Thunder Canyon Homecoming (13 page)

“I don't, but I crossed paths with him when I was here yesterday.”

“Well, apparently he worked with Delores a lot. In fact, there was speculation that if the scandal came to light, it might tarnish his stellar reputation, and that's why he turned on her.” She shrugged. “Like I said, I've only been here a few months, so I have no idea what he was like before,
but I'll admit that I wouldn't be at all disappointed if he followed in Delores's footsteps and took early retirement, too.”

 

Corey considered the usual flower choices as he made his way toward the reception desk in the main lobby of the Thunder Canyon General Hospital.

Carnations? Too casual.

Roses? Too formal.

A mixed bouquet? He shook his head. Too lazy. That was the type of thing that a forgetful husband picked up for his wife at the grocery store when he stopped to grab a quart of milk on his way home and suddenly remembered that it was her birthday/their anniversary/some other occasion.

Orchids? A more thoughtful choice, he decided, but also a little pretentious.

Corey continued to mull over the possibilities after he'd left the pharmaceutical samples for Dr. Tabry.

Tulips? Probably difficult to get in November.

Lilies? A definite possibility, he thought, then did a double take when he saw someone who looked just like Erin walk out of the cafeteria.

No—it wasn't someone who looked just like her, it was Erin.

But what was she doing at the hospital?

Whatever she was doing there, she obviously didn't expect him to be there because she walked right past without even seeing him.

“Erin.”

She spun around. “What are you doing here?”

He gestured back toward the reception area. “I promised to drop off a package for Dillon. What are you doing here?”

“Oh. Um.”

She wasn't usually at a loss for words and the fact that she was now concerned him.

“You said you were meeting a friend,” he reminded her and realized now that she hadn't been telling him the truth. But why would she have lied? And then he had another, even more disturbing thought. “Did you have an appointment? Are you sick?”

“No,” she said quickly. “I'm fine.”

His heartbeat slowed to something closer to normal. “Then why are you here?”

“I came to see someone in maternity.”

Now that the initial wave of panic had subsided, his brain started to clear. She wasn't at the hospital because she was sick, she was visiting someone.

“Your friend had a baby?”

Erin shook her head. She was muddling everything up. No matter how many half-truths she told, they were never going to add up to the whole until she stopped keeping secrets from everyone. Starting with Corey.

“No. I came to see…” She trailed off as she spotted Doris exiting the cafeteria a minute behind her.

“I'm so sorry about that,” the nurse said, apologizing for the cell phone call she'd received just as Erin had been saying goodbye.

“No worries,” Erin said. “I knew it was time for you to be getting back to work anyway.”

“Unfortunately, yes,” the nurse agreed, but her eyes shifted from Erin to Corey, her brows winging upward to meet the fringe of her bangs.

Erin had to smile. The first time she'd seen the sexy cow boy, her own reaction had been very similar.

“This is Corey Traub,” she told the nurse. Then, to Corey, “And Doris Becker.”

Doris shook his proffered hand, smiling. “Any relation to DJ Traub of DJ's Rib Shack?”

“He's my cousin.”

“I absolutely love his sauce,” Doris said.

“I'm not sure that's one he's heard before,” Corey teased, “but I'll be sure to pass it along.”

She laughed. “You do that.”

“So, are you and Erin old friends?” he asked the nurse.

Doris winked at her. “Oh yeah, we go way back.”

Erin knew the nurse was joking, but Corey took her words at face value. Of course he would because Doris's response confirmed the fib Erin had told him earlier.

And somehow the hole she'd started digging so many months before kept getting deeper and deeper, and Erin was beginning to worry that she would end up over her head.

S
he had to tell him the truth. Tonight.

Erin spooned the sauce over the grilled chicken, then slid the pan into the oven and checked on the rice.

She would never have made it as a spy—she wasn't cut out for a life of deception. Every single untruth she'd told since she'd arrived in Thunder Canyon weighed heavily on her, but none more so than those that she'd told to Corey.

They were lovers, but she knew that true intimacy between two people was about more than a joining of their bodies. It required openness and honesty and a willingness to share their thoughts and dreams. And if she wanted that with Corey, she had to tell him the truth, not only about her meeting with Doris Becker, but also her plans to find Delores Beckett and uncover the truth about what happened at Thunder Canyon General Hospital on the day that she was born.

At six fifty-eight the doorbell rang, making her smile.

Corey was nothing if not punctual.

But as she wiped her hands on a dish towel and made her way down the hall, her heart started to race and the nerves in her belly twisted into knots.

When she opened the door, she saw that he had a bottle of wine in one hand and flowers in the other. Before she could offer to take either, he had his arms wrapped around her and was kissing her breathless.

“Mmm, you smell delicious.”

She laughed. “I think what you smell is the chicken.”

“The chicken smells good, too,” he said, nuzzling her neck, “but you smell even better.”

She stepped away from him. “Does that wine need to go in the fridge?”

“Sure.” He handed her the bottle, then the flowers. “And those need to go in a vase.”

“I think there's one in the kitchen.”

