Caught Between a Rock and a Hunka Man (Caught Between Romance Book 3)

by Sheila Seabrook

  Trudy nodded her head, so in tune with what the older woman was saying. “It’s true, you would. And the captain would make an awesome dad.”

  Marla narrowed her eyes at Trudy. “Hey, I thought we were becoming friends, but if you’re going to side with them—”

  Mrs. Readner and Betty each looped an arm through Trudy’s and started to tug her away. “You can help us pick out something naughty and arrange somewhere private for the seduction.”

  Trudy glanced back at Marla and saw that she was shaking her head, a smile on her lips.

  For the first time ever, it seemed that she had girlfriends.

  It was almost enough to take her mind off her problems with Bill.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  So much for building a shelter and stealing his cousin’s condoms, Reed thought with disappointment as he followed his dad into the jungle.

  At least going inland for water was an excuse to do something besides go stir crazy at the constant inactivity of being stuck on the island. Tinkering with the radio had proved futile. Out of sheer boredom, he was ready to count coconuts and discuss accounting practices.

  His thoughts automatically turned to the accountant who fascinated him the most.

  It seemed that with each passing day, Marla intruded a little more on his fantasies. He was almost tempted to build a raft so he could coax her to sail away to a deserted island with him because this one was far too crowded. Except that would suggest he was interested in something more permanent, wouldn’t it?

  His old man suddenly stopped in front of him, and distracted by his thoughts, Reed bumped right into him. He backed away and mumbled, “Sorry.”

  Paul huffed out a big breath and waved him forward. “You go first.

  As he skirted around the other man, he watched his dad bend at the waist, plant his hands on his knees, and take several deep breaths. “Is something wrong?”

  After another deep breath, Paul straightened and shook his head. “You have a better sense of direction than I do.”

  Reed narrowed his eyes at the older man. “There’s only one path and it leads directly to the lagoon, Dad. What’s up?”

  “Nothing. I just—” With a frown, Paul waved him forward. “Do you have to argue with everything I say?”

  “I’m not arguing,” he muttered. But as they made their way through the dense jungle floor, he could hear his dad’s breathing grow labored, and he wondered if he should stop and demand an explanation.

  Paul’s breathless voice interrupted his thoughts. “Are you making any progress on the radio?”

  With a frown, he shook his head. “I’m ninety-nine percent positive it’s fried.”

  “Maybe Bill should take a shot at it.”

  Reed gritted his teeth. “If that’s what you want, he’s more than welcome.”

  Silence fell between them, then Paul said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to belittle your abilities. I’ve learned over the years that sometimes it takes two heads to puzzle out a stubborn equation.”

  Reed nearly stumbled over his feet.

  Paul Readner had never said sorry in his life, at least not to the son he’d raised to follow in his footsteps. It made him acknowledge that change, even when highly unlikely, was always possible.

  The heavy breathing behind him made him stop in the middle of the path and turn. “We should take a break.”

  “If you really need one,” Paul huffed out. He bent at the waist, set his hands on his knees, and took several deep breaths.

  Reed fiddled with the jugs in his hands and pretended to ignore his dad, but as the older man’s breathing evened out, he furtively studied him. His dad’s face was flushed and sweating, and beneath the redness was a pallor that didn’t look good.

  He felt his frown deepen. “Are you getting enough water, Dad?”

  Paul straightened as tall as he could manage. “As much as everyone else.”

  “You don’t look so good.”

  The stubborn old man gestured him onward. “I’m fine. Just needed a few minutes rest, that’s all.”

  As Reed started out at a slower pace, he recalled the discussion he’d overheard when his parents first arrived at the dock. “What were those pills the doctor gave you for?”

  There was a frustrated grunt from behind. “How do you know about the pills? Did your mother say something?”

  “No, nothing. I overheard you talking about them before you came on board the yacht.”

  “Speaking of the yacht, do you think we might be able to repair it?”

