A Love Beyond Words

by Sherryl Woods

  “No, it’s Allie,” he responded without thinking.

  Tom’s eyes lit up. “Allie, as in the beauty you plucked from the rubble the other day? What about her?”

  Ricky had really hoped not to get into this with his partner. Tom would make way too much out of it, and Ricky would wind up as the butt of endless good-natured joking around the station. Not that the ribbing would be a new thing, but for some reason he didn’t want Allie’s name tossed around as if she were just another conquest.

  “Never mind. It’s nothing,” he said. “I’ll figure something out.”

  Tom regarded him with feigned hurt. “Who better to help than me, your buddy, your pal, the man you trust with your life?”

  “You can’t help. You’re in the same boat I’m in, right here, waiting to sail, so to speak.”

  Tom straddled a bench and beckoned to Ricky. “Sit. Talk to me.”

  Ricky surmised his friend wasn’t going to let the subject drop. With a sigh he sat. “Allie’s at the house,” he began.

  “Your house?” Tom asked, eyes wide with shock.

  “Yes, my house,” he retorted impatiently. “Whose did you think I meant?”

  “You could have meant your mother’s.”

  Which probably would have been the smart place to take Allie from the outset, Ricky concluded. Neutral turf. Oh, his mother might have pestered him with questions, but at least his denials that Allie meant anything to him would have been more believable if she was staying with his family, rather than him.

  It would also have made it more difficult for those sizzling kisses to lead them both into more dangerous territory. Under his mother’s watchful gaze, he would have been lucky to steal a peck on the cheek.

  Oh, well, he thought with a sigh. It was too late now.

  Tom regarded him with approval. “So, the beautiful Allie is at your house. Very smooth, Enrique. Quick work.”

  “She didn’t have anyplace else to go,” he said defensively. “None of which is the point.”

  Tom grinned, obviously enjoying Ricky’s discomfort. “Then explain the point. I’m all ears.”

  “I left tonight before I knew we were going to be stuck here indefinitely. Now I don’t have any way to get word to her.”

  “You can’t…” He glanced toward the phone, then nodded with sudden understanding. “Of course you can’t.”

  Since leaving her there wondering and worrying, particularly after the way he’d bolted, was completely unacceptable, Ricky concluded he had only one choice. “Can you cover for me?” he asked Tom. “I’ll run home, explain things and be back here in twenty minutes. We won’t take off that fast, even if a call comes the second I’m out the door.”

  For once Tom didn’t indulge in his usual taunting. He just nodded. “Go.”

  “Thanks, pal. I owe you one. I’ll be back in twenty minutes, tops.”

  Ricky was halfway to the door before Tom hollered, “Just don’t hang around for any hanky-panky.”

  “Allie and I are not engaging in any hanky-panky,” Ricky retorted. Not yet, anyway.

  He actually made it home in five minutes and was surprised to find most of the house in darkness except for a lamp in the living room. The remains of their dinner had been cleared away, the dishes washed. He headed down the hall to the guest room, then cursed when he saw the light was out. Allie was probably asleep and he was going to have to wake her, no doubt scaring her half to death in the process.

  Leave her a note, a little voice murmured in his head. He acknowledged it might be the thoughtful, sensible thing to do for both their sakes, but that didn’t seem to slow his progress toward her room.

  He eased the door open and peeked inside. The instant the light from the hallway flooded into the room, Allie sat straight up in bed, her eyes wide with alarm.

  “Ricky?”

  He flipped on the overhead light, then stepped inside so she could see his face. “Sorry,” he said, chagrined. “I didn’t know whether to wake you or not. I’m going to be stuck at the station for hours and I might have to go out of town. I couldn’t think of any other way to let you know.”

  He tried not to notice that her tousled hair was skimming shoulders that were bare as she clutched the sheet to her breasts. Sweet heaven, the woman was naked. His imagination seized on that and stripped away the sheet before he could get a tight rein on it. Fortunately her gaze was locked on his face, so perhaps she didn’t notice the unmistakable sign of his arousal behind the zipper of his suddenly uncomfortable jeans.

