“Easy, honey. It’s just your brother. I think.” Keeping Beth shielded by his body, Levi half turned. He saw no one. “Ben?”
“Sorry to interrupt, kids.”
The voice came from near the door—out of sight, but audible. Levi wanted to clout him. “What is it?”
“We’re all ready to head to bed, so unless you two want to sleep in your vehicles, I need to know if I should put your coats and bags in two rooms…or just one? I have vacancies, so they’re on the house, but I wasn’t sure of your plans.”
Levi said, “One room,” at the same time Beth snapped, “Two.”
“That’s clear enough,” Ben remarked, and he sounded amused.
Levi quickly cupped Beth’s face. “I’ll promise not to touch you, if that’s what you want.”
“Ha!” she said loudly, and then slapped a hand over her mouth. In a lowered voice, she whispered, “You know what I want, and you keep using it against me.”
That almost made Levi grin—because it was partially true, although there were times when he just plain lost control. “You have my word, Beth. Unless you beg me, I won’t touch you. But please, we do need to talk. I’m staying the night whether you hear me out or not. Tomorrow your family will cluster around you again and it’ll be impossible to get any privacy without making an issue of it. Is that what you want?”
Ben rattled a pan, the bastard.
“Give us a minute,” Levi snarled.
Beth hesitated, but Levi could see her weakening.
“I’ll stay ten feet away from you,” he cajoled, “if that’ll help.”
All morose, Beth admitted, “It probably wouldn’t.”
“You see,” Levi teased in a whisper, “that’s why I’m getting conceited.”
Finally, she relented. “Ben, we’ll take one room, please. But with two beds.”
Levi let out a long breath.
“You got it,” Ben said around a laugh. “You can have the same suite you always use when you visit, Beth.”
Levi raised a brow. “A suite?”
“Ben saves it for family.”
Proving he’d been able to hear their every word, Ben said, “Actually, I give it to family to use because most of my guests are only interested in a one or two-night stay in an economy room, which makes the suite available more often than not. But don’t expect anything fancy. Being a suite just means you get a couch, microwave, and tiny fridge.”
“It’ll do,” Levi told him. “Thanks.”
“I’ll get your bags to your room, but you’ll need to come to the front desk for your keys.”
Beth twisted her hands together. “Would you mind getting the keys from Ben?”
Levi raised a brow. Did she plan to slip out on him? “Ben parked my truck, honey. He has your coat and your purse. And your father and brothers have agreed to let me know if you try running out on me again.”
“Traitors.”
“I convinced them that I wanted only the best for you.”
She made a face. “Great. If only I knew what the best might be. And no, Levi, don’t say it.” She scowled at him in reproach. “You’ve shown enough conceit to last a month at least.”
She ignored his laughter.
“I’ll have you know that I wasn’t planning to sneak off anyway. I intend to be with my family for the holidays.”
“So why the delay, then?”
“I want to talk to the women before we…retire.”
That made Levi a little suspicious. “Talk to them about what?”
Beth looked frazzled and on the verge of losing her temper. “None of your damn business. Now go get the keys. I’ll meet you at the room in a few minutes.”
Rather than push his luck, Levi agreed. “Don’t be too long, okay? After chasing you across the state, I’m a little on the skittish side. I’d hate to call out the National Guard if you’re just sitting in the kitchen lamenting the fates with family.”
“Ha-ha.” Beth flipped a quick wave in his direction and went in search of reinforcements.
Feeling success on the rise, Levi watched her go with a smile. He’d have the night with her. Surely, that’d aid him in making headway.
He could hardly wait.
Three
When Beth entered the dining room, only her father and Noah were there, and Noah had already donned his coat, ready to leave. Undecided on what to do, she stalled. It wasn’t that she really wanted more time with the women; she just needed more time to prepare herself for the night with Levi.
It was herself and her own lack of restraint that scared her.
As Noah went out the door to the parking lot, her father said, “Come on in, honey.”
He hadn’t even looked up to see her. It seemed no matter how old she got, her dad always stayed one step ahead.
“We’ve got a few minutes,” he assured Beth. “Grace is in the car waiting for Noah, Sierra has already turned in, and Brooke is just saying good-bye to Ben. Come sit with me.”
Dragging her feet, Beth did just that.
“So,” Kent said, “you and Levi, huh?”
There’d be no point lying to him, but that didn’t mean she wanted to make confessions, either. “What exactly did Levi tell you?”
“That Brandon is out of the picture, that he’s now in the picture, and that if you’ll stand still long enough, he intends to marry you.”
“Oh.” Beth put her elbows on the top of the booth and propped up her chin. “I caught Brandon cheating, so he’s definitely out of the picture.”
“How do you feel about that?”
Beth smiled. Leave it to her dad to hold off on the sympathy until he knew where she stood on the matter. “It’s a little confusing, but in a way, I’m relieved.” She thought about that, and felt compelled to add, “Humiliated and majorly peeved, too.”
“Peeved I understand. You have every right. But why are you relieved?”
That one was easy enough to explain. “I keep thinking how close I was to tying myself to him. But what if I’d married him, and then found out he was a cheater? Everything would be so much more complicated.”
