brides for brothers 15 - a randall hero (18 page)

“Yes,” Lucy said, her cheeks flooding with color. “But I told her I’m not involved with anyone.”

“Oh, really?”

“John, we don’t need to talk about this here!” Lucy whispered fiercely as she looked around the waiting room.

“Okay, we’ll go. Are you going back to the office now?”

“Yes. I told them I would be there at the regular time.”

“Are you sure you don’t need a nap, too?”

“I’m sure!”

“Okay, let’s go.”

When they got to the accounting office, Lucy opened her door, saying, “Thanks again for going with us.”

“Whoa! You’re not getting rid of me this quickly. I thought I’d come in and see Russ and Tori, just to say hi.”

Lucy agreed, somewhat reluctantly.

When they got to her desk, she put Emma’s carrier beside it in its special place and sat down next to her. John went to Tori’s and Russ’s office doors but neither answered his knock. No one answered.

“I think you’re here alone.”

Just then, the door opened and Russ and Tori entered with three cups of coffee.

“John! We didn’t expect you, or we would’ve bought you a cup of coffee.” Tori set one of the cups on Lucy’s desk. “We went to the café for a snack while you were at the doctor.”

“Thanks for the coffee.”

“I’ll go get one before I start home, Tori. I wanted to be sure both of them were all right. I didn’t know they’d draw blood. That was tough,” John said.

“Oh, I know,” Russ joined in. “Wait until they start getting shots.”

“Yeah, I’m not looking forward to that,” John said, as if he would be going with Lucy.

“You don’t have to go, John,” Lucy said clearly.

“Of course I have to go. I can’t let you go on your own.”

“Emma is not your child.”

“I’m here in place of her daddy. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”

Lucy wasn’t going to argue such things in front of anyone else. “I need to start work now, John. Thank you for coming.”

“You’re giving me the ‘here’s your hat, what’s your hurry’ business, Lucy?”

“I don’t want to lose time at work. I have a lot to do.”

Russ told John, “Come in my office and we’ll visit. I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“You sure you can spare the time?” John asked, a little sarcasm aimed at Lucy.

“Since Lucy has come to help us out, yeah, I can spare the time.” His smile invited John to accept his invitation.

John went into Russ’s office and closed the door.

“I’m sorry, Tori,” Lucy said, taking work out of the drawer.

“Russ is right, Lucy. It’s because of your hard work that we can take a little time off. If you need to go upstairs for a few minutes, it’s all right.”

With a quick glance toward sleeping Emma, she said, “No, I’m fine.”

Rather, she would be. After John left.

“H
OW’S IT GOING,
J
OHN?”
Russ asked after they settled in chairs in his office.

“Fine. And you?”

“Good. I heard about you taking out Lucy’s husband. That must’ve been tough.”

“I had no choice. The man was determined.”

“Well, in case Lucy hasn’t said it, thank you for her. You’ve given her a chance at life.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Did you know about Isabella’s history? She shared some problems like Lucy’s, only hers were brought on by a difficult father who abandoned any emotion for Izzy to bestow it all on his new son, his second wife’s effort. He had forced her into a bad marriage and luck took care of her husband. He was killed in a car crash.

“She escaped in an attempt to get away from her father, when she learned a great-aunt was living in Rawhide. When we married it was to save Angel. I immediately thought I had control of Izzy, but I learned differently. I thought my marriage would fall apart. But I realized that I needed to be patient, to trust her.” He paused and looked directly at John. “I’m telling you this because I sense a need for you to remember the same thing.”

John got up and paced about the room. “I know I need to be patient, but she’s never even dated anyone who might have given her an urge to share intimacy.”

“I would still urge patience. She has to feel she can trust you before she takes that step.”

“Yeah. How long did it take for you?”

“Not long, because she had some explosive behavior around her that pushed her to trust me.”

John pushed a hand through his hair. “I wish I knew. I’m trying to teach her about intimacy. But what if someone else reaps the reward?”

“I know what you mean.”

“So I should stay close at hand. Yeah, that’s my plan. I’m going to be by her side, no matter what.”

“Good.”

John came back to the desk and stuck out his hand. “Thanks, Russ. I appreciate the advice.”

