Mother, Please! (10 page)

“She’s the type of girl you marry,” Gunner said.

His father chuckled. “Oh, now I get it.”

“Get what?”

“This one’s serious.”

“No…I’m not sure about that.”

“Because…”

“We’re nothing alike. She’s not my type at all.”

“Something about her must have caught your eye. And it sounds as though, this time, it wasn’t her, uh, legs.”

Gunner couldn’t help the wry smile that twisted his lips. “Her legs aren’t bad, don’t get me wrong. But, no, it’s not the way she looks that really gets me.”

“You see something deeper in her?”

“I think so.”

“Then maybe it’s time for you to settle down.”

Gunner blew out a long sigh. “That’s a big step.”

“Don’t be afraid to take a chance, son.”

“I’m not afraid of taking chances.”

“I’m not talking about racing.”

Gunner remembered the panic that had come over him when April mentioned waiting. Maybe he
was
scared. Maybe he could risk his life but not his heart.

He glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to go. Everyone’s downstairs waiting for me.”

“Right. I don’t want to make you miss your friends.”

“Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for the advice.”

“I’m glad you called,” his father said—and strangely enough, so was Gunner.

G
UNNER NUDGED
April as they sat on the back of the thirty-five-foot Bertram Sportfisher they’d chartered. “Did you see that?” he called above the boat’s motor.

April pulled her gaze away from the fishing line, which they’d been watching for several hours. There hadn’t been so much as a nibble. “What?”

He jerked his head toward the cabin, where her parents were supposed to be getting the lunches they’d brought, and he knew she turned just in time to see what he saw—her father steadied her mother when the boat rocked, then pulled Claire against him and kissed her on the neck.

“They’ve been doing that all morning,” he said.

“I know.” April shook her head. “Crazy, isn’t it? A week ago they wouldn’t even speak to each other.”

“I guess your matchmaking efforts are paying off.”

“Well—” she crossed her legs “—I don’t think I’ll box up her stuff just yet. I mean, I’ll be thrilled
if they can work things out.
More
than thrilled. But I’m afraid—” she glanced worriedly at her parents again “—I don’t know. A lot has happened.”

Gunner brought his chair closer and draped his arm around April’s shoulders. All morning, he’d been trying to tell himself that there wasn’t anything special about her. But he didn’t believe it. His eyes followed her wherever she went, and he couldn’t help brushing against her or touching her at every opportunity. More telling was the fact that he didn’t care anymore about buying the business he’d wanted to devote himself to—probably because he wanted to devote himself to
her.

The wind whipped her hair around April’s face as she leaned into him and smiled. “It’s so beautiful out here, isn’t it?”

He almost told her that nothing was as beautiful as she was, but quickly bit his tongue. What was wrong with him? He’d scarcely noticed the mild weather or the undulating ocean or anything else. He didn’t care if they caught a fish. He was falling in love with the last woman he’d ever dreamed he’d want. And he was doing it in a matter of days. If someone had told him this might happen, he would never have believed it.

But he was actually more worried about April’s feelings than his own. She was different from the other women he’d dated. His money and fame
meant nothing to her. She’d said she trusted him enough to let herself care about him, but if she didn’t think he’d make a good husband, she wouldn’t allow their relationship to go very far. And he already knew what she thought of his reputation. How much of a chance did he realistically have with her?

“You’re frowning,” she said. “What are you thinking?”

“That life is unpredictable.”

“Why—”

Suddenly one of the lines tightened, and she cried out in excitement as Gunner jumped up to grab the fishing rod. They had something. He wasn’t sure it was a marlin, but he figured it was big.

Taking the rod out of its holder, he motioned for April to put on the harness that would keep her in the special swiveling chair so she could reel in their catch.

“Wow,” she said as he handed her the rod.

“Hang on tight,” he told her, then called out to the others. “We’ve got a bite!”

The boat had a crew of two. Both men came out to offer their advice, and Walt and Claire followed closely behind.

“Keep reeling,” Gunner told her. “Don’t slack off.”

The resistance was so great that a few minutes
of reeling left April’s arms shaking. Gunner put his hands over hers and helped. The fish was getting closer to the boat, but it was still putting up a fight.

“It’s big,” April managed to say. “It’s…really big.”

One of the crew members grinned. “It’s a marlin. I can see him out there.”

Gunner squinted against the sun but couldn’t make out anything except the birds suddenly flocking toward them and the water. “That’s it,” he told April as she kept the line taut. “There you go.”

