Almost Twilight (14 page)

“You’re
pregnant?” Candy blurted out.

Tears
sprang to Selena’s eyes as she walked toward Candy’s bed. “Joe and me tried and
tried for twenty years, but now I have a baby. God has been good to us.” Her grin
widened while she patted her belly.

Candy
clasped the lady’s round hand in hers. “Oh, I’m so happy for you. But you
shouldn’t be working so hard. Don’t you have morning sickness?”

“No
sickness. But I’m not telling Joe yet.”

Candy
frowned, a little shocked at the way Selena spoke of her husband. “Why not? Your
husband has every right to know about your baby.”

Selena’s
gaze lit with happiness. “But you do not know my Joe. He would keep me in the
house until I had the baby. He would give me this and give me that, until I
cannot breathe. We wanted children for so long, he might be afraid I would break.
I love my Joe, but he—”

Candy
threw her head back onto her pillow. “But he is a man.”

Selena
laughed. “Yes!”

Candy
chuckled.

When
their laughter finally subsided, Selena stared out the window toward the ocean.
Her eyes were filled with love. “Yes, he is a man, my Joe. My man.”

Candy’s
heart lurched at the sudden wistfulness she saw in Selena’s eyes. If it weren’t
for Candy being sick, Selena could go home to her husband.

“Why
don’t you go home tonight? I can manage, Selena. I’m no invalid. I’m a nurse.”

Selena
turned a stern face toward Candy. “You’re a woman and Rafe is a man. I will
stay.”

Heat
singed Candy’s face. She craved for the love that Selena had for her man and
wondered if loving Rafe and Rafe reciprocating that love could be just as
wonderful.

But
no, that’s what dreams were made of. It wasn’t reality. Hadn’t Rafe accused her
of dreaming too much already?

“Selena,
nothing will happen. And it’s not as if we aren’t adults. We are able to make
our own choices, you know.”

“Yes,
you are adults.” Selena pulled the sheet up to Candy’s neck and patted her head.
“And nothing will happen while Selena stays here. You rest. You should not
worry.”

And
that was that.

Candy
frowned and realized that perhaps it was better Selena stayed at the condo. That
Clearbrook smile, along with those intense gray eyes and heavenly kisses of
Rafe’s, were enough to get her into trouble whenever she was with the man.
Staying alone with him in his condo was a recipe for disaster.

Dangerous
was the only way she could describe the situation she found herself in. Very
dangerous.

Candy
leaned against the palm tree and watched the sun rise against the deep
aquamarine of the ocean. For most of the night, she couldn’t sleep.

At
dawn, she had walked onto the beach dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a pink
T-shirt. Warm white sand seeped between her toes, and she caught sight of a
small crab scurrying toward the water.

She
was a little weak, but much better than yesterday. She decided to try to make
it into town today. Since she was already in the islands, she would enjoy what
vacation she had left. She could probably squeeze out a little money from her
nest egg and still have the down payment for the house.

If
need be, she would swallow her pride and borrow the rest of the money from her
brother, to be paid back in full, as soon as she was able.

Seagulls
swooped down, looking for their next breakfast.

“Hey
sweet thing, you wanna go for a dip?” 

The deep,
rough voice startled Candy.

She
glanced over her shoulder. A tall, muscular man, in white overalls, splotched
with beige and coral paint, stood behind her smoking a cigarette. He must have
been one of the painters working on Rafe’s extra condo next door.

“No,
thank you. I think I’ll just soak up the sun from here.”

The
man raised his thick fingers and pulled the cigarette from his mouth. He was
about Rafe’s height, with a large tattooed dragon painted on his tanned forearm.
His head was shaved, and he had a hoop earring in his left ear. One of the male
nurses at the hospital had a similar look, but Hugh Davies was the nicest man
in the world and married to the sweetest lady in the world. But Candy didn’t
get a good feeling from this guy at all.

If
she didn’t know better, she would have taken him for a pirate, especially when
he began to swagger toward her, his eyes leering at her like a thief on the
high seas who had been without a woman way too long. Yep. Something about this
man sent her brain into high alert.

“Come
on. You look like you need a little dip, baby. How about it?” 

A
wave of uneasiness shot through her when his eyes darkened and traveled from
her head to her toes, then back to her face.

“Listen,”
he said, grinning and showing a gap between his lower teeth. “I’m not working
for another half hour or so. We can skinny dip. You don’t even need a suit.”

Skinny
dip?
Her heart sped. This was not a man looking for a quick
swim. She glanced back at the condo. She was about twenty yards away. Too far

“Are
you working on the condo next door?” she asked, trying to think of how to get
by the thug.

His
tight-lipped smile unnerved her as he took another step in her direction. “Yeah.
How about we have dinner tonight? I got a place in town. I’ll make sure my
roommate will be gone for the entire night.”

Whoa.
This man was crazy if he thought she would go with him.

She
turned and squinted toward the ocean. She was becoming increasingly uneasy
under this man’s towering presence. She wondered if she should make a break for
it.

If she
hadn’t been sick, she wouldn’t think twice, but the food poisoning had zapped
everything out of her.

She
could scream and wake Rafe and Selena. Now, that would be a scene, she thought.

“What
do you say, sweet thing? A swim this morning, dinner tonight?”

“No
thanks,” she said a bit too harshly.

“You’re
on vacation?”

She
spun around and looked up at him, her distaste of the man stronger than ever. A
few minutes ago, it was so nice to be alone, but right now, she would give
anything to see another person other than him. She felt more than uneasy, she
was  scared.

“Yes,
and I haven’t had breakfast, so if you’ll excuse me.”

