Real Men Don't Break Hearts (10 page)

“I’ll follow.”

Vague disappointment diluted her relief. Nate didn’t seem too let down by her refusal. He hadn’t tried to change her mind; he’d just let her go. Well, who was she kidding anyway? He wasn’t hard up for female companionship. He didn’t need to pursue her.

As she hurried away from him, an errant thought dogged her. If Nate did decide to pursue her, how much of a struggle would she put up?

…

No hard feelings?
Nate might have found that ironically funny if it wasn’t for the stubborn heat throbbing in his veins. He watched Ally hustle down the pavement, his attention glued to the snug fit of her denim jeans around her sweet curves. Even in her workday clothes with her hair all over the place she had him riveted. He couldn’t remember when last a woman had invaded his thoughts so much. Just as he couldn’t remember when last a woman had turned down an invitation from him.

Scowling, he got into the truck and started the engine. Why had Ally turned him down? Again? And all he’d had in mind was a
friendly
drink.

Yeah, right. Sure, he wanted to chat with her, but a large portion of his mind was also taken up with imagining what might happen if things between them got even friendlier. What she would feel like folded into his arms. What she would taste like if he kissed her. What she would do if he slid his hands under her shirt as he’d fantasized about several times already. He needed to stop daydreaming about Ally. Her standoffishness was only fueling his obsession. He’d never let any woman take over his brain the way she had.

Although her body language had contradicted the refusal coming out of her lips. She couldn’t hide the telltale signs that the chemistry burned just as bright in her—the dilated pupils, the hitched breathing, the foot curled around her leg. No denying it; Ally was feeling the same powerful urges he was.

He punched on the radio, and as a rock song came thumping out, his fingers started drumming on the steering wheel. To hell with being sensible and cautious around Ally. He’d been telling himself to steer clear of her for days now, and he was sick of his own advice. Deep down, he was still a rebel at heart, and he wasn’t ready to shut out all his primitive instincts. He wanted Ally, and he didn’t care if it was a bad idea. The next time he saw her, if she continued giving off the same sexual vibes, he was going to react to them.

A grin tugged at his lips as he stretched out in the driver’s seat. It wasn’t his style to pursue a woman who’d said no, but the way Ally had been acting, it was only a matter of time before her lips would echo what her body was already saying.

…

“Blast!” Ruefully Ally examined her scraped hands and knees. She’d been jogging along her usual route, enjoying the early morning air, her body moving freely and easily in time to the music from her iPod. But she hadn’t spotted the loose gravel on the road’s shoulder, and her feet had slipped, sending her skidding across the rough aggregate.

Her hands and knees weren’t too bad—just scratches and chafed skin—but when she pulled herself upright, the shooting pain in her ankle had her flinching. She rubbed it for a few moments, ruing her bad luck, before she began to hobble along the road. Home was about three kilometers away, but hopefully she’d be able to flag down a passing motorist. Even though this was a quiet back road with no houses nearby, it was seven o’clock on a Thursday morning, and there was bound to be passing traffic. Peering ahead, she made out a figure jogging on the opposite side of the road, coming toward her. She stopped as soon as she realized it was Nate. Judging from his unsurprised expression, he’d recognized her already, and he had picked up speed, closing the distance between them in seconds.

“Morning.” He came to a halt, his breathing only mildly fast. “This is a surprise. Didn’t know you were into jogging, too.”

Ally wished her breathing could be as steady as his. Up close in his exercise gear, Nate’s body glowed with a powerful physicality, his damp shirt clinging to his slick pectorals.

“I jog this route three times a week.” She struggled not to ogle his muscled chest. “I’ve never seen you here before.”

“I usually jog in the evenings, but I got woken at the crack of dawn this morning by my neighbor’s mutt.” He looked her over, taking his time, seeming to enjoy the view, but frowned when he caught sight of her skinned knees. “What happened there?”

“Oh, just a bit of gravel burn. I didn’t see the fresh stuff they laid back there.” He continued to stare at her legs, making her self-conscious.

“Is it just your knees?”

Realizing there was no point in lying, she shrugged. “I twisted my ankle a little, too. Nothing serious, but it’ll take me a while to walk back home.”

“My place is just five minutes from here. I can run back to fetch my car.”

“Oh, no, that’s too much trouble. I’ll be fine.” She limped forward a few steps to prove her point.

“Don’t be so stubborn. I can’t leave you like this.”

