by Jeannie Moon
“I know. I ordered the test when Jonah told me in the event you couldn’t. These injuries are dicey. This way all the bases were covered. There was no radiation exposure, and we could make appropriate choices for medication.”
Keely didn’t know what she was feeling, just that anger was at the top of the list.
“Gavin, could you leave Jonah and me alone for a couple of minutes?”
With a brisk nod, Gavin rose giving her one last instruction. “Stay calm.”
“I’ll try,” she said. As soon as his brother had left the room, Jonah tried to explain.
“Don’t upset yourself,” Jonah pleaded. “Listen to me first.”
“You told him to test me?” Keely could feel the flush rise in her cheeks.
“No. I said there was a slim chance you might be pregnant. That’s all.”
“And what did you think he was going to do?”
“I don’t know, but you were floating in and out of consciousness on the way in. I’m glad I said something.”
She was so pissed off and she wasn’t even sure why. No, she did know why… Keely didn’t like to be handled. She could make her own decisions.
“But now we know. No more guessing. No more waiting. We know.”
“Okay.” She didn’t know what to say.
“We can make plans, I mean. There’s a baby to consider.”
“Plans. You want me to make plans?” She couldn’t think straight and he wanted plans.
“You’re pregnant!”
“I’M AWARE!” she snapped. Holy crap. “Jonah, if you don’t back off, I’m going to lose my shit.”
“Keely, be reasonable. We’re having a baby.”
“You’re what?”
The voice at the door startled them both. It was her mother, and standing in the doorway with her was her father, and her brother, who looked like he was going to kill someone.
Her brother leveled his gaze at her, then at Jonah. “What the fuck?”
The brother who never even acknowledged her existence looked like he was ready to kill. The man who never called, the man who had treated her like an intruder in their family, figured now was a good time to start being protective. In the middle of the local emergency room, an hour after she almost cracked open her skull, Gabe wanted to be her champion.
“I should kick your ass,” he growled.
Keely almost laughed at her brother’s comment. Gabe could try, but he wasn’t going to touch Jonah, who dismissed him without a second thought.
“Really, dude? You think you’re going to take me out?”
“You got my sister pregnant? What were you thinking? I mean, my nerdy little sister. Come on!”
Jonah was fuming. “We’ve been through this. You’ll stop talking about her like that or I’m going to lay you the fuck out. Are we clear?”
Gabe didn’t answer, but Keely was clear on a few things. None of them good.
She wanted to get up and leave, but she couldn’t because she was lightheaded and her car was still on the mountain as far as she knew. She didn’t want to see anyone, or talk to anyone. She didn’t want to be controlled or managed, or have decisions made for her. She needed time to think.
Her head hurt and she needed time.
Dropping her forehead to her knees, Keely hid the tears that had flooded her eyes. The only one who noticed how upset she was, was Jonah.
He ran his hand along her back and sat on the edge of the bed before pulling her close. She knew it was him by feel. By scent. There was no need to look up.
And that’s why she was so hurt that he’d gone behind her back with his brother. That he didn’t trust her, and that he didn’t believe her about the lost child on the mountain. That was the kicker.
He’d dismissed her every time she said anything.
“Mom and Dad, Gabe, can you step out for a minute?”
“Why are you asking us to leave?” her brother snapped.
“I’m going to talk to Mom and Dad in a second. I’m asking you to leave because you’re acting like an asshole. Stop it and maybe we can talk later.”
Her brother left the room and almost punched the wall as he went by, but checked himself before he did any damage. Her mother, God love her, kissed Keely on the cheek and squeezed Jonah’s hand.
Her parents would be fine.
Her brother would be fine.
Jonah wasn’t going to like what she had to say.
*
With her family out of the room, Jonah walked to the other end of her bed and took a seat on the stool his brother had used a few minutes earlier. Keely looked spent. And upset.
And she wasn’t in any condition to deal with crap from anyone.
Grabbing a tissue from the box on the tray table next to her, she dabbed her eyes and blew her nose. She winced. “Owww.”
“Did that hurt?”
“It makes my head hurt. The pressure, I guess.”
“I’m sorry. And I’m sorry that you’re ticked off about what I told my brother.”
“You should have trusted me to handle it.”
“If you were conscious, I would have. But when I got back to your location, you were drifting in and out of consciousness. You were bleeding. I wanted to protect you—and, now that we know, our baby.”
Just acknowledging that they were going to be parents made him more comfortable with the idea. However, that he was completely in love with her scared the crap out of him. He’d held off telling her. Why, he didn’t know.
“Did you do anything about the girl near the cave?” she asked.
He didn’t know how to get through to her that it couldn’t be a kid up there. Someone would need serious training to make a go of that area for more than a week or two. “Not yet, but Logan looked around and there was nothing in that cave to indicate anyone was living there. And if she’s up there, she doesn’t want to be found. Are you sure it was a kid?”
“Jonah, I know what I saw,” she argued. “Gavin saw her too. And we have to try and help. It’s a kid.”
