by Dee Stewart
“Maybe not. Not if he loves you.”
“He doesn’t love me. In fact, I’m willing to bet he never wants to lay eyes on me again.”
As Reed listened to his brother berate him for taking advantage of Devon in his absence, he longed to have her within arm’s reach so he could shake her for being so foolish.
“I can understand why you were tempted, Reed. After all, Devon is a very beautiful woman.”
A basic instinct in Reed urged him to challenge Shane’s claim on Devon. “Listen, little brother, if I wanted Devon, I could have her just like that.” He snapped his fingers to prove his point. “I suggest you keep her very satisfied in bed.”
Chapter Eleven
A slow smile crossed Shane’s features. He and his brother had never fought over a woman before. I’ll be damned. Reed finally let down his guard enough for someone to sneak into his life.
Squaring his shoulders with determination, Shane went to face his father.
He knocked once on his father’s study door and waited until Jasper bid him enter. As always, Jasper presented his fiercest demeanor while behind his desk. “Dad, may I speak with you?”
“Of course. Sit down.” He indicated a hard chair across the desk. “You look relaxed. I trust your vacation went well?”
“Yes. I had a lot of free time to think while I was gone. And I wanted to tell you I’m ready, Dad.”
Jasper lifted a heavy eyebrow. “Ready for what?”
“Ready to take the reins of Barrington Industries.”
“And what makes you think you’re ready?”
“I’ve settled down. I’m engaged. I’m immersing myself in every aspect of our company and putting BI and its interests ahead of my own.”
“Yet you have failed to learn one very important aspect about life.”
“What? Tell me, please, because I’m baffled. I’ve done everything you’ve ever asked of me.”
“Except the one thing I need the most from you.” Jasper titled his head, waiting.
“I don’t understand.” Seeing the hard expression on his father’s face, Shane rose to his feet. “There’s no winning with you. Ever. You’re never going to offer me BI.”
“No. Not until you look deep inside yourself and see the truth.”
Shane’s shoulders sagged. Two women needed him to stand up and be a man, and when dealing with his father, he wilted. Always. What the hell did Jasper want from him?
Shane met Devon in her bedroom an hour later. “Well?” she wondered as she pulled him inside. “What happened with your father?”
Filled with disappointment, Shane ran a hand through his blond hair. “Dad said I’m not ready to take the reins of BI. He believes I haven’t learned an important lesson about life. Honestly, Devon, he was acting so peculiar. It was as though he were waiting for me to say something he wanted to hear.”
“Perhaps he was waiting for you to tell the truth,” Devon suggested as she fought to control her bitterness. “Is it possible he knows this engagement isn’t real?”
“How? How could he possibly know? We’re the only ones who know the truth.”
Devon winced. Not quite. “What do you plan to do now?”
“Wait a little longer. Work harder to convince him I’m serious about BI. I’m sorry, Devon. I know this isn’t what you wanted to hear.”
She shrugged. She hadn’t expected a different outcome. “Did you speak to Reed?”
Shane grinned. “As a matter of fact, I did. He said he could have you anytime he wanted.” He snapped his fingers, imitating his brother. “Just like that.”
“His arrogance is astounding,” Devon commented in a dry tone, yet her stomach quivered.
“Time will pass quickly. You’ve got your clinic to keep you busy, and in the meantime, I can work on Dad.”
In the meantime, Devon thought, the deception continues, and I’m going to lose Reed forever.
July slipped into August. Devon committed herself to her work at the clinic. She often stayed late into the evening long after she sent Blair home. By the time she reached the ranch, she was too tired to do anything but crawl into bed. She rarely saw Reed or Shane, but Blair kept her abreast of her brothers’ activities, especially Reed’s. When Blair told Devon that Reed had a date with a friend from college who was in town for a few days, her heart lurched in her chest. Determined to keep her feelings buried in the darkest recesses of her soul, Devon worked longer hours.
