Almost Twilight (22 page)

She
looked at her watch. It was almost six. She had forgotten about the bus which
ran on a regular schedule from eight in the morning until ten at night. But she
couldn’t remember the pick-up times. She would wait a few minutes, and if the
bus didn’t come along, she would go inside the store and call a taxi.

No,
no. It was better that she call for a taxi to bring her to the motel on the
east end of town. She didn’t want anyone knowing where she was staying tonight.
She might recognize someone on the bus. Besides, she might have to wait an hour
or more.

She
needed time to rest. Tomorrow, she would call Gladys, a nurse at the hospital,
and ask her if she could stay with her for a week or so, until she figured
things out.

A
minute later, she walked into the store and asked the clerk if she could use
the phone. After calling for a taxi, she walked outside and felt tiny raindrops
hitting her sleeve. She looked at the sky. The clouds were turning a sickening
gray and the winds were picking up.

Oh,
this was great. A storm was all she needed right now.

Tears
clogged her throat, and she decided to walk to the phone booth and wait inside
instead of waiting in the store. She didn’t want anyone seeing her cry. The
taxi would take about ten minutes. And at the moment, she was so tired, she
could hardly stand.

She
dragged her suitcase behind her. When she went inside the booth, she realized
her luggage would only make it halfway in, and she had to leave the door open. At
least she wasn’t getting wet. Taking a seat on the small bench, she rested her
head against the the thick glass windows and felt like a fool.

The
pitter patter of steady raindrops almost lulled her to sleep. But soon, the
rain intensified, slamming against the windows. She lifted her head, and in the
haze of the storm, a flash of red caught her eye.

She sat 
up, her heart racing. It was a car, and the maniac was heading straight for her!

She tugged
on her suitcase, trying to get out. Rain pelted her. Her luggage caught in the
door. She was stuck. Her life passed before her very eyes. She was going to be
killed!

Sheets
of rain blurred her vision, but she knew that car was going at least fifty
miles per hour in a twenty-five mile per hour zone. She shoved at her suitcase,
hoping to exit, maybe even jump over the thing, but the stupid driver wasn’t
going to give her a chance. He must be drunk!

The
screech of tires made her jerk in fear. She braced herself and closed her eyes.
Red. All she could see was red.

“And
where do you think you’re going?” The shout took her by surprise.

Candy’s
jaw dropped open in shock. “Rafe?”

Broad
shoulders rose over a red Porsche. “I said, where do you think you’re going?” 

What
was he doing back from the islands so fast?

His
steady gaze made her blink. A gust of wind swept his black hair from his face while
tiny drops of rain tapped against his car. It was just her luck the storm was
dying. She didn’t have any camouflage at all.

“I’m
going to a hotel,” she said quickly, her eyes searching for an escape. She
grabbed her suitcase and started easing out of the booth.

His
eyes turned deadly as he darted around the car and yanked her luggage from the
door. “I don’t think so.”

“Y-you
stay away from me. Y-you lying cheat.” Her hands reached for the booth door,
slamming it shut.

He
easily slid it open. “I’m not a lying cheat!” 

He
slipped inside the booth, squishing her against the small bench. “Now, you’re
going to listen to me, whether you want to or not.”

Her
heartbeat drummed in her ears. A brief shiver rippled down her arms. He smelled
of jasmine soap and a musky aftershave. The combination sent her senses
reeling.

“It
looks as if I don’t have a choice now, does it?” she said, lifting her chin.

His
eyes traveled over her face in a possessive manner that sent a warm tingle to
the pit of her stomach.
Oh, dear, she had to get out of here!

“No,”
he said softly, his expression filled with regret. “It doesn’t look like you
do.”

He
leaned closer, his eyes locking with hers.

She
swallowed hard and glanced over his shoulder. He was doing it to her again. “Uh,
do you mind if we move this conversation to a more public place? Like at a
baseball game or something.”

