She dressed quickly—no need for a uniform today—in jeans and a T-shirt, and stepped out of the bathroom to be greeted by the aroma of coffee brewing.
At least, there was that.
Maybe after a stiff cup of coffee or two or three hundred, she’d be able to face the day.
And Bill.
Bill looked up as Darcy entered the kitchen, yawning and stretching and looking none the worse for wear after a night that had been long on tension and short on sleep. Even right from a shower and without a trace of makeup she looked more beautiful than any woman had a right to at this time of the morning. Her short hair was still damp, drops of moisture beaded on the back of the neck of her soft pink T-shirt and she smelled like his mother’s Cashmere Bouquet soap.
“Why are you up so early?” Darcy murmured through a yawn. She reached for a mug and served herself a cup of coffee. “But I’m glad you are. I need coffee, and I need it now.” She raised the mug to her lips and drank without doctoring it with her usual milk and sugar.
Bill shoved the milk carton and sugar bowl toward her as she grimaced and sank into the chair across from him. “I guess you’ll still be needing this?” he said dryly.
“Thank you,” she murmured, spooning a generous amount of sugar into the dark brew. Then she added an equally large amount of milk.
“Like a little coffee in your milk, do you?” Bill said wryly as he rose to turn the bacon. “I’ll have breakfast ready in ten and then we can eat and go.”
“I never liked the taste of the stuff, but sometimes I do need the effects,” she said as she raised the doctored brew to her mouth. “I’d just as soon have a diet cola. It has caffeine in it, too.”
“Yeah, but it won’t put hair on your chest,” Bill said, lowering the flame under the skillet.
“Like I really need hair there,” Darcy said, producing the first real smile Bill had seen this morning. “You never did answer my question.”
“What question?”
“Why you’re up so early.” She put the mug down and stirred, using the spoon as something to keep from looking at him, Bill suspected.
“Early? Ha! This is late for me,” he said over the sizzle of bacon. “I’m usually up at zero-five-thirty. Have to eat, get dressed, and be at physical training by six-thirty.” He yanked a couple of paper towels off the roll, laid them on a plate, then began to fish strips of bacon out of the grease. “I grew up in the country, remember.”
“Well, you sure acted like a city boy when you were lounging around in bed until who-knows-when last week,” Darcy commented wryly.
He couldn’t tell her he’d been avoiding her, something he’d given her a hard time about at the Dinner Belle last Saturday, but that had been the reason. He shrugged. “I was on vacation. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do, but I was trying to see how the leisure class lives.” He poured the bacon grease off into a can, and reached for a carton of eggs. “It wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.”
Darcy looked at him over the rim of her coffee mug, but said nothing. She arched one tawny eyebrow, then took another sip.
“How many eggs?” Bill asked as he cracked a couple into a bowl.
Darcy shrugged. “I don’t know. Truthfully, my stomach is just a little unsettled, but I suspect having a little something in it might straighten it right out. I never did get anything for dinner last night. You decide, and I’ll make some toast.” She pushed herself out of the chair and went to the cupboard where the bread was stored, and by the time she’d loaded and set the toaster, the eggs sizzled as Bill poured them into the pan.
Bill rather liked the domesticity of the moment. If it were always to be like this, sharing friendly banter and a quiet breakfast, he’d almost consider revising his decision not to marry. But he knew the demands of his job. He’d be sitting in some chow hall at some distant base while Darcy was stuck at home alone with all the responsibilities. He wondered how long she’d be able to take it.
And what was he doing thinking like that anyway? He barely knew the woman, and he was thinking about her in terms of forever. He blew out a long, exasperated breath and shook the notion from his head. If the air force wanted you to have a wife, they’d have issued you one.
“What was that about?”
Bill looked up, startled at the question. “What?”
“You shook your head. What were you thinking?”
“Nothing,” Bill lied. “I was just trying to avoid the steam from the skillet.” He grabbed a pot holder and lifted the frying pan. “Here. Eat it while it’s hot.”
At least, as long as they were eating, they wouldn’t be able to talk. And Bill was getting tired of having to watch his every word and thought. This woman was getting under his skin.
* * *
BILL HAD ASKED Darcy to inquire about Nettie’s condition, claiming that she was more likely to understand the medical jargon than he, but Darcy suspected that he needed a moment or two to pull himself together before facing the hospital.
Watching a loved one hooked up to tubes and monitors could be unsettling to anyone, and Darcy didn’t fault Bill for that. And she appreciated the chance to get the details before they tried to soften them for the family.
She stepped into the ICU waiting room and was surprised to see Earline and Lougenia already there.
Lougenia rose quickly and hurried toward her. “Good news,” she announced, a smile brightening a face that otherwise looked far too wan for first thing in the morning. Obviously, she’d had trouble sleeping, too. “Doctor Williamson said she could go to a regular room as soon as she’s had the rest of her intravenous meds.”
“That’s great, Lou. I’m sure Bill will be thrilled,” she said, glancing into the cubicle where Nettie’s intravenous fluid pouch appeared half empty. It wouldn’t be long.
Bill arrived.
