They talked about the possibilities for most of the day, weighing up the pros and cons, deciding on who would best deal with the situation. There seemed to be a wonderful, vibrant harmony flowing between them, making their lovemaking that night extra special. It wasn’t until Harry chose to query her choices that the pleasurable flow was broken.
They were lying face to face, their legs still intimately locked together. Harry softly stroked the feathery bangs off her forehead, looking deeply into her eyes. ‘I’d really like you to stay on here, Ellie,’ he said. ‘It’s not too late to change your mind.’
Her chest instantly grew tight. It was difficult to resist the seductive pressure of his words when she wanted to cling onto the sweet sense of everything being perfect. ‘I can’t, Harry,’ she blurted out.
He frowned at her quick reply. ‘You’ve been happy here this past week. I’ve heard it in your voice every time I’ve called. And today you’ve been so relaxed, confident. Why not reconsider?’
‘It’s better that you get someone else,’ she argued.
‘But I like feeling you’re part of my world, Ellie. It’s been great this week, sharing it with you.’
She sucked in a deep breath, needing to hold firm against the persuasive pull of a future that might mean sharing his world forever. It was too soon to know, her mind screamed, too soon to commit to the possibility. She reached up and stroked his cheek, her eyes pleading for understanding.
‘I’m not rejecting you, Harry. I just need to be where Lucy is. Being on this island in a permanent position is too far away.’
He heaved a sigh, his mouth turning into a wry grimace. ‘You have to be there for her.’
‘Yes.’
‘Well, I guess I’ll just have to invade your world in Cairns.’
She relaxed at his acceptance of her decision, smiling as she said, ‘I hope you do.’
* * *
Harry told himself to be content with her apparent willingness to continue their relationship once she was back in Cairns. Separating herself from both Mickey and himself professionally had niggled at him. She’d been so elusive in the past, he wasn’t absolutely confident that he’d won her over into moving forward with him.
They’d certainly gone beyond a one-night stand and he no longer thought this was a rebound situation. The connection between them was too good to doubt it. Still, the fact that she was severing the work connection... Harry shook it out of his mind. There was no point in letting it throw a cold shadow over the warmth of their intimacy tonight.
He had her where he wanted her.
It was enough for now.
The call-tune on his mobile phone woke him to the dim light of dawn.
Elizabeth stirred, as well, asking, ‘Who’d be wanting to contact you at this hour?’
‘Don’t know,’ he muttered, hoping it wasn’t bad trouble of some sort as he rolled out of bed and retrieved the mobile from his shorts pocket. He quickly flipped it open, held it up to his ear and spoke a terse, ‘Yes?’
‘Harry Finn?’ asked a male voice he didn’t recognise.
‘Yes. Who’s speaking?’
‘This is Constable Colin Parker. I’m calling from the Cairns Base Hospital. I’m sorry to say your brother, Michael Finn, was involved in a serious car accident earlier this morning....’
Harry’s heart stopped. Shock and fear jammed his mind for a moment, fear spearing through to force out the words, ‘How serious?’
‘Your brother and two teenagers are in intensive care. I can’t say exactly what injuries were sustained but I’m told they are extensive. Two other teenagers...’
‘He’s not dead.’ Relief poured through Harry. Although there was no guarantee Mickey would pull through, at least he had a chance, not like their parents.
‘Who?’ Elizabeth cried, alarmed by what she’d heard.
It instantly recalled the high probability that Lucy had been with Mickey—a Saturday night—out on the town. ‘Was my brother alone in his car?’
Elizabeth clapped her hands to her face, her eyes wide with horror, a gasp of shock leaving her mouth open.
‘Yes, he was. No passengers.’
‘Lucy wasn’t with him,’ he swiftly assured her. ‘Thank you for letting me know, Constable. I’ll get to the hospital as soon as I can.’
