Losing Ladd (33 page)

She shook her head vehemently. “No, I
didn’t return any of his calls. When he drove up, I hadn’t seen him
since the fire.”

Nick stroked her hair. Satiny, silky,
she felt like a child in his arms. Nick had never been a father,
never stopped long enough to consider the idea. Truth be known, he
never met a woman he’d actually want to father a child with. Not
until Delaney.

But, he realized, sobbing at his
shoulder was a daughter. Felicity. She was a part of Delaney, a
part of the woman he desperately loved. Settling on the notion, the
young woman in his arms, Nick felt strength and determination.
Misguided as it might be, she tried to do what she thought was
right and he respected her for it. Felicity was no longer a child
but an adult woman. She was strong and proud and—emotion swept
through him, nearly unhinging him—more like Delaney than he ever
imagined possible.

As Felicity pressed into him, he could
hear a muffled, “If he doesn’t make it, I’ll never be able to tell
him how I feel.”

“
Shh,” he said into her
head. “He’ll make it. You and Travis will have all the time you
need to work through the past.”

Nick could only pray it was true.
Living with words unspoken could eat away at a person, living
inside a heart with no chance for release. Nick closed his eyes and
centered on Felicity. He didn’t want that for her. She didn’t
deserve it. She’d only tried to assert her independence, to spread
her wings and fly free from the watchful eyes of those who loved
her. She shouldn’t be punished for it. Whispering a silent prayer,
Nick held her until the tears subsided. He couldn’t erase the pain
but he could ease it. When Casey returned, he excused himself and
headed up to Delaney’s room. It was time to reconnect with his wife
and speak his own words that burned for release.

Nick stood by the open doorway, taking
in the sight of her. The head of her bed had been raised slightly,
allowing her to read more comfortably beneath the glare of
fluorescent light. Her head was wrapped in white bandages, her gown
a faded blue. Beneath the sterile lighting, her sun-kissed skin had
lost its glow. But none of it prevented him from seeing her beauty.
“What are you doing?” he asked, struck by the absurdity of her
reading a brochure post brain surgery.

“
I’m looking over my
instructions for discharge.”

“
Discharge? And where do
you think you’re going?”

“
Home.”

Flat, determined, her response pulled
at something inside him. “You’re insane, you know that?” Walking
into the room, he went to her bedside, removed the pamphlet from
her hands and tossed it onto a nearby table. “You’re not going
anywhere.”

“
Nick, I’m fine. The
doctor said I could go home in a day or so if the swelling
subsides.”

Nick wanted to shake her. He wanted to
strap her to the bed and make sure she didn’t leave this hospital
until her body was fully recovered. “Your doctor should be fired.
What kind of physician allows a patient to go home with a hole in
her head?”

She smiled. “It’s a tube and he’ll
remove it before I go.”

“
Your head has been
shaved.”

“
Only in the back. I have
plenty enough everywhere else to make up for it.”

Dropping to a seat on the edge of her
bed, Nick took her hand in his, savoring the feel of her warm skin
within his palm. “What if you’re not ready?”

“
I am ready. I’ve been
ready since I woke up.”

“
What if your brain isn’t
ready?” Staring at her, he wondered what would happen if she had a
relapse and they were too far from help?

As though sensing his concern, she
gripped his hand firmly. “I’m fine. I’ll be fine.” Grief slid into
her gaze, carving a dent in her ease. “I need to get back to my
horses.”

“
Your horses are fine.
Troy has been making sure of it.” Delaney smiled, a fondness
filling her dark brown eyes. Nick knew the mention of Troy would
alleviate her worry. “There’s nothing for you to do at the stables.
The staff has been working twenty-four-seven, the police are
working their investigation. We’ve suspended trail rides for the
interim. Your job is to get well,” he said, leaving out the matter
of Jeremiah’s arson attempt, Travis’ gunshot wound. There was no
need to undermine what seemed to be a remarkable recovery underway.
“Please, stay an extra day or two for me.”

