Seventeen
Connor did go with her to Dr. Weems. He even went into the examination room, exchanging robust hugs with the taller, thinner man.
“Harry and I went through college together,” Connor told Emma. “He was smarter, though. I took my degree in business. His took brain power.”
“Don’t let him fool you. He’s smart.” Harry grinned. “Okay, when was your last period?” he asked Emma, and glanced at Connor’s outrage. “She can tell me,” he added with a laugh. “I’m an obstetrician, remember?”
Connor ground his teeth together. “Sorry.”
Emma was faintly surprised at his reaction. She studied his face curiously.
“Women love me,” Harry told her. “They fall all over me, especially in the last months of pregnancy before they deliver. One woman even proposed to me during the delivery and she’d been happily married for ten years. He’s jealous,” he added, his dark eyes twinkling as he glanced at Connor.
Emma was fascinated.
Apparently Connor didn’t like her knowing how he felt, so he excused himself while Emma went through some tests and questions. When she came back out, she was flushed and a little worried.
“He says my cervix is tilted the wrong way,” she said in the car on the way home. The window between them and Barnes in the limo was closed, so she felt comfortable talking to Connor. “He said it was almost a miracle that I even got pregnant. The baby’s okay. They did an amniocentesis to make sure. It’s just...”
“Just what, honey?” he asked softly.
She drew in a breath. “I’m scared.”
He knew why, without being told. He drew her into his arms and held her, his lips on her temple. “I’m right here. I’ll be with you the whole time. I promise.”
She relaxed. “All right.”
He folded her close. At least she didn’t hate him. It was something.
* * *
She slept fitfully that night. She had a nightmare. Connor was far away and she could see him, but he couldn’t hear her. She was screaming that she loved him, but he just kept backing away. When she woke, and realized it was a bad dream, she still didn’t feel comfortable.
The feeling got worse at breakfast when he announced that he had to fly to Arizona to sign some contracts on a partnership for his aerospace division. Emma felt chills even as he said it.
“I’ll only be away a day or so,” he promised.
“Are you going in the company jet?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Business class on a commercial airline, worrywart. Okay?”
She smiled. She beamed. “Okay.”
“So you worry about me, do you?” he teased, although the look on his face was oddly expectant, hopeful.
“I worry about you,” she confessed. “Be careful.”
He smiled. “Always.”
* * *
Two days stretched into five. He phoned her every night to talk. She was worried as her due date approached, but she tried not to let her fear seep into the conversation. She was being fanciful, she thought. If he was flying commercial, there was nothing to worry about. All the airlines had excellent safety records, and he built aircraft. He should know which airline was the safest.
A carpenter showed up the second day after his departure. He said there was a repair needed in Connor’s office. Emma was suspicious, but Marie came into the room and greeted the man like an old friend. He was close to her age.
“This is Danny Barton,” Marie introduced him. “We went through high school together. He’s a master carpenter.”
“Nice to meet you,” Emma said, smiling. “I’m Emma.”
“Mr. Sinclair’s wife? Nice to meet you, too. And congratulations.”
“Thanks.” She put a hand over her belly. “Any day now.” She sighed wistfully.
“Where’s the repair needed? I want to see it to know how much material I’ll need and what I’ll have to do to fix it.”
“It’s over here, near the ceiling.” Marie pointed to a spot on the wood paneling. It was a round spot, splintered.
Emma frowned. “That looks like a bullet hole.”
“That’s what it is,” Marie said quietly. “We’ll leave you to work, Danny.”
He nodded, already setting up his ladder to climb up to do the repair.
“It’s a bullet hole?” Emma asked when they were in the living room, with the door to the office closed.
Marie looked uncomfortable. “Yes,” she said. She searched Emma’s eyes. “Mr. Sinclair didn’t tell you what happened?”
She grimaced. “We’ve been sort of tiptoeing around each other since he recognized me,” she confessed. Her eyes fell. “I’d die for him, Marie, and that’s God’s own truth. But he never says what he feels.”
Marie smiled and drew her into the kitchen. “How about a nice cup of tea?” she asked. “And I’ll tell you about it.”
