“Don’t give me that crap, Clay!” It was turning into a shouting match that was getting him nowhere.
Clay gave Chance a withering look. “Don’t go getting all high and mighty on me. You brought her here and I know damned well it wasn’t to help Mildred. She can’t even boil water without fucking up.”
“Oh, hell. All right, let’s just sit down,” Chance said.
Clay stalked into the office, leaving the door open for Chance. He strode around the desk and sank into the big leather office chair. The surface of the desk was much cleaner than he’d left it. As a matter of fact, it was spotless with only a folded piece of paper setting on top of a closed ledger book in the center. On it was his name. Clay recognized the writing instantly and scrambled to unfold the paper.
Dear Clay,
I know it’s not much but it is the one thing I can do without messing up.
Bobbie
He stared at the note in confusion for a minute before it finally dawned on him. He opened the book and skimmed the numbers. Everything was perfectly done. Clay looked up to where Chance was seated across the desk from him.
“Did you know about this? That she could do this?” he asked, not liking the picture he was getting.
“Yes, she’s been taking correspondence courses in accounting since she got here. When she took that day off, it was to take a final computerized test. She’s certified now.” Chance’s words were simple but they left Clay reeling. Did he know so little about her that he wouldn’t notice something as important as Bobbie furthering her education? He felt like a heel.
“Why didn’t she say something?”
Chance looked at him for a minute as if trying to decide on how much to say. “There’s a lot she hasn’t said, but you haven’t wanted to see what she tries so hard to hide. She’s in love with you, Clay. It tore her heart out when she left.”
“I can’t believe this!” Clay growled as he pushed his chair back and stood. He paced the confines of the office like a caged animal. This was information overload. Why hadn’t she told him she was in love with him?
What would you have said back?
It was probably for the best that she hadn’t, because he would have made a huge mistake by not reciprocating her feelings. At the time he wasn’t even aware that he felt the same way. But now he was and by God she was going to listen.
“You should have said something.” Clay finally said after he got hold of his anger.
“She would have told you had she wanted you to know. It wasn’t my place.” Chance answered. “Besides, I had no idea you two already had a thing going.”
“It’s not a thing dammit! She’s going to be my wife.” Clay cursed under his breath and rammed his hand through his hair then clenched his hands into fists to keep from hitting something.
“Your wife? You keep saying that. Have you bothered mentioning it to Bobbie?” Chance taunted.
“She knows she belongs to me. I’ve told her as much,” Clay countered.
“That’s probably why she ran. You know Bobbie doesn’t care much for your high-handed macho crap, Clay. So if you’re looking to bring her back you had better change tactics, unless you plan on bringing her back kicking and screaming.”
Chance was right, at least partly. Bobbie had never liked him telling her what to do but they had finally learned to get along, hadn’t they? There was no way he was going to let a woman walk all over him, that was for sure.
He would compromise if that’s what it took to have her home with him, then he would just have to figure something out. And if that didn’t work, then he would bring her back the only other way he knew, kicking and screaming and even bound if need be, but she was coming home.
“Where is she?” Clay asked with a dead calm to his voice.
“What are your plans?” Chance asked.
“To bring her home.” Clay answered with a shake of his head, wondering why Chance would ask such a stupid question.
“I’m not sure if I should tell you.”
“By damned, you will tell me!” Clay demanded, stalking over to where Chance still sat.
“Why should I if you are just going to upset her?”
“I’m not going to upset her. I’m going to bring her home.” Trying to stay calm was useless, but at the rate he was going they would end up in a fistfight if he didn’t cool off.
“Evidently she doesn’t want to be here or she wouldn’t have left.” Chance added, not giving even an inch to his big brother.
* * * *
Bobbie’s nerves were strung tight. She knew Clay had to be back from his trip by now and she was expecting him to come barging into her tiny cabin any minute. He would throw her over his shoulder and carry her off. Why did that thought intrigue her so much?
It shouldn’t make her panties wet to think of him doing such a thing. It should infuriate her.
When he did show up, and she knew he would, would he notice that she was losing weight? Would he notice the pallor of her skin? She was going to have to come to terms with the truth before long. The fact that she couldn’t keep even water down was starting to worry her. It was getting increasingly hard to get up in the mornings, her fatigue was so severe.
“You doing okay?”
The sultry voice belonged to Lacey Winslow, one of her bosses. Lacey was a masseuse who ran a small shop out of her rented home. She had hired Bobbie on the spot to keep her books because it gave her more time to work with her clients.
“I’m fine. Just battling some type of flu bug.” She prayed it turned out to be the truth. “I think I’ll go home early today if you don’t mind. I’ll see you next week.”
“No problem. Call if you need something,” Lacey said as Bobbie left the house. She walked slowly back to her place. The interior of the cabin was cool, making her shiver even though it was a warm and sunny day outside. Her head was pounding, and even though she felt as dry as the desert, Bobbie was afraid to drink anything because it would just start a horrendous bout of dry heaves.
The first thing she noticed was the blinking red light on her answering machine. It had to be either Mac or Chance because no one else knew her number, unless...
Bobbie hit the button.