“
I don’t want to, Nick.”
She expelled a sigh. “I want to go home.”

The satiny tone of her voice roused a
visceral need. There was nothing he wanted more than to get Delaney
back home and into his arms where she belonged but he couldn’t
jeopardize her recovery. “I’ll stay with you here. We’ll watch
television, play cards… It’ll be great.” He chuckled at her look of
disgust. “What? You afraid I’ll beat you in a game of Crazy
Eights?”

“
Is there something you’re
not telling me?” she demanded. “Why are you trying to keep me
here?”

“
Nothing other than I love
you.” Flooded by a sudden tide of emotion, Nick’s heart lurched. He
meant it. There was nothing she needed to know other than he loved
her. “I want you home. As soon as you’re ready to safely come home,
trust me, I’ll take you. I’ll take you home on horseback if it’ll
make you happy, but not yet. Besides, there’s something I want to
talk to you about.” Delaney’s gaze sharpened, as if she
knew
there was something
he’d been hiding. Tapping a finger to her nose, he said, “Stop.
You’re so suspicious. It’s nothing bad.” Drawing her hand onto his
jean-legged thigh, he stroked the length of her fingers, her nails.
He wanted to feel and experience every inch of her, reassuring
himself she was here and she was okay. Would stay that way. Gazing
into her expectant eyes, he teetered on how to begin. “I want to
talk to you about where we go from here.”

“
Where we go?” she asked,
appearing confused.

“
Yes. I’ve been doing some
thinking, and I’m not sure I want to fly halfway across the world
looking at properties.”

“
What? Why
not?”

He shrugged, mildly amused. “You won’t
come with me...and I want to stay here with you.”

“
Nick. You can’t give up
your hotels because of what happened. You
have
to go. You love your job.
Shoot, it’s not a job, it’s your
life
.”

She was his life. If he’d learned
anything in the last few days it was that. Nick would gladly give
up his hotels if it meant keeping Delaney safe, secure. “It’s not
worth it.”

“
Nick. I’ll go. If this is
your way of forcing me to go with you, I’ll go.”

He laughed softly. “That easy, huh?
Forcing you? And what about your stinky horses?”

Delaney screwed her expression. “Leave
my stinky horses out of this. If you want me to go with you, I
will. I’m your wife, it’s what I want.”

Nick laughed heartily. “Wow, you’re a
bad liar!”

And he loved her for it.
He loved that she wore her emotions like she wore her ratty
jeans.
In your face, I don’t care what you
think
. Her ferocity was one of the things
he liked best about her. “You couldn’t stand to be away from Sadie
for more than a week. No, make that less than a week,” he said,
instantly regretting the mention of her mare.

Delaney’s fire went out, replaced by
longing. “How is Sadie? Is she okay?”

Nick wondered how much Felicity had
told her mother. She’d said she kept her report brief and to the
point, assuring her mom that all the horses were fine. Did Delaney
know that one had been burned? Her stables were in complete ruin?
That it would take months to get them back up and running? Shaking
the supposition from his mind, he replied, “Sadie’s fine. I’m sure
she’s chomping at the bit for your return.”

“
And the
others?”

“
They’re fine,” he said
flatly. “The horses are fine, the hotel is fine. Everyone is fine.”
Except him. He wasn’t fine. He was having odd feelings and desires
and he wanted to know if he was alone. “I understand Sadie is your
baby and you’re worried about her, but maybe you need another one
to distract you.”

“
Why would I get another
horse?”

Nick didn’t say a word. He simply
stared. Delaney stared back. She snapped her mouth closed, an
uneasy realization flitting across her sable-soft eyes, erecting a
wall in its wake.

“
Is it so bad an
idea?”

Delaney slapped her glance to the
opposite side of the room in a complete dodge. Her hand within his
tugged slightly for release.

