Expecting the Best (Harlequin Superromance)

by Lynnette Kent

  The attendant shook her head. “Please don’t move around. We’ve got enough people out of place.”

  “But—” He half rose from his seat. “I need to know—”

  “Everyone in first class is fine. I promise.” She pushed him down with a firm hand on his shoulder and a straightening of her shoulders that conveyed authority. “You must stay seated.”

  In a romance movie, Zach thought, the hero would get up to make sure his heroine was okay. Along the way, he might save a life or two. Or avoid death himself when his seat suddenly fell through the floor.

  But—in real life—he would only be distracting the professionals from their job. Zach had coped with interfering civilians more often than he wanted to remember. They usually did more harm than good.

  So he would stay here, as he’d been told. Wait…and worry. Agonize. What if Shelley wasn’t okay? What if she’d been hit by debris, or had started labor? He wanted to know, wanted to hold her. Like any average guy, let alone a hero, he needed to be sure the woman he loved was safe…

  Zach listened to his own thoughts. He closed his eyes, playing the words back to his mind’s ear. “…any average guy…be sure…the woman he loved…”

  Then he started praying. “Holy Jesus,” he whispered. “What am I going to do now?”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS refused to allow Shelley to walk off the plane. They got her a wheelchair and pushed her out ahead of all the passengers, straight into the arms of a waiting ambulance crew.

  Before the last attendant could leave, though, Shelley caught her hand. “Can you get a message to a passenger on the plane for me?”

  “I don’t think—”

  “Please.” Shelley realized her grip had tightened and deliberately loosened her fingers. “Please, it’s very important.”

  The attendant managed a shaken smile. “Okay. Sure.”

  “Thanks.” Shelley took out the first piece of paper she came to in her purse and felt for a pen. “This will just take a second.”

  She wrote on the blank side.

  Zach,

  I’m okay, I’ll let you know you if anything’s wrong. Don’t worry. Don’t call.

  Shelley.

  Folding the paper in quarters, blank side out, she wrote his name and handed the note to the attendant. “I really do appreciate this. So will he.”

  “No problem.” The attendant turned away, then looked back around. “Is this the really great-looking guy in coach? The one with blue eyes and shoulders to dream about?”

  That description fit Zach to a fault. “Sounds right.”

  “He asked me about somebody in first class—for a second, I thought we’d have to restrain him to keep him in his seat. Was that you?”

  She’d known he would worry. “Probably.”

  “Wow. I’d like to have a man that fine checking on me.” She walked away, shaking her head.

  Shelley closed her eyes. The note should reassure Zach. It was the best thing she could do.

  A cool hand covered hers. “Ma’am, are you all right?”

  She opened her eyes again to see the face of a stranger, an EMT. “I think so.”

  “Let’s get you to the hospital and check that out, just to be sure.”

  “Whatever you say.” The misery would come along wherever she went.

  HER MOTHER BROUGHT clean clothes to the hospital and kept her company through the anxious afternoon of tests. “Your Uncle Thomas and I picked up your car at the airport and drove it to your house.” She studied Shelley for a minute. “But are you sure you’re ready to leave?”

  Shelley slipped into her shoes. “All I need, Mom, is my own bed and a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. The baby’s fine. I’m fine. Let’s go.”

  After a wheelchair ride to the front door, she sank gratefully into the seat of her mother’s Cadillac. “I hate hospitals.”

  “I know.”

  “They make you feel so helpless.”

  “And you hate feeling helpless.”

  Shelley sat up straight and smoothed her hair. “Definitely. I want to take care of a situation myself. Hospitals don’t let you do that. I get very upset.”

  Her mother smiled ruefully. “I noticed. What did you do when you couldn’t stop the plane from falling?”

  Just the thought set her heart to pounding. “I grabbed my purse and covered my head and prayed. That was all I could do.” That, and worry about Zach.

  “Sometimes we have to allow other people to take care of the situation because we simply can’t manage by ourselves.”

