Everybody Knows (Sunnyside #1) (27 page)

Zach shocked Harper by
driving her home from the hospital, escorting her into her house, and closing
the door behind them. Not dropping her at the curb, not ducking in through the
back, not pretending he was dropping off a pizza. Just straight up the walk
with his arm around her and through the door like a normal couple.

“Well, that will give the neighbors something to
talk about.” When she started to collapse on the couch, he scooped her up and
carried her to her room. “I’m not ready for bed.”

“Yes, you are. You should rest. You have a
concussion, you’re bruised and banged up, and you’ve had ten stitches. They only
let you leave the hospital because I said I’d be responsible for you.”

“I guess it helps to know people.”

“Yep.”

“And I guess we’re out in the open now.”

Laying her gently on the bed, he kissed her
forehead. “I was tired of sneaking around.”

She could only guess the kind of emotional turmoil
boiling inside him, but she closed her eyes, too exhausted to have a full-blown
discussion. “Since I seem to be in bed, I should sleep. You should go.”

“You should eat first.”

She couldn’t imagine the kind of effort that would
take. “I’m too tired to eat. You don’t know what’s best for me.”

“In this situation, I do know what’s best.”

“If you’re going to stay, quit looming over me.”

“I’m going downstairs to fix you some twigs and
leaves to eat. You’ll like that.”

They’d given her pain medicine, her head was
pounding, and food would probably make her throw up. “I want grilled cheese.
And tomato soup. With crackers.”

“I can probably manage that.” He gently tucked the
blanket around her and put Calliope on the bed. “Here’s your cat. She’ll keep
you company. I’ll be right back.”

Harper dozed off and on through the night. Damned
pain pills. Why didn’t she want to sleep? She couldn’t remember. She just knew
she’d rather be awake.

For the most part, Zach sat beside her and read
with Calliope nearby. Holding Harper’s hand, looping her arm through his,
resting her head on his shoulder, it seemed like he constantly maintained some
kind of contact.

When morning came and her head began to clear, she
opened her eyes to a rare dawn sighting of the mighty Dr. Novak, soaking in his
presence. With a book in his hand, he was sprawled out beside her. He usually
left before sunrise.

“What are you reading?”

“To Kill a Mockingbird.”

“You’re kidding. Why are you reading that?”

“I hadn’t read it since high school, and it’s one
of your favorites. Since I wanted to be awake to check on you through the
night, it seemed like a good way to pass the time.” Casually passing the time
with her signed first edition.
Aack!
She seriously hoped he hadn’t dog-eared any of the pages.

“Don’t you have rounds this morning or patients to
see?”

“Nope.” Setting the book aside, he reached for his
medical bag. He pulled out a thermometer and a blood pressure cuff.

While she should be pleased by that news,
something about it seemed off. She didn’t know what. Damned pain pills. Her
cotton-stuffed head would probably hurt like the dickens when the drugs wore
off. Her eyelids fluttered closed but then flew back up. Fighting off the pain,
she struggled to sit up. “You aren’t going to the office or the hospital?”

His hands were there to help her, adjusting
pillows and blankets. “Nope.”

“You got your assignment.” It wasn’t a question.
She knew without being told. He was leaving. It was time.

“Yes.”

“When do you leave? Where are you going?” The
words stuck in her throat. Her heart cracked with each syllable.

“Tomorrow morning. Syria.”

The air whooshed out of her lungs.
Tomorrow!
Too soon. She wasn’t ready.
Would she ever be ready? Probably not. She couldn’t let him see her distress.
And
Syria
! So far away. Such a
dangerous location!

“Perfect timing.” She faked a bright smile. “Lucky
your going-away party is tonight. Everybody would have been disappointed if you
left without telling them goodbye.”

“Harper, you don’t have to pretend you don’t care.
It’s breaking my heart to leave you, but I have to go.”

“I know.” She tucked her hand in his. “Can we
spend the day together?”

