A Hope Undaunted (41 page)

Betty’s low moan sent cold chills down his back, and he sagged against the door, head bent and heart aching. “Are you okay? Can I get you anything?”

“No. Just go away.”

“I’m not leaving.”

“Luke, I’m fine. Just a touch of the flu. Go back to bed.”

“Can’t. Got an early meeting with Carmichael.” He straightened and forced a light tone. “And after a midnight game of basketball with Parker following a very short game of chess, I’m guessing he’d want me to take a shower.”

Another groan was followed by the flush of the toilet. He waited while the faucet ran, then pasted a smile on when she opened the door. “This is not a ploy to get out of work, is it, Galetti? Because I can’t type that report by myself – Carmichael will fire me for illiteracy.”

She looked like death, and it took everything in him not to panic, not to let her know how worried he was. But the ashen cheeks and red-rimmed eyes didn’t make it easy. “Aw, Bets,” he said, instinctively drawing her close in a protective hug, her robe-clad body stiff against his.

She pushed him away while color skimmed into her pale cheeks. “Ow . . . I’m sore. You better stay back. I don’t want you to catch what I have.”

He pressed a hand to her forehead. “Can’t be the flu, you’re cool as ice. Did you eat something that didn’t agree with you?”

“No.” She dodged his hold with a step to the side.

He clamped a hand to her wrist, forcing her to turn around. “What’d you eat last night?”

Her impatience puffed out on a sigh. “The chili that Parker made.” She scrunched her nose. “Although come to think of it, it did taste like pure indigestion. Remind me to never eat it again.”

“But you love Parker’s chili,” he said, feeling a touch of indigestion himself as concern churned in his gut.

“Not anymore. The smell made me sick to my stomach.” She gave him a patient smile and patted his arm before peeling his hand from her wrist. “I’m fine, Luke, really. It’s probably just a bug. Go back to bed.” She turned to go.

He paused, heart thudding in his chest. “You’re not . . . late . . . are you, Bets?”

She stopped, her back stiff as she rotated slowly. Her hazel eyes were mere slits in a pale face, warning him not to say another word. “We are
not
having this conversation, McGee.” She spun on her heel and hurried to her room.

He was right behind her, shoving his fist in the door as she tried to slam it. “We
are
having this conversation, Bets, so you may as well accept it.”

“You are not my keeper – get that through your thick head!”

“No, but I’m your friend, and I’m not leaving till I get the truth.” With minimal effort, he pushed past her into the room and ignored the scowl on her face as he closed the door. He folded his arms and slanted back, eyes locked on hers. “Are you?”

She slammed her arms on her hips and glared. “That’s not a question most males would ask a female friend, you know.”

“Yeah? Well, most friends haven’t been through what we’ve been through.” He tried to rein in his own frustration, but his words still came out clipped. “Answer me – are you?”

Her eyes shimmered with anger as she clutched her arms tightly to her waist, the picture of vulnerability despite the stubborn bent of her jaw. Her voice was a whisper. “Yes.”

His heart sank. “How late?”

A bitter laugh spewed from her throat. “Late enough.”

He put his head in his hand, shock numbing his body.
Why didn’t I hurt Leo when I had the chance?
“Maybe it’s a false alarm,” he said quietly, not at all convinced that it was. He knew she’d been having headaches lately and Parker had said she’d been fatigued. Her favorite food – Parker’s chili – made her nauseous, and he suddenly realized she’d had enough mood swings lately to cause a strong breeze. He released a slow, tenuous breath. “Have you thrown up before this?”

She spun around, her eyes on fire. “Yes!” she screamed. “Are you happy?”

“Absolutely giddy.” He rammed his fist against the door. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Tears started to seep from her eyes. “And what was I supposed to say? Here’s the report I typed for you, Mr. McGee and, oh, by the way – I’m knocked up?”

He took a step forward, his hands clenched at his sides. “Why’d you lie to me, Bets – you said he didn’t rape you.”

She turned and gave him a cold stare, tears glazing her eyes. “Because you would have killed him, and you know it.” Her tone was as bitter as the taste in his mouth. She lifted her chin, stubborn to the core despite tears trailing her cheeks. “Besides, he didn’t rape me, McGee. All it took was one slap for old time’s sake, and I laid down without a fight.”