As her reputation for being generous and compassionate grew throughout the community, Devon’s clinic became even busier. Her manner, especially with the children, brought people to her in droves. Some patients could afford to pay, and she accepted whatever they offered. When Blair suggested she needed help, Devon insisted she could handle the number of patients she saw every day. As a result, she started skipping breakfast with the Barringtons and driving herself into Dallas in a Mercedes Jasper loaned her.
One late afternoon when Devon was alone, a bald man with a long, forked beard and tattoos covering his meaty arms sauntered through the front door of the clinic and complained of chest pain. Devon recognized him. She’d seen him lurking around the clinic and strolling down Third Street as if he owned it. Inez told her his name. Digger Sharpe. She’d expressed her fear of him because he wouldn’t take no for an answer after she’d refused his advances. Inez also explained how he bullied and threatened the business owners if they didn’t pay him for his protection. Yesterday, Devon had treated the bodega owner when he’d come in with deep knife wounds.
Pushing aside her abhorrence of Digger Sharpe, she began to work on him, hooking him up to a heart monitor and checking his blood pressure and pulse.
“You’re that broad I saw on TV. The one engaged to a Barrington.” His rough voice set off a warning bell, but she didn’t reply.
“You’re not foolin’ anyone by slumming. You get off or somethin’ by making folks around here feel bad for not bein’ able to pay you a fancy doctor’s fee? Miss High and Mighty, huh?”
Again, Devon ignored him. As she suspected from her preliminary examination, her patient wasn’t in the throes of a heart attack. Deciding to err on the side of caution, however, she gave him an EKG. The results came back normal.
“Mister…” she started to address him, waiting for him to supply his name.
“Digger Sharpe. I suggest you don’t forget it.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you. If you experience any more pain, go to the ER. My diagnosis is a good, old-fashioned case of heartburn.” She unhooked him from the heart monitor, and he leaped off the examination table.
“Watch your back. That rock you’re sportin’ is worth more than what most folks around here make in a year. This is my neighborhood, and you and your rich friend don’t belong here.”
Devon memorized his sharp-angled face, height and weight, his forked beard, and the tattoo of an eagle on one bulging forearm as he left the clinic. Shane’s warning rang in her mind and caused a shiver of fear to crawl up her spine. Until now, she’d felt safe at the clinic.
When she arrived at the ranch after the family had already eaten dinner, she went straight to her room and didn’t mention the incident. In the morning she left at sunrise. Through the busy days she pushed Digger Sharpe’s comments out of her mind.
On a dark, rainy night in the middle of August, Devon stayed late at the clinic in order to take inventory. Usually this was part of Blair’s responsibilities, but Devon didn’t feel like going to the ranch anytime soon. Besides, she was used to working sixteen to eighteen hours a day, sometimes longer if necessary.
After she finished counting boxes of gauze, she heard someone enter the clinic. A wild-eyed young man bleeding from a gunshot wound in his shoulder caused her to feel a slight alarm.
“Fix me!” he demanded.
“Come with me.” He followed her into an examination room where she checked and cleansed his wound. It had been a clean shot. As she began to stitch it closed, Devon asked, “What hap
pened?”
“None of your business.” Contempt dripped from his voice.
When she finished dressing the wound, the young man took her by surprise when he brandished a switchblade he pulled from the pocket of his dirty, bloody jeans. “Give me all the money!” He glanced nervously around the clinic.
“It’s a free clinic. I don’t have any money.” She told the truth. Whatever cash they had on hand earlier, Blair had taken to the bank.
“Then give me all your drugs!”
“No. I won’t do that.”
Letting out a roar of pure rage, the wounded twenty-something lunged toward Devon with one purpose in mind. To shove his switchblade in her. Frightened now, she screamed as she expected him to attack her before she had time to flee. However, he did not have the opportunity to touch her as his arm was wrenched behind his back and the switchblade clattered to the floor. A fast uppercut to the jaw sent him sailing across the examination room and crashing into a tray of instruments. Devon’s rescuer lifted him onto his feet and punched him in the stomach. He dragged the breathless young man out of the clinic.
