by Allie Burton
Jay was taken for x-rays, MRI, and a billion other tests. He was moved from emergency to a private hospital room. Paul called his sisters telling them what happened.
“I’ll leave right now.” Keaton, who’d driven to Denver, sounded upset.
“No, it’s too late. I don’t want you driving the mountain passes at night.” His mind swept to accidents he’d worked in the past. “There’s nothing you can do for Jay, and I don’t want to worry about you, too.”
“Fine.” Her curt tone cut across the line. “I’ll leave first thing in the morning.”
Paul’s younger sister, Colby was harder to get in touch with because of her classes and college activities. He didn’t want to text her the news. When he told her, she seemed more stoic.
“I need to find a ride home.”
“Wait until this weekend. I don’t want you missing classes.” He understood how difficult it was to make up college work.
“I want to see Jay now.”
“No.” Paul put his proverbial foot down. “There’s no point sitting around the hospital doing nothing.”
Which was what he was doing. He positioned himself between two hard chairs, slouching on one and putting his feet up on the other, and camped out for the night. He refused to leave his brother’s side, wanting to be here when he woke up.
After a restless night of hearing Jay’s moans, and imagining Jay’s cries in nightmares, of nurses and technicians coming to check vitals and dispense medication, of the bright light from the hallway, and the beeping of machines, Paul woke up to the scent of fresh coffee.
Stretching his neck, he tried to get the kinks out. “Is that coffee for me?”
“Yes.”
His eyes flew open at the voice. Her voice.
His heart pitched and tapped out an uneven beat.
Vivi stood in his brother’s hospital room carrying two paper cups of coffee. She wore another coat this time, one made of elegant black suede with fake fur trimming the collar and cuffs. For someone who didn’t live in cold weather, she sure owned a lot of coats. Black slacks on long legs extended from beneath the coat. And she wore black heels even though snow was piled on the ground outside.
A foggy sheen surrounded his brain. Could he be dreaming? Her taunts had entered some of his nightmares.
She held out one of the cups to him and the strong coffee scent woke him up completely. He jerked to a sitting position. “What’re you doing here?”
Yes, he sounded hostile. If she hadn’t butted in his brother’s life, he and Jay never would’ve argued.
“I heard about Jay.” False sympathy scratched from her mouth.
Paul got to his feet tripping on the blanket that had fallen on the floor. Tugging down his crumpled sweatshirt, he tried to pull himself together. Anger flared, lighting a torch in his mouth. “So you flew from Florida to check on your new money-maker?”
Her red lips dropped into a frown. “I’m here because I care.” She stepped around him in a dance of avoidance.
“Right.” He didn’t believe words from her cheating and lying lips. He didn’t do one-night stands, and he certainly didn’t cheat. Rolling his shoulders, he tried to clear his head. This wasn’t about him and her. He grabbed her arm and yanked her away from his brother. “Jay doesn’t need you here reminding him of what he’s lost.”
Most likely his skiing career had ended before it had begun. He could now take the time to heal, go to college locally, and get a sensible job.
“Lost?” Her cheeks lost their rosy color. “I didn’t realize it was bad. Permanent damage?”
Paul wanted to lie so she’d go away, yet he didn’t want to jinx anything. “The doctors don’t know yet.”
Her blonde brows rose. She wanted to know more. Everything.
He crossed his arms. He wasn’t going to share the details. She wasn’t family. She didn’t need to know.
Setting the cups down, she tried to pry his arms apart. Her grasp burned into a raging forest fire. Her slender fingers had strength, but it was the heat causing him to drop his arms and take a step back.
“I’m trying to help.” Her tone coaxed, similar to the night she’d coaxed him into bed. She pushed a cup into his hand.
He slammed the cup down on the table, spilling some of the liquid. He refused to be coaxed or calmed. He knew how these greedy agents worked. They didn’t care about their clients. They cared about money. Probably the real reason she was here. Assess the damage, get Jay’s signature, cancel the contract.