He grabbed his clothes and headed straight for the bathroom, his mind racing over which would be the fastest way to the mainland. Calling for a helicopter, getting the pilot out of bed and to the airfield—no, he couldn’t bear waiting around. Best to take the yacht back to Cairns at full throttle, be on the move. He could easily summon a car to meet him at the marina, drive him straight to the hospital, no time wasted.
You hang on, Mickey, he fiercely willed his brother.
Elizabeth had wrapped a robe around her and was pacing the bedroom floor when he emerged from the bathroom. ‘How bad is it?’ she shot at him, anguish in her eyes.
It made Harry think she still cared a hell of a lot for his brother, which put another savage twist in his heart.
Her hands lifted in urgent plea. ‘Lucy will want to know.’
Anguish for her sister or herself? He shook his head. He didn’t have time to sort this out. ‘He’s in intensive care. That’s all the cop could tell me,’ he answered. ‘I have to go now, Elizabeth. Will you hold on here until...until...’ He couldn’t bring himself to voice whatever was going to happen.
‘Of course I will,’ she cried. ‘I’ll do anything you want me to do. Just call me. I’ll stand by as long as you need me.’
Yes, Harry thought. The one who had always carried the load. Always would. The anchor.
He walked over to her, scooped her into a tight embrace, needing a brief blast of warmth to take some of the chill out of his bones. He rubbed his cheek over her silky hair and kissed the top of her head. ‘Thank you. I’ll be in touch,’ he murmured, then set her aside to go to his brother.
Elizabeth was not going to leave him any day soon.
Mickey might.
* * *
Elizabeth’s heart bled for him as she watched him make a fast exit from her apartment. To have his parents killed in an accident and now to have his brother on the danger list from another accident...it was a wickedly unkind twist of fate.
When she had thought Lucy could be involved, too... The huge relief at hearing she wasn’t made her feel guilty for being spared what Harry was going through—totally gutted with fear and anxiety. It was no empty promise that she would do anything to help. If she had the power to make everything better for him, she would. He was a good man.
So was Michael.
And Lucy would want to know that the man she loved was in hospital, possibly fighting for his life.
Where was her sister? Why hadn’t she been with Michael? Had there been a bust-up between them? Questions fired through Elizabeth’s mind as she used her mobile phone to make contact with her. The call tone went on for a long nerve-tearing time before it was finally cut off by Lucy’s voice, sounding groggy with sleep.
Of course, it was still very early in the morning—Sunday morning—but time didn’t matter. ‘Wake up, Lucy!’ she said sharply. ‘There’s been an accident.’
‘What? Is that you, Ellie?’
‘Yes. Michael was injured in a car accident early this morning. He was badly hurt.’
‘Michael...oh, no...no...’ It was a wail of anguished protest. ‘Oh, God! It’s my fault!’
‘How is it your fault?’
‘I ate something at dinner last night that upset me. He brought me home. I was vomiting and had dreadful diarrhoea. He left me to find an all-night pharmacy, get me some medicine. I was so drained I must have drifted off to sleep. He should have come back but he’s not here and... Oh, God! He went out for me, Ellie!’
‘Stop that, Lucy! You didn’t cause the accident and getting hysterical won’t help Michael,’ she said vehemently, needing to cut off the futile guilt trip. ‘I take it everything was still good between you last night?’
‘Yes...yes...he was so caring when I was sick. Oh, Ellie! I’ll die if I lose him.’
‘Then you’d better do whatever you can to make him want to live. Are you still sick? Can you get to the hospital? He’s in an intensive care unit.’
‘I’ll get there.’ Gritty determination was in her voice, hysteria gone.
‘Harry was with me on the island. He’s on his way. Be kind to him, Lucy. Remember he and Michael lost their parents in an accident. I have to stay here. Harry’s counting on me to take care of business but I think he’ll need someone there, too.’
‘I understand. You love him but you can’t be with him.’
