She forced herself not to flinch when she saw the wild look in his eyes. “Thank you for bringing him back to me,” she said, knowing that it could easily have gone another way.
“I told you I would. Now you need to keep your end of the bargain.”
“The pills are in the car.”
“You get them for me.”
She didn’t bother arguing. But as she moved toward the car, she took Bobby’s hand. “Come on, sweetie. Help me get the bag I brought for Daddy.”
“No,” Paul said sharply. “He stays right here with me.”
Kelsey wanted desperately to argue, but she released Bobby’s hand. Just go along with him, she reminded herself. Give him the pills and let him leave. That’s what Justin had told her to do.
Even so, giving in to his demands went against everything she believed in. She couldn’t bear the thought of him taking Bobby out of her reach again. The only thing that made her comply was the knowledge that he could still take Bobby and the pills. This wasn’t over yet. Not by a long shot.
She retrieved the duffel bag, then set it on the ground between them. Paul grabbed for it, took a quick look inside, then nodded with satisfaction.
“See, Kelsey, that wasn’t so hard. We both end up with what we want.” He glanced at Bobby and for just a second there was a hint of the old Paul in his expression, the faintest suggestion of real regret. “See you, son.”
Bobby regarded his father with surprise. “You’re going away again, Daddy?”
Paul nodded. “I’ve got to go back to Miami,” he said, then briskly turned and headed for his car as if the past few days had been no more than a minor blip in his life.
Whatever had gone on the preceding few days, however frightened Bobby might have been at times, seemed to be forgotten. His face clouded over. “No, Daddy. Don’t go.”
Paul hesitated, then turned back. He knelt down and Bobby ran to him. Paul gathered him in a tight hug that brought the salty sting of tears to Kelsey’s eyes. Whatever else she thought of her ex-husband, she knew his emotions now were genuine.
“’Bye, little buddy,” Paul whispered, his voice breaking. “Remember that Daddy loves you, okay?”
Then he all but pushed Bobby in Kelsey’s direction and sprinted to his car. Bobby began crying in earnest then and nothing Kelsey could do seemed to console him as they stood on the dusty, lonely road and watched Paul drive away.
“Oh, baby, it’s going to be okay,” she whispered, even as she heard sirens in the distance and knew that Justin’s men were closing in on her ex-husband. She would do everything in her power to right Bobby’s word, but she doubted Paul’s would ever be the same again.
In that moment, she was able to recall with absolute clarity the man she had once loved so deeply, and all of the anger from the past few days died and gave way to regret.
“He’s rolling, We’re good to go.” Justin’s voice cut through the interminable silence as the radio crackled to life once more.
The deputy glanced toward Dylan. “You want in on this?”
Dylan thought of just how badly he wanted a piece of the arrest, but then he imagined Kelsey and Bobby just up the road and what they must be feeling.
“No, but thanks,” he said. He stepped from the car and held out his hand for his keys. The deputy returned them.
According to the last transmission Dylan had heard, Paul was still heading west, probably intending to loop around at some point and make his way back to the Dallas airport where he thought he could pick up his car. By now, that car was in some police impound lot, and if Justin had his way, Paul would get nowhere near the airport anyway.
Dylan hit the highway only a few car lengths behind the deputy who’d detained him. He pushed his speed to eighty, confident that there wasn’t a cop in the vicinity who was interested in handing out a ticket at the moment.
He covered the few miles to the meeting point in less than ten minutes. He spotted Kelsey at the side of the road, Bobby in her arms. Both of them were crying. He pulled to a stop behind her car, then waited a minute to give them some privacy before getting out.
“Hey, darlin’,” he called with forced cheer as he made his way to them.
Kelsey’s gaze shot to his and he could see the relief in her eyes. Without relaxing her grip on her son, she reached out a hand to touch his face.
“You’re okay?” she whispered. “Really?”
He winked at Bobby, who was staring at him wide-eyed, no doubt recalling the last time they’d met. “Not a scratch on me,” he assured them both.
