Your Desire (13 page)

His hands fisted on his legs, his brows puckered ever so slightly in worry. Other than those tells, no one would know he wasn’t the controlling force he pretended to be. Maybe only she saw he had the false bravado of a man used to being in charge, suddenly finding himself at the mercy of fate. If so, she might not understand his attitude but she wouldn’t betray him.

She tried one more approach. “What if I stayed with you? I’d be here each time the nurse woke you up.”

He shook his head. “If you won’t take me home I’ll call my assistant. He’ll come down immediately and we’ll drive back to DC tonight.”

Walt Neeley threw his hands up and snorted in disbelief. Frank’s lips turned up in a tiny smile, probably secure in the knowledge that he’d presented an alternative worse than going home with her.

Mike gave a one-shouldered shrug when she glanced at him. “I strongly advise he be admitted.” Frank opened his mouth to speak, but Mike cut him off. “If he insists on going we can’t stop him. You’re one of the people I’d entrust him to. If you want him, of course.”

All four men waited to hear her judgment. “I suppose he could sleep on the sofa in the office. I wouldn’t want him climbing the stairs.” She spoke out loud, but more to herself, reasoning what to do. “I can get him back here very quickly if need be.”

“Good.” Frank spoke as though her decision had been a foregone conclusion all along. His hands relaxed on his thighs.

Dr. Matthews slid by on his way out of the cubicle. “You’ll have to sign an AMA form. That’s Against Medical Advice.” He turned to look sternly at Frank then at her. “I wish you’d reconsider, Mr. Hughes.”

“I appreciate your advice, Doctor, but get the form, please.”

“I’ll see to the rest of the paperwork so you can get home,” Mike said. He threw Allison a worried look before following the neurologist out of the cubicle.

Walt lounged against the wall, arms crossed, staring at her. “I assume you know who this is, Allison? If anything happens with someone of his position, I’d hate to think what the repercussions might be.” He studied her. “I had no idea you were friends with…”

“She doesn’t need you telling her about her friends, Doctor. And I’d appreciate your restraint when it comes to the rest of the staff. No one needs to know what I do since it has no bearing on why I’m here.”

“Huh!” Walt pushed himself away from the wall. “Call if you need help tonight, Allison. And I hope you make sure he pays for the fence,
and
your hospitality,” he advised before leaving.

“What is it with you people and fences?” Frank allowed her to help him with his socks and pants. He slid off the table to stand beside her while he finished. She put his shoes at his feet and tied them to keep him from bending. “Can we go now? I really do have a bitch of a headache.”

“I’m sure you do. I’m beginning to feel one myself.” She untied the back of the gown and handed him his shirt.

He dug a cell phone out of his pants and handed it to her. “Press three and hold it. My doctor said he wants to talk to you if I’m fool enough to leave and you’re fool enough to take me home.”

Would the night never end? While Frank buttoned his shirt Allison introduced herself to his doctor and answered a barrage of questions about her experience, where she lived in relation to the hospital and how she would handle Frank’s care during the night. Finally he seemed satisfied, if not pleased, and she disconnected.

She took Frank’s arm to lead him to the nurses’ station, but he didn’t budge.

“I’m sorry if I assumed too much tonight. About staying at your house, I mean.” He spoke in a low voice. “I didn’t want to stay here. That probably seems strange to you.”

“Yes, it does” she said just as softly, “Although I think I understand at least some of what’s bothering you, staying here would have been so much better for you.”

“I’m not risk-averse but I assure you, I’m not a reckless man. I’ve thought through my options.” He cleared his throat and dropped his voice yet again. “I’m in an unusual situation. I find that I’m somewhat in need right now. You strike me as a person I can rely on, and that’s no small matter for someone like me. I’ll manage whatever I need to, but I’d feel better being somewhere private while I feel my way through this problem.” There was no humor in his short laugh. “No pun intended.”

“Who
are
you? I mean I know your name because I read your chart, but I must have missed something.”

“Can I tell you on the way home? I have a real bitch…”

She sniffed. “I know, I heard.” Taking his elbow with one hand and jacket with the other, she guided him to the desk.

They completed the paperwork remarkably fast and were out of the ER in only a few minutes. Neither spoke as they buckled themselves in the car, then Frank leaned his head against the seat, adjusting so the sore section in back was relieved of further pressure. He heaved a sigh.

