Caught Between an Oops and a Hard Body (Caught Between series Book 2)

by Seabrook, Sheila

  The older woman’s shoulders stiffened. “Tom Goodwin, I’ll have you know I’m not just a meal ticket.”

  And with that, she turned her back on him.

  Stone had the sudden vision of what life with an interfering mother-in-law would be like, and pure terror shuddered through his body.

  And yet, at this very moment, he had only two choices.

  Manhandle her out of the car or let her have her way.

  Stone went with option number two and headed around to the driver’s side of the truck.

  Because, let’s face it, there were things worse than a marriage minded mother.

  And the woman in the passenger seat holding tight to the bag on her lap was it.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Stephanie clutched the bag on her lap and tried to come up with a reasonable excuse to escape so she could take the pregnancy test without anyone being the wiser.

  She couldn’t tell a soul, not her sister, not her parents. They’d fuss and worry, and bombard her with questions. She’d never get a moment’s peace.

  And before the day was over, Grace Kincaid would hear the news and personally escort her off the estate.

  In the backseat, Dora chatted away, and it required minimal participation from the other occupants of the truck.

  She snuck a look at Stone. His hands were gripping the steering wheel, his knuckles white, his patience clearly wearing thin. But other than an occasional grunt, he kept his mouth shut the entire way.

  As they neared the estate, Dora tapped him on the shoulder. “If you could drop me off at the main house, I’d like to introduce myself to your mother.”

  Stephanie took this opportunity to make a quick escape. “Me too.”

  Stone arched one masculine brow at her. “My mother has already met you.”

  She quickly backpedalled. “Not to meet your mom, of course. But I need to check on the cake, the decorations, and…”

  She snapped shut her mouth and gnawed on her bottom lip. Find some alone time.

  Muttering something under his breath, Stone parked the truck at the back of the house, grabbed the keys from the ignition, and followed them out.

  Oh oh. Something had happened to ruin his playful mood. Probably her mom’s doing. All the older woman had to do was open her mouth and the inquisition began.

  He stomped toward the kitchen entrance, and already committed, Stephane followed him in. The moment she stepped into the house, Stone yanked her to the side. A plate sailed past her head and shattered against the wall.

  Stephanie spotted Grace on the opposite side of the room. She already had another plate in her hand, raised and ready to throw.

  Stone slapped the truck keys on the counter and dragging her along behind him, stalked across the room past his parents, anger in every jerky movement of his body.“Get a divorce already, will you?”

  He pushed open the door into the hallway, then turned back to wait for her mom.

  But Dora stood looking down at the shattered plate.

  “Oh my, don’t you just hate when that happens?” She raised her gaze to Jim first, and as a smile spread across her face, she headed toward him, hand outstretched. “Why, I’ll bet you’re Jim Kincaid. Now I know where Stone gets his good looks. We’re practically family, you know.” She took his hand and pumped it profusely. “I’m Dora Goodwin, Stephanie’s mom.”

  Stephanie couldn’t help but admire her mom’s determination, because despite Jim’s lack of response, the smile never dimmed.

  Dora turned her attention to Grace, and as she approached, said, “I apologize for intruding without prior notification. My daughter is feeling a tad under the weather, so I decided to come help her with the wedding plans. I hope you don’t mind. Here, let me take that.” She reached out and tried to pry the second plate out of Grace's hand, and finally succeeded. “It’s such a pretty pattern, it would be a shame if it ended up broken like the other one.”

  Stephanie held her breath and waited for the fireworks.

  Dora set the plate down on the countertop out of reach, closed the dishwasher door, and as she grabbed hold of Grace's hand, smiled again. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Kincaid. I watch your show every day. I hope while I’m here, we can get to know each other better.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice to a stage whisper, loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. “Men. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. Right?”

  Then with an overly cheery tohdaloo, she followed Stone and Stephanie out of the room.

  And as the door closed behind them, the sound of crystal shattering followed them out. She tsked. “I wonder if your parents might like to come to my birthday party? It would be good for them to get away from the stress of the wedding.”

  “Wouldn’t make any difference,” Stone said, and she could tell that it was painful for him…a long time pain that had never healed. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

  At that moment, his dad stalked past, and the pinch between Stone's brows grew into a full fledged frown.

  Stephanie didn’t know what to do, but her mom was good at dealing with bad situations. Maybe while her mom consoled Stone, she could escape and find the privacy to take the test.

  She looked down at the way he’d manacled her wrist in his hand and thought, maybe not.

  Dora touched his arm, her tone quiet and soothing. “Every marriage has its ups and downs. I’m sure they’ll work it out.”

  A wry grin shaped his mouth. “I’ve been waiting my whole life for the ups.”

  Her mom placed one hand over her heart and gave him a heartfelt look. Then she backed away toward the kitchen door. “Well, I’ll just leave you two alone to do whatever young people do. Maybe your mother has an extra bed for me to sleep in while I’m here. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of you two lovebirds.”

  And then she turned on her heel and returned to the kitchen.

  Stone gave a strained laugh and raked the fingers of his free hand through his hair. “Your mom is pretty cool. She’s also a little nutty.”