She peeked in the oven at the chicken, stirred the rice, then dug a tall, narrow vase out of the back of the cupboard.

It had been a long time since anyone had brought her flowers, and she was touched by the gesture. She untied the bow, then unwrapped the paper and sighed when she saw the snowy white calla lilies inside.

“Oh, they're gorgeous.”

“The florist said they were ‘timelessly beautiful.' I thought that described you as much as the flowers.”

She traced a finger around the outside of one snowy white trumpet, her eyes misting with tears. “What's wrong?”

She shook her head. “I guess I'm just feeling a little sentimental,” she explained. “My aunt Erma was a big fan of lilies.”

“Then she'd probably suggest you put them in water.”

She smiled. “I'll do that.”

She turned on the faucet and filled the vase, then cut the long, thick stems and carefully arranged the flowers in the water. “So what did I do to deserve these?”

He wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Maybe it's not what you did but what I'm hoping you'll do.”

“You think you're going to get lucky tonight?”

“I'm hoping.”

She turned to brush her lips against his. “Your chances were pretty good, even without the flowers.”

His hands skimmed up her back, down again. “Any chance of getting lucky before dinner?”

She was tempted to say “yes,” to take him by the hand and lead him up to her bedroom. When they were together, when their bodies were linked and their hearts were pounding in unison, it was as if the rest of the world didn't exist. Nothing else mattered, certainly not some regrettable half-truths and misunderstood evasions.

But after her conversation with Doris, she'd been more determined than ever to find Delores Beckett and learn the truth about what happened at the hospital on the day she was born. And because that truth might very well affect other people in Thunder Canyon—people who were friends of Corey's—she had to tell him about her intentions. Even if she knew that he would disapprove.

“Not if you want dinner to be edible,” she warned, and ducked out of his embrace.

“I'm really not that hungry,” he assured her.

But she was already taking the pan of chicken out of the oven and Corey inhaled deeply, then sighed. “Mmm, that does smell good.”

He reached into the cupboard to get the plates for her.

“I thought you weren't that hungry,” she teased.

“Well, since you've gone to so much trouble, we should eat.”

She dished up the chicken and rice while he opened the wine. Conversation during dinner was easy, casual. Erin wanted to tell him what she'd learned from Doris, but there didn't seem to be any natural segue into that topic of conversation. Or maybe she was more chicken than what was on her plate.

 

Corey was up to his elbows in soapy water when the bell rang. Though Erin had insisted that the dishes could wait, he figured a little washing up was the least he could do to repay her for another fabulous meal. Plus he wanted to make sure that once he got her upstairs, she wouldn't be distracted by thoughts of dirty plates and glasses in the sink downstairs.

Not that he had any doubts about being able to keep her mind as thoroughly occupied as her body—or any shortage of ideas on how to do so.

“I'll get it,” Erin said.

He watched her walk down the hall toward the door, enjoying the subtle sway of her hips beneath the slim skirt she was wearing. She really had a great butt. And fabulous legs. And when she was dressed in one of those neat little suits she usually wore to work, he couldn't help but think about how much fun he would have getting her out of it. Because beneath all that buttoned-up style was a warm and passionate woman.

Of course, she dressed more casually on her days off and was equally appealing in faded denim and fuzzy sweaters. Even more appealing in nothing at all. He pushed those thought aside and dried his hands just as Erin opened the door.

“Are you Erin Castro?” the visitor, a sixtyish woman, asked.

He had come around through the living room, and he could see the wariness in Erin's expression.

“Yes, I am. Who are you?”

“I'm Delores. Delores Beckett.”

The name meant nothing to him, but obviously it meant something to Erin because her eyes went wide and her breath caught.

“Oh. I didn't—I mean—how—why—
what
are you doing here?”

“I heard you were looking for me,” Delores said.

“I was. I am.” Erin was obviously flustered, and her gaze went from the older woman to him and back again, her eyes narrowing. “It
was
you. I spoke to you on the phone.”

“Yes,” Delores admitted. “But I wasn't sure who you were or what you wanted then. It wasn't until after I'd hung up that I made the connection between the aunt you mentioned and Erma and finally realized why you were looking for me.”

Of course, Corey still didn't know why Erin had been looking for Delores, but he had an uneasy feeling—bolstered by her refusal to meet his gaze—that he wasn't going to like the answer to that question.

“Will you come in, please?” Erin invited.

The older woman stepped into the foyer.

“Do you want me to make coffee?” Corey asked.

Erin seemed surprised by the offer—or maybe she'd forgotten he was there, which meant that his plans for the rest of the evening had taken a sudden detour.

“This is Corey Traub—a friend of mine,” Erin told Delores. Then, to him, “Delores was a friend of my aunt Erma's.”

“Coffee would be great,” Delores said to him.

“I'll put it on,” he told her.

“Thanks,” Erin said.

When the coffee had finished brewing and they sat down together in the kitchen, it occurred to Corey that whatever Erin wanted to discuss with her visitor had nothing to do with him. But he was afraid that if he offered to leave, she would let him and he would never find out what was going on. Because he knew that there was something going on, something she hadn't told him.

