Their Secret Bargain Read online

  “Matt isn’t a problem.”

  Luke planted his hands on his hips. “I didn’t mean to imply that he was. I just meant with it being summer vacation, you wouldn’t need a sitter while you worked. Besides—” he indicated Jenn with a smooth tilt of his head “—you look to be a little busy right now.”

  He glanced across the room at Jenn and frowned. No matter what happened between them, it wouldn’t last long. It couldn’t, under the circumstances—not once the novelty wore off. And not if she found out the whole truth. “Jenn is just a friend.”

  “Uh-huh. Then why were you staring down her shirt when I came in?”

  “She’s also a beautiful woman. But I don’t think taking Matt to California is a good idea. He’s busy with ball, and I don’t want him quitting so he can take off with you when the season’s just started.”

  Disappointment clouded Luke’s expression. “I forgot about him playing ball. He any good?”

  Nick smirked. “Unfortunately, he takes after me.”

  Luke smiled, and shook his head. “He’ll get better with practice.”

  The way he had? Nick sighed.

  Luke fingered the plastic-covered top of the weight rest that was attached to the bench in front of him. “Anyway, that’s cool. Just thought I’d ask. Maybe I can spend some extra time with him while I’m here. Take him riding or something?”

  Did he really have to? Guilt stirred, but Nick pushed it down. “That would be better.”

  “You could come, too, if you like. Been a while since we’ve hung out and had some fun.”

  Nick immediately shook his head. “Not with Cyrus gone. Too much to do—you know how it is.” Luke didn’t like the response, but Nick didn’t care. Did Luke have any idea how hard it was to look at him and see himself, minus the smarts? “That’s all you needed?”

  “You got a computer I could borrow?”

  “Why?”

  “I need to look up something.”

  “If you want directions to Shelby’s, just ask.”

  “You know where she lives?”

  “Things got interesting last night, huh?” Nick wasn’t surprised. When he’d spotted them, Luke’s tongue was down her throat and things looked to be getting hot. “Ridge Road. Drive along until you reach the old sawmill. She bought that little house by the creek.”

  “Thanks.”

  Nick chuckled, glad it was his brother on the hot seat for a change. “Alex’s scrawny little friend grew up nicely, didn’t she?”

  Luke grinned. “Yeah. So…Matt. Gram said he’s spending the night with her after the wedding. Maybe I can take him riding after church tomorrow?”

  Nick nodded reluctantly, not ready to face the fact that the older Matt got, the more out of control things were likely to become. Being a parent was scary, and being a single parent was worse. Jenn was right. He didn’t want Matt hearing the news from anyone else.

  THE WEDDING went off without a hitch. The bride was resplendent in her white lace and the groom was visibly emotional from start to finish. Jenn watched the ceremony with a damp tissue crumpled in her hand and Nick at her side, looking every bit as handsome as she’d known he would. He wore another dark suit, this one with a power tie in bold red.

  It just wasn’t fair. Shopping with Suzanne had been a success, but the form-hugging dress that Suzanne promised was flattering and slimming just didn’t compare with the effect of Nick’s long, hard form in that suit. She sighed deeply. Don’t be such an idiot. You’re fighting with him, remember?

  “What are you thinking about?”

  Squirming on the chair, she jumped at the feel of his whisper blowing gently into her ear and tried not to notice the shivers running through her as a result. Or the way his calloused fingers brushed her left shoulder. Back and forth, absentminded strokes that kept her from concentrating on the exchange of vows. Every now and again his thumb would move. Ease beneath the strap of her dress to stroke her skin. No wonder she was distracted.

  And loving every minute of it.

  How stupid was it to become involved with a parent? With a man like Nick?

  Nick was overwhelming on a good day, a combination of chocolate, salty potato chips and diet-blasting gourmet coffee. No woman with breath in her could walk away unscathed.

