“Lovefest, huh?” Delaney mused.
“I’m sorry about Addie,” he began with a pained expression. “She can be a pill sometimes.”
Delaney waved a hand. “No worries. I like her.”
He tipped his head. “You do?”
“Yeah, she’s got spunk.” She chuckled. “She obviously knows how to put you in your place. Maybe I should get some pointers from her.”
He laughed. “Oh, I think you do a pretty good job of putting me in my place all on your own.” As he gazed into her mysterious dark eyes, he couldn’t help but feel lucky. He would go to the end of the earth for Delaney Mitchell. Or to the care center, which was the harder task of the two.
19
As they drove to the care center, Delaney’s mind skipped back to the previous night. Spending time with Corbin had been so glorious that her feet had hardly touched the ground since. It was crazy that she was feeling so joyous in the face of impending danger with Hugh. Biscuits were temperamental, especially at higher elevations, but they turned out perfect, as did the sausage and gravy. Corbin ate so much she was afraid he’d make himself sick.
Afterwards, they cuddled in front of a fire, sharing long, drugging kisses until late in the evening. Delaney was eager to find out everything she could about Corbin. She asked him questions about what it was like to grow up in Birchwood Springs. As he shared memories of growing up in a comfortable, stable home, she couldn’t help but compare his upbringing with her chaotic past. She’d shared a few experiences with him … how there was never much food in the trailer … how the truancy officer was always on their case due to the large amount of school Delaney missed … how there’d always been random men coming and going until Hugh entered the picture. She let out a bitter laugh. “To think, I was actually excited when Hugh Allen and my mom started seeing each other because we no longer had to worry about scraping rent money together. Hugh threw money around like it was paper, and I could buy whatever I wanted to eat.” Corbin’s expression had gone solemn as he pulled her into his arms and held her close. Just as she drifted off to sleep, she heard him say that he loved her.
She glanced at his rugged profile, his hands on the steering wheel. Corbin had been unusually quiet since they left the cabin. “Are you okay?”
For a second, he looked surprised that she’d spoken. Then an automatic smile crossed his lips. “Yeah.”
But he wasn’t okay. Fear clutched her. Was he having second thoughts about them? Maybe he regretted telling her that he loved her. She took in a breath, willing herself to calm down. She couldn’t keep assuming the worst every second. Corbin was probably just nervous about visiting his grandmother.
He pulled into an empty parking space, taking in a deep breath. “Thanks for coming with me.” A slight smile touched his lips. She reached for his hand, which was cold. “Do you wanna talk about it?” she asked, searching his face.
His lips pulled into a taut line. “No. I just wanna get this over with.”
“When’s the last time you came here?”
“Never.”
Her eyes widened. Never? No wonder he was so keyed up. And no wonder Addie made such a big deal about him coming.
He got out of the SUV and came around to open her door. As he helped her out, she realized he was shaking. “It’ll be all right,” she said, putting a hand on his arm.
He nodded, forcing a smile. “Let’s do this.”
A middle-aged woman with a cap of shiny red hair and lipstick to match was sitting behind the reception desk. She smiled brightly in recognition as they walked through the door. “Corbin Spencer,” she boomed. “This is a nice surprise. It’s great to see you.”
“Good to see you too, Tina,” he said mechanically. She came around the desk and gave him a hug, then looked him up and down with open appreciation. “You look great, as usual. Addie and your grandpa come in all the time, but I never see you,” Tina continued. “I’m glad you were able to make it by.” She turned to Delaney. “I’m Tina Johnson.”
“Dee.” Delaney clasped Tina’s hand in a firm shake.
“Nice to meet you.” Tina smiled broadly, winking at Corbin. “Is she your girlfriend?”
“Yes,” he said matter-of-factly.
“She’s a beauty. I would’ve expected nothing less from you.” She motioned to the empty waiting room as she went back to her desk and picked up the handset of her phone. “Have a seat, and I’ll let the nurses know you’re here.”
“Addie’s meeting us,” Corbin said.
