by Cara North
Now, however, he could see the frail frame of a woman dealing with more than her share of life. His jaw tightened. “Turn over.”
Silently, slowly, she obeyed him. Her expression was pure confusion. He reached toward her face and took her glasses off. As he laid the glasses on the nightstand, he knew he wouldn’t put her out of his bed tonight, but he would have to get her out of his house and out of his life for a little while in the morning.
Layla watched his expression soften as he pulled her glasses off of her face and laid them aside. It was almost as if he was giving up on something. When he touched her again, it was gentle, more tender than any other touch she had known. When his lips met hers, it was as if he were making love to her, and for the last time. She refused to let those thoughts enter her brain. This was just Rafe being Rafe, gentle, caring… she had made a huge mistake. Rejecting him was the worst thing she had ever done.
His body covered hers. Slowly, silently, they began the age old dance of lovemaking. Her hands gripped his back and tried to keep him impossibly close to her. He kissed her time and again for long moments. Her body responded to his every touch, every move, every thrust. She was panting, rocking her hips up to meet him thrust for thrust. She could not get enough of him, not now, not ever. He was tireless in his efforts. The scent of their lovemaking filled the air. Sweat, sex, and the unique scent of Rafe combined for one heady aphrodisiac. It seemed as though it would never end; then he held her tighter, his thrusts became quicker, shallower, and her body wound against him, her release ready to break on his command.
“Rafe,” Layla called out his name as she came right after him in a rolling wave of pleasure. He kissed her full and deep until the pulsations slowed and eventually stopped.
“Rafe,” she said as he rolled off her and got up to dispose of the condom. He didn’t answer her or look back. “I just…”
“It didn’t change anything, Layla. Tomorrow you will go home, and I will explain to the children that I will be away for a while. You need time to think about things. So do I.” He walked back into the bedroom, leaned over her, and kissed her on the lips one last time. “Sleep.”
“But…” She started as he walked out of the room closing the door behind him.
* * *
Layla awoke the next morning wearing one of Rafe’s T-shirts she had pulled from his chest of drawers. She inhaled deeply, and the scent of fresh coffee made her smile. Maybe he was willing to be a bit friendlier this morning. Layla found her bra, pulled on her jeans, and straightened herself up. She had showered when he left; her hair was still a bit of a tangled mess, but he didn’t have a hair dryer, and the natural waves made her hair more unruly than usual. Ready for anything, or so she thought, Layla headed out to the kitchen to face the day.
“Hi,” Bethany said with a warm smile. “Rafe stopped by this morning and asked if I could give you and the kids a ride home. He had to be somewhere important apparently because he was adamant about being there on time.”
“I…”
“Heath is going to bring the kids over within the hour. He said they were eating breakfast right now, so I thought I would make myself useful.” Bethany looked at Layla, then the stove, then back to Layla. “I hope you don’t mind. I got bored, and I didn’t want to wake you.”
“It’s fine, thank you.” Layla hoped her face did not reveal the disappointment her heart felt. He was serious. Last night didn’t change anything. Defeated she walked toward the stove and made a plate. She was trapped with Jack’s wife Bethany for at least an hour. “I hope the kids had a good time.”
It was lame conversation, but she didn’t really know what to say.
“Well, they were laughing this morning in the background, so I am sure they will have tons of stories to tell.” Bethany smiled and took a seat with her own plate. “I don’t normally eat breakfast twice, but I could only eat toast this morning, and now I am starving.”
Layla forced a smile. She made quick work of getting food in her mouth. Maybe she could avoid conversation if she kept eating. As she ate, she realized how hungry she was. She didn’t eat after Rafe left yesterday; her stomach growled in approval of the food.
“I really love what he has done with this place. Chance and I made him give us the full tour after the Heath incident.” Bethany quirked her lips into a half smile. “These Johnson men are sure something to figure out. Not that I’m innocent, or Chance either, for that matter, they seem to be attracted to women with issues.” She laughed.
Layla nodded. “Well you and Jack make a lovely couple.”
“Thank you.” Bethany blushed.
Layla wondered what the woman was thinking as she sighed and stared at an indiscernible spot for a moment. It was a good thought, her face expressed as much clearly.
They ate in relative silence. Bethany didn’t seem uncomfortable by the quiet.
The kitchen door opened and in ran Savannah and Brice. They were pink cheeked and full of excitement.
“Mom!” Brice ran to her and hugged her. “I caught a fish!”
“And we ate it!” Savannah clapped her hands in excitement. “And we went swimming!”
“Swimming?” Layla looked up at Heath. He shrugged.
“And we roasted march-mallowds.” Brice shook her hand gaining her attention back to him. “With chocolate and crackers.”
When she looked up again, Heath was gone. “Where did he go?”
“Probably ducked out after the look you gave him.” Bethany laughed again. “It sounds like you guys enjoyed your camping trip.”
“Uncle Heath said we can come camping anytime Mom lets us.” Savannah smiled.
“Uncle Heath?” Layla could feel her heart thunder, panic set in around her. “But Heath isn’t your uncle.”
“We make our own family now, just like you.” Savannah shrugged.