“And the night.” He flexed his eyebrows
suggestively. “But I need to spend some time with my dad this morning, and I
have a few things to take care of with Josh. But I’ll back before lunch. I’ll
send Rachel over to sit with you while I’m gone. She’ll fix your breakfast.”

“I’m not an invalid, you know.”

“You are until I say otherwise. And that won’t be
until after lunch, so just rest and behave.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead.

She challenged him with a hand on her hip. “Or
what?”

“You can’t go to my party tonight.”

“Now that’s an event I might rather miss.”

“If I have to endure it, so do you.”

“I don’t see the logic of that.”

“The concussion must be fogging your brain.” He
escorted her to the bathroom and back to bed, straightened her covers, kissed
her cheek, and tucked her in. “I’ll be back soon.”

Back soon, but not for long. She didn’t know if she
could take the heartbreak.

Zach ran his errands, returned, and sent Rachel
home. Before his sister ducked into the rain, she hugged him tight and got all
teary-eyed. “Don’t start.” He hugged her back.

“I don’t like knowing you’ll be leaving and not
coming home again anytime soon. So sue me.” She dabbed her nose with a tissue.

Hell, if she kept that up, he’d be teary-eyed
before the day was over, too. “As sisters go, you’re not bad.”

“High praise.” She raised her umbrella and dashed
down the walk.

Now that Dad, Josh, and Rachel knew about his
scheduled departure, the news would spread fast. Everyone in town would be
looking for him. Harper’s bedroom was a good place to hide out. He liked it
there and not for the obvious reasons, either. The room was filled with energy,
like Harper. Colorful and warm and with touches of fun and whimsy.

He climbed into bed beside her and wrapped his
arms around her. He wanted to give her body time to heal, but they didn’t have
any time to spare. After the party, he intended to make love to her all night
long, imprinting her on his brain and his body for a good long time. But for
now, he’d just rest with her next to him. He hadn’t gotten much sleep the night
before. He’d stayed awake to keep an eye on her and to avoid nightmares about
the accident.

With the rain beating on the roof, maybe he could
catch a nap.

Her hands on him brought him back to
consciousness. Touching him everywhere. A beautifully naked Harper pushed him
onto his back and kissed him. What a way to wake up, but she probably shouldn’t
be doing that. She was tired and sore and still suffering the effects of a
concussion. He wasn’t top-notch himself.

“Harper.”

“Shhhh.” Her lips hummed against his.

Okay, kissing was a good idea. He could go along
with kissing. Her lips on his. Nibbling, sucking, licking. Oh, yeah. Kissing
was exceptional. Until she slipped his shirt over his head and pressed her
breasts against him. His thumbs automatically tweaked her nipples. His hands
cupped them and brought them to his mouth. Which he probably shouldn’t do, but
really, if he looked at in a completely objective way, having her breasts in
his mouth was just another form of kissing. So, yeah. More kissing.

They could spend the afternoon kissing, switching
locations of the kisses from time to time, mouths, chests, stomachs, wherever,
and he could float in a zone of semi-arousal. Except for that pesky full-on
hard-on that was pressing against his zipper and threatening to break free.

And then suddenly his junk was free of its
restrictive clothing and happy and rubbing against Harper’s palm. Her tongue
was in his mouth, and her hands were occupied. Just to help out, he pushed his
jeans down. All that bare nakedness coming together went a long way to
enhancing the already incredible kissing experience.

And who was he kidding? This was it for them. This
was the time and the place. Naked and ready to go, with eighteen hours of
togetherness left, they weren’t going to waste any of those moments with
reservations. He wanted to savor every touch, every nuance, every sensation.
This was the woman who would live on in his heart and brain and soul for the
next twenty or forty or one hundred years. He was going to make damn sure he
lived on in hers, too.

Every touch transformed into a caress, every
breath a blessing. His hands and mouth explored every inch of her, taking her
to the brink of climax and backing off until she was panting and demanding. “I
want to come now.”

“No.” Since his head was between her legs and his
cock was in her mouth at the moment, he wasn’t in a great position to bargain.

“You and me, together. Now. Or just you. Your
choice.”