She
was
being stubborn. And silly. If she had any sense, she’d accept his offer, but a part of her disliked the thought of being beholden to Nate. It was almost a week ago that he’d shown up at Clifton Gardens. After she’d turned down his invitation for a drink, she hadn’t seen him all week. Not that she was counting or anything.

“Tell you what,” she said. “Why don’t I walk with you back to your house, and you can give me a lift from there?”

He grinned, his teeth white against his tanned skin. “Okay.”

They moved off down the road. The air was fresh and sweet. Birds chirped, and bees droned in the bottlebrushes. The peaceful surroundings should have soothed her, but Nate’s presence had her all antsy. She couldn’t stop darting a glance at him every minute or so. His long, muscular legs with their smattering of dark hair were much too distracting.

“So where did you used to go jogging in the city?” she asked, desperate for a diversion from her overactive imagination.

“Usually on the treadmill in my apartment.” He gave her a wry smile. “I’d watch the news feeds and the overseas stock prices at the same time. I am—was—a master multi-tasker.”

It didn’t sound like much fun to her. “So you’ve given up the treadmill?”

“Couldn’t fit it in my house. Anyway, who wants to run for miles in the same spot? The scenery outside is a lot better.” His eyes flickered down once more to her leg. “How’s that ankle of yours holding up?”

She tried to act casual. Tried not to wish she’d shaved her legs before going jogging. “It’s not too bad now, but it probably won’t be happy by the time I close up shop today.”

They turned the corner onto Nate’s street, and she saw his house just ahead.

“Expecting a busy day?” he asked.

She nodded. “My stall at the garden festival generated a lot of phone enquiries. I’ve had to get more stock. Plus, a few of the wedding guests have been wandering in, and I expect more of them today and especially tomorrow.” Tomorrow night most of the guests were supposed to arrive. Almost all the hotels and inns around Burronga had been booked up for the entire weekend.

Nate gave her a quizzical look as they approached his house. “So there is a silver lining under every cloud.”

She waited until they reached his pickup truck before answering. “As far as I’m concerned, there’s no cloud, just silver.”

He was just ahead of her, key at the ready to unlock the car. Without warning he swung round. “Good answer,” he murmured.

Her heart jumped from the nearness of his body and the glimmer in his eyes. And the instant, visceral response of her own body. “Silver and gold and crisp bank notes,” she said. “I’m talking about money.”

“Are you?” He shifted nearer, and the potent tang of his scent had her pressing up against the truck. She was trapped between him and the vehicle, and by her own rebellious longings. “I thought you were talking about something else completely.”

The metal of the truck was cool against her back. Her front took the full brunt of the heat radiating off his body. She tried to breathe in and out slowly, but she couldn’t concentrate. The pulse at the base of his throat had her mesmerized. She wanted to reach up on tiptoe and slide her mouth over his skin, licking, sucking, kissing… The sharpness of her wanting made her dizzy.

“Ally?” His husky, honeyed voice slid over her like a caress.

“Um?” She blinked, belatedly aware that her lips had parted, and she was staring at him like a star-struck groupie. He hadn’t laid a finger on her, and yet she tingled all over as if he’d been stroking her.

“Usually when a woman looks at me the way you’re looking at me…well, let’s just say we wouldn’t be talking by now, we’d be scandalizing the neighbors.”

Heat flooded her. “You’ve got a wild imagination.”

“Only as wild as yours.”

The invitation in his burnt sugar eyes was almost irresistible. She pushed her back against his truck, desperate for some breathing space. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not one of those brash women you pick up in your trendy city bars.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t live in the city anymore.”

“A leopard can’t change its spots.”

“Who says the leopard wants to change?”

Oh, boy. How was she going to get out of this one? “Why me? Surely you can see it’s a bad idea.”

“Don’t you remember what I said about bad ideas and me?” He smiled roguishly. “I like you, Ally. A lot. And I know what I’m feeling isn’t one-sided.”

Her pulse leaped. Pure lust coalesced around her center, fever-hot. She bit her lip against the temptation. “Just because we have urges doesn’t mean we need to act on them,” she said. “We’re not animals.”

“Really? You could’ve fooled me.”

She pressed hot hands against the cool metal of the truck. “I’m not kidding.”

He let out a forceful breath, his frustration beginning to show. “Okay, have it your way this time, but I’m giving you fair warning. Give me that I’m-oh-so-hot-for-you look again, and I’m going to kiss you, whether you say so or not.” He unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for her. “Hop in. I’ll get you home unscathed.”

