Because You're Mine

by Colleen Coble

  Her mates sat on boxes by the open windows. Even with a cross breeze, the ballroom was stuffy. From this vantage point, she could see clear out into the Atlantic, past the waving sea grass and the cypress trees.

  Ciara got up to meet Alanna when she stepped into the large room. “That man is insufferable! I don’t know how you’ll be putting up with him.”

  Alanna’s smile faded. “It’s his mum. She took one look at me last night and was prepared to hate me. We Irish disgust her. She told me to use this space when she knew the sound would disturb Barry’s important call.”

  “He could have stood up for you. I wasn’t liking his tone when he came up here.” Ciara’s black eyes snapped. She waved a crimson-tipped finger at Alanna. “He’s too domineering.”

  Alanna remembered his refusal to let her use the car. That was just concern though. “He’s trying to take care of me, make sure I’m not hurt.”

  Ciara sniffed and Fiona rose, stretching like a lioness. Her blond hair rippling to her shoulders added to the illusion. “Leave her be. You haven’t given Barry a break since the first time you met him. I don’t know what you’ve got against him. He’s done a lot for Alanna. For all of us.”

  Only Ena and Jesse said nothing in the argument. Ena sat snapping pictures of the water with her camera, and Jesse had his back wedged into a corner while he listened to the exchange.

  Alanna was tired of her life being picked apart. “Are we going to practice or not?”

  “We are.” Ena turned toward them. She picked up her pennywhistle. “I need to hear some music.” Her gaze went to the recorder in Alanna’s hand. “What’s that?”

  “Oh, I almost forgot. I found a music box in one of the bedrooms. The tune is one my mother used to hum to me, and the box is just like one my sister had. Have any of you heard it?” She rewound the tape and pressed the play button. The haunting melody spilled out, and she turned it up. She wouldn’t mention the words Liam put to the tune. It was their secret, and she wanted to hoard it.

  The band listened intently. Ena might be the one most apt to recognize it. Alanna watched the top of Ena’s pink head as she sat with her gaze on the floor. Ena had been in so many foster homes and in so many cities, she was likely to have picked up more snippets of culture.

  “I’ve heard it,” Ena said when the music ended. “I can’t think where though. Play it again.”

  Alanna rewound the tape and played the song again. The more she heard it, the more her dim memories of her mother sharpened. Mum had a mole at the corner of her mouth that Alanna had loved to touch when she was a little girl. She’d forgotten that until now. She could see the lips singing to this music, but the original words still eluded her. Alanna strained to recover more of the memory, but it slid away from her grasp.

  Ena raised her pennywhistle. “My tired feet want to dance. This is getting us nowhere. Maybe it will come to us later. We need to practice now.”

  Ena was right, but Alanna hated to give up when the tune hovered just beyond reach. The rest of the band rose and went to their instruments, so she had no choice but to turn off the recorder and grab her fiddle. Once the smooth basswood was in her hand, making music was all she thought about.

  Ceol ran through their entire repertoire in the next two hours, and Alanna’s fingers throbbed when they finally put down their instruments.

  Jesse wiped his perspiring forehead. “I’m ready for something to drink. Any chance you have some Club Orange?”

  Liam’s favorite soft drink. Alanna told herself not to overreact. Jesse had likely picked up a taste for it when he was in college with Liam.

  She forced a smile. “It does sound good, doesn’t it? Afraid all I have in the fridge is the typical American fare. I think I saw Coke and Sprite on the shelves.”

  “A Sprite will have to do then.” He fell into step with her as the others trooped downstairs ahead of them. “How are you feeling today?”

  She slowed her steps so the others would get far enough ahead not to hear their conversation. “Fair enough. A bit sore. One question though, Jesse. Why were you here last night? You never explained. It seems a bit dodgy.”

  He frowned and looked away. “I needed to talk to you, ask some questions. I feel drawn to you, Alanna. Like there is something between us.” He stopped and rubbed his head. “I keep getting flashbacks of memory. Were we ever lovers?”

  She hid her shock. “We dated briefly, but just as friends. I met Liam through you.”

