Mama thought he was the best thing since sliced bread. Lily thought he was a pain in the… Well, ladies didn’t talk that way. And despite her frequently grimy fingernails and dirt-smeared jeans, Lily Belle Smith had been raised to be a Southern lady. She got back at him by calling him Calvin, a name he detested.
“Give me that.” She held out a hand. “I finished the seedling house, but you can do the natives,” she offered grudgingly, referring to the greenhouse where they cultivated only native species, kept apart from the others to prevent accidental cross-breeding.
“Wake up, sunshine. While you were in here dreamin’, I already took care of them—and watered all the trees.” He refused to relinquish the nozzle, but his voice softened. “You got plenty of reason to be preoccupied, chère. I went by the hospital on my way, and I’m aware that your mama ain’t awake yet. I bet you didn’t eat breakfast, either, did you?”
She grabbed a second hose. “Who are you? My—” At that, her voice faltered. She turned away quickly.
He stopped her with a hand on one arm. “You got to be worried sick, sugar, but starvin’ yourself don’t do anybody a bit of good.” He abandoned his hold on her. “I brought you a couple of Lorena’s cinnamon rolls. Might not be the best nutrition, but they’ll go down easy. You head on inside, get yourself cleaned up and eat. I’ll finish here and drive you over when you’re done.”
“Why are you being so nice to me?” she challenged. “I don’t like you and you don’t like me.”
“Maybe not, but your mama gave me a chance when most people wouldn’t, and I mean to do right by her.” A half smile tilted the corners of his mouth. “Even if it includes dealing with her bossy daughter.”
“I am not—”
He held up a hand. “I’m not arguing with you this mornin’, chère. You’d like nothin’ better as a way to forget your worries, but your mama needs you, so just run along and do what you know is right.”
“What’s right is for me to watch over her nursery. She’d expect that.”
“She’d also expect that she hired people to help, and they should be doing exactly that. I’ll handle things today and however long I’m needed. You—” he pointed to the waterlogged trays beside her “—are too distracted.”
Her eyes rounded in horror, then filled with tears.
He touched her shoulder. “They’re mature enough that one day won’t kill them. Now, go on inside, and I’ll be there directly.”
For a second, the temptation to lean against him nearly overcame her. Just in time, she shrugged him off and headed for the door. As she clasped the handle, she turned. “I can get myself to the hospital.” Then she unbent. “But thank you for watching over things here. I’ll be back as soon as I can. There’s really nothing I can do to help her, but—”
“You never know, chère.” He shook his head, then turned to his work. “You never know. Get on now.”
For once, she had no ready retort waiting.
* * *
“GAMBLE?”
The touch on his arm jolted Gamble awake. “Wha—”
His sister’s blue-gray eyes were soft and sad. “I thought you left to get some sleep. Why did you return?” She glanced over at their mother’s bed. “The nurses said nothing had changed. Is there something they’re not telling me?”
“No. I just—” He scrubbed at his face, not nearly ready to talk about his activities during the night. He’d driven here after he’d left Jezebel. He dropped his elbows onto his thighs and let his head hang, clearing his throat. “I wanted to be with her.” He lifted his gaze to hers. “I haven’t been around when she needed me.”
Lily stroked his hair. “She understood why you left.” Then she smiled. “She’s thrilled about your success.”
Gamble shrugged. “So people keep saying.” He rose to pace. “I hate being here, Lily. What kind of jerk does that make me? Everything I loved was once in this town, and now I can’t wait to leave.” He saw her face crumple and realized what he’d said. “I’m sorry, Lily B. Of course there are still people I love here—you and Mom and Levi. And Noah’s not that far. It’s only that—” He stared out the window. “Everywhere I look, I see Charlotte. And being in a hospital again—”
“Mama wouldn’t want you to be this miserable, Gamble.”
He whirled. “She kept me alive all those months.” He ground his teeth. “She never gave up on me. If you expect me to walk out on her simply because it’s hard to be here—”
“When’s the last time you had anything to eat?”