  The minister pronounced the couple man and wife just as the sun sank midway behind the mountain across from the country club. The announcement couldn’t have been more perfectly timed, the couple silhouetted by the sun’s glorious backdrop. The crowd broke into applause as Garret and Darcy sealed their wedding vows with a kiss. Jenn inhaled sharply when Nick’s right hand appeared in front of her face. He brushed her cheek with his knuckles and wiped away a tear.

  “Sorry.” She tried to laugh off her silliness. “I always cry at weddings.”

  He smiled his sexy bad-boy grin at the revelation, even though he was probably still mad at her from this morning.

  The newly married couple walked down the aisle, Garret beaming proudly and carrying his soon-to-be-adopted stepdaughter with his wife on his arm. The crowd began to disperse one row at a time and on a far end from the aisle, Nick snagged her arm in a gentle grip. “Come on. This time you’re dancing with me.”

  Chapter 15

  NICK TOLD HIMSELF IT was part of the plan. He was supposed to be Jenn’s guy friend and that meant he had to dance with her. He hadn’t last night because he’d been too pissed off about being at the rehearsal dinner in the first place, but now…Now it was part of the plan.

  So what if it was becoming easier to pretend? It didn’t matter. Not in the end. Look how fast the past weeks had flown by. Summer would be over before he knew it and they’d go their separate ways. Why not enjoy the moment while it lasted? The friendship?

  “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  Nick drew her closer, shuffled them into a shadowy corner of the dance floor away from prying eyes and continued the slow, swaying movements. That’s when he felt the trembling, her trembling. Subtle, elusive, but there. And like a train racing out of control, desire shot through him and it was everything he could do to keep his hands to himself. She trembled for him. What guy could ignore that?

  But her reaction also revealed just how vulnerable she was and he didn’t want to be the guy to take advantage of a woman of worth.

  He liked her softness. After so many fights in school and after being made fun of because he sucked at sports, he’d finally found his inner athlete in the gym. Lifting weights didn’t require hand-eye coordination and it had opened up a whole new world. He’d worked hard and he’d made his body stronger, since his mind wasn’t what it should be.

  But he knew right from wrong and using Jenn wasn’t something a good guy would do. She was the picket fences and cute dogs, mini van in the driveway kind of girl. Not the kind who’d handle casual well.

  He scanned the room, noted the fact that the other members of his family were busy chatting up the guests and curled an arm around her to lead her out the closest door. He’d said goodbye to Matt earlier, knowing his son would be running around all night and hard to find.

  Outside, he held her hand in his and opened the door to his truck to drive her home. Then played the part of the gentleman and walked her to the door.

  On the porch he pulled Jenn into his arms and lowered his head, kissing her the way he wanted to. By the time he lifted his head, she gripped his arms for balance.

  “I want you to come in,” she whispered, her gaze shyly meeting his. “But only if you understand I-I won’t sleep with you. We can talk? Snuggle. Watch TV. Just not…I’m not ready but I want you to…I want you to stay.”

  He stared into the sweetness of her face and felt weak at the knees. Every woman he’d dated in recent years made it clear sex was a must because of how he looked and it made him feel like a piece of meat. But Jenn? “Sweetheart, I’d love to.”

  THE RINGING OF the telephone woke him. Nick’s arm tightened around Jenn’s waist.

  The
y’d talked for hours about everything and nothing, snuggled close and kissed and just got to know one another. Sleeping beside of each other fully clothed on her wide couch just topped what was already a special night.

  The phone rang again and he realized it was his cell on the coffee table beside of them.

  “Hello?”

  “Nick?” Luke’s voice was tense and Nick could hear Matt sobbing in the background.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Matt’s been hurt, and we’re on our way to the hospital. I’m driving him in.”

  “What?” He sat bolt upright and Jenn did the same, as Luke’s voice carried loudly over the phone. Her hands touched his back and arm, held him gently in comforting support.

  “Dusty got spooked and threw him. Look, just meet us there.”

  “I’m on my way.” He pressed the End button and tossed the phone down.

  “He’ll be okay,” Jenn told him.

  “Come with me.”

  Her eyes widened a split second before her expression went soft on him. Her eyes, her face…She was so sweet.

