“Hi, Doc.” She smiled in greeting. “Are y’all finished for the day?”
He nodded. “This was supposed to be a half day.”
“To golf?”
“That’s a cliché. And I don’t particularly like golf. Not good at it.” He smiled. “But we schedule light one day a week and try to get home to our families.”
She looked at the watch on her wrist. “Not so much today.”
“Had an emergency. Skateboard accident. Broken arm.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is he doing okay?”
“What makes you think the patient was a boy?”
“I have brothers. They were in the emergency room so often my mother knew the names of everyone on staff and their families.” She shrugged.
“And you’re right.” He grinned. “The patient is a boy who decided to do a flip off the curb, and his arm didn’t take the landing well. Speaking of that, how’s the ankle feel?”
“It aches a little when I’m on my feet for a while, and can we talk about the peeling skin?” She wrinkled her nose. “Gross.”
He laughed. “That’s normal. Exfoliate gently. I promise it won’t last long.”
“Good to know I won’t be shedding forever.” Looking up at the ceiling where the old and new came together, she asked, “So, what do y’all think of the place?”
“Looks really good. Can’t wait to spread out and expand services.” He slid his hands into the pockets of the white lab coat he still wore. “We’re starting the search for another doctor to join the clinic staff.”
Interesting about more staff. This was a small town. Her brother had called it “Black Hole.” He’d been teasing, but it didn’t have the lure of a big city. In her opinion, there was a lot to be said for living here; the place had grown on her. But some people, especially after the education and training required to practice medicine, might decide it wasn’t enough for them. People like Alex’s ex-wife, who’d let him believe for a while that he had everything, then decided she had nothing in this small town.
“How hard do you think it will be to find someone?” she asked.
“It could take a while,” Ben admitted.
“I hope it’s not long. This is a wonderful place. Anyone would be lucky to live here.”
“It’s not very big.” He was echoing her own thoughts. “Major shopping and entertainment aren’t right around the corner.”
“The really important things don’t require traveling,” she argued. “Friendly people who go out of their way to make a stranger feel welcome. Neighbors who pitch in when someone needs help. It has the lake. And mountains. This is a place where a family can bond and children learn values and the importance of community in their lives.”
One of his dark eyebrows lifted. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you don’t want to leave.”
“There are projects waiting for me in Dallas.” That didn’t really answer the question, but she couldn’t. Alex seemed perfectly willing to let her go based on how easily he’d watched her move out of his house.
“It seems to me that you and my brother work together pretty well.”
“Did you think we wouldn’t?” Funny that he mentioned Alex, as if he’d been reading her mind.
“Not really.” He frowned. “I just remember when he was inspecting the house he was building for me and he mentioned a meeting with you.”
“Oh?” That was noncommittal, but she desperately wanted to hear if he’d said something nice. Or not nice. But this was the real world, not junior high school.
“Yeah. I said something and he bit my head off.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Do you have any idea what’s been bugging him lately?”
That surprised her. The only difference she’d noticed in him since she’d moved back to her apartment was a retreat to friendly but impersonal. It was the way he’d acted when she’d first arrived on the job site. She couldn’t fault him, though. He’d never promised more than having fun. But he made it seem so easy to forget her.
“Why do you think there’s something wrong?”
“He was here first thing this morning. Usually I’m not, but I had to do some paperwork.”
“What happened?”
“Your name came up.”
Her heart started to pound. “Really?”
“I was telling him about the city council meeting last night. The mayor mentioned having an open house for the clinic. Giving tours of the new facility to generate publicity and announce expanded services.”
“And Alex was angry about that?”
“Not until I said that it would be nice if you were here for that.” He shrugged in a way that said he didn’t understand the reaction. “Although my brother would be happy to take all the congratulations on a job well done, he couldn’t have done the project without you.”
“I appreciate that very much, Ben.”
Those words were appropriate, which was a miracle considering she was wondering why Alex would be angry at his brother for mentioning her. Probably it would violate the fun-until-you-leave pact. There was no clause about her coming back for a grand opening or anything more personal than that.
She forced herself to smile. “I hope that means I can count on a positive recommendation from Blackwater Lake when I submit plans and bid for my next freelance job. I’m going to put Mercy Medical Clinic on my résumé.”
“I think I speak for the whole town when I say you can count on everyone singing your praises.”
“Good.” Suddenly, she just wanted to be by herself. Apparently the stress of having to tell Alex he was going to be a father had taken a lot out of her. She didn’t have the reserves for small talk, especially with his brother. “Okay, then. It was good to see you. But I have to go.”
Ben looked concerned. “Are you all right, Ellie?”
“Yes. Why?”
“You look tired.”
There was a reason for that and he would find out soon enough, but his brother needed to know first. “I’m fine.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “A broken bone seems like an isolated trauma, but it affects your whole body. Healing can take a lot out of you. It’s okay to rest, especially now that the pressure of the clinic expansion is easing.”
