“Sit on the bed and put your feet up,” Cat instructed. “I’ll run down and get the ice cream out of the freezer.”
Zoe climbed onto the middle of the bed. Sorene stuffed pillows behind her, took the crochet blanket at the foot of the bed, and tucked it in around her, and then she entered the small bathroom and returned with a wet washcloth.
“Here, wash your face. It will make you feel better.”
Zoe doubted it but rubbed the cool cloth over her face anyway. Surprise, she did feel better, more refreshed.
Cat entered the room with spoons and pints of ice cream, one for each of them. She handed Zoe a carton of Chunky Monkey, and she dived in. With everything that had happened today, she hadn’t eaten lunch or dinner and she’d thrown up breakfast. The first spoonful tasted heavenly, and her sisters let her get down a fair amount of the pint before the questions started.
She filled them in on everything, her secret project, the encounter with the dads and brothers, Derek coming out of the closet, even the stripping part and Trip and her going at each other like animals in the cab of his truck. Silence followed her explanation.
Catriona was the first to speak. “Wow, you’ve had an eventful six weeks.”
“Excuse me,” Sorene said. “Go back. You were stripping at Ticker Tavern?”
Out of everything Zoe related, Sorene would center on that. “It was to help fund my project, and it was good money.” She named her weekly average of her take home in tips.
Catriona gasped. “There’s that much to be had talking off your clothes?”
“When you’re good at it, yes.”
“Do you think you could teach me? It would blow Avery’s mind if I gave him a personal performance.”
“Cat!” Sorene scolded.
“What? You should think about it with Ash.”
A glint of interest entered Sorene’s eyes, and then she blinked it away and shook her head. “We’re getting off subject.” She turned back to Zoe. “Why didn’t you come to us? We would have helped with the funds you needed. Stripping is so dangerous, you could have been assaulted, or worse. Thank God Trip found you and put a stop to it.”
“I couldn’t come to you, not with dropping out of college, disappointing you and the rest of the family. Plus, I wanted to do this on my own.”
“This project of yours, is that the business plan you wanted to talk to me about before I open my shop?” Cat asked.
Zoe nodded. “But I wanted enough product to show you first. I have some lovely hand-painted silk scarves that I thought we could try on commission at the shop to see how they are received by your customers.”
“When can I see them?” Cat leaned forward. “Do you have anything besides scarves?”
“A collection of Alaskan t-shirts with tribal totems, skirts, and a few wraps.”
“That’s amazing,” Cat said. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Proud of me? How? I’m nineteen and knocked up.” Tears filled her eyes again. Geez, how did she have enough moisture in her body to keep producing them with all that she’d already released?
“You’re almost twenty or will be next month,” Sorene said, as if that would make her feel better.
A strangled laugh escaped her. “Yeah, that makes it okay then. You should have seen Dad’s face. He’s so disappointed in me.”
“I highly doubt that,” Cat said. “He was probably in shock.”
Zoe shook her head. “He couldn’t even speak to me.” She sniffled again at the memory.
“You know Dad,” Sorene said. “He’s after grandchildren in the worst way. Now that he’s getting one, he probably doesn’t know how to handle it.”
“Maybe.” Though she doubted it.
Sorene climbed onto the bed and laid an arm around her, letting her rest her head on her shoulder. “This might not be the way you wanted your life to go, but a child, no matter the timing, is a blessing. Besides, you aren’t alone in this. You have a bunch of siblings willing to help out, and you know Dad will spoil the heck out of this baby.”
“What did Trip say?” Cat asked.
“Somewhat the same thing. He demanded I marry him, but I can’t. I won’t trap him that way.”
“This child is just as much his responsibility as yours,” Sorene said. “And from what you’ve said, he’s on board with it.”
“Do you love him?” Cat asked.
Tears choked her again. “God, yes. I love him so much. That’s why I can’t marry him.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Cat said. “Have you really thought this through?”
She straightened, sitting back on the pillows. “I won’t trap him in a loveless marriage.”
“What makes you think it would be loveless?” Sorene asked.
“Trip is a stand-up guy. He does the right thing, all the time. But he’s never told me that he loves me. In fact, other than desiring me, I have no idea how he feels about me.”
“Have you asked him?” Sorene asked.
Horror heated her expression. “I couldn’t do that.”
“Why not?” Cat asked. “Have you told him how you feel?”
“Well…no.”
“Why not?” Sorene asked. “That’s out of character for you.”
She shrugged and picked at the crocheted blanket. “I’m afraid, I guess. I don’t think my heart could take the rejection.” Trip had rejected her advances so many times in the past, chalking up her actions to that of a silly child. What if he still thought of her that way?
“No risk, no reward,” Sorene said. “Think about it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
Could Sorene be right? If Trip didn’t return her feelings, would she really feel worse than she did right now? A yawn cracked her jaw.
“You need to get some sleep.” Sorene patted her knee. “In fact, sleeping on it is probably the best medicine. There’s no more that can be done tonight, er, this morning.”
“Sorene’s right,” Cat said. “Do you want us to stay with you?”
She glanced at her sisters. “Would you? I don’t really want to be alone.”
