A Love Beyond Words

by Sherryl Woods

  Allie laughed, sympathizing with the other woman’s dismay. “How does she handle it?”

  “She gives her husband and the boys exactly five minutes to find the missing creature and get rid of it.”

  “And if they fail?”

  “She leaves and goes shopping. She can buy herself a lot of perfume and lingerie in a very short period of time. She claims her skill with a credit card is excellent motivation for her husband.”

  “I don’t know,” Allie said doubtfully. “Some husbands might consider the prospect of a little sexy lingerie as a benefit, rather than a threat.”

  Ricky grinned. “I know. I don’t think she’s figured that out yet.” His expression sobered. “Then again, maybe she has. Maria is a very sneaky woman.”

  “And the others?” Allie prodded.

  “Elena is next. She’s thirty-five and is married to a doctor. They have only one child so far, because they waited until her husband’s medical practice was well established before starting a family. My mother prayed for her every day. She will not be happy until there are enough grandchildren to start their own school.”

  “Are the other two sisters cooperating?” Allie asked eagerly, already able to envision the noisy family gatherings.

  “Daniela and Margarita are twins. My mother despaired of ever getting them both married, because they took their own sweet time about it. Neither married until they turned thirty and had their own careers. Daniela is a stockbroker. Margarita is a teacher. Daniela has two daughters and insists that she’s through. Margarita has a son and a daughter, but she’s expecting again and the doctor thinks it might be twins. Needless to say, my mother is ecstatic.”

  “I think I would love your mother,” Allie said wistfully. “And your sisters. I love my parents dearly, but they never anticipated having children at all. They’re both college professors and loved the quiet world of academia. I came as a total shock to them. Not that they didn’t adore me and give me everything a child could possibly want, but I always knew that I was a disruption in their lives. They would be horrified if they knew that I’d sensed that.”

  Ricky’s gaze narrowed. “Do they know you’re in the hospital?”

  “Yes, and before you judge them, they did offer to fly down, but it’s the beginning of the fall semester.”

  “So what?”

  “I couldn’t ask them to do that. It would disrupt their classes.”

  Ricky stared at her incredulously. “You can’t be serious. That’s why they’re not here?”

  “They’re not here because I told them not to come,” Allie said defensively. “We would have ended up in a hotel, anyway. It just didn’t make sense.”

  “You’ve just been through a terrible storm,” he said indignantly. “Your house was destroyed. You’re in the hospital. They should have been on the next plane, no matter what you said.”

  Allie refused to admit that a part of her had hoped they would do exactly that, but she had known better. They had taken her at her word, because it had suited them. It didn’t mean they didn’t love her. They were just practical, and they’d never been especially demonstrative except for those weeks after she’d lost her hearing. That it had taken such a thing to get their attention had grated terribly.

  “I won’t defend my parents to you,” she said stiffly.

  He seemed about to say something more but fell silent instead, his expression troubled.

  Allie waited, and eventually he met her gaze.

  “What will you do?” he asked.

  “Stay here a day or two longer, I imagine. Then the insurance company will no doubt insist the hospital kick me out no matter what. Or I suppose they could send me to an intermediate treatment center of some kind for rehab if the insurance would cover it.”

  “A nursing home? At your age?”

  “There aren’t a lot of options,” Allie said. “Besides, I don’t think it will come to that. I’m getting stronger every minute.”

  “I saw you limping when I came in here. You’re probably not even supposed to be on your feet, are you?”

  The doctors had insisted on a few days of bed rest for her ankle and knee, but she didn’t have the luxury of waiting. She had to prove she was capable of managing on her own. “It’s nothing,” she insisted.

  “I could ask your doctors about that,” he challenged. “Would they agree?”

  She frowned at him. “Really, you don’t need to worry about it. You did your job. I’ll manage.”

  “Allie—”

  “Really,” she said, cutting off his protest. “It’s not your concern. The social worker is looking into some possibilities.”

