by Robyn Grady
She stared blindly at the ceiling. “He needn’t have bothered.”
“You can’t stop someone from caring simply because you don’t care that way for them.” Nita held her hand. “But remember what you told me before you sped off in your car yesterday?”
Elizabeth cast her mind back and recalled.
“I said that Chad had let me know that Daniel would only be here in Royal for a short time.” Her gaze fell away. “He offered to drive me to the club so I could see him.”
“Chadwick is a man who likes to be in control, a man who cares for a woman he should have known would never care for him. But that doesn’t make him a bad man.”
Elizabeth remembered the envelope and surrendered to a smile.
“You’re right.” She flipped her hand over and squeezed Nita’s. “You’re always right.”
Nita chuckled and her glasses fell down the slope of her nose. “Glad we agree.”
A nurse appeared and elevated the bed’s backrest slightly. Elizabeth swallowed the pills she was offered with some water. The nurse wrote on the folder hanging off the end of the bed and, with an instruction to buzz if Elizabeth needed anything, left the other two women alone.
Nita’s earlier light expression had grown solemn.
“Beth, do you feel strong enough to see a visitor? It’s someone who says they want to thank you.”
Elizabeth thought for a moment. “The woman from the shelter? The one who sent that photo?”
Rather than answer, Nita sent a covert glance toward the door, which was not quite closed. A set of masculine fingers were curled around the door frame. Elizabeth held her breath and blinked as her heartbeat began to gallop. Was her visitor who she guessed? Who she hoped?
Out the corner of her eye, she saw Nita give a small nod. The door fanned wider and Daniel stepped into the room.
A rush of emotion filled Elizabeth’s throat, and her skin was tingling as if she’d suddenly been brought out of a deep freeze. He was more handsome than she’d even remembered. Taller. Sexier. But his eyes were the same. Green pools she wanted to drown in forever.
But when he took a step nearer and another, Elizabeth gathered herself. Daniel was a gentleman. Logic said that when he’d found out about her accident, he’d decided to delay his return to New York. That didn’t mean that he’d changed his mind about them. Just because she imagined something more glittering in his eyes didn’t make it so. She needed to get those thoughts out of her head.
Nita patted her arm. “I’ll be outside.”
With moisture blurring her vision, Elizabeth watched the older woman go. Feeling as if she couldn’t quite catch her breath, she curled her toes as Daniel moved closer, stopping beside her bed. His woodsy male scent enveloped her at the same time those gorgeous eyes glittered down.
“That car of yours is going to need a whole lot more work than last time.”
And then, despite the avalanche of emotions at seeing Daniel again, Elizabeth remembered the other drivers. Her hand fisted in the sheet.
“Was anyone else hurt?”
He sat down on the side of the bed. “Not seriously. Appears the guy who rammed you was busy texting. He almost missed the turnoff and tried to correct the oversteer while going too damn fast. His car’s a write-off.”
“Cars can be replaced.”
His big, warm hand found hers. “Precisely what I’ve been telling myself.”
The contact of his skin on hers sent a flurry of bright-tipped sparks hurtling through her system. Before she’d thought she’d almost sighed and brought her other hand over to double the effect. Whenever he’d touch her, she’d felt as if nothing else mattered. Just for a few minutes, she would have let herself believe that again.
“When do you have to be back in New York?” she made herself ask.
“I was expected hours ago.”
Talk about having the remains of a fantasy demolished in one fell swoop. She’d been wondering if, or when, she might mention the document Chad had given her. Now she was glad she hadn’t opened her big, stupid mouth. He was here but clearly he wanted to get back home as soon as possible. Boil that all down and…
He didn’t love her.
Well, of course he didn’t.
What possible difference could her bit of news make?
Her throat clogged with disappointment, she slipped her hand from beneath his.
He held her gaze for a long moment before he drew away and moved toward a window. Did he have his jet ready and waiting to take him away as soon as he could assure himself his former lover was well on the mend?
“I’m not happy you had that accident,” he said, gazing out over the hospital grounds. “But I am glad we’ve had a chance to see each other again.”
Elizabeth’s lips tightened. Well, he’d seen her now. He could walk away guilt-free. In fact, she wished he’d go. Leave her be and go now.
But when he slowly turned to face her, she melted in a new way that left her aching and despising herself. The image his silhouette cut against the incoming filtered light was entirely masculine, überpowerful. She’d spent so many hours pressed up against him, listening to his murmurings as they made love every chance they got. Feeling as though life couldn’t get any better.
She groaned at herself and, despite the fading pain in her neck, thanks to those pills, she turned away. If she could cut out her heart and rid herself of him that way, she would gladly take a knife and do it.
“If you need to be on your way,” she said, knowing her voice sounded thick, “please don’t let me keep you.”
She could hear him breathe. She imagined his broad chest expanding then noted his footfall as he crossed back over.