Nick tightened his hold. “Have you
ever thought about it?”

“
About a child?” she
blurted.

He nodded, pleased to hear her say the
words.

“
Now who’s insane?” she
asked, flipping her gaze to the ceiling, then down again to face
him. “Do you know I’m almost forty years old?”

“
And in excellent shape.
Why, you just had brain surgery and you’re already chomping at the
bit to go home. Don’t know many twenty-somethings who could do the
same.”

“
Nick.”

“
Delaney.”

She paled. “You want a
baby?”

“
I do,” he replied,
surprised by a sudden rush of warmth flowing through him. Swimming,
sweeping, it filled him with a wonderful joy. He didn’t realize how
much he wanted a child until now. “I want
your
baby.”

Plucking her hand from his hold, she
crossed her arms over her chest. “Maybe I’d better stay in this
hospital bed a few more days after all.”

Chapter Thirty

Cal strolled into the hotel lobby, his
heart lighter than it had been in days. Jeremiah was in jail.
Travis and Delaney were on the mend. The Ladd boys had been picked
up and would be charged with the robbery, provided the hair sample
belonged to one of them. But Cal didn’t have a single doubt they
were responsible. The front clerk and gift shop cashier both
identified the photos on Travis’ phone as the man they’d seen in
the hotel. All the police had left to do was connect Jeremiah to
the arson and they were finished. Except for the ugly business of
Jillian Devane. But she was Nick’s problem. Cal’s problems were
over.

Carrying the cardboard box around the
front desk, he nodded good morning to the clerks as he headed for
the office. Nine o’clock, he’d already taken his customary stroll
around the property, this time with Emily in tow, the two sharing
memories of Arizona as they admired the Tennessee landscape.
Despite everything that had happened during her stay she was
already planning her next trip and he couldn’t be more pleased.
Rounding into the office, he stopped suddenly. Malcolm and Nick
were in the middle of what appeared to be a meeting. “Good
morning.”

“
Good morning,” Malcolm
returned, his gaze cheerful but curious.

“
What’s got you so chipper
today?” Nick asked, eyeing the box in his hands.

Cal grinned. “Only everything.”
Setting the box of letters on top of a file cabinet, he blew a
breath of air and replied, “Not the least of which being I’ve
solved Troy’s legal problems.”

“
What?” Nick stood in a
sweep of motion. “What do you mean, solved them?”

“
My mother is dropping her
support for Jack, which means he’ll drop the charges like a hot
potato fry,” Cal quipped merrily.

“
Explain.”

Looking into the eyes of his boss, Cal
said, “I convinced my mother her reasons for supporting Jack were
misguided and she need no longer continue the charade.”

“
And she listened to
you?”

“
What changed?” Malcolm
asked, rising from his seat behind the desk.

Cal tapped the box and said, “Let’s
just say I used a little personal persuasion.” Growing more
serious, he addressed Nick. “This box is for Delaney. They’re love
letters between her mother and my father. I have his permission to
share them with her,” Cal added, amused by their mouth-agape
stares. “They tell a beautiful story and I thought she’d like to
have them.” Cal didn’t mention the one he removed for his mother,
the one that had changed her heart.

“
Where did you get
them?”

“
My daddy had them in the
attic. I went looking for my—things,” Cal said, sliding over any
explanation as to his guns, his desire for revenge. They were no
longer pertinent. Jeremiah was safely stowed away in jail and his
family was safe. “I found this box of letters.”

“
Your dad kept them all
these years?” Malcolm asked, stunned by the revelation.

Cal nodded. “He did. Said he forgot
they were there when I told him about them.” A confession he felt
compelled to reveal after his mother’s about-face. She would go to
her husband and he had to be prepared. Cal had never considered
himself a matchmaker before, but getting his parents back together
felt good. Real good. Better, it felt right. Theirs was a love that
should flourish and prosper. They had a family to think about, a
future, and their past had no place in the family
portrait.