Chapter 16
Ellie stared at the man she’d never wanted to see again. Seconds passed before she found her voice. “How did you—?”
“How did I know? And how did I find you?” His Hollywood smile was as dazzling as it was cold. “It wasn’t that hard. You never filed a change of address with the health insurance company. When the statements came to me, I knew you must be pregnant. Since you’d already registered at the hospital, all I had to do was pull a few strings and ask to be notified when you checked in. I caught a flight as soon as I heard.”
Cornered in her bed, Ellie glared at him. “What makes you think the baby’s yours?”
He laughed. “I can count. And I know you, Ellie. You’re too much of a Goody Two-shoes to have cheated while you were still married. He’s mine, all right.” He glanced toward the bassinet on the far side of the bed. “Now, how about introducing me to my son?”
“He’s sleeping. And as far as I’m concerned, you gave up all rights to him when you went off and married Valerie.”
His smile fell away like a mask, revealing a face that was as arrogant as it was handsome. “That’s not what the law says. As for Valerie, that didn’t work out. She’s filed for divorce.”
“How much is she giving you?” Ellie used sarcasm to keep him at bay. Inside, she felt gut-wrenching fear. Brent was a lawyer. He would use every trick in the book to manipulate her. And now he had a weapon—his legal right to her baby.
“We had a prenuptial. I got what I was entitled to. But that’s not why I’m here.” He cleared his throat. Ellie reached for the call button on the remote, prepared to ring for the nurse if he made a move toward her baby.
“So why are you here?” she demanded.
He moved closer to the bed. “This is hard to say, Ellie. I made the biggest mistake of my life, cheating on you and forcing you out of our marriage. I want you back, darling. I want you and I and our son to be a real family.”
* * *
Jubal parked, climbed out, and walked around the truck to hold Ellie’s purse while Gracie jumped to the ground. He wanted to make sure the fool dog didn’t wriggle out of the purse and escape into the parking lot.
“Watch him. You know how he likes to get loose and explore.” Jubal handed the purse back to his daughter, freeing his hands to lock the truck. “I hope you know you’re in big trouble for bringing him.”
“I know.” Gracie skipped ahead of him, clutching the purse. At least she hadn’t said she was sorry. She knew better than to lie to her father.
Jubal lengthened his stride to keep up with her. He barely glanced at the shiny black Lincoln Town Car with rental plates that was parked next to the curb in a handicapped spot. His mind was on what he wanted to say to Ellie, and on the little velvet box he’d taken out of the safe that morning and slipped into his pocket.
Gracie rushed through the automatic double doors and into the hospital lobby. “Hold on.” Jubal caught up with her as she passed the glittering Christmas tree. “You don’t even know where you’re going.”
“Sorry, I just want to see Ellie and the baby.”
“They’re right down that hallway—past the arrow sign that says MATERNITY. But you’ll have to stay with me and be quiet. People are resting.”
The Cottonwood Springs hospital wasn’t large. It was constructed on a single floor, with the lobby front and center and the rooms going out in wings. Jubal kept Gracie next to him as they walked down the corridor toward Ellie’s room.
“Dad”—Gracie nudged him—“I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Okay. Let’s find you one before we go in.” Jubal glanced up and down the long hallway. Across the hall from Ellie’s room was a closet-sized door with a unisex symbol on it. “That should do. Let me make sure it’s empty.” Jubal tested the door and looked inside. “All clear. I’ll wait out here for you. Want me to take the dog?”
“Beau will be fine with me. Don’t go in the room till I come out, okay? I want to surprise Ellie.” She carried the purse into the restroom and closed the door.
Jubal moved against the wall to wait. Ellie’s room was a few feet down the hall. The door stood ajar. From inside he could hear the sound of a man’s voice. Maybe the doctor had stopped by, or one of the male staff was seeing to her needs.
As the voice grew more strident, he could make out words. Only then, as he caught their meaning and their arrogant tone, did he remember the luxury rental car parked outside. His heart dropped as he realized who was in the room with Ellie.
