Coral Hearts

by Avery Gale

Typical…just fucking typical. I’ve somehow managed to submarine my own fantasy. Damn, I don’t remember the house making that noise. Lights blinded her for an instant before the darkness felt so warm and inviting she decided to close her eyes for a quick minute before trudging back to the house. She needed to get her things and head out before the roads closed…yeah, I’ll rest for a second and then I’ll get moving again.

  Sage quickly enlisted help from his pissed off brothers sending them out to search different areas of the house when he hadn’t found Coral himself. They’d all vowed retribution on her behalf, and he didn’t doubt for a minute what they would dish out would pale in comparison to what his mom would have to say. Sage was beginning to panic as he paced the kitchen when the young woman who worked in the local drug store stepped in front of him. He’d seen Coral eating lunch with the pretty redhead several times over the past few months, and he’d heard the two had become friends. “Are you looking for Coral?”

  “Yes, have you seen her?”

  Looking like she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to tell him what she knew, he saw her look nervously to his left. Brandt was standing beside him, his younger brother shook his head letting Sage know he hadn’t found Coral upstairs. “Joelle, if you know where Coral is we’d appreciate your help. Even though it may not look like it right now, I assure you my brother does love her very much.”

  Sage flinched at the truth of his brother’s words but didn’t take his eyes off the pretty woman whose attention was now focused entirely on Brandt. Interesting. “I saw her walk that way after she saw you dancing with the woman who has been so mean to her at the store. Why did you do that? That bitch has treated Coral horribly for months. Of all the women here—why her?”

  What the fuck? Mackenzie was the woman Coral had been referring to when she’d told them about a woman being rude to her? Why hadn’t Charlotte said anything to him? Sage might have taken offense at the young woman’s tone, but deep down he admired her loyalty to Coral.

  Setting aside all the questions swirling through his mind, Sage vowed to ask Charlotte why she’d kept this bit of information to herself. Thanking Joelle for her help, Sage headed down the hall leading to the laundry. Phoenix’s voice sounded from behind him, “My jacket isn’t on the peg. Fuck, that thing isn’t going to keep her warm in this weather.” Sage pulled open the door and felt his heart sink when he saw faint footprints in the snow—they were quickly filling in with blowing snow so their odds of tracking her were diminishing with each passing moment. “Shit, I’ll get help.” Phoenix had obviously seen the prints and come to the same conclusion.

  As Sage pulled a parka and gloves from a nearby closet his phone rang. Looking at the screen he was surprised to see the call was from the ranch hand he knew had volunteered to check the heifers in the north pasture during the night. He was tempted to send the call to voicemail, but a sudden sense of foreboding had him answering, “What’s wrong, Ronnie?”

  He could barely hear over the roar of the snowmobile the man was riding, “Boss, I was headed back to the bunk house when I thought I saw something at the edge of the trees about a half mile behind the house.” Sage gritted his teeth, Ronnie wasn’t usually the type to call him to chitchat about nonsense, why tonight? “Mr. Morgan, cover my ass with Miss Patsy because I’m coming right up to the back door. ETA five minutes.” Everyone knew how his mom felt about anyone driving on her precious patio and Ronnie’s words sent ice racing through Sage’s veins. “Man, I don’t know why Miss Coral was out here dressed like this, but she’s in bad shape. If Doc Slow is still there you better round him up. And boss, thank your mama for insisting we carry blankets in our emergency packs.” The call disconnected and Sage felt his knees fold out from under him—Phoenix caught him with a loud curse shocking him back to awareness.

  Moving to the French doors leading to the open area of the patio, Sage heard Brandt barking orders behind him, but his focus was zeroed in on the approaching lights shining through the snow. He was practically growling with impatience even though he was sure Ronnie’s painstakingly slow pace was an effort to shield his passenger as much as possible from the icy wind. When the snowmobile was fully in view, Sage could see the real reason he’d been moving at a fucking snail’s pace. Coral was wrapped in blankets from head to toe and Ronnie was holding her cradled in front of him—obviously she hadn’t been capable of holding on and Sage felt his hope she was alright fading quickly.