“Right. And you could have been killed. Killed. Another few inches and you would have bounced off the side of that mountain like a pinball. I’ve seen it happen.” He stood and paced in a circle before he came back to her bedside. “You do things without thinking, and now that you’re pregnant, you can’t do that anymore. This isn’t just about you.”
Her face dropped, and he knew he’d made a very big mistake. He’d not only thrown out an ultimatum, he’d accused her of being selfish.
There was nothing but silence for a full minute. She started to speak a couple of times, but stopped to think some more.
“I think we’re done here. I don’t want to argue.” Her voice was flat. No emotion. “I’ll let you know when I find an obstetrician. And we can talk more then.”
And just like that, she’d shut him down.
“Honey, let me take you home.”
“No, that’s alright. My parents are here.”
“Don’t freeze me out. I’m sorry if you think I crossed the line, but…”
“It’s not just that I think you crossed the line, you DID cross the line. And the test is only part of it.” She looked away and pursed her lips. “Just go. I need some time.”
Jonah was about to object, but looking at her, he could see he wasn’t going to get anywhere. Not today. Just like that, everything they’d been moving toward, everything they’d planned, was falling apart.
Leaning in, he kissed the top of her head. Even with the dressed wound, her hair smelled like mountain air. He thought he felt her breath hitch, but she didn’t look at him. “I love you. I know this isn’t the place to drop that on you, but I do.”
When she looked away, it was clear he wasn’t getting through. He might never.
He left the room, walking past her parents, her brother, and eventually finding Gavin at a desk, filling out reports.
“Bad?”
“So bad,” Jonah said. “She’s not talking, and it wasn’t j
ust the blood test.”
“I kinda got that. You did the right thing telling me about the baby. She won’t stay mad about that.” Gavin finished typing something into the computer and stood. “I called the Park Rangers about that lost kid. It’s going to get real cold on the mountain over the next few days, and the bears are up, looking for food.”
Did he hear that right? “So, it’s really a kid? Not some adult trying to hide out?”
“A girl, about twelve or thirteen. Maybe you can get SAR to work with the rangers. It’s not safe up there.”
Jonah couldn’t believe how bad this was. Not only did he let Keely down, not only did he dismiss what she’d said, he did what he vowed he would never do after leaving the army… he left someone behind.
“I gotta go and take care of this,” Jonah said. “You called the ranger station?”
“I did. I gave them a description. I gave Logan the same report and he was going to get the info to the sheriff.”
“Alright.” This was not good. Talk about dropping the ball. “I’ll keep you posted, Gav. Thanks.”
“What are you going to do about Keely?”
“I have to think of a way to get her back. I really fucked up.”
“Yeah, you did.” Gavin was cutting him no slack. “If you need help, let me know. Ally is great at grand gestures.”
“I might. I’m going to go home and shower and try to figure out what to do. She’s going to be okay?”
“She’ll be fine. Just don’t upset her.”
That was the last thing Jonah wanted to do. “Not a chance.”
*
Keely was in her bed, curled on her side, trying to stay relaxed like she’d been told to do. She’d taken her pain medication, for all it was going to do, and the lights in her room were as dim as she could get them without plunging herself into darkness at seven o’clock at night. Her mother had fussed and only mentioned her pregnancy once, and then it was just a sweet comment about how Keely would make a wonderful mother.
Right then, Keely wasn’t so sure. She was miserable. Jonah knew how she felt about losing her control, about being dismissed without a thought. That he doubted her, and didn’t trust her, wasn’t something she could just look past. If they were going to have any relationship, he had to respect her. At that moment, it didn’t feel like he did.
The light tapping behind her signaled a visitor. She rubbed her eyes and steeled herself from the next round of worry from Mom or Dad.
“Come in,” she said flatly.
To her surprise, it was Gabe.
He took the chair at her vanity and pulled it over. He didn’t wait for an invitation to sit, but when he did, he reached out and stroked a strand of hair from the side of her face.
“How are you feeling?” His question was simple, but how did she tell him there was no simple answer?
“I’m not sure. Nothing’s going right. I’ve made a mess of things.”
“You didn’t do it alone, you know?” He grinned, lighting up his very handsome face. She and her brother couldn’t have been more different. He was tall, dark, slender, and took great pains with his appearance. Keely was happy if her nails were clean.
“I’m sorry I’ve been such an ass,” he said. “I shouldn’t have ignored you and the parents.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.”
“For what it’s worth, I don’t hate the idea of you and Jonah. I mean, he’s not smart enough for you, but I don’t think anyone is, so…”
Keely laughed, but the pain made her wince. “It doesn’t matter. It’s over.”
“Wait, what? Do I have to go after his ass? You’re pregnant. He can’t leave you. You need a lawyer.”
“You are a lawyer, Gabe.”
“Right. I am. Okay, so how much do you want?”
“Nothing. He won’t abandon his child. Plus, I’m the one who broke it off. It wasn’t his idea.”
Gabe didn’t have a fast comeback for that one. He just sat in the chair, and looked at his hands. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
They dropped into silence, neither of them knowing what to say to each other. Then it dawned on Keely that she didn’t know why he was there in the first place. “What brought you home, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Gabe shifted in his chair. “You have to keep this quiet, okay? I didn’t even tell Mom and Dad.”