“We Randalls have to stick together,” Russ said, standing and taking John’s hand. “I wish you the best of luck.”

T
HE NEXT DAY,
as she had offered to do, Camille came to take Emma home for the afternoon.

Lucy felt lost that afternoon without Emma beside her. She kept looking at the space the carrier usually occupied. At four, she found she was through working. She was caught up on all her work and had nothing left to do. She went upstairs to her apartment to change, thinking she’d go to Camille’s early. She knew she’d be welcome whenever she arrived.

Down to her underwear, she was looking in her closet for what to wear when someone knocked on her front door. When she peered through the peephole, she discovered John. “John, I’m not dressed. I’m going to unlock the door and run for my bedroom. Please wait until I have time to get away from the door before you come in.”

Unlocking the door, she raced for her bedroom and closed the door just as John opened the front door. Had he caught a flash of skin? she wondered.

Then he knocked on the bedroom door. “May I come in, Lucy?”

“I’m not dressed! Of course not!”

“But we could cuddle.”

She grabbed jeans and a sweater from the closet and hurriedly began to dress. “No, I’m going to see your mom and Emma. I have extra time to spend with them.”

“What about spending time with me?”

“I don’t understand why you’re here. You should be…on a horse. Not here with me.”

“I’m taking some time off,” John said.

“You’ve been doing that a lot lately.”

“I’m under your spell.”

As she opened the door she caught John’s smile and felt a tingle down her spine.

“You look very nice,” he said. “Perfect for a horse ride.”

“I’m not going to ride a horse. I’m going to visit Camille.” She walked past him into the kitchen.

“Okay, I’m here to take you to the ranch,” he said, following her. “I don’t want you driving back after dark, just you and Emma. I’ll bring you both home.”

“There’s no need for you to make a trip after a long day of work. Emma and I can get back on our own.”

“Yeah, because you’re big and tough, right, Lucy?”

“Right!”

“Come here,” he said, pulling Lucy into his arms. “You can’t get away. There are people out there who are bigger and stronger than you, even though you’ve gotten stronger. Don’t get carried away with the idea that you are invincible.”

She stepped out of his arms, knowing she couldn’t surrender to John. It was too dangerous. “I’ll be in my car. I’ll be fine.”

“And if your car breaks down? What then?”

“My car has never broken down…at least not since it was fixed the last time.”

“Come on, Lucy, why are you fighting me? All you have to do is let me drive you to Mom’s. It’s not like I’m going to take you parking or something. It will be daylight on the way out, and we’ll have Emma on the way back.”

That was true…So what harm could there be in going with John? None, as long as she stayed on her side of the truck.

Conceding, she said, “Okay, but I want you to know I can do things by myself.”

With that, she strode out, leaving John there alone.

Chapter Fifteen

“Is the weather changing?” Lucy asked as they drove to the ranch.

“I think it must be, but I haven’t heard any weather reports.” John reached out and turned on the radio.

They caught a weather bulletin, forecasting snow. “You may need to stay at the ranch tonight.”

“No, I can’t do that. I couldn’t get to work if the weather got bad.”

“Russ and Tori would forgive you.”

“I’m not staying. I can leave early if—if you can drive me back. I should’ve taken my own car.”

“No, you definitely couldn’t drive back if it was snowing.”

“We’ll wait and see.” Lucy pressed her lips together, determined not to speak.

They rode in silence all the way to the ranch.

When they got there, Lucy didn’t wait for John’s assistance to get out of his truck. She was off and running to the back door before he could even move.

In the warm house, she hugged Camille and asked about Emma.

“She’s sound asleep. She got up at four and we played after she had her bottle. She’s changed so much.”

“I know, Camille. Thank you for taking her for the afternoon. I’m sure she’s delighted to be back in her old crib.”

“She’s such a happy baby. I had so much fun. What’s this?” Camille asked, pointing to the covered dish Lucy had set on the cabinet.

“I just wanted to contribute to the meal. It’s nothing special, just macaroni and cheese.”

“Oh, I haven’t had that in ages. It’s one of John’s favorite dishes, but I never think about it until it’s too late. That’s perfect.”

“Yeah, it is,” John assured Lucy. “I hope you made enough or I’ll be the only one eating it.”

