Orchard Valley Brides (10 page)

When she'd finished the call, she wandered downstairs. Without consciously realizing where she'd been headed, she found herself standing in the doorway of her father's den.

“Would you like a cup of hot chocolate?” she asked. The offer was an excuse to talk, and she suspected her father would recognize it as such.

He did. Setting aside his book, he glanced up at her. “Sure. Would you like some help?”

Before she had a chance to answer, he stood and followed her into the kitchen. While she took out the saucepan, her father retrieved the milk from the refrigerator. Norah was gratified to see how much more energetic he'd become lately; his recovery really had been miraculous, she decided.

“How's Rowdy?” he asked almost as if he'd known exactly what she wanted to discuss.

“Good,” she answered, hoping to appear nonchalant. “He's taking a business trip to San Francisco in the morning. I asked him how often he's been there, and he told me he's visited the Bay area a dozen times in the past half year.”

“As I recall, Valerie took several trips there with him.”

“I remember that,” Norah said, “but did you know that in spite of all those times Rowdy's visited San Francisco, he's never been down to Fisherman's Wharf or walked through Chinatown or taken a cruise around the Bay? When I pressed him, he admitted he's never seen anything more than the airport and the inside of a hotel meeting room.”

“Rowdy Cassidy's a busy man.”

“Don't you get it?” Norah cried, surprised by the strength of her emotion. “He's working himself to death, and for what? Some software company that will pass on to a distant relative he hasn't seen in twenty years. A relative who'll probably just sell his share of the stock. To strangers!”

“It bothers you that Rowdy doesn't have any heirs?” her father asked as he brought down two earthenware mugs.

“What bothers me,” she returned heatedly, “is that he's working himself to death for no real reason. He's a candidate for a heart attack—the same way you were. He's got atrocious eating habits, doesn't exercise and works too hard.”

David nodded and grinned. “You know what it sounds like to me?” he asked, and not waiting for a reply added, “Rowdy Cassidy needs a wife. Don't you agree?”

 

As hard as she tried to concentrate on her own duties, Norah couldn't keep her mind off Rowdy. He'd already told her he wouldn't be able to call her, since his meetings with the stockholders would last until all hours of the night. For reasons she didn't understand, Norah was restless all afternoon.

When she arrived home she found her father weeding the garden she'd planted earlier that summer. He straightened and waved when he saw her.

“Looks like we've got enough lettuce here for a decent salad.”

Norah crouched down in the freshly weeded row and picked a handful of radishes. “We can add a few of these, as well.”

It was good to see her father soaking up the sunshine, looking healthy and relaxed. He was working part-time, managing the orchard, which kept him occupied without overtaxing him.

“Before I forget,” her father said, “an envelope was delivered for you this afternoon. I think it's from Rowdy.”

Norah didn't linger outside a moment longer. She couldn't imagine what Rowdy had sent her, but she wasn't waiting to find out. When they'd spoken the night before, he hadn't mentioned anything.

The envelope was propped against a vase of roses left over from Steffie's wedding. Norah's name was inked with a lavish hand across the front. Eagerly tearing it open, she discovered a first-class airline ticket to Houston.

Norah stared at it before she slowly replaced it in the envelope, which she set back on the end table. Apparently Rowdy had forgotten she was scheduled to work that weekend.

The phone rang, and when she answered she heard Rowdy's voice. “Norah,” he said, “I'm glad I caught you. Listen, I've only got a couple of minutes between meetings. I wanted to be sure the ticket was delivered. This is crazy. I'm supposed to be here negotiating an important deal, but all I can think about is how long it's
going to be before I can see you again. Trust me, this is no way to run a company.”

“I can't fly to Houston this weekend, Rowdy,” she said without preamble. “You already know that.”

“Why not?”

“I'm working, remember?”

“Forgot.” He swore under his breath. “Can't you get a replacement?”

“Not easily. Weekends are precious to us all, and even more so to people who are married and have families.”

He didn't hesitate for an instant. “Tell whoever will work in your place that I'll pay them ten times what they normally make in a weekend. I need to see you, Norah.”

“I won't do that.”

She could feel his anger. “Why not?”

“I can talk until I'm blue in the face and you still won't understand. Just take my word for it. Your plan won't work.”

“You mean to say there isn't a single nurse in Orchard Valley who'd leap at the chance to earn ten times her normal salary just for working your shift?”

