Meeting at Midnight (10 page)

“Surprise.”

The woman beside me sat down on the stairs and laughed like a loon.

“I
f only I'd had a camera,” Annie mourned.

“And here I thought I didn't have anything to be grateful for.” I took another sip of coffee. Mornings after, I reflected, can be hell. Especially if you end up spending them with your sister and brothers instead of your lover. Whom I hadn't seen alone for more than thirty seconds since I slammed the door in my family's faces yesterday.

“It's not like any of us will ever forget that moment.” Charlie leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped over his skinny belly. “It was a real peak life experience.”

I grunted and drank my coffee. There was no point in trying to shut them up. I'd just have to let them get it out of their systems. They hadn't been able to do that yesterday because, as much of a pain as they could be, none of them had wanted to embarrass Seely.

Me, of course, they felt free to embarrass. Obliged to, even.

Seely had been great. I smiled, remembering. Not every woman could treat meeting her lover's family for the first time while stark naked as an icebreaker. She'd pulled it off, though.

And later, she'd slipped upstairs when I wasn't watching, going to bed in her usual room without giving me a chance to change her mind about that. Without a good-night kiss, either, or a single word spoken in private. My smile faded.

She was at the grocery store now with Gwen and Zach. I planned to have a talk with her when they returned.

Annie had drawn the short straw after breakfast. So far she'd managed to avoid tripping over Doofus while she cleaned up and loaded the dishwasher. You might say that the pup was excited about all the company…just like you might say that tornadoes are windy. Jack was at the coffeepot getting a refill. He was a compact man about Duncan's height, with short brown hair and an easy grin I'd seen too much of this morning.

He'd copped my new mug, the one Annie gave me last night that read: “Men. We're just better.” He leaned against the counter, took a sip from my mug, and said thoughtfully, “You know how it is when you get something you've always wanted, but didn't know you wanted? It's not as if I ever dreamed of catching Ben with his pants down.”

“Who would?” Duncan asked rhetorically.

Charlie nodded. “I know what you mean. I was pretty sure he put them on one leg at a time. Not positive, but pretty sure. But as for taking them off in the middle of the day—”

“Running around the house that way,” Jack said.

“Bare-ass nekkid,” Charlie finished with relish.

I sighed. Charlie and Jack had been best friends back in high school. They'd driven me crazy then, too.

Annie shook her head. “The things Ben's gotten up to since we left. Shocking. I had no idea.”

“You've gotten up to a few things yourself.” Charlie waggled his eyebrows. “Or so the presence of little Matilda indicates.”

Annie got that soft look on her face I'd seen last night, the one that made her look so different from the freckle-faced tomboy I'd watched grow up. Her hand went to her stomach. If I looked closely, I could see the slight bulge beneath her T-shirt. “We may not have picked out names yet, but trust me—Matilda is
not
an option.”

Annie and Jack had made their big announcement at the surprise party last night—a combination get-well-soon and belated-birthday bash. For me. That's why they'd all shown up like they had.

The surprise part had worked out a little too well, but the party itself had been great. The best part, of course, had been learning I'd have a niece or nephew in just over six months. She and Jack would be staying Stateside for quite some time, and…I swallowed the lump that kept coming back.

Annie was going to have a baby. My little sister. Imagine that.

Was there was any chance I'd be seeing Seely's tummy get round that way? She'd said not, but…

“Gertrude,” Duncan suggested, straight-faced. “That's a good, solid name.”

Charlie nodded. “Or Alphonse, if it's a boy. A boy named Alphonse would be sensitive, and I know that's important to you.”

“Jack,” Annie said, “kill those two pea-brains for me, will you?”

“Pour me some more coffee first,” I said, pushing my empty mug toward him. “Before anything gets broken.”

“Like me,” Jack said, bringing the carafe to the table. “I can take Charlie—”

“Ha!” Charlie said.

“But Duncan?” Jack shook his head as he refilled my cup. “You know I'd do anything for you, love, but this isn't a good time for me to go into the hospital.”

