by Susan Arden
“Hi,” one said, while the other nodded to him.
Cory grabbed one of the girl’s arms. “Gillian, what’s going on?”
“Carolina is doing better and so are the babies.”
“Better? What do you mean better?”
The woman in front of Cory paled. “Her blood pressure dropped, but not now. The doctor’s gave her something.”
Gillian shook her head. “No, it wasn’t her blood pressure, it was her blood sugar.”
“Oh jeez. She was drinking soda water and I don’t think she’d eaten properly,” Cory moaned, and stepped closer to him. He fought to keep from pulling her to him and enfolding her in his arms.
“Don’t you dare make this your fault, Cory McLemore. Carolina is in better care than if she’d been taken to our tiny hospital back home. I looked up this one and they have special suites and nurses and doctors,” Lauren said.
Cory swung her face to him, but then glanced away. “I guess this could turn out to be a blessing.”
“Seriously, Cory. This place is so modern and, God, more equipped than our maternity center,” Gillian said, turning to the other woman. “You gonna tell her?”
“Matt and Stephen…and your Daddy are about an hour out. They’re driving like mad men to get here.”
“Are they angry?” Cory asked, then added. “Dumb question. How angry are they?”
Gillian jerked a thumb back to herself. “Mmm, when it comes to my fiancé, I’m neck deep in big trouble. Carolina won’t see her way clear for the next ten years.”
The other woman shook her head at Cory. “And you. Well, let’s just say it ain’t going to be nice. You might want your friend to make for the hills.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said softly. All three women swung their gazes up to him. All this talk coming at Cory from every which way had his insides twisting. He’d been on fields, in down to the wire scrambles, where the other team was barely being held off as he tried to catch and deliver. That’s what this night had been for her, and seeing her without a game plan produced a widening ache in him. “Don’t try that collective frown on me. I’m staying, especially if someone is going to need to explain what happened between us.”
Gillian extended her hand. “It was nice knowing you. The gesture is absolutely fantastic. But we’re the first to say, just leave. In a year or two, when the dust settles, you can see how we’re doing. Lauren, tell him.”
“Hey, you’re a big guy, but her brothers will pulverize you. In a heartbeat. No one would think less of you if you just made like banana.”
“Funny, but I’m not.” And then he did something that he knew was insane on the crazy scale, he reached out and drew Cory to his side. He looked down in her shocked eyes. “I’m not leaving you. We settled that already. Didn’t we?”
Cory nodded, then turned to her friends. “I tried to tell him, but he’s stubborn like a mule.”
“We can see. Clearly, the man is obstinate but maybe considering what he’s up against, that might be a real good trait,” Lauren said.
“Definitely can’t hurt,” Gillian agreed.
“Did you want to go see your sister-in-law?” Brett asked.
He was rewarded with a small smile on Cory’s lips. “I suppose we’d better, before the hurricane from Annona arrives.”
CHAPTER 10
“Carolina, I’m so sorry,” Cory said, glancing at the IV taped to her sister-in-law’s arm. She squeezed Brett’s hand as they stood next to the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. I promise you, before we even went out tonight, I had these twinges and just ignored them. Ha! I should have known. Now look at Gillian’s party. Everyone is here instead of there. You know Matt will never let me live this down.”
“Yes, he will. Once you and the babies are back home.”
Carolina sighed. “We’ll won’t be allowed off the ranch at this rate. Brett, I hope this doesn’t sound like the McLemore guys are fruitcakes. They’re just a shade shy of overbearing and overprotective, but really good men.”
“If I had a woman like you all to worry about, I don’t think I’d be much different,” he replied without missing a beat.
She turned toward him. “I guess it’s a Texan thing,” she murmured. When she turned back to Carolina, her sister-in-law’s face had tensed. Carolina closed her eyes and held onto the bedrail with one hand.
“Where’s Matt,” Carolina moaned.