Norah could see that nothing useful would result from her arguing. “That's what I'm saying.”

“I don't believe it.”

Norah sighed. “You're entitled to believe anything you wish, but I know the people I work with. It may come as a shock to you, but family is more important than money.”

“Damn it,” Rowdy said angrily. “Why do you make it so difficult?”

“Rowdy, I can't live my life to suit yours. I'm sorry, I really am, but I have a commitment to my job and to my peers. I can't rush off to Texas because you happen to
want me there. Nor will I allow our relationship to become nothing more than a few hours snatched between meetings and at airports.”

“You seem to be taking a good deal for granted,” he said stiffly.

“How's that?”

“Who told you we had a relationship?”

Norah breathed in sharply at the pain his words inflicted. “Certainly not you,” she answered calmly, belying the turmoil she felt. “You're right, of course,” she said when he didn't respond. “I—I guess I'd put more stock in our friendship than you intended. I apologize, Rowdy, for taking our—
my
—feelings for granted—”

“Norah,” he interrupted. “I didn't mean that.”

She could hear a conversation going on behind Rowdy, but she couldn't make out the details.

“Norah, I've got to go. Everyone's waiting on me.”

“I know…I'm sorry about this weekend, Rowdy, but it can't be helped. Please understand.”

“I'm trying, Norah. Heaven help me, I'm trying. If I get a chance later, I'll give you a call.”

“Okay.” She didn't want their conversation to end on a negative note, but knew it was impossible for him to talk longer.

“Rowdy,” she called, her heart pounding. “I…love you.”

Her words were met with the drone of a disconnected line. He hadn't heard her, and even if he had, would it have made any difference?

 

Norah showed up for work on Saturday morning, her thoughts bleak. She'd been reassigned to the emergency
room, but her heart was in a plane somewhere over California on its way to Houston, Texas.

Refusing Rowdy's offer to spend the weekend with him had been one of the most difficult things she'd ever done. And yet she'd had no choice.

Her relationship with Rowdy—and she
did
believe they had a relationship, his harsh words to the contrary—had made it over several hurdles. They were only beginning to understand and appreciate each other. Despite the present and future problems, Norah felt a new and still shaky confidence, a sense of optimism.

She hadn't heard from Rowdy, other than that one harried phone call, since he'd left Texas. She remembered his saying that he'd be back in Houston sometime Saturday afternoon. Norah planned to leave the hospital at three and hoped to hear from Rowdy shortly after she got home.

He hadn't said he'd call, but she hoped—Norah pulled herself up short. She was doing it already. Although she'd promised herself she'd never allow a man to rule her life, she'd willingly surrendered her heart—and her freedom—to Rowdy Cassidy. There wasn't a single reason to hurry home, she reminded herself. If Rowdy phoned while she was out, she'd return his call later.

Satisfied that she'd put her thinking back on track, she went about her duties. A little after eleven, the new intern, Dr. Fullbright, came into the emergency room to tell her she had a visitor in the waiting room. She immediately assumed it was Valerie, who sometimes dropped in to visit Colby.

When she saw Rowdy standing there, she stopped cold. He looked exhausted. His eyes were sunken and his
features pale, but it didn't matter to Norah. Never had she been more thrilled to see anyone.

“Rowdy?” she whispered, walking into his arms. One crutch fell to the floor as he held her against him. Norah reveled in the sensation of solid warmth and felt an unexpected urge to weep. He was pushing himself too hard, putting in too many hours.

She'd repeatedly refused his offer to become his private nurse, and for the first time she wondered if she'd made a mistake. Obviously he did need someone.

She knew from what Robbins had said that Rowdy hadn't hired a replacement for Valerie and Norah assumed he was continuing to carry both loads himself.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“If you wouldn't come to me, I decided I'd have to come to you.” His hand tangled in her hair as he spoke. “Have you had lunch yet?”

“No. I'll check and see if I can go now. We're not too busy, but I'll need to stay on the hospital grounds.”

Rowdy nodded. “Can we go someplace private?”

If there was any such place in the hospital, Norah had yet to find it. “The cafeteria shouldn't be very crowded.”

Rowdy didn't look wildly enthusiastic at her suggestion, but he agreed.

Norah led the way to the elevator, smiling at the two nurses already inside and regretted that she and Rowdy couldn't be alone. If they'd had at least the brief elevator ride to themselves, she might have found the courage to repeat what she'd confessed at the end of their last telephone conversation.