“It’s good news, Bill,” Darcy said, stepping forward. “Lou said she can go to a regular room as soon as she’s finished receiving the medication in that IV.”
Bill let out a long breath. “That’s good to hear. I have to admit it scared me the way she looked last night with all those machines and tubes.”
“Those machines and tubes are what is making it possible for her to get better,” Darcy told him, touching him lightly on the sleeve.
“I know, but still… .” His words trailed off as he looked up and realized that Doc Williamson had come into the ICU.
“Let me go talk to Doc and see what he says about her condition.” He turned to go, but stopped, and looked back over his shoulder. “Maybe you should come, too, to translate,” he said.
He sure wasn’t going to let on that he needed her for anything else.
* * *
DARCY LOOKED UP from the hard plastic chair in the ICU waiting room a couple hours later to see Bill stumble out of Nettie’s cubicle. Looking as though he’d received a severe shock, Bill sank heavily onto the chair next to her. Panic raised the fine hairs on Darcy’s arms.
Had Nettie had a setback? No, that couldn’t be! Alarms would have been going off all over the place. Besides, she had just spoken to Doctor Williamson, and the news had been encouraging. The way Bill looked, though, he might well have heard something dire. Or seen a ghost.
She grabbed his arm, and he looked at her blankly as if he hadn’t seen her or realized that she was there. “What?” he said in a tone so disconnected that it had Darcy worried.
“What’s the matter with you? You look like you’ve had the wits scared out of you.” He acted that way, too.
He looked at her again, and slowly shook his head. He blinked as if to clear his eyes, and then swallowed and cleared his throat. “Nothing,” he said hoarsely. “My mother wants to ask a favor of you.”
Relief washing over her, Darcy smiled and release
d Bill’s arm. She didn’t need the distraction of the warmth humming up her arm from his. “Is that all? You had me worried there for a minute. I’ll do anything for your mom. You know that.”
“You may not be so willing when you hear what she has to say,” he said, still appearing shell-shocked, and looked around. “Where are Lou and Earline?”
“They had to go to work. You know they count on their paychecks, and since your mother is doing better, I told them they didn’t need to stay. They’ll both be back at lunchtime after your mother gets out of ICU.”
“Oh,” he said, still looking as fogged as he had when she’d first spoken to him. “I’ll just sit and wait till you’ve talked to Momma.” He turned his attention to the television set hung high on the waiting-room wall.
Darcy didn’t know what to think. Why was he acting as though his world had just ended? And why did he seem to be so interested in the morning news? She drew in a long, deep breath and stepped into Nettie’s room.
Nettie’s face was pale and her eyes were closed, but they drifted upward when Darcy entered. “I didn’t mean to wake you, Nettie,” Darcy said. “I can come back later when you’ve rested.”
“No. Please stay,” Nettie said, her voice reedy and thin. “I was just restin’ my eyes. Seems like such a waste of time to sleep when I have so little time left.”
Darcy managed an anemic smile and settled on to the chair by the bed. She patted Nettie’s hand. “Now don’t be saying such things. Doctor Williamson tells me you’re recovering well.” She managed another smile, this one a little stronger, and squeezed Nettie’s hand. It was papery and cool, and Darcy’s smile faltered for a moment. “Remember, he can’t fool me,” she said. “I understand all his doctor talk.”
Nettie smiled at that and motioned her closer. “Come closer, I have a favor to ask of you,” she said, her voice still showing the effects of her flooded lungs.
Still holding Nettie’s hand, Darcy did as she was asked. “You know I’ll do anything for you.”
“Hush, child. And listen. All this excitement is tiring, and I’d like to take a nap when we’re done.”
“Yes, ma’am. What can I do for you?”
“Take care of Billy. I know you and Billy told us you wanted to have a long engagement,” Nettie said, then she stopped to catch her breath.
Darcy started to say something, but Nettie silenced her with a slight wave of her hand.
“But I know my time’s almost come. Doc Williamson might pull me through this time, but I don’t reckon that he’s goin’ to be able to do it too many more times.” She paused again, and her breath came in long, painful gasps.
“I know it ain’t what you planned, but it would sure make me go easier if I could see you and Billy happily married before I did.”
CHAPTER TEN
DARCY GASPED. How could Nettie ask this of her?
And how could she, Darcy Stanton, who had escaped from one ill-advised wedding with little more than the clothes on her back, actually be considering Nettie’s request?
Now she understood the reason for Bill’s dazed expression. He had to be as shocked as she was.
“Billy’s gonna need somebody when I go,” Nettie went on. “He’s way down there in Florida all by himself. He might be a big, strong, strappin’ man, but he’s got a tender heart, and he feels things deep down in it. He’s gonna need you to sustain him. You will comfort him, won’t you, Darcy?”
Darcy couldn’t believe she was about to agree, but she swallowed and answered. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll do whatever it takes. I promise.” She looked at her watch, the dial blurring in front of eyes filling with tears. “I think I’ve exceeded my five minutes,” she said, then bolted from the room.
And right into Billy’s arms.