I started to reach for the cup he held out. The sling kept the movement to a tiny jerk. Dammit—I'd forgotten. I took the mug in my left hand and sipped.

“Something wrong with the coffee, Ben?”

“No, it's good.” Not as good as Seely's, but that wasn't what had brought a scowl to my face.

I could have used my right hand. If the sling hadn't reminded me, I would have. This morning I'd woken up reaching for a woman I'd never slept beside, which was weird enough…but I'd been reaching with my right arm.

My shoulder had barely twinged. And my knee didn't hurt at all.

I'd experimented. I couldn't lift my arm over my head yet, but I could raise it up to my shoulder. It was weak, but I could use it for little things like getting dressed. Brushing my teeth. Getting my sock back from Doofus.

No way should I have been able to do all that. After pulling on my jeans I'd sat on the hospital bed, feeling cold and sick. I don't know why it shook me up so badly. I'd been pretty sure Seely had done something impossible on the mountain…but there's knowing and there's
knowing
. I guess part of me just flat hadn't believed it. Hadn't wanted to believe it.

The world wasn't the same place it used to be. Reality wasn't what I'd always believed it was. Maybe Seely's granny really was a witch. Maybe she'd turn me into a toadstool if I messed with her granddaughter.

“Hey.” A hand passed in front of my face. “You in there?”

I swatted at Annie's hand but missed.

She pulled up the chair beside me and sat. Duncan had left
the room; Jack and Charlie were arguing about something. “So how are you, really?” Annie asked.

“Fine.” Better than should have been possible, but I wasn't going to go into that. Seely didn't want anyone to know—hell, she wouldn't even talk to me about it. Considering how long I'd sat on that bed with my hands shaking, I could see why she wanted it kept secret. “How about you? Any morning sickness?”

“I'm healthy as a horse. Which is more than you can say right now, but that wasn't what I meant. I'm worried about you.”

“Me?” I shook my head. “You're not making sense.”

“Neither are you. That's what worries me. Ben.” She put her hand on my arm. “All teasing aside, it isn't like you to get naked with an employee. I like Seely, but—”

“Good. Fine. I'm glad you like her. Leave it at that.”

“But something she said last night made it obvious she isn't planning to stay in Highpoint. And she isn't…” She sighed. “I don't know how to put this.”

“Don't put it at all.” I was getting annoyed. “Look, do I tell you how to handle your relationship with Jack?”

She stared. “You have amnesia? The knock on your head loosened your brains?”

“Okay, okay. Maybe I did make a few comments back when you two first got serious.”

“You threatened to break parts of his body.”

“He was kissing you! Had his hands all over the place.”

“We were married.”

“Yeah, well, I didn't know that at the time. After that—”

“You butted in every chance you got for a good long while. And as mad as that made me, I knew you did it because you cared. So I'm claiming the same privilege. Because I care, too.”

Damn. She had me pinned.

“But I'm going to try for a little more tact than you used.” Her grin flashed briefly. “I guess what I really want to know is whether this is a fling, a just-for-fun affair. Because it doesn't look like one.”

“What is this, feminine intuition? You haven't even been home a full day yet.”

She snorted. “Feminine intuition is the amazing ability women have to see what's under our noses. From the moment I saw you two together—oh. Not the very
first
moment. Memorable as that was.” Again the grin, but again it faded. Annie shook her head. “It's the way you look at her, the way…you're just different with her, Ben. That's what worries me. Because—”

Doofus leaped up, yapping loudly, and ran toward the front of the house. “They must be back,” I said, relieved, and shoved my chair back. “I'll give them a hand with the groceries.”

Annie's hand closed around my wrist. “You'll sit. You're supposed to be convalescing, remember? Though I must say, you're doing better than I'd expected.”

Better than I'd expected, too.

“Which leads back to what I've been trying to say. I hope you're not in too deep, because I don't think Seely plans to stay around. She told me last night you wouldn't need her much longer.”

Not need her? Was the woman crazy?

I shoved to my feet. We definitely needed to talk.