Walk away, a voice in his head shrilled. You don’t want to hear this. But how could he go and leave Gracie? He had little choice except to stay and listen.
“This is the plan, Ellie,” Brent was saying. “We get remarried, our son gets two parents, and you get it all back—the condo, the clothes, the lifestyle, the whole package. We can hire a live-in nanny, so you’ll be free to travel with me, or anything else you want to do. When the boy’s old enough, he’ll go to the best schools and make the kind of friends who can help him succeed later on. He’ll never want for anything.”
Ellie’s murmured reply was too low for Jubal to hear. Was she arguing with the bastard, or was she liking the idea? She’d left Branding Iron for the kind of life Brent was describing. Now she had a chance to get it back. All she had to do was remarry the father of her child. She might not do it for herself, but she could be capable of doing it for her son.
Jubal felt as if a knot had jerked tight in his stomach. Brent could provide all the comfort and security Ellie needed, and a world of advantages for her boy.
What could a poor man like him offer except the hard work and challenges of ranch life? And love, of course. No man could love Ellie as much as he did. But love hadn’t been enough ten years ago. And it wouldn’t be enough now.
Right now, all Jubal wanted to do was take Gracie and leave.
Brent was talking again. “Hell, it wasn’t that bad, was it? We did manage to make a baby together. Think about that baby now. Doesn’t he deserve to grow up with his real father and mother?”
Again, Ellie’s reply was muffled.
“I don’t have to play nice, you know,” he said. “I could sue for joint custody. No judge in the world would deny me that. But you’ll be spared that if we’re man and wife . . .”
From the restroom, Jubal heard the sound of water running. An instant later Gracie came out into the hall. Ellie’s purse dangled from one hand. The other hand cradled Beau against her shoulder. Jubal made a move to stop her, but he wasn’t fast enough. Thrusting the purse at him, she headed through the door into Ellie’s room.
No way was Jubal letting her go in there alone. Still holding Ellie’s purse, he followed her.
“Hi, Ellie . . .” Gracie’s voice trailed into silence as she saw the tall, blond stranger standing next to the bed. He turned toward her with a look that was almost chilling. Uncertain, Gracie set Beau on the blanket next to Ellie.
Suddenly the little dog went crazy.
Snarling like a miniature hellhound, he lunged at Brent. His teeth clamped onto the man’s hand, catching the web of skin between his thumb and forefinger. Cursing and waving his arm, Brent shook the dog loose. Beau yelped as he flew through the air and landed, stunned, on the tile floor.
“I’ll kill that damned dog!” Brent swung a foot. Jubal moved to block the blow, shouldering him off balance. Brent stumbled against a bedside table, sending a water glass crashing to the floor.
Gracie was crying. Before she could reach Beau and pick him up, the little poodle scrambled to his feet, darted out the door, and rocketed down the hall.
“No! ” Gracie pushed past her father, and raced after him.
Ellie had pressed the emergency button. The gray-haired nurse who walked into the room looked tough enough to stare down a charging grizzly. “Stay with her,” Jubal said. “Don’t leave her or the baby alone with this man until I get back.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got this,” she said.
Reassured, Jubal charged after his daughter and the dog.
* * *
The bite on Brent’s hand was oozing pinheads of blood. Muttering, he dabbed at the wound with a damp paper towel.
“Don’t worry, Beau’s had all his shots,” Ellie said.
He glared at her. This was the real Brent, the man she’d left and divorced. “That damned dog hates me,” he said.
“He has every reason to.”
He turned to the nurse, who stood next to Ellie’s bed. “Don’t you have a Band-Aid or something?”
“The emergency room’s in the other wing. You’ll see the sign outside.”
“Never mind,” he growled. “This isn’t over, Ellie. We’ll talk later.”
“We’ll talk now, and then you’ll go,” Ellie said. “First of all, I wouldn’t remarry you for all the money in the world. I gave you a second chance, and you showed me you hadn’t changed. You never will.
“Second, if you try to get custody of my baby, I’ll fight you with everything I’ve got. I’ll use everything I know about you.”
His eyes narrowed. “Yeah? Like what?”
