Carter entered the front door and yelled, “I’ll put my gun up and be right down. I have so much to tell you.” He removed his jacket and his gun and then stored the gun away in his bag. Lila hadn’t answered him. The TV was on. Maybe she didn’t hear him. He ran down the stairs and stopped short in the living room. She lay on the sofa with her right arm in a sling and resting on her stomach. Her hand was bandaged. Why was her hand bandaged?
He picked up the remote control and clicked off the TV. Lila stirred and sat up, her dark hair all around her. She pushed it away with her left hand. “Oh, you’re back. Did everything go okay?”
He eased down beside her. “What happened to your hand?”
“Oh, well...now don’t freak out.”
“I’m not freaking out. What happened?”
She told him a story that had him close to freaking out. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t know it was that bad. Not until I tried to remove the grass with tweezers. That didn’t work. It hurt. Savon came by and made me go to the ER. The doctor deadened my arm and I don’t feel much pain right now, but he gave me a prescription, which I had filled for later. In a few days I’ll be as good as new. So it’s nothing to worry about and no reason to give me a lecture.”
He rested his head against hers. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“Yes, I am, but right now I need to go to bed. The nurse gave me something to relax and I’m feeling very relaxed.”
He helped her up the stairs and into bed. “Do you need anything?”
“No, just for you to get that guilty look off your face.” She held up her hand. “This is my fault, not yours.” She snuggled beneath the comforter. “There’s a sandwich in the fridge if you want it.”
“Thanks.” He looked closely at her pale face. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
She didn’t respond. He pushed her hair away from her cheeks and saw she was sound asleep. “Sleep tight.” He kissed her cheek and cursed himself all the way to the bathroom. Even though she’d said it wasn’t his fault, it was. He should have never taken her with him.
He took a quick shower and put on pajama bottoms and a T-shirt. When he’d seen her open the car door and run into Tony, he’d screamed, “Lila, no!” She just kept running and his heart jolted like it never had before. He feared Tony might hurt her. And the last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt, and she had. Tonight and tomorrow she’d probably be in a lot of pain because of him. He would be right here to help her with whatever she needed.
He grabbed his laptop and checked on her one more time. She was out and he hoped she would be for the rest of the night. Taking the stairs two at a time, he went to the living room to work on the file for the ADA. At least he would have that ready to send in the morning. Then he realized he was hungry and went to the kitchen to find the sandwich and something to drink. All the while, his ears were tuned to the upstairs in case Lila needed him. An hour later, he made his way back up the stairs to find Lila still sleeping.
He flipped off all the lights and crawled into bed. Just as he got comfortable, Lila crawled out of bed. “Where are you going?”
“My hand is throbbing and I’m going to get a pain pill.”
“No, no, no!” He jumped out of bed. “I’ll get it. I saw them on the counter in the kitchen. Go back to bed.”
Once again he ran downstairs, grabbed the pills and a glass of water and went back up. She was sitting on the side of the bed. He gave her a pill and a glass of water. Dutifully she swallowed it and he helped her back in bed.
“Anything else you need?”
“Maybe another pillow.”
“And that would be where?”
“In the closet.”
He found the pillow and stuffed it behind her head. “How’s that?”
“Better.” Her voice was groggy and he quickly turned off the light and crawled in beside her, hoping she would go back to sleep. He was almost asleep when she stirred.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t feel good.”
“What do you—” Before the last word could leave his mouth, she leaped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. A moment later, he heard her vomiting. Oh, man! He got out of bed and walked toward the bathroom, not knowing what to do. He’d never been in this situation before, but he couldn’t lie there while she was sick.
He peeked around the corner and saw her sitting on the floor with her head over the toilet, making gut-wrenching sounds. Finally, she flushed it and leaned back against the wall, noticing him.
“Go away, Carter. I don’t want you to see me like this.”
“That’s not going to happen.” He stepped into the bathroom and opened the cabinet for a washcloth. Putting it under the water faucet, he got it wet and squatted on the floor beside her. He held her hair and wiped her face.
“Carter—” she protested.