Love? That was typical Lucy. Elizabeth cared about the man and she certainly loved aspects of him, but she mentally shied from putting a boots-and-all love tag on her feelings for Harry. However, right at this moment it was easier to just let her sister think what she wanted to think.
‘I need to know what’s happening, Lucy. Please...will you keep me informed?’
‘Sure! I’ll call you with news as soon as I have it. Moving now. Over and out. Okay?’
‘Okay.’
Elizabeth took a long deep breath, trying to settle some of her inner agitation. There was no more she could do about the situation, yet the need for some kind of action was twitching through her nerves. The office didn’t have to be opened for hours yet. It was too early for anyone on the island to require her for anything.
She showered and dressed, then walked down to the beach, dropping onto a deckchair to simply sit and watch the sunrise, wanting to feel some peace with a world that had just changed again. Nature kept rolling on, regardless of what happened to human beings. While it could be ugly, too—cyclones, floods, droughts—this morning it had a beautiful tranquillity that soothed the turmoil in her soul.
The sea was a glittering expanse of shimmering wavelets. The sky slowly turned into a pastel panorama of pinks and lemons. The sun crept up over the horizon, shooting beams of light into the tinted clouds. It was a lovely dawning of a new day—another day that she was alive.
Life was precious.
More than ever Elizabeth felt a pressing need to make the most of it.
This past week with Harry had been good.
She’d felt happy with him.
Love was a big step from there but her mind and heart were opening up to the chance that Harry Finn might be the man who could and would share her life in all the ways she’d dreamed of.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ELIZABETH was on tenterhooks all morning waiting for news of Michael. She thought it would be Lucy who called, but it was Harry, instantly assuring her that his brother’s injuries were not life-threatening as they had feared.
‘He was hit on the driver’s side, right arm and hip fractured, broken ribs, lacerations to the face, a lot of bruising, concussion. The doctors were worried that a broken rib had punctured his liver but that’s been cleared and bones will mend.’ His sigh transmitted a mountain of relief. ‘He’s going to be incapacitated for quite a while, but there should be no lasting damage.’
‘That’s good news, Harry,’ Elizabeth said, her own relief pouring into her voice.
‘Lucy’s here. I’ve left her sitting beside Mickey, holding his left hand. She’s certainly a surprise, your sister.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘He’s not a pretty picture—face cut, bruised and swollen. I didn’t think it was a good idea, her going in to see him. Thought she’d have hysterics or faint at the sight of him. She gave me an earbashing on how much she cared about Mickey and she was no wimp when it came to facing anyone who was suffering anything.’
Elizabeth smiled, imagining the scene. ‘I told you she was good with Mum.’
‘Looks like she’ll be good with Mickey, too. Like Mum was with Dad. He’ll need cheering up in the days to come, that’s for sure. He’s sedated right now. Haven’t spoken to him, only to the doctors, who assure me he’s out of the woods.’
‘That’s the important thing, Harry. Whatever the future brings, he does have a future.’
‘Thank God!’
‘How did the accident happen? Lucy said he’d left her to find an all-night pharmacy...’
‘Drunken teenagers in a stolen car running a red light. They just slammed into him. All four of them are here in the hospital, undoubtedly ruing their stupid joy ride. I can’t say I’m feeling any sympathy for them.’
Harsh words, but justified, Elizabeth thought. Nevertheless, concern for him made her ask, ‘Are you okay, Harry? I know shock can hit hard and have lingering after-effects.’
He heaved another big sigh, releasing tension this time. ‘I’ll be fine. Got to step in for Mickey. I’ll have to run the Cairns office until he can pick up the reins again. I can delegate the running of the tourist side for a while, but Mickey has always kept a very personal control of the franchises. There’s no one I can hand it to.’
‘I know,’ she murmured understandingly, realising that his mind was racing, trying to foresee problems he had to deal with.
‘I’ll set up interviews with the two people we selected for the management position on the island, hopefully this week, then send the one I think is most appropriate out to you. If you’ll train whomever I choose...’