Cat stood and approached the bed. “Make some room. This is going to get cozy.” Cat flanked her other side on the bed and they settled under the covers like a can of sardines on the queen-size bed.
Each of her sisters held her as she fell into an exhausted, dreamless sleep.
Chapter 19
“We have a problem,” Cat said, hanging up the phone.
She’d taken a call from Avery in the other room. They were in the galley kitchen of Mystic Heart. Sorene was making breakfast while Zoe sat slumped over the bistro table. The idea of eating anything sent Zoe’s stomach churning again. She’d already succumbed to morning sickness the minute she’d awoken, pushing Cat off the bed in her rush to get to the bathroom.
“What’s up?” Sorene asked, cradling a cup of coffee as she waited for flapjacks to cook.
“Trip is out of his mind with worry,” Cat said, eyeing Zoe. “He’s put out an APB on you.”
“An APB?” Zoe straightened. “Whatever for?”
“That’s not all. There’s a search party out looking for you.” Cat glanced at Sorene. “Sound familiar?”
When Sorene believed that Ash was only marrying her to fulfil his dad’s dying wish—his dad only pretended to be dying to get Ash back together with Sorene—she’d taken off. In his panic to find her, Ash had organized a search party then.
“What is it with these men?” Sorene asked, flipping the flapjacks.
“They are fragile creatures, that’s for sure,” Cat said. “I told Avery everything was all right, and he’s going to try and get ahold of Trip to call off the search and let him know you’re okay. Apparently, Trip headed to Fairbanks thinking you might catch a flight out of state. Why in the world would he think that?”
“I have no idea. I left him a note.”
“What did this note say?” Sorene asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Just th
at I was sorry, I couldn’t trap him in marriage. Not to worry, that I’d be okay, and that I’d be in touch.”
“In touch, you actually said in touch?” Cat asked.
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Well, if you take that information and add it to this other update, I can see how he jumped to the wrong conclusion. Evidently, things didn’t go so well between Derek and his father after his coming out. Derek is missing too. Trip thinks you two ran off together.”
“That’s insane,” Zoe said. “Why would he think that?”
“Didn’t Derek ask you to marry him too?” Sorene pointed out.
“Uh, yeah.”
“Well, that’s where he probably got the idea,” Cat said. “Two missing persons who professed to love each other.”
She’d forgotten about that part. “But Derek is gay.”
“And yet, he stood up for you, was willing to marry you,” Cat said. “In Trip’s mind, he knows you two have a special bond. It wasn’t a leap for him to think you’d take the safer route and choose Derek over him.”
“When the hell have I ever taken the safer route? I need to find him.” Zoe got to her feet, a wave of dizziness catching her, and she plopped back down.
“What you need is to eat something,” Sorene said. “Avery will inform Trip and you need to be waiting for him when he returns. Figure this all out together. There’s nothing to be done right now except take care of yourself and the little tadpole.”
Sorene might be right, but that didn’t make her feel any better. “There’s no way I can eat something with the way I’m feeling and not throw it up again.”
“I’ll make you mint tea and some toast. After breakfast, we’ll head back to Dad’s to wait for Trip. You’ll shower and put on some warpaint so you’re prepared for the battle to come. And believe me, love is a battlefield, my sisters.”
Sorene had a good point, regardless of the Pat Benatar reference. Zoe choked down a few bites of toast and drank all of the mint tea. That seemed to help the most. Then the three of them piled into Sorene’s truck and headed home.
Her dad met them on the front porch when they pulled up. Taking long strides, he enveloped Zoe in a bear hug. “You sure know how to scare the crap out of me, Wild Card.”
“I’m sorry, Dad. For everything.”
He cleared his throat and set her away from him, his large hands bracketing her shoulders. “Are you all right? That’s all that matters.”
“Yes, I’m fine.” Or she would be, somehow. She normally didn’t stay down for long, but this had been the hardest hit she’d ever taken, other than the death of her mother, but she’d been just a kid then. Now that she was going to have a kid, it was time she grew up.
He searched her eyes and seemed to find something that reassured him. Then his eyes filled with tears. “My baby is going to have a baby.” With a wobbly smile he pulled her into his arms again. “I never thought my youngest would be the one to make me a granddad first. You always were good at surprises, from the moment your mom and I found out we were pregnant after we thought we’d finished having babies, and you’ve continued to surprise and delight me at every turn. I love you, Wild Card.”
“Oh, Dad.” Now her waterworks were back to flowing “I love you too. So much.” He continued to hold her until she had her emotions under control. When he seemed to feel it was safe, he released her.
“Well, now, there is work to be done. Trip will be here soon, and I have to tell you, that man is beside himself. Better get ready for it.”
“Are Ryder, Dare, and Brey inside?” She didn’t want to face her gun-toting brothers right now.
“Once we heard you were safe, I sent them to work. They are out of your hair for the time being. Just know that their hearts are in the right place. It’s their thinking that’s skewered. Don’t worry, I told them to butt out. They should, for a while at least. I suggest you enjoy the breather.”