“Shh.”
“I stink. It’s on my hair, my clothes and the floor. Just go back to bed, and when I feel strong enough, I’ll get cleaned up.”
“No way.” He scooted closer. “Now let’s get your clothes off and get you in the shower. That’s the only way to get it off of you so you can sleep and rest.”
She held up her right hand to indicate she couldn’t get in the shower.
“I’ll fix that.” He ran downstairs again looking for a plastic bag and a rubber band. When he had the goodies, he went back upstairs and she was still sitting there looking disgusted with herself.
“Get that look off your face,” he said. “I’ve seen you naked before, so what’s the big deal?”
“I didn’t have vomit all over me,” she shot back.
“Doesn’t make a difference,” he told her as he removed her T-shirt. At the sight of her breasts, his thoughts went in a completely different direction and he curbed them quickly. He adjusted the shower’s water temperature while she removed her panties with her left hand and stepped into the shower.
“Hold your right hand up so water can’t get in it.”
“I’m not a bronc rider.” She laughed under her breath. “Do I get eight seconds?”
“You’re getting giddy.” He poured shampoo into her wet left palm.
“Smells like lavender,” he said.
She made a face at him as she attempted to lather her hair. She wasn’t doing a very good job, so he helped her. Standing under the spray, she tried to get rid of the soap and the smell. He grabbed a couple of towels out of the cabinet and reached in and turned off the water. One towel he wrapped around her head and the other he wrapped around her body.
“Better?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
She got out and sat in the chair at her makeup table, drawing her fingers through the thick wet strands. “I’ll have to dry it some before I go back to bed.” She opened the bottom drawer and he helped her to get the dryer out and plugged it in.
“While you’re doing that, I’ll get cleaning supplies. Utility room, right?”
“Right.” She stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“To get a clean T-shirt.”
“I’ll get it.”
“Second drawer of my dresser.” He helped her get it through one arm and over her head. She stiffened. Obviously, the hand hurt.
“I’ll take these clothes down and put them in the washing machine and bring back cleaning supplies.”
The smell gagged him a few times, but he powered through until the bathroom smelled like bleach.
“Thank you,” she said in a sleepy voice as she crawled into bed.
“You’re welcome. Now I’m going to get out of these wet clothes and join you.” When he came back, she was asleep. He slipped in beside her and tried not to move the mattress too much. Time and rest would help her. He lay there looking into the darkness and saw a new side to himself. He never thought of himself as a loving, nurturing person. He felt sure the young Carter would have run from the bedroom until she had everything under control. But with Lila it was different. He cared about her and you didn’t run from people you cared about.
He looked at her beautiful sleeping face. What have you done to me?
Lila woke up to pain. Wincing, she slid out of bed as quietly as possible. She didn’t want to wake Carter. She grabbed the pill bottle, picked up her bathrobe from the floor and made her way to the kitchen. Taking the pill was her top priority. Once that was done, she made coffee, and it wasn’t easy with her left hand, but she was sure Carter would want a cup when he woke up. After what he did last night, she would do anything for him.
She sat on the sofa wrapped in the bathrobe, waiting for the pill to do its thing. Last night she was so embarrassed and just wanted him to go away. The fact that he’d stayed shocked her since he didn’t have a sense of family values. Mr. Finch had a lot of family values he didn’t know about. Most men would have left, but he’d stayed right with her. She wondered how he felt this morning.
“There you are.” Carter stood there in his pajamas and T-shirt, looking as handsome as ever. “When I woke up and you weren’t there, I got worried.”
“I woke up to pain and needed a pill, so I came down very quietly so as not to wake you.”
“Is the pain better?”
“Yes, it is.”
Carter looked around. “I smell coffee.”
“I made it.”
“With your left hand?”
“Yes, just for you.”
He leaned his face against hers and her left hand stroked his stubble, and new, deeper emotions surged through her. She loved him and she knew he would leave one day and that would be sooner than later, probably as soon as tonight. Every second she had with him, she was preparing herself for the inevitable. She wouldn’t beg. She wouldn’t cry. She would be grateful for the man who’d held her hair while she puked.