“That you cheated.”
He shrugged. “And?”
“That you were an abusive husband who would probably be an abusive father. Something tells me that would carry some weight with the judge.”
“Abusive? Hell, I slapped you around a little, mostly because you deserved it. But I never hurt you. I never broke any bones or put you in the hospital.”
“Did you slap Valerie around, too? Is that why she’s divorcing you? Maybe I should call her. We could have a very productive conversation. She’d probably even back me in court if I asked her to.”
His lip curled. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“I’d do anything to keep you away from my son—even make sure your clients and partners found out what a poor excuse for a human being you are. Don’t mess with me, Brent. Try it and you’ll be sorry. That’s all. You can leave now.”
His gaze swept the small room, coming to rest on the bassinet. “Will you at least let me see him?”
“Don’t even think about it.”
He made a move to go around the bed. The nurse blocked his way. “One more step, buster, and I’m calling security.”
Brent deflated with a hiss of breath. “You haven’t heard the end of this, Ellie,” he muttered.
“Fine,” Ellie said. “Do your worst. Now go. I have nothing more to say to you.”
With a last, venomous look, he turned and stalked out the door.
The nurse touched her shoulder. “Hang on, honey. I want to make sure that jackass really leaves. For what it’s worth, if you need me in court, I heard every word.”
As the woman walked out of the room, Ellie pressed her hands to her face. She was shaking, scarcely able to believe what she’d just done. In the years of her marriage, Brent had stripped away her self-confidence. She’d taken his cheating and abuse, blaming herself and knowing that to stand up to him would only make things worse. Now, with her baby to protect, she’d become a tigress.
But something else had lent her courage. Her beloved little dog, all four fighting pounds of him, had remembered what Brent had done in the past and sprung to protect her—and Brent had almost killed him. Tears flooded her eyes at the thought of Beau’s devotion.
Was he hurt? Was he hiding somewhere in the hospital, scared and in pain? All she could do was wait and pray he was safe, and that Gracie and Jubal would find him.
* * *
After twenty minutes of searching, there was still no sign of Beau. Jubal and Gracie had searched the length of the maternity wing, peeking in the rooms, apologetically, to check the floors and closets. They’d checked the supply rooms, the restrooms, even the laundry collection bins. Nothing. If they didn’t find Beau soon, they would have to search the other wings. Maybe the hospital would send out an alert on the P.A. system.
“He’s got to be hiding somewhere,” Gracie said. “He was really scared, maybe hurt, too. Why do you think he attacked that awful man?”
“He was protecting Ellie,” Jubal said. That was the only explanation. Dogs had long memories. If Brent had hurt Ellie in the past, Beau would remember and see him as a threat. Strange, Ellie had mentioned that Brent cheated on her, but she’d never told him she’d been physically abused. Maybe she’d been in denial, or too ashamed to be open about it.
Jubal’s own protective instincts flared. So help him, if Brent ever came near Ellie or her baby again, he would beat the man within an inch of his life.
“Dad.” Gracie tugged at his sleeve. “I’ve got an idea. I know where Beau might go to feel safe.”
“Okay. Where?”
“What’s Beau’s favorite thing—besides Ellie?”
“I don’t know . . . maybe trees?”
“I bet that’s where he’d hide if he was scared—under the tree! Come on!” Gracie took off ahead of him, racing down the corridor toward the lobby. Jubal had warned her against running in the hospital, but he couldn’t fault her now.
When he caught up with his daughter, she was belly-down on the polished floor, sliding under the Christmas tree. With the prickly branches almost touching the floor, it had to be tough going, but Gracie was a small package of determination. He heard her voice, gently coaxing, heard an answering whimper.
“I’ve got him, Dad,” she said. “Pull us out.”
Bystanders passing through the lobby stopped to watch as he seized her boots and pulled her gently backward. Pine needles clung to Gracie’s hair and clothes as she slid out from under the tree with Beau clutched in her hands. As Jubal helped his daughter to her feet, the watchers cheered and moved on.
