Whatever It Takes: A Highland Springs Romance (Whatever Series Book 4)

by Leigh Fleming

  “I like them; don’t cover them up.” The smile on his face was mischievous and lurid as he curled onto his side and took a breast in his hand. “Were you watching me sleep?” he asked as his thumb brushed over her nipple, bringing it to a hard knot.

  I guess I did all right. Darla draped her leg over his and raked her fingers over his chest, savoring the drowsy lust in his eyes. “You caught me. I thought you were asleep.”

  “It’s hard to sleep with you beside me.” He cupped his hand on the back of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. “A certain part of my body won’t relax.” He chuckled against her lips, letting his hand slide down her back, settling on her ample bottom. “I can’t stop wanting you.” Always self-conscious of her curvy body, it was nice to be with a man who seemed to enjoy the extra flesh.

  Fuller figure be damned. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her. For the first time in her adult life, she wasn’t worried or ashamed of her body; she was in love and she planned to show it. She pressed her hands against his chest, forcing him onto his back, and crawled on top, straddling her legs around him. Her hair created a curtain around them as she took his mouth in hers, kissing him with everything she had, pouring out the desire, longing, and love she had for him. He cradled her breasts in each of his hands as he let her take charge. She trailed her lips from his mouth, down his neck, and across his chest, trekking lower until she pleasured him in a way she’d never thought capable of doing. This was the new and improved Darla Heartwood, and Jason Byrne better be prepared.

  ***

  Four hours later, Darla crawled back into bed alone, having kissed Jason good-bye as the sun came up. They’d made love again before she had fallen into a satisfying sleep, only waking when the alarm on his cell phone buzzed. He wanted to be at the hospital when Meghan woke up in case she had any questions or concerns about her condition. She fell asleep to the memories of the incredible night they’d shared.

  Within minutes, she was startled awake by her cell phone’s ring—at least it had seemed like minutes. She fumbled across the nightstand until she found her glasses, only then noticing the bedside clock read eight thirty.

  “Where the hell are you this time?” Jamie’s voice blared like a foghorn in her ear.

  “I told you I was going back to Ohio.”

  “What’re you doing in Ohio anyway? Is Patsy sick or something?”

  “No, she’s fine.” She raked her fingers through her tangled hair, trying to come up with a logical reason why she was in another state. “I just have some business over here, that’s all.”

  “Don’t go getting us mixed up in any more deals until we get this project complete, okay?”

  “I won’t make a move without you.” She sat up against the headboard, gathering Jason’s pillow in her hand, breathing in his distinctive, all-male smell as she held it to her face. The perpetual smile pleasantly stretched her cheeks wide. Remembering her brother on the other end of the call, she refocused and hugged his pillow to her chest. “So what’s up?”

  “We’ve hit a snag. There’s some problem with our permits.”

  “What do you mean?” A leery tingle surged through her veins.

  “I was supposed to pick up the permits for the development yesterday from the planning office, but when I got there, they said there was some problem with our application. It might be another couple of weeks before they can get to it.”

  “That’s impossible. Roger told me himself everything was in order.” This had to be the work of Governor Clyde Fletcher.

  “Well, something went wrong. You need to get back here and find out what the problem is. Jake’s crew was ready to start the excavating this morning, but I had to cancel. He’s royally pissed at me right now.”

  “It’s Saturday, and the planning office isn’t open. I’ll be back tomorrow night, and first thing Monday morning, I’ll find out what happened.”

  “You better. If we don’t get started soon, I might not be able to get Jake and his guys back here for a couple of months.”

  “I’ll handle it.” She tossed the phone on the bed and blew out a sigh. She knew exactly what was wrong with the permits. Clyde Fletcher had made good on his threat to interfere in her business. His power and influence had a long reach—all the way to Highland Springs. She wouldn’t take this lying down. The old Darla might have cowered to his might, but the new and improved model would not let him get the upper hand.

  Without wasting a minute, she pulled up a phone number and waited while the phone rang.

  “Hello, this is Rowena Sloane. I’m sorry I can’t take your call right now. Please leave your name and number, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

  Once Darla heard the beep, she started down a path she’d only dreamed to travel. “Rowena, this is Darla Heartwood. I understand you’re supposed to interview me for the Citizen of the Year award. Is it possible for us to meet Monday? I have a story for you that might just make national headlines.”

  ***

  “What time is it?” Meghan’s scratchy voice roused Jason from the catnap he was taking in the chair beside her hospital bed. He’d slipped quietly into the room an hour ago while she was still asleep. He leaned over her drowsy form and pressed a kiss to her brow.

  “A quarter to nine. I fell asleep waiting for you to wake up.”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Didn’t you sleep well last night?”

  Yes and no. He’d slept like the dead in the few hours between making love with Darla. This morning, he’d burst awake with more energy than he’d felt in years. Falling asleep in the hospital chair had more to do with the desire to dream about his amazing night. Was it possible to be in love so soon after meeting someone? She was everything he’d ever wanted and nothing he’d expected.