“John, where are your manners?” Camille demanded.

“Aw, Mom, you know I was just teasing. Say, have you listened to a weather bulletin this afternoon?”

“No, why?”

“Looks like there’s a snowstorm coming. Not supposed to be bad, but I just wanted more details than what we heard on the radio.”

“Maybe your father has heard. Why don’t you go ask him?”

As soon as John had left the room, Lucy said she’d just go take a peek at Emma. She excused herself and ran down the hall to Emma’s old room. Her little girl was sleeping soundly, all innocent and warm.

Lucy couldn’t resist touching her baby cheek. Emma squirmed a little and Lucy took her finger away. She didn’t want to wake her up.

“How’s she doing?” John asked over her shoulder, causing Lucy to jump.

“She’s fine,” Lucy whispered, and turned around, pushing John out of the room.

“What? I can’t watch her sleep, either?”

“I don’t want you to wake her up.”

“So what were you doing?”

“Just checking on her. What did Griff say about the storm?”

“He’d just heard the same weather forecast we heard. Apparently they hadn’t had any warning of snow until this afternoon.”

Lucy looked at her watch. “It’s almost five. Maybe we can eat a little early. I want you to have time to get home safely after you take us to town.”

“I’ll be fine. Quit worrying.”

Lucy ignored him and headed for the kitchen. There, she suggested they have dinner early, if it wasn’t too much trouble. “I don’t want John being caught in a snowstorm if one hits this evening. He insisted on driving me out here.”

“But dear, if it snows, you and Emma can just stay here.”

“No, Camille. I need to be back in my apartment so I can go to work tomorrow.”

“I’ll try to hurry things up.”

Lucy could tell that Camille wasn’t happy with her response, but she managed to get dinner on the table by five-thirty.

Over dinner Griff asked about her job.

“It’s going very well. I actually finished my work today at four. That’s why I got here so early.”

“And she headed straight for Emma’s room to check on her baby,” John said.

“Was she doing okay?” Griff asked.

“Yes, of course she was. I just needed to see her.”

“Glad to hear Camille hasn’t lost her touch.”

“No, of course not! I didn’t mean—I just missed Emma.”

“We miss her, too,” Camille said with a smile. “When she woke up at four, Griff just happened to have a break so he could play with Emma!”

“That was sweet of you.” Lucy smiled at him.

“That’s me. Sweet as sweet can be,” Griff teased.

“I need to see if she’s still angry with me,” John said. “I held her while Caro took her blood. She wanted her mommy and wouldn’t have anything to do with me.”

“Why, John, that
was
really sweet of you,” Camille said. “I’m sure Emma will forgive you.”

“I hope so. It would break my heart if she doesn’t.”

“You’re being silly, John. She’s forgotten all about it.”

“We’ll see. But I’m not leaving your apartment until she wakes up and shows me she still loves me.” He took another forkful of food. “By the way, Lucy, your macaroni and cheese is perfect,” John said. “I really like the extra cheese on top.”

“Thank you, John,” Lucy said quietly.

“And he’s a real connoisseur,” Griff said with a grin.

Once dinner was over, Lucy suggested they go ahead and leave for town. “I’ve enjoyed myself, but I’m worried about the weather.”

“Of course, dear, I understand,” Camille agreed. “We want you there safely.”

“And John home safely,” Lucy added.

“It’s been snowing since right after you got here,” Griff said. “Maybe it would be better if you stayed here.”

“Oh, no, I need to be in town. Do you want me to take John’s truck and return it when the snow stops?”

“You won’t be taking my truck!” John exclaimed. “Besides, I can just stay in your apartment until I can drive back safely.”

Lucy hoped it didn’t come to that. How could she sleep with John on her couch?

“We’ll see.”

“Let’s pack up Emma and be on our way.”

Lucy went to Emma’s room with Camille and wrapped her baby in a big blanket and settled her in the carrier. Lucy took a thicker blanket and formed a tent over the carrier.

“Okay, we’re ready,” Lucy announced, looking at John by the back door.

“Here. Wrap this scarf around you,” John ordered.

Lucy did as John advised.

“I’m going out and start the truck. Give it a couple of minutes before you come out. It’ll warm up quickly.”