by Debra Webb
“Okay, Sherry,” Caroline said in her firmest doctor’s voice. “We’re almost there.” The baby’s head was out and Caroline wiped the little face and cleaned out the tiny nostrils as best she could with one of the hand towels. “Now, one more big push.”
Sherry grunted with the effort. “That’s good, keep going,” Caroline prompted.
Slowly at first, as the shoulders exited the birth canal, then in one quick move, the new baby boy entered this crazy world with a shrill cry.
“It’s a boy,” Caroline announced, tears sliding down her cheeks.
From somewhere behind her, another new mother handed Caroline a clean baby blanket from a diaper bag. Caroline quickly wrapped the squirming infant in the blanket and placed him on his mother’s chest. Caroline spread Sherry’s dress back down over her legs as best she could. The distant sound of sirens sent relief rushing through Caroline’s veins. She would feel a lot better when these two were on their way to the hospital.
“You did good, Caroline.”
Caroline looked around to find Chase crouched next to her. He passed her a clean, dampened hand towel so she could wash her hands. He smiled so sweetly that another surge of tears brimmed over her lashes.
“Thank you.”
He kissed her forehead. A gentle, sweet kiss. “Let me take you home,” he murmured.
She nodded. Chase helped her to her feet just as the paramedics burst through the door. Caroline waved her goodbye to the new parents and followed the man she had never stopped loving from the chapel.
~*~
Chase and Caroline sat in his Jeep for long minutes after parking in her driveway. They didn’t speak, they just sat there and allowed the silence to speak for them. There was too much to be said, yet neither could find the right words to begin. Chase didn’t have to utter the thoughts Caroline knew he was experiencing—the exact same emotions she was feeling.
Finally, when the tension grew to a smothering level, Chase slid from behind the wheel and rounded the hood to her side. He offered his hand and she accepted. The feel of his palm against hers sent a tingle through her. He held her hand as they moved toward the house. On the porch he paused long enough to open the door and allow her to enter first. He closed the door behind them and a new kind of silence settled over them.
Caroline lifted her gaze to his and the need she saw there made her weak with want. She wasn’t supposed to feel this way. She wasn’t supposed to still want him. She definitely wasn’t supposed to still love him.
But she did.
He moved toward her and her body swayed in his direction, every cell in her body anticipating his touch. There was no way to make it work, no way to live happily ever after as far as she could see.
Oh, but she so wanted to find a way. To put the past behind them and make a future together.
He slipped his arms around her waist and pressed his forehead to hers. “You’re something else, did you know that?”
She smiled, a little nervously. “I was just doing my job.”
He inhaled a deep breath, a sound of unmistakable male satisfaction. “You know how much I want you?”
She nodded.
“We need you here,” he murmured, his eyes relayed the sincerity of his words. “The town needs you and I need you.”
Was he asking her to stay? She closed her eyes and thought of all the times they’d shared, good and bad. She thought of all she’d wanted in her life, the things she’d grown to want after Chase. She just couldn’t make a decision like this right now. She was too vulnerable. The birth of a new life...the pledge of eternal love by two people fully committed to each other. The recent sell of her childhood home. It was all too much.
“I don’t know if I can stay.” She saw the instant change in his eyes, saw his guard go up.
He backed away. “I shouldn’t have...” He shook his head, already regretting his words.
“No.” She reached for him, entwining her fingers with his. “No matter what I decide, I appreciate your telling me that I’m still wanted.”
“I never stopped wanting you, but I—”
“Had to do what you had to do,” she finished for him. “I know.” She moistened her lips. “I wish I could say I don’t hold that decision against you, but a part of me does,” she admitted.
He nodded. “I can understand that.”
“Thank you.”
“I should be going, I guess.” He released her and started toward the door.
“Chase.”
He looked back, one hand already on the door preparing to open it. “Yeah.”
“Would you do me a favor?”
“Name it.”
“I have to meet Tristan and exchange cars on Saturday. Would you mind very much going with me? I really don’t want to do this alone.”
He smiled. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
“One more thing.” She halted his departure once more.
His gaze shifted back to her. “Yeah?”
She moistened her lips and moved closer. “Would you just...kiss me?” She shrugged, uncertain how to explain herself. He looked as uncertain as she felt. “I just want to be sure that what happened Sunday was real.”
He cupped her face in his big hands and pressed his lips to hers before she had a chance to blush at her own forward request. A feeling of rightness, of completeness enveloped her. His taste, his strength radiated through her, heightening her desire, drawing her even nearer.
The feel of his warm, muscular body beckoned to hers with a need that mounted with each passing second, with each sweep of his sensual lips.
“If I don’t go now,” he murmured against her lips. “I won’t be able to.”
She reached up and touched his face, stroked the line of his jaw. The day she’d turned fourteen she’d known she was in love with Chase. That silky black hair and those amazing blue eyes were just too much temptation. But it was the man behind the handsome face and awesome bod that had won her heart. The knowledge that this man had never changed, that he had not done the horrible thing she’d believed of him made her feel faint with relief. But so much had happened since that time, they were both different people now. Could they really be happy if they tried to go back? Would she be satisfied running this small town clinic?