‘No problem,’ she assured him. ‘I’ll get Sarah and Jack and Daniel to come on board for that, as well. We’ll handle it for you, Harry. Don’t worry about it. You’ll have enough on your plate taking over from Michael. Just keep me informed on what’s happening.’
‘Will do. And thanks for...’ He paused a moment, his voice gathering a husky note as he added, ‘for being you, Elizabeth.’
The emotional comment brought a lump to her throat. It had been a stressful morning and she teetered on the edge of weeping now that the practicalities of the situation had been sorted out. She knew intuitively that Harry was close to breaking up, too, having held himself together to face the worst.
Having swallowed hard to clear her throat, she softly said, ‘Don’t be too alone in this, Harry. Anything you need to share...you can talk to me any time. Okay?’
Another pause, longer this time, making her wonder if she had stepped too far, assuming an intimacy he didn’t feel with her when they weren’t in bed together.
‘Though I’m not into phone sex,’ she blurted out.
He cracked up. Peal after peal of laughter sent her brain into a tizzy. She had no idea what it meant—a release from tension, amusement at her prudish restriction?
‘Oh, Ellie! I love you,’ he bubbled forth. ‘I really, truly do.’
She was stunned into silence. Was this a genuine declaration or was he funning her?
‘And it will kill me if you don’t love me back,’ he went on, slightly more soberly.
How was she to reply to that? ‘Umm... Well, don’t die any time soon, Harry.’
‘I won’t. I have too much to live for. And so do you, Ellie,’ he said with conviction. ‘Bye for now.’
Elizabeth didn’t know what to think. In the end she decided Harry’s loving her was simply an impulsive reaction to her helping him at a time of crisis. It was more comfortable putting it in that box than believing he was serious, because she didn’t want to feel pressured about loving him back. As much as she liked him—maybe loved him—she wasn’t ready to lay her heart completely on the line. It was too...hasty.
* * *
Harry knew he’d jumped the gun with the love words. They’d spilled out of him before he realised what he was saying, no consideration given to how they’d be received or inter
preted and, worst of all, he couldn’t see Elizabeth’s reaction to them.
He’d spoken the truth. He knew that without any doubt now. The instinctive attraction had always been there and he’d never been able to give up on it, despite her constantly blocking it, preferring to see his brother as the more desirable man. But they were right together, right for each other. He felt it in his bones. Though he suspected she wasn’t quite ready to hear or accept it.
Having given her word, she would still stand by him during this crisis. But until he was actually with her again, he’d steer clear of pouring out personal feelings. He wasn’t absolutely sure that her emotions had been detached from his brother. Having sex with him—liking it, wanting it—that was certainly answering a need in her, but whether he’d won through to her heart was not certain at this point.
Patience, Harry, he cautioned himself.
Elizabeth Flippence was the woman worth keeping.
He had to convince her he was the man worth keeping.
* * *
Every day following Michael’s accident, Elizabeth found herself literally hanging on calls from Cairns. She cared about Michael’s progress—of course, she did—yet she grew impatient when Lucy went on endlessly about every little detail and her sympathy was sorely stretched at times. She really wanted to hear from Harry, not her sister.
Her heart always jumped when his voice came over the line and her body flooded with warm pleasure. Not once did he mention loving her, and despite thinking she didn’t want to hear it, weirdly enough she actually did, although she was happy to simply chat with him and it felt really good to help him with problems he was encountering in Michael’s office.
His confidence in her, his respect for her opinion, his desire for her input on everything, did touch her heart. Very deeply. None of her previous relationships with men had reached this level of sharing. She loved it. When he told her he was bringing his chosen candidate for manager over to the island himself at the weekend, she was thrilled at the prospect of being with him again, if only for a few hours.
Harlequin Presents January 2013 - Bundle 2 of 2: The Ruthless Caleb WildeBeholden to the ThroneThe Incorrigible Playboy Page 47