  Stephanie tried to pull her wrist free, but he held on tight. “She’s like the Energizer bunny, sticking her nose here, interfering there, and never running out of steam.” She raised her gaze to his face, and that’s when she noticed the deep well of hurt in his eyes, a hurt that definitely hadn’t been there before they walked into the middle of his parents’ argument. She lowered her voice. “I’m sorry.”

  As he dropped her hand, a shield went up over his expression, and his eyes narrowed. “What’s in the bag?”

  Fine. If he didn’t want to talk about his parents’ relationship, then she wouldn’t waste her time. She clutched the bag a little tighter and backed up a step. “Just a prescription. Well, thanks for the ride into town. I’m going to—”

  The pain filled little boy disappeared, replaced in a flash by the determined lawyer. He closed the distance between them, forcing her to take several steps back, his gaze never leaving her face. “What’s in the bag, Steph?”

  She frowned back at him. “The prescription. And if you must know, tampons.”

  With smug relief, she thought, yeah, that oughta quell his male curiosity.

  Except it didn’t. He made a grab for the bag and she tucked it behind her back, and darted around to the other side of the couch.

  He followed her, advancing like a lion contemplating his next meal. Or a lawyer with an axe to grind. “What kind of prescription?”

  She tucked the bag behind her back and hoped he didn’t hear the strain in her voice. “Something to settle my stomach.”

  “Can I see it?”

  She backed up another step and angled toward the exit. “What for?”

  He followed her, determination in every step. “I want to see what the doc gave you, make sure it’s okay.”

  Annoyance infiltrated her concern. “So you’re a doctor now?”

  His gaze lit on her briefly, his eyes sharp and hard. His courtroom look, she surmised. She didn’
t much like it. “Do you have something to hide?”

  An ugly feeling twisted in her gut. She spun around on her heels and stalked toward the front door. “I’m heading back to my cabin to take my medicine and rest. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t follow me.”

  As she headed outside and across the patio, he dogged her footsteps. “If you have nothing to hide, why won’t you show me what’s in the bag?”

  Over her shoulder, she glared at him. “What is wrong with you? What happened to the guy with his hand up my top?”

  The sound of his laughter was harsh. “I had coffee with your parents. There were insinuations.”

  She snorted. The man was entirely too suspicious. “Go away.”

  “Insinuations which, given the fact that you can’t keep anything down, suggests the possibility of a pregnancy.”

  Okay, that nearly stopped her, but somehow, her feet kept moving beneath her. “Unbelievable. If either of them thought I might be pregnant, my dad would have his shotgun out, and my mom would have you in front of a minister already.” She quickened her footsteps, although all that did was tire her out. The man’s strides could outpace her easily. She gritted her teeth. “Go away.”

  “Maybe you haven’t told them yet.”

  Stephanie reached her cabin and stepped onto the first step leading toward the porch. She turned and eyed him, the bag tucked behind her and out of his reach. “Look, you have nothing to worry about. If I knew I was pregnant, if I was certain you were the father, I promise I would tell you.”

  His gaze narrowed on her face and the muscle in his jaw ticked. “How many other guys have you slept with since that night?”

  She smile sweetly, but what she really wanted to do was club him over the head. “Would you like me to type you up a list with names and dates?”

  “No. Just tell me what’s in the damn bag.” He grabbed again, this time capturing her against him and hanging on. And when he looked down at her, all brawny irritated male, something inside of her sizzled to life. “If you have nothing to hide, why are you afraid to show me the contents?”

  “It’s private.”

  He had her squashed up against him, and she saw sudden heat banish the darkness from his gaze. The feel of his taut body against hers sent desire swirling through her. And as his gaze dropped to her breasts, she held her breath, certain that the desire that was always so ready between them would distract him.

  He’d throw her over his shoulder, take her to bed, and make love to her. By the time they were done, he’d forget about the contents of the bag and leave her alone.

  She moistened her lips with her tongue and in anticipation of his kiss, dropped her gaze to his mouth.

  But the kiss never came, and a moment later, he pulled back, one hand holding her arm to balance her so she didn’t topple backwards without his support.

  “Got it.”

  And then she noticed the bag in his hand. “Hey.”

  She grabbed for it but he held it out of reach.

  “So what’s in here?”

  She lurched and jumped and tried to grab it out of the air, but he was so much taller than her, and the reach of his arm dwarfed her.

  All of a sudden, she stumbled over her own feet. Stone reached out and caught her around the waist before she tumbled to the ground. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on, her chest pressed hard against his, feeling the sizzle all the way down to her toes.

  Oh yeah, she had it bad. What had the doctor said? Heightened sexual drive?

  She gazed up into his eyes, a heartbeat away from kissing his very kissable mouth, a word away from inviting him inside to scratch the itch he ignited without even trying.

  Except that he was glowering down at her, his arm still tight around her waist. “What the hell is the matter with you? You’re going to hurt yourself.”

  She gritted her teeth against the desire and pushed against his chest, but he wasn’t letting go. “Then give me back the bag. It’s just a prescription for the flu. And some tampons. You don’t want to see those. And maybe even something more unpleasant.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Like what?”