  “What’s with you this morning?” Pushing the button on the bedside remote, Meghan raised herself into a sitting position and glared suspiciously.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You look different somehow. Did you get a haircut?”

  “Nope.”

  “There’s something…what happened?”

  Besides having the most incredible night, beyond his wildest dreams? “Nothing happened.”

  “Hmm…well, you seem different somehow.”

  “I think you’ve been in the hospital too long. Let’s see if we can get you out of this place.”

  A few minutes later, the doctor walked in the room, followed by two nurses. She pulled up a chair and flipped open the laptop, quickly tapping some notes into Meghan’s chart. “So I’m sending you home with a beta-blocker prescription. You need to take it easy. Avoid the stairs. No softball, no work, and no driving.” She glanced over her reading glasses at Meghan with a wry grin. “And definitely no more taking off on your own alone, got it?”

  “What about graduation?” Meghan asked, clutching the sheets in her fist. “The ceremony is in two weeks.”

  “I’ll tell you what, if you haven’t received your new heart by then, I’ll let you attend the ceremony. But you have to promise not to overexert yourself. In fact, I’d recommend someone pushing you in a wheelchair to be on the safe side. We’ll give you the information on a rental service.”

  “A wheelchair?” Meghan flopped back into the bed, obviously unhappy about being so confined.

  “If you’re feeling okay that day, you can walk across the stage to get your diploma, but that’s it.”

  “This sucks.”

  “You got that right.” The doctor snapped the laptop shut and stood up, wrapping her hand around Meghan’s wrist. “This sucks, but you’re going to get better. As soon as we find a heart for you, you’ll feel better than ever.”

  “When will that be?” Jason asked, circling the bed. “Do you think it could be before graduation?”

  “It could or it might be weeks, maybe months. It’s hard to say. There are others before her on the list.”

  “What about college? I’m supposed to
start in August.”

  “You might have to delay college for a while.”

  “Dad!” Meghan’s plea, like so many other times in her life when she was frustrated, sad, or hurt, ripped Jason’s heart in two. This time, he couldn’t fix it with a Band-Aid or a phone call or a comforting hug. Her health and subsequent cure were beyond his role as dad.

  “It’ll be okay, Meggy.” He patted her leg through the bed linens and smiled at his daughter, hoping to erase her anguish. “I’ll make sure you get to graduation, and maybe you can start school with online classes. The most important thing is that you get well.”

  “This summer is going to bite.” She folded her arms over her chest with an audible huff, looking like she did as a toddler when she didn’t get her way.

  “You do your part by being a good patient,” the doctor said, gently touching Meghan’s shoulder, “and I’ll do my part by getting you a heart ASAP. Deal?”

  “Whatever.”

  “Deal?” More emphatically, the doctor bent over and met Meghan eye to eye.

  “Fine. Yes. Deal.”

  “Don’t hesitate to call me if you have any questions or concerns,” the doctor said, turning her attention to Jason. “She doesn’t have to be a prisoner in her own home. She can go out as long as she doesn’t exert herself.”

  “I can?”

  “As long as your dad or another adult is with you.”

  “Oh, goody.” Meghan’s sarcasm lightened the mood, causing the doctor to burst out a laugh. Jason walked with her toward the door, stopping her before she escaped to her next patient.

  “Doctor? Just to be clear. You said no stairs.”

  “Right. Walking upstairs will put too much strain on her heart.”

  “We live in a two-story townhouse. There’s only a half bath on the first floor.”

  “I’d suggest you rent a hospital bed or borrow a bed from someone. It’s very important that her heart remain at rest.”

  “Okay, I’ll see what I can arrange.”

  What the hell was he going to do? His living room was small, but maybe if he moved the sofa to storage, he could make room for a bed. Luckily, school was over for him, and he’d have the summer to stay home with her. The one night with Darla would have to hold them for a while because it wasn’t likely they’d get any time alone until this ordeal was over. A smile grew on his face. That was okay. They had the rest of their lives to be together.

  TWENTY

  Darla wiped green tree pollen from the coffee table on her back porch and suddenly blasted out a loud sneeze. Her backyard was so pretty this time of year with the azaleas and rhododendron blooming, and the tall, colorful irises lining her fence. It would make a great place to give her interview to the reporter, but she feared she’d sniffle through the whole session. Perching her hands on her hips, she contemplated setting up inside, but after a quick survey of the lush, green grass and leafy trees, she decided she’d trade her allergies for a great cover photo for the paper.

  She hurried back into the kitchen for the tray of lemonade and sugar cookies she’d baked last night after returning from Ohio. Saturday afternoon, she’d helped Jason make arrangements for Meghan’s homecoming later that afternoon, ordering a bed and nightstand from a furniture rental place and moving his sofa along the wall in the kitchen. It made for tight quarters, but livable until Meghan was fully recovered.

  “I wish I didn’t live so far from her doctor,” she’d said as they shoved the sofa out of the living room. “I have a downstairs guest room where she could sleep, with a full bathroom.”

  “That would be perfect, but she needs to stay close.”

  “You’re right.” She’d hid her disappointment, keeping her gaze on the hideous, plaid sofa as they dragged it across the carpet.