The shock of landing so squarely in the middle of his hard chest knocked some of the panic out of Darcy. Bill put his arms around her and drew her closer to him. She could barely breathe. She didn’t know whether it was because of what Nettie had just requested or Billy’s closeness, but she took a couple more breaths and tried to collect herself.
Not an easy task with the reason for her confusion so close that she could hear his heart beat and could almost taste that warm, man scent unadorned with fragrance or aftershave.
“Now you know why I was so shell-shocked when I came out of Momma’s room,” Bill said quietly, his voice seeming to rumble from deep within his chest.
Darcy swallowed and pushed herself away from him, out of the shelter of his arms. When she was so close to him she couldn’t think clearly, and this was something she obviously needed to think about. She drew a breath, but she couldn’t look at him. “What are we going to do?”
“I think we should think about it,” Bill said quietly.
“No! Absolutely not!” Darcy jerked her head up and looked him square in the eyes.
That was a mistake. Every time she looked at him, her breath caught in her throat, and now that Nettie had mentioned the unthinkable, she’d even begun to think about it. Seriously? She was such a mass of confusion.
She didn’t know what she wanted.
Darcy looked around and realized that everyone in the Intensive Care Unit seemed to be looking at them.
“This was only supposed to be a pretense,” she hissed under her breath. “This was only supposed to be temporary, but you keep dragging me in deeper and deeper. Look what happened the last time you drew me into one of your brilliant ideas!”
Bill took her by the elbow and led her toward the corridor.
“Where are we going?” Darcy asked with alarm as she shook free of his iron grasp. She was not about to let him tell her what to do! She stopped dead still.
“Come on,” he said quietly, demonstrating far more calm than Darcy possessed at the moment. Of course, he’d had five whole minutes to think. “We need to talk about this,” he said, glancing around. “This is not exactly the kind of thing you want to have make the evening news.”
“All right,” Darcy said reluctantly. She shook his arm away and started for the hall. “We’ll go outside where we won’t be overheard.” But do not think that you are going to be able to convince me of anything this foolhardy, she thought.
Something deep inside her kept telling Darcy to think about it. If she actually said no, that would be the end of it. And she wasn’t sure she wanted it all to end. Even if it wasn’t real. Even if Bill hadn’t as much as hinted that he might care for her as she did for him.
The air outside was warm and sticky and promised another humid Alabama day. Bill found a spot in the shade near a humming air-conditioning unit where they could talk safe from prying eyes and ears. At least he was thinking more clearly than she was.
“You can’t ask this of me, Billy. You can’t,” Darcy whispered.
The place was secluded, but someone had left some webbed lawn chairs there. She settled onto one of the chairs and Bill took another one. He pulled it close to hers until they were sitting almost knee to knee. He leaned forward and their knees touched, sending a jolt of…something she couldn’t describe rushing through her as he closed his large hands over hers.
“It wouldn’t have to be a real marriage, Darcy.”
She gasped and snapped her head up to look at him, and Billy wondered if he’d gone too far. She jerked her hands away.
“We could just go through the motions. For Momma. Nobody’d have to know.”
Darcy sighed and closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly. “Where have I heard that before?”
“Oh, come on. We know where we messed up last time. We know what kind of precautions to take.” Last time, they had acted too quickly, they hadn’t had time to think it through. This time, they wouldn’t agree until they’d worked it all out, Bill vowed to himself.
“I just…got…away from an unwanted marriage by the skin of my teeth. I’m not ready to get mixed up in another. No matter how good the reasons,” Darcy said emphatically. She picked up a handful of loose dirt from the ground and watched it drift slowly from her hand in the turbulence from the air-conditioning fans. “I just can’t.”
Bill swallowed. Apparently, Darcy was going to be a harder sell than he’d expected. He reached for her hand and was grateful that she didn’t yank it away again. He’d have to think this through a little longer. He’d have to figure a way to convince her. A way to make it happen and later a way out without injuring either of them.
He didn’t want to hurt Darcy.
But, if it was the last thing he ever did, he wouldn’t break his mother’s heart, either. He’d do anything he could to make her last days happy and worry-free.
Even if he did have to marry a woman he knew he couldn’t keep.
“We have to think about this, Darcy. I have to think it through. If I can come up with a plan that would work and that we’d be able to get out of without a big fuss, will you at least consider it?” Bill closed his hands over her small one and hoped he could telegraph his sincerity to her.
He wasn’t sure he could put it into words.
“I will think about it, Bill,” Darcy said slowly. “But I’ll make no rash promises. Been there, done that, got the fiancé.” She let out a long, tired breath. “I’ll listen to your plan, Billy. But you had better think this one through a lot better than you did the last one.”
“Heard that,” Bill said softly and drew back his hand. “Reckon we ought to go back inside? It might not be good if we stray too far from Momma this morning.” He got up and offered his hand to Darcy.
As she accepted it and scrambled to her feet, Bill continued. “I can think back there in that waiting room as well as I can out here, and when I come up with a plan, you’ll be the first to know.”
“And you won’t tell a soul until I’ve approved the plan?” Darcy said, letting go of his hand.
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