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  Walking over to the group, Ramsey placed a hand on Chloe’s shoulder and laid her purse in her lap. “Sorry that took so long. I wasn’t sure I was going to find a parking space.”

  “It’s okay. I think it may have been a false alarm anyway,” she said, forcing her voice to be steady.

  “Why don’t we make sure?” Ramsey said, reaching for his wallet. He pulled out a credit card and handed it to the nurse. “Will this work?”

  Nurse Evans smiled and nodded. “Just as soon as she gets the paperwork completed, and I get a copy of her driver’s license, I can run the payment through.”

  Chloe accepted the clipboard that was handed to her and began filling out the forms. When she was finished, she handed the clipboard back to the nurse, along with her driver’s license.

  “I’ll be right back,” the nurse said with a smile.

  Chloe turned to Ramsey the moment the nurse left. “I don’t feel right letting you pay for my hospital visit.”

  Ramsey shrugged. “I’ll feel better knowing you were checked out by a doctor. It’s a small price to pay for my peace of mind.”

  “I’ll repay you when I’m able,” Chloe said.

  Ramsey shook his head. “You don’t have to.”

  Chloe tilted her head and looked up at Ramsey. “I may not have to, but I want to. I start a new job tomorrow and while it’s only part-time I’ll find a way to save up the money.”

  “Chloe, I’d rather you save the money and buy something for the baby. You’re going to need furniture, clothes, diapers… there’s going to be a lot to buy over the next few months.”

  Chloe visibly swallowed. It wasn’t the first time she’d thought of all of the things money could

  buy that her baby would need, all of the things she couldn’t buy because she didn’t have any money. She wasn’t sure how she was going to overcome that particular hurdle, but she would find a way. She had no choice in the matter if she wanted to provide for her baby.

  Chloe’s look told Ramsey all he needed to know – she didn’t have anything. He’d known that things were bad, but Kiera hadn’t told him quite everything. The studio apartment was sparsely furnished. It made him wish he’d taken the time to pick up a few extras. She was going to need towels, bed linens, pots and pans. He didn’t know Matt and Cassie quite as well as the Andrews brothers did, but he’d gotten to know them well enough – or so he hoped.

  “I’ll be right back. I’m just going to step outside and make a quick call,” he told Chloe.

  She nodded and watched him walk off.

  When Ramsey had cleared the entrance to the ER, he pulled out his cell phone and called Cassie. He quickly explained the situation and told her where the spare key was hidden.

  “I hate to ask this huge favor, but she’s been through so much and I want the place to be as comfortable as possible for her. Plus I don’t think she has any money at all,” Ramsey said.

  “It’s okay, I understand. Our garage sale didn’t go as well as planned so I have plenty of stuff lying around. I’ll gather up a box or two and head over there. Hopefully I’ll be gone before you guys show up. That way she’ll think it was already set up that way,” Cassie responded.

  “I owe you, Cassie.”

  She laughed into the phone. “No, you don’t. It’s nice to help the woman who may end up taming Michael Andrews.” When she heard nothing but silence on the other end of the line, she wondered if she’d said something wrong. “Ramsey, is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, I was just hoping maybe she wasn’t meant for Michael.”

  “Oh… Oh! Oh, Ramsey, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you liked Chloe. I thought she was just staying in the apartment so she could feel independent,” Cassie said.

  “She is, sort of. At least, that’s the spin I placed on it to get her over there. But when I went to pick her up tonight she was arguing with Michael.”

  “Maybe it’s a good thing she’s moving out then. It sounds like they could use some time apart.”

  “Listen, Cassie, I appreciate the help tonight, but I need to get back to Chloe. I don’t want them to take her back while I’m out here on the phone.”

  “Sure thing, Ramsey. Go be with Chloe and don’t worry about a thing. The apartment will be ready for her when y’all get home tonight.”