She let him rest, using the time to process everything that had happened since leaving the reunion. Her tree and fence were damaged, as was the man who’d caused the damage. His blindness was horrible and she said a swift prayer he would recover quickly.

With instincts developed during years of caring for people, Allison knew a few things about Frank. His fear and almost visceral disgust with feeling helpless broke her heart. Despite the grumpiness he’d shown and his need to command, he was a good man. His eyes, hazel with little gold flecks, topped by bushy brows, were intense. There would be no hiding or turning from his look if he held you in the power of his stare. She imagined the trepidation one could experience under the steady gaze of those eyes. Or the approval. Or the kindness.

Or the desire. The thought made her shiver.

There was something about him, even without the strength she knew his piercing gaze would add. He couldn’t see her, yet she’d already known the kind of magic he could wield, when she’d touched his face before going to the hospital. The way he’d leaned into her hand had shaken her to the core. She’d wanted to kiss him, to hold him close and more.

As though they’d been friends instead of strangers, she’d understood that giving himself over to someone else’s care was alien to his nature. But she’d wanted Frank to give himself over to her. And she’d wanted to put herself into
his
care, knowing somehow the action would be right and good.

Which was why she hadn’t fought his coming home with her with more zeal. He needed her, at least until someone came for him tomorrow and took him home. And she needed him, to get past the fiasco of the evening and the feeling of loneliness that had plagued her ever since learning of the reunion. Having someone close by tonight would be a help, for both of them.

She slowed after turning onto the narrow county road a few miles from her house. “Are you watching for deer?” he asked.

“I thought you were sleeping. Yes, I always watch for deer, but sometimes being alert doesn’t make a difference. They’re experts at jumping out in front of you.”

He snorted. “Tell me about it.”

“I’m sorry you got hurt, but I’m glad you didn’t hit the deer. That would have been bad for the animal, of course, and maybe a lot worse for you, considering how small your car is.” She slowed again, for a curve. “Now, obviously the ER staff knows something about you that I don’t. What is it? Are you famous?”

His chuckle was low and soft, spreading warmth through her. If he could do that with a laugh, what could he do if they were together, naked in her—?

“I can’t be too famous if you don’t know who I am, can I?”

She shook herself mentally, forcing her voice to sound normal. As though she hadn’t just imagined his face hovering inches away, his lips descending to hers.

“Well, yes actually, you could. I’m not exactly what you’d call widely traveled.” She’d managed to get through two sentences with only a slight hint of strain. She dug deep for the sense of professionalism she would need to get through the night.

“I see.” He seemed to consider that fact before continuing. “I’m not famous. I’m simply the owner of a company. To know who I am you’d have to pay pretty close attention to the stock market. Believe me, I’m really not anyone you should’ve heard of.”

“Is your company big?”

“Pretty big, yes. Now tell me why you’re not widely traveled.”

“My parents were older when they had me. By the time I went to college my mom was sick. I went to school close by so I could help Dad with her. After Mom died, I couldn’t leave him alone with the house and farm. When he got sick I stayed to care for him until he died, year before last.”

“I’m sorry,” he murmured.

Allison was quiet, remembering those years. There’d been so many of them filled with illness. But filled with laughter, too. She couldn’t regret a moment of her time at home, not when she’d been able to help the two most important people in her life.

“Thanks. It’s okay. Anyway, after that I got caught up in lots of different things and there never seemed to be a good time to steal away. I will someday, maybe.”

“There’s no husband or boyfriend to whisk you away?”

Chuckling, she turned into the driveway and the headlights swept the front pasture for the second time that night. “No, there’s no one waiting patiently to sweep me off to exotic places.” She slowed on the gravel of the driveway. “Your car’s still here,” she announced.

“Someone will come tomorrow to get the car and fix the fence.” He sounded preoccupied.

“Tomorrow’s Sunday.”

Now he was firm, his voice confident. “Someone will be here tomorrow, trust me.”

Shaking her head in disbelief, she pulled away. When she stopped at the foot of the steps leading to the front porch, Frank climbed out before she could make her way to his door. Standing at the front of the Jeep, she spent a moment to observe him.

He leaned against the car, showing the day’s weariness. His shoulders slumped. Head bowed, his eyes were shut, those long, glorious lashes resting on his cheek. His mouth turned down at the edges in tiredness rather than upset. But when she rustled up beside him he raised his head and straightened his shoulders.