  The large snowmobile hadn’t even come to a complete stop when he stepped forward and pulled Coral into his arms. “Thanks, man.” Ronnie nodded, but it was easy to see he wasn’t happy about finding her outside in this weather. He might be young, but Ronnie wasn’t a fool. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to know there weren’t many reasons a woman would do something this reckless—and being hurt by a foolish man was at the top of the short list.

  Brandt watched his brother sprint upstairs with his woman in his arms as Doc followed as close behind as the aging medical practitioner’s arthritic knees would carry him. Brandt had put in a call to his old SEAL team trying to track down his cousin hoping to persuade him to give their small town a shot if he ever decided to finish medical school. After he’d been forwarded several times, Brandt learned Ryan was currently finishing up his residency. He’d already talked to his mom and she’d agreed to speak to Ryan’s mom as soon as possible. Watching Doc gingerly make his way up the stairs, Brandt made a mental note to remind his mom to make the call—they were going to be without a local doctor before long if they didn’t start making plans.

  Brandt looked back at the man who’d likely saved Coral’s life and smiled. “Ronnie, go ahead and get this put away then come on back up here as soon as you can. I’d like to get your report before you forget any of the details.”

  The young man nodded, then hesitated before re-starting the machine. Brandt simply raised a brown in question. “I’ll come back straight away, but make sure you cover me with Miss Patsy.” Brandt held back his smile, seemed his mother’s rules about driving on the patio had been passed along to all the ranch employees—Mama Morgan could be a force of nature when crossed so he understood the man’s concern.

  “Don’t worry—you’re going to get a pass on this one, she’s crazy about Coral. You saved her future daughter-in-law, she’s likely submitting your sainthood application as we speak. She’ll have all sorts of goodies lined up for you by the time you get back.” Brandt wanted to laugh at the look of relief on the younger man’s face as he fired up the snowmobile’s roaring motor and moved slowly off the large pavers before racing back to the machine shed. Stepping back inside, he noticed Joelle Freemont wedged in a small corner of their large kitchen, her dove gray eyes darting around the crowded room. Christ, she looks like a frightened animal who’s been cornered by predators.

  Joelle fascinated him, there was something elusive about the pretty young woman who worked at the local pharmacy, but he hadn’t been able to get close enough to her to figure it out. She was a puzzle he longed to master—just thinking about the shy raven-haired beauty and Mastering sent a rush of blood to his groin. Great. Sporting wood is not going to win me any points, that’s for certain. Before he could make his way to her, Brandt heard Kip’s voice from down the hall, “What the fuck are you up to, Mackenzie? Why are you even here?”

  Deciding the unmistakable anger in his youngest brother’s voice probably merited an intervention, Brandt turned his attention from the pretty woman he’d been watching for months. When he reached the door of Sage’s office, Mackenzie Leigh’s shrill voice filled the air and Brandt fought the urge to turn around. Fuck me—everything about that lying bitch makes me want to choke her. I should just leave Kip to it and then help him dispose of the body. Hell, being a brother needs to trump being Sheriff, and besides—this would be a fucking public service.

  “You just mind your own damned business, Kip Morgan. I assure you, Sage was dancing with me because he wanted to. What was between us isn’t finished.” Y
es, indeed—he’d help Kip hide her body without a backwards glance.

  Stepping into the room, Brandt closed the door before leaning back against it, crossing his arms over his chest in a pose of pure dominance. Hell, he knew he intimidated most people, but he rarely did it intentionally. But, he wasn’t going to give the raving bitch, trying in vain to stare down the youngest Morgan brother, an inch leeway. “You weren’t invited to this party, Mackenzie. What made you think you’d be welcome?”

  She’d evidently been so focused on Kip, she hadn’t noticed him until he’d spoken. Turning on her heel, she rolled her eyes. What I wouldn’t give to administer the punishment you deserve. “Oh goodie, look who else thinks I give a rat’s ass what he thinks. Be on your way, Brandt, no one cares about a former SEAL who couldn’t cut it with his team so he ran home to play cops and robbers in the boonies.”

  Brandt didn’t care about her opinion—but he wasn’t completely immune to her comments either. One look at Kip and Brandt knew he needed to take control of the situation. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen that particular look on his brother’s face before, and God only knew how often the four oldest Morgan brothers had tortured their youngest sibling. Stepping forward he made an effort to keep his tone level, “I’m going to escort you to the door now. And for the record, I’m speaking as the Sheriff when I tell you, don’t return. Stay away from this family and that includes Coral Williams.”