He rushed forward and gripped her arms. “Stop it! This is not your fault. If it’s anybody’s, it’s mine, for being late that night and for not hurting that lowlife when I had the chance – ”

She hurled his hands away, eyes crazed. “No –
you
stop it! I am
not
your responsibility, Luke, so it’s none of your business. I don’t need you or your pious hovering, do you hear? I’m a grown woman, I can take care of myself.”

Her words stung. He pierced her with his gaze as a nerve twitched in his cheek. “Yeah, I’ve seen how well you can do that.”

She stared. Water filled her eyes as quickly as grief filled his heart. Her shoulders fell, and as if in a trance, she slowly lowered herself to the bed and put her face in her hands. Her weeping all but destroyed him.

“Forgive me, Galetti,
please
. . .” He rushed to her side and swallowed her up in his arms, soothing her with his words as he stroked her hair. “We’ll get through this, Bets, I promise. I’m not going anywhere, whether you like it or not.”

With a piercing sob, she clutched him back, her body wracking with heaves. “Oh, L-Luke . . . I-I’m s-so sorry and I’m . . . s-so . . . s-scared . . .”

He gripped her in a fierce lock, then closed his eyes to thwart the wetness in his own. “I told you, it’s not your fault, so get that type of thinking out of your mind right now. And you have nothing to be afraid of. Parker, you, and I are in this together, and we’ll figure something out, okay?” He pulled away to palm her tearstained face while his thumb stroked her cheek in gentle motion. “It still could be a false alarm. Have you ever been late before?”

She stared into his eyes, and he saw his own pain reflected there. “Just that once . . . when you and I . . .”

He swallowed hard. “Well, if you are pregnant, you won’t be showing for another couple of months, at least. Did the lowlife happen to mention when he’d be back?”

A shiver rippled through her. “He’s back,” she whispered. “Pop called to say a ‘nice young man’ came by the diner looking for me. Left his number . . . so I could call.”

“Pop didn’t – ”

“No, he told him that I quit, and that he wasn’t sure where I was.”

Luke exhaled the breath he had been holding and dropped his hands. He cuffed the back of his neck. “God bless Pop. But it’s only a matter of time before Leo tracks you down.” He hesitated before his gaze melded with hers. “We gotta get you out of Boston, Bets.”

She shrank back, the fear evident in her eyes. “I’m not leaving you and Parker. And why would I even have to – Leo may never find me.”

He lifted her chin with a gentle hand. “That’s a risk I’m not willing to take. That monster robbed you of one baby, he’s not going to rob you of another. You still have an aunt in Philly?”

“Yes . . . but I don’t want to leave you and Parker.” Fresh tears threatened.

He stood and tugged her to her feet, securing his hands to her arms. “Look, Parker and I both got offers from the Philly Children’s Aid Society a while back, so who knows? Maybe I’ll go with you. Carmichael has been getting on my nerves anyway.” He grinned, hoping to lift her spirits. “So has Parker, for that matter – he’s almost as bad as Carmichael.”

A semblance of a smile trembled on her lips. “You would do that for me?”

He grew serious as he stroked her jaw with the pad of his thumb. A rush of love thickened in his throat, making his voice gruff. “You’re in trouble, Bets. I would do anything for you.”

She shot into his arms with a shuddering sob. “Oh, Luke, I love you!”

She squeezed so hard, it forced a chuckle out of him. “They probably don’t have room for both Parker and me, of course, but I doubt I could pry him away from Carmichael anyway. And Philly’s not all that far – he can always visit on weekends.”

He peeled her away with a grin, then swabbed a palm across his bare chest. “Now I’m gonna take a shower, although heaven knows you’ve shed enough tears to do the job.” He grabbed her chin and placed a kiss to her nose. “And then I suggest you get ready for work, Galetti, that is, if your stomach settles down. ’Cause if I have to type my own report today . . . that’s the kind of trouble you
don’t
want to be in.”