  That remark sounded far from casual. “What’s your point?”

  “Well…” Dorothy accelerated onto the interstate. “Maybe you have a problem letting Zach assume responsibility for you and your baby.”

  “Why would you think that?” Her heart picked up speed.

  “You said it just a minute ago—you like to take care of yourself, in business and everything else. Staying in your own space would give you control of the situation—control you don’t think you’d have at his house.”

  Face hot, eyes stinging, Shelley seethed for a few seconds. “I do not need to be psychoanalyzed, Mother. Do me a favor and keep your insights to yourself.”

  “I’m just making observations.”

  “Well. don’t.” She turned back to the window and closed her eyes, hoping to signal complete lack of interest in further conversation.

  By the time they’d reached her house, though, Shelley regretted her tantrum. She put a hand on her mother’s arm as the car stopped. “Mom. I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

  With a smile, her mother patted her cheek. “This isn’t an easy situation, honey. You’re allowed some orneriness.”

  “Thanks.” She didn’t deserve such understanding. “Can you stay for dinner?”

  “Of course.”

  Alone again that evening, Shelley tried to nap, as she’d promised she would. But the bedroom was too cold. She curled up in a blanket on the family-room couch, but the quiet bothered her. She turned on the television, but the noise only irritated without entertaining and she turned it off again.

  Wandering through the house, she straightened a picture here and there, adjusted the set of a vase…and caught a flash of light from Zach’s lovely ring, still on her finger.

  I’m married. Again.

  In two days, so much had changed. She’d married Zach and made love with him on their wedding night, committing herself to him in ways he would never know.

  And yet…nothing had changed. She was here, in her house, alone. Anticipating the birth of their baby, alone.

  Which—she assured herself—suited her just fine. If she depended on no one, if she controlled the situation, then she couldn’t blame anyone else for her mistakes. And she wouldn’t count on anyone else for her happiness.

  Assuming she could be happy now, without Zach.

  Did she have a choice? She’d engineered an argument that made the situation between them impossible. He was a forgiving man, but even Zach wouldn’t be able to forget the things she’d said.

  And she’d asked him not to call. Not to get in touch. He would respect that request out of courtesy. Maybe out of hurt. So she wouldn’t see him again…unless she made the first move.

  Shelley nearly chuckled. There you go—in control again. She remembered a saying she’d seen somewhere: When all else fails, do what your mother told you to. Her mom was right more often than not. Would Shelley ever reach that all-knowing status? Would she stumble through the rest of her life making stupid mistakes?

  When it came to Zach and the baby and the marriage, she didn’t know how to fix the mistakes she’d already made. As for the choices ahead…

  Shelley admitted, with a sigh, that she didn’t even know where to start.

  ZACH PROMISED the EMTs he’d get the cut on his cheek examined right away if they’d let him loose. But by the time he reached the terminal exit, Shelley’s ambulance had disappeared into a gray
day and wind-whipped snow showers.

  He pulled the note she’d written out of his pocket. The handwriting was a little shaky. But the flight attendant had assured him she was fine. Could he believe that?

  What option did he have?

  As he stared into space, thinking in circles, the devil wind that had taken control of the plane struck again, jerking the note from his hands to send it scooting along the walk. Zach dived after it, chasing some twenty feet before he got his foot on the paper.

  The sheet unfolded as he picked it up. Turning the page over, he saw for the first time what stationery Shelley had used.

  Their marriage certificate. She’d written Don’t call on the back of the proof of their wedding.

  THE ANSWERING-MACHINE light blinked its demand as he walked into the house. Darius curled around his ankles in a demonstration of affection the Persian rarely permitted his perfect self.

  “Hey, buddy.” He bent down to stroke the cat from head to tail. And then, because he was tired and confused, he sat on the kitchen floor and leaned back against the wall. Darius came into his lap, put his paws on Zach’s shoulders and licked his chin.

  “Thanks. Me, too.” He picked up the cat and made a cradle of his arms. Darius curled up obligingly and relaxed. Zach did the same.