  She thought fast. “Suppositories.”

  Ha, that out to stop him.

  Only it didn’t.

  With his face inches from hers, he sneered. “Why do women always have to be so stubborn?”

  “It’s an inherent gene. Otherwise you men would run amok over us.” For a few moments, they glared at one another—as though that would solve all of their problems, ha!—and that sizzle she got in her stomach whenever he was around started again, and worked its way down into her lady parts. With the sudden realization that she was ready to wrap her legs around his waist and give him full access to her body, she pushed out of his arms and backed up a safe distance. “Fine, go ahead, open it. But take my word for it, you’ll be much happier if you don’t.”

  He bent his head, opened the bag, and short of tackling him to stop him—which might be fun if only she had less at stake—he peeked into the bag, then reached in. “So what is this?”

  Stephanie sank down on the porch steps and covered her face with her hands. “You have to believe me, I was going to tell you, as soon as I took the test.”

  She heard the rustle of his clothes as he sat down beside her, followed by an extremely long beat of silence. Finally she opened two fingers a crack so she could look at him.

  He had the box in his hands and his jaw worked with some emotion that she couldn’t quite identify. All in all, he looked as dumbfounded as she felt…maybe more.

  “How did this happen?”

  She sighed and ticked off the moments she remembered—of which there were many. “Let me see. It could have happened in the car on the trip back to Spokane. Or in the elevator.” She speared him with a sideways glance. “That was so fast, I can’t remember if we took time for protection or not.” As he sat there in stony silence, she blabbered on. “There was up against the hotel room door. On the bed. On the bed again. In the tub. On the bed yet again—”

  “Okay, okay, I get the picture.” He handed the box to her, speared his fingers into his hair, and sat there, elbows braced on his knees, his face turned down toward the ground. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but are you sure it’s mine? You offered me a list of names, remember?”

  Horrified, she gaped at him. “Out of all the lies I’ve told you today, that’s the one you believe?”

  She glared at him and he glared back, until with a shrug, he continued. “I had to ask.”

  “Fine, whatever.” She twisted her fingers together like strands of spaghetti and whispered, “I’m never late. Never, ever even once.”

  It felt strange to be talking about such a personal topic with a man who was virtually a stranger. They’d spent one incredible night together. Then bam. “My breasts are swollen and tender. There’s the throwing up thing.” She slid a look his way but he seemed to be caught up in his own thoughts, staring at the ground, probably hoping a gigantic hole would appear and swallow him up, like a lifeline out of this potential mess. She pushed to her feet and held out her hand. “Well, if you’ll give me the box, I’ll let you know how the test turns out.”

  He came to his feet like a panther, swift and unexpected, his big body towering over her. “You’re not getting rid of me that easy, honey.”

  “Stone, there’s nothing you can do. I’ll go pee on the stick and pray that it’s negative. It would be nice if you did the same.” A wave of heat washed through her face again, and she hastened to explain. “Praying, that is, not the other thing.”

  In unison, their cell phones buzzed, and they both jumped.

  Stephanie pulled her phone out of her pocket, conscious of Stone doing the same. She stared down at the screen, blinking back unwanted tears. “The seamstress is here for your sister’s dress fitting.”

  “She can wait.” His head was bowed as he studied his screen, then he clicked off his phone, tucked it back into his pocket, an
d met her gaze, his lower jaw working as though he were grinding his teeth. “Everyone and everything can wait. But this…this is important.”

  She shook her head. “It’s not going to make a difference whether it’s now or later. If I’m pregnant—” There, she’d said the word out loud, and the thought send fear rushing through her body. “—then I’m pregnant and it can’t be undone.”

  He slipped her phone from her hands and thumbed the buttons. “We’re doing this together. When you’re done with the fitting, I’ll come to your cabin and hold your hand.”

  For some reason, the image caught at her funny bone, and she raised an eyebrow. “While I hold the pee stick with the other one?”

  His head snapped up and he took a step back, all cute and flustered, like an alpha male totally out of his element. “What I mean is, I’ll wait till you’re done that part, then we’ll watch the stick together.”

  As her phone vibrated again, reality set back in. Her grin faded and she held out her hand. “Fine. Give my phone back.”

  He bent his head again and continued to thumb the screen. “I’m adding my number to your contacts so you can get hold of me day or night.”

  As he finished typing and handed her the phone, his serious gaze stayed steady on her face. “If the test turns out positive, I want you to know that I’ll stay by your side through the whole thing. Through the pregnancy, raising our kid…you won’t be alone. But whatever happens between you and me, I don’t want to turn out like my parents.”

  Pity morphed in her chest. “We won’t,” she said softly. She started up the steps, then turned back around. “Whatever you do, please don’t tell anyone. If my mom even suspects I might be pregnant…well, you talked to her. You know what she’s like.”

  “Right. Text me when you’re done.”

  In a small voice, she asked, “Where will you be?”

  “An old buddy of mine just arrived. Once I make sure he’s settled, I intend to track down Liz and meet my future brother-in-law.”

  With a wave, he loped down the steps and walked away.

  No banging, no shouting. No blame. It eased some of the pressure in her chest.