“If you ever show your face here again, I’ll kill you.” Reed tossed the attacker into the pouring rain and watched as he disappeared down the street.
Devon shook as she knelt and tried to pick up the metal instruments lying scattered on the cold floor.
Reed joined her and lifted her to her feet. Feeling her tremble and seeing the fear in her eyes, he asked, “Did he hurt you, Devon?”
“No, no, he didn’t.” She stared into his worried countenance. “Reed, what are you doing here?”
“I brought you something to eat. You didn’t have breakfast this morning, and Blair said you hardly ate a bite for lunch because you were swamped with patients. What the hell are you trying to prove? Don’t you realize it’s not safe for you to be here alone at night?” Reed paused as he noted her haggard appearance and reached out to touch her cheek. “Don’t you realize how much I’ve missed you?”
His touch and the look in his sapphire eyes undid her. Physically exhausted from the strain of all the long days she’d been working, Devon’s emotions could not withstand this new assault. Her defenses crumbled, and she whispered his name with an ache in her voice. “Reed.”
He pulled her into his warm embrace and held her as she lost her composure and sobbed. “Shh,” he murmured, rubbing her back. “You’re safe, Devon. I’ve got you.”
She lifted her head and stepped away, wiping her tears with her hands. “I’m sorry for that. It won’t happen again.”
“After what you’ve been through tonight, you’re entitled to…”
“A little sympathy?”
Reed offered a slight smile. “Yes. Let’s go home. I’ll drive, and you can eat the sandwich I brought you.”
“I have my car,” she told him, albeit weakly.
“Don’t argue with me.” Reed took her arm after she gathered her things and escorted her to his truck.
After she devoured the roast beef sandwich Reed brought her, Devon grew drowsy and fell asleep against his shoulder. He slipped his arm around her and a strange and fierce protectiveness filled him when she snuggled closer. What was happening to him? Every day he looked forward to seeing her and hearing her voice, especially when she laughed. Her smile warmed his soul. And her eyes…her eyes drove him wild with a single glance. A desperate desire to see her tonight compelled him to go to the clinic. Reed shuddered when he considered what might have happened had he not arrived in time.
He decided against taking Devon to the main house and drove to his cabin instead. She stirred in his arms as he carried her inside and asked in a sleepy voice, “Where are we going, Reed?”
“To my bedroom.”
Devon cracked a smile. “Good. I’ve been far too patient with you already.”
Reed chuckled low in his throat as he laid Devon on the bed. Respecting her modesty, he undressed her without laying his eyes on her, no easy feat when he desired to devour her with his gaze. He slipped one of his shirts over her head and longed to slide next to her on the bed. Expelling his breath, he left the room and headed for the couch. Sleeping next to her would be their undoing.
The following morning Reed rose, feeling stiff and sore from a night on the couch that was too small for his frame. He took a shower and dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Whistling, he went into the kitchen and brewed a fresh pot of coffee before he fried link sausage, whipped up pancake batter, and scrambled eggs. When he heard a cry of alarm coming from his bedroom, he flipped the last pancake and turned off the stove. Hurrying toward the sound, he collided with Devon as she rushed headlong through the bedroom door.
“Whoa, little lady! Where do you think you’re going in such a hurry?” He reached out to steady her.
“I overslept and I have to get to the clinic.”
“It’s Saturday,” Reed reminded her. “The clinic is closed.”
“But…”
“No buts. You have an answering service if there’s an emergency.” His gaze roamed over her body clothed in his shirt. She appeared adorable and incredibly sexy.
Following his eyes, Devon glanced down in horror at her apparel. Her face turned crimson as she stammered, “You…we…did we… I mean, did anything happen last night, Reed?”
“You were exhausted. I changed your clothes and put you to bed. I closed my eyes and preserved your dignity. Believe me, Devon,” here his voice lowered to a husky tenor, “if we had made love, you would remember.”