“It’s
still raining, and this is public. Besides, I like it here. It’s cozy.” His
breath whispered along her ear. “And I love you. Now, about that house,” he
continued, fingering a tendril of her hair. “I bought the land because I wanted
to build a house for families who needed a place to stay while their loved ones
were in the hospital. I was going to use the site as a sort of a halfway house
between home and hotel.”

Candy
stood there, shocked at his sudden admission. The compassion in his eyes
astonished her. He loved her and wanted to help families in need.

How
could she have been so wrong about this man?

Still,
he had lied to her by omission!

“Why
didn’t you tell me about the house then?”

“I
didn’t want anyone to know.” He shrugged and looked away. “I don’t know. I was
stupid...I was full of myself...I was in love for a long time and didn’t know
it. I should have told you about the house, but—”

“Shhh,”
she said in a whisper, not letting him finish.

Putting
her hand to his face, she blinked back tears. “You didn’t want anyone to know
that you cared. You didn’t want anyone to know that inside that steel shell of
yours is a heart as soft as a cream puff. And when you finally tried to tell
me, I shut you down.”

His
gray eyes grew in surprise. “That’s part of it. But mostly, I was a fool. I
never meant to hurt you.” Regret filled his face. “I realize I was being
selfish and arrogant. I was wrong. Forgive me?”

Candy
felt her anger and hurt vanish. “I forgive you.”

He
lifted his hand to hers. “I’m sorry about keeping the Banter house details to
myself. I didn’t know what to do. And well, hell, sweetheart, you scared me.
From the time we danced at Tanner’s wedding, you made me want to love you and
that made me too vulnerable. I didn’t want to give you everything I had—”

“Shhh.”
Smiling, she snaked her hands around his neck and wiggled her body against his.
“I know your heart, Rafe. But if you ever lie to me again, I’ll ask Max to
hogtie you to the nearest tree.”

He
laughed. “You do know I love you, don’t you?”

She
nodded, her heart bursting with happiness. She loved this man. Roger never
would have admitted being wrong, let alone admit his faults like Rafe had just
done. “If your proposal is still good, Dr. Clearbrook, my answer is yes. You’re
right. When you know it, you know it.”

His eyes
sparkled. “If you didn’t say yes, I would have swept you into my car and locked
the doors until you did. They never taught me love in medical school. But in
the islands, you convinced me to give love a try.” 

“I
convinced you?”

“Yeah,
I, uh, think it was that pink swimsuit.”

She
laughed. “Oh, Rafe.”

“You’re
perfect in my arms.” He kissed her and lifted a dark brow in amusement, his
hand pressing into the hollow of her back. “Hey, I just remembered something. You
don’t seem to be afraid of being confined in here like you were in the
janitor’s closet and the airplane.”

Candy
stared at him, then burst out laughing. “Confined? Oh, Dr. Clearbrook. You have
no idea what confined is.”

He chuckled,
but was instantly cut off as she pressed her mouth to his.

He
rested his head against the side of the booth and groaned. “Are you sure you
won’t think about a Mexican wedding? We can fly—”

Candy
grinned and buried her head in his neck. “Sorry, Doctor. I want a big wedding
with all the trimmings. But I think we need a little more time before that
happens. Maybe we can date for a while. You know, just to make sure.”

Rafe
frowned. “Date?”

“Yes,
date. Like dinners, dancing, flowers. The whole nine yards.” 

“Whoever
thought of the phrase, the whole nine yards, wasn’t a man who wanted to get
married tomorrow. But if that’s what you want. All right.” He pulled her to him
and kissed her long and hard. “I can wait...but not too long.”

Candy
dropped her head against his chest. “I love you, Dr. Clearbrook.”

Rafe
tightened his hold on her. “And I love you, Nurse Richards. Look, sweetheart,
the storm’s moved on. The sun is starting to set.” He lifted her chin and gazed
into her eyes. “It’s almost twilight. Just about the time I saved your life
when you fell off the roof.”