  “Don’t change the subject, Dad.” Reed turned to face him and noted that his color was better. He’d have to remember to maintain a slower pace when his dad was with him. “What were the pills for?”

  His dad’s gaze skittered away. Just for a moment, he looked like a sulky teen, and Reed had a vision of what a future with elderly parents could be like. In order to maintain their independence, they’d tell half-truths and perfect their manipulation skills.

  Paul finally sighed and looked him in the eye. “They’re for my heart.”

  Reed’s own heart skittered and sped up. “What’s wrong with your heart?”

  “I had a heart attack last year. It was nothing. Very minor. I’m fine now.”

  “Except you’re not taking your medication.” He ground his teeth together. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Paul shrugged and busied himself with brushing some sand off his shirtfront. “I didn’t think you’d care.”

  “Of course I care.” He stilled the concern and annoyance surging through his body. “You shouldn’t be out here. We should head back before we get too far from camp.”

  “No.” Paul put his hand on Reed’s shoulder. “I don’t want your mother to know about this incident. She worries.”

  “She should worry.” As he stared back at his dad, he ground his molars together. “Do you have your medication with you? Maybe you should take some.”

  The old man appeared awkward as he broke the physical contact, backed up a few steps, and hitched both hands on his hips. “It went down with the boat.”

  In the few seconds it took him to comprehend the meaning of his dad’s revelation, Reed’s blood boiled. Clamping down hard on his frustration, he raked a hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck. “When we get back, I’ll go diving for it.”

  “Thanks, son.” Paul waved toward the path. “We should keep going.”

  Reed spun on his heels and started off. “Tell me if you want to stop and rest, okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Paul stated as though it were the absolute truth.

  But he wasn’t fine. He’d had a heart attack, and if Reed had learned anything about first aid, it was that the stubborn old man exhibited all of the signs of another impending attack.

  The moment they returned to Serendipity Island, he’d make sure his dad saw a doctor, even if he had to drag the stubborn old man there by his belt loops.

  They traversed the uneven ground in silence, until the jungle opened up into a clearing around the lagoon. Reed took the empty jugs from his dad and bent to the water to fill them. He took his time, giving his old man plenty of time to rest for the trip back to the beach.

  By the time he was done, the pallor had disappeared from his dad’s face. When the older man tried to take one of the jugs, Reed wouldn’t let him. “I can handle them,” he said quietly.

  And in just as quiet a voice, the other man said, “It’s nice to know that you still care.”

  They started on the return trip and a few minutes into it, Paul said, “That young lady you’re interested in doesn’t deserve to be strung along. I’ve seen the way you look at her and the way she looks at you. What are your intentions?”

  Without asking, Reed knew exactly who he was talking about. “I have no intentions and she knows that. Once this trip is done and we’re back on dry land, I’ll resume my life away from the island.”

  “When Steve Blackhorne ran away from his responsibilities
, I took it upon myself to make sure Marla and her mother were protected and cared for. I don’t want to see her hurt.”

  “Neither do I, Dad,” he said, and he wondered if his dad was right. He hadn’t thought beyond the moment, assumed from all she’d said that she was no more interested in a long term commitment than he was.

  Maybe he was wrong.

  Or maybe his dad was wrong.

  Reed made a point of stopping several times, giving the older man a chance to rest. As they reached the beach, Paul stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “What happened out there is just between you and me. Agreed?”

  He studied the old man’s face, less flushed than before, and gave a sharp nod. “For now.”

  With a nod, his old man took a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and strolled toward the campfire looking like a man with all the energy and vitality of his youth. As Reed watched him, he realized that someday, his parents would both be gone and he’d miss them, so maybe it was time he learned how to deal with them instead of letting them drive him nuts.

  He dragged his attention from his dad and counted bodies, and with everyone accounted for, he headed toward Marla and Trudy.

