Shelby's Saviors [Slick Rock 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (12 page)

“Don’t you dare apologize for being human, Shelby. We all lose our temper sometimes, and I, for one, am glad you are finally letting the real you out.” Brandt smiled at her.

“I still shouldn’t have vented the way I did. When I get angry like that my mouth runs away and I can’t remember half of what I’ve said. I’m sorry I ruined your surprise.” She looked at Cord.

She was surprised they were considering spending that much money on her when she hadn’t even told them she was prepared to stay in Slick Rock yet. The thought of them looking after her and buying her a new car so she wouldn’t be driving a death trap touched her deeply.

“Baby, you don’t need to worry. We could go out and buy ten cars without even batting an eye.” Cord stood up and walked over to her. He held a hand out toward her, and she placed hers in his. Pulling her to her feet, he brought her up against his body and hugged her.

“Well, I don’t care if you can. I don’t want you spending your money on me when it isn’t necessary.”

“You are a sweetheart.” Brandt came up behind her and hugged her, too.

Shelby felt like she was home. Now, if only she knew how to tell them that.

Chapter Eleven

Shelby peeked through the window into Cord and Brandt’s office. Cord was on the phone and Brandt was concentrating on his computer, but she caught their eye and gave them a wave, pointing toward the front door to indicate she was going to the diner to pick up their order for lunch. Cord waved back and Brandt smiled. Shelby still felt slightly chagrinned after her outburst this morning, but now she felt like they were on a more solid footing than ever before.

Giving them a wave, she made her way outside. The small town was busy with activity, and she inhaled the clean, fresh air. Looking up the road both ways to make sure it was clear, she stepped off the curb and began to cross. Hearing a squeal of tires and a throb of bass, she looked up to see a car bearing straight for her. She leaped across the road. She turned her head to look at the idiot driver in the souped-up car with a subwoofer polluting the air as he sped past. The man looked familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she had seen him before. She reached the opposite curb, but her foot landed awkwardly and her ankle gave way. As she fell to the ground, she cried out, startled. Men came rushing toward her from everywhere, asking if she was all right and where she was hurt.

Shelby felt crowded and wanted them to back off but bit her tongue since they were only trying to help her. Then all of a sudden they were gone. The shadow of a large man fell over her as the sun silhouetted his frame from behind. Then he squatted down, and she exhaled with relief to see Sheriff Luke Sun-Walker.

“Are you all right, Shelby? Are you injured?”

“No. I’m fine. Just a little shaken,” she sighed. “Some people shouldn’t be allowed to have a license.”

Luke’s mouth quirked as he held back a smile. He offered his hand to help her up. “Amen to that.”

With her ankle throbbing, Shelby tried to contain a wince of pain as Luke helped her to stand, but he must have seen it. He bent down and picked her up in his arms. “Where are your men?”

“At the office. I’m fine, you know. I can walk.”

“That may be so, but I don’t want you doing more damage than necessary.” He carted her through the door to the diner and seated her at the edge of a booth. He pulled his cell off of his belt and hit speed dial.

“Luke here. Shelby’s had a slight accident, but she’s okay. Yeah, we’re in the diner. Right, see you in a sec.” Luke ended the call. “They’re on their way.”

Shelby turned her head to look over her shoulder, and sure enough, Brandt and Cord came barreling out of the building across the street and ran toward the diner. They looked absolutely frantic. She wanted to go to them and reassure them, but her ankle was throbbing like a bitch and she wasn’t sure if she could put any weight on it.

The door to the diner slammed open just as Luke bent down to examine her ankle. She flinched but wasn’t sure if it was a reaction to the loud noise or because Luke was probing her already-swelling skin.

“Shelby, my God, are you all right? What happened, baby?” Cord blurted with concern as he and Brandt knelt at her feet, effectively shoving Luke out of the way.

“We need some ice,” Brandt yelled toward the counter.