Tina nodded. “Sounds good.” No sooner had she spoken the words than Addie came through the double glass doors.
“Hey, Tina,” she said, flashing a smile. Then she saw Delaney and Corbin in the waiting room. She went to them, giving each a hug. Her eyes stopped at Corbin.
“You okay?”
Delaney looked at him, realizing he’d gone pale.
He nodded, his teeth clenched so tight a marble had formed in the corner of his jaw.
“It’ll be all right,” Delaney said giving him a reassuring smile as she touched his arm. He seemed to relax a fraction at her touch.
A nurse in her early twenties opened the side door. “Hi, I’m Judy. Come on back,” she said with a brisk smile. “You came at a good time,” she said, looking back at them over her shoulder as they followed her down the hall. “Miss Lou Ella’s awake.”
When they reached the room, Addie walked right in, but Corbin paused at the threshold. Delaney could feel the inner turmoil churning inside him, almost as though it were her own. She saw the flash of panic in his eyes. “You can do this.” She willed him to look at her. “I’ll be right beside you.”
He took in a deep breath, nodding.
“Look who came to see you,” Addie said in a high-pitched voice a volume too loud.
Delaney stepped into the room practically pulling Corbin with her. Her heart sank when she saw the frail woman lying in the bed. Lou Ella was a waif, probably not weighing a hundred pounds. Her silver hair was short, but so thin on top that only a few wisps covered her scalp. She turned to look at them, a blank expression on her face.
“It’s me and Corbin, Gram,” Addie said kindly.
Lou Ella clutched her nightgown. Her splotched, leathery skin was so paper-thin that the veins under her hand looked like a blue rake. Delaney looked at Corbin who had tears running down his cheeks. Tentatively, he moved to her bedside.
“Gram,” he uttered.
Tears bubbled from Addie’s eyes as she smiled. “I think she’s happy to see you. You should talk to her.”
Delaney stayed close to Corbin’s side.
“This is my girlfriend, Delaney,” Corbin said.
Delaney caught the look of surprise on Addie’s face, realized Corbin had called her Delaney again, instead of Dee. But it was better to let that slide right now.
“Hi, Lou Ella,” Delaney said softly. “Wallace told me what a remarkable woman you are.” Her voice hitched. “I know he was right because I can see how much your grandchildren love you.”
Lou Ella’s lower lip started working as she wound a hand around her nightgown. She seemed to be concentrating, like she was trying to remember something. “Applesauce,” she croaked.
“Do you want applesauce?” Addie asked, looking at Judy who was standing in the corner, as if to give them plenty of space and yet still be close enough to offer assistance if needed.
Judy stepped up. “Miss Lou Ella had applesauce this morning for breakfast, didn’t you?” She went to the bed and adjusted the pillows behind Lou Ella’s back. “Let’s help you sit up, so you can visit.”
“No,” Lou Ella cried out in annoyance, pushing Judy.
Delaney flinched, the outburst taking her by surprise. She looked at Corbin, could tell he was trying to hold it together. She rubbed her hand up and down his arm, hoping it would help soothe him.
“Now, Lou Ella,” Judy began in a cheerful tone. “Don’t hit.” She looked around the room, meeting everyone’s ey
es. “She gets excited when she has visitors. Just give her a second to adjust.” She stepped back against the wall.
“I’m sorry.” Corbin’s voice grew strangled as he gulped and tried again. “I’m sorry I haven’t been here for you.” He looked at Addie. “I’m sorry I left you holding the bag.” Long pause. His shoulders shook. “I just couldn’t stand to see her like this.”
“I know,” Addie said, tears falling freely down her cheeks. She smiled slightly. “We all just get through it the best we can.” She turned to Lou Ella. “Gram, Corbin came to see you.”
Corbin stepped forward and ever so gently placed a hand over Lou Ella’s. For a second, it looked like she might yank her hand away. But instead she peered intently into Corbin’s face like she was searching for something. For an instant, the cloudiness in her eyes parted. Her mouth formed the word, a whisper of sound issuing out. “Cor—”
“She knows,” Addie said, putting a hand over her heart. She laughed and cried at the same time. “She knows you’re here.”