  They were working on the roof of the new shelter, the walls already done, and he spoke without thinking. “Hi honey, I’m home.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Reed wasn’t sure where that had come from, but it felt right.

  Home, wherever Marla was, seemed like a good place to be.

  At his words, Trudy had nearly jumped out of her skin, and with her face turning beet red, she backed away, muttering, “Well, I’ll just leave you two alone.”

  She sprinted across the beach, sand flying from beneath her feet, and Reed turned his focus back on the woman who totally fascinated him. He knew he needed to keep things light. “What’s up with her?”

  Marla gave him a naughty smile, reached into her pocket, and pulled out a handful of condoms. “Trudy helped me steal them.”

  Reed stared at the packets. “Is that all of them?”

  “Uh huh. Bill pissed her off so no more nookie for him.” She smiled and tossed the condoms onto the bedding of leaves inside the shelter, then returned to the task of arranging the fronds on the shelter’s rooftop, a contemplative look on her face. “Trudy thinks she’s in love with Bill and I’m not sure what to do with that.”

  Reed stuffed his hands into his pockets, suddenly uncomfortable. Even though he’d questioned her before, he needed to ask again…and he wasn’t exactly sure why. “Marla, look at me.” When she complied, he asked, “Do you want Bill back? I’m sure it’s not too late.”

  “What is wrong with you?” She stuck her hands on her hips and glared at him with the cutest, most stubborn expression he’d ever seen. He wanted to reach out, grab her by the shoulders, and haul her against him for a kiss or three. “Do you really think I’m the type of woman who would be in love with one man while she shared bodily fluids with another one?”

  He blinked. “No. Of course not.”

  “Then don’t ask me that question ever again.” She turned her back on him and grabbed another palm branch, slapping it down on the rooftop. “How did it go with your dad?”

  She still sounded prissy, but at least she was talking to him. “As you can see, I’m still in one piece. Why didn’t anyone tell me about his heart attack?”

  She slanted a look his way, the prissiness gone, only pity in her gaze. “He didn’t want you to know.”

  “Well, now his medication is sunk with the boat and I may not be able to rescue it.” He scraped a hand over his jaw, the sound of his unshaven whiskers loud in the silence between them. “Maybe if I’d known when we first got stranded, but now it’s probably all waterlogged.”

  Marla grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him behind the shelter where there was a bit of privacy. “Before you go diving for it, there’s something I want to do.”

  “What? Thank me for not arguing with my dad?”

  “This.” She wrapped one hand around the back of his neck and pulled his head down toward hers.

  As his lips met hers, and his arms automatically surrounded her, he felt her small hands tunnel under his shirt, felt her snuggle into his body, and every thought but one escaped him.

  He wanted her…and it wasn’t just a physical need. He looked forward to her teasing, and even when she got all prissy and self-conscious, all he wanted to do was make her forget everything but this thing that erupted between them.

  A scrape of a foot in the sand made Reed break off the kiss as Betty stepped around the corner of the shelter.

  “Oh, excuse me, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  A heartfelt sigh escaped the woman now clutching his shirtfront as though she meant to drag him off into the jungle, before she released her grip on him and shifted to face her mom. “Go away, Mom.”

  But Betty’s gaze raked Reed from his head to his feet, then centered on his crotch. “I told you, honey. He’s got everything you need. Brains and brawn and most important of all, the promise of a very lovely package.”

  He very nearly covered himself as he blinked across at the woman who was eying him like a prime slice of red meat. “Did she just say what I thought she said?”

  Marla sighed. “Unfortunately.”

  When Marla tried to slip past her mom, Betty sidestepped and blocked her escape. “Was I too subtle? Because if I was, here’s the scoop.” A noise came from inside the shelter, and she sidestepped again to prevent Reed from going to investigate. “I’m taking applications for a sperm donor.”

  Reed forgot about the noise in the shelter and stepped back. “Don’t look at me.”

