Lora hated to leave them, the two most precious pieces of her heart. But if she sacrificed some time now, she would be able to be with them later when they were awake. On the way down to the truck she detoured to the cafeteria and grabbed a coffee. It was surprisingly good, and eased the chill of the early morning from her bones. The truck seemed comfortable enough, and private so that she could check her email. First she emailed William to give him an update on what was going on. He returned her email almost immediately, in spite of the early hour, so she called him.
“Why are you up so early? Isn’t it like four a.m. there? Do you sleep?”
“Of course I sleep, but I don’t require much. Tell me what’s going on.”
William Sparks, Jr. was concerned about the family situation, but not overly so. Lora knew when she'd called him that she would have to set some limits for his contacting her, and he wasn't wild about the restrictions. Actually, he seemed a little put out, as if he couldn't believe she wasn't pawning the family off on other members to deal with the company she ran. "I have faith in you, William. Once things settle down here I'll try to catch a flight into the city and we can talk about things in person.”
That seemed to appease him. "I'll start an agenda and I can update you when you call in."
Lora sighed. Traveling to New York was her least favorite thing in the world to do. All of the crowds and noise put her on edge and shot her anxiety through the roof. She'd only been up there twice, once with Chad and once without. If she hired a car to meet her at the airport, it usually went ok. Then they were responsible for getting her place to place.
"I want you to be clear that I'm not sure when I'll be calling in, so you have my okay to operate the company as you see fit for this period of time. And William?"
"Yes, ma'am?"
Lora thought about Mercy's new haircut, and the other things she'd noticed recently. She might need to take some real time off soon. "You're doing an excellent job. Keep doing what you're doing."
There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and she wondered how often he was complimented about anything.
"Of course, ma'am. I wish your father-in-law well."
Lora smiled slightly. He probably wished Garrett well because he didn't want to deal with her being gone longer than expected.
William was a machine in the boardroom, but she actually worried about him a little. The Malone Corporation was one of several companies he had operated or advised upon. When she'd hired him through a personal recommendation from Kendall Herrington, the wife of one of the vets Chad worked with, she'd thought he was too much of a stick in the mud. She'd realized, though, over the months, that he just didn't have a great family experience. His mother had died young and his father was a workaholic, still running a tech company somewhere out on the West Coast. During one of their New York meetings, he'd seemed a little distracted. When she'd asked him what was wrong he'd admitted that his father was trying to take over one of the companies William served on the board for. He'd seemed ... businesslike when he'd talked about it, but Lora wondered if it had actually hurt his feelings. Eventually, she decided he seemed disheartened, which was saying a lot for William.
But he ran the Malone Corporation as if it were his own. Stock prices were up and it was doing more business than it ever had. The new management had freshened everything, giving the stockholders and the personnel encouragement that business was progressing better than ever. There had been holdouts, of course. Some of the men on the board had been there since Rosalind herself had taken over the company from her father, many years ago. As each quarterly report rolled in though, and they saw how much work she and William were putting into the company, they'd begun to come around. There were still a few who refused to believe that Lora would be able to run the company herself, which was fine. She had at least a couple of years of classes and tutelage before she could even contemplate trying to run it herself.
Lora worked on her computer for a couple of hours in the quiet of the truck. She returned calls as she needed to, warning people that she would be out of pocket for the next few days and would return calls when she could. Most seemed understanding, but there were a few that just couldn't seem to imagine not doing business, no matter what was going on with the family in their lives.
Those people put her own situation into sharp contrast. She couldn't imagine not being here for Garrett and the rest of the family. Did that mean that she wasn't as invested in business as she needed to be? Surely there had to be a happy medium, where both could be accommodated?
Lora worked for a couple of hours, until she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. Setting her phone alarm for nine, she reclined the truck seat, shoving a jacket beneath her head for a pillow. Before she drifted off she smiled to herself. Just a year ago she would never have had the confidence to sleep exposed like this. It was nice to be strong.
Chapter 7
When Lora walked into the waiting room the next morning, Chad was taken aback. With the way the sunlight was shining in and catching her blonde hair, she was stunning—absolutely breathtaking. She’d obviously gotten a couple hours of sleep, because she looked refreshed and focused. Mercy went over and hugged her mother, leaning against her heavily as Lora rubbed her back. Chad didn't know if Lora realized it or not, but Mercy was gaining height on her. In the past year the girl had grown inches, surely because her lifestyle had improved. She wasn't as nervous anymore, and wanted to explore the world around her. Though Lora was holding tight and not wanting Mercy to grow up, growing up was inevitable.
Cheyenne and Brock came in a few minutes later, obviously having walked in together. Chad tipped his hat at Brock, and was surprised when his older brother walked over and pulled him in for a rib-crushing hug. Then he leaned down and hugged Lora and Mercy as well. Lora glanced at Chad, her green eyes large with surprise, but he shrugged. He wasn't sure what had come over Brock. That was the first show of brotherly affection they’d had in years.
Cheyenne grinned behind his back and mouthed, 'we'll talk later'.
Chad, Brock and Cheyenne all went in to their father's hospital room together. When their mother looked up, she smiled at them, then motioned to their father.
