In the Eye of the Storm (18 page)

Richard shrugged. “I’m a guy and I know how testosterone works. Trust me, he was dead in the water the minute he saw you. That’s why he kept doing nice stuff for you.”

“He likes to do nice stuff for people. It’s just the way he is.”

“You didn’t see him doing any nice stuff for me, did you?”

She supposed that was true enough. But it was still hard for her to believe that Beau had those kinds of feelings for her. He hadn’t even called her in the three weeks since they had left New York.

“From what Trey’s told me, he’s worried about you. That’s why he’s staying away. I’m not sure he’s doing the wrong thing, little girl.” Richard gave her a knowing look. “But he has a right to know that you’re having his kid. You can’t keep that from him. Not only that, if Trey finds out—”

“You can’t tell him,” Kate said, immediately alarmed. “I’ll tell Beau myself. Just let me figure this out.”

“You don’t have much longer to figure it out. The longer you wait, the worse things are going to be.”

She knew he was right. She pulled away from him and sat up straight, ignoring the dizziness that assailed her.

“You’re awfully sick, Kate. You should see a doctor. You don’t look good at all. I can go with you if you want.”

She’d been thinking the same thing herself. She slowly nodded and let her feet dangle over the side of the bed. Then she rested her hands over her still flat abdomen. She hadn’t fully wrapped her head around the fact that there was a baby inside of her. It seemed surreal.

“Why don’ to make him feel better. me b” “t you take a shower and clean yourself up? Maybe then you’ll feel like eating.”

She doubted it, but she did as he suggested. She had to admit that the warm water from the shower felt good cascading over her skin. She stayed there until the water turned cold. After shutting it off, she put on a pair of sweats and grabbed the sweatshirt she’d been wearing all week long. It was Beau’s sweatshirt—one of the few things he had left behind. There was only a little bit of his scent left on the shirt but it was comforting to her all the same. When she was enveloped in its warmth, she felt a little better.

She walked out into the living room where Richard was sitting on the couch, the bowl of soup he’d made her waiting for her on the coffee table.

“Just give it a try. You need to eat.”

She knew he was right so she sat down and lifted the spoon to her mouth. The broth actually tasted pretty good and she found herself taking a few more sips.

A loud pounding on the door interrupted her.

“Damn it, Kate, open up!” It was Trey. She looked at Richard accusingly.

“I didn’t tell him a thing,” Richard said, holding his hands up in defense. “But he’s got a pregnant wife at home. Maybe he figured it out on his own.”

Kate felt her insides clench again.

“He’s not going to go away,” Richard said quietly, as he got up from the couch and headed for the door.

Kate grimaced when the door opened and Trey walked in, Kylie on his heels. His blue eyes were blazing with anger.

“What took you so long to open the door?” he demanded, glaring at Richard. “I told you I was coming over.”

Kate shot Richard a lethal look.

“I was getting around to telling you that. I swear I didn’t say a word to him.”

“What are you talking about?” Trey snapped. Then his eyes landed on Kate. “You look like hell. Are you sick or something?” He backed away from her now, clearly a bit uncomfortable.

“I’m fine, Trey. Take your wife and go home.” Kate didn’t bother looking in Kylie’s direction. She knew she would see hurt in her friend’s eyes and she didn’t want that on her conscience.

Trey snorted. “That’s rich, Kate. Boy, you really are selfish, aren’t you?”

Kate barely had the energy to narrow her eyes at him. He was angrier than she had ever seen him.

“Kylie’s been bawling her eyes out all week, trying to figure out what she did that made you so mad at her. But it’s not her at all, is it?” Trey glared at her. “This has nothing to do with us.”

“Trey,” Kylie said softly, in warning.

“He’s right,” Kate relented, rubbing a hand over her face wearily. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize to me,” Kylie replied, motioning for her husband to be quiet. She walked over and sat down next to Kate on the couch. “I was worried when you called in sick to school. Then when you didn’t answer my calls—”

“I haven’t been feeling well. I just didn’t want to talk. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.” they wereon

“What’s really going on here, Kate?” Trey demanded, his eyes boring into hers.

