She nodded. “A nail in the grass. A big one, like a roofing nail,” she said. “It must have come from the construction on the house.” Shaking her head furiously, she said, “I should have thought of that. Been more careful. Realized that this was a possibility.”
She was beating herself up so badly, Connor’s heart hurt for her. Without even thinking about it, he snaked his free arm out and drew her into his chest, holding her tight alongside Sam. “Not your fault. I didn’t think of it, either. But I’m going to talk to Rafe. Tell him I want one of his guys running a damn metal detector across the grass every night when they’re done for the day.”
She shook her head against him. “They’re not going to want to do that.”
“I’ll pay extra.”
She laughed a little and looked up at him. “Okay, sometimes your checkbook comes in handy.”
He smiled and kissed the top of her head. “Accidents happen.” With the two of them held tightly to him, Connor said, “Remind me sometime to tell you about all the times Colt and I ended up in the emergency ward. Our mom used to say they were going to give us our own rooms.”
He felt her relax a little and smiled in spite of everything. Sam was hurt, but he wasn’t in danger. He would heal. And Dina was here in Connor’s arms, and for the first time since his brother had walked into the office with grim eyes, Con took an easy breath.
“So what’s the doctor say?” he asked.
“Nothing.” She tipped her head back to look at him. “We haven’t seen anyone yet.”
“That’s unacceptable,” he said. “You take Sam. I’ll find a doctor and get him in here—”
The door opened and a young woman with a warm smile, copper-colored hair and a teddy bear on her stethoscope walked in. “Hi, I’m Dr. Lamb.” She checked the chart in her hands, then looked at the baby. “This must be Sam.”
The little boy lifted his head, glanced at her, then buried his face in Connor’s shoulder again.
Every protective instinct he possessed rose to the surface. Sam expected Con to take care of him, keep him safe. Hating to let go of the boy at all, especially when tiny hands fisted in his shirt and hung on, Con had to force himself to sit Sam down on the examining table.
Dr. Lamb dug into a nearby drawer and pulled out a tiny stuffed animal still in protective plastic wrap. She freed the elephant, then bent down to look Sam in the eye as she handed it to him. “Why don’t you hold onto this while I look at your leg, okay?”
Warily, Sam took the stuffed animal and held it tightly in both hands. Connor gave Dina’s hand a squeeze, then reluctantly released her so they could each take up a post on either side of the young doctor. Connor felt helpless and he hated it. He couldn’t do anything and that tore at him. He scrubbed one hand across the back of his neck and watched the doctor examine Sam with gentle fingers.
When she was finished, she said, “Well, looks like we’re going to need a few stitches.”
“Oh, no,” Dina whispered.
“No worries,” the doctor said, smiling for Sam’s benefit. “We’ve got a numbing spray. He won’t feel a thing, I promise. Are his immunizations up-to-date?”
Connor blanked. “I have no idea.” He turned to Dina.
“Yes,” she said. “He’s had the usual shots and vaccines. I didn’t bring his records with me, but if I can use your computer, I can get them for you.”
“That’s all right. I think we’ll give him a small-dose tetanus booster, just to be on the safe side.”
While the doctor got busy and Dina kept Sam distracted, Connor watched and realized that if Dina hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have had a clue about Sam’s medical history. There was still so much he had to learn. Discover. And he had to arrange to legally adopt his kids, make sure they carried his name.
He looked at Dina as she comforted Sam and played with the stuffed elephant. She was a wonderful mother to the triplets and she was a hell of a woman. And they were married now, so she should probably adopt the three of them, too. Make it official. All of them Kings. A family.
He was grateful Dina was here with him, sharing the worry, the anxiety. He’d always been the kind of man to stand on his own. To take care of business and to never allow panic to creep in and get a grip on him. But he’d never had kids before, either, and now that he did, Connor knew that fear would always be his closest companion. Having Dina there eased something in him that he hadn’t even known existed, though. She had, in the short time he’d known her, dug deeper inside Connor than anyone else ever had.
Just then, as if she’d sensed him watching her, Dina looked over at him and smiled, and in response, Connor’s heart did a hard, irrevocable tumble. She quickly turned her attention back to Sam, but the damage had been done. That smile of hers, those open, beautiful dark eyes, the easy warmth that surrounded her had finally pushed past Connor’s last line of defense.
And it was there, in that small, crowded room rich with the scent of antiseptic, that he realized he couldn’t ignore the terrifying truth any longer.
He was a man in love with his wife.
A fact that shook him to his bones.
* * *
All right. Since that moment in the emergency room two weeks before, Connor had been able to admit—at least to himself—that he loved Dina. He could accept that. But he still didn’t trust her, so he kept his feelings to himself. He kept waiting for her to make a mistake. To prove to him that she was just like every other female he’d known in his life.
Yet so far...she hadn’t.
Instead, she continued to show him that she was just who she claimed to be. Strong. Independent. Loving. So why couldn’t he relax his guard?
He couldn’t love her without being at risk—and as long as she didn’t know how he felt, that risk was mitigated. Cowardly? his mind whispered. No. Smart, he argued sternly. He’d been used too many times to let down his defenses, even if Dina was like no one else. She wasn’t interested in his money. Had been insulted any time he’d tried to help her financially.
