Second Chance Temptation

by Elizabeth Lennox

  Eve laughed. “Your mother is amazing. But she doesn’t sound good.”

  Cynthia closed her eyes as worry almost overwhelmed her. “You heard it too?’

  “Oh yeah. Hard to miss since she can barely finish a sentence without a coughing fit.”

  With that news, Cynthia made a decision.

  “I hate to ask but…”

  Eve inhaled sharply at her best friend’s words. “Don’t you dare! You know your mother is almost as important to me as she is to you. I’m packing now and will be there by tomorrow!”

  Cynthia sniffed, leaning against the wall. “Thank you!” she whispered with heartfelt appreciation.

  “Cyn, I know you’re worried about your mom. So get packed. Don’t worry about anything. I’ve spent many a summer working at your place so I know the ins and outs of The Bull Frog. I can handle everything for as long as you need. I have my equipment and can work from anywhere. Just take care of Aunt Mona, okay?”

  “Thanks, Eve,” Cynthia said with heartfelt emotions choking her.

  With that decision made, she packed. As she grabbed jeans and shirts, stuffing them into her bag, her hand fluttered over her still-flat stomach. She was pregnant! Wow! This was going to change her whole life!

  The doorbell rang and she looked around, startled to realize that it was mid-afternoon. Ryan! He’d be coming by to pick her up for dinner tonight! They were…well, they’d probably stay in, she thought. It happened too often. Until now, she’d preferred dining in instead of going out to eat. Ryan loved to cook and Cynthia loved…well, she loved spending time with Ryan, even if it was in bed instead of going out. Not that they made it to the bed every time. She glanced over at the table and then the wall where…and the sofa. As soon as they touched, Cynthia was wild for him, needing his touch and his lovemaking with an intensity that scared her.

  When he left the next time, it would be harder than in high school. Harder and…well, devastating. She didn’t want to think about that. If she thought about Ryan going off to another job, she’d just…she’d break down and she simply didn’t have time for that right now. Her mother was sick and she had a baby on the way.

  A baby!

  The doorbell rang again and she pushed the thought aside. She turned, ready to rush down the stairway to answer the door but paused and turned, glancing behind her. The pregnancy test box was still there, sitting in the middle of the hallway. She rushed over and grabbed it, stuffing it into the garbage.

  Focus on Mom, she told herself as she made her way down the stairs. Sure enough, Ryan stood outside the back door. She saw only his profile as he looked out at the woods. Goodness, he was so handsome he took her breath away! So rugged and strong and…invincible!

  Did he want kids? Since they never brought up the future, discussing children hadn’t even occurred to her. A baby. The thought wasn’t nearly as scary as it had been an hour ago.

  Okay, that was a lie.

  Ryan turned, seeing her through the doorway and her stomach muscles tightened with the look he gave her. The smile, the change in the way he stood told her what he was thinking about.

  An hour ago, she would have smiled right back and invited him inside. But now…her hand drifted slightly toward her stomach.

  Pulling open the door, she spoke before he could pull her into his arms and make her weak. She had to be strong right now. Her mother needed her and…well, Cynthia needed time to come to terms with the realization that she was pregnant. Six weeks pregnant!

  “I just spoke to my mom and I have to fly to Florida.”

  Ryan froze, his hands resting on her waist as if he were about to pull her close. “Your mother?”

  “Yes. I just got off the phone with her. She’s coughing badly. My friend Eve said the same thing. Eve is coming here to take care of the bar, but I have to hurry. I have to…”

  “Go get packed,” he ordered. “I’ll drive you to the airport.”

  Cynthia hadn’t expected support from him. She’d anticipated an argument. She had to shake her head slightly to catch up.

  “I haven’t booked a flight yet. I don’t know…”

  “Go pack,” he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll take care of the flight.”

  She blinked, surprised. That boded well, right? He wasn’t afraid of…well, was Ryan afraid of anything? She doubted it. He was so strong.