  “But that’s good to know. Maybe we could come for a visit soon. I’ll ask her doctor.”

  “I’d love that.” She’d stopped pulling the sofa, but Jason hadn’t stopped pushing. She found herself flat on her bottom on the kitchen floor. Both of them laughing, Jason had pulled her into his arms as they toppled to the linoleum. Crushing her in a kiss, he rolled her to her back and she curled her arms around his shoulders. She shifted so that he fit between her legs, and before they knew it, they were half naked, picking up where they’d left off the night before. He was good. No doubt about it.

  The doorbell rang, startling her out of her sweet memories, and she rushed to answer it. Rowena Sloan stood on her porch, tall and bony as a teenaged basketball player, with a bulging, leather messenger bag strapped across her body. Her thick glasses were askew, and a length of gray hair had sprung from her bun.

  “Hi, Rowena, please come in.”

  “How’re you doing, Darla? What’s happening with your housing development?”

  Darla chuckled silently, shaking her head as she closed the front door. What point was there in giving an interview? She and Rowena had known each other for years, and with Highland Springs being such a tight community, everyone knew everyone else’s business. The Mountain Courier only published redundant news.

  “We’re about to break ground any day,” Darla said, leading her down the hallway to the kitchen.

  “I heard there was a holdup with the permits.”

  “You probably knew it before I did.”

  “So what’s the problem? Did the soil not perk? Are there some boundary issues? Environmental issues?”

  Couldn’t Rowena take off her reporter hat long enough for them to get settled outside with a glass of lemonade? Depending on how much Darla wanted to tell her, she might get two stories for the price of one.

  “Come on outside and we’ll get started.” Darla picked up the tray and nodded toward the back porch. Once settled on the cushioned seats, Rowena rooted around her overly stuffed bag and pulled out a tape recorder and a spiral notebook. She was old school. No fancy voice memos on her smartphone; she used her tried-and-true methods.

  “I’ve been interviewing the Citizen of the Year for so long, I’ve got the questions memorized. I think I’ve listed everything you’re involved in. Tell me what I’ve missed.” Rowena flipped open her notebook and traced her finger down the page.

  “Past secretary and current vice-president of the community center board, Rotary member, Civic League member, past president of the Board of Realtors, Raspberry Festival director for the past three years.”

  “Not this year.”

  “Right.” Rowena’s pencil scratched on the lined paper. “Where was I?” She dotted her pencil against her tongue and continued. “A member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Women’s Business Network, hospital volunteer, and a Big Sister volunteer. What did I miss?”

  “That’s enough, don’t you think?”

  “Oh yeah, and you’ve been the district’s top-selling realtor for the past five years.”

  “That’s true, and unless something goes drastically wrong, I plan to be the top seller again this year.”

  “When do you sleep?”

  Darla smiled and took a sip of lemonade. “Sometime between midnight and six a.m. usually, but my schedule’s flexible.”

  “Why so ambitious? What gives you your drive?”

  “Well…” It was hard to put into words how her success had come about. When she had returned to Highland Springs after college, she felt like she had something to prove—not to her family or friends—to herself. She’d been abused and emotionally beaten down, and she was determined to rise from the ashes and fly. All the volunteerism was simply a way to fill the void of not having a husband and family. “A lot of it was luck, but I’ve always been competitive and a bit of an overachiever. Selling real estate came naturally to me. I liked the challenge, and once I developed a clientele, they referred me to their friends. It just seemed to snowball. From that, I was able to build a team of realtors just as ambitious as me.”

  “You make it sound easy.”

  “I had plenty of time with little distractions.”

  “Like
a family.” Rowena set her notebook on the coffee table and picked up her glass of lemonade, settling into the soft cushions. She glanced at Darla through her bottle-bottom lenses and got to the meat of the interview. “Why didn’t you ever marry, Darla?”

  “Should that be in the article?”

  “Off the record. I’ve always wondered. You’re a pretty girl. Used to be a bit plump, but you’re looking good these days.”

  “Thanks?”

  “Seriously, what gives?”

  This was it. The moment was now. She’d promised herself she’d share her harrowing experience—call out the governor for the sick pervert he truly was. She’d only half-considered going to the press, but now that he’d blocked her permits, she couldn’t let him get away with it. Be strong, Darla. You can do this.

  “This is the perfect segue into what I wanted to tell you. Something tragic happened to me when I was fifteen.”

  “I got the sense you had something important to tell me.”

  “A lot of people won’t believe what I’m about to tell you, but I have proof.” Her hand quivered. The ice cubes rattled in her lemonade glass.

  She placed her glass on the table and gripped her knees. After a deep breath, she confessed her past on her exhale. “I was raped by Clyde Fletcher when I was fifteen, forced into a sexual relationship, and gave birth to a daughter in 2000. I put her up for adoption.”

  Rowena slid to the edge of her seat, knocking her notebook to the brick floor. “Does he know about her?” Her eyes bulged, and her chest rose and fell.

  “He does now. That’s why my permits have been withheld. He’s sending a warning shot not to mess with him.”