* * *
Marie waited until they were sipping herbal tea before she began. “It was when we got back from France,” she said. “Mr. Sinclair was in the office—” she nodded toward the part of the house where it was “—and Mr. Sims came by to talk about the divorce. He’d sent the papers to have you sign, you remember. So Mr. Sinclair asked where you were, and Mr. Sims told him you were still in jail.” She drew in a breath and took a swallow of hot tea, noting Emma’s intent stare. “Mr. Sinclair thought you’d been out on bail all that time. He could see again, and he wasn’t so, well, so angry. He was shocked. He told Mr. Sims to get you out that very day, no matter what he had to do.” She toyed with her cup. The memory was painful. “That’s when Mr. Sims told him what had happened to you, and that you’d lost the baby—because that’s what he was told.”
“That’s what I thought,” Emma said. “It wasn’t until the doctor treated my wounds that he said the shiv hadn’t penetrated too deeply. I was so lucky!”
“Anyway, I heard a scuffle and the pistol shot. I ran to see what was the matter. Mr. Sims was yelling for Barnes and trying to restrain Mr. Sinclair.” She met Emma’s shocked eyes. “I’d never seen the boss like that. He was sobbing...” She swallowed, hard. So did Emma. “They got the pistol away from him and closed the door.”
“Dear God.” Emma whispered the words reverently as she realized just how deeply Connor cared for her. If they hadn’t got the pistol away in time...!
She fought tears. “I didn’t blame him, you know,” she said brokenly. “I loved him so much. I thought I deserved what happened, for blinding him. I was sure that he hated me. And I was afraid for my baby. You know what he always said, about not ever wanting one.”
“It’s certainly not the case now,” Marie replied, and she smiled. “You’ve had your worst time, Emma. You’re overdue for some happiness.”
“So is he,” Emma replied. She drew in a long breath and let it out. “He feels something for me, anyway.”
“Something very deep,” Marie agreed. “He isn’t a man to talk about his feelings, but it’s easy to tell from the way he is with you. I’ve never seen him show tenderness to a woman. Any woman. And he talks about that baby all the time.” She laughed. “Imagine, the boss looking forward to being a father. It really is like a miracle.”
“For me, it certainly is,” Emma said. She sipped tea and felt its warmth run down through her. A similar warmth brushed her heart. He cared. He really, really cared. It was more than she’d dare hoped for.
“There are plenty of good days ahead,” Marie said. She finished her tea. “I’ll just go see what he thinks we need to do to the wall,” She laughed. She hesitated, with a worried look on her face.
“I won’t tell Connor that you told me,” Emma said. “I promise.”
Marie relaxed. “He might not mind. But I’d rather not find out. Oh! I saved something...”
She went to the bookcase and extricated a file folder. She handed it to Emma.
Emma, puzzled, opened it. She caught her breath. It was the photo the man had taken at their wedding in Las Vegas. The look on Emma’s face spoke volumes about her feelings for the man she was marrying. The anguish she felt at her guilt was also there, and her hopes.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Emma said, shaking her head. “I look...beautiful.”
“You are beautiful, my dear,” Marie said gently. “You glow. When you look at the boss, you don’t see a millionaire. You see a man. That’s what sets you apart. You keep that,” she added, indicating the photo. “It’s the only one left.” She grimaced. “He was in such a temper, just after he had them take you away. He ordered everything burned. All those lovely photos. I saved that one. I had to. It was irreplaceable.”
“Thanks, Marie,” she said. She hesitated. “Has he seen it?”
Marie shook her head. “I was afraid it was worth my job to let him know I hadn’t done what he told me.”
“It will be all right. I’ll put it in a safe place.”
“Why don’t you lie down for a while and rest?” Marie asked. “Pretty soon, you’ll forget what it was like to lie down and rest.” She laughed softly. “The baby will be a handful.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Emma replied. “I can’t wait!”
“The house will need some new furniture for little people. I wonder if we could persuade Danny to make you a cradle and a baby bed? He makes furniture, too. He uses oak and what he does is magnificent. I’m sure the boss wouldn’t mind.”
“Then please ask him,” Emma said with a smile. “I love handmade things.”