“I’ll get us a cup of coffee.” In a minute, he was back with a mug of coffee for her. “Can you handle it?”
“Yes.”
He headed for the stairs with a mug in his hand. “I’m going to shower and shave while you’re resting, and then I have to go get groceries and food for us to eat.”
“Okay.”
“What would you like to eat today?”
“My mom’s chicken noodle soup,” she mumbled, realizing she was falling off to sleep. She sat up straighter. “And if you call her, I would have to kill you. Understand?”
He laughed. “I understand.” He went to her desk and got a piece of paper and a pen. “What would I need to make chicken noodle soup?”
“A chicken, of course, but that’s too much for the two of us. Just get a split breast and a couple of thighs with the skin on and the bone in. Celery, onions, carrots, chicken broth and those little squares that Mom drops in.”
He smiled at her. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”
“It’s little squares of flavor. Bouillon. That’s what it’s called. They’re wrapped individually in a small jar and it just gives the soup a little more flavor. That’s what my mom says.”
“I will find them.” He finished his way up the stairs and Lila tried to get comfortable, but the pain was bad. She went to the kitchen for another cup of coffee and just walked around the living room trying to ease the pain.
Carter came back all dressed, and he looked so nice and handsome with his dark hair combed neatly. She just wanted to hug him. He handed her her laptop. “I thought you might need these.” He put a pillow on the couch.
“Did you see my phone in your car? I can’t find it.”
He went outside and came back with her phone in his hand. “It fell between the seats.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m going to the grocery store and you rest.”
“I want to take a shower and wash my hair. I think it still has shampoo in it.”
“No.” He shook his head. “You’ll have to wait until I get back.”
“I’m not helpless.” For some reason, he ignited her temper. She didn’t want to feel helpless. She wanted to go out with him and enjoy their time together instead of being stuck at home with a throbbing hand.
He lifted a sharp eyebrow.
“Okay, go, go.”
He walked to her. “You’re not helpless. You hurt your hand and it will take a couple of days for you to feel better. Just rest, please. Can I trust you to do that?”
She took a long breath. “Yes. Being stupid once is enough.”
He gently kissed her. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Lila put her coffee cup in the sink and went to the sofa to call Savon, but then realized Savon wasn’t up yet. Instead, she called her mother. Sooner or later she would find out about Lila’s injured hand and would be upset that Lila hadn’t told her.
“Hey, Mom, how’s everything?”
“Where have you been?” There was a lot of worry and concern mixed in her mother’s voice.
“I’m at home.”
“Myles has been calling and calling you. He’s on his way over. We worry when we can’t get you. Are you okay?”
She bit her lip. “Actually, I’m not.”
“What happened?”
She hesitated, but only for a second. “I fell and hurt my hand.”
“How bad?”
“I tried to catch myself with my right hand as I slid through some dirt and grass. I scraped my palm and got some dirt and grass in it. I had to go to the ER and the doctor cleaned it up very nicely. Just a little accident and I’ll be okay tomorrow, but I’m resting today.”
“Are you in pain?”
She bit her lip a little harder and gauged her words. “A little, but the doctor gave me some pain pills. I’m okay, Mom. Really.”
“I’m coming to get you. You can stay here until your hand heals.”
“Absolutely not. I’m thirty years old and you don’t have to baby me. I can really take care of myself.”
“Then why aren’t you answering your phone?”
“I lost it and found it this morning.” That was about as good a lie as she had ever told. But it was to protect her mother, she told herself. She changed the subject quickly. “Why is Myles calling me?”
“Carin has been calling him and your cousins.”
“Why?”
“She’s upset that her grandchildren are interfering in the lawsuit. She’s been calling you, too, but since you lost your phone, she hasn’t been able to get you. So be prepared.”
Her doorbell rang. “Mom, Myles is here.” Or she hoped it was Myles. “I’ll talk to you later.”
She let Myles in and he stopped short. “What happened to you?”
“I fell.”
Myles burst out laughing. “I believe that. You’ve always been a little clumsy.”
