My Heart Can't Tell You No (42 page)

“Jesus Christ, Maddie,” he said breathlessly. “I hope you don’t make me wait another four years for this. I think you’re trying to kill me.”

Maddie was just in the floating stage of falling asleep when she jerked awake with a start. Her movement woke Joe as he lay behind her, his arm encircling her waist. They had made love nearly thirty minutes earlier.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, sleep sounding in his voice.

“I don’t know. I have to get up.”

She threw back the sheet and bedspread, reaching for a robe as she went for the door. She hadn’t checked the boys when she came home that night—something was wrong, she could feel it. When she turned on the boys’ bedroom light she saw Jackie sleeping soundly on his stomach, but a quick glance at Robby’s bed found it empty. She hurried inside the room to see if perhaps he had fallen to the floor on the other side, but he was nowhere in sight. Then she heard the soft voices from her bedroom.

“What’s the matter, Rob?” Joe’s voice soothed, making her turn and hurry back to her room where she found him carrying Robby toward her bed. Joe must have heard the boy and quickly put on his jeans before going for the child.

“Mommy’s door was locked and there was a big lizard biting me.” Robby was recovering from a crying seizure as he leaned his head on the man’s shoulder and held his arms around his neck.

“A lizard?” Joe sat on the bed, glancing up at Maddie and winking his reassurance that the child was all right. “There aren’t any lizards in your bedroom—or here.”

“There was! He was biting my leg. He was gonna eat it right off!”

“Well, I won’t let him come back. Mommy and I are here now. We won’t let it get you.”

“What about Jackie?! It’s over there with him now!”

“No, Mommy chased it away. Jackie’s safe now, so are you.”

Maddie moved to her bureau, getting a nightshirt and underclothing as she hurried to the bathroom to dress. When she came back she found them lying beneath the sheet, Robby curled against Joe’s side and sleeping soundly. She paused at the foot of the bed, a combination of pride and jealousy flowing through her. Pride at how good they looked together. This was where Joe should have been from the beginning. And a bit of jealousy at the knowledge that he had just taken her place as her son’s hero and chaser-away-of-monsters.

“Where did you find him?” she whispered as she stood next to him, not sure she liked the idea of his staying the night now that Robby had found him there.

“He came in after you opened the door and started for their room. He must have been in the bathroom hiding from the lizard. Lie down, Maddie. It’s late.”

“In a minute. I didn’t have a chance to lock the front door.”

She went to the living room, closed the door and locked it, then moved back to their sons’ room. She kissed Jackie and brushed back his brown hair before partially closing the door and returning to her own room where she found both Joe and Robby with their eyes closed. She hesitantly moved to the other side of the bed and lay down, looking over at them before rising on an elbow and bending to kiss Robby’s cheek as she removed his thumb from his mouth.

“If you’re giving them out, I know another guy who would appreciate one about right now.”

When she looked at Joe she saw he had been watching her. She pushed some hair back on Robby’s forehead then looked back at Joe, bending to give him a quick peck on the lips, but his hand came up to the back of her head, making her lengthen the kiss. His kiss held neither passion nor desire, but more an emotional possession, and when he finally released her and she pulled back from him, he smiled sleepily as he turned on his side, pulling Robby up until his head was resting on the pillow between them.

“You look . . . ,” Maddie stopped, not telling him he looked completely at home and so right with her son.

“I look—what?” He didn’t wait for her answer. “Ya know, Maddie, you’ve got some things I want. And it won’t be long before I get them. Now go to sleep. You’ve already denied me a full night’s sleep. I do have to work tomorrow.”

She lay on her side facing her child and her children’s father. She knew she had something he wanted—but he seemed to be endlessly teasing her with his knowledge of his rights by paternity. Her children were hers. No one would take them from her, and his latest comment made her all the more positive she wouldn’t let him have the chance.

CHAPTER XXI
 

“J
oe. Joe.”

The whisper came slowly to him, pulling him from a deep sleep as he looked at the room around him then felt the weight of the small body leaning over him. He turned to see Robby leaning against his side, gazing at him.

“What?” he asked sleepily as he rubbed his hand over his eyes.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Robby whispered.

“You know where it is. Go on.” Joe saw it was still dark, so he pressed his face against the pillow in an attempt to go back to sleep.

“No. I want
you
to take me.”

“Tell your mother to take you.”

“I can’t. She’s not here.” He jumped on the bed, pulling Joe over onto his back. “Come on! I have to pee!”

Joe looked at the opposite side of the bed, seeing it empty and knowing he wouldn’t get any rest until he took the boy to the bathroom. He slowly pulled back the sheet and sat up as Robby jumped off the bed and ran for the door.

“Where is she?” Joe got to his feet, half walking, half stumbling after the child who was already on a mad dash for the bathroom.

“I dunno.”

“You finish your business in there. I’ll go look for her.”