“What?” Images of onion rings and a hamburger led to inescapable images of Jezebel laid out on that same table as he’d bared her lush curves—
Gamble swore beneath his breath. Put his hands on his hips and squeezed his eyes to wring out the sight of her. Jezebel was an aberration, the night one he rued in the daylight. How in the hell, when his mother was lying here, helpless and alone and maybe dying, could he have—
“Gamble?”
“What?” he snapped.
Lily recoiled. “I only asked if you wanted to get some breakfast.”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “No.” Then he noted the hurt on her face. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I should eat something.”
“I read that bears emerging from hibernation are at their most dangerous,” she teased, back to her normal sunny nature. “Come on, grouchy. Let’s get that belly full of something nice.”
“You won’t be finding that in the cafeteria.”
“We’re not going to the cafeteria.”
“I should catch Mom’s doctor when he makes rounds.”
“It’s only six a.m., Gamble. He’s not even out of bed yet.” She smiled, showing the dimples that had been a cheerleader’s pride and joy. “But we’ll leave a cell number with the nursing station. Lorena’s is only two blocks away.”
Lorena’s Café, where the biscuits could make a grown man weep. Suddenly, Gamble’s stomach caught up with the game plan, rumbling to voice its opinion. He turned to his baby sister and saw her as the woman she’d become. “When did you get so relentless? You used to be just cute.”
Her eyes sparked. “I was always relentless. Any girl with three big brothers has no choice.” She dimpled again. “Cute is how a little sister gets things done.”
Gamble found himself chuckling for the second time in twenty-four hours, though the women who’d provoked the laughter couldn’t have been more diverse.
But he didn’t want to think about Jezebel Hart anymore, so he grabbed his sister in a headlock and relished her squeal. “And this is how big brothers fight back.”
A short scuffle ensued, as Lily sought to use her ultimate weapon: Gamble’s ticklishness. He released the headlock and tried to dodge, but she was stuck on him like a tick, and those demonic fingers were everywhere. Short of really throwing his size against her, he was helpless, and Marian Smith had taught her boys one cardinal rule: a man never takes advantage of a woman by virtue of being larger.
But his only other defense was to run from a girl he outweighed by a good eighty pounds, and a man had his pride.
Then inspiration hit. “Oh, no. Lily—check out your truck.”
She hesitated just long enough for him to sweep her up and throw her over his shoulder.
“You creep!” Lily shrieked, and pummeled his back with her fists while Gamble laughed, belly-deep.
“What in blazes are you two doing? I swear I could hear you at the clinic.”
Gamble faced Levi, as Lily struggled to right herself.
But both Levi and Noah, who was standing beside him, were grinning.
Finally, Gamble released Lily, who shoved an elbow into his belly. She shook her brown hair out of her eyes and huffed, “I was going to treat this big baboon to breakfast at Lorena’s, but I’ve changed my mind.”
Gamble sobered. “We should go back inside.”
Noah’s gaze flicked to the hospital entrance. “I just called a few minutes ago. They said Mo
m’s condition hasn’t changed.”
“Yes, but—”
“Gamble was sleeping in the chair beside her bed,” Lily interrupted. “He needs to get away for a few minutes.”
Gamble wasn’t so certain. “I’ll just go—”
“To breakfast with us,” Levi said, and grabbed his arm. “Great idea, squirt.”
Gamble gave one more glance back at the building.
“You’re here, Gamble,” Levi said quietly. “That’s all she wanted. She’s going to wake up, and she’ll need help. None of us will be much good if we don’t pace ourselves. You know she’d say the same thing.”
Gamble paused, then exhaled. “You’re right.”
“Then it’s settled.” Noah grinned. “Lily’s buying us all breakfast.” He slung an arm around her neck.
“Guess again, fat cat. You’re the one with the hot car. You pay.”
“You’re the one who was brawling in the parking lot in front of God and everybody.”