  Brushing past him, she sneered, “She’s not going to be an obstacle for me much longer. And you’ll need to accept my role in Sage’s life soon enough.” She slammed the door behind her and Brandt was left staring after her wondering how so much evil could lurk behind such a lovely face.

  Kip slammed his fist down on Sage’s massive desk and growled, “She’s a demon. I swear to God she has to be Satan’s sister.” Hope he isn’t expecting an argument from me! “And what did she mean Coral wasn’t going to be an obstacle for long?”

  Brandt shook his head. “I was just wondering the same thing myself.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Coral work up to the sound of hushed voices nearby and was glad she hadn’t opened her eyes. She recognized the gravelly voice of Pine Creek’s only physician and wanted to groan in embarrassment as her memory started filling in the blanks. How in heaven’s name was she ever going to explain her decision to go outside when she obviously hadn’t been dressed for the conditions? Sage had already chided her for lack of adequate winter clothing, of course it didn’t actually matter now that she’d decided to move on. No sense buying snow boots and parkas for the beach.

  Sage might not have seen her at the beginning of his dance with the blonde bitty, but Coral had certainly seen the two of them. The woman looked perfectly comfortable in his arms. She’d smiled at Coral letting everyone around them know she was right where she intended to stay. The look of smug satisfaction on the woman’s face made Coral want to rip her in two, but ultimately it had been the soft smile on Sage’s face when his eyes met hers that had crushed her. He looked perfectly at ease with the woman she could only assume was his ex. And the fact she’d been invited to this party told Coral the woman would likely continue to be a thorn in her side if she stayed—hell’s bells there’s no future in that!

  “You can open your eyes now, he’s gone.” The doctor’s voice startled Coral out of her musings and she slowly opened her eyes wondering how he’d know she was awake.

  The older man chuckled. “Don’t look so surprised, young lady. I’ve been a doctor for so long I’ll bet you could find Moses’ vaccine record in my files somewhere if you looked hard enough. Being able to tell when a patient is playing possum to avoid a confrontation is child’s play to an old fart like me.” When she started to sit up, he placed his wrinkled hand on her shoulder to still her movements.

  “Just stay where you are for a minute, let’s give your blood a chance to circulate back into your fingers and toes before I check you over. Sage can just stew outside in the hall for a few minutes—it’ll do the boy some good to worry over how badly he’s messed this up. I swear, I’ve never known him to make such a monumental error in judgment.”

  Coral blinked up at the older man in surprise—damn, I didn’t see that one coming. She would have bet everyone would consider Belligerent Barbie a better fit in Sage’s world. As much as she hated to admit it, the two had looked stunning together. Coral wasn’t ever going to look that polished, it just wasn’t who she was—and she’d learned years ago trying to fit her square-peg self into a round-peg world was a waste of energy and effort.

  “You need to wipe that defeated look off your pretty face, dear. Charlotte told me the gal Sage dated has been giving you fits, but honey you got no competition there despite how it looked out on the dance floor. Sage walked away from that heathen all on his own. Don’t you read too much into that dance, I’ll bet in the end you’re going to find out you saw exactly what that scheming demon wanted you to see.” Coral wasn’t entirely convinced the man knew what he was talking about, but she appreciated his effort to console her.

  “Now, let’s get you checked out before that man tears the hall apart.” Leaning close he whispered conspiratorially, “I’m giving Patsy a chance to have a little chat with her eldest. Damn, I love her fire—she can be hell on wheels when one of her brood messes up. Didn’t matter those boys all passed her up before they were out of grade school, she never let a little thing like height keep her from running a tight ship.”

  It didn’t take the doctor long to pronounce her “fit as a fiddle,” but he’d also warned her to take things easy for a day or two. “If I’m fine, why do I need to take it easy?”