 

It was afternoon before I was able to cut Seely out of the herd.

Me, Gwen and Annie were sitting out on the deck. The weather was crisp and clear—jacket weather, if you weren't running around with five-year-old boys. Which Duncan, Charlie and Jack were doing, in a scaled-down version of soft-
ball. The twins had been invited over to wear Zach out. So far it wasn't working.

Gwen and Annie were talking about sex. They'd started out discussing pregnancy, but somehow that segued into sex. I was pretending I wasn't listening.

Not that it isn't an interesting subject, but dammit, Annie was my little sister. Besides, a man who gets into a discussion of that subject with more than one woman at a time is asking for trouble. They'll embarrass the hell out of you. When women bunch up in packs, they have no shame.

Seely had been talking with them, too, until a moment ago. She'd gone into the house to use the bathroom.

I stood. I'd given her a thirty-second head start. That was enough. “Think I'll grab another beer. Anyone else want one?”

Gwen rose to her feet. “I'll get it.”

“No, you won't.” I headed for the kitchen door.

“I'll take one,” Charlie called from the scrap of cardboard that was serving as pitcher's mound. “Soon as I strike Jack out, these guys are dust.” Jack and his two smaller teammates hooted their opinions of this prediction. I nodded and went inside.

I was leaning against the door to the laundry room when the bathroom door opened. Seely's hand flew to her chest. “Ben!”

Her hair was down, and oh, Lord, but I liked it that way. Her sweater was green with little buttons down the front. I liked those buttons, too. Though it didn't look like I was going to get a chance to mess with either her hair or her buttons anytime soon. “Surprised? You shouldn't be. You must have known you couldn't avoid me forever.”

Her eyebrows expressed polite disbelief. “You may have noticed there are a few more people staying here now? I've been busy.”

“We need to talk.”

“Okay. You can talk to me while I peel apples.” She started for the kitchen.

Dammit, she was doing it again—holding me at a distance. Avoiding me even when I was standing right in front of her. Maybe making love hadn't meant anything to her. Maybe she regretted it. Maybe she did plan to leave soon.

And maybe talk wasn't what I needed. I took two quick strides and slapped my hand on the wall beside her, stopping her.

She frowned at me. “I need to get the pies started.”

I leaned in and kissed her.

She didn't push me away. Her lips were warm and soft…and they quivered beneath mine in a single, telling spasm of uncertainty. Seely, always so sure of herself, so dauntlessly confident, was frightened.

Suddenly I could admit I'd been scared, too. All day. Like thunder in the distance, fear had rumbled away deep inside, never drawing so close I was forced to notice it. Never going away, either.

I touched her bottom lip with my tongue, telling her it was okay, that I was scared, too. I feathered kisses across her cheek so she'd know I meant to be careful with her—not just her body, but all those achy inside places. Her breath caught. I brushed my lips across hers one more time, leaned my forehead on hers and sighed. “I've been wanting to do that all day.”

“I don't think Annie and your brothers would have fainted if you'd kissed me in front of them.”

“No, but they would have been hugely amused if you'd belted me for it. And I wasn't sure you wouldn't.”

“Did you really think that? I didn't mean…” She shook her head, dismissing whatever she'd been about to say, and put a hand on my chest. “I'm sorry. I guess I've been running scared.”

“Good. I'd hate to be the only one.”

Her smile flickered. “I like your family.”

“Me, too. Most of the time. What's wrong?”

“Foolishness. And I guess I'm a little jealous. You know I told you I was an only child? Well, my mother was, too. That's my whole family—me, Daisy and Granny.”

I studied her face. She was telling the truth…but maybe not all of the truth. I touched her cheek gently. “Did you ever wonder if you had more family somewhere? Not the grandmother from hell, but your father might have married, had more kids.”

Her eyelids lowered, shielding her eyes. “He did.”

That sent a jolt to my stomach. “Well, hell. Did you know that when you came to Highpoint?”

Seely nodded. “He sent Daisy a birth announcement. Can you imagine that? No letter, just the printed announcement.”