She started breathing again. She clambered into the car and shut the door.

We’re not animals
, she’d told Nate. Now she just had to convince herself.

Chapter Nine

“Ally, thank Christ, am I glad to see you.”

“Hey, that’s what sisters are for.” Ally squeezed Jess’s arm as she took her place at the workbench beside her sister.

“Are you sure about this?” Jess chewed her lip. “I mean, it seems a bit weird…”

To ask her to make floral arrangements for her ex-fiancé’s wedding? Maybe, but not under these circumstances. It was just after six in the evening, the day before the wedding. Jess had called Ally, asking if she could come over and help, and when Ally had arrived at the floral shop shortly afterward, she’d seen why. Jess looked awful. Her face was sallow, and her fingers were scarred from the florist wire she’d been twisting all day long. Her shoulders were slumped with exhaustion, and her eyes had taken on a glazed yet panicked expression.

“I’m glad you called me,” Ally said. “Now that I’m here, why don’t you go home and relax?”

Brian, who had been hovering in the background, moved forward to cup Jess’s shoulders. “Yeah, honey. I’ve been telling you for hours to take a break. Ally and I can finish the rest.”

“No, you can’t.” Jess shrugged off her husband and pulled a ceramic bowl toward her. “Here, let me show you how to do the centerpieces.”

Ally threw a sympathetic glance at Brian before focusing her attention on her sister’s demonstration. Brian was a lovely husband, but when it came to floral arrangements he was all thumbs, and Jess had long ago assumed full responsibility for this aspect of their business. From the side benches filled with ornate bouquets, Ally could see Jess had already completed the bigger arrangements. She would have finished the smaller centerpieces, too, if she hadn’t been plagued by morning sickness the entire day.

Ally watched as Jess gathered peonies, mock orange, fern, and laurel leaves and fashioned a graceful arrangement around a white scented candle set into a bowl. Ally had often helped her sister, and it wasn’t too difficult to follow her instructions. Taking her own materials, she worked at a slower pace, carefully replicating Jess’s centerpiece.

“Good enough?” she asked when she’d finished.

Jess nodded and gave her a faint smile of relief.

As she gazed at her work, Ally experienced the faintest of twinges in her chest. Tomorrow the centerpiece she’d just created would grace a table at Seth and Paige’s wedding. She wouldn’t be human if she didn’t feel a slight regret that beautiful flowers like these wouldn’t be adorning her own wedding. At nineteen she’d been too young to get married, but she knew that she wanted a husband, a loving relationship, and eventually children. Maybe not now, but some day in the future.

“Ally?”

She shook herself out of her reverie to find her sister regarding her with a slight frown. “I’m fine.” She waved her off. “Go home and rest.”

Instead, Jess cast a glance at the number of empty bowls waiting to be filled. “Now that you’re here,” she said to Ally, “we should be done in an hour.”

In fact, it was closer to two hours before all the arrangements were finished to Jess’s satisfaction and put into cool storage. Ally told her sister to go home and take a warm bubble bath before she took off herself. She needed a relaxing bath herself, she mused tiredly as she drove home. In the past few days everywhere she went she’d been confronted with reminders of the grand wedding coming up. All the hotels and bed and breakfasts had been filling up with guests, their fancy cars jamming streets already choked with delivery vans heading toward the Kerrigans’ spread.

The upside had been the brisk trade at her gift shop, just as Tyler had predicted. Tyler’s jewelry had been a big hit, and she’d almost sold her entire collection. Ally was pleased for her friend, and pleased with her own profits, but overall she would be glad when life returned to normal.

Saturday morning she went for her usual five kilometer run and was about to open the gift shop at ten when Brian rang, sounding hoarse with panic. While loading the floral arrangements into the van, he’d dropped an entire crate, and now seven centerpieces needed to be redone in short order. Cutting him off, Ally said she’d be there in ten minutes and grabbed her car keys.

At the store, Jess greeted her with a wan smile. She didn’t look any better after a night’s sleep.

“What happened?” Ally asked. “Rough night with the twins?”

Jess rubbed her red-rimmed eyes. “No, they were fine. It’s all these aches and pains I’ve been having. I couldn’t get any rest. I think I might be coming down with the flu.”

“Honestly, sis, you’re too stubborn. You should go see a doctor. Today.”

