Romanced by the Malones (Haven, Texas) Page 10

  After having that nightmare twice, she’d given up on sleeping. She’d simply lain awake and watched West breathe. Sometimes she’d count his breaths to keep her eyes from falling shut. Beau came in a few times to wake him up and she pretended to sleep, even though West’s grouchy remarks telling him to fuck off were loud enough to wake the dead.

  Finally, at half past five she gave up. She knew everyone would be hungry this morning and while she wasn’t the best cook, she could manage some eggs and bacon.

  Climbing out of bed, she was going to pull on her jeans from last night when she spotted a bag just inside the door. She unzipped it, happy to see some of her and West’s clothes packed inside. Someone had gone to their house. Probably Jaret.

  She pulled on a pair of yoga shorts and headed downstairs.

  Turned out the eggs and bacon were a terrible idea. The smoke alarm was screaming as Flick waved a towel under it to get it to stop. But it kept going and going. Finally, she grabbed a kitchen chair and climbed onto it. She sighed with relief when she removed the battery, cutting the obnoxious noise. That was the last thing her throbbing head needed.

  “What’s going on it here?” Beau raced into the room, wearing just a towel, water dripping off his naked chest.

  She was so shocked she took a step to the side, forgetting she was standing on a damn chair. She started to fall with a scream. Beau jumped forward and caught her in his arms.

  “Oh, hell. Oh, hell,” she muttered, her heart racing in reaction.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. I got you,” Beau murmured.

  “What the fuck is going on in here?” West roared. They both stared at West in shock.

  “I burned the bacon and the smoke detector went off. I’m so sorry,” she explained quickly. Shoot. She’d planned on bringing him breakfast in bed, instead she’d woken him up and sent him running downstairs.

  “Yeah? So how the hell did you end up in my naked brother’s arms?”

  Naked? What? Flick squeaked and tried to wriggle out of Beau’s arms.

  “It’s not what it looks like, man,” Beau told his brother soothingly.

  “No? Then what is it? And put her the fuck down!”

  Beau set her down and she took off towards West. He grabbed hold of her, pressing her against him.

  Beau stood with his hands up. “I was in the shower when I heard the alarm going off. I raced down here in a towel to find her standing on a chair, taking down the alarm. I must have frightened her, and she started to fall. When I jumped for her, my towel slipped. It was the towel or her, man, so I sacrificed the towel.”

  West just grunted. He kept her face pressed to his chest, which was fine with her. She had no desire to see more of Beau than she already had.

  “So? Can I have the towel? It’s getting chilly in here.”

  West let out another grunt. Then he bent down and placed his arm under her legs, lifting her bridal style against his chest.

  “West, you can’t carry me,” she protested.

  “Seems I can. We’re going back to bed.”

  “But the bacon, the mess, I was going to make you breakfast.”

  “I’ll make you something later.” He crossed to the stairs and walked up them—slowly. Worry filled her. He really should be in bed.

  “Okay, we’ll go back to bed. But let me walk, okay?”

  He sighed but set her down at the top of the stairs. She slid an arm around his waist. He gave her an amused look. “You trying to hold me up, babe?”

  “’Course not. How could I possibly hold you up?” He outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds. She was just keeping him steady.

  They made it into the bedroom, and he lay back with a sigh. “Head’s thumping.”

  “I’ll get your painkillers.” Beau had left them on the bedside table last night.

  He grabbed hold of her hand. “I can get them. Lie down. You look tired. Didn’t you sleep?”

  “Of course, I did.”

  He gave her a suspicious look, so she stripped off her yoga pants and hopped into bed. She hadn’t bothered to put on a bra earlier. West took some pills and drank down half a bottle of water.

  “Do you want me to get you some more water?” she asked, climbing out of bed. He reached over and grabbed her, hauling her in against him.

  “No.”

  He held her tightly. Within minutes, he was back to sleep. She just lay there, staring at the ceiling. If this is what he needed, so be it.