“You are the most obnoxious—”
Gamble and Levi exchanged grins as the traditional bickering of their younger siblings heated up once more.
“Five dollars Lily wins,” Levi observed.
“Sucker bet,” Gamble answered. “He hasn’t won an argument with her since she was ten, but okay.” They shook hands. “Someone’s got to prop up his ego.”
* * *
AFTER A LOT of catching up and trading insults over coffee, they bent to the task of cleaning their plates once the food was delivered. Gamble couldn’t remember enjoying a meal this much in years.
Suddenly, around the table, silence fell, and Gamble noticed them exchanging glances and braced himself.
Levi cleared his throat. “Would you two give us a minute?”
Lily glared, and Noah appeared relieved, already beginning to rise.
“Keep your seat,” Gamble said. Then to Levi, “This is about the cottage, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m not sure if I’m ready to sell it.”
Levi exhaled sharply. “It’s a good offer, Gamble. I promised the buyer an answer.”
“What business do you have making promises about my house? And how can you say the offer’s good when I never gave you a price?”
“Whoa, buddy,” Noah cautioned. “You’re out of line.”
“It’s my place. My sweat and blood that went into it. My decision and mine alone what to do with it and—”
“You ever plan to live there again?” Noah challenged.
“What concern is it of yours?” Gamble’s gaze swung around to each of them. “Any of you? If I get it in my head to let it rot to the ground, it’s my own damn decision.”
“Gamble.” Lily placed one calming hand on his arm. “Levi’s the one who’s been watching over it more than any of us. You’re not being fair.”
She was right, but it didn’t seem to matter. He shook her off and put his palms on the table’s edge, prepared to depart. “I didn’t ask anyone to do that.”
“Sit down.” Lily’s voice could have been their mother’s then, quiet but resolute. She caught his gaze and wouldn’t let go. “It’s a miserable topic, especially now, but that house deserves to be loved, Gamble. You put your heart and soul into it, and I don’t believe you really want to see it crumble. God knows we all understand why you might never feel able to live there again, but you made it a piece of heaven, and Levi has someone who appreciates that. Who loves it precisely because she sees in it what you put there, board by board.”
Gamble’s anger deflated with Lily’s words. His shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry. Noah’s right—I was out of line.”
Levi studied Gamble. “Sometimes I swear I’d sell my soul to love someone the way you loved Charlotte.” He clapped Gamble on the shoulder. “Other times, I’m grateful as hell I don’t. If you aren’t ready to sell, fine, but if you don’t plan to ever live here again, Lily’s right—it’s too great a place to just sit and rot. And Three Pines is hardly a hot spot for real estate. I can’t imagine when you’d get a better offer.”
“Part of me can’t stand to ever set foot in it again. Another part can’t forget—” Gamble rubbed his forehead, all at once as weary as he’d been in the middle of the night. “I don’t know what I want to do, but give me the details and I’ll think about it. Who’s the buyer?”
“Her name is Jezebel Hart. She’s managing Skeeter’s Bar, but she says she’s got savings enough for a down payment, and…”
His brother went on, but nothing penetrated the dull echo in Gamble’s head.
Jezebel Hart. Dear God. Last night’s mistake wasn’t over after all. He’d thought when he left in the wee hours that he’d never see her again, that the insanity would remain safely buried because he’d soon be leaving and—
“Gamble?”
He finally noticed that all three of his siblings were eyeing him. “What?” He blinked. “I’m sorry. I—” He glanced away, then back. “No.”
Levi frowned at him. “What do you mean, no? It’s a fair price. You can’t expect to do any better if you put it on the market—that is, if there were a real estate market in Three Pines—”
“No,” he interrupted. “I’m not selling Charlotte’s house to some floozy cocktail waitress.” Even as he said the words, he winced inwardly, but only for a second. Selling Charlotte’s house to a woman who just last night had fallen into bed with a perfect stranger was out of the question.