“True.”
“Obviously we weren’t meant to be together, and this forced the issue sooner rather than later, when our lives might have been more entangled.”
“Divorce, joint property, kids?”
“Exactly.” Beth shuddered at the thought of so many legal and emotional ties.
“So it’s a good thing then?”
Beth snorted. “It would be, except I really am too humiliated for words.” And Levi refused to let her deal with that, blast him.
“I don’t see why,” Kent said. “Brandon is the one who shamed himself with his behavior. He’s the one who cheated, not you.”
Her father definitely didn’t know about her wild weekend with Levi, or he wouldn’t be able to say that. “I suppose.”
“How did you find out? Did Levi tell you?”
“No. Levi didn’t know any more about it than I did.” If he had known, Beth knew in her heart that he’d have found a way to tell her—after he gave Brandon hell for being a jerk. “He was shocked when I told him.” And even more shocked when she shared her plan for getting even.
“You’re blushing, Beth. Want to tell me why?”
No, never. “It’s a curse of my fair skin, Dad. You know that.”
“If you say so.” But Beth could tell he didn’t believe her.
She quickly distracted him. “Brandon and I were invited to a party with some of his colleagues. I had to work that night, so I told him to go on without me.”
“And he did?”
She shrugged. “It didn’t make any sense for us both to miss it.” A dull throb started behind her eyes. “But then I got off earlier than expected.”
“Let me guess. You decided to drop in and surprise him.”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Getting a mental picture of the ensuing fiasco, Kent made a face. “Ouch.”
“Yeah. Ouch is right.” Beth trailed her finger along the edge of the booth tabletop. “There were so many people there, and at first, I couldn’t find Brandon. People kept looking at me funny, especially when I asked if they knew where he was. I suppose that should have been my first clue.”
Retelling the story brought back the burn of embarrassment. “Finally one woman told me to check the hot tub. That didn’t make any sense. It’s winter and freezing cold, and Brandon was never that interested in anything to do with water. Whenever we went to a lake or the river, Levi and I would swim and Brandon would sit on the shore and read.”
Kent’s interest sharpened. “You three hung out together a lot?”
“Well, yeah.” Why did her father look so funny about that? “Levi and Brandon were best friends.”
“Did Levi bring a date to these little excursions?”
“Maybe a couple of times, but not usually.” Frowning a little, Beth asked, “Why?”
“Hmmm.” Kent reached for his empty coffee cup, tipped it up to get the last sip, then said, “No reason. Go on with your story. What happened at the party?”
He definitely had a reason for asking, but the hour grew late and she didn’t want to hold him up, so Beth finished her tale. “I went around to the back of the house in the direction the woman had pointed. There was an enclosed porch and a fancy hot tub, and sure enough, I found Brandon there.”
Kent plunked the coffee cup back down. “With company, I take it.”
“He was making out with a woman I’d met several times, but didn’t know well.”
“One of his colleagues?”
“Another doctor. They might have had their underwear on, but with the churning water, it was hard to tell. They sure weren’t wearing much more than that.” Beth flopped back in her seat. “I saw them, they saw me, and the woman screeched.”
“Screeched?”
“Loudly.” Beth snorted. “Then she started scrambling out of the tub. I don’t know if she thought I’d cause a scene or attack her or what, but she was wrapped in a towel and running away before I could blink.”
Her father coughed, probably to hide a laugh. “I reckon Brandon was surprised, all right.”
Beth smirked, too. “No kidding. You should have seen his face.”
“Comical?”
“Oh yeah. I’ve never seen him look like that because he’s usually so self-assured. But then, I guess my face looked pretty ridiculous, too. And I had to go back through that whole room full of people so that I could leave. It was like walking the gauntlet. I could feel everyone watching me.”
As the memory of it scoured through her, Beth squeezed her eyes shut.
“That was the worse part of it, the fact that everyone there saw me as this sad victim. Most of them were mutual friends.”
“Were?”
“I don’t think I could ever face any of them again.”
“Then they must have been more his friends than yours.” Kent put his muscled forearms on the table and gave her a direct look. “Just think about the fact that the other woman went through there first, wet and in a towel.”
“Believe me, I’ve thought of it. It helps only a little.”
Kent reached for her hand. “Want me to sic Noah and Ben on Brandon? You know they’d be happy to show him the error of his ways.”
Beth shook her head at his teasing. Whenever possible, her father had always allowed her to fight her own battles. This time wouldn’t be any different. “No. Brandon’s not worth the trouble, especially during the holidays.”
He nodded acceptance of that. “So where’s Levi fit into this?”
Looking away at nothing in particular, Beth said, “I don’t know yet.”
Kent squeezed her hand. “I hope you’ll give him a chance to help you figure out that one.”
Beth didn’t want her father to know she’d be spending the night with Levi, so she hedged a bit saying, “Levi and I will talk more when it’s not so crazy.”
“Tell me a little about Levi. Other than playing third wheel with you and Brandon, what does he do? What do you know about him?”
“I know…everything.” As soon as Beth said it, she realized it was true. She knew Levi as well, and in some ways better, than she knew Brandon. “What do you want to know?”