  “Maybe that’s it.” His expression and voice held doubt. “I feel I know you so well.” He rubbed his head.

  “It was only through Liam. It’s your imagination, Jesse.”

  “It’s not just the memories of you,” he said. “My friends and family tell me that I was agnostic and wouldn’t set foot inside a church, but I find myself drawn to St. Michael’s. The quiet, the sense of holiness there draws me. Was Liam religious?”

  Liam had loved that church too. He’d made a visit there for morning mass every day they stayed in Charleston. She backed away from him and wished the others were closer. The delusions this man held might make him capable of anything.

  She began to walk toward the steps again at a faster clip. “I think you need to be talking to your therapist. I’m sure the explosion has caused these strange memories that aren’t real.”

  “Maybe,” he said. “But that’s why I came last night. I wanted to ask you if we were closer than anyone else knew. I-I almost feel as if Liam is haunting me.”

  The blood drained from her head, and she felt faint. First banshees and now this strange blather from Jesse about a haunting. If Liam were going to haunt anyone, wouldn’t he hover close to her? She wanted to strike Jesse with her fists and make him take back his crazy talk.

  The dejection in his voice lessened her anger. He had suffered plenty these past months. He had to reconstruct his reality based on what other people told him. Between all the surgeries and the physical therapy, his life had become a roller coaster ride of pain and dark mists. She knew he’d stayed with his parents for a time while they tried to recover all the explosion had yanked away.

  Had this man tried to kill himself and take Liam with him? The detective seemed so certain, and this crazy talk reinforced the possibility in Alanna’s mind.

  Sometimes she thought Liam wasn’t really gone—that he was out there somewhere calling for her. She knew Liam was in heaven, but she wished she could believe some aspect of her husband lived on in Jesse. That she could gaze deep into his eyes and catch a glimpse of the man she loved. To know he was gone from her for the rest of her life was more than she could bear to think about.

  She eyed Jesse again. “What are you saying? That you think Liam has possessed you?”

  A muscle in his jaw jumped. “Something like that. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Or maybe the love he had for you imprinted on me somehow. I don’t know.”

  She had to keep a grip on reality. “Our only real connection was our mutual love for Liam. What do you remember about the explosion? Anything?”

  He shook his head. “My past is just blank. I only know what I’m told. But I’ve been having these dreams . . .”

  “That’s all they are. Just dreams. Your regrets showing up from your subconscious.”

  “That’s what my shrink says, but it feels like more. I want to get to the bottom of it.”

  “There’s nothing to get to,” she said, her voice sharp. “I’m sorry, but we’ve never even kissed, Jesse.” They reached the bottom of the steps. “I’ve heard you had been thinking about suicide.” She bit her lip, wishing she could pull back the words. He’d been opening up to her and she’d likely cut off that flow of confidence.

  He caught her arm. “Who told you that?” His fingers bit into her flesh. “It was that detective, wasn’t it? Adams. He thinks I’m too stupid to notice how he’s been following me around. I know what he’s told you—that I wanted to take Liam out with me in a murder-suicide thing. It’s not true!”

&
nbsp; “How do you know if you can’t remember?” she asked, keeping her voice neutral.

  “I’m not crazy!”

  His raised voice frightened her, and she managed to get her arm out of his grip. “Of course not,” she said soothingly. “I wasn’t saying you were.”

  “That is what you were implying. That I’d try to take out my best friend, a guy I’ve loved like a brother since I was seventeen.”

  “Do you remember Liam?” she asked.

  The anger drained from his face. “I’d like to be him,” he whispered, passing his hand over his face. “He was a better man than the Jesse I’m learning about.” He glanced down at her.

  The glow in his eyes frightened her more than his anger. Obsession could be a dangerous thing. “Did you push me down the hill last night?” He cupped her face in his palm and she jerked her head back. “Did you want me to join Liam?”

  He dropped his hand. “How can you think I’d want to hurt you? Besides, a little tumble down the hill wouldn’t kill you. Whoever shoved you just wanted to scare you.” His gaze went to her belly. “Or make you miscarry. You shouldn’t stay here.”