Where in the hell are you? The voice demanded. An impatient sigh followed. Call me when you get in.
Like hell, Bobbie thought before she stripped out of her clothes and lay on the futon that made up her couch-bed combo. She was asleep within minutes, but didn’t wake any more refreshed the next morning.
Bobbie crawled out of bed, dressed, then walked the short distance to Mr. Cook’s store where she slumped into the chair behind the desk. Within minutes, the phone rang. It was Clay. His voice made her heart flip flop.
“Bobbie, it’s me, Clay.” His voice flowed over her, making her nipples peak.
“Clay.” Was all she managed to choke out and then gathered herself enough to ask “How was your trip?”
“Fine, but I don’t want to talk about that now. I was worried about you and called to make sure you were all right.”
“I’m fine,” she said, wishing he would leave her alone. He was just making things harder.
“I’m coming by after you get off work. We need to talk.”
“No ... I mean. I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” Then she added, “And you shouldn’t be calling me at work, Clay. I just started and I don’t want to get into any trouble.”
“I’ll be by at six...”he started, only to be cut off.
“No!” Bobbie answered furiously. Was he trying to hurt her? Because forcing her to see him was going to accomplish just that. She needed to stay away from him in order to get over him. Yeah right, as if that could ever happen, the tiny voice in her head taunted.
“You don’t need to do that. I’ll call you when I get home and we can talk,” she added when she realized she’d just yelled into the phone.
“Don’t argue with me Bobbie. I can either talk to you in the privacy of your apartment or
I can pop in for a visit while you’re at work. Either way I’ll have my way in this,” he stated flatly.
“In this?” Bobbie sputtered. “You mean you don’t always get your way?”
“Yes, I guess you could say that I do. That would be a good thing for you to remember. Six, then,” Clay added before he hung up.
Bobbie was left sitting at her desk holding the phone, her white-knuckled hand shaking with fury. It probably wasn’t a good idea to get so angry, but at the moment what was good, and what simply was, were two completely different things.
Clay Bodine could just go to hell for all she cared, and at six o’clock she would be happy to relay the message to him personally.
Bobbie finished her work, walked back the short distance to her cabin and spent the rest of the afternoon sleeping on the couch. When she woke from her nap, she was so nervous that not even her nausea could keep her still.
She proceeded to clean out the tiny refrigerator. There were only a few things that had gone bad since she’d not been able to eat and only one dish that needed to be washed. Bobbie stood at the sink watching out the window while she washed the solitary dish. Clay pulled up right on schedule. He made his way from his truck to the walkway in record time.
As Clay continued up the walkway, Bobbie scrolled her gaze back up that fine body of his to his chiseled features. His mouth was set in a grim line against the unyielding cut of his jaw. She wasn’t able to see his eyes due to his hat riding low on his head, but she knew the color well.
Even though it changed often she would still be able to pick those eyes out of a line-up. Whether they were the color of light whiskey or a deep, dark amber, she would know them anywhere. It took her a moment to break the spell he held her in and regain her composure. With a mask of indifference firmly plastered on her face, she strode to the door.
“How have you been, Bobbie?” he asked as soon as she opened the door.
“I’m fine, Clay. It’s not as if you haven’t seen me in weeks.” she retorted sharply. Bobbie was being a bitch, but could do nothing to stop herself. It hurt too much to see him, so she did whatever it took to get rid of him quickly. Even if that meant he left angry.
“True.” he conceded.
She desperately wanted the visit over and done with.
“Why didn’t you stay put? Where you belong,” he asked.
“I belong wherever I want to be, Clay. Not where you think I should be. The sooner we get that straight the better off we’ll both be.” Bobbie was well aware she was pushing her luck. She hoped in doing so she would push him enough that he would leave.
She realized that wasn’t going to happen when she saw the glint of anger in his eyes and the inflexible line of his clenched jaw.
“Why you little...” was all he got out before he started for her. She took a step back in retreat for each step he took forward. She held up a hand, palm facing out, as if she were trying to ward him off, but it had no effect. He reached her before she could turn and flee.
“I’d like to shake you until your teeth rattle,” he growled, grasping her upper arms as if to corroborate what he had just stated. His grip was strong and sure but not abusive. She wanted to deny the effect he had on her body, yet his mere touch caused her to tremble. He must have thought the slight tremor of her body was from fear because he muttered an oath and quickly released her.
Bobbie wasn’t sure what had made him change his mind. From the angry look on his face, she knew he meant to throttle her and not for the first time, she reminded herself. The remembrance of that day caused her bottom to tingle; heat spread to her core causing it to flood.
Why had he let her go? She wasn’t about to ask because he might just change his mind. She watched him run his large, calloused hand through the thickness of his hair in a jerky motion that showed his aggravation.
Not wanting to stay within reach for long, Bobbie backed her way to the other side of the room. She watched, fascinated, as his long, sure strides carried him from one end of the room to the other. He suddenly stopped pacing to glare at her with brows furrowed.
“This place isn’t even big enough to pace in. You don’t belong here, Bobbie.”