  5

  There was something going on with Flick.

  Ever since the accident, she’d been off. Did she blame him? But no, she wasn’t acting like she was upset with him. If anything, she looked like she was afraid to let him out of her sight.

  He’d caught her several times just staring at him. She hovered. As soon as he mentioned needing something, she would jump up to grab it.

  Was it just a reaction to him having been hurt or something more?

  He wasn’t sure. But he wondered if she simply needed things to get back to normal. They’d been at the big house for four nights now. The crippling headache he’d experienced the first couple of days had finally eased. Mia was home from the hospital and Alec was more protective than usual.

  Yeah. Time to go home. There was only so much of his brothers he could take without wanting to tear their heads off.

  “We’re heading back to our place today, sunshine,” he told her as he walked out of the bathroom to find her fussing over the bed. She jumped slightly and looked over at him.

  “Oh. Are you sure?” She chewed at her lower lip worriedly.

  “Yep. Need some peace and quiet. This place is too noisy.” He loved his brothers, but that wouldn’t stop him from strangling one or two of them.

  “All right. I’ll pack our stuff up.”

  They’d need to borrow one of the ranch trucks until he could go get a new one. Sorting insurance was always a pain in the ass, but he’d finally gotten it all done yesterday.

  “Hey.” He reached out to grab her arm, stilling her as she went to walk past him. He frowned at how fragile she felt. Was she losing weight? When was the last time he’d seen her eat?

  Fuck.

  He’d really messed up. First, he’d been grouchy and unfocussed because of his concussion. Add on the insurance hassle and he hadn’t been paying as close attention to her as he normally would. Reaching out, he tilted up her chin. She wouldn’t meet his gaze. He didn’t like that at all.

  What’s going on with her?

  “Look at me,” he commanded.

  She flinched slightly but stared into his eyes. “What’s going on, sunshine?”

  “Nothing,” she said quickly.

  Bullshit. That was a lie. He had to stifle the need to press her for the truth. The shadows under her eyes and her delicate appearance made him tread softly. Not something he was used to doing. West had been likened to a bull in a china shop plenty of times, and he’d never much cared. Until she’d become his. She was his responsibility. His to care for. Watch over. Protect.

  And he felt like he’d been doing a shitty job. He ran his thumb over the apple of her cheek. “Tell me.”

  “I’m fine, West.” She smiled brightly. But it didn’t reach her eyes. She was pale and her cheeks were sunken.

  Fuck. Fine, huh?

  As soon as they got home, he was going to feed her then put her to bed. Then he was going to get her to talk to him.

  And if she kept lying to him, she was going to find herself with a hot ass, because there was a time to tread softly, and a time to take your woman over your knee.

  Sometimes he got that wrong. But whatever she was keeping from him was hurting her and that couldn’t be allowed to continue. He headed downstairs to tell Alec they were leaving as Flick packed up their stuff.

  West knocked on Alec’s office door.

  “Come in!”

  He opened the door, nodding over at Mia who was sitting on the couch with her feet up, a book in her hands.

 
Good. That’s where she should be. He’d been terrified when he’d woken up in the hospital and Flick and Mia weren’t there. Thank God nothing had happened to Mia or the precious baby she carried. He didn’t think Alec could ever recover if it had. Just like he wouldn’t if something happened to Flick.

  “We’re going home,” he said to Alec then turned to leave. Enough said. Time to get his woman home.

  “West, wait,” Alec said. “I need to talk to you.”

  He sighed, long and loud, turning back to face his older brother. Mia let out a small giggle and he sent her a stern look. “Something funny?”

  “Never met someone so opposed to talking,” she told him.

  “Got better things to do.” Like get his woman naked. After he fed her and made her rest. “What’s up?”

  “Where’s Flick?” Alec asked him.

  West’s eyebrows rose “Upstairs, packing and repacking our bag for some unknown reason.” What did it matter how shit was packed?

  Alec frowned. “Shut the door.”