“Are you comfortable?” he asked after an agonizing time.
She thought about it then exhaled. If he was staying a few minutes, she might as well be comfortable.
“I wouldn’t mind sitting up a little more,” she admitted.
“Let me know if it hurts and I’ll stop.”
She wanted to say straight out, Yes, it hurts. Please stop. Please go away. But then he found the remote, pressed a button and the mattress behind her back began to tilt up.
“That’s fine, thank you,” she said when she was sitting at what she deemed to be a respectable angle.
His gaze down, he paced around her bed one way then back again.
“Are you trying to make me dizzy?”
He rolled back one shoulder and let his gaze mesh with hers.
“Elizabeth, I’ve been thinking these past twenty-four hours. Thinking a lot. About my past. My parents. Most of all, I’ve thinking about you.”
Whether she was going to be okay? She wasn’t a big fan of pity.
“Daniel, I truly don’t think there’s any reason to be concerned—”
“Not about the accident,” he cut in, then tempered the interruption with, “Or not solely.”
She wiggled up higher on the pillows. She told herself to keep things in perspective, but now she was curious.
“Go on.”
“My father’s mansion is a building passed down for generations,” he told her. “I wanted nothing to do with its somber portraits and musty parlors. Most of all I wanted nothing to do with the family plots arranged on an adjoining piece of land.”
He shut his eyes, rubbed a point between his eyebrows and Elizabeth’s heart went out to him. Family plots. A cemetery. That’s where his brother must be buried.
“I understand,” she told him, her tone softer. “If I were you I wouldn’t want anything to do with it, either. Except…”
“You’re wondering if I’ve ever gone back to see my brother’s grave. The answer’s no. And I need to. After seeing you being driven away in an ambulance, after sitting out there hour after endless hour, I see that now very clearly.”
Nodding to himself, he paced around the bed a second time but then pulled up abruptly as if the right words had popped into his head.
“You were right about me runni
ng away. I didn’t want to face all those memories that made me so damn mad. Made me feel so helpless.”
The last word was said with such sadness, if she’d been able, Elizabeth would have wound her arms around him and whispered that was a long time ago.
Instead, she let her compassion take a less intimate road and reminded him, “You said yourself, you’re an adult now.”
He set his hands on his hips, grunted then came to sit once again on the bed at her side.
“I might be an adult but I’m not sure I acted with much maturity once I was older. I pretty much ran away to a place where I didn’t have to face the things grown-ups sometimes need to.”
“Like when someone passes away?” she offered quietly.
“I’ve been so tied up in keeping ahead of the game, never wanting to look over my shoulder, I’ve missed out on what I had left. Worse, I thought I’d be happy keeping my head in the clouds.”
An urgent look came to his face and he sat closer.
“Do you know,” he said, “I don’t even own my apartment in Manhattan? Crazy, huh? The places I live in get bigger and better, and I tell myself New York’s my home. Yet I keep shifting, certain I’ll find that one perfect place to put out the welcome mat for good.” His eyebrows knitted. “The closest I’ve ever felt to home is that time we spent on our island.”
Elizabeth was sitting, stunned, trying to take in this glut of information. Daniel didn’t own his own apartment? He’d felt most at home with her?
“What I’m trying to say, Elizabeth, is that it’s not walls and a roof that make a home. It’s the person—or people—you’re with.”
Her throat closed off at the same time a single hot tear trailed from the corner of her eye. More tears were banked up, threatening to spill.
Pressing her lips together, hoping to contain some of the emotion, she nodded. “I agree.”
His fingers wrapped around her upper arm and he leaned in close, so near she could see the darker flecks of jade in his eyes, see the sincerity and need that begged for her to listen.
“I have a lot of friends up North. A lot of business connections, acquaintances. Hell, I have fifteen years of history in New York. I love Broadway and Central Park. I love Chinatown and the restaurants and knowing I live in the most awesome city in the world. But, my God, I love you more.” His lips grazed hers. “Infinitely and forever more.”
Silent tears were spilling down her cheeks. She’d dreamed of such a moment but her imagination had never come close to the depth of Daniel’s admission now.
He loved her?
She flung her arms around him.
He loves me!
When the receding pain in her neck bit, she swallowed a yelp and eased back against the pillows.
“I have something to tell you, too.” She felt the bubbles of excitement rising up and exploding inside of her.
He held up a palm. “Please, Elizabeth. Let me finish.” He brought his crooked knee up on the bed and leaned back toward her. “I’ll leave New York—”
“You’d leave your company?”
“I’d leave Rand in charge of that office. I can start a branch up down here. No reason why it can’t work. I always wanted offices all over the world. This can be my start.”
“All over the world—”
“But, don’t worry,” he cut in. “I won’t go trekking around without you. You have two months a year.” He kissed her temple. “We can do a lot in two months.”