  “I can just imagine,” he said dryly. He stood up, then moved to the window to stare outside as if something out there fascinated him.

  Allie used the time to study him. Even if he hadn’t been the one to rescue her and carry her out of the rubble, she would have recognized his strength. He was slender, but the muscles in his arms, legs and shoulders were unmistakable in the snug-fitting jeans and T-shirt he wore.

  More important, there was strength of character in that handsome face.

  As she watched, it was evident that he was mentally struggling with himself over something. She didn’t doubt that it had to do with her. He seemed to be feeling some misplaced sense of responsibility for her predicament and nothing she’d said thus far seemed to have lessened it.

  Finally he faced her and spoke very deliberately. “I have a solution.”

  “To what?”

  “Your situation,” he said with a touch of impatience.

  “Which is?”

  “You need a place to stay.”

  She told him the same thing she’d said to Jane earlier and to him repeatedly. “It’s not your problem. I’ll work it out.”

  “I’m sure you will, eventually, but you’d like to get out of here now, right?”

  She couldn’t deny it. “Of course.”

  “Okay, then. You could come home with me.”

  She wasn’t sure which of them was more startled by the invitation. He looked as if he wanted to retract it the instant the words left his mouth. If she wouldn’t impose on her friends, she surely wasn’t about to impose on this man whose duty to her had ended when he saved her life.

  “That’s very kind of you, but—” she began, intending to reassure him.

  “It’s not like I’m there a lot,” he said hurriedly, cutting off her automatic protest. “But I’d be there enough to satisfy the doctors, and it would be a roof over your head till you figure out what you want to do.”

  Before she could follow her first instinct and turn him down, he seemed to reach some sort of decision. His chin set stubbornly.

  “I’m not taking no for an answer,” he said, then headed for the door. “I’ll speak to your doctors.”

  She launched herself off the bed and managed to get between him and the door. Her ankle throbbed with the effort. “You will not,” she declared, trying not to wince at the pain. “I have no intention of being a burden on anybody, much less on someone I barely know.”

  “I don’t think you have a choice,” he said, his gaze unwavering.

  “Of course there are choices,” she insisted, even if most of them were impractical or unpalatable to someone who treasured her independence and didn’t want to lose it even temporarily.

  “Give me one.”

  “I’ll go to a motel and hire a nurse,” she said at once, grabbing at the first idea that came to her.

  “Why waste that kind of money, when you can come with me? Do you have money to burn?”

  “My homeowner’s insurance will pay for the motel, and my medical coverage will pay for the nurse,” she said triumphantly, praying it was true.

  “And where will you find this motel room?” he asked.

  “Miami’s a tourist destination. There are hundreds of hotel rooms.”

  “And most of them are either packed with tourists willing to pay two or three hundred
dollars a night or are filled up with insurance adjusters, fly-by-night contractors who’ve swarmed down here hoping to make a quick killing doing repairs or people just like you who’ve been displaced by the hurricane and who got there first.”

  Allie sighed. He was probably right. “Then I’ll go into a treatment center. How bad can it be? I’ll only be there a few days.”

  Ricky shrugged. “If that’s what you want,” he said mildly. “Institutional food. Antiseptic smells. A hard hospital bed. If you prefer that to my comfortable guest room and my mother’s home-cooked meals, which I’m sure she’ll insist on bringing over, then go for it.”

  He wasn’t playing fair. This room was already closing in on her. She doubted a change to another medical facility would be an improvement. And she’d definitely had her fill of bland, tasteless meals. Cuban food was her very favorite. Her mouth watered just thinking about sweet, fried plantains.

  But could she move in with a man who was virtually a stranger? Especially one who stirred her hormones in an extremely disconcerting way?

  As if he sensed that she was wavering, he gave her an irrepressible grin. “I won’t even try to seduce you, if that’s what’s on your mind.”

