Secrets in a Small Town (19 page)

“She’s in labor. The doc couldn’t stop it.” He looked down into Quinn’s worried gaze and tried to put a positive spin on it. “You’re going to be a big sister, so you’d better get that name figured out. Your mom’s going to need it pretty soon I figure.”

Quinn nodded, her face drawn and serious. “Okay.”

He ruffled her hair as if she were a ten-year-old boy instead of a girl and said, “Don’t worry. It’s going to work out just fine.”

But Piper didn’t know if that was true and she could tell neither did Owen but he was trying his damnedest to appear confident for Quinn’s sake. Owen caught her smile and sheepishly returned it. Caught up in the moment, she almost forgot about the promise she’d made to the surly faller, Timothy. She stepped away to make the call, leaving Owen to ease Quinn’s fears and offer opinions on a name.

Moments later, she returned, pleased with the conversation, knowing that Timothy would likely risk a speeding ticket to get here.

“What was that all about?” Owen asked, wary. “You’ve got a smile on your face that looks like the cat who ate the canary.”

She decided to level with Owen, taking him aside so that Quinn wasn’t privy to the conversation. “Listen, I don’t know if you realize this but your faller, Timothy, has the hots bad for Gretchen. I told him that she needed him here pronto because she was all alone.”

He scowled. “Why’d you lie? I’m here.”

“Not for long. I need to talk with you.”

“It’ll have to wait,” he said, his glower darkening. “Gretchen’s baby might die. We’re her family.” As in
Big Trees Logging, not you
was the message left unspoken but she heard it loud and clear. “Thanks for bringing Quinn but you can go now.”

And just like that, all the feel-good, gushy feelings she’d been marinating in went down the drain. Boy, he could go from endearing to uncommunicative asshole in a heartbeat when it suited him. And it hurt to be on the jerky side of that attention, particularly so because she found she cared. She lifted her chin and blinked back a sudden wash of tears at his rebuff. “You’re not the only one who is concerned,” she said stiffly. “But I can see that I’m not welcome. Goodbye then.”

What a jerk, she thought, fuming with equal parts hurt and anger at his attitude. No matter what, she’d always be on the outside looking in when it came to him. And why did she care? She wasn’t looking to build something with Owen Garrett so what was with the mopey, mournful feeling in her chest that felt like an elephant had used it for a stepping stool? She was nearly to her car when she felt an arm reach out and haul her up against a solid chest, seconds before two strong, calloused hands cupped her face to cover her mouth with lips that felt familiar yet strange. The contradiction, coupled with the foggy memory of the other night, fired her blood with the speed of a triple espresso mainlined into her vein.

“You’re driving me crazy, woman,” he growled against her mouth, sliding his tongue into her mouth, claiming it for his own as he had before. Her knees threatened to buckle and he pressed her against her car, leaning into her as if he couldn’t get enough. He broke the drugging kiss and she peered into eyes she could easily—and happily—drown in. He said with a tight, pained voice, “I can’t leave. I wish I could. You’ve been on my mind since last night and we have things we need to discuss but you have to understand that Gretchen needs me right now and I can’t walk away. I won’t. And if you’re expecting me to, you’re not the woman I’d hoped you were.”

She staggered under the weight of his statement, wondering at it, too. He wanted to believe in her. She swallowed, the echo of her father’s information pressing heavily on her. She couldn’t very well drop that bombshell on him right now; he had enough pressure. He didn’t need something like that to bury him.

“I understand,” she said softly, liking the feel of him against her very much. The relief in his eyes made her newfound knowledge a terribly heavy burden to bear but she found she was willing to carry it for a little while longer if only to see that look in his eyes again. That look said he wanted her, hungered for her and she’d never been on the receiving end of all that heated attention before. An all-over shiver caressed her body as surely as the memory of his hands and his eyes darkened as he caught the delicate motion.

He closed his eyes briefly as if questioning his own sanity and she wanted to tell him she understood because she had a few questions of her own. She remained silent, though, not willing to break the spell between them, but Owen broke it for her, pulling away with open regret that she savored like a junkie with a fix.

“Will you stay?” he asked.

If she stayed, what would people say? Someone was bound to see her and tongues would start to wag. It might get back to her editor, or the publisher. Would they care? It was highly likely. Charlie would whine into his uncle’s ear that she’d lost her objectivity and he might pull her from the beat and switch her with Charlie’s education beat—oh, God, the very idea sent a roll of nausea straight to her stomach—and she’d never get the chance to write usable clippings for her portfolio. She nibbled her bottom lip, caught between wanting to go with Owen and walking away to preserve her career.

But in the end, those eyes, piercing and knowing, drew her in, hypnotizing her with their warmth and depth, the way they changed with his mood and seemed to zero in on her most private thoughts with unerring accuracy. She hitched a breath and managed a smile as she slipped her hand into his and reminded herself, even as they walked through the hospital doors, that it was all for research. She needed access to Owen Garrett. And if that meant standing by his side as he went through a crisis, she’d do it—because that’s what professionals do. They go after the story…no matter what.