  Even Mia looked serious as he closed the door. “All right, out with it.”

  “Something’s wrong with Flick,” Mia said bluntly.

  He raised his eyebrows. “I know.”

  “Oh, good. I was worried you hadn’t noticed,” she replied.

  “Of course I noticed. Flick is mine. I’ll take care of her. That all?” he asked impatiently.

  “Do you have any idea what’s wrong with her?” Alec asked.

  West sighed. More talking. “No. But I’ll find out.”

  “How?” Mia asked.

  “By making her talk to me.”

  “Oh, the irony,” Mia teased.

  He scowled. “You know, I miss the time when I used to intimidate you.”

  “I bet you do. Too bad for you, I now know you’re a big softie.”

  West pointed a finger at her. “You’re lucky you’re carrying my nephew.”

  It was her turn to frown. “Niece.”

  She was dreaming.

  Turning, he walked to the door. He didn’t think anything else needed to be said. There was a problem, he’d fix it. End of story.

  “Let us know if you need anything,” Alec called out after him.

  West just waved a hand at them.

  Flick had thought she might feel happier once she got back to their house. That some sort of normalcy might return. That the guilt and worry might leave her.

  Unfortunately, walking in the front door wasn’t an instant cure for what ailed her.

  “I’ll go unpack and start some laundry,” she said to West, trying to reach for the bag he’d insisted on carrying. “You go sit down if you want. Do you want me to make you something to eat? A drink? Or do you need a rest?”

  He set the bag down. “I’m fine, baby. I just had breakfast. And I’ve had enough rest these past few days to last me a month.”

  “Okay then, I’ll just get a load of clothes going." She reached for the bag when he grabbed her and swung her up into his arms.

  “West! You shouldn’t be carrying me.”

  “I’m fine. I had a concussion. I had a few bad headaches. But I’m all good now.”

  “Promise?” she asked in a quiet voice.

  He stilled at the bottom of the stairs. “Look at me.”

  She forced herself to meet his gaze. She felt so ashamed of herself. She didn’t deserve this amazing man.

  “I’m fine, Flick.”

  She nodded.

  “You want to tell me why you find it hard to meet my gaze sometimes and watch me obsessively at others?”

  Yikes. He’d caught that.

  “I don’t do that.” She winced as soon as she said it.

  “Oh, baby, lying is not going to do you any favors. All it will get you is a hot bottom. Want to try again?”

  “I just . . . it was scary waking up and not knowing if you were all right. I was worried about you. I went to sleep in the back of your truck, and I woke up in the hospital. I couldn’t take it if anything happened to you, West.”

  “I know, baby. I feel the same way. But nothing happened. And you need to sleep. And eat.”

  Shoot. He’d noticed that too.

  “I’m all right.”

  He sighed. “You’re not. But you will be. I’ll see to that.”

  Those words sounded ominous. He carried her upstairs. “This is what’s going to happen. You’re going to bed. You’re going to sleep. When you wake up, I’ll feed you. Then you’re going to spend the entire day in bed. If you’re a good girl, you can have your wedding magazines to go through.”

  The last thing she felt like doing was looking at wedding magazines. She didn’t know why. Maybe it was that she didn’t think she deserved the perfect wedding. That she wasn’t good enough to marry him.

  “Whatever you’re thinking, stop,” he commanded, setting her down beside their bed. “I’m all right. So are you. So is Mia. That’s all that matters, okay? Now, let’s get you undressed.”

  “I can do it,” she said.

  He frowned.

  “I’d really like a glass of orange juice. Please?”

  His frown eased. “All right, baby. I expect to find you in bed when I get back, understand?” He tapped her nose.

  She nodded. When he left, she quickly stripped. Grabbing one of his clean T-shirts, she pulled it on and hopped into bed. She wouldn’t sleep. And she didn’t think she deserved to be taken care of like that. But she didn’t want him to try delving deeper into what she was thinking. Worrying over. Obsessing about.

