Love, Lies and High Heels (28 page)

“Liar,” she accused.

He knew it. He blew out his breath a little too noisily.

Slowly, she turned around to face him. “This is a big night for me. You could be a little more compassionate.” With that, she tugged down the zipper of the black, satin gown and tossed it on the bed. “There’s going to be more than a thousand people there.”

“I know, that.” She’d been looking forward to this benefit dinner for weeks. “That’s why you’re nervous.” He walked forward and pulled her into his arms, careful not to mess up her expensive hair-do. She’d had it done on top of her head, with little spiral curls coming out at every which angle. He’d rather she wore it down, but he didn’t dare hurt her feelings by mentioning that fact.

“Are you sure I’m not fat?”

“Positive.” He ran his hands over the bare skin between her black, lacy bra and matching panties. He leaned into her and breathed in her perfume. “But if you don’t want to go tonight, we could always stay here and find something to occupy our time. Something naughty involving your sexy black underwear.”

“Sex! Is that all you ever think about?” she asked, trying to escape from his arms.

“Yes. Although, I haven’t heard you complain once in the past four weeks, Mrs. Galloway.” He nibbled at her neck, at the ticklish spot just beneath her earlobe.

She lifted her shoulder and laughed. “Stop that. You’re going to mess me up.”

“Hmmm,” he breathed against her ear. “That sounds like a plan. Kiss me.”

“No.” She tried to pull away again. “Luke,” she warned. “You’d faint if I told you how much I spent getting my hair done this afternoon. You don’t want to ruin it, do you?”

Luke stepped back, pretended to thoroughly inspect it. Then, with one quick movement, he reached behind her and pulled out a pin. The tiny spiral curls came tumbling down to cascade around her face and brush her shoulders. “Whoops,” he said.

“You did that on purpose,” she accused. “Now what am I going to do?”

“It looks gorgeous just like that.” He dropped the hairpin to the floor and closed the distance between them. “Now, I’m going to prove to you how desirable you are. Next we’re going to take a shower together. And then you’re going to put that beautiful dress you bought back on and drive me out of my mind again.”

“Do you like the dress?”

“I love the dress. And I can’t wait to see you in it, but first things first,” he said as he unclasped her black, lace bra and let it slide off her shoulders to the floor. “Now, hand over those lethal looking panties.”

“Did you have a nice time tonight?” Rusty asked softly, her head resting against his shoulder. They’d rented a limo for the charity event. On the drive home, she’d had a hard time keeping her eyes open. Luke could tell she was exhausted.

“Yes.” And he had. It hadn’t turned out to be the boring event he’d thought it was going to be. Not with Rusty in the spotlight most of the evening.

He’d never been more proud of her than tonight. All those people had given him looks of envy. As if they were wondering how a man with only a high school degree, and a prison record to boot, had ended up with someone like Rustina Anastasia Paris. Well, let them eat their hearts out. She was his. He planned to tell her tonight just how much she meant to him. That he loved her. And that he hoped someday she’d grow to love him, too.

But when they arrived home, she’d looked as if she were about to collapse. Luke had picked her up, carried her to the bedroom and undressed her for bed. He didn’t even make love to her. She didn’t have the strength or energy.

So, he thought, wrapping her in his arms and pulling the covers over their tired bodies, his news would have to wait until tomorrow.

The next morning after she’d showered and dressed, Rusty went in search of Luke. She found him in the nursery putting the crib together. From the doorway she watched him work. He was so in to the baby preparations. He’d already finished the painting and papering. The curtains were hung and the furniture in place. And they still had another six months to go.

He couldn’t go into town without bringing back a gift for the baby. Already the room was filled with more than a dozen stuffed animals, mostly furry teddy bears in assorted sizes and colors. And he’d picked up two pair of ice skates, one white and one black, and a child’s size hockey stick. Their child wouldn’t be able to skate for several years, but Luke insisted they needed to be prepared. Rather than argue with him, she’d laughed instead.

He hadn’t been lying about wanting this child. He talked about nothing else. Since their marriage, there hadn’t been a day that had gone by that he hadn’t inspected her body for signs of changes. He’d said he couldn’t wait for her belly to grow round and full like a watermelon.