  Miscarry. That thought hadn’t crossed her mind. “I live here,” she said past her racing thoughts. Maybe Patricia had pushed her. Alanna wouldn’t put any scheme past her again.

  Jesse must have noticed her softening expression. “I wouldn’t hurt you, Lanna.”

  She recoiled at the use of Liam’s pet name for her. “Don’t be calling me that,” she whispered. “Only Liam calls me that.”

  Even as her doubts surfaced again, she realized he had to have heard Liam refer to her as Lanna. It meant nothing.

  Twenty-One

  The band left after dinner, a strained, silent affair. Alanna couldn’t look at either Jesse or Patricia, so she was glad to escape to her room once her mates pulled away in the van.

  She stepped through the open French doors onto the balcony and let the moist air blow across her face. From her vantage point, she could see the last rays of the sun cast a rosy glow across the water in the distance. Her true home was on the other side of the Atlantic, and she missed the green hills of Ireland, the hubbub of Dublin, the sound of the Irish brogue rolling off tongues all around her. Most of all, she missed Liam.

  Marrying Barry might have been expedient in the short run, but it was requiring a major lifestyle change for her. She glanced down at the shoes Barry had insisted she wear to dinner. She kicked them off and wished she had the nerve to toss them over the railing. Turning her into a Southern belle would be harder than he imagined, though she did want to please him.

  As she leaned on the banister, a flutter in her tummy made her pause. Was that the baby? She touched her skin where she’d felt the movement. Oh how she longed for her son to have Liam’s golden-brown eyes. “Who are you, little one?” She stroked her belly.

  Liam should be here sharing this with her. Sadness covered her like the mist hiding the sea grass. She was wise enough to know her attraction to Barry was an insufficient cover for her pain, a thin bandage all too easily yanked off.

  The sun had set now, and the buzz of mosquitoes around her ears forced her inside. It was too dark now to make out much anyway. She picked up her shoes and carried them back inside. After shutting the doors behind her, she dropped the shoes on the floor and dug out her pajamas, green cotton ones with shamrocks. She slipped into their cool comfort, picked up her book, then crawled under the cool sheet.

  Something stung her toe, and she yanked her foot away, then threw back the covers. A coiled snake lay on the sheet. She’d been bitten. Too shocked to do more than gasp, she scrambled from the bed trying to remember what she was supposed to do about a snake bite.

  It depended on whether the snake was venomous. She stared at the small reptile. The bands of red, black, and yellow would have been pretty on anything else. Before they’d come to the South, Liam had made her learn a little rhyme about coral snakes. What was it?

  “Red and yellow, kill a fellow,” she murmured. “Red and black, friendly jack.” Her horrified gaze landed on the yellow bands next to the black ones on the snakeskin. She backed away even more. “Barry!” she screamed. He might never hear her from downstairs. If she left, the snake might escape, too, and he probably needed to see it.

  Keeping her gaze fixed on the coiled snake, she backed toward the door and threw it open. “Barry!” A faint sound of music came from downstairs. Could he hear her? She shouted his name again, then heard steps pound up the stairs.

  “What’s wrong, sugar?” he asked when he reached the top of the stairs.

  She sagged into his arms as terror finally seized her. “A snake,” she gasped. “In my bed. It bit me!”

  He guided her to a chair just inside her bedroom door, then stepped toward the bed. She saw him recoil and knew the news wasn’t good. “It’s a coral snake, isn’t it?” she whispered, her limbs growing icy.

  “I’m afraid so. Show me the bite.”

  She extended her leg and pointed to her little toe. “Right there. Should we cut it and suck out the venom?” She shuddered at the thought.

  His strong fingers supported her ankle, and he peered at her toe. “No, that’s not recommended anymore. It drives more venom into the tissues.” He frowned and looked at her foot again. “The bite isn’t obvious. You’re sure you were bitten?”

  “I felt it.”

  “Sometimes you can’t see puncture wounds. You need antivenom right away. I have some in the refrigerator.” He stepped to the top of the stairs. “Grady! I need you right now!”