  “Hurry, honey,” he ordered, touching the small of her back as he flipped through the flight options. “There’s a flight in two hours. If you get your stuff packed in the next few minutes, I can get you to the airport with enough time to check in and you can grab something to eat before your flight boards.”

  Grateful tears sprang to her eyes. Blinking frantically, she lifted up on her toes, intending to kiss his cheek. But he anticipated her move and shifted, kissing her lips and lingering for a moment.

  “You taste so good,” he growled. But then pulled back, shaking his head. “No time. Go!” and he pushed her gently towards the stairway. “I’ll call Annie and make sure she can be here Wednesday to help your friend. If you think of anything else, just text me or call me and I’ll take care of it.”

  Cynthia turned, running up the stairs as that silly L-word floated into her head. She wasn’t in love with Ryan. This was just a fling. A way to finish what they’d started so many years ago with a more satisfying ending.

  Those last three words weren’t helping, she thought, thinking of Ryan’s broad shoulders and how much she could really get used to relying on them for support. And a whole lot of other things, she thought, pulling the zipper closed on her suitcase.

  “I’m ready,” she announced, closing the suitcase.

  Ryan stepped into her bedroom and took it from her, lifting it as easily if it were empty. “Grab your purse, and we’ll get on the road. I’ll let Mack know what’s going on.”

  Cynthia didn’t understand why he needed to check in with the sheriff, other than the fact that they were both law enforcement officers. But in different jurisdictions, so what…?

  She didn’t have time to figure that out. Rushing out the back door, she jumped into the passenger seat while he effortlessly stowed her heavy suitcase into the back. A moment later, they were off.

  She texted her mother her flight information and tried to convince Ryan to let her repay him for the plane ticket. He shot her a look that caused her to laugh. Every few minutes, she thought about something she needed to text to Annie or Eve, about orders or the accounting, the cases of beer that were scheduled to be delivered or the new wine she’d wanted to try and had ordered, but…there were so many details, her mind was spinning.

  “Here you go,” Ryan said, pulling up outside of the airport departures door.

  He stepped out and took her bag from the trunk, setting it onto the ground. Cynthia was concerned about checking in and making it to her flight on time, but Ryan stopped her with a touch. A moment later, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. It wasn’t a light kiss either. It was one of those mind-boggling, earth shaking, knee trembling kisses that left her breathless.

  The whistle from the airport security officer startled her and she jerked backwards. “You need to hurry,” he said, a smug look to his handsome features.

  Darn him! He knew exactly what he did to her! He knew that she wanted to throw herself right back into his arms and beg for more!

  Instead, she turned and headed into the airport, hurrying through check in and running the last few yards to her flight. The rest of the passengers had already settled into their seats when she boarded the plane and she slumped into her seat, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do now.

  Ryan was…he was…amazing. But he’d grow bored with his job and she’d be left behind with a baby.

  Yeah, Cynthia was fully aware of the limitations of her relationship with Ryan. Even so, it was painful to keep her emotions out of the relationship. Especially when he was so sweet and supportive. He hadn’t hesitated to help her when she’d told him she
needed to see her mother. He’d simply sprung into action. No questions asked.

  Staring blankly at the seat in front of her, she wondered what was really going on with her mother. And Eve. Why was Eve so eager to come out and run The Bull Frog? Was Eve okay?

  Or was she making up problems so that she didn’t have to think about her own problem? Cynthia stroked her stomach. A baby. The idea still hadn’t sunk into her brain. A baby. What would that mean? If she was six weeks pregnant now…she’d have the baby in late summer? Early October?

  Leaning back against the seat, she closed her eyes and pushed the questions from her mind. She was tired and achy and…she wanted to feel Ryan’s arms around her again. She loved the power in his arms, in his body, and the gentle way he held her at night. It was as if he worried that he might hurt her.

  He wouldn’t, she thought with a smile. He’d never hurt her. At least, not physically. The man was a gentle giant and so sweetly considerate that it made her heart ache at times. Oh, and the times he wasn’t considerate…like when he was in bed and torturing her body with desire…she shivered and wanted to curl into a ball because her body screamed to feel that again.