At first, the idea of looking like a watermelon sounded so unattractive to her. But after seeing several women in various stages of pregnancy, she looked forward to seeing their baby grow, no matter what she looked like.

“Good morning,” she said, entering the room.

“Good morning. I hope I didn’t wake you. I was trying to be quiet.”

“No, you didn’t wake me. I have a doctor’s appointment at ten.”

Luke glanced at his watch and set the screwdriver aside. “Oh, you should have told me. Let me take a quick shower and I’ll go with you.”

“No need. I can drive. Besides, I want to stop in town and look at maternity clothes after my appointment.”

He looked torn between wanting to go with her and wanting to finish his project. He got up from the floor. “If you’re sure?”

She smiled. “I’m sure. Maybe I’ll call Becky and see if she wants to meet me for lunch afterward.”

“Okay,” he said. “But promise me you won’t speed.”

He was such a worry wart. “I promise.” The sport utility vehicle he’d bought for her looked more like a tank and drove like one too. She didn’t think she could speed in it even if she’d wanted to. Gone were the days of fast sports cars. Now she had a little life inside her to think about.

She’d been about to turn around and leave when he said, “Rusty, I’ve been meaning to tell you something for awhile now. And I realize this hardly seems like the place or time, but …” He hesitated, looked down at his boots, then back up at her face. “I love you.”

Her heart skipped a beat. He’d looked so sincere that she’d almost believed him for a minute. Had almost thrown herself in his arms and told him she loved him, too. Until Sam’s words to Luke came back to haunt her.

“I want you to promise me that you’ll tell Rusty that you love her,” Sam had said. “Women like to hear that stuff.”

She tried to swallow. Tried to speak. But she couldn’t. All she could do was stare at him as if he’d slapped her. Why did he have to say it now? Why did he have ruin everything?

He watched her reaction, as if he were waiting for her to say something. But instead of saying anything at all, she slowly turned away from him and left.

Luke stood there with his heart on his sleeve. He’d thought about going after her, to ask her why she was so upset. But he couldn’t move. His body felt frozen in place. In fact, he didn’t move until he heard her car leave the driveway.

Then he let out a vicious string of adjectives. What a damn sick- hearted fool he’d been. She’d only married him for the sake of the child. And because he’d pressured her.

Sure she’d made love with him all these weeks. They’d had some great sex together. But that’s all that it had been for her. Just great sex. Nothing more.

Funny how your life could turn upside down in a matter of minutes. And there wasn’t a damn thing you could do to stop it.

Rusty felt empty inside. As if being Luke’s wife the past four weeks had meant nothing to him.

She’d thought that maybe he was falling in love with her. The way he watched her with guarded eyes, the way he made careful love to her. The way he made her feel special, desired and cherished, like he wouldn’t be able to get enough of her in this lifetime. But she’d been wrong.

She pulled carefully out onto the main road and pressed on the gas. Tears blurred her eyes and she dabbed at them with a tissue.

He wanted the baby, not her.

All her plans, all her dreams, had gone up in smoke when he’d said those three little words. I love you. Like she wouldn’t have known it was a lie.

But why had he said it then? Why not when they were making love? Why not on their wedding day? Of course, it wouldn’t have mattered when he’d said it, she’d always known he was planning to and when the day came, she thought she’d be prepared. But she hadn’t been.

Shaking her head, she tried to get a grip on her emotions. When he hadn’t told her that he loved her on their wedding day, she’d pictured him telling her something like, “I was going to pretend I was in love with you, but the fact of the matter is I am in love with you.”

She slapped her palm to the steering wheel. What a stupid fool she’d been.

She sniffed back more tears. She didn’t see the speeding car coming straight at her until it was too late. That was the last thing she remembered before her world went black.

When the phone rang, Luke almost hadn’t answered it. He’d thought there was nothing more that could happen today to make his world spin out of control, but he was wrong. The call from the hospital nearly destroyed him.

After fetching Sam, they sped off in the truck. Luke had to get to Rusty. She had to be alive, damnit. She had to give him another chance. He wanted to prove to her he could make her love him back. Even if he had to die trying.