Garrett Lowell looked like death warmed over, but he was sitting up in the bed, glowering. Mama was holding a white plastic hospital cup out toward him, straw extended. "I'm not drinking out of that sissy cup," he complained.
He looked up and gave a weak smile when he saw his kids at the end of the bed. "Well look at you three. I haven't seen you all together for years. Too bad Emily's not here. I guess I have to really be sick for her to come home."
Chad grimaced, feeling guilty. It had been a long time since they'd all been together. Christmas maybe? No, there'd been some kind of issue and they'd missed each other. He’d only seen Brock twice since the big showdown with Derek Malone, and both times had kind of been in passing. Actually, Chad thought Brock had been avoiding him. Maybe because he’d gotten together with Lora? He had no idea. That had been a while now, he thought, over a year at least. He shook his head, wondering where the time had gone.
For the first time, Garrett looked old to him, his normally bright blue eyes, so like Chad’s own, shadowed. With the washed out color, and the messed up gray-black hair and no hat, he looked totally out of his element in the bright white hospital bed. Garrett had always been a good-looking man who kept up his appearance. In his youth he’d been chased by the girls, Mama had said, but he’d only ever had eyes for her. Brock and Emily took after him coloring wise, dark-haired and strong-chinned, although Brock’s bright blue-green eyes were definitely a curious variation. Emily, Chad and Cheyenne had all gotten blue eyes like their parents. Cheyenne looked the most like Mama had when she’d been a girl, with deep auburn hair and clear blue eyes. The four siblings were a bit of a mix.
Chad could tell Garrett wasn’t feeling well. Pain killers had faded the sharpness of his eyes. His broken arm was twice the size it normally wa
s, in part because of the amount of bandage binding it. But he still managed a grin at them and shake his head. "First time I've gone ass over teakettle since I was a kid," he groused.
Cheyenne stepped to the side of the bed and leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek. She'd cleaned up and it was obvious she'd gotten some good sleep, too. Maybe not enough, but they’d all catch up eventually. "I wish I'da been there to take a picture,” she teased. “You can't crow about your riding ability anymore."
"Not my fault my ticker decided to throw me out of the saddle."
Cheyenne grinned and moved back to let Chad in close. He reached out and squeezed his dad's left hand on the mattress. "You scared us, old man. Are you in any pain?"
Garrett shook his head. "They've got me on enough drugs to knock out an elephant. That's what the nurse said. But I keep coming around."
As he spoke, though, his eyes began to drift closed. Chad let his hand go and moved back so that Brock could get in beside the bed. "The babies are all taken care of and we found that heifer that had disappeared. She's got a big bull calf at her side now."
Garrett roused and grinned. "I knew she'd have a big ̓un."
Then his eyes fluttered shut again and he let out a light snore.
Francine laughed lightly, though she looked tired. "He keeps dozing off in the middle of conversations. Then he'll wake back up still talking. But he's doing good. The doctor was in already and says everything looks perfectly normal. As long as he continues to improve they'll schedule his arm surgery for two days from now."
"Then it's a good time for you to get out of here for a while," Cheyenne told their mother firmly.
Francine opened her mouth to object but Cheyenne cut her off. "No, Mama. You've been in this same spot for almost two days. You need to get out of here and get some sleep. Take a shower. Eat a decent meal. The hotel room is right across the street."
Frowning, Francine looked at her husband. "I don't know," she murmured.
"We do know," Chad told her. "You need to get sleep now while he's kind of out of it, because he's going to be giving these nurses fits when they actually let him wake up."
She smiled, then chuckled. "Yes, he will. I don't know how we're going to slow him down. He's so used to working all the time he barely even finds time to eat."
"And you do the same thing, Mama," Brock told her smoothly. "Go relax for a few hours. Cheyenne and I will stay here while you, Chad, Lora and Mercy go back to the hotel and take some time for yourselves."
Her eyes brightened at the mention of Mercy's name. "Maybe I will do that. But you call me if anything changes, Brock Ian Lowell."
"Yes, ma'am." Brock tipped his black hat to her in promise, his eyes twinkling with humor.
Francine gathered up her things, then with a final kiss to her sleeping husband's forehead, left the room. Mercy squealed when she saw her grandmother, and raced in for a hug. Francine laughed, rocking her back and forth in her arms. "You're too big for me to pick up now," she complained. "I used to be able to carry you."
"I'm eight now, Grandma! I'm way too old to be carried like a baby."
Lora leaned in for a hug as well, murmuring softly to Francine. They shared nods and turned to Chad. "I'm ready, Chad. Cheyenne gave me the key card thing, so let's go. I'll maybe eat something and get some sleep, then I'll come back in a few hours."
Chad nodded and they trooped to the truck. The hotel was still serving a breakfast so they ate there. Chad could tell his mother was tired, because she was so much quieter than normal. Any other time she would have been digging into what they'd been doing over the past several months, since they'd last visited. His mother called all the time, but it wasn't the same as actually being together and catching up.
If she wasn't worried about her husband and about to keel over from exhaustion, she would have been her usual irrepressible self. There wasn’t much in this world that could keep Francine Lowell down for long.