  What do you do when you don’t think you deserve to have the love of the man you love more than life itself?

  6

  He’d done everything he could think of to get her to open up to him.

  Going softly wasn’t working.

  She wasn’t doing any better. Usually Flick told him everything that was on her mind. He hadn’t realized how much he liked that until she stopped. Now she was merely a shadow of herself. She wasn’t smiling or laughing. She wasn’t obsessing over what shade of peach to use for the bridesmaids’ dresses. In fact, he hadn’t even seen her look at a bridal magazine nor try to get his opinion about something.

  It had to stop.

  Right. The. Fuck. Now.

  All day yesterday he’d kept her in bed. She’d gotten some sleep. And she’d managed to eat everything on her plate a few times. But she was still acting oddly. And she wouldn’t open up to him.

  Nope. No more.

  He walked in the back door, having completed the morning chores outside. She’d been asleep when he’d left earlier this morning, so he hadn’t woken her. Instead, he’d left a note by the bed to tell her to rest.

  So, when he walked into the kitchen to find her cleaning out the fucking fridge, his temper kicked in.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” he snapped.

  She turned with a gasp, her hand over her heart. “West, you scared me!”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at her. “I asked you a question.”

  “I’m, um, cleaning out the fridge?” It was posed as a question.

  He pointed a finger at her. “I left a note telling you to rest.”

  “I rested all day yesterday.” And she didn’t look any better for it.

  “What’s going on, Flick?” he demanded.

  She turned around to pull something else out of the fridge. “What do you mean? I’m cleaning the fridge. Do you want me to make some sandwiches for lunch? Are you hungry? There’s some ham and bologna.”

  “I don’t want a damn sandwich. I want you to look at me. Then I want you to tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Nothing is wrong.”

  Oh, her butt was going to be toast once he got her healthy. “Yeah? Then how come you can’t look me in the eyes? Why haven’t you looked at a bridal magazine or mentioned bridesmaids’ dresses or wedding songs in days?”

  “That’s silly, I can look at you.” She glanced up at him. “See? And I
’m just taking a break from wedding stuff. I was getting a bit obsessed, don’t you think? There are other things to think about and do, like clean the fridge.”

  “You love talking about wedding stuff.” He folded his arms over his chest and watched her carefully. “I think it’s weird you’ve stopped talking about it since the accident. Is the reason you can’t look at me properly because you blame me?”

  Her eyes widened and she dropped the block of cheese she’d been pulling out of the fridge onto the floor.

  “What? No! Of course not!” She drew herself up off her knees. “West, it was an accident. It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know that deer was going to jump out at us. It could have been so much worse if it had been someone else driving. Nothing bad happened. We’re all safe.”

  She started walking towards him when her face went pale. Then her eyes fluttered closed as she slumped over.

  “Flick! Flick!” He jumped for her, grabbing her just before she fell on the ground. Fuck! Shit! “Flick, wake up! Wake up!”

  Holy shit. What the hell was going on? What was wrong with her?

  Flick woke up feeling disorientated and confused.

  Where am I? On the bed? Why am I lying in bed in the middle of the day? She stared around in confusion. Am I dressed? What happened?

  “Flick?” West said sharply. “Are you all right, baby girl? How do you feel?”

  “Weird. Why am I lying on the bed?”

  “You fainted,” he replied grimly.

  She stared up at him in shock. “I fainted? Really?” How did that happen? She tried to think back. She’d been cleaning out the fridge. West had come in. They’d talked about the accident. And then she’d felt kind of sick and dizzy. Darkness. Then nothing.

  “I must have stood up too quickly.”

  West sat beside her on the bed and reached for her wrist, putting his finger on her artery. “Your pulse is too fast. You’re still far too pale. I called Jenna. She’ll be here soon.”

  Jenna was one of Haven’s doctors.

  “You did what? I don’t need to see a doctor. I’m sure she has far more important things to do than come all the way out here to see me when I’m not even sick.”