Thoughts of the child she carried wormed their way into his mind. He’d lost one baby already, but he refused to think about that. He could only deal with one thing at a time. And right now Rusty’s life was more important.

LUKE PACED THE FLOOR of the waiting room. Becky and Sam sat on a green vinyl sofa in the far corner, clinging to one another while they waited for news from the doctor about Rusty’s condition.

It seemed like hours since Luke had demanded answers from a nurse passing by, when it had only been minutes. He couldn’t stand the waiting. Why couldn’t the damn nurse just tell him that Rusty was alive, and that she and the baby were going to be fine?

Instead, she’d asked him to have a seat. She said she’d find someone to help, and then she’d disappeared.

After waiting another minute and still no answers, he stormed up to the emergency room nurses’ station. “Can’t somebody please tell me what the hell is going on with my wife?”

“Sir, if you’ll just be patient,” a nurse said, tilting her gray head down and looking at him above her glasses.

“I have been patient! And now I want answers!”

The woman sniffed, glanced at her co-workers, and then forced a thin smile to her lips. “Please, Mr. Galloway. Let us do our jobs.”

Before Luke could respond, he felt Becky at his side. She tugged him by the arm. “Luke, come sit down.”

“I don’t want to sit.” Walking seemed to channel some of his anger and energy. In three long strides he reached an opposite corner of the room and stared out the window at the parking lot.

Christine’s parents had refused to allow her to marry Luke. They’d felt their daughter deserved someone better than a man with a prison record. It hadn’t taken long for Christine to see things their way. He’d been informed by Harold Rhodes, Christine’s father, that Christine was going to marry someone else. Someone with an education and a decent upbringing. Two things Luke obviously hadn’t had.

When Luke asked about the child she was carrying, Rhodes had said, “Don’t worry about it. The child will be well provided for and much better off if he doesn’t know about you.”

Luke had almost punched the son of a bitch. Knowing he was still on probation at the time was the only thing that had stopped him. And Luke knew it would only hurt his chances for a paternity suit.

But before he got his day in court, Nathan, Luke’s two-week-old baby son, Christine, and her husband, Peter Coleman, had died in a car accident. Coleman had been driving recklessly when the accident occurred. Luke had never so much had the chance to lay eyes on his infant son, let alone hold him.

“Mr. Galloway,” a man’s voice behind him said. Luke spun around. “I’m Dr. Owens.”

“How is she?” Luke saw Becky and Sam hurrying their way. Sam couldn’t hurry very easily with a cane, but he was trying.

“She’s going to be just fine. She’s resting now. In a little while you can go back and see her.”

Luke saw the doctor look out the window as if he were looking for something. Or as if he were avoiding looking at Luke. A suffocating sensation tightened his throat and he swallowed hard. “What about the baby?” he asked, just as Sam and Becky reached his side.

The doctor ran a hand through his thinning blonde hair and sighed. “I’m sorry, but your wife lost the baby.”

It took everything Luke had not to lose control. An emptiness settled deep in his gut. “I want to see my wife. Now,” he demanded, then headed toward the double doors that said, “Do Not Enter.”

Rusty’s eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw was Luke’s anguished eyes staring back at her. Her mouth was so dry, and her eyes so heavy. She reached for her stomach. After moistening her lips, she whispered, “The baby?”

The look on Luke’s face confirmed her worst nightmare. She let her eyes drift shut. Hot scalding tears stung her cheeks. She felt Luke’s hand gently caress her face. “It wasn’t your fault, Rusty.”

She knew that. She remembered the car had run a red light, but she hadn’t been able to get out of its path before …

Oh, God. The baby. “Luke, I’m so sorry,” she whispered between sobs. “I’m so sorry.”

“Shhhh. Get some rest now. Everything’s going to be okay.”

She rested her hand on his, looking for comfort and reassurance. But she knew no matter what she’d never be able to fill the void in her heart. And Luke would no longer have a reason to want to stay married to her.

Turning her head away from him, she cried long and hard. Tears for the baby they’d lost, and for the love that would never be.

When Luke brought Rusty home from the hospital, she asked to return to her old room. She said she would be more comfortable if she were in her own bed. Rather than argue, Luke gave in.