“Is this what I think it is?”
He brought her hand to his scratchy chin and looked solemnly into her eyes.
“I want to marry you. I want you to be my wife. For better or worse. In sickness, in health, in everything life has to throw our way. I’ll be there for the long haul and I promise to always put your needs, and the needs of our family first. If we both want to make it work, I know we won’t fail.”
Those tears backed up again, choking. Liberating. “You’d give up your life for me?”
“I want to start my life with you.”
She let it sink in then blew out a long, giddy breath. She wanted to bring him close, kiss him hard, tell him that she loved him, too. But she couldn’t.
Not yet.
“Before I answer, there’s something you should know.”
His gaze narrowed for a heartbeat as if he expected the worst. But then he pressed his lips to the inside of her wrist and held her hand all the tighter.
“Shoot.”
“Chad came to visit me yesterday.”
She saw it was a struggle for him to keep a neutral face. “And?”
“And it seems I wasn’t talking out my ear when I mentioned finding a loophole to the will if I had to.”
A smile kicked up one corner of his mouth. “Tell me more.”
“Not only did he offer to drive me to the club to support you, he also gave me a document that had been drawn up by my parents in addition to their will. The caveat on my time spent away from the ranch was supposed to be up until my thirtieth birthday. That is, unless Chad was convinced it was in my best interest to waive that clause.”
Looking bewildered, Daniel shook his head.
“Sorry. I just had a disturbing image of Tremain dressed as a fairy godmother.”
She laughed. “He said when he knew I truly wanted to keep the ranch but was suffering so badly because of my restrictions he decided to act on behalf of my parents.”
“Do you think you have your mother to thank for that document?”
She considered it. “I’d like to believe my parents worked it out together.”
He bundled her up in his arms. “Together sounds good.”
She tried but couldn’t help flinching at the bite in her neck. He laid her back down quickly but gently.
“I’d love to sweep you up, carry you away, but I’m betting the doc will want to keep you in overnight for observation.”
“That won’t stop me.”
His eyebrows pinched over an amused smile. “Stop you from what?”
“From ravaging you. I take it you do want to be ravaged.”
“That depends.”
She coughed out a laugh. “On what?”
“You haven’t given me your answer yet.”
He leaned in and, as his mouth covered hers, Elizabeth fell headlong into that warm, wonderful bliss Daniel never failed to build up inside of her. Her hands reached to comb through his hair while her body arced toward his heat, his indisputable love.
This was the best day of her life.
When he slowly broke the kiss, he let out a satisfied breath and set his forehead to hers.
“Now, you can give me your answer. No answer’s wrong, as long as it’s yes.”
She laughed again. “In that case, it’s a definite yes.”
With his trademark sexy grin, he moved to kiss her again but then pulled back. “Almost forgot. I have something for you.”
He eased away and, a moment later, bent to collect something sitting outside the door. When she realized what he was bringing back, she was puzzled.
“You brought me a painting?”
“I remembered how much you wanted a Water Lilies,” he said, keeping the back of the painting facing her.
Her thoughts were racing. “You bought me a Monet?”
A ten-by-twelve inch?
He rotated the painting. Her heart skipped a beat then a laugh of surprise and thanks escaped. She could tell it was a genuine attempt, but it had obviously been created by an amateur. And an untalented one at that.
“Daniel, did you paint that picture?”
“I got some materials in and dabbled while you were sleeping. Now I realize I should’ve used that time finding the perfect ring.”
Her heart bursting with passion and love, she signaled for him to come nearer then, gripping his shirt, she tugged him close.
“I don’t care about diamonds,” she said into his eyes.
“Not even an eternity ring? I believe they’re required wh
en the first child is born.”
Just like that, her eyes filled again, this time until happy tears sped down her cheeks. Her voice came out a raspy, thankful squeak.
“You want to have children?”
“At least a couple. Maybe three or four.” A shadow briefly crossed his eyes. “And I want them to meet their grandparents. We should do this the right way. Everyone included. Nobody feeling they don’t matter.”
A salty tear curled into the side of her mouth, then coursed down around her chin.
“I love you, Daniel. More than I even knew.”
He wiped away her next tear. “We’ll grow old together.” He pretended to frown. “Although I’ll have a head start there.”
“When we’re octogenarians with great-grandchildren rolling us around in our wheelchairs, do you think that’ll matter?”
“This, my darling, is what matters.”
When he kissed her again, Elizabeth wanted to sigh and, with her heartfelt embrace, told him she agreed. Being together, and seizing and building on their magical newfound love, was more important than anything.
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Robyn Grady for her contribution to the Texas Cattleman’s Club: The Showdown miniseries.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-1418-7
MILLIONAIRE PLAYBOY, MAVERICK HEIRESS
Copyright © 2011 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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