“That fish has got to weigh forty pounds,” Walt said.

Claire touched April’s shoulder. “You doing okay, honey?”

April nodded and kept fighting the fish. After another few seconds, Gunner offered to spell her, but she wasn’t willing to give up. “I can do it.”

He chuckled at her determination and continued to help her, enjoying the feel of her against him even more than the thrill of the catch. Finally the two crew members who’d positioned themselves in the corner of the boat, holding giant hooks, hauled in the flopping blue fish with the long swordlike nose. Then April sagged into the seat.

“I did it,” she said, breathing heavily. “I caught a fish in Cabo. A
big
fish. A marlin.”

Gunner laughed and shook his head. She’d
caught more than a marlin in Cabo. Whether he liked it or not, she’d caught
him.
And now he could only hope she didn’t throw him back.

A
PRIL WATCHED
television while she waited for her mother to finish showering. She needed to get ready for dinner, too. But she couldn’t stop thinking about Gunner and how difficult it would be to go back to her regular life after this trip. He’d shown her what it was like to feel weak with desire, to crave his touch more than anything else, to hear his voice in a crowd no matter how many people were talking. Too bad she and Gunner didn’t have the slightest chance of making a life together. He wasn’t the type to settle down, and she wasn’t the type to prance around on his arm and smile for the cameras. After Cabo, she’d return to her laboratory, and he’d return to…whatever he did. Still, she was glad he’d come, glad he’d shown her that there was more to life than work and pragmatic decisions.

The water went off, and April heard the shower door open and close. “Mom?” she called, flipping off the television after giving Claire a few minutes. She wanted to speak to her mother about Walt, make sure Claire was being realistic and at least a little cautious where her father was concerned. Though Rod wasn’t much of an issue, thank God, Regina definitely was. April was terrified that her
mother would be hurt all over again, and that she’d be to blame for setting her up.

“What, honey?” Claire replied.

“Can we talk about Dad for a few minutes?”

“What do you have to say about him?”

“You two seem to be getting close pretty quickly. I just want to be sure you’re looking at all the angles.”

“What angles?”

“Regina, for one. Getting back with Dad would mean forgiving him for Regina. That won’t be easy, will it?”

Silence, which was proof enough that her mother was struggling with this.

“It would also mean helping him decide whether or not to go through with selling the business,” April continued. “That has a lot of ramifications for both of you, as well as other people we care about.”

“We’ll keep the business,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“Even with Dad’s surgery?”

Her mother poked her head out of the bathroom. “What surgery?”

April stared at her. “You mean he hasn’t said anything?” Her father had insisted she keep quiet, but she’d assumed he would have told Claire himself by now.

“About what?”

April couldn’t imagine why her father was still hiding his condition from her mother, but she hesitated to tell what she knew, just in case he had a good reason. “Never mind.” She stood up and reached for her room key. “I think I’ll run down and take a swim before—”

“April?”

Hearing the gravity in her mother’s voice, April paused at the door.

“Tell me what’s going on. What surgery?”

With a sigh, April turned to her mother. “Dad’s been having chest pains.”

Claire covered her mouth with one hand. “No!”

“He needs surgery.”

“
Heart
surgery?”

“The doctor wants to do a triple bypass a couple of weeks after we get back.”

The color drained from her mother’s face. “Why didn’t he tell me himself?”

“I don’t think he wants to acknowledge the possibilities. He’s acting as though it’s nothing serious.”

“Nothing serious!”

The telephone rang, and April crossed the room to answer it, hoping the disruption would give her mother a few minutes to cope with the news. “Hello?”

“April?” It was Gunner.

“Hi.” She smiled automatically, grateful that they still had four more days in Cabo. She wished it was an eternity.

“You going down to dinner?”

“Um…” She glanced at her mother, who hadn’t yet dropped her hand from her mouth. “Not quite. I might be late, actually.”

“That’s fine. I won’t be there, anyway.”

Disappointment made April slouch onto the bed. “Why not?”

“I have to take care of something. I just wanted to tell you to bring all your change to my room later.”

An invitation. That was hopeful. But one look at Claire told April that her mother was still terribly upset. “Hang on.” She set the phone down and walked over to Claire. “Mom, are you okay?”

Her mother nodded stoically. “I’m fine. Go ahead and talk to Gunner,” she said, and resumed getting ready.