Norah was right; the cafeteria wasn't crowded and they were afforded some privacy in the farthest corner.
Once Rowdy was comfortably seated, his crutches leaning against the wall, he caught her hand, effectively preventing her from moving to the opposite side of the table. “Sit beside me, Norah.”

Something in his voice, in the way he was looking at her, told Norah this wasn't an ordinary conversation. When he'd asked for someplace private she'd assumed it was because he wanted to kiss her.

“Yes?” she asked, taking the seat.

Rowdy glanced around, apparently checking for eavesdroppers. “All right,” he said with a heavy sigh. “You win.”

“I win?” she repeated, frowning.

“I knew from the first what you wanted.”

“You did?”

“It's what every woman wants. A gold ring on her left hand. I told you earlier, and I meant it, I'm not the marrying kind. I don't have time for a wife and a family.”

Norah was utterly confused, but she said nothing.

“I couldn't sleep last night,” he went on, “until I'd figured out your game plan. Even when I had, it didn't make any difference. I love you so much I can't think clearly anymore.”

Norah remained bewildered. She'd tried to tell him she loved him, but he hadn't heard her in his rush to get back to his meeting.

“I love you, too, Rowdy,” she told him now, her voice soft.

His eyes gentled. “That helps. Not much, but…it helps.”

Norah shook her head in confusion. “I'm afraid I've missed something here. What are you trying to say?”

His mouth fell. “You mean you don't know?”

Norah shook her head again.

“I'm asking you to marry me. I'm not happy about it, but as far as I can see it's the only way.”

“Y
ou're not happy about asking me to marry you,” Norah echoed, too stunned to know what she was feeling.

“I told you before that I had no intention of ever marrying.”

“Then what are you doing proposing to me?” she demanded. “Did you think I was so desperate for a husband I'd leap at your offer?” The numbness was gradually wearing away, and she was furious.

Norah had always been the Bloomfield with the cool head and the even temper. But her much-practiced calm was no match for this situation. Only a man like Rowdy Cassidy would have the nerve to insult a woman and propose marriage to her in the same breath.

“You're not desperate. It's just that—”

“That's not what I heard,” she interrupted. “According to this oh-so-romantic proposal, you're declaring me the winner of some great prize, which I guess is you. Well, I've got news for you, Rowdy Cassidy. I wasn't even aware I'd entered the contest!”

Rowdy clenched his jaw in an unmistakable effort to hold on to his own temper. “I don't believe that. You have me so tied up in knots, I don't know which way is which anymore. It wasn't enough that you turned down the job, but you had to torment me by dating other men!”

“One date! How was I supposed to know you'd want to see me the one and only night I'd made other arrangements? I'm not a mind reader, you know. Was I supposed to be so flattered, so—so
overwhelmed
by your summons that I'd cancel my evening with Ray?”

“Yes!” he shouted.

“I refused to do that then, and I refuse to do it now. I
will not
spend my life waiting for an opening in your absolutely ridiculous schedule.”

Rowdy's hand sliced the air between them. “All right, fine. Let's just drop this thing with Ralph.”

“Ray!” she shouted, attracting attention from those around her.

Both were silent for several embarrassed moments.

Finally, Rowdy exhaled sharply and said, “Shall we try this again?” He studied her through half-closed eyes before proceeding. “I'll admit there were better ways of asking you to be my wife. My only excuse is that I've had almost no sleep in the past thirty hours.”

Norah mellowed somewhat. “Thirty hours?”

Rowdy nodded. “It didn't help that I was looking forward to you being there when I returned home. You might recall that you turned me down on that, as well.”

“It's not as though I didn't want to be with you,” she assured him. “But you knew I was scheduled to work this weekend—I'd told you so myself, remember?”

“What's more important,” he said through gritted teeth, “your job or me?”

“We keep rehashing the same thing,” she said, throwing her hands in the air. “You want me to be at your beck and call. You're suggesting I should spend my life in limbo, waiting for you to find time for me.”

“That's not what I mean at all,” he said in a dangerously quiet voice. “But if you cared about me half as much as I care about you, you'd be willing to make a few minor adjustments.”

“You want far more than
minor
adjustments! You want absolute control and I refuse to give you that.”

“You're not even willing to compromise,” he said bitterly. “With you, it's all or nothing.” He looked away from her, glaring.