She wanted to run and lock herself in the tiny bathroom, but that wouldn’t stop Clay from saying whatever he had come to say. Besides, the door was no match for his strength, so she stayed where she was hoping that he would leave soon.
Bobbie didn’t know how long she’d be able to hold back from telling him everything. How much she loved him even though he made her crazy. How she longed to be held in his strong, capable arms. How often she dreamt about her initiation into womanhood. How the dreams she had of them tangled together in the sheets of her bed came back nightly, and most importantly, how she was almost sure she was pregnant and how much that scared her. She stifled a sob and turned to look out the window over the kitchen sink, hugging her arms around herself.
Either she moved too quickly, or everything was catching up with her, because the last thing she remembered hearing before small black dots danced before her eyes and blackness descended was Clay’s frantic cursing.
Chapter Sixteen
Catching Bobbie before she hit the floor was pure luck. Clay had been keeping a close eye on her, trying to figure out what she was feeling, when all the color drained from her face and her eyes rolled back in her head.
If he hadn’t been sure before, he was absolutely positive the moment he picked up her unconscious body and made a mad dash for his truck.
He loved Bobbie Carlington with a passion.
“Hold on, sweetheart,” he crooned, trying to remain calm. It wasn’t working.
He was frantic with worry as he drove like a bat out of hell to the hospital.
“Bobbie darlin’, you hang on.” One hand brushed her hair away from her face while the other had a death grip on the steering wheel.
“You’re gonna be all right, baby. You have to be because I love you too much to let anything happen to you. Do you hear me, Bobbie? I love you and I want you to be my wife so wake up, baby. I can’t lose you. Oh God, I can’t lose you.”
Clay knew he sounded like an idiot but he had to say the words. Even if she couldn’t hear him, he had to say the words out loud. He would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to her and he’d kept his feelings secret.
He stopped the truck with a screeching halt outside the hospital’s emergency room entrance then threw it in park without bothering to shut off the engine. Bellowing for help, Clay carried Bobbie through the automatic double doors.
Bobbie was quickly, yet efficiently, taken from his arms and whisked away to an exam room, leaving him nothing to do but pace. The pungent smell of antiseptic hit home, making Clay realize with gut-wrenching certainty where he was and why. When he could no longer stand to wait idly by while they were doing God knows what to Bobbie, Clay barged through the swinging doors and checked each curtained cubicle and room until he was firmly but gently stopped by a stern-looking woman in scrubs.
“May I help you, sir?”
“I’m trying to find Bobbie Carlington.”
Her eyes softened and a small smile crossed her lips. “Right this way, Mr. Bodine.”
Clay followed the nurse, wondering the whole way how she knew who he was. At the end of the hall, she motioned him into a room. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to check on Miss Carlington. She’s been given some medication to help with the nausea. It’s made her drowsy.”
Clay nodded his understanding; then entered the room. She lay on narrow bed, her face pale and drawn. Her eyes were closed. IV tubing was attached to her right hand. He moved closer, making no noise; he didn’t want to wake her but Bobbie’s internal “Clay” radar must have been doing its thing because her eyes fluttered open.
It took her a moment to focus, but when she did a small smile crossed her haggard features. She looked so small, so delicate. Clay stood motionless as Bobbie reached out for him with a slightly shaky hand. It to
ok no more persuasion than that for Clay to move to her side.
She opened her mouth, licked her lips then tried to speak. Her voice was weak and Clay had to lower his head, bringing him closer in order to hear her slurred words.
“I’m sorry,” she said before her glazed eyes drifted closed.
Relief washed over Clay as he sat on the edge of Bobbie’s bed clutching her hand. She was going to be just fine, she had to be. Easing his grasp a bit, Clay continued to hold Bobbie’s hand as he stroked the back of it lovingly. Every once in a while he brushed her hair from her brow just because he needed to touch her.
When the door to Bobbie’s room opened and the nurse he’d spoken with walked in, followed by a doctor, Clay tensed.
“Mr. Bodine,” the nurse greeted.
Clay was still perplexed at how this woman knew his name when he’d never seen her before.
“Miss Carlington said you wouldn’t last out there very long,” the doctor chuckled, motioning beyond the closed door.
“I was coming to get you when I found you wandering the hall,” the nurse added in. Clay felt no need to apologize. He wanted answers.
“What’s wrong with Bobbie?” he asked, forgetting all pretenses.
“She’s a bit dehydrated, which is why we started the IV. She came around and told us of her severe nausea and the vomiting that she’s dealt with the past day or so, so we gave her some medication to counteract that. She can go home after some more fluids.”
Clay was relieved that she was going to be fine. “Does she have the stomach flu?” They hadn’t said what was making her sick.
When the doctor and nurse looked swiftly at each other, it hit Clay what was wrong. What an idiot he was. “She’s pregnant.” It wasn’t a question, so he didn’t wait for an answer. “And the baby?” Clay closed his eyes. Oh God, please let the baby be okay. Before that moment, Clay never realized how wonderful the thought of a child was. Or was it just a child with Bobbie that could make his heart beat quicker?
Lazy B Ranch 00 California Cowboy Page 12