“She’s not out of the woods yet but she’s got a good birth weight considering her prematurity. You can go see her in a little while. The nurses are stabilizing her body temperature because preemies have a difficult time regulating their temperature on their own.”

Owen breathed a sigh of relief and Timothy’s shoulders seemed to sag a bit. He glanced at Piper standing off to the side, not wanting to intrude on the moment. But she’d remained the entire time, pacing the waiting room with the rest of them, so he figured she’d earned the right to let Gretchen know she was there. He gestured to her and she shook her head. He motioned again as if to say
C’mon, you big chicken,
and she came reluctantly into the room. Gretchen’s expression registered shock, then she managed a wan smile.

“Hello again,” she said.

Quinn said, “Ms. Sunday brought me.”

Gretchen nodded in thanks, but Owen could tell it would be a long time, if ever, before these two women would be best friends. In spite of the exhaustion ringing Gretchen’s eyes, she glanced from Owen to Piper and her mouth tightened with knowing. He figured he was going to get an earful when she was up and running again but she’d come around once she realized Piper wasn’t out to destroy him. At least, he hoped. Otherwise, things were likely to get uncomfortable around Big Trees Logging with him getting cozy with Piper.

To his surprise, Gretchen offered him a smile and asked for a moment alone with Piper. He looked to Piper, who seemed equally shocked by the request and wondered if this was the mother of all bad ideas. “Are you sure? You ought to be resting….”

“It’ll just be a minute,” she promised.

Owen bent to hug Gretchen and Timothy moved from his designated spot.

“Is there anything you need?” Timothy asked Gretchen before leaving the room.

“I’m good.” She graced him with a smile that was both sweet and appreciative and Owen saw the tiniest flicker of something pass between the two that had never been there before—at least not on Gretchen’s end—and Owen bit back a tired grin. He’d never considered himself a matchmaker, but he liked to think he helped make whatever was going on between Gretchen and Timothy happen. Unless it didn’t work out—then he didn’t have anything to do with it. He swallowed a chuckle at his own private humor.

“All right…I guess I’ll wait for you outside,” he said to Piper, still not sure leaving the two women alone was prudent.

Well, he figured, at the very least, Gretchen was too weak to do too much damage. At least, he hoped that was the case.

“He’s a good man,” Gretchen cut in, getting right to it. “Don’t hurt him.”

“I’m not out to hurt anyone,” she said evenly, though a twinge of guilt poked through her fatigue. “But he’s a big boy. He can take care of himself. He doesn’t need a champion.”

“You don’t know what he needs. You don’t know him.”

“I’d like to know him better,” Piper said. “And I think the feeling is mutual.”

At that, Gretchen nodded with what looked like resignation and Piper had to wonder if Gretchen had entertained thoughts of a romantic nature in regards to Owen. She straightened and met Gretchen’s stare, waiting to see which way things were going to go. Then Gretchen yawned and the fight seemed to drain out of her. “Thanks for bringing Quinn.”

“Sure.” A moment passed by, then she added, “You know…it seems a good man has his eye on you, in case you’re interested.”

Gretchen smiled and closed her eyes. “Timothy.”

“Yeah, so you know how he feels about you?”

“I think so.”

“Well, he seems like the kind of guy who would treat you and Quinn well. Just saying…I don’t know, maybe you ought to give him a chance to try.”

“Maybe I will.”

Well, Piper was good with that. It was a start. It was up to Timothy and Gretchen to make it work.

Piper went to the door and then stopped, turning to say, “I’m glad your baby is okay. Quinn is going to make a great big sister.”

Gretchen nodded her thanks and her eyes drifted closed.

Piper closed the door softly and met Quinn and Timothy in the hall, returning with snacks purchased from the vending machine in the cafeteria.

“Me and Timothy are going to stay with Mama, if that’s okay,” Quinn said to Piper. “Can you tell Owen? I don’t want him to worry.”

“You got it, kid,” Piper said, giving Timothy a wink and a smile. “Make the most of your opportunities.”

She didn’t linger for a response, just headed for the exit. She found Owen waiting for her in the parking lot.

“What was that all about?” he asked.

She waved away his question. “Girl stuff.” She closed the gap between them. “Kiss me before I come to my senses,” she demanded in a sultry whisper.

With one smoldering look, Owen managed to sear away the fatigue and set her body to tingling. She didn’t need to be psychic to discern the bent of his thoughts and she found it extremely exciting to be the source of the heat in his eyes. He responded with a kiss that left her toes curling, and at that moment she might’ve sold her own grandmother—if either had still been alive—if Owen asked her to.

“My place or yours?” he asked, his voice husky.

“Whichever one is closer,” she answered breathlessly, then remembered her parents propensity for dropping in unannounced and changed her mind. “Yours.”

“Mine it is.” He kissed her again, hard. “See you there.”

The twenty-minute drive to Owen’s sobered her a bit. As the heady intoxication of lust and desire faded and gave way to common sense, she wondered if this part still counted as research. She questioned if she was getting in over her head, pushing too hard, with little regard for the aftermath, but then she thought of Owen and how it felt to be pressed against him and she pushed away the negative questions nagging at her.