“What do you mean?” Layla whispered. Bethany was there, but she needed to know now what Savannah was talking about.
“You know. You were Aunt Layla. Now you’re Mommy. Mr. Heath was Mr. Heath. Now he’s Uncle Heath.” She smiled. “We chose him and everybody else to be our relatives, too.”
Layla could feel tears falling behind her glasses. Her chest tightened; her mouth went dry. It was a full-blown panic attack. Everything she suspected was confirmed. Savannah knew. She could hear her name being called; Bethany was closer to her now. The children were calling for her. The room went dark.
* * *
“Look, I understand everything, but I am still going to have a talk with him when he gets in.” Jack, Bethany’s husband and Rafe’s little brother was there now.
“Layla?” Bethany came to her side.
She had a bag of frozen peas on her head, held in place by Savannah. Brice held onto her glasses and stood quietly staring at her.
“What happened?” She could feel heat creep over her face as she sat up to face the four of them. “I mean, I’m sorry I passed out. I get… I don’t know why I can’t…”
“Don’t worry about it.” Bethany smiled. “See guys, your Mom is okay, just like I promised.”
“Can we go home now?” Layla whispered. She was mortified. Jack quirked a brow as he looked at her, shook his head, and then whispered something to Bethany.
“It runs in your family.” She said in a normal tone, getting a scowl from her husband. “Kisses.”
He shook his head at her this time then kissed her on the lips. “Okay kiddo’s, be easy on her today all right?”
“Yes sir.” They both nodded and answered in unison.
Layla frowned. She had never had an episode in front of them before. Fainting was new to the panic attacks, which began after her sister died and she became responsible for the children. The combination of all they had done camping, and then Savannah’s revelation simply rocked her to the core.
“Heath put your backpacks in the van already so I guess I am ready when you are.” Bethany said as though nothing major had taken place moments before. For that, Lay
la was grateful.
Chapter 6
“You need a swift kick in the ass, that’s what you need!” Jack was mad. She knew he was upset with Rafe, but she didn’t know until just now how upset he really was. She snuck back in the house to hear the conversation, and now she was glad she made the phone call before this whole thing got even worse.
“You think you can kick my ass, little brother. Let’s take a walk outside,” Rafe challenged.
When Heath arrived, she felt a sigh of relief.
“What the hell is going on here?” Heath barked as he entered Jack’s kitchen.
“What are you doing here?” Jack asked
“Your wife called and said she needed me to deal with my little brothers before they did something real stupid.” Heath crossed his arms and leaned a hip against the doorframe. “So what is going on?”
“Rafe left Bethany to take care of his mess this morning. My pregnant wife is not his chauffer service, and certainly she was not in any position to pick a grown woman up off the floor and deal with two crying kids,” Jack snarled.
“Rafe?” Heath looked to Rafe. They couldn’t see her from where she was standing, but she could see Heath, and she could hear Jack and Rafe.
“I asked her to give them a ride home. I didn’t know it was going to be a damn soap opera.” Rafe didn’t sound like himself. Lately he wasn’t acting like himself.
“Jack, what the hell is he talking about? When I dropped the kids off, she looked like she always does, mad and stuck up. So how did she end up on the floor? Don’t tell me Bethany hit her.” He cast a look in her direction and winked. Apparently, he could also see her.
“I don’t know. Bethany said she passed out when Savannah said she chose us as her family or something.” Jack had settled down a bit. She heard the chair being pulled out from the kitchen table. “I feel for the gal, I really do, but Bethany is my wife, and when she called, she was upset, and you know she’s pregnant, and I just… that’s my world, you know. I don’t want anything or anyone upsetting her.”
Heath put out a hand, which probably looked weird to them, but it stopped her from running to Jack.
“Rafe?”
“They aren’t her kids. Apparently, she is their aunt, but she was raising them as her own.” Rafe still had not sat down. “She lied about the ex-husband. She lied about everything.”
“What happened to the parents? She in some kind of witness protection or something? That would explain a lot.” Heath nodded.
“No,” Rafe answered. “It was a scandal though, no doubt. Her twin sister had been cheating on Brice and Savannah’s father, and when he caught her, he killed her, her lover, and then himself. Layla became their guardian through their wills, and she left Georgia to get away from the scandal.”
“So the kids know, and she didn’t know they knew until today. Gad-zooks. I need to remind Buck how lucky he is our little sister isn’t a whack-job like the rest of the women around here.” Heath smiled in her direction. She stuck her tongue out at him. He was right. Jan was the only woman to have a “normal” start to a relationship in this family. “You know that’s twice I’ve said something that normally would set you on end, little brother, and yet you haven’t defended her once.”
“I’m done with her,” Rafe said smoothly.
“What?” Jack, Heath, and Bethany all said in unison. She came into the kitchen then and went to Jack. He frowned at her, but she simply kissed his temple and held his hand. He was only defending her; she couldn’t be mad about that.
“I asked her to marry me, and she said no.” Rafe laughed. It was a haunted sound. Terribly full of heartache. Heath winced. Bethany wished she could be everywhere at once to console them.
“Ask again,” Jack said and squeezed her hand.