  The phone woke them both. Darius jumped down with a snarl and a scrape of his back claws on Zach’s hand. Wincing at the pain and the noise, Zach reached over his head and fumbled the phone down from the countertop. “Harmon.”

  “Zachary? It’s your mother.”

  Damn. “Hi, Mom.”

  “Where have you been for two days? I left several messages.”

  “I’m sorry. I was…out of town.” Getting married

  “A vacation? You could use one. Did you have a good time?”

  Until about eight-thirty this morning, I was at the top of the world “Sure. What’s going on?”

  “It’s Carol again.”

  He had a headache suddenly. “More trouble?”

  “No, oh, no. She’s been much better these last few weeks. We talk without arguing…sometimes.”

  Zach rubbed his eyes, his temples, the back of his neck. “That’s about all you can hope for with a teenager.”

  “But she’s getting phone calls.”

  “From a boy?”

  “The person I’ve talked to is a girl. Carol stopped answering the phone and asks me to tell anyone who calls that she is not here. I’m worried about her.”

  “With good reason.” He took a deep breath. “I’ll come over later this afternoon to talk to her. Maybe she’ll tell me what’s going on.”

  “I’ll expect you for dinner. Thanks, Zachary.”

  “Anytime, Mom.” He clicked the off button, reminding himself it was good to be needed. He hadn’t exactly been thinking about his little sister the past couple of weeks—or the rest of his family, for that matter. He loved them all, though they crowded him too close, too often.

  Luckily, his new wife refused to make any demands at all.

  A brisk knock on the door scattered his thoughts. Zach got to his feet and turned the knob. “Hey, Jimmy.”

  His friend grinned. “I hope I’m not interrupting—just wanted to drop off your key. Not that the cat deigned to notice me while I was here.”

  “Come on in.”

  “Thanks, but three’s a crowd, especially on a honeymoon.”

  “Yeah, well, this is as far from a honeymoon as you could get. Darius and I are here by ourselves. Come in.”

  Jimmy stepped inside the door. “Something wrong?”

  “You could say so.”

  “So wrong she had to beat you up? Looks like she has a great right.”

  Zach touched the bandage. “Not quite. The plane hit an air pocket on the way back this morning. Somebody’s laptop went flying.”

  “Casualties?”

  “Don’t think so.” He ran a hand over his face and head, still trying to wake up. “They took Shelley off in an ambulance, but she left me a note saying she was okay.”

  His friend’s sharp eyes narrowed. “A note?”

  “On our wedding certificate. See for yourself.” He dragged the paper out of his pocket and tossed it on the counter.

  Jimmy spread his hand out to flatten the sheet and read the few words, then flipped the page over to see the certificate. “So you did get married.”

  “Yeah. Things didn’t fall apart until this morning.”

  “What happened?”

  Zach shrugged. “Hell if I know. One minute we’re talking about where we’re gonna live, the next she stomps out the door and leaves on her own. She flew back first class. I stayed in coach.”

  “What did you argue about?”

  “I wanted her to live here. She wanted to stay at her place. From there…I don’t even remember. But things got ugly.”

  “Hmm.” Jimmy opened the refrigerator. “Can I have a beer?”

  “Only if I get one, too.”

  Jimmy tossed him a can, then hitched himself up to sit on the counter. “So, you did the right thing. You married her. Your kid has a dad. You can sue for visitation, even custody. What’s the problem if you never see her again?”

  Zach sputtered his first swig of brew. “I want to see her again, dammit.”

  “Why?”

  He wiped his chin. “Because I have to.”

  “Why?”

  This time he swallowed. “Because I love her, you jerk.”

  “Must have been some wedding night.”

  Zach smiled unwillingly. “Definitely. But that’s not when it happened. This summer…maybe even back in March.” He hadn’t wanted to let her go that weekend. Not his usual style. “I only realized how I felt this morning.”

  Jimmy looked smug. “Funny—I knew back in June.”