At that moment, she knew that he knew. He wasn’t saying anything out loud—but he knew.

Immediately, Kate’s stomach felt sick again. She bit the bile back, determined to fight the nausea this time.

“Maybe you guys should come back tomorrow,” Richard said uncertainly.

“I don’t think so,” Trey retorted, his eyes never leaving Kate’s. He walked over and crouched down in front of her. “Why haven’t you called him? He has a right to know.”

She swallowed again, slowly shaking her head in response.

“Call him right now. If you don’t, I will.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, offering it to her. She made no move to take the device. She knew he meant business and she knew he was right. But she still couldn’t get herself to face Beau. Not yet.

“She doesn’t need to call me. I’m right here.”

Kate felt her entire world shift at the sound of his voice. She looked up over Trey’s shoulder and realized that Richard had the front door wide open and Beau was standing just inside the living room. She was so stunned she felt her heart stop.

While she knew she looked terrible herself, he was

18

Beau propped his feet up on a chair near Kate’s hospital bed. It was almost midnight. Several nurses had already attempted to shoo him out of the room, insistent that visiting hours were over. He’d ignored them. He was not going anywhere—not this time. He’d left her on her own to deal with this for long enough.

Folding his arms over his chest, he watched her sleep. She looked peaceful now. She had an IV drip hooked up to her that was slowly putting fluids back into her almost completely dehydrated body. The doctor in the ER had told him that along with morning sickness, it was possible that she had a touch of the flu. He’d seen people with symptoms like hers all week long. He had run a battery of tests on her and determined the baby was fine. She needed fluids and they wanted to keep her for a couple of days to be sure she kept them down.

He found himself relieved. The minute he’d learned there was a baby, he had become attached to the idea that he was going to be a father. Not that he wasn’t scared to death. He and Kate had a lot of unfinished business between them. She was stubborn and when she got her strength back things were liable to become very complicated again.

“You need to shave.”

He heard the words and looked over at her. Her eyes were open for the first time in hours. He lowered his feet to the floor andZle b the baby leaned toward her, thankful to see her among the living again. “I know it. I was in a hurry to get here.”

She shifted uncomfortably and then sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you sooner.”

He could see the sincerity in her eyes. “Yeah, well, I didn’t exactly make it easy for you. I realize that I screwed everything up in New York. I know that part of this is my fault and I’m sorry for that. I shouldn’t have sent you back here on your own.” He reached forward and lifted her chin so their eyes met. “You should have called me the minute you suspected you were pregnant. You know I would have been here.”

“I was con he spoke to e

19

Over the next few weeks, Beau saw to it that Kate took things easy. He’d pretty much moved back into her house for the time being. There was no way he was leaving her to fend for herself.

Within a few days of leaving the hospital, and with her doctor’s approval, she was back at work. Beau had tried talking her out of working at all but he’d lost that battle. She loved her job and he couldn’t fault her for that.

As for Beau, he and Tommy had been talking regularly. While things with his stalker had been quiet since New York, he knew it was only a matter of time before another incident occurred. Now that he and Kate were together again he was worried as hell. He didn’t want her or their baby caught in the crossfire from this maniac.

As hard as the police (departments in not only Texas and Montana, but also New York) were working on the case, they had no leads to go on. This psycho had murdered a man in the middle of the day, in cold blood, and left no useful evidence behind. It was unreal. And, it was terrifying.

This fact encouraged Beau to broach the subject of a trade with Tommy. Naturally, Tommy had been surprised. Beau had spent his entire career in Texas. But what Tommy didn’t know was that Beau had already had several conversations with his manager. While Beau was more than well respected and loved in the organization, the Renegades were looking to make changes too. And Beau Callahan was quite an expensive commodity to hang on to. His remaining salary just didn’t fit into their game plan anymore.

In a way, Beau felt relief to hear this. As much as he loved Texas, and as grateful to his fans as he was, he had been unhappy there for the past few years. His life on a personal level had become empty. With the emergence of this maniac that was stalking him, it had become unbearable. He was tired of being alone and running. It had taken Kate and the prospect of becoming a father to make him realize that.