“Now, together.” He wanted to isolate the moment into
a bubble of time that spiraled out into eternity. But they didn’t have
eternity. Still reluctant to bring an end to the joy and pleasure they’d
shared, they switched positions until they were face to face. Hovering over
her, he soaked in her beauty and warmth as he pushed inside.

As always, she moved with him in perfect rhythm,
hard and fast, matching thrusts and heartbeats. Their hands and eyes linked for
the journey to the moon and back.

After an explosive climax that rocked their world
and left him wrenched and drained, a sense of peace and acceptance washed over
him. Ready to sleep and make love again in endless repetition for the next two
or three days or weeks, he knew they didn’t have that kind of time. They didn’t
have any time left at all.

Harper tugged on his hair. “We need to get ready
for the party.”

Realizing a little too late that he’d collapsed on
top of her, he raised his head. “I was just kidding before. You don’t have to
go if you don’t feel up for it.”

“No, I do have to go. Whatever they’re speculating
about you and me now, after last night and today, it will be worse if I don’t
show up for your party. They’ll assume I’m hiding. I don’t want anyone to think
I have anything to regret or be ashamed of.”

He hoped she didn’t have any regrets. She
certainly didn’t have anything to be ashamed of. He’d make sure everyone knew
it was all on him before he left her to deal with them on her own. “Let’s go
then. We’ll stay only as long as I have to, and then, be prepared. I’m going to
keep you up all night having my way with you, every which way, at least six new
positions and three new sounds, until you’re begging me to leave you alone.”

“That will never happen.”

The newly renovated fitness facility smelled of
fresh paint when Harper and Zach arrived at the party. Liam slouched against
the reception desk, pointing newcomers in the appropriate direction.

“About time you got here,” he said to Zach.
“People were starting to get antsy. I don’t know why they’re making such a big
deal about you leaving. You’ve been pretty annoying most of the time you lived
here. And I know a couple of things about you they might not like.”

Zach laughed. “Coming from you, the Dark Lord, no
one will believe a word you say about Sunnyside’s Angel of Mercy.”

“You’re right about that.”

“If they only knew. We’re more similar than
different.” Zach slapped his friend on the back before Liam turned to greet
Harper. He hadn’t been back in town for very long and had endured a lot during
his absence. Now Zach was the one leaving. He’d miss his old friend, but he
felt confident they’d reconnect in the future. Of course, he didn’t like the
too-friendly way his buddy left his arm around Harper’s waist.

Liam’s shrug masked a lot of pain. “The town makes
up their mind about a person early.”

“What do they have against you?” Harper asked.

“To Sunnyside, I’ll always be the stupid teenager
who spray-painted the World War II monument in the park orange.”

“You’re known for more that.” Zach pulled Harper
back to his side.

“None of it good.”

“All in the past. This is your fresh start. Don’t
screw it up.”

“I’m not making any promises.” The Dark Lord cast
a sultry look Harper’s way. “Would making a move on your girl be considered screwing
it up?”

“I can see why you’d consider it. She
is
a great girl. But then I’d have to
whip your ass at some point in the future.”

“You could
try
.”

Bert Marshall and Barb Gentry came in out of the
rain, shaking their umbrellas and stamping their feet. “Zach! I thought you’d
already be inside enjoying your party.” She arched an eyebrow. “I hear you two
had a close call yesterday.”

“Harper got knocked around a bit, but she’ll be
fine.”

“We’re sure going to miss you,” Bert said. “I’ve
got a speech prepared for later, but I’ll bet everyone’s waiting to see you
now. Go on in. I need to talk to Liam first.” Bert turned to the man who had
dated his daughter all through high school. “You did a helluva job renovating
this old barn. I’m glad we made the investment. Are you taking membership
applications yet?”

Harper and Zach moved into the big room already
filled to overflowing. A royal cheer went up when he stepped inside, and she
tried to step back. He kept his hand clamped around her arm as he moved from
group to group, receiving hugs, kisses, advice, and well-wishes as he went. He
made sure they included Harper in the conversation. When pressed, people asked
about her head injury or the progress to the library.