Chase pressed one last kiss to her cheek and left while he still could.
Caroline closed the door and pressed her forehead to its painted surface. “What on earth are you going to do now, Caroline?”
The telephone rang.
She straightened away from the door. “Saved by the bell.” She crossed to the hall table and picked it up. “Hello.”
“Caroline.”
Julie. “Are you all right? Where are you?”
“I’m in Memphis at a hotel.”
“Honey, you’ve got to come home. Your parents are worried sick.”
“I called my mother.”
Caroline nodded. “Good.”
Silence.
“So, how are you?” The silence was telling.
“I’m pregnant.”
Caroline hesitated, considering what those two words meant besides the obvious. “That’s great,...isn’t it?”
“It’s not the groom’s baby,” she said, her voice strangely emotionless. “I told you we’d never...”
If it wasn’t Rob’s baby, then...“Who’s the father?”
“It’s the best man’s baby.”
Zac. “You and Zac?” Caroline was stunned. “How? I mean...” She certainly knew how, but why? “When did that happen?”
“I didn’t mean for it to happen.” She was crying now.
“Well, of course you didn’t. Just tell me what happened.”
“It was about a month ago. I just, well I just couldn’t take the uncertainties I was experiencing with Rob. It was driving me crazy. And Zac has always been so nice to meet. He knows Rob. I thought that maybe he could help me figure out what to do. There had to be some reason I didn’t feel anything sexual for Rob.”
“And things got out of control?” Caroline suggested.
“Yes.” She sniffed. “And after that I just couldn’t stop thinking about him. It only happened one other time, but I knew I couldn’t marry Rob when I felt that way about Zac. I didn’t know I was pregnant until this morning.”
Caroline rubbed her forehead. Boy, this was one sticky situation. “I think you should come home. Your parents want you home. You need them. You need your friends.”
“What about Rob and Zac?”
“Don’t worry,” Caroline assured her. “We’ll figure it all out.”
“Okay. I’ll be home in the morning. How am I going to break this to Rob?”
“Do you want me to talk to Chase?”
“That would be good. I called Zac and told him. He didn’t say much.”
Caroline could hear the disappointment in her voice. “He was probably shocked, Jules. And Rob is his best friend.”
“What a mess I’ve made.”
“Don’t worry,” Caroline promised. “We’ll figure this all out. Everything will be fine.” Caroline tried to remember the last time she’d promised the near impossible.
~*~
Chase stood in Caroline’s parlor, his jaw slack at the news she’d just relayed. “She’s sure?”
“She took a second test this afternoon just to be sure. She’s pregnant, Chase.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “This is going to cause a war, you know that, don’t you?”
“That’s why I want you to mediate.”
He stared at her in disbelief. “I don’t think I want to get in the middle of this.”
“Chase, you have to. Both men are your best friends.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s exactly why I should keep my two cents out of it.”
“Okay, then,” Caroline countered. “Do it because you’re the sheriff and you want to prevent bloodshed.”
She could be so logical at times. Too logical. “All right,” he relented. “I’ll do what I can to keep them from killing each other.”
One hour later Chase stood between his two best friends as they threatened each other’s lives.
“I can’t believe you did this, you—”
“Rob.” Chase fended off the blow he aimed at Zac. “We’ve been over this already. Zac and Julie didn’t mean for it to happen.”
“I can’t help how I feel, man,” Zac exclaimed, his face red with fury. “If you’d done right by her she wouldn’t have had to turn to me.”
“You son of a—”
“Enough.” Chase pushed them apart again. “Don’t make me haul you two in.”
Chase had selected the back room in the pool hall, neutral territory. Maybe he would have been better off to go down to the jail and lock them in separate cells.
“This is unspeakable!” Rob shouted. “A friend doesn’t take his friend’s woman.”
“Tell the truth,” Zac snarled. “You were having second thoughts. You’ve been undecided for months. You didn’t want her.”
“We were engaged!”
“Zac is right, Rob.” Chase risked Rob’s rage further. “You said so yourself. You were having second thoughts.”
“But I was going to marry her! What are you going to do, you slime ball.” He shook his fist at Zac. “She’s pregnant, what’re you going to do about it?”
Zac blinked, clearly uncertain of what to say or do. “I...”
“He’s hopeless.” Rob threw up his hands and turned his back on both of them.
Zac looked bewildered.
“Give him a break. He just found out.”
Rob turned around and glared at him. “No one gave me a break when I was standing all alone at that altar?” He turned his glower to Zac then. “Haven’t you heard about taking precautions? Condoms?”
“Well, if you’d taken care of business, maybe she wouldn’t have been so desperate when she got to me and we might have taken our time.”
Rob lunged at Zac again. Chase hauled them apart again. “Dammit. I’m getting tired of this.” He glared at each man in turn. “Zac, he asked a legitimate question. What are you going to do about this?”
“I’m...” He glanced at Rob as if fearing another attack. “I’m going to marry her.”