  Ramsey disconnected the call and headed back into the ER. Chloe and Michael were still waiting where he’d left them. They seemed to be in yet another heated discussion. He was starting to wonder if the two of them should be left alone.

  ***

  “Michael, I don’t care what you think. As soon as they tell me I can go home, I’m getting my things and I’m going to my new apartment,” Chloe said, her jaw set at a stubborn angle.

  “You just met Ramsey today. You’re just going to move in with a stranger?”

  “I’m not moving in with anyone! I’m renting an apartment from him,” she snapped.

  Michael snorted. “Yeah, over the garage. It’s what, two yards from the house, if even that? You might as well just move into his house.”

  Chloe had never been so furious in her life. A flush was creeping across her face and it wasn’t from embarrassment, it was pure rage. She wanted to shake Michael, slap him, and shake him some more.

  “You don’t get a say in what I do or what I don’t do,” she said. “How many times do I have to remind you of that?”

  “Do I need to remind you of the fact that you’d be on the street right now if it weren’t for me?” Michael growled.

  Chloe gasped. “How dare you! You don’t have the right to speak to me that way!”

  “I have every right!”

  “How do you figure that? Do you see a ring on my finger? Because I don’t recall being married to you,” she replied.

  “I asked!”

  “Ha! You asked for the sake of me having insurance when the baby is born. You don’t want a wife. Hell, you didn’t even want a baby! If you did, you wouldn’t have asked if it was yours when I showed up at the Victorian that day.”

  Chloe groaned and grabbed her stomach as pain shot through her. She frantically looked around the waiting room. Spotting Ramsey, she held her hand out to him.

  He quickly walked over to her. “I didn’t want to interrupt another fight, but maybe I should have.”

  “It hurts,” she whimpered.

  “Do you want me to go get the nurse?” Ramsey asked, rubbing her hand, hoping to give her at least a little comfort.

  “No, please stay.”

  He nodded and hunkered down beside her wheelchair. “I’ll stay right here.”

  “I’ll go get the nurse,” Michael muttered.

  When they were alone, Ramsey looked Chloe over. “Are you okay?”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “What started the argument?” Ramsey asked.

  “This time or at the house?”

  “Both,” he answered.

  “At the house I told him I was moving out. First, he was just really quiet and still. Then I told him I was renting an apartment from you and he flew into a rage.”

  Ramsey reached out and tipped her chin up. “I saw him grab your arm. He didn’t do anything else, did he?”

  Chloe shook her head. “I’ve never seen him angry before.”

  “Not many people have. From what I’ve gathered, none of the Andrews brothers would harm a woman. I don’t think he'd have done anything other than yell at you,” Ramsey told her.

  “I’m not so sure.”

  “Why did you start arguing here?” he asked.

  “He made a snide remark when you left to make your call.”

  When she didn’t elaborate, Ramsey asked, “What remark?”

  “He said I shouldn’t worry, that my boyfriend would return in a minute,” she mumbled, a blush creeping across her face.

  “And that bothered you?”

  Chloe shrugged. “I told him you weren’t my boyfriend, and reminded him I was renting an apartment from you. It set him off
again.”

  “If I had known that renting the apartment to you would have caused you so much trouble, I wouldn’t have mentioned it.”

  “Don’t say that! I’m glad you did. I need a place of my own, a place for me and the baby. Michael needs to understand that whether or not he’s the father of this child, he doesn’t own me and he isn’t my keeper. I make my own decisions and run my own life.”

  Ramsey nodded, a slight smile tugging at his lips. “You’re definitely one head-strong, independent woman.”

  Chloe nibbled on her lip. “Is that a bad thing?”

  He shook his head. “Not at all. You’re going to need those traits to raise a baby on your own; unless you decide to accept Michael’s proposal.”

  She winced. “You heard that part?”

  He nodded. “How do you know he didn’t ask because he loves you?”