She leaned against the doorframe for support. “I’ll get dressed.”
“Blair brought clothes for you to wear. You’ll find them on the dresser. When you’re finished, join me for breakfast. You haven’t eaten properly for days.”
Twenty minutes later, looking fresh and pretty from a shower and dressed in shorts and a tank top, Devon found Reed in the kitchen where breakfast sat on the table. He poured two glasses of orange juice and held a chair for her. He handed her a plate filled with pancakes, eggs, and sausage.
“I never did thank you for saving my life last night.” She reached out and laid her hand on his forearm. “Thank you for being there when I really needed you.”
“Kiss me,” Reed murmured, “and thank me properly.”
Devon did not resist his enticing command but rose with him as he took her hand. With slow, sensual movements his hands roamed from her hips up her ribcage. He took her arms and placed them around his neck, bringing their bodies closer together. Reed slid his hands down her arms and caressed her back. One hand slipped beneath her tank top and found a full, naked breast as he prolonged this exquisite moment between them.
When the tension became unbearable, Reed lowered his head and his mouth claimed hers. Sweet agony burst between them as his lips slanted across hers, and her tongue slid against his. Reed wanted her. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted any woman. He wanted her compliant and willing in his arms. He wanted to feel her beneath him as he caressed and explored every inch of her soft skin. And most importantly, he wanted her to know that she belonged to him. Only him. Reed felt her complete surrender and an unexpected thought flashed in his mind.
Do I have the right to ask her to choose between me and Shane?
Reed lifted his head, but he did not thrust her away from him. Instead, he kissed her forehead, and one finger traced the swollen, passion-bruised contours of her alluring mouth. “Spend the day with me. Shane left last night on a short business trip and asked me to look after you. He’s worried about the long hours you’ve been working at the clinic and so am I.”
“There’s no need to be concerned. It’s the nature of my job.”
“Even the most dedicated doctor takes a day off now and then,” Reed argued. “We’ll go for a ride and have a picnic after you change into riding clothes. I’ll be at your command all day.” He didn’t believe Devon could refuse his charming invitation and smiled at her.
“I’d love to spend the day with you.” Her soft
voice thrilled him.
When they entered the stable, Reed ordered Harry to saddle Pale Promise for Devon.
Harry looked doubtful. “Boss, are you sure? We’ve been trainin’ her for the Derby…” Reed’s expression silenced him. “Yes, sir, right away.”
Smitty, who stood nearby, assessed Devon a moment with a speculative gleam in his eyes before he returned to mucking out one of the stalls.
Devon and Reed exchanged a glance as he helped her mount Pale Promise. Swinging aloft Prince, Reed led them away from the stable.
They rode through the countryside in companionable silence. As the midafternoon sun shone high in the sky, Reed found a suitable spot for their picnic and spread a blanket on the ground. Devon unpacked the picnic basket that contained sandwiches, chips, fresh fruit, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and a thermos of sweet tea.
After they consumed most of the food, Reed asked, “Why did you decide on medicine as a career, Devon?”
She gave a tinkling laugh. “I was the one who went around the house putting a bandage on everything that was broken. Mom finally hid the box so I wouldn’t keep wasting them. Seriously, though, I became a doctor because I wanted to help people. I wanted to make a difference. It hurts to see someone suffering.”
“Why did you choose pediatrics?”
“I love children. When my sister Emmaline caught a serious case of pneumonia at seven years old, I wished it had been me instead of her. All I wanted to do was make her well again. When I’m with children, I feel alive.”
“You must have been devastated when you lost your baby.”
Devon’s delicate eyebrow lifted in surprise. “You know about my miscarriage?”
“Shane mentioned it,” he lied. “Talk to me. I want to know everything about you.”
He loved the lilting sound of her voice as she spoke about her ordinary life. Her eyes shone like smooth brown stones, and they enthralled him. When she paused to take a breath, he placed a finger against her soft lips and murmured, “Shh. No more talking.”