“I noticed, from all those caps you knit.” Marie chuckled.
“I’m making you one,” was the reply.
“Thank you!”
“But I’m not telling you what it will look like,” she said. “It’s going to be a surprise!”
* * *
Two days later, Emma got a shock. She was watching a talk show on television when a news banner flashed across the screen. It was brief and utterly devastating. It said Millionaire Aviation Magnate Connor Sinclair Feared Dead in Tragic Plane Crash in Arizona.
The news feed went on to tell of three passengers on the plane who were well-known, one a famous singer. But Emma didn’t notice that. She was screaming. Absolutely screaming.
Marie came running. She’d heard it on the small television in the kitchen. “Oh, Emma,” she said, tearing up. “Emma!”
Emma didn’t hear her. The hysteria had her by the throat. “He’s dead. He’s dead. I didn’t even get to say goodbye. He’s dead!”
She started screaming again. It was like the nightmare she’d had, the one where she’d tried to get to Connor and he kept going farther and farther away. Her throat was raw. Her stomach began to throb as labor set in.
Barnes came running when he heard the screams. He, too, had seen the news flash on television.
“Call an ambulance,” Marie said urgently.
“Right now.”
* * *
They took Emma to the hospital. She had to be sedated, not only because the baby was coming, but because Connor would never see him. She loved him more than anything on earth, and now he was gone. She had nobody.
The labor was long and difficult, and finally Dr. Weems had no choice but to do a cesarean section because she never dilated even one centimeter. The shock of the news, he imagined, had contributed to her condition.
They rolled her into surgery. Minutes later, the nurse showed the tiny creature to a dazed, hurting Emma.
“It’s a little boy,” the nurse whispered. “Congratulations.”
“He’s so beautiful.” Emma dissolved in tears. “He’s dead. My husband is dead!”
He put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “You still have the baby, Emma,” he said softly. “At least you have a part of Connor.”
She nodded, but the pain was racking her. After they gave her a sedative, she went out like a light. Harry Weems sighed. He’d lost his best friend. It was all over the news. Poor Emma, with a new baby and hope for a happy marriage, all gone now. He turned away, hiding the ache in his heart.
* * *
Marie had cried all day. She called often to check on Emma. One of the duty nurses was a cousin of hers, and was willing to relay information. The little boy was doing fine. Emma was still sedated.
She wished she was sedated. She’d called Tonia and they’d wailed together. Nobody knew exactly what to do. The companies were pretty much autonomous, but the board of directors would have to appoint someone to head them up. Connor had been the heart of the business. Nobody could replace him. Tonia said she’d relay the news to the divisional managers, if they hadn’t already heard about the crash. She’d called Edward in Nice, to inform him of the tragedy that had occurred. Edward had already heard the news. He’d sobbed on the phone, Tonia told Marie.
Barnes was morose, as well. He’d been close to Connor. He and Marie sat at the table, picking at salads and sipping black coffee for lunch. It had been a miserable day.
The front door opened. They both started, because it was kept locked all the time. Only someone with a key could get in.
“Where the hell is everybody?” Connor Sinclair asked irritably. He tossed his briefcase onto the side table and ran a hand through damp, wavy black hair. “I’ve had a hell of a day. My damned cell phone died.” He held it up and tossed it onto the briefcase. “Barnes, can you find a charger for it? I usually keep one in the briefcase but...” He stopped, aghast at their faces. “What the hell is wrong with you two?”
Marie ran and hugged him. So did Barnes.
“All right, what’s going on?” he asked. He frowned. “Has something happened to Emma?” he asked suddenly. He went quickly to her room, opened the door, and it was empty. He turned. “Where is she?” he asked with fear in every word.
“She’s in the hospital, sir,” Barnes said gently.
“She started screaming when she saw the report on television,” Marie managed through sobs of joy. “We couldn’t calm her. She went into labor. We called an ambulance and Dr. Weems—”
“She’s going to be fine,” Barnes added.
“You have a healthy little boy,” Marie told him gently, watching the expressions cross his face, the most prominent one of absolute exaltation.
“Barnes, get me to the hospital. What was on television that upset her?” he asked while Barnes was getting the limo out.