Now he had to play the waiting game. The Renegades were talking with several teams about a trade. Beau’s wish list was being considered and his most appealing prospect was Seattle they wereK just 5">. The Reign had endured several re-building years. They had an established team now and he saw a good potential for himself there. Not only that, it was a lot closer to Montana than Texas. And, spring training was in Peoria. He would be able to go home to Arizona for a couple of months out of the year.

He hadn’t talked things over with Kate yet. While it was early February and he knew the idea of him leaving for spring training was on her mind, she wasn’t talking about it and he wasn’t bringing the subject up either. His main priority for the past few weeks had been to get her well and back on her feet again. Now that he’d accomplished that he knew he needed to bring her in on the decisions he was facing.

The one thing he did know for sure was that a fresh start with a new team was going to be good for him.

Hearing his phone ring, he grabbed it from the kitchen counter. It was Tommy.

“What’s up?”

“It’s done. Renegades and the Reign struck a deal. You’re starting spring training in Peoria in a week.”

Beau felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. He leaned back against the counter while Tommy filled him in on the details of the trade. The paperwork was a technicality that Beau would have to deal with, but everything else was official.

“I haven’t talked to Kate yet so don’t say anything publicly on my behalf at this point.”

“Let me know after you do and I’ll release a statement. The Reign want a press conference too. They’re talking about tomorrow for that. You’ll have to fly out to Seattle.”

Press conferences went along with a trade. While Beau wasn’t excited to toss himself out in front of the media, he knew the chore couldn’t be avoided. “Sounds good. Finalize the travel and I’ll get back to you.”

“You’ve got it. Congratulations, man. I know this is what you wanted.”

“Thanks, Tommy.” Beau disconnected the call. He quickly dialed Kate’s number, checking his watch at the same time. It was nearly two. She would probably have her phone off but he wanted to at least leave her a message. As he had anticipated, her voicemail picked up.

“Hey, it’s me. Listen, I want to talk to you about something tonight. Do me a favor and come straight home. I’m going to go hang with my brother for a few and then I’ll meet you back here.” He hesitated for a moment, another set of words on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to tell her he loved her. He’d been wanting to say the words for a while now but they weren’t coming off of his tongue easily.

“Okay, I’ll see you in a few,” he said instead, feeling somewhat like a coward. Why was it so hard for him to say the words to her? He knew he loved her. There was no disputing that. He supposed that when he was ready, they would come out without him even having to think about it.

Grabbing his keys, he headed for his truck.

Kate climbed out of her SUV and grabbed her book bag and the sack of groceries she’d picked up on her way home from work. She did a balancing act on her way up to the front door, knowing Beau wasn’t home from Trey’s yet. His truck wasn’t out front where it was usually parked.

She had gotten his message earlier and was curious as to what he needed to talk to her about. His voice had sounded a bit off—nervous almost. She had a bad they wereCE b” “ feeling it was about spring training. She knew he was due to leave any day now. She had avoided discussing the matter and obviously he had been doing the same thing. With the date looming up in front of them she guessed he probably didn’t have a choice but to broach the subject.

She was not looking forward to him leaving. She’d gotten used to his presence again quickly. Damn it all, she was going to miss him like crazy when he left.

She felt the emotion bubbling inside of her and chastised herself for letting her mind wander in that direction. She had to accept that Beau played baseball for a living. He’d been doing so for most of his adult life. That meant he would be gone for six months out of the year. They would have to deal with periodic separation…unless she decided to go to Texas with him. She’d been tossing that idea around a lot lately and had pretty much decided that wherever Beau went, she was going too. But she would have to finish the school year out first.

Perching the bag of groceries on her hip, she attempted to shove her key into the front door lock. Naturally, the grocery bag tore and several pieces of produce rolled across the porch. Irritated, she shoved the front door open and then turned to pick up the fallen items. She never got the chance. A man’s fist slammed her in the face, knocking her over backward. Immediately everything went black.