His gaze caught Kelsey’s and held. “You did real good.”
She almost faltered then, as if the last of her strength had finally deserted her. Dylan took Bobby from her, then circled her waist with his other arm.
“It’s over, Kelsey. It’s over and everything is going to be just fine.”
“I want to believe that,” she said as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.
He gave her a squeeze. “Then believe it.”
She sighed against him, then met his gaze. “I want to go home, Dylan. I just want to take my son and go home.”
He nodded. “You still have that radio in the car?”
“On the seat.”
“Let me okay it with Justin and we’ll get out of here. Meantime, you hop on in the back with Bobby. I’ll drive.”
“What about your car?”
“I’ll come back for it later.” He picked up the transmitter and called Justin. “Mind if I take Kelsey on home? Can you catch up with us there?”
“Ten-four,” Justin said.
“Everything okay on your end?” he asked, avoiding any direct mention of Paul or an arrest for Bobby’s sake.
“Yep. We’re on our way in now.”
“Anybody get hurt?”
“Just their feelings,” Justin said wryly. “He thought he was in the clear.”
“Nice work. By the way, we’ll talk about that clever little stunt you pulled with me later.”
Justin laughed. “I thought you might have something to say about that. Over and out, pal.”
Dylan glanced into the back seat and caught Kelsey’s puzzled expression. An exhausted Bobby was sound asleep in her lap. Her hand rested protectively against his cheek as if she needed the contact to prove to herself he was with her again.
“What stunt?” she asked quietly.
“Your buddy the sheriff had me pulled over about ten miles from here so I’d stay out of the way,” he responded with a touch of indignation. “I’ve got to admit it was a slick maneuver, though at the time I had a few choice words to say to him. Still, I wouldn’t mind working for a man that devious.”
Kelsey laughed, her expression finally relaxing. “Justin? Devious? Dylan, you’ve got to be kidding. He’s a total straight-arrow.”
“That’s what he wants you to think, but believe me, darlin’, I know a sneaky scoundrel when I meet one.”
“It takes one to know one, I imagine.”
Dylan turned and pinned her with a look. “You’ve got that right.” He nodded toward Bobby. “Think he’ll be okay?”
“Time will tell. So far, it seems he genuinely believes he was just on a big adventure with his daddy and he’s not completely happy about it being over. We’ll have to wait and see if he starts having nightmares.”
“For what it’s worth, I don’t think Paul mistreated him,” Dylan said. “When I found him in that motel, he was more scared of me busting in there than he was of his dad. He even stood up to him, when Paul was tying me up. He told him I was Mommy’s friend and he shouldn’t do that.”
“That’s my boy,” she said with evident pride. “Quite a tough guy.”
“Like his mama,” Dylan noted, then asked sympathetically, “Reality setting in yet?”
“My knees haven’t stopped knocking for the past ten minutes,” she admitted.
“Then let’s get home and get you something to eat and drink,” he said as he started the car. “You�
�ll need something to fortify you for all Justin’s questions. This may be over, but there will be a ton of paperwork.”
She chuckled lightly. “You’re talking to a doctor, remember? The concept of paperwork is not alien to me. I can spend an hour pulling a kid through a medical crisis and another six hours filling out all the forms to justify the treatment. Does that make any sense?”
“It probably does if you’re an insurance company, but to me, no. Paperwork is just one of the things that kept me out of the Houston police department.”
“And the others?” she asked, studying him curiously.
“Rules,” he said at once. “And more rules.”
“I think I get the picture.”
She fell silent and for a moment Dylan thought she, too, might have fallen asleep. A glance in the rearview mirror told him otherwise. She was staring at the passing scenery, though he doubted she was actually seeing it.
“Kelsey? What’s up?”
“I was thinking,” she said.
“About?”
“You, actually. We’ve just been through the most traumatic days of my life together. I feel closer to you than almost anyone else I can think of, and I don’t really know you at all.”