  “Of course that’s not on my mind,” she protested a little too vehemently, even as a guilty flush crept up her cheeks. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  His grin spread. “If you say so, mi amiga.”

  Friend? she translated derisively. That’s all she was to him? For a man she’d barely met forty-eight hours ago, it was actually quite a lot, but for reasons she probably shouldn’t explore too closely, she found it vaguely insulting.

  As if to contradict his own words, he lifted his hand and caressed her cheek, allowing his thumb to skim lightly, but all too sensually across her lips.

  “Come on, Allie. A few days. It’s a way out of here. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

  She swallowed hard. More than anything, she thought. More than anything, she wanted not just out of the hospital, but to go home with Enrique Wilder. The powerful yearning terrified her.

  Not once in recent years had she given in to her own desires. She had become cautious and practical and self-protective. Heaven help her, without even realizing it, she had turned into her parents.

  And two nights ago she had almost died. Maybe it was time she got back to living every single minute of every day.

  “If you’re absolutely sure that it won’t be an inconvenience,” she said finally, trying to ignore the wave of heat that continued to build simply from that light touch against her cheek. “And it’s just for a few days.”

  His gaze locked with hers. “A few days,” he echoed softly. He bent his head, his mouth hovering a scant inch above hers.

  She yearned for him to close the distance, prayed for it, but he jerked away instead, his expression suddenly troubled.

  “Sorry,” he said roughly. “I’ll go find the doctor.”

  And then he was gone.

  Sorry, Allie thought, sinking gingerly to the side of the bed. He was sorry he’d almost kissed her. She was trembling inside, filled with anticipation, and he was sorry?

  If she could have backed out of this deal of theirs right now, she would have, but he would have no trouble at all guessing why. It would be too humiliating.

  She could keep this crazy lust under control for a few days, especially if he was gone most of the time as he’d promised. It was probably no more than some out-of-whack hormonal reaction to coming so close to dying. It probably had nothing to do with Enrique Wilder at all.

  He walked back into her room just then, and her pulse ricocheted at the sight of him. Okay, she thought despondently, it had everything to do with him.

  But she could control it. She had to.

  “All taken care of,” he announced. “Let’s get you out of here and go home.”

  Just the mention of the word did her in. Two days of pent-up emotions crowded into her heart. Allie thought of her own home, unrecognizable now, and had to fight the sting of tears. Ricky regarded her with alarm.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked. “What did I say?”

  Before she could respond, he gave a low moan and knelt in front of her, taking her hand in his. “Home? That’s it, isn’t it? I’m sorry. You’ll rebuild, Allie.”

  “Of course,” she said with sheer bravado. “It just caught me by surprise for a second, realizing that I don’t actually have a home anymore.”

  “Well, for now you have a home with me,” he reassured her.

  The promise gave her comfort. It might be only a stop-gap solution, but it was enough for now. For the first time since the whole ordeal began, she didn’t feel quite so terrified and alone.

  Chapter Four

  Ricky wasn’t sure exactly what had possessed him to insist on taking Allie home with him. He’d never in his life lived with a woman, had always assumed he wouldn’t until he got married. He’d never been serious enough about any female to allow her into his world. A few had slept in his bed, but all had left the next morning, most never to return.

  He protected his freedom with blunt words and clean breakups, when necessary. No woman had helped him decorate, not even his mother or sisters. From the color of the paint to the spread on the bed, he had chosen it all. It was a haphazard decor, because he’d made impulsive choices depending on what struck his fancy or what he’d been able to find when he’d had a few minutes to shop.

  The house itself was small compared to the homes in the area where Allie had lived—two bedrooms, a living room and dining area, one bath and a kitchen that could best be described as cozy. He could stand in the middle and reach the stove, the refrigerator or the table without taking a step. He considered the setup efficient, when he thought about it at all.