  After she told him about the baby, would he…would he run away? Would he vanish and never see her again?

  Her eyes popped open with that question. Of course Ryan wouldn’t abandon her. He wasn’t that kind of a man! He was good and kind, responsible and…

  She sighed and closed her eyes again, willing her mind to shut down. She needed to relax and figure things out rationally. Her mental arguments weren’t rational.

  Hours later, the plane touched down in Miami, Florida and she hurried through the airport. Grabbing her suitcase, she nodded to the taxi stand guy who immediately lifted his arm, bringing the next available cab to the curb. Jumping into the backseat, she gave the driver her mother’s address, then watched as the landscape zipped by. Florida was so different from Colorado. Even the smells were different. The feel of the air was steamy, almost wet and the smell…she sniffed and smiled at the slight tang of ocean breeze…mixed with car exhaust.

  Hmmm…car exhaust. Not good for the baby, she told herself.

  Thankfully, the taxi pulled up to her mother’s small house before Cynthia could start to worry about the baby. She paid the cab driver and walked into her mom’s house, startled by what she found.

  The normally tidy house was an absolute mess! Her initial thought was that someone had broken in and ransacked the house, but when she peered over the small family room, she spotted her mother lying on the sofa, a blanket wrapped around her. She was shivering and sweating, and far too pale.

  “Mom?” Cynthia cried, dumping her bags as she rushed over to her mother’s side. Feeling her forehead, Cynthia shook her head, she was burning up. “Mom, we’re going to the hospital,” she helped her mother sit up and wondered if it might be better to call an ambulance.

  “I’m fine,” Mona replied, but then started coughing. Cynthia could see that it hurt when her mother coughed.

  “We’re going. Come on. You can either let me help you to the car, or I’m calling the paramedics,” she said firmly. “Your choice, Mom.”

  “I don’t need any…” she couldn’t finish the sentence because she started coughing again. Cynthia wished that Ryan were here. He could simply lift her mother up into his arms and carry her to the car.

  “We’re going,” Cynthia helped her off of the sofa.

  “Really, dear, I’m fine,” but she didn’t sound convincing as she moaned in pain.

  “Right. Let’s go,” and she helped her mother walk through the kitchen and out to the garage. Her mother’s small SUV was parked askew, more evidence that her mother was worse off than she’d admitted.

  She settled her mother into the vehicle, and rushed back into the kitchen to grab her mother’s keys. As soon as she pulled up outside of the entrance to the emergency room and started to help her mother out of the car, a nurse appeared with a wheelchair, ready to help. “Someone is having a rough day,” the nurse commented, smiling sympathetically and Cynthia’s heart melted for the woman’s compassion and strength.

  Cynthia parked and, by the time she was back inside, her mother had already been hooked up to an IV and the doctor was examining her.

  “Good thing you brought her in,” the doctor said, writing something down on the chart. “She has pneumonia. I need to get her down for an x-ray to confirm, but I suspect that she also has a few cracked ribs from coughing. It could just be muscle strain, but from the way she’s holding her abdomen, I think it’s the ribs.” She wrote down several more notes, and glanced at Cynthia. “How long has she been like this?”

  Cynthia rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know. I spoke to her on the phone last week and she was fine. Then when I called her this morning, she sounded horrible so I jumped on a flight.”

  The doctor nodded. “Good thing you did. From the sound of things, she has some fluid in her lungs.” She wrote a few more words. “I’m putting her on some medicine that will help her breathe and ease the strain on her lungs. We’ll run a few more tests to see what else is going on.”

  Cynthia looked at her mother who had always been strong and capable. Mona appeared small and fragile with an IV in her arm and an oxygen mask over her face. She looked so pale and worn out.

  “Let’s get her down for those x-rays.” The doctor handed the chart to the nurse. Immediately, two orderlies came and prepared her mother’s bed to be rolled away.

  Cynthia’s cell phone rang. “Hello?”

  “You okay? You didn’t text me that you’d arrived. Your plane landed over two hours ago.”