Her
brown eyes twinkled. “I did not fall! I slipped!”

“I
guess I was the one who fell,” he said gently. “I fell for you.” He looked into
her eyes and pressed his lips to hers, loving her with his touch.

Candy
felt her heart swell with love. Tears of happiness slid down her cheeks. There
was a heavenly intimacy about their kisses, a certain bond between them now.

She
had no doubt in her mind that this doctor was different than Roger. This doctor
was hers. This doctor was hers forever.

“Gall
dang it. You see that, Max?” Fritz said a minute later as stood beside the
booth with the kissing couple.

“I
suppose we’ll have a wedding as soon as they can get unglued from each other
and find a church,” Max said, smiling at his brother and Candy locked together
in a passionate embrace.

Rafe
jerked the booth door open and glared at the two men ogling him and Candy. “Do
you two mind?”

Candy
giggled.

“Nope,”
Fritz said, lifting his shoulders in glee. “Don’t mind at all, just as long as
you two are getting hitched. In fact, I’ll skeedaddle to the church and see
what I can do. Sometimes it takes six months, you know. And even then, you
might not get the date you want. Don’t know how Tanner did it so fast. But I’m
thinking Max should go with me to see how it’s done when he gets hitched, too.”

Max
glared at his father. “No way am I going with you!”

“Come
on,” Rafe said to Candy as he pulled her out of the booth and placed her in his
Porsche, throwing her suitcase in the trunk. “This is going to get messy.”

Candy
frowned as she rolled down the window, watching Fritz and Max arguing. “Do you
think they’ll hurt each other?”

Rafe
started his Porsche, his laugh full and rich. “Nope, not in the physical sense
of the word. Besides, my dad doesn’t have his trusty walking stick with him.
Max will be fine.”

“Listen
to them, Rafe. I’m worried.”

“You’ve
been a wild stallion too long.” Fritz’s voice echoed in the wind. “The woman I
find for you...”

The
wheels on Rafe’s Porsche squealed as the car pulled out of the parking lot.

Frowning,
Candy turned to Rafe. “What did you do that for? They might need us? Besides, we
can’t leave. I called for a taxi.”

“The
taxi will figure it out.” Rafe glanced at her, then planted his foot on the gas
pedal, swerving around the corner past Tanner’s house. “But as to those two
crazies needing you,  believe me, sweetheart, they don’t need you, but I do.”

Within
minutes, the Porsche pulled up alongside the old Banter house. Rafe slipped a
warm hand through Candy’s, and she felt her entire being swell to overflowing.

“This
house is yours, sweetheart.”

“Oh,
Rafe, I don’t need it now. I have you. Let’s work on the house together. Don’t
have it demolished. We can make it a dream house for the families who need it.”

Rafe
leaned over and kissed her. “I knew what was in your heart the moment I held
you in my arms in that janitor’s closet, Nurse Richards.” He smiled. “Or was it
at Tanner’s wedding?”

“And
what was that?” she asked, totally entranced by her love for him.

“Me,”
he said kissing behind her earlobe. “It was me all the time, wasn’t it?”

Candy
pushed her hands against his chest and glared at him. “Are you so sure about
that,
Dr. Clearbrook
?”

His
twinkling gray eyes flashed back at her as he brought her hand to his lips. “Oh,
I’m sure about a lot of things.”

“Really?”

“Uh,
hum.” He took her chin in his hands and stared into her eyes, making her knees
go weak. “I’m sure I love you. I’m sure I want to marry you. And I’m darn sure
you weigh less than Betty Spikes.”

She
burst out laughing. “I think I knew I loved you after I slipped off Tanner’s
roof and fell on top of you. Oh, maybe even before that...”

“Yeah?
I thought I caught an angel that night.”

“You
thought?”

“I
was wrong. I caught a piece of heaven, and I was stupid enough to let it go. But
I don’t intend to let you go ever again. Got that?”