He was very kind, and it bothered her that she couldn’t tell him the reason for her fatigue. That would be up to Alex. And where the heck was he? If he didn’t show up soon, she’d call him when she got back to her apartment and arrange to meet somewhere.
“I’ll remember to take it easy. Thanks for the advice, Ben.”
He nodded. “If you have discomfort or pain, get it checked out.”
In Dallas was what he meant. “Count on it. I better be going.”
“Me, too. I’m taking Cam out to dinner.”
“Have you two set a date yet for the wedding?” she asked him.
“We’re nailing it down,” he said mysteriously. “Can’t be soon enough for me.”
“Have fun tonight.”
“We always do.” Turning away, he started to whistle as he shrugged out of his lab coat.
Ellie envied them. Camille Halliday was a lucky woman, and the newly engaged couple were expecting a baby. Ben was a happy man, so it would seem that he didn’t mind becoming a father. Maybe it was in the DNA and Alex could be okay with it, too.
She walked outside, her gaze automatically drawn to the construction trailer. Alex’s black truck was there and he was just getting out. Her stomach dropped; this was the moment of truth. Face-to-face, the way any child of Hastings Hart would handle the situation. There was no way to control Alex’s reaction. It would be what it would be, and she wished there was a way to spare him this news, but he had to know.
Ellie blew out a long breath and started toward him. When she’d covered half the distance, a car came screeching into the lot. That was noteworthy, since it was past quitting time. But when she looked more closely, she saw that it was a rental from the airport where she’d gotten hers. A tall, familiar
-looking, dark-haired man got out and her stomach dropped again. For a different reason.
“Oh, my God. No. Linc—”
There was only one reason her brother would be here.
She started to run, but the muscles in her left leg were still weak and wouldn’t let her. It was frustrating not to be able to move faster, when she saw her brother stop in front of Alex. Finally she was only a few feet away, near enough to hear Linc say, “Are you Alex McKnight?”
“Yes. What can I do for you—”
Without warning Linc’s fist shot out and caught Alex on the cheek, snapping his head back.
“That’s for getting my sister pregnant.”
Ellie stepped between the two men who both towered over her. She was facing her brother and the forward momentum of his body convinced her he planned to hit Alex again.
“Stop it, Linc.”
“Get out of the way, Ellie.” Her brother’s blue eyes blazed with fury. “No one takes advantage of my little sister and gets away with it.”
“That’s not what happened.” She glanced over her shoulder at Alex, who looked equally furious and ready to retaliate for the sucker punch. Someone was going to get hurt unless they cooled down, and she cared very much about both of these men. She looked at her brother. “For pity’s sake, calm down.”
“Not yet.” He put his hands on her arms and tried to move her.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She refused to let him budge her.
“There are laws against assaulting someone on the street. Y’all will get arrested.”
“In Black Hole, Montana? I don’t think so.” Linc’s voice dripped sarcasm.
She could almost feel the waves of fury rolling off Alex and turned to him. “He didn’t mean that.”
“Yes, I did.”
Alex’s mouth tightened. “In Montana, we introduce ourselves before throwing a punch.”
“Name’s Lincoln Hart, and you’re going to regret the day you used my sister.”
“It wasn’t like that,” she protested. When Alex took a step forward, she put her hands on his chest to stop him. “Don’t, Alex. Please.”
“Let him go, Ellie. I don’t need my sister to protect me. I can take care of myself.”
“No, you can’t, Linc.” Furiously she turned back to her brother. “He carries stacks of two-by-fours as if they were toothpicks. You sit behind a desk and talk on the phone.”
“Now just a damn minute—”
“No. You listen to me.” She stared him down. “It’s a smartphone, but hey, not the same. He could hurt you and I wouldn’t blame him a bit. You’re making an ass of yourself.”
“I’m protecting your honor.” He glared at her. “Let me at him. Now it’s really personal.”
“I’m not moving. You’ll have to get through me and if you try it, you could hurt the baby.” She watched that sink into her brother’s head. “This is my problem. And I will deal with it as I see fit.”
“But Ellie, I—”
“Not another word.” She held up a finger to silence him.
“Really? This is the thanks I get?”
She fished keys out of her purse and took off the one that would unlock the front door of her apartment. “I live on Lake View Road. I suggest you stop and ask directions. Anyone in town will tell you how to get there. You’ll stay with me.”
“Isn’t there a hotel in this town?”
“Blackwater Lake Lodge. But I wouldn’t count on there being a vacancy.” Not when she’d needed it, anyway. “Besides, I’d like you to stay at my place so I can keep an eye on you.”
Behind her she heard the truck door open, then close. The engine roared to life, then it backed up and peeled out of the parking lot.
“I suggest you wait for me at my place, Linc. I also suggest you cool off.”
“And if I don’t?”
“The lake is a short walk. You might want to take a quick dip. It’s really cold.”
Rebellion flashed in his eyes as he dragged a hand through his light brown hair. “Where are you going?”
“To talk to Alex.”
“Then you and I are going to talk,” her brother warned.