  Chloe rolled her eyes. “He knew the nurse because she was one of his conquests. There isn’t a woman in this town that he hasn’t slept with or tried to sleep with that’s under the age of forty. I’m not sure he’s capable of loving one woman.”

  “And if he was? Do you love him?”

  “I’m not sure what I feel for him. I feel something, but I don’t know if that’s just because of the baby or if it’s because of me.”

  Ramsey nodded. It wasn’t the answer he wanted, but it would suffice for the time being. If he got to spend enough time with Chloe, maybe she would come to care for him… maybe even love him.

  Chapter Ten

  An hour later, Chloe was tucked into a hospital bed with a monitor strapped across her stomach. It was connected to a machine that was keeping track of her baby’s heartbeat and stress level. Her fight with Michael had aggravated the baby, but the nurse thought she would be able to go home shortly.

  Ramsey had his long frame stretched out in a recliner beside the bed. His head was tipped back and his eyes were closed. Chloe wasn’t sure if he was asleep or just resting. Regardless, she took the time to study him. He had long eyelashes that brushed the tops of his cheekbones when his eyes were closed. His brown hair was thick and unruly. She knew that if his eyes were open they would be a beautiful shade of green. All in all, he was pleasant to look at. He had a strong chin and a roman nose. His lips were full and chiseled, but looked kissable. Chloe blushed at the thought.

  Her thoughts strayed to Michael. He'd left once she was settled into a room and it had been determined that their argument had distressed the baby. The nursing staff had mentioned that it might be best if he were scarce. Chloe wasn’t sure if that was purely for her benefit, or for theirs. It seemed that all of the nurses assigned to her had been with Michael at some time or another.

  Chloe wasn’t sure how she felt about Michael’s past. She had always known what he was like, but it was different when it was constantly being thrown in your face. The women had been nice to her thus far, but she had noticed at least one jealous look at her stomach. It was obvious they thought she had gotten pregnant on purpose, in hopes of trapping Michael. Little did they realize it was the last thing on her mind and if she could do things differently…well she probably wouldn’t change a thing. She was attached to the baby now and was looking forward to its birth.

  She still worried about being able to care for her baby. Looking at the monitors, she watched the blip of the baby’s heartbeat. There was a life growing inside of her, a life that she and Michael had created.

  Glancing back at Ramsey, she wondered why he was here, staying by her side. They hardly knew one another and yet he’d paid for her hospital care and had held her hand through the whole ordeal. They weren’t dating, he wasn’t the father of her child, and yet he was here. She’d never met anyone quite like him before and she wasn’t sure what to think of him. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t at least a little bit attracted to him. The man was sinfully delicious and exceedingly kind. He’d taken care of her, put her needs before his own even though he didn’t have to. That was rare in a man these days, at least from what she’d seen of men. Her dating experience may not be vast,

  but she’d heard enough horror dating stories to know that a good man was definitely hard to find.

  Stifling a yawn, she closed her eyes for a moment. It had been a long day. Between her shopping spree with Kiera for the weekend party and her argument with Michael, she was wiped out. Just as she was drifting to sleep, she heard a noise and felt the bed dip under a large weight.

  Opening her eyes, she found herself nose to nose with a large wolf and did the only rational thing she could think of – she screamed.

  Ramsey jolted awake, ready for battle at the sound of Chloe’s scream. When he saw a werewolf on her bed, he growled. The wolf turned to look at him. At once, he recognized Lucas, a fairly new pack member.

  “Get down off the bed,” Ramsey demanded. He might not be the alpha, but he did hold rank over the new member.

  The wolf leapt off the bed and sat beside him.

  Ramsey eyed the beast with curiosity.

  “Do you know this… um... wolf?” Chloe asked with a shaky voice.

  “Yeah, he belongs to a friend of mine. I’m not sure what he’s doing here though.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry I screamed. It just isn’t everyday that I wake up to find a large wolf staring me down.”

  The wolf in question snorted and rolled his eyes. Using his muzzle, he nudged Ramsey out into the hall.