  “Yes, Mother. Reed’s not exactly the kind of daddy-material we’re looking for.” Marla grabbed the older woman by the arm and tugged. There was laughter in her gaze and something else that he couldn’t quite identify. Affection maybe? “Leave the poor man alone. You’ll scare him off and when we’re not looking, he’ll build a raft and sail away without us.”

  Apparently Betty wasn’t about to be deterred because she grabbed her daughter’s arm and held her ground. “Impregnate my girl and you can vamoose. Disappear. Have no responsibility. This grandma will take care of everything.”

  A snort from the other side of the shelter had Marla push past her mom, and he followed.

  Inside the shelter, Mary kneeled in the sand, her shoulders hunched as though she were hiding something. Reed stood behind her. “What are you doing, Mom?”

  Mary jumped to her feet and hands behind her back, faced him. “Nothing.”

  But before he could quiz her further, Betty grabbed Mary by the arm. “Come on, Hag.”

  As Mary let the woman who’d once be her best friend drag her away, she retorted, “Let me go, Bitch.”

  With the talk of impregnation freaking him out, he turned to the woman now laughing. “Your mom’s not serious, is she?”

  She glanced into the shelter, then sobered up immediately as she slipped inside. “About the sperm donor? I’m afraid so.” She appeared a moment later and held up the condoms, a disconcerted expression on her face. “And now it looks like she’s convinced your mom to join her. Apparently the thought of a grandchild has made them put aside their differences.”

  Reed peered at the packets and saw that they were full of pin holes. “Do you see what they did?”

  Releasing a snort of disgust, she glared after them and muttered, “And now no one is getting laid.”

  She looked so glum, he nearly gave in to the urge to pull her into his arms, but then he remembered his dad’s words.

  Marla was everything he didn’t want in a woman—a woman with a future that included a diamond ring, a white picket fence, and two point five kids—and yet he was so totally obsessed with her, the distance he always maintained from relationships had vanished the way of the grudge he’d once held against his dad. As much as he hated it, he realized Paul was right.

  He reached out and tucked a stray lock of h
air behind her ear. “What am I going to do with you?”

  She stuffed the condoms into her pocket. “Not what I was hoping you’d do to me.”

  He didn’t want to give her the wrong impression…or false hope for a future that could never be. “Look, I’m never in the same place for more than a day or two. I get bored easy. You need a man who’s going to be home for supper every night.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, annoyance flitting across her face like a rain cloud racing across the horizon. The annoyance settled into a frown. “Just because our moms are after a grandchild, and your dad is after you to return to the accounting firm—”

  As confirmation of his dad’s scheme tumbled out, he watched her clap one hand over her mouth, her mocha eyes wide with horror.

  Even though he’d suspected, he still felt a little sick in the stomach. “So it’s true?”

  With her hand over her mouth, she nodded.

  “And this thing between you and me—” With his index finger, he indicated the two of them just in case she misunderstood. “It’s all a ploy to get me to return to the accounting firm?”

  She lowered her hand to her side, her expression scrunched and painful. “At first it may have been—”

  He was so not buying into any more lies. “May have been?”

  Releasing a heartfelt sigh, she let her shoulders slump. “Fine. Definitely was. But now it’s not.”

  “Why should I trust anything you say?”

  Her eyes were clear and honest as she gazed up at him. “I like you, Reed, I always have. And I respect your decision to follow your dreams.” When he opened his mouth to interrupt, she held up her hand to silence him. “Maybe not before, but last night I listened when you told me about your business. I could tell how much you love doing what you do.” Her eyes were filled with sadness and regret. “As much as I love working with numbers and solving accounting problems.”

  He stared at her, mulling over her words and the tone of her voice. Finally, he said, “I believe you.”

  “This thing between you and me…it may have started out as a means to get the partnership, but it’s more than that.” Her gaze was clear and honest. “I know there’s no future for us. Your life is out there. My life is on Serendipity Island. But wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy each other’s company for the little time that’s left?”