“Rowdy, I
am
willing to compromise. All I'm asking for is a little advance warning, so I know what to expect. Do you realize everything we've done has been on the spur of the moment? Nothing has ever been planned.”

He nodded a bit sheepishly. “That's not typical for me, you know. Falling in love with you has shot my concentration, not to mention my organizational abilities, all to hell.”

“Oh, Rowdy.” He could be so sweet and funny when he wanted. But he acted as if loving her was some kind of…weakness. He didn't see love as something that gave you strength, the way Norah did.

“Norah,” he said. His hand reached for hers and his gaze was level with her own. “I love you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

The tears that filled her eyes and her throat made speaking impossible. All because she loved him so much…. Norah blinked, then grabbed a napkin from the
shiny chrome dispenser in the middle of the table and blew her nose.

“I didn't have time to buy a ring,” he told her, “but I thought you'd rather pick one out yourself. Go to any jeweler you want and have them send me the bill. Buy a nice big diamond—money's no problem. All I'm concerned about is making you happy.”

Norah froze and closed her eyes at the unexpected stab of pain. Rowdy just didn't realize. No woman wanted to pick out her wedding ring alone, but she doubted he'd understand that.

“I never meant to fall in love with you,” she said when she could speak again.

“I didn't mean to fall for you, either,” he admitted gruffly. “Heck, I didn't even know what love was. I liked Valerie and I missed her when she was here with you and Steffie during your father's surgery, but—” he shrugged “—love had nothing to do with it.”

“What are you saying?”

“I thought I loved Valerie. I know how angry I got when I learned she was marrying Colby Winston. The fact is, I did everything I could to get her to change her mind. My ego took a beating, thanks to your sister.”

Norah grinned at the memory. Rowdy wasn't accustomed to losing, and it had sorely injured his pride when Valerie defied him.

“What I realized,” he continued, “was that even if Valerie had broken off the engagement, I wouldn't have offered to marry her.” Norah had already known that but made no comment. Rowdy sought out her gaze. “I was never in love with your sister. I might have believed I was at one time, but I know what love is now.”

“You do?”

Rowdy nodded. “I'm not the marrying sort—fact is, I never thought I'd ever want a wife, but damn it all, Norah, you've got me so confused I'd be willing to do just about anything to make things right between us. I'm offering you what I'd never offer your sister or any other woman. If nothing else, that should tell you how serious I am.”

Tears ran unabashed down her cheeks.

“Say you'll marry me, Norah,” he coaxed.

Norah reached for another napkin and dabbed at her cheeks. “I…felt so lonely when Valerie and Steffie fell in love. It was as if the whole world had someone, but me.”

“Not anymore, Norah. We have each other.”

“Do we?” she asked softly. Rowdy was making this so difficult. “You'll have me, but who will I have? Who'll be there for me?”

His eyes revealed how perplexed he was. “I will, of course.”

“How can you possibly ask me to be your wife when you already have one?”

“That's ridiculous,” Rowdy returned impatiently. “I've never been married in my life. You're the only woman I've ever loved. I don't know where you heard anything so outlandish, but it isn't true.”

“It isn't a woman I'm talking about, Rowdy, it's CHIPS.”

He shook his head and frowned at her. “What are you talking about?”

“You and I aren't speaking the same language when we say
love.
To you CHIPS is everything. It's the one thing you really love—your family, your wife, your children. Your emotional security.”

“You don't know what you're saying!”

“But I do! I've seen it happen over and over again. From the moment you were admitted to the hospital. Karen and I had to practically set up roadblocks in order to give you time to convalesce. Your corporate attorney was waiting outside the hospital door practically the instant he learned about your accident. You even had your own phone installed. Remember what a panic you went into the day word leaked out that you'd been in a plane crash?”

“I'm not likely to forget it. Stock in CHIPS dropped two points.”

“You acted as if the world was coming to an end.”

“You would, too, if you had a hundred million dollars at stake,” he argued.

“Don't you understand?” she pleaded. “You don't have
time
in your life for anything or anyone else. Not me, not a family. No one.”

Rowdy tensed. “What do you want from me, Norah? Blood?”

“In a manner of speaking, I guess I do. You can't go on the way you have been, working so many hours, not taking care of yourself. Eventually you'll collapse. As far as I can see, you're a prime candidate for a heart attack a few years down the road. I know you've got a management team, because Valerie was part of it, but you don't let them manage—you do it all yourself.”