“Sir, it’s been reported everywhere that you’re, well, dead,” she said, grimacing. “The plane crashed.”
His eyebrows arched. “The plane? Oh, the commercial plane. I missed the flight by ten minutes. Damned traffic slowed down the limo I hired. So I hitched a ride with a friend who has a private jet like mine.” He made a face. “It wasn’t as comfortable as mine, I have to admit, but I didn’t want to wait for them to get it to Arizona. I’m not dead.”
“Thank God! I have to call Tonia. She’ll be so relieved. We were scared to death, sir. Especially Emma,” she added. “She said her life was over.”
Connor’s face was so radiant that it glowed. “She did?”
Marie hesitated, but only for a minute. “I need to show you something.”
She went into Emma’s room and fetched the photo that Emma had framed and tucked into her bedside table. She showed it to Connor.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “You did tell me to burn all of them.”
He was looking at the portrait of him and Emma, his eyes misty. He’d never seen a photo capture such an expression on anyone’s face. Emma loved him beyond measure. The photograph was like a statement of love.
“Thanks,” he told Marie, and hugged her. “Thanks for disobeying. This once,” he added in a teasing tone.
“You’re very welcome. You should go and meet your son.”
“On my way.” He handed Marie the photo. He was smiling from ear to ear.
* * *
Emma was in a twilight state, between consciousness and unconsciousness. She was in a quiet place, free of pain and worry. But there was a voice. It was deep and slow and tender. It wanted her to open her eyes.
She wasn’t eager to wake up. As she drifted closer to consciousness, she remembered why she was in the hospital. She opened her eyes and tears stung them. She thought she heard Connor’s voice. It was so close...
“Baby,” he whispered. He was standing over her, his face tired but radiant with joy. “My sweet baby, we have a son.”
She looked at him through a mist. “Connor?” she choked. “Am I dreaming?”
He bent down and put his mouth roughly, hungrily over hers. “We’re both dreaming. And we’re never going to wake up. I’m real, Emma. Kiss me and find out.”
She kissed him back. She tried to lift her arms, but that hurt her stomach.
He felt her wince and drew back. He smiled warmly. “Stitches,” he whispered. “You’ll get better.” His big hand smoothed over her cheek. “You’re worn-out and in pain. Go to sleep. I’ll be right here when you wake up.” The smile faded. “I’ll never leave you. Never, as long as I live.”
“You’re not dead?” she whispered, and tears ran down her cheeks.
He smiled. “I missed the flight. No, I’m not dead.”
“Everybody thought you were.”
He brushed his mouth over hers. “Marie’s calling Tonia. She’ll handle the press. I’m going to see our son.”
She managed a wan smile. The pain, even with the sedation, was bad. “Okay.”
“What are we going to name him, honey?” he asked.
She studied his face. It was strong. Handsome. She loved looking at him. “Names?”
He nodded.
“Do you have a middle name?” she wondered.
“Jacob.”
She smiled. “Jacob Connor Sinclair?”
He brushed his mouth over hers. “We’ll call him Jake.”
She reached up just far enough to draw her hand down his cheek. “I like that.”
He put his mouth over her eyes and closed them. “Go to sleep.”
“Okay.”
* * *
He held his infant son in the nursery. They gowned him and handed him the little boy, who was so small. He’d never in his life experienced such emotions. He kissed the tiny forehead, looked into eyes that were a silvery gray, like his own. He wondered if they’d change as Jake grew older. He was perfect. Tiny, but perfect. He fought tears as he handed the child back to the nurse. He was a father. It was a life-changing event. He had a sudden urge to go buy out a toy store. But that would have to wait. His first priority now was getting Emma back on her feet, and home.
* * *
It took several days to accomplish that. Emma had wanted to breastfeed the baby, but the C-section pain was just too much for her. It overwhelmed her. So she bottle-fed Jake. Connor was delighted, because he could do the same for his son.
Emma loved to watch him hold the little boy. She’d never seen such affection in those pale eyes as she saw when he held Jake. He loved the child already. He loved Emma, as well. She knew it. His reaction to her situation, the bullet hole in the office, told her things he might never be able to. But she knew how he felt, and that was enough.