Leaning against the bench, Jess pulled a face and rubbed her abdomen. “Mm, maybe I should.”

Ally paused midway through gathering peonies, alarmed at her sister’s compliance. Jess hated seeing the doctor, so she really must be feeling ill. Ally cast around for Brian, but he’d gone outside. “Why don’t you go to the office and sit for a while? I can do these.”

“But there’re still five to do, and we were supposed to deliver the first lot half an hour ago.”

“Brian can drop off whatever he has now and then come back for the rest.”

Jess nodded. “Okay, that’s a good idea. I’ll go tell him, but first I need the toilet. I seem to be peeing every five minutes. The joys of pregnancy.” She limped out of the workshop, still rubbing the small of her back.

Alone, Ally concentrated on the flowers. A minute later Brian plunged through the door, bug-eyed and gibbering. “Come quick. It’s Jess.”

Ally ran after him into the office. Jess was crouched on a chair, her back bowed, her hands gripped around her stomach. She lifted tear-filled eyes to Ally. “I’m bleeding.”

An arctic fist closed around Ally’s heart. For a moment she couldn’t move, couldn’t react. All she could do was stare at her sister blanched by pain and fear, her agony all too familiar to Ally. Not Jess, too… Dread burned through her as she forced herself to move forward and drop to her knees in front of her sister.

“Jess?” She placed her hand over her sister’s. “You’ll have to go to the hospital.”

“No…I—I’m sure I’ll be fine. It—it’s just a bit of spotting, that’s all.” Perspiration dewed her ashen face. “Quite natural in the first trimester.”

That’s what Ally had told herself, too, when she’d begun to bleed and cramp eight weeks into her pregnancy. She’d forced herself to go about her daily routine, willing the symptoms to disappear. But the bleeding and cramping had worsened, accompanied by a sick, bloated fog that had enveloped and submerged her, until she’d lost the baby. The whole process had taken two days, during which she’d only had Seth to comfort her, and he’d been too frightened to be much use.

“I don’t care if it’s natural,” Brian burst out. Striding forward, he pulled Jess to her feet. “I’m taking you to the hospital whether you like it or not.”

“But Brian, the flowers,” she whispered.

“I’ll take care of them.” Ally grabbed her sister’s jacket and wrapped it round Jess’s shoulders. “Don’t worry; I’ll take care of everything. Just get to the hospital.” Ally dug into her pocket for her keys and tossed them to Brian. “Take my car. Go now.”

Seconds later she was alone. She rubbed her hands over her face, trying to slow down the frantic pace of her heart. The chill hadn’t left her, and her fingers wouldn’t stop shaking. She walked back to the workbench and surveyed the buckets of flowers waiting for her. The room was cold like a tomb. For the first time in her life she didn’t want to touch the flowers. Their scent was too cloying, their coolness too repellent. Shivering, she rubbed the goosey flesh of her upper arms.

She couldn’t get all neurotic now. Jess was counting on her. For so long it had always been Jess helping her out, doing the big-sister thing. Now it was her turn to step up and do something for Jess. Whatever happened at the hospital, she wouldn’t let Jess down.

…

Easing a finger into his collar, Nate wondered why he’d turned up at the wedding so early. There was still an hour to go before the three o’clock ceremony, to be held outdoors in the Kerrigans’ garden, and it would be close to five before the photos were done and dinner started. He’d be stuck in this suit for hours. When he’d lived in the city he’d enjoyed dressing up, but now that he’d moved back to Burronga he preferred his casual gear.

He threaded his way across the patio and observed the grand marquee set up in the center of the garden. Groups of wedding guests dotted the lawn. As he watched, a statuesque redhead detached herself from the crowd and minced toward Nate, looking intent on collaring him. Lengthening his stride, he took off in the other direction and made for the marquee. As he ducked into its shady interior, he caught the tail end of a haranguing voice coming from inside.

“… disgraceful, quite disgraceful. I’m appalled.”

He made out Crystal Kerrigan’s figure, looming among the linen-clothed tables. Her back was turned to him, hiding the unfortunate person she was castigating.

“I don’t know how you can have the nerve to present me with something like this,” Crystal continued. On television she always spoke in dulcet tones, but here there was no pretense and no hiding her whiplash tongue. “It’s an absolute mess!”

Nate had no desire to witness someone getting a dressing down from La Kerrigan and began to inch backward, but he halted when the unseen person spoke up.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, but I’ve tried my best.”