Cory stared down at Carolina, unsure what to do. “Just breathe, Carolina,” she whispered, hoping that the right thing to say. Only she and Brett were in the room. “Breathe,” Cory repeated.
Isn’t that what a pregnant woman was supposed to do? She gazed into Brett’s eyes and he nodded, before he picked up her purse from the chair.
“Cell?” he asked.
“Thanks,” she groaned and brought out her phone. “Hey, where are you?”
“In the waiting room. Why?” Gillian asked. She was knowledgeable on modern birthing and for good reason. After Thanksgiving dinner, Gillian had admitted to Cory that she and Stephen were expecting their baby by early summer.
“Tell me what to do. Carolina’s got a contraction.” Gillian gave her some basic Lamaze breathing techniques. Cory hung up and took hold of Carolina’s hand. “Short breathes like you’ve practiced. Squeeze as hard as you want. Gillian is on her way.”
Carolina began squeezing—really hard. Watching her sister-in-law’s face tense with pain made Cory’s stomach knot.
Brett backed off and went to the side. He came back with ice chips in a cup. “I’ve heard these help.”
Cory asked, “Do you want me try an ice chip?”
Grimacing, Carolina nodded, and Cory picked up one and ran it over her sister-in-law’s lips. Within a few seconds, a group of women came charging inside, but by that time the contraction had simmered down. Cory let go of Carolina’s fingers so her mother could get near.
Mama’s face was pinched in concern. “Dearest, Matt is close by. About an hour away. You’ll have that husband of yours here in two shakes of lamb’s tail.”
Cory went over to Brett and searched his face. “You want a cup of coffee or something?” Her voice quivered, seeing the unease blanketing his handsome face.
“Yeah. That sounds good.” He solemnly reached for her hand without questioning, as though he had every right, and she felt the corners of lips tilt upward.
Once outside in the hallway and walking down toward the cafeteria, she turned to him. “You seem to know your way around a lot of places.”
“I do. I’ve traveled and seen the world.”
“Is that why you don’t have a full Texas accent?” she asked.
He grinned over at her, unleashing more stomach-fluttering ripples in her core. “I suppose. You want to know something specific, or just general history?”
“Being nosy isn’t exactly cool considering what you’ve already seen tonight.”
After pouring two cups of coffee and then grabbing a table in the corner, he sipped the hot beverage carefully, his eyes regarding her over the rim of his cup. “Ask me a question, I won’t lie to you.”
“Why are you unattached?” She twisted her fingers under the table.
His gaze lifted for a second, then refocused on her and the intensity in his eyes made her heart pound harder. “You ever read the papers?” he asked.
“Was it that bad?” She stopped fiddling with her fingers and grasped one of his hands, squeezing.
“At the time, it felt awful in how it played out. But now, I’m not sorry it happened.” His brows scrunched together. “If I’d gotten married, it would have been a decision gone wrong. She’s married and I’m glad it wasn’t me. I wasn’t head over heels in love with her, and that’s a big reason why.”
Her chest constricted at the mention of another woman who might have hurt Brett, but he didn’t seem bitter. His smile was just as easy as ever, and his eyes didn’t
fill with regret when he looked across the table at her. She released his hand to trace his fingers. Large and strong, and he’d used them in various ways to make her come undone.
“You’ve got that expression again. The one that makes me want to pull you into my arms and do…things.” He glanced around, keeping his voice low. “If your family wasn’t surrounding us, I’d take you back to my place and keep you there until you had to go back to school.”
She laced her fingers with his. God, she wanted to split and get lost with him. If it was anyone other than Carolina—and yeah, a few other people came to mind—she’d leave right this second.
They sat there talking about their lives and he had her laughing until her eyes welled. Her phone vibrated against the table and Cory instinctively exhaled. She knew without looking that it was time. It had been about an hour, give or take, since they’d left Carolina’s room. And she expected it would be far easier to face Matt, Stephen and her father in a group of women than alone with Brett. He slid her phone across the table to her.