The tiny dog was wide-eyed and shaking. Dry needles and bits of pine gum clung to his coat. But he appeared to be more scared than hurt. Gracie cuddled him close, murmuring little comforts and kissing his head.
From where he stood, Jubal could see through the glass doors to the curb. He hadn’t seen Brent leave, but the black Town Car was gone. Dare he hope it was gone for good?
As he and Gracie walked back down the long hallway, Jubal recalled the things he’d wanted to say to Ellie. He’d already waited too long. Today he would say all of them, and more, with Gracie as his witness.
I love you, Ellie. His thoughts formed the words. I want to be there always for you and your son. I want to make a family with you, Gracie, the baby—and yes, even your fool dog. I want to be your husband and your son’s father. And if Brent tries to interfere, I want to be there to fight him for you.
If you’ll have me, I can’t promise that our lives will be easy. But I promise to give you all the time and space you need. I’ll never try to change you or force you into someone else’s idea of what a wife should be, because I respect and love who you are, as you are.
We’ll have plenty of things to talk over—but I’m offering you a start. Which way we go from here is up to you.
It was a lot to say. She’d probably get tired of listening before he was through. But he meant every word, and she needed to hear it.
He could only hope that, after she’d heard everything, Ellie would say yes.
* * *
In an agony of waiting, Ellie watched the second hand creep around the face of the clock. Almost twenty minutes had passed since Jubal had gone after Gracie and Beau. What if her precious dog had gotten lost, or been picked up and taken by some passerby? Or what if something else had gone wrong—an accident, or an ugly altercation with Brent?
The baby was awake and fussing—not hungry, just wanting to be held. Ellie could already tell the difference. Shifting to the side of the bed, she lifted him out of the bassinet. As she gathered him close, he stopped fussing and lay in her arms, warm and contented. Holding him, watching the expressions come and go on his tiny rosebud face, Ellie was filled with wonder. As she imagined watching him grow, learning to walk and talk, becoming a boy, then a man, one thing became sure.
She wanted to raise him with Jubal, in a loving home with Gracie as his big sister, and more little ones, fathered by the man she loved.
But did Jubal want her? What if he’d grown tired of the ongoing drama that swirled around her? What if he’d taken Beau back to the house and decided not to return?
But no, she had to believe he’d come back. When he did, she wouldn’t let him leave until she’d told him all the things she’d waited far too long to say.
I love you, Jubal. I’ve always loved you. And if you’ll have me, I want us to be a family—you, me, Gracie, and our son. You’re the only father I want for him, the only man I want to share my life with....
She heard the sound of footsteps in the hall. Gracie burst into the room with Beau in her arms. Ellie’s heart soared as Jubal walked in behind her and she saw the smile on his face.
At the sight of Ellie, Beau broke into joyous yips and wiggles, struggling to get free and go to her. His fluffy white coat was smudged with dust, pine needles, and bits of pine gum, but no matter. Laughing, Ellie passed the baby to Jubal and held out her hands for her brave little dog. He leaped into her arms, wagging, whimpering, and smothering her face with doggy kisses.
When he’d calmed down, Ellie handed her dog back to Gracie and cleaned up with a moist wipe before she took her son back. Cuddling her baby close, she smiled up at Jubal. “I have something to say to you,” she said, “something I should have said a long time ago.”
“And I have something to say to you,” Jubal said. “So who wants to go first?”
“Me!” Gracie grinned, bouncing in her boots. “I want to go first!”
“All right.” Jubal gave her a puzzled smile. “Go ahead, Gracie. What do you want to say?”
“Just this.” She took a deep breath. “I know what I want for Christmas. I want you two to get married.”
There was a moment of silence. Then Ellie burst out laughing. “That says it for me,” she said.
“And me,” Jubal added.
They all hugged. Then Jubal took the little velvet box out of his pocket, took out the ring he’d offered Ellie ten years ago, and slipped it on her finger. “I’ll get you a bigger diamond later, I promise,” he said.
Ellie shook her head. “No, this one is perfect. I’ll wear it forever.”
He bent and kissed her.
Christmas had come a few days early this year.