His heart rate kicked up a notch as he heard Ally’s familiar voice sounding unfamiliarly brusque. Moving a few paces to the left, he saw her squaring up to Crystal, her face pale and set.

“You call that your best?” Crystal swelled with outrage. “Who are you, anyway? You’re not that Jess woman I’ve been dealing with. Where is she? I demand to speak to her.”

“My sister couldn’t make it—”

“Couldn’t make it? What sort of excuse is that? This is the most important day of my daughter’s life.”

Ally’s jaw tensed. “Jess isn’t well today, so I’ve taken her place.”

“Hardly! You’ve made a mess of things is what you’ve done. First you drop the centerpiece for the main table, and then you replace it with this…this sick joke!” She jabbed a finger at a crooked flower arrangement on the table next to her. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to sabotage my daughter’s wedding!”

What little color there was in Ally’s face drained away. Her oak-colored curls quivered as she visibly battled to control herself. Nate found himself springing forward.

“Ally, what’s going on?”

Both women swung to stare at him. Ally’s lips formed a small
O
.

Crystal narrowed her basilisk eyes at him. “Nate? What are you doing here?”

The few times he’d met Crystal he hadn’t warmed to her, and the antipathy was mutual. Her crimped expression told him she thought he was interfering and this was none of his business, but if Ally was involved, then it was his business.

“What’s happened to Jess?” He directed his question solely to Ally.

“Like I said, she’s not well. Brian’s looking after her, so I’m delivering the floral arrangements.” She, too, ignored Crystal.

“Well, I’m certainly not paying for that piece of vomit! And if this is how she treats her best customer, your sister is never getting my business again.” Crystal swept up the offending centerpiece and, holding it at arm’s length as though it were contaminated, carried it out of the marquee.

Ally glowered after the woman. “What an impossible creature!” Then her chin began to tremble, and she groaned. “I’m such a klutz. I’ve ruined this job for Jess and Brian. As if they don’t have enough to worry about today.”

Pulling out the nearest chair, he sat her down and took the seat next to her. Except for them, the marquee was empty. “What do you mean? What’s happened to your sister?”

“Brian took her to the hospital this morning.” She caught her breath, her eyes growing round and distraught. “You see, she’s pregnant, and she started bleeding a few hours ago. She might be—” She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “There’s a chance she might lose the baby.”

He gaped at her, his gut snarling into a knot. “Ally, I—”

“So I delivered the flowers for them, but I wasn’t concentrating, and I damaged the big centerpiece, the one that’s meant to go on the main table.” She let out a deep groan. “I raced back to the store to fix it, but I’m not as good as Jess, and I couldn’t concentrate, and…well, I made a real mess of it.” She thunked the heel of her palm against her temple. “I’ve let down Jess and Brian.”

“No, you haven’t. For God’s sakes, you’ve done more than enough delivering the flowers, and Crystal’s making a fuss over nothing. No one but she and Paige will even notice the damn things.”

“Maybe.” Ally shivered and rubbed her forearms. “To tell you the truth, I don’t care about the flowers. I don’t care about anything right now except Jess. Brian rang an hour ago to tell me she was still under observation, but nothing since. I’m—I’m kinda going crazy imagining the worst.”

Christ, what a day she was having, delivering flowers to her ex-fiancé’s wedding while her sister was rushed to the hospital, her worries exacerbated by the memory of her own miscarriage. His arms went around her instinctively; he couldn’t help himself. He needed to hold her as much as she so obviously needed support, and when she rested her head on his chest, it felt right.

She let out a sigh as her body relaxed against his. “I should take the van back,” she said, her voice muffled by his shirt. “And then I should go to Jess’s place and help my nana with the twins. She’s been looking after them since last night. She’ll be exhausted and worried.” Ally hesitated before adding, “And she…doesn’t know I went through the same thing.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“What?” She lifted startled eyes to him. “But you can’t do that. You have to stay here for the wedding.”

Did he? Seth had specifically asked him to attend, had said he needed Nate’s presence to bolster him. But Ally needed him more. One glance at her dark, anxious eyes told him that. She was holding herself together, but she didn’t have to endure this ordeal on her own.

“Go to your van and wait for me.” He stood and helped her to her feet. “I’ll explain it to Seth. It won’t take me long.” He left the marquee and quickly made his way back into the house. Seth was pacing the floor in the billiard room while his best man toyed with the billiard balls.