“Thanks, Dad.” She left him with Sorene and Cat and headed for the shower. She didn’t linger, though she badly wanted to. She dressed in jeans and a light-weight sweater and applied her makeup heavier than normal to help cover the effects of her crying jag over the last twenty-four hours.
Just as she added fused-glass earrings, she heard Trip bellow from downstairs, “Where the hell is she?”
Chapter 20
Trip headed for the stairs, the feeling of overwhelming panic that he’d lost Zoe infusing his muscles and making his heart ache.
“Son,” Vance said, seizing his arm. “Give her a chance to come down. She’s been through a lot, had a lot to think about. We talked about this. You need to be understanding.”
Sorene and Cat entered the room with Jack at his holler.
Jack flanked Vance. “She was a wreck when she showed up here. I know she scared you, but go easy on her, or I won’t allow you to see her.”
“It’s okay, Dad,” Zoe said, from the top of the stairs. “I’ll talk to him.”
Trip drank her in, his knees wobbly. He grabbed onto the banister in order not to hit the floor with the relief of seeing her, unharmed, and not with Derek Waterman.
Maybe he still had a chance, but then with Wild Card Zoe Wilde he never knew where he stood.
Since he’d woken in the middle of the night, reaching for her and finding her gone, with nothing but that damn note left on the nightstand to show she’d been there and he hadn’t imagined their love making, he’d been out of his mind with worry. Worry that he’d never see her again, never hold her, never make love to her again.
He’d called his dad, knowing if anyone could help him find her, he could. His cop skills were still as sharp as ever. They’d rounded up a search party, divided the town and checked all her haunts. He’d even stopped at Ticker Tavern to see if she’d returned there. Thank God, she hadn’t. But why had she left him? Their night together had meant everything to him. He thought they’d figured everything out and were on solid ground.
Showed him how much he knew about women—or, at least this woman. Nothing.
He watched her walk down the stairs toward him. She looked good, a little haunted around the eyes, but still the prettiest woman he’d ever seen.
How could she have left him like that?
Anger replaced worry, causing his voice to be harsher than he’d intended as he blurted out, “Where the hell have you been? Do you have any idea, how worried I was?”
She stopped when she reached the landing. “I left you a note so you wouldn’t worry.”
He plucked the piece of paper out of his pocket and held up the note in question, and then crushed it into a ball, and tossed it. “That is what I think of your note. It’s bullshit. So is your thinking. You aren’t trapping me in marriage. I want to marry you.”
“You only want to marry me because of the baby.”
“Yes, for the baby, but more importantly because I love you, damn it.”
“You love me? How do I know you aren’t just saying that because I’m knocked up?”
“You being knocked up is just a bonus.”
“A bonus?” she arched a disbelieving brow.
“Yes, a bonus, a blessing. I’ve always wanted kids, and I know you do too. We’re just getting a head start, that’s all. What do you think the last month of me dating you, and not sleeping with you, has been all about?”
“Uhm…not sure.” She bit her lower lip with indecision.
“I was courting you, trying to get you to fall in love with me. I know you had a crush on me when you were younger, but I wanted the real thing. So, I gave you time.”
“Time wasn’t what I needed.”
“What do you need? Tell me, Zoe, and I’ll do it. You told me when you were fourteen that I was going to marry you someday. And you were damn right. I am. Someday is here, baby. We’re getting married even if I have to carry you kicking and screaming to the altar.”
“Wow, that’s quite the proposal.”
“Do you want me on bended knee?” He dro
pped to his knees without waiting for her response. “You drive me crazy, you always have. I know our life together isn’t going to be easy. You’re damned unpredictable where I like things structured. I need you to shake up my life, add color and passion to it. I love you, Zoe Wilde. Don’t make me live my life without you.”
“Are you really sure?”
“Good God, woman, what more do you need to hear? Tell me and I’ll say it.”
A glint entered her eyes, giving him a sliver of hope. “Say you love me again.”
He got to his feet and crushed her in his arms. “I love you. I promise you will hear it every day of our life together. Say you’ll marry me.”
“On one condition.”
“What condition?” he narrowed his eyes.
“Smart man to ask, before agreeing,” Jack murmured, taking in the show, and by all accounts loving it. Vance, too, by their silly grins.
“That we get married tomorrow.”
“Done.”
“No, not done,” Sorene said, speaking up. “We need time to plan, buy a dress. There’s food and flowers to think about, invitations.”
“Besides, there’s no way you’ll get a marriage license that fast,” Cat added.
“Dare and Ryder can get Amore the Merrier to rush through all that,” Trip pointed out. “She wants to be married tomorrow, so we’ll be married tomorrow. I’m not giving her a chance to change her mind.”
“Give us at least a week,” Sorene begged. “I promise, she’ll show up. Dare and Ryder will make sure of it too.”
“So will I,” Jack said.
Trip looked at Zoe. “It’s your call.”
“Looks like we’re getting married next week then. But I don’t want any of that stuff—flowers, food, or invitations. I want something simple, performed outdoors in a field of fireweed with my family and a few friends.”
“Is that a yes then?” Trip asked. “Call me old-fashioned, but I’d like to hear a yes.”
She smiled at him, and the joy of it filled his heart to bursting. “You have your yes.”
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