  “Let me change. I’ll hurry.”

  Chapter 16

  FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER they were at the hospital. Nick kept a set of gym clothes and bar clothes in his truck at all times because he never knew when something would come up and he’d need to change. Right then he was just grateful he didn’t have to go to the hospital in the suit he’d worn last night and raise suspicions of why. He didn’t want that for Jenn, especially since nothing had happened.

  They spotted Luke’s rental car with its doors open beneath the E.R. canopy. Nick jogged inside the entrance, Jenn’s hand in his. The smell of disinfectant made his nose twitch.

  The waiting room held only a few people. An older couple and two women, one of them holding her arm. A man rubbed the back of an upset-looking young girl who seemed close to being sick on her daddy’s lap.

  “Nick, over here.”

  He followed the sound of Ethan’s voice and saw his brother heading toward them at a run.

  “I was just paged. They’re in there.”

  Nick followed Ethan, still holding tight to Jenn’s hand. They entered a cubicle and Nick bit back a curse when he saw Matt’s leg, which was twisted at an odd angle. Matt stared at them all, wide-eyed, tear tracks staining his cheeks.

  Nick moved to his son’s side and leaned over the bed to kiss his head. “You okay, bub?”

  Matt’s lower lip trembled. “It hurts. And I won’t be able to play ball.”

  “He’s been given something to take the edge off his pain,” Ethan told Nick, looking over Matt’s file. “They’re waiting on final X rays before taking him to surgery.”

  Nick swore silently, then forced himself to smile reassuringly at Matt. “You’ll be fine. Don’t be scared. Matt? You’ll be okay.”

  Ethan finished studying the chart, a frown on his face. He set it aside and gently examined Matt’s leg.

  Nick’s dread grew.

  “But I don’t wanna have surgery. Can’t they just put a cast on it?”

  Ethan met Nick’s gaze and held it for a long moment before shifting his attention to Matt. “No gettin’ around it, kiddo. Surgery is a must for this break. But you just wait until the girls get a look at the cool cast you’ll have afterward. They’ll be falling all over you.” He winked at Matt. “Girls like that sort of thing.”

  An orderly came into the room. “And how is everybody today? You Matt?” He waited for Matt to nod. “Nice to meet you. I’m Rick and I’m your driver for today. You ready to race?”

  Ethan squeezed Matt’s uninjured leg. “Rick wins all the gurney qualifiers around here.”

  “I don’t want surgery.”

  Ethan nodded. “I know, Matt, but like your dad said, it’ll be okay. I’ll be there the whole time. I promise.”

  “You’ll do the surgery?” Matt asked, his eyes bright with tears.

  “No, it would be a conflict because you’re my nephew, but I’ll be in the room supervising your doctor and flirting with the nurses.”

  “You always do that.”

  Even under so much strain they all chuckled.

  A nurse stuck her head in the door. “Excuse me. Any of you parked in the E.R. entrance? A Dodge?”

  “Me.” Luke stood.

  “We need it moved, please. I take it you’re Mr. Tulane, Matt’s father?” The nurse smiled at Nick when he nodded and held out a clipboard full of forms. “We need you to fill these out immediately and report to registration so they can get everything cleared while your son’s being prepped.”

  “I need to stay with my son.”

  “You can’t go back, Nick. I’ll stay with him.” Ethan ruffled Matt’s hair. “Are you ready to race?”

  The orderly took that as his cue and began moving the gurney. Nick accepted the forms automatically, his mind too full to grasp all that was going on. His son was having surgery and was scared out of his mind, and the nurse wanted him to fill out paperwork?

  “Wait.” He leaned over and gave Matt a hug and a kiss. “I love you, buddy.”

  “I love you, too, Dad.”

  Nick heard the tears in Matt’s voice and worked to swallow the lump in his own throat. “I’ll be waiting for you when you wake up.”

  Matt sniffled, but stayed quiet.

  “Better get to the starting gate.” The orderly wheeled Matt out of the room.