Shelby told them what happened and then looked toward Luke. “Did you see that idiot?”

“No. The car was already out of sight before I got to you. You need to get her to the doctor’s office. That ankle’s too swollen already and starting to bruise She probably has a fracture or a bad sprain.”

A few people in the diner piped up and told them what they’d seen from inside the building. One man said it had looked like the bastard had been aiming for her. She shivered with apprehension then pushed that aside.

“I thought he looked familiar,” Shelby said quietly, “but I don’t know why I think that.”

“It could have been one of Perez’s cronies,” Luke suggested.

“Did you see all the photos at the meeting that we called, Shelby?” asked Cord.

“I’m not sure. I’ll have to take another look.”

“We can deal with that after you’ve been to the doctor’s, baby,” Cord stated.

Brandt took a clean towel wrapped around ice from one of the waitresses and placed it around her ankle. Shelby hissed.

“Sorry, darlin’, but this will help with the pain and swelling. Cord, go and get the truck. We need to get her ankle seen to.”

“On it.”

“I’m right here, you know,” Shelby said belligerently. “I’m not deaf.”

“I know that, darlin’, but we’re worried about you.”

She rolled her eyes and looked about. Her cheeks heated when she saw that nearly every eye in the place was on her. A few of the men gave her smiles and winks. The women looked concerned but smiled when they caught her looking back. Shifting in her seat, she tried peering around Brandt, but he grasped her chin and brought her gaze back to him.

“Are you sure you’re okay, darlin’? You’re as white as a sheet.”

“Fine,” she answered through gritted teeth. The pain in her ankle was awful, and she was having a hard time dealing with it. Just as she was about to push Brandt’s hands and the ice pack away from her skin, the door to the diner once again burst open.

“Come on, let’s get you to the doctor’s,” Cord said and gently picked her up. He carried her out to his truck, which was double-parked, the hazard lights blinking.

“Get in the back.” Cord nodded at Brandt. “I want you to guide her foot in so she doesn’t get hurt.”

Brandt and Cord got her settled with her leg resting across Brandt’s thighs. Moments later Cord was driving to the doctor’s.

The doctor met them at the door and told them the sheriff had called ahead. Cord carried Shelby into the exam room and placed her on the bed.

“Okay, little lady, I need to get your shoe off. I’ll try not to hurt you too much,” the doctor told her as he undid the laces to her shoe.

Shelby clenched her teeth and couldn’t prevent a whimper of pain escaping as he removed her shoe and sock. She felt a bit silly with the leg of her slacks folded up to her knee but was in too much pain to care overly much.

“Well, now, I think an X-ray is definitely in order.” The doctor looked to Cord. “Can you carry her out and into the other room?”

Cord picked her up again, and Shelby draped her arm around his neck. He maneuvered the way carefully through the door and into the room opposite.

“All righty, now. Put her on the bed over there while I set up the machine.”

Cord placed her on the bed while the doctor rearranged the machine. When he was done he ordered the Alcott brothers from the room and stepped behind the radiation screen. He was about to push the button but popped his head out to look at her.

“Is there any chance you’re pregnant?”

Shelby thought back to the night she’d had sex with her men for the first time and realized they hadn’t used any protection. Since she wasn’t on the pill, there was a possibility she had conceived. She bit her lip and nodded her head. The doctor picked up a large gray-looking apron and placed the heavy object over her. It covered her from chest to knee.

Moments later the doctor had taken the X-ray and walked over to her. “It will be a few minutes before the film is ready. Do you want me to do a pregnancy test?”

“Yes, but I don’t want them to know about it.”

“Okay, you just leave it to me,” he replied.

The doctor called Cord back to carry Shelby into his office then ushered him and Brandt out again when he said he was going to give her a Pap smear. They lit out of the room so quick, she nearly burst into laughter.

“Well, there now. That was easy,” the doctor said with a smile, and this time Shelby giggled.