Cora welcomed her with open arms and a stream of consciousness
dialogue. “Harper, I made that spinach dip you like and my favorite cheese
potatoes. Be sure to have some when you fix your plate. Most of the dishes at
the potluck won’t be vegetarian, but you need to eat something. Look at your
poor head. Don’t worry, that scar will fade away to nothing. I have a fabulous
cream that will help. I’ll bring it to the library for you next week after this
dear boy is gone. What in the world are we going to do without him? He just
makes every day brighter when he’s around, doesn’t he? So. You and Zach, I
wondered about that when he came over to pick out a cat for you. Perfect for
one another, but of course, now he’s leaving. You must be so sad. At least
you’ll have sweet Calliope to keep you company.”

She might have gone on for another ten minutes,
but Kate appeared and the crowd went silent. The gym teacher saw Zach with his
arm around Harper and promptly burst into tears. “Really, Zach? How could you?”

She turned to flee, and Zach followed her out the
back onto a covered landing, pulling Harper along with him. “Kate, wait. You
know it’s not like that.”

“I don’t know what it’s like, Zach. Why don’t you
tell me? I thought we had an understanding.” She stood at the edge of the
porch, staring out at the fall drizzle, playing out the drama for all she was
worth.

Zach put his hands on her shoulders, turning her
toward him. “We did, and I honored it for as long as I could. I kept my
relationship with Harper secret for as long as I could, but that didn’t work
for any of us it, did it? I never wanted to hurt you, but hiding who and what
you want are no way to live. We’re the best of friends. I was protection for
you, and you were a habit for me, but that didn’t bring either one of us joy.
We both need to change that. We both deserve more.”

Kate’s chin jerked up. “That’s so much easier for
you to say. You’ve got Betty Boobs over there, but where does that leave me?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harper pale
and step away, backing toward the door. The door that had been left open where
half a dozen Sunnyside residents eavesdropped on the conversation. It wasn’t
his place to reveal Kate’s secrets, but he wanted her to understand his
position. “Only you can decide that, Kate, but don’t take it out on Harper.”

“She’s all you care about, isn’t she?”

“Not all, no, but I don’t want her to pay for my
mistakes.”

“You just go and do what you need to do in some
far off place where no one will know you killed my brother. See if you like
your life there any better there than you do here.”

Well, that comment drew a gasp from the crowd.
Rachel stepped out to take charge of her friend. “I’ll talk to her,” she said
to Zach. “You’re supposed to be at a party.”

“Go on,” Kate agreed, grudgingly. “Enjoy your
escape. Stay safe.”

Reluctantly, Zach and Harper returned to the main
room, but the party atmosphere had deflated like a leaky balloon. He continued
to collect his share of hugs and well-wishes, joking with the men and drying
the tears of the women. But Harper became a pariah, ignored or stared at in
equally unsettling turns. No matter how much he tried to include her, she
pulled farther and farther away from him while he ate and chatted through the
speeches from the Mayor, Bert, Dad, and Josh. At one point, the building shook
and the overhead lights dimmed. Murmurs went through the room. What was
that
? A small earthquake? Giant thunder?
What?

“See?” Bert joked. “Even God wants to put in his
two cents about Zach leaving.”

Zach just wanted the party and the prolonged
farewells to be over. He wanted to take Harper home and lose himself inside
her. He wanted to apologize for putting her in the exact position he’d most
wanted to avoid. After yesterday’s wreck, he’d thought it seemed stupid and
callous to keep hiding their relationship, to pretend she meant nothing to him
when she meant everything. More than he could ever express to her or to the
town, not that it was any of their business.

She’d made him happier in the past four months
than he’d ever been before. If he didn’t feel so compelled to leave and find
himself, he’d be tempted to stay here with her, to protect her, to love her.
But if the face-off with Kate had taught him anything, it was that he couldn’t
be the person he wanted to be in Sunnyside. And Harper didn’t want to be
anyplace else. So, what could he do about that? Classic impasse. He’d made a
commitment to go someplace hazardous, where life was precious, and do something
selfless. How could he do anything else?