Like Heather.

No, he wasn't going to go there. He wasn't going to assume that Erin had deliberately kept anything from him. She wouldn't do that.

“How did you find me?” Erin asked Delores now.

“Reverse lookup.”

“Obviously you're not as opposed to technology as my aunt was,” Erin said, smiling just a little.

Delores chuckled. “I'm an old woman who lives alone with a cat and a computer—I'm a registered member of twenty-nine chatrooms.”

“You live alone? But I saw a young woman and a little girl…” Her words trailed off, her cheeks turned pink.

“My daughter and granddaughter.” Delores smiled. “And I thought that was probably you parked across the street last Wednesday.”

Corey didn't say anything, but he also didn't fail to make the connection between the date and the memory of Erin brushing off his invitation to go riding that same afternoon. Of course, he hadn't realized she was brushing him off or that her purpose had been to stake out this grandmother.

“Well, thank you for finding me,” Erin said. “Because I was beginning to give up hope that I would ever locate you.”

“I'm sure you have questions,” Delores said. “And I've got some explaining to do.” Explaining?
That
definitely caught his attention.

Erin's gaze shifted to his again. “Delores isn't just a friend of my aunt's,” she told him. “She was also the nurse who was working in labor and delivery at Thunder Canyon General Hospital the night I was born.”

 

Erin could practically see all of the pieces click together in Corey's mind, but she wasn't going to worry about his reaction right now. She would explain everything to him later—after she got the answers to her questions from Delores.

“How did you know Erma?” she asked.

It wasn't the foremost question on her mind, but she wasn't quite ready to dive headfirst into the murky waters of her birth. She was still feeling a little unsettled by the knowledge that the woman who could answer her questions was sitting in her kitchen. The truth was finally within her grasp, and she wasn't entirely sure that she was ready for it.

“I grew up in the house next door to where she and Irwin lived,” Delores explained. “I was just a kid, but she always took the time to talk to me. She knew more about my life and my friends and my ambitions than my own mother, and I was devastated when she left Thunder Canyon. I only saw her a few times after she moved away, but we kept in touch faithfully if not regularly.

“Then I had a stroke last February,” she continued. “It was mild, as far as those things go, but it made me realize that I wasn't going to live forever. If I wanted to confess my sins, so to speak, I needed to do so before it was too late. So I went to visit Erma.

“She told me that she was going to tell you what happened
at the hospital the night you were born. But then, when she passed away and I didn't hear from you, I wasn't sure she had.”

“What did happen?” Erin asked. “Did you mix up the babies?”

Delores's eyes filled with tears. “I don't know, but I'm not sure that I didn't.”

She glanced at Corey. His cool, narrow-eyed stare proved he was angry that she'd continued to pursue investigating exactly this possibility when he'd asked her not to, but she had to trust that he would understand once he realized she was only trying to find the truth.

“Can you tell me exactly what happened?” she asked Delores.

“There were two women in labor that day, and they gave birth literally within minutes of each other. Not an unusual occurrence in a bigger hospital, but hardly commonplace in Thunder Canyon. Plus, we were short-staffed that night, so I was assisting both deliveries.

“Everything seemed fine, but then one of the mothers starting hemorrhaging, and suddenly there was chaos. Dr. Gifford took her into surgery and I took the baby to the nursery.”

Dr. Gifford? Erin only had a moment to register that the rumors were true—that the scandal everyone at the hospital had been whispering about could tarnish the doctor's good reputation—before Delores forged ahead with her story.

“Now we have computer-printed labels and the ID bracelets are snapped around the babies' ankles before they're ever taken out of the delivery room,” she explained. “But back then, the attending nurse printed the information by hand. That's what I was doing when I was called out to assess another mother who had been admitted in the early stages of labor.

“I was only gone a few minutes, but when I came back, both of the babies were gone. A young nurse, new on staff and trying to be helpful, had taken them down to the nursery, not realizing that I had yet to put the ID bracelets on either one.”

Erin was frustrated that such a mistake had been made, but there was no doubt in her mind that it was a mistake. Neither Delores nor the other young nurse had any malicious intent, and she didn't think it was fair that Delores had essentially been forced into retirement because of the mistake.

And as much as she hadn't been impressed with Dr. Gifford during their brief meeting, she didn't want his career to be ruined over something that had happened twenty-six years before. She just wanted to make things right—except that wasn't possible now.

There was no way to go back in time and ensure that Betty Castro and Helen Clifton had gone home with the right babies—if, in fact, they had not done so. Right now, Erin was so confused, she wasn't sure what she believed.

You need to find your family. They're in Thunder Canyon.

She didn't doubt that Erma believed it was true.

And in her heart, she believed it, too. The first day that she'd driven into Thunder Canyon, she'd felt as if she was finally home; the first time she'd been introduced to Grant Clifton, she'd felt a connection, as if she knew him even though they'd never met before.

She'd also felt worry and guilt, wondering what her search for the truth would mean for the family she'd grown up with, for the parents and brothers who had always loved her even if they didn't always understand her.