The doctor helped her into the bathroom and left her with a pregnancy test kit. Shelby had trouble moving since she could only place weight on one leg, but she got the job done. After washing her hands she opened the door, handed the stick to the doctor, and after he had placed it into a metal dish, he helped her to a chair.

“All right. You are definitely pregnant. Congratulations,” he said after glancing at the stick. “You’ll need to get this prescription for prenatal vitamins filled. I want you to come back in a month’s time for a checkup. Do you need help to tell the father?”

“No,” Shelby whispered in shock. She felt the blood drain from her face and cursed her stupidity.
Why the hell didn’t you ask them to use a condom? Because you were too caught up in the moment to even think of protection. You are such a dumb-ass, Shelby! How could you be so stupid?

“Are you all right with this, Shelby?”

“Um. I wasn’t planning on having a baby, and it was a bit of a shock. But I love the thought of holding my child in my arms,” she replied with a small smile. Shelby realized then that she was more than okay with being pregnant. The thought that she had conceived Cord and Brandt’s baby filled her up with hope and joy. She hoped like hell they would be just as pleased before realizing that she might have a bigger problem than that. Perez was out there, searching for her. Her happiness faded. She wasn’t even sure if she could protect herself, much less an unborn baby. If she told the men, they’d feel even more responsible for her safety and even more likely to put their own lives on the line for her.

The doctor went to get the X-ray films, put them up on the bright screen, and studied them carefully. After much scrutinizing, he turned the screen off and sat back across from her.

“Well, you’ll be pleased to know you haven’t broken or fractured your ankle. But you do have a bad sprain. You’re going to have to keep off the ankle for at least a week, so I’ll go and get you some crutches in a moment.” He paused. “Since you’re pregnant, the only pain medication you can have is Tylenol, and sparingly. I’m afraid you’re just going to have to bear most of the pain. Place ice packs on that ankle every twenty minutes for ten minutes at a time, and keep it elevated. That will help with the pain. Any questions?”

“No. Thanks, Doctor.”

“Don’t thank me, I’m just doing my job. Call me if you have any concerns. I’ll send your men in while I get you some crutches.”

The doctor opened the door and admitted Cord and Brandt. She explained that she had a sprain and needed to keep off that leg.

“Thank God, it’s not broken,” Cord said with relief and looked up as the doctor came in with the crutches.

“Now, remember to rest up, little lady, and no weight on that foot.”

Shelby tested the crutches. Since she had never used the apparatus before, she felt rather uncoordinated, but she knew she would eventually get the hang of them. She made her way toward the parking lot, albeit slowly, with Brandt walking on one side while Cord took up the rear. She was thankful, because she wobbled a couple of times and they steadied her with their hands.

“Okay, let’s get you home,” Cord said after she was in the back of the truck, once more with her leg resting across Brandt’s lap.

“No, we can’t go home. I need to get back to the office. I still have work to do.”

Cord turned around to face her from his place in the driver’s seat. “Don’t you dare argue about this, Shelby! The doctor said you were to rest up and keep your weight off of that foot. You can’t sit in an office comfortably. There is nowhere for you to prop your foot up or lie down if you need to.”

Shelby bit her lip and looked away as Cord turned back, started the truck, and headed home. She knew he was right, but she felt a bit guilty. Not only was she hiding her pregnancy from them, but she couldn’t work now. She hadn’t been working for them long enough to accrue any sick leave. Well, she would just have to take time off without pay. She didn’t have much choice, and the pain in her ankle was making her feel sick to her stomach.

Cord carried her into the living room and placed her on the sofa. He propped a cushion beneath her calf while Brandt went to get an ice pack and painkillers from the kitchen. While she took the pills, Cord wrapped her ankle with the ice pack.

“I’m really sorry, baby, but I have to get back to the office. There are a few things I still need to do before I can call it a day. Brandt will stay with you and keep you company. I’ll bring those photos home for you to look over later. Why don’t you try and have a nap?”