“I asked three times.” Rafe clenched his jaw and looked away from them. “I’m riding tomorrow in the rodeo. If I win, I might keep going for a while. You might want to ask around to fill my spot here on the ranch. I won’t need my salary of course. That should help.”
“Tell me you’re riding Broncs, Rafe.” Heath didn’t hide the expression of frustration and worry on his face. Grown men or not, they were his little brothers, and Bethany knew how far he would go to protect them.
“More money in bulls.” Rafe shifted his weight to his other leg and then looked at them in turn. “I need to get my life back. I don’t know who I am anymore, and I don’t know what I want to do. I had a plan. I never made a back-up plan. I never saw it coming down to this, but it has. I’m sorry this puts the ranch in a bind, but I can’t stay here right now. You will either support me in this, or you won’t.”
Bethany could feel the muscles in Jack’s back go rigid under the hands she had placed on his shoulders. He let out a long breath and asked, “What time?”
Chapter 7
Layla returned home to find a message waiting for her. The shelter had closed; the grant didn’t go through. She spent the afternoon with Brice and Savannah and the shoebox she kept in her bedroom.
“She looks just like you,” Savannah whispered.
“We’re twins.” Layla smiled. “Brice looks a lot like your dad, but you look like your mom.”
“And you,” she added.
“And me.” Layla nodded.
“Did they die because they were married?” Savannah asked.
“No, sweetheart. They were in an accident.” There was no need to tell them the whole truth about the circumstances of their parents’ deaths. It was horrible enough that she knew the truth. She didn’t want those images or dreams haunting the children, too.
“I thought I heard you tell grandma you would never get married.” Savannah looked at her. “I was supposed to be in bed, but I was in the hall. I heard you.”
“I… I made that promise to keep you and Brice safe because I didn’t think you knew, and I didn’t want to confuse you and… I didn’t want to tell anyone the truth.” Layla frowned. “I didn’t want to risk anyone being that close to us.”
“But Rafe is,” Brice said as he put the pictures back in the stack. “I need a daddy, too. Rafe would be a good daddy, and you are a good mommy, so why can’t we make our own family?”
“It’s not that simple, sweetheart.” Layla swallowed the lump in her throat. Of course, they loved him. Of course, he would make a good daddy. Of course, she had the chance to give them what they were asking for now, but she was too stupid to realize it was best for them at the time.
“I told him not to marry you.” Savannah looked down. “I thought he would die, and I didn’t want him to die.”
“Oh, honey, you didn’t do anything wrong. I did.” Layla hugged both of the children close to her. For the first time since being their “mother” she felt like a mom. “But maybe I can fix it. Okay, I will try to fix it, so we can have Rafe as part of our family. But if I can’t…”
“You’re still our mom.” Brice looked at Savannah.
She nodded, then added, “But please try to fix Rafe.”
* * *
Rafe was easy to find. Apparently, the entire family was there to see him ride a bull. Layla was horrified at the thought. She asked Chance to take the children to get a hot dog while she found Rafe and tried to talk sense into him. They were all in agreement. No one wanted him riding the bull, but no one would tell him not to.
She made her way past cowboy after cowboy until she found her cowboy. “Rafe!”
He turned to look at her, his expression confused, and then he looked away. He wasn’t getting off that easily. In fact, he was stepping down into the cage to straddle a huge brown bull that was already trying to kick and buck him off. She moved faster and was finally as close as she could get. “Rafe!”
“I’m busy right now, Layla,” he said in a matter-of-fact voice.
“Rafe, I lied. I want to marry you, okay. Just get off that bull!” She watched as they tightened the straps. He was paying more attention to the men on either side of him than to her. “You don’t
have to do this, Rafe. I’m sorry. I messed up. I messed up bad. So can you please forgive me? At least get off that bull and talk to me?”
He turned his head to say something to her, but the gate man mistook his hand gesture to her as the gesture to open the gate. She watched in horror as he bounded out of the gate on the most ferocious animal she had ever seen.
* * *
That woman would be the death of him he knew for sure as the gate opened and the bull shot out. He wasn’t ready. He wanted to tell her to mind her own damn business, to get the hell out of here, but when he raised his hand to point at her, the gate sprang, and now here he was, holding on for dear life as this beast beneath him did his best to get him off of its back.
It seemed like an eternity but an instant at the same time. He was up, way up in the air, then down. He could feel the ribs snap, something hard on his right arm, something warm down the right side of his face. The bull was jumping still, but away from him. He couldn’t feel anything anymore. His mind was drifting. Everything around him seemed to be closing in. They were calling for help over the speaker. He could hear it in the distance. He could also see three men running toward him with four more in security vests running after them. As Heath, Jack, and Buck came to a halt at his side, he just couldn’t see anything anymore.
* * *
“Well, I guess that about does it.” The doctor patted his hand. “I was always surprised I never got to bandage you up as a kid. Unfortunately, as a grown man, this is going to hurt worse and take longer to heal. When it does, you’ll still feel it. I’m just glad it made a clean break.”
“Is that all we need?” Heath asked. Rafe looked at his brother who seemed a bit fuzzy to him.