“We always do.” She started to turn away, then walked into his arms for a hug. “Your timing could have been better, but thanks for coming, Linc.”
He wrapped her in his arms. “Anytime.”
What was she going to say to Alex?
To think she’d spent the past twenty-four hours agonizing over how to tell him he was going to be a father. It never occurred to her that he’d find out in the worst possible way.
* * *
“Were you ever going to tell me you’re pregnant?” Alex’s voice was full of the betrayal still glittering in his eyes.
Forty minutes after he’d left the construction lot Ellie handed him a bag of frozen peas she’d just grabbed from his freezer. She’d guessed he would head for home, although she’d taken a drive past the local bar first and didn’t see his truck. Texas girls were tough, but the two men were like a scene from Clash of the Titans. The only thing she could think of to stop them was playing the pregnant card. Fortunately it had worked, and now she was at his house to explain.
“Of course I was going to tell you,” she finally answered.
“But you mentioned it to your brother first.” Accusation joined the betrayal on his face and sharpened his features.
“Linc caught me at a weak moment. I was looking at a stick that said ‘pregnant.’ So sue me for saying something when I was upset.”
This was exactly what she’d been afraid of. His ex-wife had withheld vital information, like the fact that he wasn’t her baby’s father, and Alex had married her, moved the family to Blackwater Lake. Ellie could see where he would be sensitive about this.
She sat beside him on the family room sofa, the place where he’d made sure she elevated her broken ankle. She badly wanted to touch him, but couldn’t risk it now.
“I don’t need you to fight my battles.”
“That’s not what I was doing. It was my brother I was concerned about.” She thought she’d made that clear. “My goal was to prevent bloodshed, but apparently I trampled all over male pride.”
“It’s not about that. He had it all wrong.”
“And he was in no mood to hear the truth. I’ll make everything clear when I see him.” Hopefully that would put an end to that. She set her purse on the sofa beside her. “Alex, just so we’re clear, the baby is yours.”
“I never thought it wasn’t.”
“Yes, you did. Maybe just for a second, but I understand why.” She looked at the bright red mark on his cheek that was beginning to swell and turn dark. “Put the bag on your face. That will help.”
“Will it?”
She nodded. “Y’all will probably have a shiner, anyway, but maybe not as bad if you put cold on it now.”
“If only it was good for more than black eyes.” He tossed the bag on the coffee table.
Okay, Ellie thought, now he was being childish and stubborn. She was over cutting him slack and taking the heat for another woman’s sin. She was pregnant and didn’t get this way by herself.
“Look, I’m only going to say this one more time, so listen up, mister. I just did the test yesterday, and Linc happened to call while I was trying to take it all in. I wasn’t keeping it a secret from you. This is information I didn’t think you should hear over the phone. My plan was to tell you face-to-face at work today, but you weren’t there.” Until, as fate would have it, her brother showed up. The expression on his face hadn’t changed and that made her madder. “So now you know the God’s-honest truth. I take my fair share of blame for this situation, but it was your responsibility to buy foolproof condoms.”
“There’s no such thing.”
“Then we both share fault.” She stood and started for the door. “That’s all I have to say. My work here is done.”
“Just a minute—”
“No. My brother’s
waiting.”
“This is more important than Rocky Balboa cooling his fists for a while.”
“I’m not so sure,” she said. “He’s my support system.”
“And you’re carrying my baby.”
Ellie turned to look at him. There was still tension in every line and angle of his face, but the suspicious expression was gone. “I didn’t plan for any of this to happen.”
“I know.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “So, I think we should let the information sink in and then we’ll come up with a plan of action.”
“There’s nothing to sink in. We’re going to be parents. And there’s only one thing to do.”
“What?”
“I’ll marry you as soon as possible.”
I’ll marry you. Not—we should get married. The phrasing spoke volumes.
She could see he was completely serious and really, why was she so surprised? Martha had said Alex would do the right thing. It’s just that Ellie had thought the housekeeper had meant in a financial way and having a relationship with his child. Not a shotgun wedding.
“Aren’t you going to say something?” he asked.
“I’m not sure what to say.”
He stood and never looked away. He never moved closer, either. “How about yes?”
Ellie had been badly burned in her last relationship, and she swore she wouldn’t be so stupid again. But occasionally she’d let her guard down and let herself just think about a marriage proposal. It had always included a passionate declaration of love before the M word. And because she hadn’t heard that, the hurt she felt now was so much worse than finding out she’d been made a fool of.
It was ironic, really, that she could so clearly see he didn’t have deep, romantic feelings for her. It was that exact moment she realized without a doubt she was in love with him.
And so she had an answer to the question. “I can’t marry you.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because y’all are just being noble.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” He dragged his fingers through his hair.
“No. It’s an admirable quality. But if marriage isn’t right for you and me it would be wrong for the baby.”
Harlequin Special Edition July 2013 - Bundle 1 of 2: Marooned with the MaverickHer McKnight in Shining ArmorCelebration's Bride Page 33