“You really think so?” Her eyes shone with the light of hope.
“I’m positive,” he said firmly. He sent a prayer heavenward that Richard indeed had Andrew back home and they were both safe and sound. “They’ve probably ordered a pizza for supper and are scarfing it down. If we cross their mind at all, they’re probably wondering if we’ve been abducted by aliens.”
To his relief, the tears disappeared from her eyes and she laughed. “I’m sure you’re right,” she said.
As with the night before, a large tree trunk served as a backrest as they settled in for the long night ahead. And as with the night before, as the shadows deepened, eventually disappearing into complete and total darkness, Elizabeth inched close to Talbot, so close he was enveloped in her warmth, her scent.
Both played havoc with his senses, stirring him in a way that was both wonderful and terrible. He steeled himself against the sensual assault, hating himself for wanting her…hating her for making him want her.
He leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes, wondering what in hell he’d done in his life to deserve the current situation.
Even though Richard and Elizabeth were no longer married, Talbot knew that pursuing any kind of relationship with her was out of the question. The whole thing would feel just…wrong.
Besides, for all he knew Richard had been plotting a way to get Elizabeth back all week, to reunite the family he’d lost. Talbot would never get in the way of a family.
As always, thoughts of Richard filled him with a combination of emotions. Love and protectiveness battled with worry and the vague sense that he hadn’t done enough, hadn’t been enough to make Richard a mature, well-adjusted man.
“Want to know why I’m afraid of the dark?” Elizabeth broke the silence.
He wanted to tell her no, to say that the last thing he wanted was an invitation into the secret places of her soul. And yet he couldn’t help the curiosity that ripped through him. “Okay. Why?”
“When I was five, my parents went out for the evening and left me with a baby-sitter. That night, while I slept, my parents were killed in a car accident.” She paused a moment and drew a deep breath.
“I was awakened by a stranger taking me from my bed and was driven to a foster home. When I woke up the next morning, everything I had known and loved was gone. Somehow in my mind, that night the darkness of it and incredible loss became hopelessly entangled.”
Although her words had been spoken matter-of-factly, Talbot heard the undertone of profound sadness, the whisper of residual fear.
Despite his resolve to the contrary, it was impossible for him not to be moved. He knew what it was like to lie in the shadows of night and be afraid of what morning might bring. However, when his parents had died, he’d been old enough to hang on to his home, their belongings and his own sense of identity. She had not been.
Unable to stop the impulse that drove him, he placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her more firmly against him. She pressed her face against the front of his shirt, and he knew her eyes were squeezed tightly shut against the darkness that surrounded them.
“You’re safe for the night,” he said softly against the sweet fragrance of her hair. “Just go to sleep and tomorrow we’ll get out of here.”
A helpless resignation swept through him, and he found himself wondering how somebody who was so wrong for him could feel so right in his arms.
They found the motel after awaking and walking for an hour. Elizabeth wanted to fall to the ground and weep in gratitude. She was exhausted and hungry and felt as if she’d never be clean again.
She sank to a bench just outside the motel office as Talbot went inside to see about rooms. He’d been quiet since awaking, refusing to be drawn into any conversation she’d attempted. She’d finally given up, deciding she was as tired of him as he obviously was of her.
The morning sun was warm on her face, and she tilted her head back and closed her eyes, trying not to think about awaking in Talbot’s arms.
She’d awoken before he had and been surprised to find herself draped across his chest, his arms circling her and their legs tangled. She had remained in his arms for a long time as he continued to sleep, enjoying the tactile pleasure of his body.
It had been a very long time since she’d awoken in a man’s arms. Long before their divorce a year ago, she and Richard had stopped seeking the comfort of each other’s embrace.
Talbot’s heartbeat had been strong and reassuring against her own, and for a moment Elizabeth had closed her eyes and been able to imagine they were in a clean bed, with silky sheets, and they had just made exquisite love.
She jumped up, cheeks burning from her imaginings, as Talbot exited the office, two keys in hand. “You’re in room 104. I’m in 110,” he said as he handed her a key. “We’ll shower and get something to eat, then decide how we’re going to get back to Kansas City. When you’re finished cleaning up, come to my room and we’ll figure out our next step.”
She nodded and they parted ways. As soon as Elizabeth entered the small, tidy room, she spied the phone on the desk. Eagerly she hurried to it, dialed for an outside line, then dialed her home phone number.
Her heart thundered with anxiety as she waited for the phone to be answered on the other end of the line.
“Hello?”
At the sound of the familiar voice, Elizabeth gripped the phone more tightly, relief flooding through her. “Andrew, honey, it’s Mom.”
“Mom! Where are you? Me and Dad have been so worried! We waited and waited for you to come to Twin Oaks, and when you didn’t come, we came back home.”
Elizabeth was so grateful to hear his voice she didn’t even take the time to correct his grammar. “It’s a long story, sweetheart, but I’ll be home sometime this evening.”
She didn’t care if she had to hitchhike back, she didn’t intend to spend another night away from her son. “Are you doing okay? Is your father there? Is he taking good care of you?”