  “It seems I’ll be back in a moment,” Ramsey said with humor.

  “I’ll be right here,” Chloe said dryly.

  She eyed the door as Ramsey and the wolf exited, curious as to why the nursing staff hadn’t come barreling through the door at her blood curdling scream. Maybe it was the middle of a shift change?

  Sighing, she relaxed back against her pillow. Ramsey said he knew the beast that had startled her awake. Obviously everything was okay. She had nothing to worry about except the little one growing inside of her. She watched the monitor. The baby’s heartbeat still seemed steady. The wolf apparently hadn’t startled her little bundle of joy as much as it had her.

  Rubbing her stomach, she closed her eyes and tried to relax again. A nap was definitely in order.

  Out in the hall, Ramsey glared at the wolf at his feet.

  “Lucas, what in the hell are you doing here?”

  The wolf tipped his head, indicating that Ramsey should follow him. When they reached an empty room, the men went inside and locked the door. Lucas shifted back to his human form and stretched.

  “I didn’t mean to scare her, Ramsey. I just wanted a closer look.”

  “Well, you scared the shit out of her,” Ramsey said, his arms folding across his chest.

  “Sorry about that,” Lucas said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

  “So why are you here and why in that form?” Ramsey asked.

  “Gabriel sent me. He heard that Chloe was moving in with you, and he wanted me to do some recon.”

  Ramsey was surprised. “Why didn’t the alpha just call? I would have answered any questions he had.”

  “I know you would've. He mostly wanted to know if Michael was here or if he’d been here.”

  “So you were in wolf form so you could track Michael’s scent?”

  Lucas nodded. “So why'd he leave?”

  “The nurses asked him to. His presence was upsetting Chloe and the baby,” Ramsey answered. “I guess I better call Gabriel.”

  “What’s going on, Ramsey?”

  “Chloe is really independent. She needed some space so I offered to rent her the apartment over my garage. Michael lost it and they were arguing when I stopped by to pick up Chloe. It distressed the baby and here we are.”

  Lucas cocked his head to the side. “I get the feeling there’s more to it than that.”

  “Maybe a little, but that’s the condensed version.”

  “Well, I’ll let you call Gabriel. Do you want me to change back and go sit with Chloe while you make your call?”

  Ra
msey contemplated the idea for a minute. “Yeah, I better walk back with you though. She wasn’t too pleased with you the first time around.”

  Lucas grimaced, but refrained from commenting. Shifting back into his wolf form, he followed Ramsey back down the hall to Chloe’s room. The redhead was sound asleep in her hospital bed, her hand protectively resting on her swollen belly. Thankfully, no one was around to take notice of the large furry beast in the room.

  Lucas quietly padded into the room and lay down beside the bed on the floor. He rested his

  head on his paws and watched Ramsey ease out of the room.

  Back in the hall, Ramsey noticed the “no cell phones” signs posted on the walls. Stopping by the nurses’ station, he asked, “Is there some place where I can make a call on my cell phone?”

  The blonde nurse behind the desk smiled. “Sure, just go through the double doors at the end of the hall and take a right. Go straight down the hall and you’ll come to a hospital exit. You can make your call out there.”

  “Thanks,” he replied before quickly heading in the direction she had indicated. The quicker he made his call, the quicker he could return to Chloe’s side.

  Once he was outside of the hospital, he turned his phone on and called Gabriel. The last thing he wanted, or needed, was the alpha to be angry with him. He answered on the third ring.

  “Gabriel, its Ramsey.”

  “I take it Lucas found you,” Gabriel said.

  “Yeah. First off, I’m guessing you knew we were here because of Cassie.”

  Gabriel chuckled. “She called Kiera.”

  “I figured she would. Did she explain why?”

  “No. But if Chloe is at the hospital, don’t you think Michael should be the one there with her? And why is she moving in with you when she’s carrying his baby?” Gabriel asked, getting right to the point.