“She’s not a waitress, not that it matters. Haven’t you been listening to me? She’s single-handedly saved Skeeter’s bacon, and she’s done some nice things for a number of people. She organized the—”
“I don’t care.” Gamble rose. “Tell her no.”
Levi, too, stood. “Do it your own damn self. You explain why her money’s not good enough.” He was always slower to anger than Gamble, but when he finally got mad, it was not a sight for the faint of heart. “You’ve always been too saintly to darken Skeeter’s door, but I’m sure you know the way.” He threw down his napkin. “Or better yet, I’ll drive you there myself and drop your haughty New York ass in the dirt.”
“Would you two sit down?” Lily hissed. “People are staring. Maybe you don’t care, but consider Mama.”
The thought of embarrassing their mother drained the hot air out of them faster than anything else could. Gamble sat down with a sigh.
Levi didn’t. “I’m done. I’ve got to open the clinic. I’ll stop by the hospital later.” He left without a backward look.
Gamble passed one hand over his face and cursed. “I can’t explain.” It was only partly a lie. His insides were a nasty mess of guilt and rage. “I’ll square it with him somehow, but I can’t…I’m not ready—”
“You don’t have to decide just yet,” Lily soothed. “Give it a few days.”
Noah spoke up. “I met Jezebel, Gamble. Last time I was here. Don’t assume too much from her name or what she does for a living.”
Vivid images of that voluptuous body entwined with his made Gamble snort, even though the night was every bit as much his doing as hers.
“Go with me out there this evening, just to grab a beer. You can take her measure.”
I already have, bro. I can still feel her hips in my hands, her thighs locked around—
He cleared his throat. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not? It isn’t like you to be so close-minded, Gamble,” Lily said. “Want me to come along?”
“No!” He was horrified at the mere idea.
“Mom says she’s got a good heart. When she first came to town, people didn’t know what to make of her, but she’s generous with her time and—”
And her body. A sneer was building, but just then, a memory of her stroking his hair as he laid his head on her bosom intervened. The sense of comfort, of peace. He leaped to his feet. “I don’t want to talk about it. I—”
“Hey, Gamble,” said a voice from beside him.
He spotted Chappy Martinez and
went very still.
“I was going to offer you a ride home last night from Skeeter’s, but you and Jezebel seemed to have some business between you—”
That did it. Gamble turned from the gazes of his very interested siblings, threw some money on the table—
And stalked out the door.
CHAPTER SIX
GAMBLE HADN’T BOTHERED asking Noah if he wanted his car back. Sometime today, he’d go to his mom’s nursery and see if that old truck of his dad’s was still around; if not, he’d get someone to drive him to Tyler, where he’d rent a vehicle.
But for now, he needed to be alone.
And he had to face Charlotte’s cottage.
Hell. He slapped his palm against the steering wheel. Jezebel Hart thinks she deserves Charlotte’s house.
Of all the nerve—
An acid taste in the back of his throat was the perfect accompaniment to the tumult in his brain. He was furious. Outraged. Gut-sick with shame. He’d spent last night sitting in a third-rate bar, raking his gaze over that woman’s flagrant curves, getting aroused by the thought of touching her, when Charlotte was dead in the ground and his baby with her. He’d never be able to touch his child’s face or bury his nose in Charlotte’s hair again. Never hold her close and protect her from—
Gravel sprayed, and the car spun as the tires lost purchase. For one tempting second, Gamble considered letting go. Allowing the embankment ahead—
He took control and skidded to a stop. His heart thudded as adrenaline rocketed through his blood.
He stared out the windshield and wondered why he’d stopped. Wasn’t this what he’d wanted—to join Charlotte in that paradise she believed was waiting for them both?
He let his forehead fall onto the steering wheel and squeezed his eyes shut.
Paradise was out of his reach, had been ever since the day he’d railed at the sweet, frail woman who so fervently longed to bear his child. If there was such a place as heaven, she and the baby were surely there, since no one on earth had a purer heart.
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