Proud man
. “I can’t imagine why I bought this dress,” she said with a sigh at the noise she made. “I can’t wait to get out of it.”

A slow smile transformed Frank’s face from weariness to interest. “I could help with that, you know.” Unerringly he placed his arm across her shoulders and drew her to him. “You’re cold,” he said, wrapping both arms around her.

“I forgot my shawl in the car. This is a sundress, and more suitable to summer than spring.” Extricating herself, she took his arm and led the way to the steps. “That is, if the rag is suitable to
any
season,” she muttered. “Okay, Frank, there are ten steps. Here’s the railing. Just take your time.”

He took the first few, slowly but surely. “I
like
that dress.”

“You’re doing fine, take it easy.” She had a firm grasp on his free arm lest he trip on a riser. “Well, as Mike pointed out earlier, you can’t see.”

“But I will,” he vowed with a low growl, “and the next time I offer to help you out of the damn thing, I’ll make sure you want it, too.”

CHAPTER THREE

Why in hell did I say that?
He had no intention of staying around long enough to get to know this woman, clothed or not. In fact, his had been a purely lustful remark, instigated by her comment. For now, he’d just as soon she stay in the dress, regardless of what it looked like. The noise let him know she was near, and somehow that was more comforting than anything else he could think of at the moment. When the thought of having a woman simply nearby was better than the idea of having sex with her, things had gotten to a pretty grim point.

From the minute he’d discovered his blindness, panic had interlaced with cold anger. Anger that he couldn’t control fate, and in the current situation couldn’t command what he did, or where or with whom. Panic because he didn’t know how long his disability—he had to swallow hard even to think the term—would last.

For a man who had risen on his own terms to a powerful position in one of the country’s largest electronics firms, helplessness was an intolerable situation.

Currently, he was fighting a raging battle with a competitor, Stanley Maxwell, for a huge government contract. If word of his accident and the resulting blindness got out, he’d be at a serious disadvantage. He’d used the power of his name, his leadership, his vision—a laughable concept, considering his predicament now—to put NicHughes Electronics at the top of the bids for the project. If he had to fight a lengthy health problem while marketing himself as whole and focused on the new NASA job, he had no doubt Maxwell Industries would be able to cut him off at the knees. And Stanley Maxwell would do it, too.

But when Allison was nearby, both panic and anger receded for a while. He didn’t understand why, he simply accepted the fact. That’s partly why he’d wanted to come home with her tonight instead of staying in the hospital, and probably why he found himself voicing normal male thoughts around her.

Of course, even though he felt better with her around, the blindness was still with him. She couldn’t make that go away.

All night he’d walked a thin line. Having to reveal information to the hospital without making a big deal of who he was. Hoping in a town this small no newspaper would think to have a reporter standing by, waiting for some big shot executive to be wheeled in, blinded. He hadn’t wanted to say too much to anyone for fear the choice tidbit of having one of
America’s wealthiest men in their local hospital proved too tempting not to share. The city papers would have reporters down here in nothing flat if word got out. He hoped the one loud-mouthed doctor would keep quiet about his identity, and he counted on David to take care of everything else.

Including the reason he was here to begin with. If it hadn’t been for that award he’d agreed to present, he would have gone back to DC using a different route and not run through a fence or struck an oak tree. If Martin Johnson’s wife had waited to have her baby, and Martin had been able to present the award, he’d be home right now having a nightcap before bed, instead of feeling his way to the porch of a stranger’s house.

The whole night had been a series of coincidences. In addition to NicHughes Electronics, Frank had started a philanthropic foundation long ago to reward people who made real contributions to their communities. His being the founder of Helping Hands wasn’t generally known since he purposefully stayed in the background, handling only oversight on major issues. Martin Johnson, the man who was the face of Helping Hands, had been unable to come to
Lexington because his wife had gone into delivery three weeks early. Frank had been in
West Virginia
handling the bid on another project, and agreed to go through
Lexington to present the award.

