed something?

  “Your mother may appear sweet, and I’ll defend her honor to the day I die, but she can be a tough cookie, too. She’s going to interrogate Laura.”

  Laura would hold her own. After all, she’d practically screwed Rico blind but she was still holding on to her secrets.

  “Is she in trouble?” his dad asked.