Joe made his way through the hallway and toward the living room, glancing about to find it, as well as the kitchen, dark. He turned back toward the two rooms on the opposite side of the hall from the master bedroom and bath. The first door he opened was a playroom for the boys and the second was their bedroom, but Jackie was alone in that room. Joe went back to the living room again, moving toward the front door to find it closed and locked. When he turned back toward the bathroom and Robby, he saw Maddie lying on the couch fast asleep. He knelt next to her, brushing the hair back from her face.

“Hey, little girl,” he said softly.

She opened her eyes slowly, looking at him with sleepy irritation. “What?”

“This your way of telling me you don’t want me sleeping with you?” His thumb stroked her cheekbone.

“No.” She turned onto her back. “It’s my way of getting some sleep tonight. Robby was all over the bed. I’d no sooner fall asleep than I’d get a foot kicking me in the butt or a fist flying up and smacking me in the face.”

“I didn’t feel anything.”

“Of course not. You were dead to the world. When he moved your way, you’d just reach behind yourself and shove him my way. I felt like I was a bumper inside a pinball machine.”

“I’m sorry. Did I hurt him?” He smiled at her.

“No, just kept waking me up. Between you and Robby I’m lucky if I had ten minutes sleep in three hours. So I came out here—and lucky me—here you are again.”

“So, how was it working for you out here? Before I came out to wake you, I mean.”

“Better than in there.”

“Do you want me to go home? You could go back to bed.”

“No.” It was almost a pout, bringing a smile to him. “Don’t go home, Joe.”

“Did I tell you how beautiful you are?” he murmured against her lips.

She was the sweetest thing he had ever known. Right now in her sleepy, disheveled state, he could take her just as easily as the night before when she wore her satins and silks. She could slice him apart with the sharpness of her tongue—but she could warm his heart to near explosion with her smiles and laughter. His kiss would have gone farther but the tapping on the top of his head made him pull away, looking up to see Robby leaning against the couch.

“Why are you doing that?” Robby asked, watching him closely.

Maddie sat up quickly, nearly knocking heads with Joe as she pulled her nightshirt down. Joe merely sat back on his heels and looked at the child.

“Doing what?” he asked.

“Kissing Mommy like that.” The child showed no anger or jealously, only a curiosity that made Joe hide his smile.

“Because I love her.”

“Joe!” Maddie tried to interrupt.

“Big people can kiss if they love each other, can’t they?” Joe asked the boy.

“Can I go back to my bed now? You guys crunch me,” Robby said irritably as his hand rubbed his eyes.

“Yes, you can go back to bed now.” Maddie quickly got to her feet, taking the child’s hand and heading for the boy’s bedroom.

“Is Joe gonna sleep here tonight?” he asked as he jumped into bed.

“Yes.” She tucked the sheet over him. “Does that bother you?”

“Only when he pushes me away. He wakes me up.”

“Then he can sleep here?”

“I like Joe. Goodnight, Mommy.”

“Night, Baby.”

Joe watched from the doorway, waiting for her to return as he slipped his arm around her waist and started for her bedroom. The remaining hours of the morning he slept soundly with Maddie resting in his arms. He awoke at six-thirty, glancing at her clock and about to go back to sleep before the lateness of the hour struck him. He was up in an instant, pulling on his socks and shirt. He came back to the bed and sat on its edge as he bent to lightly kiss her lips.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said when her eyes fluttered open.

“What time is it?” Her hand moved to rest on his thigh.

“Six-thirty-five. I have to go home and get cleaned up.”

“You’ll be late for work.”

“I’ll hurry.”

“Don’t hurry. It won’t hurt to be late once. Drive carefully.”

“Are you worried?” An impish smile came to him.

“Just drive carefully.”

Joe was half an hour late for work, but they didn’t complain as there hadn’t been any calls during that time. John though, was already standing in the hangar with their second helicopter opened as he made some adjustments.

“I saw you weren’t out yet when I left home. I figured you were going to be late, but not this late. You look like you just woke up,” John called from the front of the aircraft.

“I did. An hour ago,” he called back as he poured himself a cup of coffee, then moved around toward the area where John was working. Joe watched him loosening some bolts, but by the time they both realized it was letting go, it was too late and the contraption, weighing about twenty-five pounds, fell quickly, hitting John on the head and knocking him to the concrete below. “
Jesus
! John!”

The flight nurse and EMT standing near the coffee pot came running, both kneeling next to the unconscious man on the floor. Joe immediately moved their flight packs to where they were checking pulses before placing a protective C-collar on him. Tom, who was just coming in from a ground run, moved to stand with Joe as they watched the two women working on John.

“Jesus, Joe, what the hell did ya do to him?” Tom asked, almost in awe.

“Tom, looks like we better run him down to the ER,” said the paramedic to the men behind him.

“Man, I just got back. I didn’t even get to clean out the back of the ambulance yet,” Tom complained, as only Tom could.

Joe waited at the hangar while Tom drove John to the main hospital’s emergency room about a half mile away. He called in the extra help that would be needed to fill in for John and himself, hoping he would be able to go over and check on his friend before long. When he finally got there, he found Beth talking quietly to a middle-aged man in a sports shirt, tie and dress slacks.