She pressed the screen and read Gillian’s message: They’re here. Best come on. She swung her gaze up to Brett’s. “Last chance.”
“Not a chance. I’d never leave you to fend for yourself,” he said, taking her hand and lifting it to his mouth, his lips warm against her skin. “I’m earning my bonus points.”
“Whatever you’re doing, it’s working,” she whispered.
He was out of his chair and pulling her up to him. The way he looked, she couldn’t help but run her hands up his starched shirt, lacing her fingers behind his neck, and pulling their mouths closer. The cafeteria was almost empty and just in case her family scared him out the door and far away, she wanted to kiss him one last time.
“Beautiful.” Brett stroked his hand along her face. “I’m not going anywhere in case that’s running through that pretty head of yours.”
“Mind read much?” she whispered against his lips.
“Would love to learn,” he said right before he skimmed his mouth over hers.
She pressed against him from her thigh, flush all the way up to his lips. His body felt hard against her, his mouth hot and demanding. Brett’s hands came up to her face, framing her cheeks, and he moved her mouth in such a way that she opened to him. Brett’s kiss teased her to want more as her pulse accelerated. In the hospital cafeteria she let him in, past the walls she’d erected, clinging to him as their tongues danced and she moaned into his mouth.
“Damn, Corinth. Glad to see you in one piece, but slow the heck down.” The voice of her brother Stephen came floating from behind them.
She released her hold on Brett, but not before he left a chaste kiss on her lips as he whispered. “I’m right here.”
“Hush, Stephen,” Gillian said. “You’ve some nerve. Wasn’t it you a couple of months ago with your tongue down my throat?”
Stephen arched a brow at his fiancée. “Darling, I plan on doing it again as soon as our niece and nephew are born.”
Cory expected Stephen would have some snappy comment, more along the lines of something about her outlandish behavior. But he didn’t. In his eyes, she didn’t find accusations; she saw worry, and he opened his arms. “You okay, little sis?”
She moved into her brother’s grasp and pounded on his back. “Well, looks like everyone is safe. The cavalry has finally arrived,” Cory said to her brother. She stepped back from him. “Stephen, this is Brett Gold.”
“Looks as though you’ve stepped into a heap of trouble. But hell, I can’t see any way around it when you meet someone who drives you crazy.” Stephen’s mouth curled up on one side, his glance flicking over her and Brett. Her brother sounded relatively sane as he stood there, his hand on Gillian’s waist. She’d seen him more cordial, but at least he wasn’t jacking Brett up against the wall.
Brett extended his hand and the men eyed each other, then shook. Stephen was not the brother to be a total jerk. He’d been the black sheep for so long, if anyone would understand, he would. It was just involving his fiancée in a bar full of NFL players that she imagined wasn’t setting right with him at the moment.
“How goes it?” she asked.
“Any of your friends get rowdy with this one?” Stephen asked point-blank, staring across the small space the four of them occupied. He was also the brother that spoke his mind.
Gillian elbowed him. “I already told you about a hundred times, I only danced with the girls from the party.”
Stephen’s face became serious. “I’d like to hear everyone’s opinion. I’ve been at these types of events, and what goes down may not rear its ugly head until much later. I’ve a right to ask, and this guy needs to answer.”
Brett shook his head. “No. As far I know, the other players were already with girls and no one made any moves on Cory’s friends or family. The only one who got involved with my team mates was…she had a black dress and red hair.” He turned to Cory with a questioning look.
“Ashley,” Cory supplied.
“Ashley?” Stephen asked, his brow knitting, then he shook his head and grimaced. “Holy smokes.”
“How upset are Matt and Daddy?” Cory asked.
“Matt has seen better days. You know he’s worried and that’s a place where he doesn’t come off as polished as he might. Downright predatory. He’s more bark than bite, though. And our father. Jesus, he doesn’t say much, but he’s worried, too. Can’t blame them.”