Just in time, the plaque had been over-nighted to him and he’d stuck the unopened package in his suitcase on the way out of the hotel. He’d run late, then sat in stopped traffic on the interstate a few miles outside town. In a fit of impatience, he’d torn off at an exit, driving back roads to find his way into
Lexington. He must have missed a sign in his haste, because darkness started to fall and he was still wandering around the countryside. A deer ventured onto the road, and suddenly he saw a fence then an oak tree, getting closer by the second. The only good thing to happen in a whole night of horrible coincidences was that he wasn’t seriously—well, permanently, he hoped—injured. And Allison, of course. Thank God she’d come home early from her reunion.

Considering the weight of the projects he had on his plate at the moment, that he would be incapacitated doing something so small as presenting a good citizen award was almost laughable.

“Good! You made the porch. Not much farther and you can comfortably rest. For a good portion of the night, anyway.” Allison sounded almost as relived as he felt. “You have to step up into the house, then no more stairs tonight.”

They crossed the porch. He waited while she opened the door then followed her across the threshold.

The house felt cool and smelled fresh, as though windows were open. Under the freshness he caught the scent of citrus, then furniture polish and finally, from somewhere, a hint of flowers.

“Down here,” she said after closing the door and taking his arm again. They walked down a hall. The sound of his shoes on hardwood flooring joined the noise her dress made, but the reverberation was contained as it wouldn’t be in an open room. Moving slowly, she finally turned into a room to their right.

“This is my office, but the sofa in here pulls out into a double bed. I’m sure this is not what you’re used to, but I hope it will do for the night. At least you won’t have to deal with any more steps. There’s a half bath under the stairs. Do you want to go there now, while I get the bed ready?”

“Yes, please.” She guided him, putting his hands on the toilet tank, then turned him so he could feel the sink.

“Can you find your way back? Across the hall, first door on the right.”

“I can find it.” He sounded much surer than he felt.

She left, closing the door behind her. Seconds later he could no longer hear her as she disappeared into other parts of the house. For the first time since she’d found him sitting in her pasture, hours ago he was certain, he was alone. Bracing his hands on the countertop, he hung his head and gave in to fatigue and worry. And fear. God, would the fear never go away? The doctors had assured him that his problem was probably temporary, but what if the blindness turned out to be atypical and permanent?
Oh, God! What if, what if…?

He straightened, forcing such weakening thoughts from his mind. He’d overcome a great deal in getting to his current position, and he’d overcome anything else in order to stay there. Nothing had stopped him, and nothing would.

With less difficulty than he might have imagined, he took care of business then crossed the hall and felt his way to the doorway. He could hear Allison now, moving around and snapping a sheet open to put on the bed.

“Can you wait right there for a minute, or do you need to sit?”

“I’m okay,” he said.

“I didn’t think about clothing. Maybe I should have strapped your suitcase to
your
back.”

He chuckled. “I won’t need anything tonight, and David will be here in the morning. He’ll take care of everything.”

“David is your…?”

The softest sound hit his ears. A pillow being shaken into a case? He’d never noticed before the little background noises of everyday life. Is this what it would be like from now on? Hearing sounds and trying to place them for what they were and where they were? His heart rose to his throat. God, he didn’t think he was brave enough to live like this if it turned out…

He forced himself to take a breath. “David Wills. He’s my assistant.”

“You’re lucky to have someone to help out in a time like this.” She moved around, making other noises he couldn’t identify. “I usually leave my windows open at night. Do you want me to open one in here for you?”

“No, I’m okay.”

She came right up to him. He felt her breath tickle the hair where his shirt was unbuttoned at the collar. Her hand was cool on his forehead and cheek, the hand of an exceptional and proud woman, as starched as the material in her dress most of the time. He’d discovered that in her no-nonsense treatment of him. But he sensed the softness she kept below the surface. The desire to relieve others of suffering and the willingness to take their needs onto herself. A cross between caregiver and lover. All of that was conveyed in her touch and the way her voice had sounded when she spoke of tending for her parents. Not widely traveled perhaps, but he knew she’d seen things he never had, in the eyes of patients she’d cared for. Absolute trust, gratitude, perhaps a kind of love. He wondered what she saw in his eyes.

“Has your headache worsened?”

“I hate to think what I’d feel like if it did.”

She took his arm and guided him to the edge of the bed. “It’s been a horribly long night for you. Sleep is what you need. Sorry, I’ll have to interrupt it a few times before morning.” She stooped and began to unlace his shoes.