  Alanna’s teeth began to chatter and shudders racked her body. “Am I going to die?” Her hand crept to her belly. She had to live so her baby could live.

  “No,” he said through gritted teeth. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  Grady bounded up the steps. “What’s wrong?”

  Barry pointed to the bed. “Get rid of that thing.” He stepped to the door. “Don’t move, Alanna. I’ll get the injection.” He exited the room and his feet pounded down the steps.

  Grady stared at the motionless snake. “Coral snakes are the shyest ones of all. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen one in the yard with all the work I do out there. How did it get clear up here? And into your bed?”

  Alanna hadn’t thought that through yet, but she remembered Barry saying they likely would never see a coral snake. How had it gotten up here? Patricia’s face flashed into her mind. Would she go that far to get rid of her?

  “I need a hoe or a shovel,” Grady said. “Don’t move.”

  She grabbed his hand. “Don’t leave me.” Her teeth chattered so hard she found it difficult to talk.

  “It’s just shock,” he told her. “The venom takes hours to affect a person. We need to put compression on the foot. I’ve got an elastic bandage in my room from a sprained ankle last month.”

  “The baby,” she whimpered. Her hand left his and cupped her belly.

  “Stay calm,” he said. He went across the hall, then returned a few moments later. Kneeling beside her, he wrapped the bandage around her ankle tightly. “It has to be really tight,” he said.

  Alanna had kept her eyes on the snake, which still hadn’t moved. Why wasn’t he killing the thing?

  Grady stood and went near the bed again. “I need a shovel or a hoe,” he said again. “And gloves.”

  “Can’t you just kill it?”

  He glanced back at her. “Don’t you get it, Alanna? Someone put that snake in your bed. It couldn’t have gotten up here by itself. It’s not the snake’s fault. I just want to take it back out to the woods.”

  She nodded. “You’re a good man, Grady. Just get it away from here. I don’t want to see it again.” She turned at the tread of Barry’s feet again.

  “I’ve only got one vial,” he said, coming into the room. “You’ll likely need more.”

  “You’d better get her to the hospital before you administer it anyway,” Grady said. “Allergic reactions a
re common. Life-threatening ones.”

  Alanna raised up on one elbow. “And what if it hurts the baby?”

  “You’ll be fine with some antivenom,” Barry said. “I can probably get some extra from a neighbor.”

  “I want to go to the hospital,” she said. “I want to talk to a doctor about this. Grady said symptoms wouldn’t show up for a while. We have time.”

  “Don’t you trust me, Alanna?” Barry asked.

  This was no time to spare his feelings. “You’re not a doctor. I need to find out the best treatment to protect the baby.”

  He touched her hair. “I’ll bring the car around. Let’s get you downstairs.” He lifted her in his arms and carried her toward the steps. “Get rid of that snake,” he barked over his shoulder at his brother.

  Huffing with the exertion, he reached the bottom of the steps and set her on a chair in the entry. “Wait here.” He rushed out the door.

  Patricia emerged from the hall. “What is going on?”

  Alanna studied the smooth skin, the carefully coiffed hair. Had this woman arranged for the snake in her bed? “A coral snake was in my bed. It bit me.”

  Patricia’s mouth gaped. “I find that hard to believe. It was most likely a king snake.”

  A strange calm had descended on Alanna, and her teeth quit chattering. “No, it was a coral,” she said. “Barry and Grady saw it too.” If Patricia wanted a fight, she could have it. “Why do you hate me?” she asked softly. “I’ve done nothing to you.”

  Patricia’s eyes narrowed, and her mouth grew pinched. “I’m not going to let you use my son.” Her contemptuous glare swept over Alanna. “Barry finally told me the truth. Palming off another man’s son onto him. It’s incredibly wicked.”

  “It was Barry’s idea,” Alanna said. “I wouldn’t trick him into anything.”

  Patricia opened her mouth, then closed it again when Barry came rushing back inside. “What can I do to help?” Her tone was disgustingly sweet.

  “Call ahead to the hospital and tell them I’m bringing in a pregnant woman who has been bitten by a coral snake.” He lifted Alanna in his arms and carried her out the door.