Dylan recognized the feeling. It had swept over him from time to time in the last few days. “How do you feel about changing that? Starting from scratch?”
“I don’t think that’s possible. We can’t go back and pretend this didn’t happen.”
“No,” he agreed. “But we can move on, fill in the blanks.” He hesitated, then asked. “Or will I just be a reminder of everything that’s gone on?”
“Absolutely not,” she said fiercely. “How could I blame you for any of this?”
“I wasn’t suggesting you’d blame me, just that you’d always link me to a bad time in your life, a time you’d rather not relive.”
She shook her head. “No. Something good has to come out of all this. Maybe it’s you and me.”
Dylan felt something in his chest tighten at her words. He wanted to believe that just as badly as she did.
“Is that okay with you?” she asked, sounding suddenly hesitant. “I mean this hasn’t exactly been a picnic for you, either. I know it’s stirred up all sorts of old memories.”
“No, it hasn’t been a picnic, but it’s opened my eyes to a lot of stuff. It’s put me in touch with some feelings I’d tried to pretend didn’t exist.”
“Feelings about your son?”
“Yes.”
“What will you do about them?”
Dylan reached a decision he’d been toying with for the past few days. “As soon as everything is wrapped up here, I’m going to see Kit.”
“And?”
“I’m going to ask her to modify the custody arrangement.”
Kelsey reached over the seat and squeezed his shoulder. “Oh, Dylan, I hope it works out for you.”
“It will,” he said fiercely. His gaze caught hers in the rearview mirror. “Because then I have to get back here and attend to some unfinished business.”
Chapter Thirteen
The day had dragged on endlessly and Kelsey was clearly exhausted. Dylan could see it in her eyes and in the pallor of her complexion. She never took her gaze off Bobby, as if she feared letting him out of her sight, even though Paul was now in custody.
By the time the authorities had sorted out everything at the jail, then come by to take Kelsey’s statement, it was pushing dinnertime. Her house was still crowded with visitors, most of whom had come bearing food they clearly had every intention of sticking around to share.
To Dylan’s frustration, there was nothing he could do about any of it. It would take time to ease her fears. And at the rate the evening was progressing, it was going to take almost as long to get everyone out from underfoot. His occasional attempts to shoo a few well-wishers toward the door had been met with resistence, so he’d finally given up and retreated to the kitchen to grab a beer.
“What are you growling under your breath about?” Trish asked him, cornering him before he could even get the refrigerator door open.
He frowned at her. “Don’t these people know when to go home?”
“They just want Kelsey to know they care.”
“They can tell her that tomorrow. She’s beat.”
His sister studied him knowingly. “You’re awfully protective of her. Do I detect more than a casual interest in her well-being?”
“The man’s a goner,” Jeb chimed in, joining them. “I doubt he’s known which way was up since he met her.”
Dylan glowered at his brother. “Watch it. I can have you on an oil rig in some very distant ocean with just one little hint to Dad.”
“First you want to chain me to a desk, then you want to risk my neck on a rig. Make up your mind, big brother. I’m getting conflicting messages here.”
“Bottom line, I’m looking for revenge,” Dylan warned him. “Watch your step.”
“It’s not me you want revenge against,” Jeb protested. He winked at their sister. “He’d like to wring Paul James’s scrawny neck and he can’t. It’s got him frustrated.” He cast an innocent look at Dylan. “Tell me again about how the man got the jump on you and tied you to a shower rod back in that motel.”
“Okay, that’s it,” Dylan said. “It’s the oil rig.”
He deliberately glanced around the kitchen. “Where’s my cell phone? I’m calling Dad.”
Before he could place the call, Kelsey stepped into the kitchen and Dylan’s pulse leapt into overdrive and all thoughts of revenge against either her ex-husband or his brother fled. He wanted very badly to haul her into his arms, but he didn’t have the right. Not yet. And not in front of his nosy sister and meddlesome brother.