“Beth, how’s he doing?”

At the sound of Joe’s voice, the two parted, turning to look at him. Joe recognized the man as the supervisor of the Environmental Services Department; the department where Beth was a secretary.

“I—I don’t know yet. I—just got here.” Beth responded quickly.

“Let me know if I can do anything, Beth,” the man said softly, then left the waiting room.

“What do you mean, you just got here? John’s been down here for almost two hours.” Joe asked, eying Beth with uncertainty, but, before she could respond, a slim, auburn-haired young woman entered the room.

When she saw the woman, Beth’s stance turned rigid. The woman looked to be close to Maddie’s age and was dressed in a manner that spoke of her position in one of the hospital’s administrative departments.

“Mrs. Baker?” She glanced around almost nervously, as her eyes adjusted to the room’s dimness, then focused on Beth. “Beth.”

“Laural.” Beth responded stiffly, ignoring the extended hand. “Maybe you can answer Joe’s question. I’m sure
you’ve
been in to see John.”

Laural overlooked Beth’s snide comment and turned her gaze to Joe, smiling slightly to acknowledge him. Her hand automatically went to him, offering a firm, but quick handshake; her dismissal of Beth’s sarcastic attitude dignifying her presence.

“Joe?” she asked.

“Friend of the family.” Joe explained, noticing a gentleness enter the girl’s eyes as she looked at him before her self-assurance returned and she took over the conversation.

“Then hello Joe, friend of the family. You had a question?”

“I was asking how John was.”

“They tell me he seems to be doing fine—sore, of course, but fine. I believe they’ll be keeping him in the hospital overnight for observation. I take it you’re Joe McNier, the flight pilot?” Laural smiled slightly at his curious expression. “Your clothes. Dead giveaway. Consequently, my position in Human Resources requires my investigation of today’s accident and I believe you were a witness?”

“Yeah, I was there.” Joe watched Beth’s expression turn even colder as she observed the other woman’s continued conversation with him.

“I understand that right now must be an inconvenient time for you, especially being a friend of the family, but if you could fill out an accident report, that would be great. You can send it interoffice and address it to Laural Bainbridge.”

“I did it this morning. It’s in our out-box now.”

“Great.” She smiled again before briefly glancing back to Beth. “Beth.”

Joe watched Laural leave just as Tom was entering the room with a cup of coffee. Tom’s glance moved over Beth then to Joe, his eyes lighting with amusement.

“Can’t hurt that guy.” Tom teased as he referred to his brother. “He’s got a noggin as hard as concrete.”

“Almost as hard as yours, huh?” Joe teased back, his mind already leaving the static between John’s wife, Beth, and the young beauty, Laural. Whatever their problem was, he wasn’t interested enough to squander his energy on it. He had seen enough tiffs between coworkers to know he’d be better off keeping his nose out of it.

By eleven o’clock Beth was back with John, so Tom and Joe headed out; Tom going home and Joe heading to the store where he hoped to find Maddie.

“Can I help you?” Rodney watched Joe enter the store, the corners of his mouth tilting up upon recognition. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Yeah—it’s me,” Joe said dryly.

“Maddie isn’t here. You just missed her.”

“I take it you know who I am.” Joe’s voice was chilled.

“Of course I know. You’re Joe McNier. Maddie’s . . . fellow.”

Joe looked at him curiously. Her
fellow
? “That doesn’t bother you?”

“Me? Why should it bother me? Unless you mean that since you’ve come back she’s been a bit edgy. She used to be the best boss I’ve ever worked for. But lately she’s been on the crabby side. Oh, don’t get me wrong. She’s still a good lady to work for; it’s just that she used to be better. I hope your influence doesn’t make her lose any of her usual customers. So far she’s only letting her temper show around me and the other two clerks. Last night she was so distracted she nearly killed me with a box of thread while doing inventory.” Then under his breath he added. “Although she came in this morning in a damn fine mood, I must say.”

“
Her
customers.
Your
boss? She owns this place?”

“Yes.” Rodney looked at him closely. “You didn’t know?”

“And you’re not involved with her?” Joe was eyeing him just as closely.

Rodney stifled a laugh very efficiently. “No.”

“Where is she?”

“She got a call from the hospital about John. She went up there.”

Joe went back to his truck and started out to Sarah and Jack’s house. He didn’t know why Maddie told him she was involved with Rodney, and that he was the owner of the store—but he intended to find out.

“Hi, Joey. You just getting home from work?” Sarah stood at the stove where she was finishing preparations for supper.

“No, I stopped in to see John. He’ll be coming home tomorrow.” He sat at the kitchen table after glancing in the room to see Robby on the floor pushing a tank over a mountain of two sneakers.

“
Mm-hmm
. I know. They already called me.” She sat on the other side of the table, looking at the jigsaw puzzle laid out before her. “Did you see Jackie anywhere down there?”

“Yeah, he’s down watching Tom change a tire. Do you know what time Maddie’s supposed to be home tonight?”