“I hope they understand.” She gazed up her brother, then over at Gillian. She was afraid that Brett would see her as her family did…same spoiled kid she’d been in high school, then stuck at home with parents whose overprotective genes only expressed themselves where she was concerned.
Please, please, please don’t say something that will make me look like an idiot.
“They just want Carolina to be okay. Go deal with them and get it over. The worrying is worse than reality. Take it from me.” Stephen tugged on Cory’s ponytail the way he’d done countless times in the past.
“You know what you’re talking about,” Cory conceded.
Brett stepped closer to Stephen and the hairs all over her body stood up on full alert. Something was about to happen. “I’ll say it as many times as need be, Cory came with me at my urging. I should have waited. If anyone needs to shoulder the blame, it’s me. Not her. And I’ll take issue with anyone who comes after Cory without me there to protect her. Family or not.”
Stephen chuckled. “Hey man, you’ve got the spirit. And if this was your practice session, I’d say better go find the family and let them get a load of you. Might make them feel a little better that Cory didn’t get lost with a loser.”
The muscle along Brett’s jaw tightened as he nodded, and held onto her shoulder. She leaned over and wrapped her fingers along Brett’s forearm. “Let’s go.”
The walk down the hall ended too fast as her pulse hammered and her fingers turned ice cold. Stephen suddenly stopped in front of the hall where Carolina’s room was located. His hands possessively on Gillian, he swung his glance to her. “Cory, I know you’ve gone away to the West Coast and now you’ve come home and all kinds of crazy has come up. Just keep your cool and everything will work out. I’ve been where you are. Take my advice, just roll with it.”
“I hear you, and thanks,” she said, exchanging a last glance with her brother before walking onward. Brett placed his hand on the small of her back and she leaned into him. “Ready?” she asked.
“Absolutely. Let’s go and see how your sister-in-law is doing.”
Cory sucked in her breath, straightened her body, and leveled her shoulders. How angry could one brother get? Really?
They walked into the room, and immediately were skewered by Matt’s glare. The answer to her question was off the charts. Furious.
Carolina was talking when her eyes shifted to meet Cory’s gaze. She winked and nodded, and squeezed Matt’s arm. “You’re back,” Carolina said. “M
att, this is Brett Gold, Cory’s friend.”
Matt regarded her, his eyes less than gracious. More like a wolf about to attack, but weary as well. He didn’t smile as he left Carolina’s side and made his way toward her and Brett.
“Corinth Hera McLemore.” He’d yet to acknowledge Brett or even look in his direction. A muscle pulsed along her brother’s jaw and the tension in the hospital suite grew.
“Matt.” Cory stared at her brother. His blue eyes glinted angry sparks, but she immediately recognized he also appeared worried in the somewhat dim hospital room as he stared back at her. He exhaled and swung his gaze to her side, to where Brett stood next to her, and his mouth turned into a definite frown. Yet, he was still a McLemore and their mother didn’t permit crass behavior, at least not in her presence.
“Matthew McLemore,” he said, keeping his voice dead even, which she believed was for Carolina’s benefit and their mother’s.
“Brett Gold.” Brett’s voice was equally glassy. She didn’t chance a side-glance up at him. Her pulse had hiked up and clattered in her ears.
“I’m Wade McLemore.” Her father appeared from the corner of the room, flanking Matt’s side and staring at her for a beat, then back at Brett. A heap of plenty was said in those steely looks and she understood they were upset and not ready to let it go. Things needed to be addressed and until they were, this matter was far from settled.
“Matt,” Carolina’s voice rose. “Help.”
Everyone turned to face Carolina as Matt pushed past Mama and went to his wife. “Gillian, go get the nurse. Fast.”
Carolina lay back against the pillows, her eyes scrunched closed. She moaned and leaned into Matt’s shoulder as he soothed her face tenderly with his hands.
“Mama?” Cory asked. “Should we leave?”
“Yes. We’d better return to the waiting room.”
Her mother came over and Cory whispered. “Where are Carolina’s family?”