  “Your body has used up a lot of resources and pushing your luck now would likely be too much for fate to resist.” Coral understood tempting fate better than most people, so maybe she’d just go back to her apartment and rest there for a few days before heading out. She owed Charlotte an explanation, as well. Sighing to herself, Coral relaxed back against the pillows he’d piled up against the headboard for her. Vowing to rest her eyes for just a couple of minutes before she started gathering her things and finding her car, Coral let her eyelids flutter closed. It won’t hurt to wait until everyone clears out downstairs. No sense in doing a modified walk of shame in front of the whole damned town.

  Sage sat in his favorite wingback chair watching Coral sleep. He’d pulled the chair close to the bed when she’d started talking in her sleep, he hadn’t wanted to miss the opportunity to learn more about the woman who’d stolen his heart. The same woman he’d come much too close to losing a few hours earlier. Doc had assured him she would be fine, but Sage was sure he’d never forget how icy her skin had felt and its blue tinge had been terrifying.

  He’d spent the past few hours wondering how he’d managed to fuck up so thoroughly. Hell, his own mother was so mad at him she’d refused to even look at him until his dad eventually managed to calm her down. “Don’t think this means you’re in the clear with me, son. I just don’t like seeing your mama so upset—besides, she isn’t getting first dibs on you.” The conversation with the man he admired most in the entire world had gone south from that point—rapidly. And as hard as the criticism had been to hear, Sage had known he had it all coming.

  His brothers had relayed the information they’d gotten from Ronnie. Sage knew there was no way he’d ever be able to convey his gratitude to the man who’d saved her life, but it didn’t mean he wouldn’t try. Ironically it seemed her new engagement ring had probably been a huge factor in her rescue. Ronnie said a small twinkle of light at the edge of the trees caught his eye and when he turned the snowmobile in that direction, he could see her holding her hand up trying to block the snow from her face. The irony hadn’t been lost on Sage.

  Listening to her restless mumblings wasn’t doing anything to ease his guilt. How she’d thought he was besotted with Mackenzie mystified him, but he damned well planned to clear things up as soon as she woke up. Kip and Brandt had filled him in on t
heir conversation with Mackenzie and he trusted their instincts—if his brothers believed the woman might have plans to hurt Coral, then it was definitely worth investigating. Phoenix had been leaning back against the kitchen counter listening and shaking his head.

  “You guys know it’s always about money with Mackenzie—we need to follow the money. She’s smart, but I’m smarter.” Phoenix had pushed away from the counter, snagged several energy drinks from the fridge, and disappeared into his computer lab.

  Much to his surprise, the only person who hadn’t given him hell was Charlotte. Coral’s friend and employer had assured him the storm would blow over quickly. “She’s quite smitten with you, I don’t think she’ll be able to leave—even if she thinks she should. Our girl hasn’t ever had anybody she could trust—she needs to know her heart is safe with you.” In typical Charlotte fashion, she’d managed to reassure him and still send a camouflaged message. He’d understood and planned to use the information to his advantage.

  Leaning forward with his forearms resting on his knees, Sage clasped his hands and stared at the floor. He’d been sitting for so long his muscles were rioting in protest. Exhaling a deep breath, he wondered aloud yet again at his ability to hurt the one woman he’d sell his soul to protect.

  “It’s okay, Sage. I understand.”

  Jumping to his feet, Sage moved to the bed, sitting close by her side and pulling her left hand into his. “Actually, I don’t think you understand at all, pet. I think we were both manipulated last night, but the blame falls squarely on my shoulders.” He shook his head and tightened his grip when she tried to pull her hand from between his. Even all these hours later her fingers were cool to the touch, but nothing like the frigid flesh he’d uncovered hours ago when he’d first laid her on the bed.

  “First of all, I want to apologize for ruining what was supposed to be one of the most romantic and joyful evenings of our lives. If I live to be a hundred years old, I’ll still regret how things ended last night. My complete lack of consideration for your feelings will haunt me forever. Seeing the hurt in your eyes felt like a knife being plunged straight into my heart.” He saw her eyes fill with tears, but he wasn’t finished so he forged ahead, “I’ll have to spend the rest of my life making absolutely certain you don’t regret giving me a second chance, because there isn’t a chance in hell I’m letting you go. I know you think you’re leaving—hell, I can see it in your eyes even now. But, baby, you’re mine and I’ll tie you to the fucking bed if I have to.”