In the next second, Lou Ella’s expression changed, going to anger, then fear as she jerked her hand from underneath Corbin’s. “Go away!” she yelled, pushing his arm with surprising strength.
Judy stepped up. “Now, Miss Lou Ella. Be nice,” she said in a soothing voice, like she was speaking to a child. She offered Corbin an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, but the heavy drugs make her irritable.”
Corbin frowned. “Heavy drugs?”
“For the pain,” Judy explained. “The doctors keep Miss Lou Ella sedated most of the time.”
Fury flashed in Corbin’s eyes as he glared at Judy. “So they won’t have to deal with her outbursts?”
She gave him a funny look. “No, because of the brain cancer.”
The only sound in the room was the ragged intake of Corbin’s breath. His knees buckled as he caught hold of the metal footboard on the bed for support. He looked at Addie through crazed eyes. “Gram has brain cancer?”
“Pops and I didn’t know how to tell you,” she stammered. “That’s why we wanted you to come here … to find a way to tell her goodbye.” She looked to Delaney for help, but Delaney could only shake her head.
Corbin’s face turned a shade darker, his eyes blazing. Delaney shrank back, afraid he might punch something.
Instead he straightened his shoulders and balled his fists. “Let’s go!” he roared, turning on his heel and storming out. Delaney looked at Addie who spread her hands in defeat, then rushed to catch up with him.
20
Corbin raised the axe and brought it down full force, the blade slicing into the dense wood of the chopping block. He pulled the blade free and raised the axe high, bringing it down again. Curses flew from his mouth, his mind on fire as he hit the block again and again. Tears mixed with his rage as he used every last bit of strength he possessed to obliterate the block. It was so utterly unfair! Not only was Gram robbed of her mind, but now she was dying. And Pops and Addie hadn’t told him. What would’ve happened if he hadn’t come home? Would they have waited until Gram passed to tell him she had cancer?
When his anger was spent, he dropped the axe blade to the ground, keeping hold of the handle. His shoulders slumped, his breaths came in short bursts, sending puffs of steam into the air. After they left the care center, Delaney had tried to offer comfort, but he barely heard a word as he sped back to the cabin where he’d jumped out and grabbed the axe.
He glanced at the cabin and realized with a start that Delaney was pressed against the window, watching him. The stricken expression on her face said it all. His blood ran cold as the knowledge pricked him like a thousand needles all at once. Delaney was afraid of his anger … afraid of him. When she realized he’d seen her, she stepped back, the lace curtain falling over her face. Shame covered him, giving way to a numb coldness that touched every speck of his body. He’d lost himself in the scorching river of anger that raged through him, giving no thought to how this might look to Delaney who was ultra-sensitive about violence, considering her background.
He breathed out a heavy sigh as he put the axe away and trudged up the steps. When he opened the door, his eye caught on Delaney sitting on the couch, her hands clasped tightly, a pinched expression on her tear-stained face.
He ran both hands through his hair, feeling like an idiot. He removed his coat and put it on the rack before going to her side. He sat down beside her. “I’m sorry,” he began, touching her arm.
She whirled around to face him. “Don’t!” Tears pooled in her eyes, her lower lip quivering. “I thought you were different.”
The accusation mixed with hurt in her eyes made him want to crawl under the couch. “I am different.” The fact that she kept comparing him to Tuck Allen was insulting. How could she think he was like that monster?
A hard laugh gurgled in her throat. “Clearly.”
“Look, I was upset. The news about Gram threw me for a loop.”
“I can understand you being upset … angry.” She shuddered. “But what I can’t tolerate is violence.”
His voice rose, the anger resurfacing. “Because I pounded a chopping block?” His eyes narrowed. “Everyone gets upset, Delaney.”
