Almost Twilight (15 page)

“Stupidity?”

His
eyes trapped hers in a clash of wills. “Yes, stupidity.”

Heat
filled her face. The tension between them began to escalate. Waves rushed up
against the beach. A cool breeze blew through her hair. But it was the salty
smell of the ocean that brought her to her senses.

She
was too far away from home. She should never have come. She bit her lip,
wanting to flee.

He
took a hesitant step toward her, acting as if he might be sorry for the way
he’d treated her. But that was the understatement of the year.

“Listen,
you’re still not one hundred percent better. You shouldn’t have been out here
without Selena or me.” His tone was softer now, like he was talking to a child.

“Now,
if that isn’t the most infantile thing I’ve ever heard.”

“You
aren’t well,
Nurse Richards
.”

“I
am not
Nurse Richards
,” she said in an irritated tone. “Would you stop
calling me that?”

“What
should I call you then?”

Candy
shook with unveiled anger. She was getting nowhere with him or her vacation. Maybe
she could change her tickets and go home today.

“Don’t
call me anything! I’m going home!” 

She hurried
past him and slipped in the sand. Instinctively, a steel arm reached out and
caught her. She felt herself being swung around to face him.

“You
can’t go home, Candy.”

“Why
not?” she snapped, startled by the use of her first name.

“Because
you can’t,” he said softly, his gray eyes darkening.

She
tilted her head back. “Because why?”

“Because
I need to kiss you.” 

She
merely stared, tongue-tied, too shocked to believe he would kiss her again. But
he did. He lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers. His touch was warm
and sweet like the island wind. Her thoughts began to spin like a windmill.

“Have
you two lovebirds had breakfast yet?” 

Selena’s
voice barely registered.

Rafe
slowly let Candy slip from his hands. “You’re not going home until you have
your vacation. Understand?”

Confused,
Candy stepped back while the splash of waves hitting the beach echoed in her
ears.

Being
with this man was a roller coaster of emotions. One moment they were fighting, the
next moment they were kissing. What was going on here? 

“I
think it would be better if I left.”  

Determined
gray eyes drilled into hers. “Oh, no. Tonight, we’re going to dinner at the big
hotel on Paradise Island. No excuses. You need a vacation.”

Candy
couldn’t help but let out a wry smile. “Doctor’s orders, I presume?”

“Take
it any way you want, sweetheart. But you’re not going home until you see some
of the island. I think you can handle going out tonight. We’ll take it easy.” 

Any
other time Candy would have balked. But when she stood beside this handsome man
with his self-commanding demeanor, shadowed only by swaying palm trees and Selena’s
protective glare, her senses went crazy.

It
must have been that suave smile on Rafe’s face that tilted the answer in his
favor, because her lips just couldn’t form the words no.

“Here’s
a twenty,” Rafe said as he led Candy through the casino. “This is my
contribution to your vacation. Think of this as a date. The date you refused me
back in Clearbrook Valley. No, don’t refuse me again. I have to have some pride
left.”

Candy
smiled. “Thank you, but I’ll pay you back. This is too much.”

His
sweetness made her heart melt, but she couldn’t accept his money. This wasn’t
exactly a date, was it?

It
was eight o’clock in the evening, and Candy was feeling better every minute she
was with Rafe. He had taken her to Paradise Island. She was as excited as a kid
going to her first circus. He made sure she sat most of the time, but
everything was so wonderful, especially the slot machines, she could barely sit
for long.

They
were getting along quite well, and she had to wonder if he was enjoying her
company as much as she was enjoying his. Something between them had changed.

Candy
couldn’t stop herself from falling in love with this proud doctor. Maybe it was
the island. Maybe it was what happened on vacations. Whatever it was, she
didn’t want it to stop.

Rafe
put his hand on her back and steered her toward the quarter slot machines. This
was her first time gambling. She had been moving the floors for half an hour,
spending ten dollars already. That was going to be her limit until Rafe had
handed her the twenty.

“Do
you think I dare?” she asked with excitement, looking at the machines. “I’m
only going to use five dollars of this. But don’t worry, you’ll get all your
money back. I don’t think I will really win anything. But it’s so exciting. I consider
this entertainment, and my budget can handle a few dollars, don’t you think?”

“I
knew you led a dangerous life, Nurse Richards. It was only a matter of time
until I found out who you really were.”

She
laughed. “Oh, look.” She pointed to a slot machine where a lady, dressed in
gold pants and a sequined top, stood up to leave. “Let’s go over there. That
one looks lucky.”

“Whatever
you say.” 

Rafe
stood behind her as she threw the money into the slot machine and pulled the
one-arm bandit.

“I’d
rather pull the arm than push the button,” she went on, excitedly. “It makes
everything last longer. All the excitement, you know. I also have this theory. If
someone sits at one of these machines long enough, something’s going to pop.”

She
glanced over her shoulder. “Did you see that lady who just left?”

“Yes,”
Rafe said, his eyes lit with amusement.

“Don’t
you get it? She’s been sitting here for a very long time. This machine is bound
to be ready for a winner.”

Rafe
rolled his eyes as soon as Candy turned to pull the arm again. He enjoyed
watching her.

He
folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the adjacent slot machine. Her
excitement was contagious.

His
usual dates bordered on two-hundred-dollar-a-night minimums. Candy seemed
content with a bowl of soup for dinner and twenty dollars of entertainment, twenty
dollars which she assured him she would pay back.

She
was, without a doubt, a woman of substance. A woman he meant to share his life
with if she let him.