April watched her for a few seconds, wondering what she was thinking—and feeling. But she didn’t want to keep Gunner waiting too long.

Telling herself she’d speak with her mother later, she returned to the phone. “Why do I need to bring change?” she asked. “Are we going to play poker again?”

“Yes.”

The prospect of spending more time with Gunner, especially late at night and alone in his room, was enough to make her pulse race. She loved being with him, loved the way he smiled and teased her, loved the appreciation she’d seen in his eyes when she came around that corner and got into his Jacuzzi. She loved…

April’s breath stuck in her throat. She loved…
him.
But how could she have let this happen when she knew she was heading for certain disaster?

“I thought you’d lost your nerve about playing with me,” she said numbly, trying to keep up her end of the conversation.

“I’m feeling lucky,” he said. “And April?”

“What?”

“Tonight, winner takes all.”

She wanted to ask what he meant by that—or at least tell him not to buy any more pork rinds—but he hung up.

C
LAIRE STARED AT HER HUSBAND
across the now-empty dinner table. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked softly.

Walt’s gaze followed the waiters and busboys hurrying around the restaurant, clearing away the
dishes. Most of the Ashton Automotive group had already left for the hotel. “Tell you what?”

“About the operation.”

Finally meeting her eyes, he sighed. “April mentioned it?”

She nodded.

“I was afraid of that.”

“Why should this be a secret from me?” Claire demanded.

“Because I didn’t want you to worry. We were having such a good time here.”

A good time. Suddenly a good time didn’t seem to matter so much. Suddenly a good time seemed terribly fleeting. What if Walt didn’t make it through the operation? What if he had a heart attack and died before the doctors even had a chance? Tonight…or tomorrow…or next week?

Fear constricted Claire’s heart. She’d been enjoying Walt here in Cabo, but she hadn’t truly committed herself to forgiving him. Just when she’d decided to let him go, he’d come back…. No matter how wonderful it felt to be with him again, whenever she thought of Regina, anger and jealousy and the memory of the terrible hurt she’d suffered overwhelmed her, making her want to punish them both.

Only now, all of that seemed so petty. They were talking about life and death. They were talking about the possibility of losing Walt altogether—not
to some silly fear of growing old or a floozy massage therapist who took advantage of his confusion. To
death.
And with death there was no winning him back.

“What are you thinking?” he asked when she remained silent.

Claire realized in a new and certain way how selfish it was to continue holding a grudge. Walt might have made some very serious mistakes and hurt her deeply, but he was sincerely sorry, and he wanted her back. That was what mattered, wasn’t it? Somehow she’d deal with the rest. “That you’re going to get through it,” she said, forcing a confident smile for his benefit. “And I’ll stand by you every minute.”

Tears filled his eyes for the first time since she’d married him, and he reached for her hand. “How can you do it?” he asked. “How can you forgive me so easily?”

She felt his callused fingers close over hers as they had so many times before and a warm sensation flooded through her. “Because I’m not going to let life knock either one of us down just before the finish line.”

A single tear escaped and ran down his cheek. “Thank you, Claire.”

A
PRIL KNOCKED
hesitantly on Gunner’s door. She’d missed him at dinner and knew just how crazy
she’d been to fall in love with a famous playboy. She probably shouldn’t have come to his room tonight. It would only make her infatuation worse. But she was so head over heels in love that she couldn’t stand not taking advantage of what time they had left.

He smiled when he opened the door and saw her standing there with her arms full of vending machine snacks.

“Wow, looks like we’re going to be playing for a while.”

“I thought I might need to spot you a few snacks before the night was through.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Don’t start feeling sorry for me just yet.”

“So you think you’re going to do better tonight?”

“I certainly hope so,” he muttered.

She detected an unusual tone, one she couldn’t quite identify. But he was already getting out the cards so she didn’t question him.

The first hand she won, but before she could feel too confident, Gunner beat her on the next three.

“You’re not saying much now,” he teased as he raked in the heap of candy bars.

“The game’s not over yet.”

“No, it’s not.” He set something small, round
and shiny in the middle of the bed. “But the stakes are changing.”

“What’s that?” April asked, even though she could see quite clearly that it was a ring.

“Pick it up and see.”

Tearing her eyes away from Gunner’s face, she lifted the ring and held it to the light. A huge baguette diamond glittered in a white-gold setting with two emerald-cut diamonds on either side.