  “A hurricane?” she guessed. “The one heading for Louisiana?”

  “Exactly.”

  “I saw the news reports. Is there anything you want me to do for you here if you have to go? Shadow…?”

  “He’ll stay with me. Just keep an eye on things,” he said. “Make yourself at home. And don’t forget that Maria is coming in the morning. She has a key, so don’t be startled if she just walks in. She knows you won’t hear her knock.”

  She nodded. “I’ll be waiting for her.”

  He dragged his gaze away and took a step back. “I’d better go. Good night, Allie.”

  “Good night. Stay safe.”

  He turned off the light and carefully shut the door, then leaned against the opposite wall and waited for his pulse to stop racing. He was in trouble here. Big trouble.

  All the way back to the station he thought of her last words to him. Stay safe. She had said it as if she actually might worry about him. When was the last time someone had done that? Oh, of course his family worried, but they’d had years to get used to his comings and goings, to accept the risks he took. Allie was the first woman he’d allowed to get close enough to be affected by his well-being, the first one he’d left behind to worry.

  He told himself not to let that matter. If his mind was on Allie at all, he could lose concentration on whatever job had to be done. That would put not only his life but Tom’s at risk, to say nothing of whatever victim they might be attempting to rescue.

  He had to forget all about her, block her from his mind, and that was that. Unfortunately, as he’d already discovered in a few brief days, that particular feat was going to be easier said than done.

  Allie had stayed awake for a long time after Ricky left. She’d been stunned the night before, not by him walking into her room, but by his thoughtful return to let her know that he might have to leave town. She doubted he was used to being accountable to anyone.

  She was sitting at the kitchen table, stirring sugar into her coffee, when she glanced up and saw a beautiful, dark-haired, dark-eyed woman surveying her intently. The family resemblance would have been unmistakable even if she hadn’t seen a photograph of all the Wilders the night before.

  “Hello,” she said tentatively. “Maria?”

  A grin identical to Ricky’s spread across the woman’s face. “And you must be Allie. I hope I didn’t scare you. I tried not to sneak up on you.”

  “Unfortunately, having people sneak up on me is pretty much a given in my life. At least my heart doesn’t leap out of my chest anymore.”

  Maria chuckled, then sobered as she stared longingly at the pot of coffee. “Thank goodness. Can I have some of that? We were running late this morning at my house and I left to take the kids to school before I could get my first cup.”

  Since she was already reaching into the cupboard for a mug, Allie concluded she didn’t really expect a response. Because she knew what it was like to need a jolt of caffeine to feel civilized, she waited as the other woman poured the coffee, stirred in three heaping teaspoons of sugar, then took her first sip.

  “Ah, heaven,” Maria murmured, her expression content. She glanced around. “So, where’s my brother?”

  “He was called in to work last night. He thought he might have to go to Louisiana.”

  “He left you all alone on your first night here?”

  Allie grinned at her apparent indignation. “He does have a job. I doubt his boss would care that he has a
temporary houseguest.”

  Maria’s gaze narrowed. “Then this is only temporary?”

  “Of course. He just offered to let me stay here so I could get out of the hospital. The doctors wouldn’t release me until I knew where I was going and had someone around who could make sure I rested. Your brother took pity on me. As soon as I make other arrangements, I’ll be moving out.”

  Maria laid her hand on Allie’s. “Do me a personal favor, okay? Don’t be too quick to go.”

  Allie regarded her with confusion. “Why?”

  “My brother might not admit it, but he needs someone in his life.”

  “But what makes you think I should be that someone? You don’t really know me. He doesn’t, either, for that matter.”

  “He invited you to stay here. That alone tells me quite a lot. As for me, you can spend the next hour satisfying my curiosity.”

  “Oh?” Allie said cautiously.

  “I want to know everything about you, all the deep, dark secrets, all the hopes and dreams.”