“Sweet mother of Job, what a day. Sure glad it’s over.” Collin finished drafting the last of the invoices and rose from his chair. He strolled over and tossed them into Evelyn’s tray.

She looked up with a tired smile, her eyes as fatigued as he felt. “I think we delivered a record number of jobs this month, if my books are any indication. And with the new pressman you hired and you and Brady pulling extra hours, this month looks to be quite healthy.”

A smile quirked on his lips. “Yeah, well, I’m glad something’s healthy around here, because my body’s sure not.” He dropped in his chair and put his feet up, pinching the back of his neck with his fingers. “My neck is killing me.”

She pulled her purse from a drawer and rounded the counter, stopping in front of Collin’s desk with concern in her eyes. “Would you like me to massage it for you? That always helps Tommy at the end of the day.” She smiled a mother’s smile. “He says I have magic fingers.”

Collin sat up with a grunt. “Sure, can’t hurt. Magic fingers, eh? This I gotta see.”

She placed her purse on his desk and moved behind his chair. “Take a deep breath and relax.” He complied and she went to work, kneading his neck with nimble fingers that produced an immediate moan from his lips. “Sweet saints, Tommy is right,” he muttered. Closing his eyes, he noticed the silence from the back of the shop and raised his voice. “Hey, Brady, call it a day, will ya? Everybody’s gone except Evelyn and me, and we can’t keep up with you anymore.”

Footsteps made their way to the front room and stopped. Collin squinted one eye open, unleashing another moan. “We need to give this woman a raise – she’s way too valuable.”

Evelyn laughed. “Except I wear out fast.” She flexed her fingers, then propped her hands on Collin’s shoulders and leaned forward. “How’s it feel now?”

He rolled his neck and grinned. “Like spaghetti. Thanks, Evelyn – Tommy’s a lucky boy.”

She picked up her purse and shot Brady a smile. “Maybe not. We’re having spinach tonight. Tommy’s hoping it will make him strong like Popeye.” She moved toward the door and unlatched her coat from the rack, then put it on with a tentative smile. “Goodness, I hope you like spinach, Collin. I didn’t even think to ask.” She buttoned her coat with a worried slope of her brows. “You are still coming tonight, right? Tommy finished that woodcarving you helped him with, and he’s kind of anxious to show it to you.”

His own smile grew stale as he shot a nervous glance in Brady’s direction. He cleared his throat and nodded. “Sure thing, Evelyn. And tell him to set up the board.”

“Great!” she said with a bright smile. “Good night, Brady – see you tomorrow.” She hurried out with a merry clash of bells that stiffened Collin’s neck all over again. He sucked in a deep breath and turned to face the wrath of God.

Which was pretty much right on target. Brady stood there, jaw slack and hands on his hips, enough energy pulsing off his body to run a two-ton press. “You’re going to Evelyn’s tonight?” It was more a statement of shock than a question.

Collin felt his hackles rise. He straightened his shoulders and prepared for battle, his stomach as tight as the press of Brady’s lips. “Yeah I am, why?”

Brady folded his arms and strolled forward. He stopped just short of sitting on the edge of Collin’s desk, where most of their friendly chats took place. “Why?” he asked with exaggerated emphasis, causing a nerve in his cheek to twitter faster than the clip of Collin’s heart. “It’s Wednesday night, and you want to know why?”

Collin blinked and then sagged back in the chair with a low groan. “Blast – the gym! I completely forgot.” He tried to ward off Brady’s anger with a sheepish smile. “Sorry, Brady, I meant to tell you this morning after Evelyn asked, but I guess it slipped my mind.”

“How convenient.”

Collin’s grin dissolved into a scowl. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means,” Brady said through clenched teeth, “that Faith is under the impression you and I will be at the gym tonight. Have you even bothered to tell her you’re going to Evelyn’s, or has that slipped your mind too?”

Collin shot to his feet, the fire in his eyes matching his partner’s. “You’re way out of line, Brady, and I suggest you back off.”

Brady moved a step closer and stared him down. His tone was deadly quiet. “No, Collin, you’re the one out of line, and I’ll back off when you stop jeopardizing your marriage.”