“How? By lining up another client for his sponsors? By yanking his dream from under his feet? By un-signing him?” Warmth suffused his face, and he veered away.
He wasn’t proud of his outburst. He couldn’t help acting the asshole. After barely sleeping, emotions churned through him. Fear, guilt, worry. And now, she showed up rubbing what Jay lost in his face. Rubbing what Paul lost in his face.
“Un-signing him would make you happy.” She grabbed his arm again and spun him around.
Her scent reminded him of how close their bodies had once been. Only once. He probably smelled terrible. The thought made him grumpier.
Her sharp-emerald gaze slashed. “I wouldn’t discuss un-signing Jay when I don’t even know his diagnosis. I wouldn’t be so cruel.”
* * *
Vivienne clutched the paper cup in her hand, afraid she’d squeeze too tight and the entire cup would collapse splashing coffee on her new black coat. Her other hand choked Paul’s arm. Fury roared through her veins at this man’s accusations.
She’d traveled all night to get here. After flying commercial Miami to Denver, she’d chartered a private plane to get to Castle Ridge, not waiting to drive Holy Smokes Road and not wanting to waste time. She’d spent her own money, and this is how she was treated.
Sure, in the past her client’s ability to perform was at the top of her mind. Jay was only a kid. His future was in front of him. She’d worried about him, and his frustrating older brother, the entire time traveling. Fury ebbed into a tangled web of irritation. She released Paul’s arm and rubbed her palm down the side of her pants trying to release tension.
She didn’t want Paul to be by his brother’s side alone. She’d been there at another bedside alone. And instead of being grateful, he’d shouted insults and accusations. She’d stuck by Luke Logan when he’d been injured. He’d come back to ski and to profitable sponsorship contracts for a short while. And even though he wasn’t skiing anymore, she represented him in a few deals. They were friends.
Of course, Jay didn’t have a winning reputation. He hadn’t even started his career. She’d have to consider whether he could recover and how long his recovery would take before deciding whether to cut him out. So maybe she was heartless and cruel.
The thought didn’t sit well, souring in her belly.
Leading her to the other side of the room, Paul leaned toward her in a threatening manner. His wrinkled sweats and sweatshirt telling her he’d had a sleepless night. “I want Jay to walk again. I don’t care about skiing.”
“Jay does.” She tilted toward the older brother, refusing to be cowed. “And right now, he needs hope to get through whatever is headed his way. Surgeries. Rehabilitation. Pain.”
Even though she whispered her angered retort, Paul flinched.
She refused to stop her verbal punishment no matter how hard he was hurting. “Jay will need a goal and skiing professionally will motivate him to work hard and get better. When he’s fine, he can decide what he wants to do with his life. Not you.”
She poked Paul’s chest with her finger. The nerve endings ignited remembering another time she’d fondled him there. There, and everywhere. Her body steamed. Sexual tension and angry tension strangled together, cutting off her air.
He raised his hand and mimicked her poking action above breasts aching for his touch. “Not you, either.”
They stared at each other. Imitating a competition or an old western stand-off. Neither wanting to back down. She l
icked her suddenly dry lips, and his gaze shifted to her mouth. Her insides lit up and sexual tingles danced across her skin.
The door burst open and two young women tumbled into the room. Both had blonde hair and worried expressions.
“How’s Jay doing?” The first woman hurried straight for the hospital bed. Her red-rimmed eyes proved she’d been crying.
The second halted and contemplated Paul and her. They quickly stepped further apart but not before the woman noticed.
“What is going on here?” This woman’s eyes were red and widened in surprise.
Vivienne’s lungs seared. She jerked away and paced toward the far wall. She didn’t know what was going on. It had felt so wrong and so right. She brushed away the inappropriate thoughts. A hospital room was not the place to pick up where she and Paul had left off months ago.
“Who’s this?” The one who’d noticed their close position asked. She scanned Vivienne from head to foot. “I like your coat. It’s from Mark Levington’s latest collection.”
“Um, thanks.”
Four months ago, Paul had told her he didn’t have a girlfriend. If this was his lover she didn’t seem concerned about their closeness, only curious.