But how did he know if that was for real? Maybe it was a well-performed act and she was just lulling him into complacency. Okay, that sounded stupid even to him. But he still couldn’t bring himself to trust her completely. How could he be expected to? He hadn’t even known her until a little more than a month ago. So he’d bide his time. Give it a few months. Maybe a year. If she really was who she claimed to be, then he’d tell her he loved her. He just needed to be sure.
He’d had Dina cater the party for fifty of his most important business associates and he’d had nothing but compliments all night—not just on the food but on his good fortune in marrying her. Between Dina and the event planner she’d worked with, the party had been a huge success.
Most of the guests were gone now, and as two men left, Connor overheard their low-pitched conversation.
“Yeah, who knew Connor King would ever get married?”
“And to a woman with kids,” his friend said. “You really think they’re his?”
“Who knows?” the first man said, and Connor stepped deeper into the shadows so he could listen without being seen. “I’ll tell you what, though, if I could get a woman like that in my bed, I’d take her even if she was lying to my face. Wouldn’t be the first time a woman with nothing married a man with money just to make life easier.”
The second guy said, “If you’re gonna get used, get used by a woman who can cook like this and looks like she does.”
They were gone a moment later and Connor stepped out to say goodbye to the rest of his guests. But that conversation kept echoing in his mind. People were talking. He’d expected that. They were saying he was being used. Was he?
“It was a wonderful party, Connor. Thanks for having us.”
“My pleasure,” he said, shaking hands with David Halliwell, o
ne of his clients.
The August night was warm, but the ocean breeze kept it comfortable. There were white fairy lights strung through the trees and strings and piano music still soaring from the speakers. Guests were beginning to leave and frankly, he was ready to be alone with his wife. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe it was time he told her that he loved her. Take that risk.
“Your wife is a genius,” Marian Halliwell was saying. “In fact, I’ve hired her to do our anniversary party next month and my sister is going to call her in for the grand opening of her boutique in September.”
He felt a swift flash of pride. “I’m sure she’s looking forward to it.”
“Oh, she is,” Marian practically cooed. “I told her now that she’s a King, the world is going to open up for her.”
“Is that right?” He flicked a glance across the yard to where Dina was supervising the cleanup.
“Well, she already knew that, of course,” Marian continued. “She said herself that becoming a King was the best business decision she’d ever made.”
He looked back at the middle-aged woman. “Did she?” A slender thread of suspicion began to uncoil inside Connor. Business decision. She’d married him, gotten his name, and now was building her business into the kind of success she’d only dreamed about before. He had offered her a straight business deal proposal and she’d turned that down, insulted. Now it seemed she was okay with the business aspect and he was the one who wanted this marriage to be about more.
“Come on, Marian,” her husband said, steering her toward the door. “Time to go.”
“Of course,” his wife agreed, looking back over her shoulder as she walked away. “Tell Dina I’ll be calling her to go over details.”
He nodded and waved, but wasn’t really paying attention anymore. Doubts assailed him, and though he didn’t want to admit to it, Connor realized that Marian’s throwaway comment had shaken him. His go-to emotion of cautious mistrust rose to the surface and neatly displaced the whole notion of telling Dina about how he felt.
Across the yard, she moved through the moonlight, the tiny, flickering white lights above her, and she looked like a dream. The kind of dream a man might convince himself to believe in even if it wasn’t real.
As he watched, a man approached her and steered her toward the shadows. Instinct drove Connor across the yard, ignoring the two or three caterer’s helpers stacking chairs and carrying dishes into the kitchen. His gaze fixed solely on the bushes and the man trying to tug Dina farther into them, Connor hurried forward. But what would he find? Was Dina in on this little rendezvous?
* * *
“Nice party.”
Dina cringed, but forced a brittle smile as she turned to face the man who’d spoken. For the last half hour, everywhere she went, there he was. He was about forty, wearing a suit that probably cost more than the rent on her old bungalow. He also, thanks to too many trips to the margarita bar, seemed to think he was irresistible.
“Thanks,” she said, “I’m glad you’re having a good time.”
“Connor always did have all the luck with women,” the man said, moving in closer and reaching out to stroke her arm.
Dina stepped back, but he moved with her and she realized that they were alone in this shadow-filled corner of the yard. “Thanks, but if you’ll excuse me—”
“You don’t have to run away,” the man said, reaching out to take her arm in a firm grip. “I’ve got as much money as ol’ Connor. You and me could have some fun.”
“Excuse me?” She tried to yank her arm free, but he was strong in spite of being drunk. This was a fine line to walk, she thought. She didn’t want to cause a scene, but she also didn’t like being manhandled.
“Come on, just give me a little kiss and I’ll leave you alone.”
“You can leave me alone without the kiss,” she told him. Honestly, she just wanted him gone and this night over. It was an important party for Connor’s clients and she didn’t want to ruin it by creating a scene. But if this man didn’t let her go, she was going to start kicking and screaming.