“What are you guys in here fussing and feuding about?” Kelsey asked. “I could hear you in the other room. Is this the Delacourt means of communicating?”
“Pretty much,” Trish reported cheerfully. “Jeb’s taunting Dylan, so Dylan’s threatening to have Dad send him off to an oil rig. It’s the usual stuff. Now that you’re here to referee, I think I’ll call it a night.”
Dylan glanced pointedly at his brother. “You going with her?”
Jeb deliberately stayed right where he was. “I hadn’t planned to.”
“Change your plans,” Dylan said grimly.
Jeb touched a lingering kiss to Kelsey’s cheek that had Dylan seeing red.
“Guess I’ve got to run,” Jeb told her. “Don’t let big brother here bully you, the way he does us.”
“Not a chance,” Kelsey told him.
“If you need any tips on handling him, call me. I know all his dirty little secrets.”
Kelsey chuckled, then gave Dylan a speculative once-over. “I had no idea you had any dirty little secrets.”
“None worth mentioning,” Dylan assured her, then scowled at his brother and sister. “Weren’t you leaving?”
When Jeb and Trish were gone, Dylan shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching for her. “I wouldn’t even try to bully you, you know.”
She laughed. “Sure you would. I’m not dumb enough not to know it’s your nature to bully the people you care about.” She studied him thoughtfully. “And you strike me as smart enough to know that it won’t work with me.”
“Duly noted.” He nodded toward the living room. “Still mobbed in there?”
“It’s thinning down some.”
“Want me to clear the rest of them out?”
“No, I’m fine. I just can’t seem to take my eyes off of Bobby for more than a second. I forced myself to come in here, just so I could break the pattern before it became a habit. Even at three, he’d hate me hovering.”
Dylan stepped closer, crowding her. “And here I thought you came into the kitchen to see me.”
She laughed again and Dylan realized how little reason she’d had for laughter in the last few days and what a pleasure it was to hear the sound of it.
“You�
�re just a bonus,” she told him.
Dylan met her gaze evenly, saw the laughter die on her lips, then the fire of desire in her eyes.
“Do you know how badly I want to kiss you right now?” he asked.
She swallowed hard before answering. “I have an inkling.” Her chin rose a notch. “What are you going to do about it?”
The feisty tone made his pulse hum. “Why, doc, I think you’re actually flirting with me. In fact, that almost sounded like a challenge. Is that possible?”
“Try me.”
Dylan kept his hands jammed in his pockets as he lowered his head until his lips skimmed lightly over hers. Even so, he felt the shudder that washed through her. It was only a faint imitation of the one that rocked him when she leaned into the kiss, deepened it.
“Oh, baby,” he murmured, “I have wanted this for so long.”
“We’ve only known each other a few days,” she reminded him before her breath hitched on a sigh.
“Forever,” he corrected.
His arms went around her then and his mouth moved over hers, tasting, savoring, possessing. Heat spread through him with the speed and intensity of a flash fire.
With the one tiny little part of his brain that was still functioning he recognized this as a bad idea. It wasn’t the time or the place to go into a passion-generated meltdown. In the aftermath of Bobby’s rescue, Kelsey couldn’t be thinking clearly, so it was up to him to do it.
In just a minute, he promised himself as he dipped his head for one more kiss. She had recently had a sip of wine and her lips were still cool, still bore its fruity taste. He doubted he would ever touch a glass of Chardonnay again without thinking of this moment.
He could feel himself growing hard, his erection as urgent and demanding as a randy teenager’s, as hot and heavy as a man’s. He knew he had to stop before he lost his last fragile thread of control.
Sighing, he pulled back, then stared into Kelsey’s dazed eyes.
“Oh, my,” she murmured, resting her forehead against his chest. “I’ve been married. I’m a doctor. I’ve read all the anatomy and human sexuality books. I understand how this works, but it has never, never, felt like this before.”
Dylan and the Baby Doctor Page 15