Likewise, her hysteria had told him clearly that she still loved him, in spite of what he’d done to her. It was like a miracle, to know that Emma cared. She was his. He had a wife and a son. He was part of a family. He could hardly stop smiling.
They brought Emma home in the limo and Connor carried her into the house while the private duty nurse they’d hired brought baby Jake along in his carrier.
Emma was shocked when she saw that her room, next to Connor’s, had been transformed into a nursery, complete with monitor, handmade crib, curtains with sailboats and every sort of baby furniture known to man. Plus a selection of mobiles for the crib and electronic toys made especially for newborns. There was a dresser, too, chock-full of onesies and socks and blankets.
“You did all this?” Emma asked with a surprised smile.
“I had a little help from Marie.” He chuckled.
“It’s wonderful.” She kissed his hard cheek. “I love it!”
He smiled and kissed her soft lips. “I’m glad. We’ll have him right next door to us, so that if we need to get up, we can.”
“I can get up,” she began.
“When you heal,” he replied. “Nurse Pitts will do everything necessary until you can. No lifting unless it’s as heavy as a handkerchief, remember?” he teased. “Babies are heavy. Ours weighs eight and a half pounds.”
She sighed. “Okay, then.” She’d noticed that there was a nice rollaway bed in the nursery, so she assumed the nurse would spend the night here.
“We gave the nurse one of the guest rooms,” Connor said, guessing her next question. “But she’ll stay with Jake at night.”
“Yes, I will,” Nurse Pitts said with a grin. “I’ll take ever such good care of him,” she promised. “So don’t you worry. I raised six of my own.”
Emma smiled. “Okay. Thanks.”
“You’re most welcome, Mrs. Sinclair.”
Emma blushed. It was the first time anyone had called her that since she and Connor had married.
He noticed. He turned and carried her through to the master bedroom, nudging the door closed behind them. He put her on the bed and arranged pillows so that she could sit up comfortably and the stitches wouldn’t pull.
“I gather that I’m sleeping with you?” she teased.
He sat down beside her. “I’m never letting you out of my sight,” he replied seriously. “I’ve already put out the word that I’m taking two weeks off to be with my family. That means no travel, no business, period. If Tonia can’t handle it, the divisional managers will have to.” He traced her cheek lightly. “I’m the luckiest man on earth, Emma,” he whispered, and bent to kiss her with a restrained hunger. “I didn’t think you could forgive me...”
“You silly man,” she whispered against his lips. “I love you. That never stopped. It never will.” She drew back and looked into his pale eyes. “I’ll never stop loving you.”
His eyes misted. He drew her face into his throat and he rocked her. “I’ll never stop feeling guilty for what happened, for what I did to you,” he said gruffly. “But I’ll do all I can to make it up to you, for the rest of our lives.” His arms contracted gently. “I never knew what love was, until you came into my life. I’ll love you all the way to the grave, baby,” he whispered huskily. “And forever beyond it.”
She let the tears fall, healing tears, cleansing tears. He held her while she wept. And for those few minutes, it seemed as if they were the only two people on earth who’d ever known love, who’d ever spoken of love, who’d ever shared love. Emma knew that as long as she lived, she’d never forget the day he told her his heart. She closed her eyes and smiled against his hard mouth. Dreams really did come true.
* * *
“Will you hurry?” Connor teased as they crawled out of the limo. “Slowpoke.”
“I am not a slowpoke,” she said, making a face at him as she handed Jake to him. “All you have to do is get out. I have to get Jake and diaper bags and my purse and—”
He reached in, kissed her and took Jake. “Barnes will get the bags. Come on.”
“We didn’t even call first,” she protested as they walked down the driveway to the big, old-fashioned house right in downtown Jacobsville, Texas.
“I called,” Connor replied.
“You told them who you were?” she asked, all eyes, while Jake gurgled in her arms.
“Not exactly. I told them I was your husband and we wanted them to meet our son.”
She started to speak when the front door opened and Tippy Grier stepped outside with her mouth open.
“Emma?” she exclaimed. “You’re married! You have a baby!”
“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you,” Emma said. “It’s a very long story...”