“I have not.”
“Remember that time you fell into the big cactus Mom had? She picked stickers out of your butt for a whole afternoon.”
“That’s because you, Aaron, Damon and Nash were ganging up on me and I lost my footing.”
“You were always interfering in what we were doing.”
“I had no one to play with and you guys were mean.”
He took a seat on the sofa. “We were not. Sometimes we let you play.”
She stuck her tongue out at him.
He pointed a finger at her. “That’s what you were doing that day. You were sticking your tongue out at us and we tried to make you stop and you fell into the cactus.”
She laughed and sat beside him.
“We let you play, remember?”
“Yeah. I’m so grateful.” And then she laughed again. They did have good times as kids and most of the time they let her play. But as she got older, things changed. They wanted to meet her friends and she would stick her tongue out and prance away. She found ways to get even.
“Does the hand hurt?” Myles asked.
“Yes.”
He put an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry, sis. I’m happy to say my clumsy sister has turned into a beautiful young woman.”
“Aw. That’s so sweet.”
“That’s me.” He grinned.
“Why aren’t you at work? Isn’t it crucial that you spend almost every moment there?”
“Carin is a pain in my backside. Since I’m a lawyer, she wants me to talk to the judge to see if I can get the case moved up. I told her I have no authority to get the case moved up and the judge wouldn’t listen to me anyway. I told her, too, that I didn’t want anything to do with the case. She got angry and hung up. Then she started calling our cousins and I’m sure she called you, too. I’m not interested in getting the case moved up.”
Lila picked up her phone. “Neither am I. I have seven calls from her.”
“That should be a nice conversation when she does get you,” Myles said tongue in cheek.
“Yeah, but I’m not having anything to do with the lawsuit.”
Myles got to his feet. “Since you’re okay, I’ve got to go to the office. Good luck with Carin.”
“She’s maniacal about this.”
“Unrequited love, I think it’s called.”
“She can’t hurt Dean, but she’s putting a big old hurt on his grandchildren and she will be one happy woman if she brings down the other Coltons.”
As soon as she closed the door on Myles, her phone rang. She picked it up from the coffee table and stared at the caller ID: Carin Pederson. Showtime. She clicked on.
“Lila, is that you?” Carin asked.
“Yes, it’s me.”
“Why haven’t you answered your phone?”
“I lost it.”
“Lost it! You’re a grown woman and you should have enough sense to take care of your phone.”
Lila took a long breath. “Did you call for a reason?”
“Yes. I want you to stop filling your dad’s head with nonsense about the lawsuit.”
“I only told him the truth.”
“Truth? You don’t have a clue about the truth.”
“I know that Alfred and Ernest created the patents that are still making money for the family and Heath has taken up the legacy. We have no right to anything they have earned.”
“You silly girl. Your grandfather ditched me and my sons for his proper family. He should pay for that. We were discarded like trash.”
“But he made sure you lived in luxury, and Dad and Erik never had to work. This is all about revenge and I don’t want any part of it.”
“I’ll remember that when I’m awarded a large sum of money.”
Lila laughed. She couldn’t help herself. “When have you ever given Myles or me anything?”
“You don’t teach children by handing them money every day.”
“It wasn’t just the money. When Mom finally got the courage to leave Dad, she needed help for the rent and other things for us. But you refused to help.”
“She should have stayed where she was and she wouldn’t have had any worries. Men cheat. That’s a fact.”
“Is that what you did? Stayed where you were so Dean could fund your lavish lifestyle? Blackmail was a good way to keep Dean in line. It worked and...”
The phone went dead in her hand.
She carefully laid her phone on the coffee table. Her nerves were stretched to the max and her hand was throbbing again. Carin had the power to raise her blood pressure and made her view the world a little differently. Through all the bitterness and resentment they’d endured because of their grandmother, Lila, Myles, Aaron, Damon and Nash turned out to be good human beings. And they all believed in love, home and family. Myles, Aaron and Damon had found their special person to spend the rest of their lives with. Lila had, too, but it was only temporary.