  Ryan! Oh, just hearing his voice made her feel a bit better!

  “I’m sorry,” she said, watching worriedly as the nurse attached a new IV bag to her mother’s bed before they rolled it down the hallway. “I’m at the hospital with my mom. She has pneumonia and the doctor is running some other tests. She might have a few broken ribs from coughing and they don’t know what else.”

  There was a pause, then Ryan said, “I’m so sorry, Cyn. I can be there for you in a couple of hours. Just let me…”

  “No!” Cynthia yelped, her hand fluttering to her stomach. She realized how harsh that sounded and closed her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t mean to snap. Just…let me figure out what’s going on with my mom right now and I’ll call. Okay?”

  “Okay, but let me know if you need anything.”

  “Can you watch out for my friend? Eve is coming to help out at The Bull Frog. She’s worked there before so she knows what to do. She’ll also stay at my place.” She thought about Eve and how the men seemed to flock to her. “Just…watch out for her, okay? Don’t let anyone hurt her?”

  “I’m on it,” he assured her. “Call me when you know more, okay?”

  “I will,” she promised.

  Chapter 14

  Three days later, Cynthia woke to the feeling of someone stroking her hair. Jerking awake, Cynthia looked up to find her mother awake. “Mom!” she gasped, sitting up abruptly, then wincing when the pain in her neck and her back made itself known. Three nights of sleeping in a chair next to her mother’s hospital bed wasn’t good for one’s muscles and joints.

  “How long have I been out?” Mona asked softly.

  Cynthia eyed her mother’s features carefully. There was more color to her lips and cheeks now, and her eyes didn’t look like she was in pain.

  “A while,” she told her mother. “Too long.” She lifted her mother’s hand to her cheek. “Don’t do that again, Mom. I can’t lose you!”

  Her mother smiled weakly. “I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t think I was that sick.”

  “You still are sick, Mom. And you have three broken ribs, which they’ve bound but that’s probably making it harder for you to breathe.”

  “Oh. So that’s why it hurt so much to cough,” she teased.

  They talked for several minutes but the nurse came in and smiled. “Som
eone must be feeling better,” she observed, her eyes moving over the monitors. “Your blood oxygen levels are better.”

  Mona tried to sit up, but the pain in her chest made that impossible. The doctor arrived a half hour later and explained what was going on, the medical treatments she would need over the next few days, and how long it would take to recover. Cynthia mentally noted everything, trying to remember it all so she could nurse her mother back to health.

  Chapter 15

  Ryan pounded the nail into the board. Then another. And another. Frustration was gnawing at him and he wasn’t sure how to handle it.

  “I think the board is attached,” a voice came from behind him.

  Ryan swung around, ready to take on anyone who might even slightly piss him off. He hadn’t spoken to Cynthia in over a week. He knew that she was worried about her mom, but a text would be nice. Anything that might give him a head’s up that Cynthia hadn’t died.

  Relaxing his hold on the hammer, he carefully lowered it to the new floor. “What do you want?” he asked Mack.

  “I came by to help. In fact, I brought more muscle.” At that moment, Mack’s two brothers stepped up onto the wood porch that Ryan had finished around midnight.

  “Looks amazing,” Brant praised, glancing admiringly at the new walls and floors that Ryan had done over the past several weeks.

  Reid, the oldest of the Jones brothers, nodded his head as well. “You’ve done some amazing work here. When we were here a while ago, this was just a broken shell of a house.”

  Ryan looked around, mentally noting various tasks he needed to get done. There was progress, but still a lot more to do. “I know. I’ve been basically camping out here. Thanks for helping me get the new walls built before that big snowfall last week.”

  “It was a great time,” Brant said, buckling his tool belt around his waist. “What do you want us to work on today?”

  Ryan looked around, thought about telling the three that he didn’t need help. He wanted to be alone and pound nails out of frustration. But that was ridiculous and pointless. He needed to get this house finished before Cynthia came back. If she ever came back! Her being gone was starting to feel like the last time, when he’d come back from college for winter break and she’d gone off to avoid him.