The woman’s clothes bordered on fashionably ostentatious, trying to make a design statement. From Vivienne’s experience, most people in this town tended toward casual and comfortable. Look at Paul.
His sweat pants and shirt were wrinkled. His disheveled hair hadn’t seen a comb. And his five-o’clock shadow had grown to a ten-on-the-next-morning length. Her fingers itched to rub her palm against the rough stubble.
Holding back the instant spurt of envy, and not because of the woman’s clothes, Vivienne held out her hand. It had been months since she and Paul had been together. He had every right to be dating someone even if she hadn’t. “I’m Vivienne Tucker.”
“Oh, Jay’s agent.” The woman glanced at the hospital bed, her eyes pooling with tears. She held out both arms and pulled Vivienne into an awkward embrace. “We Bradfords don’t stand on ceremony. The way Jay talks about you, you’re practically family.” Her voice cracked.
The envy waterfalled into a green river in her bloodstream. The woman spoke as if she was part of their family and was upset about Jay’s accident. When was the last time she’d been considered part of a family?
Not since she was eight. She hadn’t believed she’d missed it, and yet seeing how close Paul and his brother were, the flowing of her blood slowed into a sad pace.
So Jay talked about her. What about his older brother? “How long have you and Paul been together?”
The woman jerked her head back and lifted her lips in a slow smile. A slow smile of satisfied-knowing. “Since my birth. I’m his sister, Keaton.”
“Oh.” The river inside Vivienne dried up with relief, even though she had no right to be jealous. She could admit to herself she was glad Paul wasn’t married. “Nice to meet you.”
Keaton winked, sliding her sly gaze between Vivienne and Paul. How had she not realized instantly that this was a sister?
The second woman whirled around from the bed, a younger version of the first. She hopped over to Vivienne and gave her another hug. “I’m Colby. Paul’s other sister.”
The sisters were friendlier than him.
He frowned. “Who shouldn’t have come home.”
Why wouldn’t he want the one sister there when their brother was severely injured? If Vivienne had a family, she’d spend lots of time with them. Or would her career keep her too busy?
Keaton waved a dismissive hand, she must know how to placate her big brother. “I was practically driving through Boulder on my way home from Denver. It didn’t make sense for Colby to wait and find a ride to Castle Ridge this weekend.”
“I wanted to see Jay.” The pout on Colby’s face would’ve made Vivienne cave.
She couldn’t imagine having to discipline these two women when they’d been younger. They acted as a team. She bet they had Paul wrapped around their fingers.
“You shouldn’t miss your university classes.” His stern words didn’t match the softness of his expression. “School is important.”
“You sound like Dad.” Colby fluffed her blonde hair and went to stand back by the bed as stiff as a sentry. “And I let my professors know why I would be gone.”
“Jay is important.” Keaton went and stood beside her sister in unity. “Aren’t you the one who always said, family first.”
A new concept for Vivienne. A concept she appreciated. To have someone always come to bat for you, to be by your side through thick and thin.
Obviously, the two sisters stuck together. Paul must’ve had many battles with them when they’d been younger. An emptiness yawned inside Vivienne. She’d always wanted sisters.
“Family is first.” Paul inserted himself between the two girls and put his arms around both of them. “There’s nothing you can do for Jay here. The doctors and nurses are doing everything they can.”
Was he talking to his sisters or to her?
She was left out of the hug and the closeness. Her own lonely island, separated by not having a close family and friends. Loneliness was an odd emotion for her. She was used to being alone, doing things on her own. It had never bothered her before.
The Bradfords were a family unit, and Paul was clearly the one in charge even if the siblings were adults. He held the family together. And by her signing Jay without Paul’s permission, the entire order of the siblings had been affected. The sweater she wore beneath the coat choked around her neck. She didn’t want to ruin what this family had. What she’d never had. If Jay skied professionally, she’d be taking him away from his family and his home.