She exited her car and followed Owen wordlessly into the house. Timber rose from his perch on the porch and followed them inside as if it were completely normal for visitors at this late hour and she almost laughed at the absurdity of the situation. She turned to say something, anything, to lighten the tension swirling around them, but he wasn’t in the mood to exchange witty banter and pulled her into his bedroom, shutting the door with his foot so that his hands could be on her body.

She shouldn’t be nervous, they’d already done the deed. So why was she shaking? Was that normal? If only she knew.

“Ready to try this sober?” he asked, a devilish smile lighting up his face in a way that made him look dangerous and delectable at the same time.

“I think so,” she said, licking her lips, wishing he would just launch himself at her like he did in the parking lot. Instead, he circled her like a cat, playing with its prey.

She took a step back and found the bed. She sat quickly, unsure of what to do with herself. Should she let him make all the moves or should she try a few of her own? Well, not that she had
moves,
per se, but she knew of a few things she’d like to try, such as running her tongue down the muscled wall of his chest, for starters.

Hovering over her, he claimed her mouth again, drawing out a long, deep kiss that left her clutching at his back, eager to feel more. Except, as the kiss ended, she sensed something between them—and she wasn’t talking about his erection.

“What’s wrong? You no longer look like you want to eat me alive,” she said, her lips swollen and thoroughly kissed. She wiped at her mouth, suddenly self-conscious. “Did I do something…or not do something…”

“Oh, that’s not the problem,” he assured her, though the grimace that followed wasn’t doing a bang-up job of convincing her of that fact. He stilled her with another kiss but the heat had definitely tapered off and she didn’t know what had gone wrong. He rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling, wrestling with something heavier and more powerful than his desire and that had to be bad, in her opinion—for, in her current state, she’d sell the farm without blinking. “I have a confession,” he stated, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

“You’ve got some timing. Can’t it wait? I mean, I’m no expert, but it seems to me that this is not the time for midnight confessions.”

His mouth firmed. “It can’t wait. I’ve already waited too long.”

“Is this where you tell me that you have a wife tucked away somewhere with 2.5 children?” she half-joked, but a part of her was serious.

“No wife. No kids.” Still, his expression looked grim, so whatever he was hiding must be pretty bad.

Piper sat up, wary. Man, this was not how she envisioned this happening. Disappointment tinged her voice as she asked, “Well, so what’s this confession? I have a feeling I’m not going to like it.”

“Probably not.” He sighed.

Even wearing the weight of the world on his shoulders Owen was one hot specimen, she noted as her thoughts refused to focus. “Well, let’s get it over with,” she said, sighing, as well. “It doesn’t look like the evening is going to end the way I’d hoped.” Damn it.

“You know the other night?”

“Yeah?”

“Nothing happened. Not really.”

Huh? Was he saying…? “I’m still a virgin?” she asked, grasping his meaning. Which meant he’d lied. Or wait, had he? She didn’t recall him admitting to anything, she’d made the assumption and he hadn’t corrected her. “Why’d you let me think…”

“I don’t know,” he admitted sheepishly, looking away as if he couldn’t bear to look her in the eyes. Served him right, she thought with a frown. Dirty dog. “I was going to but I was distracted by the tree-sitters and your association with them and, before I knew it, it’d gone too far to pull back.”

She ought to let him twist in the wind. He deserved a good flogging by his conscience, if not a literal flogging. “That was very ungentleman-like,” she stated.

“I never claimed to be a gentleman, but you’re right. That’s why I couldn’t continue until I came clean.”

“How noble of you,” she said wryly. “And then what did you imagine would happen?”

A twitch of a smile followed as he dared to say, “You’d appreciate my honesty and we’d continue with the slate wiped clean?”

“Not likely.”

His face fell. “Yeah, it was probably a long shot. Well, look at it this way, your seal is still…intact.”

Not entirely. Already a hunger curled in her tummy, at the sight of his half-clothed body. That was definitely hard to forget. “You deserve to be punished,” she said sternly to his surprise. “But it’s too late. I’ll think of something appropriate later.” She crooked a finger at him and patted the mattress beside her. “For now, let’s sleep on it.”

“Excuse me?” he said, his eyes widening in what looked like a little panic and shock. “You want to…sleep together?”

She grinned. “Yeah. I do.” His expression said it all. He didn’t hold sleepovers. Piper smothered the laughter in her chest with a yawn and shimmied out of her clothes. She rolled to her side, giving him an excellent view of her naked backside. “Don’t forget the light,” she called over her shoulder.

“Shouldn’t you put some clothes on?” he said, his voice strangled. She grinned into her pillow, enjoying every minute of his discomfort.

“No. I always sleep in the nude, remember?”
Welcome to your punishment, Owen Garrett.
“Good night. Sleep well.”

A muttered, “Not likely,” as well as a stream of curse words, followed her into dreamland as she fell asleep with a smile.