“Start with what Levi does for a living.”
Finally, a neutral subject that Beth could discuss with enthusiasm. “He’s a physical education teacher at a middle school, and he coaches the soccer team.”
“How about that?” Kent nodded in approval. “Teaching’s a tough job. He has my respect.”
Easier, happier memories filtered into Beth’s discontent, helping her to relax. “You should see him with kids, Dad. He loves them, and they love him. He has this easy camaraderie that really reaches out to people of all ages.”
“I must’ve missed the camaraderie when he chased you in the door.”
Beth could tell by his wry smile that he only teased. “That really didn’t make the best first impression, did it?”
Kent shrugged. “They say you can tell the character of a man by the way he interacts with kids and pets.”
“He loves animals,” Beth rushed to say in Levi’s defense. “He doesn’t have any of his own right now. He says it wouldn’t be fair when he works so much. But if he ever settles down and gets married…” That thought petered off because, really, the person Levi mentioned marrying was her.
Her new discontent made Kent grin. “So you’ve seen him at work, huh?”
“Brandon and I used to go to the soccer matches. I enjoyed it more than Brandon did, so I volunteered to help Levi on field day. It was fun.”
“I see.” Kent rubbed his chin. “You always did like kids, too.”
“They’re great.”
“Brandon doesn’t like kids?”
“I guess he does. But he always had to work, so he couldn’t help out with other stuff. You know how it is in the medical field.”
“He sounds like a good man, honey.”
“Brandon?”
Kent laughed. “I used to think so, but now I’d just say he’s an ass.” His voice softened. “I meant Levi.”
“Oh. Yes, I guess he is.” Beth didn’t want to speculate on just how good Levi could be. Brooke saved her by walking in just then.
When Kent looked at his wife, something a little primitive gleamed in his eyes.
Beth saw it, and was amazed.
Own up to your feelings, the women had told her. It had sure worked out for Grace, Sierra, and Brooke.
Before Brooke reached them, Kent was on his feet. He greeted her with a gentle, short, but somehow intimate kiss that left Brooke flushed.
Clearing her throat, Beth pushed to her feet and said, “I’ll let you two get out of here. It’s getting late and I’ve kept you long enough.”
Brooke leaned against Kent. “We were planning Christmas dinner when you arrived.”
“It’s at our house this year.” Kent looped his arm around Brooke as if he’d been cuddling her all his life. “I know Christmas is a few days away, but we hope you can stay for an extended visit.”
“I’d like that, thanks.”
Nonchalant, Brooke said, “And Levi? Will he be staying, too?”
Beth had no idea. “He’s on a break right now, but,” she warned them, “even during the holidays and summer he has things for the school that he works on. Sometimes he takes additional classes, and he often works with the soccer team.”
“Just let us know when you can,” Kent told her.
“I will. Now go.” Beth shooed them toward the door where their coats hung. “That snow’s piling up, and the temperature is dropping more by the minute. I’d hate to see you get stuck in this storm.”
“Beth,” Brooke said, “you know if you want to talk to either us at any time, we’re only a phone call away.”
Her heart softened. It was so nice to see her father happily settled with such a wonderful wo
man. “Thank you. I’m fine, I promise.”
“Either way,” Kent said, “give me a call tomorrow, okay?”
“Will do.”
Kent gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Try to get some rest tonight.”
Alone in a room with Levi? Not likely. But Beth smiled in an attempt to look agreeable.
As soon as her father and Brooke left, Beth girded herself, locked her trembling hands together, and went to find her room with Levi.
With every step she took, her anxiety grew. Would Levi keep his word and his physical distance, or would he finish what he started in the kitchen.
It was a toss-up on which one Beth would prefer the most.
When the tentative knock sounded on the door, Levi practically leaped off the bed. He swung the door open and there stood Beth. She looked a little uneasy, and a little turned on.
Damn.
This had to be the worst idea he’d ever had. But he wanted her so much, all the time, that sound thinking no longer factored in for him.
Beth smiled, and then looked beyond him. “Ben brought everything here?”
Levi glanced behind him at the stack of her once-gaily wrapped gifts. “Yeah. I can help you repair those tomorrow if you want.”
“Why?”
He turned back to her. “Because you dropped them on account of me. Running away from me.”
Her smile slipped. “I wasn’t running.”
Looked like running to him, but he didn’t want to antagonize her. “Okay.” Levi soaked in the sight of her, then caught himself. “Sorry.” He held the door wider. “Come on in.”
She did. Cautiously.
“We’ve got two beds, like you requested.” The suite came with a queen-sized bed, but Ben had also delivered a rollaway. “I’ll use the crappy one.”
Beth frowned at the lumpy, bent-in-the-middle cot. “You’d barely fit. I’ll use it.”
“No, I—”
“Don’t be noble, Levi, okay? I really don’t mind, and I really will fit better.” She eyed him head to toe and back again. “You’re what? Over six feet, right?”
That look put him back on his heels. In a low voice, he said, “Six-two.”
“There, you see?” She nodded. “A good eight inches taller than me. And heavier.”
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