  “You could have said something.”

  “I like my teeth where they are.”

  “You’ve got a point.” Zach rubbed his hands through his hair. “So what do I do now? She said not to call.”

  “I guess you don’t call.”

  “Just let her go? Without a fight?” A hidden hand tightened around his windpipe and twisted, wringing out panic. “I can’t do that!”

  Jimmy laughed. “For a week or so, you probably can. Give her some time, son. The lady hasn’t had things easy this year.”

  “Or for the ten years before that. She’s had some tough breaks.”

  “All the more reason to be cautious.”

  Zach nodded. “But she’s so stubborn—I’m not sure I’ll ever get her to see that I’m not interested in running her life. I just think we’d have a good time sharing—our space, our lives, our…baby.”

  Jimmy took a long drink. “Have you told her that?”

  “No chance.”

  “Well, I’d give her a little space to breathe. Then make the argument.”

  Zach rolled his eyes. “You, of course, are such an expert in women.”

  “Of course.”

  “So why don’t you have one of your own?”

  Jimmy lifted his beer in a toast. “Only a wide experience with many different ladies provides this kind of knowledge.”

  “You are so full of it.”

  “So they say. Want to play some ball this afternoon?”

  “Well…” He’d told his mom he would be there for dinner. But he could have a few minutes to himself, right? Jimmy didn’t play ball with any of the other guys—didn’t want to force them into making allowances for his bad leg. “Yeah—I’ve got time for a few hoops before I go correct somebody else’s mistakes.”

  “Now that I’ve solved yours, you mean?” Jimmy eased off the counter. “What would society do without us?”

  “Disintegrate, probably. Sweep off the driveway while I change.”

  GOING THROUGH her backpack for the third time, Carol ignored the phone’s ring. Where had she put those history notes? The teacher had said stuff they couldn’t find in the book, but would see on the test. If she
didn’t have the notes, she might as well not take the test at all.

  The phone rang again, and again she refused to answer. Somebody from CW would be on the other end, and she wasn’t talking to Jen or Diane or any of them.

  “Carol?” Her mother called up from the basement. “Carol, can you answer? I’m hoping Zachary will call.”

  Another ring. And another.

  “Carol, please answer the phone!”

  With a sigh, she picked up the receiver. “Harmon residence.”

  “It’s about time, Harmon.” Jen’s husky voice sent a shiver down Carol’s spine. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

  “I told you. I’m not playing anymore. Find somebody else.”

  “Okay, okay. We just thought you’d like to get your history notes back. The ones for the test tomorrow?”

  Carol cursed. “You stole them?”

  “Borrowed, Harmon. Just borrowed.”

  “Damn you, Jen.”

  “I bet you say that to all your friends. If you want the notes, come now. Usual place. Otherwise, we’re thinking about lighting a fire.”

  Carol hung up without a word. There was a good chance they’d burn the notes even before she showed up at Faith’s house. But she had to try. Maybe she could make her point in person. After everything that had happened this fall, she’d had enough of their stupid group. She just wanted to be left alone.

  Grabbing her coat, she went to the basement door. “Back in a few minutes, Mom,” she shouted.

  Then, with a deep breath, she started toward the showdown of her life.

  WHEN HE ARRIVED at his mom’s house, Zach found her practically hysterical. “She’s gone, Zachary! I don’t even know where to look!”

  He got her to sit down on the couch. “Carol’s gone? When did she leave?”

  “I—I’m not sure. I went down to the cellar about three-thirty to get the potatoes for the pot roast, like I always do. The phone rang, and Carol answered. And then she said she was leaving. Before I could get up the stairs, I heard the door slam.”

  “Okay, Mom. Okay.” This was what happened when you took time out for yourself. “That’s just a couple of hours ago. She’s probably meeting with the club. Any idea where?”

  “Carol would never say.”

  “Yeah.” Zach squeezed her hand. “I’m gonna look around the neighborhood. You stay calm and stay here.”