Cheyenne texted him while they were eating.
Payton talked to Brock last night on the phone. Reminded him that none of us were going to live forever. Might be why he was almost personable this morning.
Huh. That was interesting.
Ok, thanks for letting me know, Sis. Love ya!
Love you too, lil bro.
When they finally went to their rooms, they all heaved sighs of relief. It had been a long couple of days. Mercy seemed thrilled that she would have her own bedroom. In no time she had stripped down to her t-shirt and panties and bounced into the bed, flicking the TV on with the remote. Arms behind her head, she settled down smack in the pile of pillows to chill.
Chad headed for the shower in the other bedroom. He was grimy as hell. His stump felt chafed and he needed to stretch out. And his back was killing him for some reason.
All of that went out of his head, though, when he walked into the bathroom and found Lora in her bra and panties. Surprised, he gave her a smile. Normally when she met him in the shower it meant she wanted loving. "I got you excited talking about making love in the truck, didn't I?"
Her fair skin flushed as she turned to him. "Maybe a little. Is Mercy occupied?"
Chad nodded. "Watching Dogs 101 on Animal Planet. She'll be asleep in no time, even though it's," he screwed his eyes up toward the ceiling, "ten o'clock in the morning?"
"She didn't sleep well on that bench. She'll burrow into the covers and take a nap."
Chad nodded, agreeing, already planning on locking the door as soon as they got out of the shower. And maybe they'd leave the shower running cold to mask the noises they were going to make. He looked at the floor. Hell, maybe they'd make love right here. No, that was gross. He was getting hard and hungry though. It had been at least a couple weeks since they'd made love.
"Wanna shower first?"
She nodded, reaching behind her back for the clasp of her white bra.
Chad stared at her, proud of how she'd grown as a woman. When they’d first gotten together, the lights had to be off when they made love, and she'd rarely instigated. She'd gone to counseling to get over the sexual abuse her ex had put her through, but it had still been a long healing process. Chad had swallowed down everything he'd needed in order for her to grow. It had taken months before she'd allowed him to make love to her in the daylight. Showers together were few and far between. But as she'd gotten more comfortable with him, knowing that he loved her no matter what her issues, they'd begun to ease. Then she'd gone into a phase when she'd blushed when they'd talked about sex, and it had been charming and thrilling to him, because she was finding joy in the mere thought of making love. Then one night she'd walked into the bedroom naked, pushed him back onto the mattress and ridden him like he'd never been ridden before. It had been the beginning of an incredible phase in their love life.
Then work and school had begun to intrude more and more. It seemed like such a lame excuse, but there it was. After working ten or twelve hour days, running Mercy around, cooking, taking care of the house and whatever issues popped up, it had been a lot to make the effort to make love. Lora had been run just as ragged this year, between trying to get her degree in business and actually running the Malone Corporation.
William was still shouldering the bulk of the work but he was taking Lora's input more and more. Chad had a feeling that if they didn't come to some kind of understanding soon he was going to lose the little bit of time she gave them now.
As stressful as the past two days had been, he was heartened by her response. She was doing and saying everything a significant other should when a loved one was in the hospital, and it reminded him again of what a genuinely kind person she was. Mercy was going to have the same kind of personality, although he could already see sparks of rebellion in the girl. No, not rebellion, he thought. Independence.
Lora stood naked before him now, her head cocked to the side and a smile tilting her lips. She knew what she did to him and she loved that power.
"You are beautiful," he told her softly
. "Even after hours of discomfort and in a hard situation, you shine. I love that about you. And you were so considerate with my mom."
Her smile broadened. "I think you might be overtired. I didn't do that much. Besides, she's my mom, too."
Yes, she was. Francine had taken Lora under her wing as much as Lora would allow on their visits, especially when she learned that Lora's mother had passed a few years ago from cancer. And as much as Lora wanted to guard herself, Francine, in her own steam-rollerish way, was charming.
Lora moved toward him and his mind shifted gears. Reaching out, she started unsnapping his blue plaid shirt. Chad tracked the progress of her nimble fingers down till they hit his belt buckle. She maneuvered his hips like a pro as she tugged and popped the mechanism free, then did the same to the button and zipper of his jeans. Then, stepping even closer, and with a devilish look in her eyes, she ran her hands from his hips and around to cup his butt cheeks, pushing the fabric away as she did. With a quick bend she pushed them all the way down to his ankles. She waited while he stepped out of the clothing, then tossed it aside.
Chad loved the look in her eyes when she looked at his bobbing erection. When she took his dick in her hand, he sighed appreciatively. "That feels incredible. I have to admit, he and I, we're pretty hungry."
Lora looked up at him and lifted one brow. "I am too, actually. In fact, I was thinking," she looked at the countertop, "that this would be about hip height to you."
Chad tightened his jaw as he looked at the bathroom counter. She had been thinking about it. All of their personal grooming items had been placed on one side of the counter, and the other side had been covered by a towel. Yeah, her butt would get cold on the stone, he thought with a smile. "Hm. Let's see."
Without giving her a chance to move, he picked her up and set her on the edge of the counter, spreading her legs around his hips. She gasped as she looked down to where they met.
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