Nodding, Keely was flattered he might be sharing something personal. “Sure.”
“I’m scoping out locations for a possible series.” His face didn’t convey any emotion, but in his eyes, Keely saw excitement. “I’m keeping it quiet right now because my client wants to be able to formulate offers without local drama. If the town or county—hell, even the state—got wind of it, we’d have people lobbying for it on one side, or against it on the other.”
“So this way it doesn’t get ugly.”
“It will be good for the town, if it’s viable. Low disruption, great exposure, and increased business for the merchants while crews are in the area. There are no promises here, but Marietta is like a small-town postcard.”
He was right. It was a postcard. But the possibility alone would blow up town council meetings for months. “That would be something, but I can understand why you’re keeping it under wraps.”
“Everything is hypothetical in Hollywood. They’re still developing the whole concept, but the more we have to show investors and producers, the better. It could be I was sent here for three months for nothing.”
“Wait. You’re going to be here three months?”
“Yep.” He rose from the chair. “I have three whole months to bug the crap out of you, little sister. Now rest up. You’re going to need your strength to grow my future niece or nephew.”
He went to the door of her room and stopped. “Keel, if you need his ass kicked—”
“Gabe, no.” She cut him off. “Thanks for the offer, but I think you’d be the one getting whooped.”
“Oh, I wasn’t offering to do it,” he clarified with a sly grin. “I was going to say ‘I know a guy…’”
Keely laughed again, and regretted it. But one little crack in her heart had mended, offering hope that one day the bigger cracks would heal, too.
Chapter Sixteen
Just about a week after her fall, Keely’s headache subsided. A quick visit with the family doctor cleared her to resume some activities, but she was still limited with any kind of close work. Reading and screen work were out, as was anything physical. But she could go outside. She could go into town, and that’s exactly what she was doing this morning.
Lucy had arrived in Marietta the night before and stopped by to see Keely before she even headed to her folks. Feeling guilty that she’d already left the clearing when Keely was hurt, Lucy spent the evening hovering; when she found out the all clear had been given for Keely to get out of the house, Lucy promised her breakfast at the diner.
Since Keely loved the diner’s pancakes more than just about any other kind of food, it was something she was looking forward to.
It was pushing into late April, and spring had arrived in the valley. Everywhere she looked, life was beginning again. Flowers bloomed in every garden and along every roadside. Wildlife had emerged from winter hibernation, and when she drew a deep breath, the air filling her lungs smelled like new grass and dirt.
Her mother had taken a few days off from school to keep an eye on her, but once she knew Keely was on the mend, and that Lucy would be hovering for the day, she felt better going back to work. Her mother joined her on the back porch as Keely looked out at the stable, longing to take Sunny out for a ride.
“Soon enough,” Mom said, reading her mind.
“I know. Doc Gallagher said another week or two and I can hike into the mountains.”
“Not alone.”
“No, Mom. Not alone. Gabe said he’d go with me if I needed him to.”
“I’m glad to see you and your brother talking. He’s been so secretive about
why he’s here. I wonder if his job is getting to him.”
Her mother was fishing, but Keely shook her head, playing dumb. It was kind of nice to have a secret to keep for her brother. That hadn’t ever happened before. “I don’t know. Maybe he just needed a break.”
“Hmmm. Okay. Well, I’m off. Call me if you need anything.”
Her mother kissed her cheek and left Keely staring at the grazing pastures. It wouldn’t be long before Lucy arrived. A little wave of nausea passed through her. She’d had a couple of bouts over the past couple of days and initially she didn’t know if it was morning sickness or the concussion causing it. Today she chalked it up to the baby. Her baby.
Jonah’s baby.
She’d tried to avoid thinking about him, because every time she did, she dissolved into a pathetic mess. And right on cue, tears burned her eyes. She missed him. She missed talking to him, laughing with him. She missed his kiss, his touch. Going inside the house, Keely was hit square with memories. With grief. With regret.
Every moment they’d spent together played over and over in her mind, and without any warning, she started to shake. It was mild at first, then the shivering took over. There was a crushing pain in her chest. It came in a fierce rush, all the emotions hit her at once, and that’s when she lost it.
The pain radiated out, away from her heart, consuming her in a wave of despair like she’d never felt before. Grief tore at her insides as her fragile control collapsed around her. “Oh, God,” she gasped, swallowing her breath. “Oh, God. What did I do?”
The heaviness pressed down, cut off her air, and forced her to gasp, as she collapsed on the floor. Propping herself against the kitchen island, the only thing cracking the lonely silence were her long, low cries. Giving in, her body was wracked by one wave after another of deep, choking sobs.
Sadness. Longing. Loss.
Her battered, broken heart turned on her with a vengeance. Keely had no idea how much she was hurting until that very moment, until the reality of being without the person who made everything in her life better came into full focus.
Flinching when she felt a touch on her back, she cried harder when her brother, still groggy from sleep, settled on the floor next to her and held her close.