Tippy took in the very expensive limousine sitting at the end of the driveway, Connor’s designer suit, Emma’s couture pantsuit and all at once she recognized her male visitor. “Connor Sinclair?” she asked slowly.
“I hope so. I’m wearing his suit.”
She burst out laughing. She hugged Emma. “Talk about keeping secrets!” she exclaimed, and held out her arms.
Emma put Jake into them, beaming. “I wanted to tell you, but I was keeping secrets.”
“Big ones apparently,” Tippy mused, sizing up Connor.
He chuckled. “We’ll tell you one day.”
A tall, dark man with black hair in a ponytail came out the door behind Tippy. “Damn! A husband and a child, and you didn’t even invite us to the wedding!” Cash Grier teased.
“I meant to,” she said.
Cash chuckled. He shook hands with Connor. “I’ve heard about you from my brother,” he said.
“Cort.” Connor nodded. “I can only imagine what he told you.”
“Something about a very attractive young woman that he wanted to get to know, and you came at him like a mountain lion,” Cash remarked. He was looking at Emma. “He didn’t know who you were, did he?”
“I’d never met him,” Emma reminded him. “He’s very nice.”
“That last word is why he’s still breathing.” Connor chuckled. “Nice. She never calls me nice.”
“You’re a grizzly bear,” she told Connor. “Grizzly bears are not nice.”
“I married one of those, too.” Tippy laughed, making a face when Cash glared at her. “Come in! I made a pound cake and there’s plenty of fresh coffee! Bring your driver, too,” Tippy added. “We’ve got lots.”
“You heard her, Barnes,” Connor called. “But bring the ten tons of baby equipment in with you.”
“You bet!”
* * *
“Thanks for all you did for her,” Connor told Cash while the women gossiped. “I’ve heard too much about her father already.”
“He was a piece of work,” Cash agreed. “Tippy and I sort of adopted her. She didn’t have anywhere to go, and she was such a nice young woman.” He raised both eyebrows. “We never heard anything about any of this—the blindness, the marriage...”
“It’s a sad story. It was almost a tragic one,” Connor said quietly. “Life teaches hard lessons.”
“Tell me about it,” came Cash’s reply.
“The important thing is that it all worked out,” Connor replied.
“Her father just got married,” Cash said. “The woman’s a lot like Emma. She’s got a soft heart and she loves to help people. She got him into AA and helped him sober up and sort himself out. He’d like to see Emma, but he says it’s early days yet and she needs time. He’d like to call her and talk sometime. If she’s willing.”
Connor nodded. “I’ll tell her.”
“Did she tell you about Steven?”
Connor drew in a breath. “He was gay, right?”
“Yes,” Cash replied. “We didn’t tell her. She was so upset already. But you might mention it. She thinks they broke up because he hated her father’s job. It was his mother who hated people knowing she had a gay son.”
“Idiot,” Connor scoffed. “Your child is still your child, no matter what.”
“Absolutely.”
He hesitated, and a wicked gleam came into his silver eyes. “You might mention to your cattle baron brother that Emma’s permanently off-limits. Just in case he ever gets itchy feet and wanders to Georgia.”
Cash burst out laughing. “I’ll do that.”
Emma glanced toward the men while Tippy’s young brother Rory held little Jake, and Tris and Marcus, their new little boy, hovered around Tippy and Emma.
“He’s pretty famous, your husband,” Tippy remarked with a smile when she saw where Emma was looking.
“He’s pretty sweet, too,” Emma replied. “I never thought I’d fit anywhere in his life, but he made a place for me. Connor, the baby.” She shook her head. “It all seems unreal.”
“I feel the same way about my own life.” She studied Emma. “We lived through hard times. Then we got lucky. That’s life.”
Emma laughed. Her eyes, brimming over with love, homed in on her husband, who was looking back at her with eyes just as loving. “That’s life,” she agreed softly.
* * * * *
Be sure to check out Diana Palmer’s next book in her beloved LONG, TALL TEXANS series
The man who shattered Isabel Grayling’s trust is back to protect her.
Can she trust Paul Fiore not to break her heart once again?
Keep reading to get a glimpse of .