But if she nullified Jay’s contract now, she’d be a cold-hearted bitch. And she didn’t want Paul thinking of her in that way. She didn’t want to examine the reasons why.
Chapter Six
Paul embraced his sisters letting the glow of their love flow through him. Even though Colby shouldn’t have left university, he was glad to see her. He missed her when she was gone. And even though Keaton lived at home she spent many nights at a friend’s place in Denver while she focused on her fashion design career. Lately, it had only been him and Jay, and things had been fractious.
Because of Vivienne.
Stiffening his shoulders, Paul faced her. He kept his voice firm. “I’m sorry you came all this way to see my brother. Jay is not able to converse right now.” He sounded raw thinking about the unknown extent of his brother’s injuries. “We’ll keep you informed once we know more.”
“You just got here?” Keaton, who’d noticed the tension between him and Vivi by the pointed question earlier, slipped from beneath his arm and took ahold of one of her hands. “You came from Florida to see Jay?”
Nodding, she regarded the hospital bed, her red lips frowning. Could she possibly care about Jay as a person?
“You can’t tell her to leave, Paul.” Keaton had always been the most sympathetic and observant. Tying the agent’s visit with his brother’s accident as if it had meaning, believing there was good in everyone. “Where are you staying?”
The flow of familial-love from earlier faded. He’d once believed there was good in everyone too.
Vivienne shrugged, looking anywhere except at him. “In my hurry to get here, I didn’t make reservations. I’ll book a room for tonight at Castle Ridge Lodge.”
“It’s Spring Break. You’ll never get a room there.” Colby had worked at the lodge part-time while in high school and on holidays and breaks so she would know.
Dammit. He knew where this was headed. Holding up his hand in a stop motion, he opened his mouth to speak.
Keaton shot him a narrowed, challenging glare. “You can stay with us.”
Her words jarred. He’d always emphasized the house belonged to the four of them, and his sister was going to take advantage of the fact now. Dread ripped through his midsection, leaving the inside churning. To have Vivi sleep
ing only a thin wall away? He might have to find someplace else to bunk for the night.
“I’m sure Miss Tucker doesn’t want to stay at our house.” Their house was nice and normal. It wasn’t a fancy hotel or a beachfront condo.
Her gaze went cold, before she placed a fake smile on her face. He’d seen a real one and this one couldn’t compare. “I couldn’t intrude on your family. I’m sure I can find somewhere.” Her frosty tone sent a glacier sliding down his spine. She understood he didn’t want her in his home.
“Not during Spring Break.” Colby shook her head. She might be innocent in Keaton’s plan, but she wasn’t helping his cause. “Everything within miles is completely booked usually months in advance. We’re a ski town, remember.”
Tiny lines tightened around Vivienne’s mouth. She obviously hadn’t thought ahead hurrying to see his brother. Maybe she did care.
“That’s settled.” Keaton’s lips twisted into a grin of satisfaction. “Where’s your luggage?”
“I left it by the nurse’s station.” Vivienne appeared caught up in the whirlwind of his sister causing him to hold in a laugh.
“Did you rent a car?”
“No.” She visibly shivered, probably remembering the time she’d driven Holy Smokes Road and discovered the accident. “I chartered a private plane from Denver.”
“Perfect.” Keaton slapped car keys into his hands. “Paul, you can drive Vivienne to our house.”
He reeled back. He didn’t want to drive her anywhere. He certainly didn’t want to drive her to his house. He couldn’t be in the small, contained space with this woman. “I can’t leave Jay.”
“Jay is sleeping. If he wakes up, we’ll call you.” Keaton pinched her nose with two fingers. “And you need a shower.”
Paul took a quick sniff. He probably did smell. He’d run to the hospital after his workout, spent the night on a chair. His breath probably stunk, too. His entire body baked adding to the stink. While arguing with Vivi he’d gotten awfully close.
“Thanks for that.” It didn’t matter how he smelled around the agent.
Colby stood on tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “We’re here to help. You don’t always have to do everything, Paul. We’re not kids anymore. Go home. Take a shower and get something to eat.”