“Yeah, Mom, we’re fine. I saw where Dad lived when he was little and the swimming hole him and Uncle Talbot used to go to, and a whole bunch of stuff. Where are you?”
“I’ll explain everything when I get there,” she replied. “Can I talk to your dad?”
“Yeah, hang on.”
There was a moment of silence, then Richard’s voice came over the line. “Elizabeth, are you all right? Where are you? Is Talbot with you? We’ve been worried sick.”
“We’re fine. Talbot is with me and I’ll explain everything later this evening. Wait there for us, Richard. Don’t go anywhere until I get home.”
“But where are you?” he asked.
She briefly explained what had happened.
“This is all my fault,” Richard said mournfully when she’d finished. “You’re mad at me, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not mad. You couldn’t have known the plane was going to crash.”
“Yeah, but you’re mad about me picking up Andrew without asking you first.”
Elizabeth sighed wearily. “We’ll deal with that later, Richard. At the moment, I don’t have the energy. We should be back sometime this evening and we’ll talk then.”
She hung up and headed for the shower, relieved that Andrew was okay and confident Richard could handle his son until she got home.
Moments later, she stood beneath a hot, but sporadic spray, soaping liberally with the tiny bar of soap the motel provided.
She sudsed her hair twice, then rinsed it thoroughly, but remained standing beneath the water, enjoying its sensuous heat. Her mind strayed. She imagined Talbot’s fingers stroking her body, shooting flames of desire through her—
The soap slid from her fingers and thunked to the floor of the tub. What on earth was she thinking? Apparently the days and nights in the woods had done something dreadful to her brain.
She shut off the water and reached for one of the thin, white towels. She didn’t want to think about Talbot, and she certainly
didn’t want to envision his long, strong fingers dancing over her skin.
She dried herself briskly, wishing she could rid herself of thoughts of Talbot as effectively as she banished the moisture from her skin. But he refused to be exiled from her mind.
She’d fallen asleep in his arms the night before and slept without dreams, without fears, reassured by his strength. But it was more than the mere memory of that strength that now caused her heart to beat a little more rapidly, her body temperature to raise by what felt like several degrees.
She had always known she suffered a strong physical attraction to Talbot, but that attraction had been tempered by the fact that she’d been a married woman. A woman married to Talbot’s brother. She wanted to dislike Talbot, knew it would be a defense against the crazy feelings roaring through her.
But it was difficult to sustain dislike when you’d slept in a man’s arms, learned nuances of his personality you’d never known before, seen a glimmer of his vulnerabilities.
Dressing quickly, she gave a prayer of thanks that her overnight case contained a clean pair of jogging pants and T-shirt.
By the time she’d brushed her hair almost dry and added a touch of lipstick, she felt back in control, and inappropriate thoughts of Talbot were tucked firmly away. All she wanted was something to eat and a fast ride back to Kansas City and her son.
She grabbed her overnight case and left the room, then went in search of room 110. When she found it, she knocked loudly. The door opened, and all her inappropriate thoughts concerning Talbot came crashing back.
It was obvious he’d just gotten out of the shower. Crisp new blue jeans rode low on his lean hips, and his bare chest displayed sinewy muscle and a liberal sprinkling of dark curly hair.
His hair was slicked back and half his face was covered with shaving cream. He motioned her inside, then headed back to the bathroom. “Have a seat. I’ll be with you in a minute.”
Elizabeth felt as if she didn’t breathe until the bathroom door closed and he was no longer in her vision. Every molecule of air in the room smelled of him, a crisp, clean masculine scent that stirred her senses.
She sat down at the small round table in the corner of the room, trying to dispel the evocative image of his broad chest, his flat abdomen and those lean hips. Dressed, Talbot McCarthy was sharp and stylish and coolly attractive. Half-dressed, he was sexy and hot and definitely dangerous.
What was happening to her? What on earth was wrong with her that she couldn’t get these thoughts out of her head? He was her ex-brother-in-law, for goodness’ sake, a man who had been cold and distant during the course of her marriage to his brother.
She breathed a sigh of relief when he left the bathroom, his bare chest now covered with a pristine T-shirt. “Where did you get the clean clothes?” she asked, seeking any conversation that would settle her jumpy insides.
“The owner of the motel sent his son to run a few errands for me. Right now he’s arranging for a rental car, and he should be here any moment with our meals.”
Elizabeth shook her head in amazement. “You certainly know how to get things done.”
He smiled a lazy half smile that once again made her tummy buck and jump. “Get me out of the woods and I’m fine. In civilization, money always gets things done.”
A knock sounded on the door, and he opened it to a young man who held a paper bag and twin plastic-foam boxes that emitted wonderful smells.
Hunger. That was what made her stomach feel so funny, she thought. It had nothing to do with Talbot’s sex appeal.
Talbot thanked the man, then set the items on the table. He opened the bag first and handed her a chocolate shake and removed a soda for himself. When he opened one box and she saw the thick cheeseburger and French fries, she wanted to cry. Not because she was starving, but because he’d remembered what she’d said she wanted when they’d been lost.