The
idea came into his head the moment he saw Dragon Man hovering over her. He had
been ready to kick the living daylights out of the man. He didn’t want Candy
with anyone but him, and that’s why he had gotten so mad at her.

He
watched her smile grow as she won a dollar.

He
had changed his mind about marriage. Maybe it wasn’t so bad. Maybe things would
be all right if he married the right woman. He could still shield his heart in
some aspects of his life, but he couldn’t fight Candy any longer. The woman
drove him crazy. His feelings for her were growing by the second.

He
had always been attracted to her. They had worked together at the hospital for
a long time. But it was at Tanner’s wedding where things had heated up, and they
had danced around each other ever since.

Even
though he had spent only a small amount of time in the islands with her, he had
run into her at Tanner’s house, holiday parties, dinners, and barbeques. It had
taken a lot for him to ask her out that night she turned him down. It had also
been humiliating, something he didn’t feel too often.

However,
it was here in the islands where Rafe finally saw the light. He was falling in
love with her, had been falling in love with her the past year. He hadn’t
wanted to face reality. Basically, he hadn’t wanted to face life.

The
only problem now was how to save his pride and make it look like it was his
idea to marry Candy instead of his father’s. That would take planning. Of
course, she may need some time to get used to the idea. It was rather quick.
But he knew what he wanted.

Bing!
Bing! Bing!

The
sound of the slot machine pulled Rafe from his thoughts. He stared in shock
when he saw the zeroes ring on Candy’s machine.

Her
face lit up as she turned to him. “I think I won some money, Rafe.”

Rafe
took his eyes off her face and stared at the top of the slot machine where the
red light was blinking up a storm.

“Some
money,” he said in disbelief. “You broke the bank, sweetheart.”

“How
much damage?” she asked with a thrilling giggle.

“For
crying out loud, Candy. You won ten thousand dollars!”

Candy
slipped off the chair, and Rafe caught her before she hit the floor.

Two
chocolate brown eyes gazed up at him in shock. “W-what did you say?”

Rafe
flung her into his arms and kissed her. “Ten thousand dollars, sweetheart. You
won ten thousand dollars.”

Candy
wiped her brow and sagged against his chest. “I need some fresh air. I think
I’m going to faint.”

He
threw his head back and laughed. “You can’t leave now. You have to claim your
prize.”

Candy
fell back into the chair and rested her head against the machine. “Ten...thousand
dollars? We won ten thousand dollars?”

“Oh,
no. Not we! You! I’m not taking anything from you but that twenty dollars. That
way, we’re even. You don’t owe me anything. Understand?”

She
nodded, looking a bit numb.

Rafe
led her to the cashier’s desk and watched in amusement as she collected her
winnings. Laughing, he supported her as she swayed out of the casino into the
warm island air.

“I
can’t believe I won so much money.”

“Believe
it.”

“But
you don’t understand. Now, I can put the down payment on my house,” she said
happily. “I won’t have to borrow a thing. Of course, with the winnings, I will
have to pay some taxes, but I’ll have more than enough!”

The
word
house
hit Rafe’s brain with the force of a flying coconut. The
conversation with Ed Riley suddenly came back to haunt him, along with his
father’s warning. How could he have forgotten?

Frowning,
he turned her in his arms. “What exactly do you mean, your house?”

Two
sparkling brown eyes met his gaze. “I bought the Banter house down on Main
Street. You know, that peeling old yellow thing.” 

Her
light laugh struck Rafe right in the heart. He had to think fast or he could
lose her.

“Why
do you want that dirty old thing anyway? You could have something much better. How
about one of those condominiums on Jefferson?”

She
gazed up at him with childlike eyes. “A condo? I want that house, Rafe. It has
character.”

Rafe
avoided her happy face and looked over her shoulder. That land was the best
place for his family home, not to mention that he had already ejected Candy
from the deal. He was surprised Ed Riley had never gotten back to her. But he
wondered if the man knew her whereabouts? 

“Is
there something wrong?” she asked, her brows lifting in concern.

Rafe
kissed her forehead and smiled. “Nothing, sweetheart. Uh, is your cell phone
working?” 

She
blinked. “My cell phone. I forgot to see if my plan covered the islands. Guess
I should check, huh? But I think it’s still working.”

Rafe
swallowed. “I can look into it when we get back to the condo.” Hopefully, Ed
Riley wasn’t going to call until she returned to the States.

Rafe
needed to figure out how to spin his story so he wouldn’t lose Candy. Maybe he should
just tell her the truth. But their relationship was so fragile now, he didn’t
know if that would be wise.

He
also knew he had to play his hand carefully, not giving himself away too soon
or he might scare her off. He wouldn’t say he loved her, because he wasn’t sure
about opening his heart to that.

He
smiled to himself. They could live in his mountain top home overlooking Clearbrook
Valley. She would no longer have need for the Banter home, and his pet project
for housing needy families of patients at the hospital would be put into full
swing in a matter of weeks.

Everything
would work out just fine. If she still wanted to work at the hospital, he had
no problem with that.

He
took Candy’s hand in his, realizing that sooner or later they would have to
talk about the Banter house. Oh, well, later sounded better to him.

The
call came in about two in the morning.

Rafe’s
gut instantly knotted. He lifted his head from his pillow and glanced at his
phone. It was Jim.

Thoughts
whipped through Rafe’s head. He received medical calls in the middle of the
night all the time, and they usually didn’t rattle him, even though the calls
ranged from minor incidents to major emergencies. But he had accepted that.