  Startled by Maria’s unrepentant determination to dig into her life, Allie fell silent.

  “Uh-oh, I’ve come on too strong, haven’t I?” Maria said. “Sorry. It’s big-sister syndrome. I usually don’t get this much privacy with Ricky’s women, so my curiosity is never satisfied. It’s very frustrating. I suppose it doesn’t really matter, because they’re usually gone in no time at all.”

  She smiled warmly. “Something tells me, though, that you have staying power.”

  Allie was stunned by the assessment. How could Maria come to such a conclusion based on a meeting that hadn’t even gone on for fifteen minutes yet?

  “Sisterly instinct?” she asked.

  “Exactly. You’re beautiful. You’re vulnerable.”

  When Allie would have protested, Maria held up her hand. “Maybe not typically and not for long, but for the moment you definitely require a little extra pampering, a certain amount of macho protectiveness.” Her smile turned smug. “And you are in his house. I rest my case.” She took a mock bow.

  Allie chuckled. “Very confident, aren’t you?”

  “Very.” Her smile faltered. “Unless you’re not interested in him. You do find our Enrique attractive, don’t you?”

  “I’d have to be blind, as well as deaf, not to find him attractive,” Allie admitted without hesitation. “Beyond that…?” She shrugged. She was not going to bring up those kisses. She was not even going to think about those kisses, much less discuss them with his sister.

  “It’s a start,” Maria declared with evident satisfaction. “Now then, do you want to take a look at the clothes I brought along? I stopped short of raiding my sisters’ closets, so what you’re getting comes from mine. It was easier than trying to explain to them why they couldn’t come along this morning. Ricky was afraid that you would find all four of us at once to be overwhelming.”

  “Are the others like you?” Allie asked.

  Maria chuckled. “I like to think they’re worse, but yes, pretty much.”

  “I can’t wait to meet them, then,” Allie said honestly. “But Ricky was right. All of you at once would have been a little terrifying.”

  Maria regarded her with understanding. “Your whole world must seem a little off-kilter now. I can’t imagine going to bed in a home, with belongings that you treasure, and then waking up to discover that everything, including the house, has been destroyed. Was anything at all salvageable?”

  “To tell you the truth, I don’t know. I came here straight from the hospital, so I haven’t been able to go back and sift through the debris to see if anything’s left.”

  “Would you like to do that now?” Maria offered. “I could take you. You might feel better if you could find some things of your own.”

  Allie desperately wanted to take her up on the offer, but she knew she wasn’t strong enough physically for the ordeal. “I’m afraid I don’t have the stamina just yet. And my ankle and knee are still in pretty bad shape.”

  “Of course. What was I thinking?” Maria apologized. “You let me know whenever you’re ready. If Ricky doesn’t have time to take you, I will. Or the family and I can go for you.”

  “I couldn’t ask you to do that. You’ve already done too much.”

  “I’ve taken a few things out of my closet. What’s the big deal? To tell you the truth, I’m glad to be rid of them. I bought them too small and they’re mocking me.”

  Allie tried unsuccessfully to hide a grin.

  “I see Ricky told you about my habit of deluding myself when it comes to my weight,” Maria said. “A woman in this family has no secrets. Well, no matter, you will put them to good use, so there was a reason I bought them, wasn’t there?”

  “Before we look at the clothes, could you do me a favor? I’d like to let my former neighbor know where I am. Otherwise, she’ll waste a trip to the hospital.”

  “Give me the number and I’ll call right now.”

  Once the call to Jane was made and Maria had managed to satisfy her elderly neighbor that Allie was in good hands, Ricky’s sister took her into the guest room. To Allie’s amazement she found a huge pile of clothes on the bed. There were shorts, slacks, blouses and dresses, all still tagged an optimistic size eight.

  “I know,” Marie said ruefully when she saw Allie examining a tag. “These hips haven’t been in a size eight in ten years, but I can dream, can’t I?” She surveyed Allie. “Will they be too big for you?”