She wondered how badly she’d misjudged Talbot in the past. She had always believed him to be a cold, unfeeling man who had exacerbated Richard’s problems by picking him up again and again and never letting him fall to the ground. Had she been wrong about him?
“Thank you.” She smiled. “How is your leg feeling?”
“Better. The hot shower worked out some of the soreness. I’m sure it’ll be fine. How’s your head.”
“It’s fine,” she said as she touched the side of her head. “I called home. Richard and Andrew are there and seem to be okay.” She popped a fry into her mouth.
“I told you they would be.”
“Andrew was bubbling about all the things Richard had shown him in Twin Oaks. Something about a swimming hole?”
A smile flashed across his face. “It was actually a pond. Walter North’s pond.” He paused to take a bite of his burger and chewed, his smile lingering. “It was the biggest pond in the area, and on most hot days half the kids in town would find their way there, much to Walter’s consternation.”
“He didn’t like you swimming in his pond?”
“Anytime he’d catch us, he’d chase us with his shotgun. But it was a game for all of us.”
“A game?” She tried not to notice how achingly handsome he looked with a smile curving his lips.
“He never chased us off in the middle of a hot afternoon. It was always around dusk when he’d come out of his house, acting like he’d just seen us.”
Talbot took a drink of his soda, then laughed. “God, what fun it was. Walter was as skinny as his shotgun. He’d cuss and wave his gun and we’d all scream and yell and scramble out of the water.”
Elizabeth leaned forward, as if by closer proximity she could feel some of the warmth of his happy memories. She had never considered Talbot a warm, personable man before, but the smile on his lips and the humor that lit his dark gray eyes caused heat to spiral through her.
“I think it was as much a game for Walter as it was for us. He’d never chase us very fast, and I’d lay odds the gun wasn’t loaded. Richard was younger than the rest of us and couldn’t run as fast, so he’d throw himself at me and I’d run with him hanging on to my back and screaming into my ear.”
His smile fell away and was replaced by a deep frown. “That’s enough inane chatter. We’d better eat up and get on the road.”
They ate in silence and within an hour they were in an economy rental heading back to Kansas City.
Elizabeth tried to focus on the scenery flashing by them, but her thoughts, her entire awareness, were fixed solely on Talbot and the time they had spent together.
She wished, in those two days, she’d discovered him to be every bit as cold, as dictatorial, as arrogant as she’d once believed him to be.
Shooting him a surreptitious glance, she sensed the power that radiated from him, the strength. She’d always known he was a man comfortable with himself, a man who appeared to need nobody.
Elizabeth had always prided herself on the fact that she needed nobody. She’d once believed she needed Richard, but had quickly discovered that need was tremendously overrated and the people you believed you needed inevitably let you down.
In the past couple of days, she wished she’d found Talbot emotionally deficient and physically repugnant. Once again she directed her gaze out the window and sighed.
She didn’t need anyone, especially not Talbot McCarthy, her ex-brother-in-law. But damn him. Damn him for making her want him.
Chapter Four
Talbot tried to focus on the road, but it was difficult when the sunshine streaming in through the windshield stroked rich highlights into Elizabeth’s hair and the memory of her slender body pressed against his through the night played in his mind.
Was she wearing those red panties, with the lace riding high on her hips? He could easily imagine the scarlet wisp of lace against her lightly tanned skin.
He gripped the steering wheel more tightly and stepped harder on the gas pedal, eager to get back and put this entire experience behind him.
He would drop Elizabeth at her ap
artment, then head to the family home in Morning View, Kansas. Once he was back in his own house, surrounded by his own things and busy with the business of running McCarthy Industries, he would quickly forget these three days with Elizabeth.
Surely he would forget how her body fit perfectly against his, how her eyes looked sexy and darkened when she first awakened. Surely he would quickly forget the scent of her hair, the fragrance that seemed to be as much a part of her as her blue eyes.
Hearing the reasons for her fear of the dark had opened up a dimension of her he’d never realized, a vulnerability he wished she hadn’t shared with him.
The death of his parents, the virtual demise of his own family, had left a gaping hole in Talbot’s heart, and he’d yet to meet the woman he thought might help fill that hole. One thing he knew for certain, it could never be Elizabeth, especially if Richard had been contemplating reconciliation.
He glanced at her again. She was so beautiful with her dainty features and that luxuriant hair. She looked delicate, but Talbot knew that her physical appearance was deceptive. She was emotionally stronger than any woman he’d ever known.
“Why did you stay with Richard for so long? You must have realized in the first couple of months, the first year, that things weren’t going to work out between the two of you,” he said.
She frowned. “I was young, and I was pregnant with Richard’s child. At first I thought he’d change, mature. I thought eventually there would come a time when I would be more important to him than his buddies, when he’d work toward a future, instead of living in the moment.” She paused. “I knew the odds were against us from the very beginning because both of us were so young, but I desperately wanted it to work for us.”
“But you stayed for so long. Nine years.”
She looked out the windshield and didn’t answer for a long moment. “I tried, Talbot. I kept thinking there would come a time when I’d have a husband and a child, instead of feeling as if I had two children. That time just didn’t come.”
Lost in His Arms Page 4