  The house might not be fancy, but it suited him, because the backyard was filled with trees—grapefruit, avocado, mango and orange. There was nothing better than walking outside first thing in the morning and plucking fresh fruit for his breakfast. Once he’d seen those trees, nothing else had mattered.

  The fenced-in yard was also perfect for Shadow. On the first day Ricky brought him home, the shepherd had chosen a favorite spot in the shade, which he guarded as zealously as Ricky did his privacy. Eventually Shadow had allowed Ricky to put a lawn chair in the vicinity to share it. They spent a lot of relaxing hours out there, Shadow dreaming his doggie dreams about chasing squirrels, and Ricky sipping a beer and thinking about as little as possible.

  How was Allie going to fit into their bachelor life? Surely in just a few days—which was all he’d bargained for—she wouldn’t get any ideas about putting artificial flower arrangements all over the place or sweet-smelling soaps in the bathroom.

  Suddenly an image of lacy underwear and panty hose hanging over his shower rod popped into his head. But rather than making him shudder, he found himself eagerly anticipating the intrusion. Did she wear skimpy little scraps of sexy lingerie or practical cotton panties? The speculation heated his blood by several degrees.

  “Geez,” he muttered under his breath. “Get a grip.” He glanced over guiltily, relieved to see that her gaze was directed out the car window. Obviously he was losing it.

  No, the truth was, he had lost it earlier, back at the hospital. When Allie had faced him in that faded hospital gown, looking battered and bruised and vulnerable, he hadn’t been able to stop the invitation from crossing his lips. Even if he’d managed to keep silent initially, the impulse would eventually have overwhelmed him. He knew he could never in a million years have made himself walk out of that room without insisting on taking her along. The more she’d resisted, the more determined he had become. The woman got to him, no doubt about it.

  Still, this wasn’t a permanent living arrangement. It was only a temporary solution to an emergency, he reassured himself. It was nothing personal, though that didn’t seem to stop his body from reacting predictably every time Allie so much as glanced his way. If he’d spotted her in one of
the clubs on South Beach, he doubted he would have given her a second glance. She was too all-American, too petite for his taste. So why did he want her so badly? Because he’d mentally declared her off-limits the second he’d invited her into his home?

  He felt a light tap on his shoulder, and his body jolted. He made himself turn, his gaze clashing briefly with troubled blue eyes.

  “Are you really sure you want to do this?” she asked.

  “I said I did, didn’t I?” he said, grateful that she couldn’t hear the tenseness in his voice.

  “But you managed to get me sprung from the hospital. I’m sure I could manage on my own, if you wanted to drop me off.”

  “Where?” he asked testily, then cursed himself when he saw the quick rise of hurt in her eyes. There was the problem. She might not be able to detect the nuances of his voice, but she could obviously read his expression. And her every emotion was in her eyes, right there for even an insensitive jerk like him to see.

  “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I shouldn’t be reminding you that you don’t have a home of your own.”

  “No, I’m the one who’s sorry. You’re being kind enough to do me a favor and I must seem incredibly ungrateful.”

  He reached for her hand, gave it a reassuring squeeze until they reached a red light and he could turn his head to face her so she could easily read his lips. “Allie, we’re going to make this work, okay? Having you at my place is not going to be a problem,” he lied, because to even hint otherwise would send her running and they both knew that, for now, she had no where else to go.

  And, if he were being totally honest with himself, even if she had, he would have wanted her with him. The troubling question was why? Duty and obligation didn’t seem to cover it. And any other possibility was unacceptable.

  Allie desperately wanted to believe that Ricky meant what he said, because he was right—for the moment she had nowhere else to turn. She vowed, though, to cause as little disruption to his life as possible.

  She had to admit to being curious about how a man like Enrique Wilder lived. He was all male, and she imagined that, despite his disclaimers earlier, he had his share of women. Would they have left their imprint on his home? Would his sisters have descended on the place to see that their baby brother had all the material comforts a man required?