“I'm a candidate for a heart attack? You're just full of warmth and cheer, aren't you?”

“I need to explain my feelings. I don't want to sound so pessimistic, but I'm worried about you.”

“I wouldn't be too concerned if I were you,” he
muttered sarcastically. “I've got an excellent life insurance policy, and since you're so worried, I'll make sure you're listed as the beneficiary. Revise my will, too.”

“Oh, Rowdy, for heaven's sake. I don't want your money, I want
you
.”

He shrugged in apparent unconcern. “You wanted to be realistic? I'm only complying with your forecast of gloom and doom. And if I'm such a poor health risk, you'd best marry me now. The sooner the better, since my time's so limited.”

“How can you joke about something like this?”

“You're the one who brought it up.”

He was purposely misunderstanding everything she was trying to say. “What's important in life isn't things. It's people and relationships. It's the two of us building a life together, raising our family, making time for each other.”

“Family,” he repeated as if he'd never heard the word before. Sighing, he sagged against the back of the chair. “I should have known you'd want children. Okay, we'll work around that. I'll say yes to a child, but we stop at one, boy or girl. Agreed?”

Norah was too dumbstruck to respond.

Rowdy glanced at his watch, scowling. As usual, he was on a tight schedule, Norah thought wryly. He needed an answer and he needed it now. The luxury of his presence would always be limited, even to her.

Norah felt as though the whole world was crashing down around her. It was going to break her heart to refuse him, and what made it all the more painful was that she doubted Rowdy would ever really understand. He'd view her as irrational, demanding, sentimental.

“I've never wanted anything more in the world,” she
said, trying desperately to keep the emotion from her voice. She leaned toward him and pressed her hand to his face, then gently kissed his lips.

Rowdy seemed surprised by her display of tenderness. “I'll make the arrangements with a jeweler,” he said, preparing to leave. He reached for his crutches.

“Rowdy,” she said quietly.

He must have heard a telltale inflection in her voice, because he looked back to her. She watched as he read the message in her eyes.

The air between them went still and heavy. “You're turning me down, aren't you?”

She slowly exhaled, closing her eyes, and nodded.

Rowdy threw his Stetson on the table in disgust. “I should've known you were going to do this,” he shouted.

She sniffled and said, “Despite what you're thinking, this isn't easy for me.”

“The heck it isn't.” He stood and in his rush to leave, dropped one of his crutches, which frustrated him even more. Before he could prevent it, the second slammed to the floor and he slumped back down in the chair.

“I want a
husband
. It takes more than a few words said before a preacher to make a marriage.”

“But you aren't going to marry me, so there's no need to belabor the point, is there?” He managed to pick up one crutch, and with it was able to retrieve the second. He obviously wanted to get away from her as quickly as possible, moving awkwardly through the cafeteria. She followed close behind.

“You got what you wanted—what you were after in the first place. You worked everything out well in advance, didn't you?”

“Worked out what?” A sick feeling attacked Norah's stomach.

He paused to look at her, his expression cynically admiring. “I have to hand it to you, Norah Bloomfield, you're quite the actress. Am I right in guessing that you worked all this out beforehand so I'd make a fool of myself proposing and you'd have the pleasure of turning me down?”

“Rowdy, that isn't true.” Shocked, she trailed him out of the cafeteria. “It's just that I'd never be content with the leftover pieces of your life, with a few minutes here and there.”

“Then it's best to know that now, isn't it?”

“Yes, but—”

“You're fighting a losing battle, sweetheart. I suggest you drop it. CHIPS made me what I am today, and I'm not about to give up my company just so you can lead me around by a ring through the nose.” He jammed his thumb against the button to summon the elevator.

“I don't want you to give up CHIPS,” she protested, but he cut her off.

“Why is it we're discussing all
your
wants? Frankly, they're overwhelming.” He held himself away from her, leaning heavily on his crutches and staring at the floor numbers above the door.

When the elevator arrived, Norah stepped back and let Rowdy enter. With some difficulty he did so, then turned to face her. If he was surprised she hadn't followed him inside, he didn't reveal it.

“Goodbye, Rowdy.”

“It
is
goodbye, Norah. Don't worry about me. I plan on having a great life without you.”

The elevator doors glided shut, and she brought her hand to her mouth to hold in a cry of pain. Deliberately, she removed her hand, as if she were throwing him a farewell kiss.