  Nick stood there like an idiot. What now? Where to begin? He had to get someone to cover for him at the garage and this evening at the Coyote. And he probably should call the insurance company or something before the papers started showing up, shouldn’t he? And what about Matt’s pediatrician?

  “Take care of the forms and try not to worry. Registration will tell you where to wait for Matt.” Ethan nodded at Jenn, and then paused by her side on his way out. “Thanks for coming with him.”

  Jenn was shaken by the sight of Matt so pale against the hospital sheets, his leg mangled. “Nick?”

  He waved the clipboard in the air, looking as if he wanted to throw it across the room. “This is ridiculous. My son is having surgery and they want me to fill out forms?”

  “It won’t take long. Think of the paperwork you have at the gym for membership. The hospital has to do this upfront.” She moved close. “Come on. Let’s go fill everything out and get to registration so we know where to be when Matt is done in surgery.”

  Jenn led the way out of the E.R., figuring one of the nurses would tell Luke where to find them when he returned from parking his car. Nick stormed along beside her, glaring at the floor, and muttering under his breath about the papers in his hand.

  “Nick? Nick, what happened? Where’s Matt?”

  Oh, not good. She felt Nick stiffen and saw his head jerk up. Nick’s parents approached them.

  “They took Matt to surgery,” she explained.

  “Did you get a second opinion?” his father demanded. “If the nerves are damaged, he’d be better off with a specialist.”

  Nick glowered at them. “Ethan checked Matt out. Someone else is doing the surgery, but Eth said he’d stay with him.”

  “Who? Which doctor? Ethan is a fine surgeon, but he isn’t a pediatric specialist,” Alan Tulane grumbled. “If it wasn’t life or death, why didn’t you tell them to wait for a specialist?”

  “Dr. Tulane.” Jenn glanced at Nick briefly before focusing her gaze on the irate man across from her. She’d dressed in capris and a T-shirt but hadn’t wanted to take precious time to smear on some makeup, but regardless, she wasn’t going to let Nick’s father berate him when Nick hadn’t done anything wrong. “I know you’re upset over the accident, but I’m sure if Ethan had felt there was a need for a second opinion or a specialist, he would have said something.”

  “She’s right,” Nick’s mother, Marilyn, agreed. “Calm down, Alan. We’re all worried about Matt, but it won’t help anyone if we’re arguing while he’s in surgery.”

  Near the registr
ation desk, Jenn spotted an empty area with four vacant seats. “Mrs. Tulane, why don’t you head for the post-op waiting room while we fill out these forms? We’ll be there as soon as things are done.”

  Separating the two men was key right now. Nick’s body was tensed from head to toe, and his hands formed two rock-hard fists.

  Marilyn flashed Jenn a grateful smile. “That’s a good idea. Alan, let’s go.”

  Jenn waited until the older couple had moved on, and then she gripped Nick’s hand and tugged. “Let’s go over and fill out the papers. It’ll make things go faster at registration if they’re already completed.”

  “Why didn’t I call a specialist?” Nick growled.

  “He’s concerned, Nick. Just like you.”

  Nick dropped into a chair, swearing under his breath. Jenn dug into her purse for a pen and handed it to him. As if he were only now coming to awareness, Nick looked at the papers and blinked. He squeezed his eyes tight, then sat forward, the papers seeming fragile in his work-roughened hands. Seconds passed and still Nick didn’t move.

  Jenn frowned, pretending she wasn’t watching him. She studied the various hospital employees as they went about their business. Finally Nick clicked the pen as if to write, held it over the paper and then hesitated before the tip touched the page. He rubbed his forehead.

  “Nick?” She sat forward. “Is something wrong?”

  “Why can’t the people in registration do their jobs? They’re going to make me repeat all this anyway.”

  “Stop,” she whispered. “Blaming the people in registration isn’t going to change the fact that Matt got hurt. Just calm down and fill the forms out.”

  A muscle vibrated in his jaw. He clicked the pen a second time. Stared at the papers and fumbled for his sunglasses.