Time for him to get Harper out of here and into
bed. As he made his way toward her, several guys checked their phones and
headed for the exit. Before he got to Harper, he was waylaid by Libby Taylor,
one of his patients.
Former
patients.
“Hey, Zach.” She waddled over on the arm of her husband Bill. “Let me give you
a hug before I go.”

“Thanks, Libby.” He stretched his arms around her
pregnant body and squeezed. “You shouldn’t even be here. Aren’t you on
restricted bed rest?”

“Since you’re the one who put there, you know I
am.”

“I told her not to come,” Bill said, “but she
wouldn’t hear of staying home.”

“I’m honored, but you need to get off your feet.
Want me to take your blood pressure before you take off?”

“One last time? For old time’s sake? Thanks, but
no. My new doctor’s got it covered.” She nodded at Josh, who was approaching
with a grim and determined look on his face.

“Take care of yourself,” Zach said. “Have a happy,
healthy baby boy.”

“Take care of yourself. I’m naming him Zach.”

“I’m sure Josh will let me know when he arrives.”
Damn, he wasn’t supposed to be the one getting choked up.

“Hey, Libby. Time for you to head on home while I
borrow Zach for a second. I’ll see you next week.”

“What’s going on?” Zach asked his brother. “I
noticed volunteer fireman heading out the door.”

“That rumble we felt? Explosion at Engler’s Grain
Elevator.”

Zach winced. Granary explosions were the worst.
There hadn’t been one in about twenty years, but he remembered the devastation
caused by the last one. “How many people affected?”

“Ten to fifteen unaccounted for, but some of them could
be here at the party. Old Jacobson hasn’t been seen, for sure. That whole row
of houses by the south fence is going up in flames. The Sanders family is
already on the way to County with third degree burns. Likely to be at least
half a dozen more hurt.”

“Let’s get going.”

“I was hoping you’d say that. I’m going to need
all the help I can get.”

“Was there any doubt?”

“Technically, you’re off the payroll here, and you
have a flight out of town in the morning. I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to
sit this one out.”

“Can’t do it.”

“Do you want to tell Harper you’re leaving? I’ve
already filled Susannah in, but it’s best if we get out of this building before
the explosion becomes public knowledge.”

“Go ahead and take off. I’ll meet you at the
hospital.”

Harper excused herself to Rachel and Daxina when
he motioned her over. “Problem?”

“Yeah.” He explained to her about the granary.
“When there’s an explosion, they go up hot and fast. Anyone in the immediate
vicinity goes that way, too. There could be any number of injuries, and Josh
needs my help.”

“Of course, he does. Can you drop me off at home
or should I get a ride?”

“I was hoping Rachel could take you.”

“I’m sure she will. Don’t worry about me.”

“Let’s keep this news quiet as long as we can,
okay? I don’t want everyone panicking and running out there and getting in the
way.”

“They won’t hear it from me.”

“Walk out with me?” He linked his fingers with
hers. “This is going to ruin our last night together. I’m sorry about that.”

“Your work will always take precedence in any
relationship you’re in. I understand that, and maybe it’s just as well we end
it with the time we had together this afternoon. I didn’t know it was the last
time, so I was able to enjoy it more than if I’d had that refrain running
through my head.”

“What refrain?”

“Last-time-last-time-last-time-last time.”

“Okay, I get it.” He pressed his fingertips to her
lips and then pulled her to him and kissed her, loading the caress with as much
apology as he could convey. “But that wasn’t our last kiss. I’ll come over as
soon as I get done at the hospital. No matter what time it is. I hate to leave
you like this.”

“Like this or some other way won’t matter. The
result’s the same.” She separated herself from him and gave him a little push
toward his truck, but his feet were already moving. “Just go. I’ll see you
before you leave.”

Before getting into the truck, he stole a few
seconds to watch her as she walked away.