He jerked his foot away. “What the hell! I can do that.” Christ! He’d sounded harsh, but he didn’t want this woman on her knees helping him like he was a cripple, a helpless blind man.

“I know you can. I wanted to help.” She didn’t sound upset or hurt, but she stopped.

The rush of anger left him. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to this. I can get undressed by myself.”

“Goodnight, then. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.” She stood and left the room. Moments later he heard both the swish of the dress and her footfall as she climbed steps, then movement on the floor above him.

Heaving a deep sigh, he bent to finish the job she’d started on his shoes. Not caring where he left them or his clothes, he felt along to where the bed gave way to sofa and slipped between the sheets. They smelled like sunshine, as though they’d been dried outside on a line instead of in a clothes dryer. The scent brought back memories of his boyhood and before he knew it, headache notwithstanding, he was soundly asleep.

* * * *

“
Fuck!
”

The word carried through the house milliseconds before that of shattered glass.

Bolting out of bed and instinctively sliding into the slippers she kept nearby, Allison checked the time, turned off the alarm, and ran downstairs.

“Frank!” Her hand slammed the light switch on.

He sat on the side of the bed, elbows on knees, head in his hands.

“Are you all right?” With one sweep of her eyes she took in everything. His shoes lay between the bed and her desk and glass covered the floor around the desk. Her heart twisted when she saw the beautiful
Waterford lamp her parents had bought when she was a child, laying in shards and splinters. She moved so she could see his feet. “Frank, are you all right? You didn’t cut yourself?” There was no sign of blood anywhere.

“I’m okay. I didn’t step in any glass.” His voice was muffled since he didn’t raise his head. “I tripped over my shoe and knocked something over. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, as long as you aren’t hurt.”

“What did I hit?”

“Just a lamp, Frank.” Carefully, she kept any sound of grief for the broken piece from her voice. It had been on the desk—her father’s desk—almost as long as she could remember. “I should have moved it away from the edge.”

“So the blind man wouldn’t break it?” His words vibrated with bitterness and pain.

“No,” she said slowly, sitting on the edge of the bed, “so you wouldn’t be hurt in the case of a mishap. It was just bad luck, you know. I could have knocked it over myself, hundreds of times.” With one last regretful look at the remains of the lamp, she put steel in her voice. “You were getting up for a reason. If you’ll swing to this side of the bed you’ll be out of harm’s way. Here are your pants.” She found his slacks and laid them next to his hand. I’ll get the broom and clean up the mess.”

She stood and was almost to the door when he brought her to a halt. “Was the lamp valuable?”

Trying for a smile in her tone she asked, “Does it make a difference?”

“The sound was of something solid and long-lasting hitting the floor, yet you’ve made a bigger deal out of the fence than the lamp.” He raised his head, waiting for her answer, as though what she said mattered.

“I admit I’m sad. The lamp was old and had lots of value to me. I can’t replace it like I can fix the fence. But I know you, Frank, and I know you’re not careless or malicious. Accidents happen. Please don’t make the situation more than that.”

Allison didn’t wait to see his reaction, and when she came back with the broom and vacuum cleaner he was in the bathroom. It didn’t take long to brush up the larger pieces of glass. When she’d finished vacuuming the area thoroughly to be sure she had every particle off the floor, she turned to see him in the doorway. He was naked from the waist up. His slacks were zipped, but unbuttoned.

“I think it’s safe to come in now.”

He didn’t move. Though she knew he couldn’t see her, and she no longer had on the rustling taffeta dress, his eyes followed her as she pushed the vacuum far out of the traffic path, and set the broom and dustbin aside.

“What time is it?” His stance was casual enough, one arm resting on the doorjamb. But she could feel the tension in him from across the room.

“Almost two. I would have been coming down to wake you in a few minutes.” Four strides took her to the bed, where she straightened the covers and fluffed the pillows.

Suddenly, the light went out. Thin moonlight barely illuminated the room but she could see Frank move unerringly toward her. Maybe he
could
see.

Before she formulated the right questions, he enveloped her in his arms and rested his cheek on her head. “I wanted us to be on equal footing for a minute, while I tell you something.”

Her heart raced, feeling his heat against her.
This is wrong
, a part of her brain screamed.
This man is a patient.

But she’d known almost from the first that he was no ordinary patient. Certainly no ordinary man. His appearance in her life had been like magic, at the very moment she’d felt most alone.