“One kiss. What’s the big deal?”
“Get off of me,” she said, trying to pull free.
“But you’re so pretty,” he was saying and maneuvered her around until his back was to the party and hiding her from sight. “One kiss. You’ll like it.”
“No, I—” He bent his head and Dina jerked back, but before the man’s mouth met hers, he was yanked away and tossed to one side.
She looked up into Connor’s furious features and her heart swelled. Feminism be damned, there was something to be said for having a white knight of your very own ride to your rescue. It was over quickly, with the drunk already scrambling to his feet, mumbling apologies and escaping. Thank heaven that most of the guests had already left. She glanced around the yard and realized that she and Connor were alone. Most of the cleanup was finished and the crew would leave right after.
“Thank you,” she said, shifting her gaze back to Connor’s. “He was just drunk, but—”
Then she noticed the harsh light in Connor’s eyes and the grim slash of his mouth. He was still furious. But not at the guy he’d already vanquished...at her.
“Connor?”
His features went even colder. “We’ll talk about this later. When everyone’s gone. Meet me in the great room.”
She watched him stalk across the yard, never once looking back at her. A yawning emptiness opened up inside her and still, she had to breathe. Had to move, had to help finish the cleanup. But she felt as if her feet were encased in cement. She was hurt and confused and working slowly toward the anger that Con obviously had already carefully banked inside him. What the heck was going on?
By the time the servers were gone, it was late. The triplets were upstairs asleep, Louise was tucked up in her own suite and the entire house felt dark and silent. Dina put the last of the dishes into the dishwasher, set it to run and only then did she allow herself to even think again about what had happened earlier.
The hurt was still with her, but her anger was now free to build and quickly outpaced the ache in her heart. She had done nothing wrong, yet he was clearly mad at her. Well, she could match him in that at the moment. In the quiet house, the hum of the dishwasher was overly loud and chased her out of the kitchen. Her steps clicked quietly against the hardwood floor as she walked along the hall to the great room at the front of the house, where Connor had asked her to meet him.
He was standing in front of the wide windows, staring out at the night beyond the glass. His hands were tucked into his slacks and if she hadn’t known him well enough to see the tension radiating off him, she might have thought him relaxed.
“Connor?”
Slowly, he swiveled his head to look over his shoulder at her and his expression looked as if it had been carved in stone. His handsome features were tight and hard and there was no welcome in those ice-blue eyes.
“If you’re going to cheat on me,” he said, keeping his voice a tight, low hiss, “at least be discreet.”
“Cheat?” Stunned surprise rocked her back on her heels, but she recovered quickly. “That’s what you thought you saw? Are you crazy?” She took a step forward and stopped again. “The man was drunk and annoying me. There was no cheating going on. I was trying to get him off me without creating a huge scene. Couldn’t you tell that when you made your grand entrance?”
“What I saw was the two of you headed for the shadows.”
“He was pulling me into the bushes.”
“And I should believe you.”
“Why wouldn’t you?” She wouldn’t have thought she could be more surprised than she had been earlier by his unjustified anger, but she would have been wrong. “I don’t cheat, Connor. And I don’t lie.”
“Right. You just use people to get what you want.�
�
“What are you talking about?”
He walked toward her. Every step was slow and measured, sounding like a heartbeat in the quiet.
“I thought you were different,” he said, moving in on her. “You almost had me fooled. But it was all a setup, wasn’t it? You get me to marry you—”
A short, sharp laugh shot from her throat. “Get you to marry me?” she repeated, shocked both at what he was saying and at the cold, dispassionate set of his features. “You’re the one who talked me into marrying you—”
“Oh, yeah.” He nodded. “You worked that well. Tangle me up in my own sheets, make me want you so bad I can’t think straight. Move in here and make yourself a part of my life.” He scrubbed one hand across the back of his neck. “You were probably the start of all of it. Why wouldn’t you be? You made me so nuts it was easy to maneuver me into proposing—”
“Maneuver you?” Fury didn’t even cover what she was feeling. Dina could hardly draw a breath, her chest felt so tight. “You arrogant, conceited...”
“You know what the best part was?” Connor asked with a shake of his head. “Every time I tried to help you financially, your insulted act was impressive.”
“Act? I wasn’t acting. I didn’t want your money then and I don’t want it now.”
“No, you just wanted my name. That was it all along, wasn’t it?” He came even closer but Dina didn’t back up. She stood her ground, tipping her chin up so that she could look into the eyes she had thought she knew so well. There was nothing familiar there now. Just suspicion and regret and anger.
She could meet fury with fury or she could dig deep and come up with some sort of calm. Try to make sense of this. Hurt tangled with temper and won. The cold went deep into her bones and she thought she might never be warm again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You told Marian Halliwell that marrying me was the best business decision you ever made.”
Had she? She didn’t remember. She’d talked to so many people at the party, they all sort of blended together. But in a way, that was true. Being married to Connor had helped her business grow, even though she hadn’t taken Connor’s offer of an investment. She’d done the work herself. Being a King wouldn’t continue getting her jobs if she couldn’t pull them off.
Triple the Fun Page 14