“How do you know she’ll have you, lover boy?” Rob spat.
Zac shrugged. “I love her. I’ll take my chances.”
Chase breathed a little easier then. “All right. That’s a plan. You should go talk to her in person and get this thing resolved before everyone in town starts talking about it. Julie deserves better than that.”
“I will. I’ll talk to her tonight. Right now.”
“It’s about time you did something right,” Rob snapped, anger still radiating from his tall frame.
Zac started toward the door.
Chase wished there was something he could say to mend this rift, but he wasn’t sure there was anything anyone could say or do.
“Congratulations.”
Chase’s head went up. Zac turned around to face the man who’d spoken.
Next to Chase, Rob rubbed his eyes with his forefinger and thumb, then leveled his gaze on Zac. “It’s not every day that a man finds out he’s going to be a father.”
Zac smiled, just a ghost of a gesture. “Thanks, buddy.” He swallowed. “I am sorry that it happened this way.”
Rob nodded. “I can’t say that I’ve forgiven you, but I will admit that it wasn’t all yours and Julie’s fault. I had a hand in this.” He shrugged. “And I’ll deal with it.”
Chase smiled at his two friends. “Come on, Rob, let’s have a cold one while Zac takes care of business.”
Rob straightened his rumpled suit jacket. “As long as we talk about anything except weddings.”
The next day a small service for close friends and family was held in the wedding chapel. Chase, Caroline, and even Rob watched Julie and Zac exchange their vows. Chase glanced at Caroline and wished that straightening out their relationship would be as easy. But there’d never been anything easy about their situation. Chase shifted his focus back to the bride and groom. Everyone was getting married.
Everyone but him.
And Caroline.
Chapter Ten
Saturday morning Caroline picked up the Porsche from Zac. He was literally beaming. Caroline was so happy for them. He and Julie would be good together. And she felt certain that Rob would find someone more suited for him.
The Porsche looked as good as new. If she were lucky Tristan wouldn’t notice a thing until he got back to St. Louis, if ever. Now all she had to do was face him. She took a deep breath as she pulled into Chase’s driveway. She’d pretty much put Tristan out of her mind the past couple of weeks. But today she had to face the music. He wanted to reconcile their differences. But that wasn’t going to happen. If Caroline knew nothing else for certain, she knew that she and Tristan weren’t right for each other. They hadn’t been from the beginning. She’d only been fooling herself. Trying to put the past behind her.
She’d made a pretty clean break so far. She’d left and never looked back. She’d just sold her grandmother’s house. She should be able to head for Memphis and start the rest of her life. But she couldn’t. Because no matter where she went or what she did, Lucy’s Branch would always be home. And Chase would be here.
Chase.
She watched him stride toward her, lean muscle, to die for good looks. What woman wouldn’t want him? She frowned at the thought. Why hadn’t he met and married someone by now? Surely there had been other women. With a man that good-looking, there had to be women. There had to be a reason he’d never committed to anyone else.
“Morning,” he said as he lowered his tall frame into the little sports car.
“Good morning.” She put the car in gear and spewed gravel as she spun out onto the road. “Oops, sorry,” she said, blushing. “Driving this thing is considerably different from driving the truck.”
Chase
only grinned. “I’ll stick with the truck and the Jeep myself.”
Caroline agreed. She’d take a truck man over a Porsche guy any time.
The three-hour road trip was over far too soon for Caroline. The conversation had been light and enjoyable between her and Chase. They’d avoided subjects that would cause tension. Facing Tristan was about as far from what she wanted to do as could be gotten. But there he was, Tristan and her old Buick, at the designated location. Caroline moistened her lips and took a deep, bolstering breath. She could do this. Five minutes and it would be over.
“Are you okay?”
She met Chase’s gaze and felt that warm, tingly feeling that zinged through her whenever she looked into his eyes. “I’m okay.”
He glanced in Tristan’s direction. “You want me to go with you?”
“Thanks. But I need to do this myself.”
“All right. I’ll go in the truck stop and get us a cup of coffee.”
“Sounds good.”
Caroline waited for Chase to go inside before she got out of the car. Tristan waited patiently, propped against the hood of her car. Taking her time, she emerged from the Porsche, snagged up her purse and moved slowly in his direction.
Five minutes, she told herself again. Five minutes and it would be over.
Tristan smiled one of those all-American, blond-haired, blue-eyed guy kinds of smiles. “Caroline, you look wonderful. It’s so good to see you.” He reached for her, kissing her cheek before she could dodge his intention.
She stepped back from him quickly. “Here are your keys.” She passed the ring to him. “I have a long drive so I’d like to get started. Have a nice life.”
“Wait, Caroline.” He took her by the arms and stayed her departure. “We need to talk. I have so much to say.”
Chase watched from the diner. Thankfully he’d had the presence of mind to set the two Styrofoam cups of coffee aside, otherwise they would have crumpled when he balled his hands into fists at the sight of Tristan touching Caroline. Chase could only imagine the kind of promises the guy was making her. He wanted her back, that was more than clear.