  “No, perfect, I imagine. I’ll choose one or two to get by with—”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. Keep them all. If there are any you don’t want, give them back later.”

  “Then let me pay you, at least.”

  “Absolutely not. They might not even be to your taste. The important thing is that they’ll do in a pinch.”

  “I insist on paying you for anything I keep,” Allie repeated firmly. “That’s only fair. Then you can buy something else.”

  “Whatever,” Maria said dismissively, sifting through the stack until she hit on a bright-blue sundress. “Try this. It will be gorgeous on you. Very sexy.”

  Because she’d never had anyone to go on shopping excursions with her and had always envied the fun it would be to try on clothes and giggle over the ones that looked absurd or get advice on the ones that looked best, she reached for the dress.

  It wasn’t her style. It was too revealing by far, but the color would be nice with her eyes, she thought, as she stripped to her underwear and slid the dress over her head.

  It fit like a dream. She could tell even before she turned to look in the mirror. The silky fabric fell like a whisper to caress her thighs before ending just above her knees. It clung to her breasts, barely held in place by spaghetti straps.

  Her gaze shifted in search of Maria’s reflection in the mirror only to find Ricky’s stunned face instead. She could see the muscles in his neck work as he swallowed hard. Her own mouth went dry and she pivoted slowly to face him.

  “I was just…”

  “You look…”

  She grinned, anxious to know what he had been about to say. “You first.”

  “Amazing,” he said, his gaze still riveted. “You look amazing. That dress was made for you.”

  “I don’t really have anyplace to wear it.”

  “Sure you do,” he contradicted. “We have a date to go dancing, remember?”

  She was surprised that he remembered the promise he’d made when she was so terrified that she might be paralyzed. “I thought you’d probably forgotten all about that.”

  “I never forget an invitation to hold a gorgeous woman in my arms.”

  They were both startled when Maria waved a hand between them to get their attention. “I’ll just be going now,” she said, barely containing her laughter as she added, “As if either of you will care.”

  “I heard that,” Ricky said, his gaze returning to Allie.

  Allie felt her skin begin to burn under the intensity of his scruti
ny.

  “You’re back,” she said, then winced at the statement of the obvious.

  His eyes twinkled. “I am.”

  “You didn’t have to leave town?”

  He shook his head. “The storm weakened and veered back out to sea. Unless it strengthens and turns again, Louisiana should be in the clear. Then we’ll have to wait to see about Texas or Mexico.”

  “That’s great.”

  He blinked, then tore his gaze away. “I’m going to take a shower. Did you have breakfast?”

  “Yes, but I can make you something.”

  He shook his head. “I ate at the station.”

  Allie nodded, feeling yesterday’s awkwardness stealing through her again. What would he normally do with the rest of his day? She didn’t want to interfere with whatever plans he might have made.

  “Look, you do whatever you want to do. I’ll probably go out back and read for a while, then take a nap.”

  “In that dress?” he inquired, his expression amused.

  She glanced down, stunned to see that she was still wearing the sundress. “Of course not. I’ll change.” She gestured toward the pile of clothes. “Your sister got carried away.”

  “So I see.”

  Fumbling a little as she tried to untangle the hangers, she began putting the clothes in the closet without even examining them. A moment later she felt a tap on her shoulder.

  “Yes?” She faced Ricky. Hands jammed in his pockets, he looked uncomfortable.

  “Want to go somewhere for lunch?” he asked. “If you’re not too tired.”

  She nodded. “That would be nice.”

  “I have to go to my nephew’s soccer game after that. You can come along if you’re up to it, or I can bring you back here.”

  Allie desperately wanted to go along, to feel as if she were becoming a part of this huge extended family of his, but the fact was she stilled tired easily.

  “Can we play that by ear?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Then he was gone and she was left clutching an armload of clothes. Her decision to stay here was getting more complicated by the second. The undeniable heat between them, his sister’s generosity, a lifelong yearning for boisterous siblings and close family ties, it was all too alluring. She was very much afraid she might start wanting something that wasn’t in the cards.