She hugged her arms. “But not everyone goes berserk.” Her dark eyes filled with fear. “I can’t go through that again.”
His jaw tightened. “Through what? I’m not a robot. I have feelings.” His voice broke. “I just found out that my grandmother’s dying. Cut me a little slack here.”
She bit her lower lip to stay the trembling. For a second, they sat looking at each other until she finally spoke. “I’m sorry about your grandmother. I truly am. But I can’t be with someone who’s so … angry.”
He rattled off a hard laugh. Yeah, he was angry, so furious that it was roasting him from the inside out. “Just because I’m angry doesn’t mean that I’d ever hurt you.”
Tears slipped from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she croaked. “But this isn’t gonna work.”
Corbin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. She was giving up on him so soon? Before they even had a chance to get started, just because he’d gotten mad and pulverized a chopping block? “I love you,” he said quietly. “Does that mean anything to you?”
The door opened. Pops’ eyes rounded as he looked at the two of them. “Is everything all right?”
Delaney hiccuped with emotion, her hand going over her mouth. “Excuse me.” She got up and fled the room.
A look of concern washed over Pops. “What was that all about?”
Corbin gave him a hard look. “Why didn’t you tell me about Gram? The brain cancer?”
Pops blinked a couple times, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “I tried yesterday.”
“What?” Corbin flung back.
Pops sat down in the recliner. “I tried to tell you,” he began, “but you wouldn’t listen.”
“You should’ve told me earlier.”
“Earlier?” Pops chuckled dryly. “I couldn’t even get you to come home for a visit, how was I supposed to tell you that?”
“You could’ve called.”
Pops’ eyebrow shot up. “And have you self-destruct?”
He rocked back. “I hardly think I’d self-destruct,” he muttered.
“Look, it’s been hard enough for you to come to terms with Lou Ella being put in the care center.” He paused. “I didn’t want to add insult to injury.”
Acid rose in his throat. “You should’ve told me.” He shot Pops a condemning look.
“I’m not the enemy here, son.” Tears gathered in his eyes. “You don’t think it’s been hard for me? To sit by helplessly, watching my sweetheart deteriorate? First her mind? Then her body? I love her with all my heart.”
“I love her too.” A sob rose in Corbin’s chest. “I know it’s not your fault. It’s my fault. I couldn’t come back … couldn’t face it.” This time, he was unable to stop the tears.
“It’s nobody’s fault.”
Pops was at his side in two steps. He sat down and put his arms around Corbin, letting the grief flow out.
Delaney pulled her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms around them, staring unseeingly ahead. Her life was a tangled mess. Maybe she’d overreacted. But watching Corbin strike the chopping block over and over, his face twisted in rage, had jolted her to the core. How many times had she seen that same ruthless look on Tuck’s face before he vented his anger on her? She shuddered, her stomach churning. Would she ever be whole again? Free from the fear? While her rational mind knew that it wasn’t fair to project Tuck’s sins on Corbin, her feelings screamed otherwise.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Go away,” she said reflexively. She’d have to face Corbin sooner or later, figure out if her reaction to his anger was valid or not. But for now, she just wanted to be left alone.
Another knock.
She gritted her teeth. “I said go away!” Why couldn’t Corbin allow her some time to sort this through?
“It’s Wallace.”
She jerked, heat stinging her cheeks. “Oh, sorry.” Hastily, she wiped her tears with her palms.
“Can I come in?”
She didn’t want to see anyone right now, not even Wallace. But she didn’t want to be rude. She blew out a long breath. “Sure.”
As he came in, she smoothed down her shirt and sat up, trying not to dwell on how horrible she must look.
Wallace sat down on the edge of the bed.
She frowned. “Did Corbin send you in here to talk to me?” It wasn’t right for Corbin to make his grandfather do his dirty work. If Corbin wanted to talk to her, he needed to face her himself.
“No, he doesn’t even realize I’m in here.”
“Really?” She eyed him to see if he was telling the truth.
The Reckless Warrior (Navy SEAL Romance) Page 17