His
eyes narrowed dangerously, and she knew that time was of the essence. She
lifted her chin and forced one foot in front of the other, every fiber of her
being trembling with fear.

“But
I think you need a swim, babe. Looks like you need to cool off a bit.” 

She
walked faster, her knees feeling like jelly. She heard the sand brush behind
her. Her throat tightened with fear. The big buffoon was following her.

Suddenly,
a strong hand gripped her arm, spinning her around in the sand.

“I
have donuts in the car. I’m willing to share.” His hot breath on her face made
her sick. “That is, if you are?”

Panic
filled her as she stared at the bulging muscles in his arm. He held the
cigarette in the same hand.

“Let
go of me, please.” Her voice held the fear she wasn’t able to hide.

“Please?
Whoa, sweet thing, you say that real nice.” He tilted his bald head toward
Rafe’s condo. “You staying there?” 

“As
a matter a fact, I’m a guest, and I can tell you that the owner would not like
it if his guest was attacked in broad daylight. I gather you were hired to
paint the neighboring condo? He owns that, you know.”

The
stranger let out a throaty laugh and dropped his hold on her. He threw his
cigarette in the sand and trailed a finger through her hair. “Guess that means
I’ll have to see you after daylight then.”

It
was a challenge and a warning at the same time. Candy’s heart raced as she
backed up a few steps.

“You
see her any time, buster, I’ll lay you flat.”

Candy
bit back tears of relief and turned around. Rafe’s words were music to her ears.

In a
few quick steps, Rafe was beside her, drawing her up alongside him.

“Rafe?”
she said, barely able to speak his name.

His
strong arm circled her waist, supporting her. She glanced up at him. The shadow
of a beard blanketed his face, making him appear more menacing than Dragon Man.
His black hair was tousled, falling over his temple, and his chest was bare. It
was obvious he had hastily donned a pair of cut-offs, but he looked magnificent.

His
bare feet were planted solidly in the sand. Candy’s breath came out in a
relieved sigh.

“Are
you married or something?” Dragon Man asked with a sneer.

Rafe
squeezed her tighter. “Yeah, you got something to say about it?”

“Hey,
sorry man. Didn’t see a ring or nothing. I make it a rule not to go after
married women. They’re a pain. You know what I mean?”

Rafe
scowled. “No, not really. And it didn’t seem like you were looking for a ring.
You know what I mean?”

Candy
felt Rafe’s anger rising, and for a moment, she did feel married to the man. Of
course, she knew the marriage bit was only an excuse so Rafe wouldn’t have to
fight the man. Not that she wanted Rafe to fight for her. But he was a doctor. He
probably didn’t like violence of any kind.

“Are
you calling me a liar?” The muscles in Dragon Man flexed dangerously.

Rafe
dropped his hold on her.

Candy’s
chin trembled, and a shudder went through her. He was going to fight this brute,
and it was all her fault. Why, this bully could kill Rafe!

Turning
to Rafe, she did the only thing she could. Ignoring Dragon Man, she stood on
her tiptoes and kissed the doctor full on the lips, using every second to her
advantage.

“Rafe,
honey, what happened to my breakfast? I thought you were coming an hour ago.” She
batted her eyes, watching Rafe blink. “I missed you.”

For
about three seconds, Rafe remained absolutely frozen as he stared at her. Then
his eyes turned dark and his lips curled upward. Candy’s heart danced with
excitement.

He
studied her face, acting like they were the only two people on the beach. The
double meaning of his gaze was obvious. “I missed you too,
sweetheart
.” 

Before
she knew what he was doing, Rafe yanked her up against his bare chest and
kissed her as if they were newlyweds on their honeymoon. His touch forced a hot
ache to swell in her throat.

Groaning,
he pulled back and swept her into his arms. “I
really
missed you.” 

His
smoky eyes played with her heart, and she felt her world change forever.

“Yeah,
you’re married. Too bad.” The comment slowly drifted in and out of Candy’s head.
She was vaguely aware of Dragon Man crossing the beach and disappearing from
view.

“Rafe,”
she said softly.

Without
warning, he abruptly let her slide off his chest and down to earth. Candy’s
feet tumbled to the sand, along with her heart. Gray eyes battled with hers. She
swallowed and lifted her chin, pretending not to be affected by his kiss.

“Why
are you looking at me like that?” she asked, wanting to bury her face in the
sand and cry.

 He
took a step back. “Why am I glaring at you, you mean? You should know better
than to strut out here by yourself and talk to some strange man.”

Indignation
shoved her self-pity aside. “You think I asked for that thug to bother me? Is
that what you think?”

While
Rafe glared at her, her nostrils flared. She had enough! “And what about you? You
think calling me your wife wasn’t the coward’s way out?”

She
immediately realized that was the wrong thing to say.

Rafe’s
jaw hardened in what she saw was an attempt to control himself. “Coward? Are
you calling me a coward, Nurse Richards?”

“Nurse
Richards, now, is it? I didn’t think we were still at the hospital,
Dr. Clearbrook
.”

“I’m
not a coward,” he said stiffly.

Candy
didn’t know why, but she kept goading him.

The
thought of chipping away at Dr. Rafe Clearbrook’s armor of iron defense
exhilarated her. It sure seemed a good way of getting back at him for the kiss
that seemed to mean nothing to him and heaven to her.

“Yes,
a coward. Even with all your degrees and fancy diplomas, you still hide behind
your nurse.”

“For
you information, I didn’t know you needed to see blood shed on the beach as if
it were D-Day. I could have taken the man easily. It’s not like I haven’t had a
chance to fight. I do have two brothers, you know. But I thought the way I
handle it was the easy way out for you. Your stupidity is mind boggling.”