CHAPTER FIVE #2
“You think that I just used you for a good time and now I have no need for you? Christ, I could have had any woman for a good time in New York.”
That didn’t affect her the way it should. It made her feel worse. He saw that.
“I meant, I’m not that desperate as to seduce a family friend. I really like you.”
Like? “I just don’t know. I have a busy schedule.”
His brows rose and he stared at her for a full minute. “I see. Are you saying you don’t want to continue?”
Is it possible to have your heart physically shatter and still breathe? “It just seems a little unreal. I have three jobs—“
“Give one up then.”
“I can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Won’t.”
He stared at her for a moment looking completely staggered. Gosh, even now he was so masculinity beautiful, but still, she knew she had to do this. Lance was, and always will be, way out of her league. Her stomach was in knots, her heart broken, but she had to think of herself. She had to survive.
Finally he nodded. “This isn’t right—the way you’re going about this. You know it isn’t.”
“This won’t work.”
“You’re afraid.”
She pursed her lips together and refused to answer him. She was more than afraid. She was bloody terrified.
He waited a moment. When he knew he wasn’t going to get a response, his expression changed. Back was the indecipherable Mr. Hartley. “Well Tam, when you decide to practice what you’ve preached to Elaina, or anyone else, you have my number.”
“You said you don’t give second chances.”
He nodded finally letting his anger show. “You’re right.” He turned and left without another word.
She started to cry. This was a man who always got what he wanted, and she’d ended it first. Was she being stupid?
Yes, she was. She needed normalcy back in her life before she lost herself.
This was the best way. There was no chance for them.
He would get bored. She went to the window and pulled the curtain aside.
She saw Lance when he emerged from the building and he didn’t even bother looking up to see if she was watching him. He’d probably not forgive her for this.
***
“Do you want to talk?” Colt asked. Lance looked livid. That was an emotion that Lance didn’t reveal easily, well any emotion wasn’t revealed easily by his brother. Colton usually came out fists swinging if he was feeling like that.
“She’s had a pretty rough go over the past few days,” was all he said.
“Yeah, what’s that bruise from?”
“An ex-boyfriend struck her.” He should have known that Colt would see it despite her efforts to cover it up. He had to suppress a smile though. What Tammy said on the plane popped in his head; violent lovemaking. She never ceased to amaze him.
“Is he still breathing?” Colt gritted out.
“She wouldn’t let me kill him,” he answered equally angry.
“Hell, she’s just too kind hearted.”
“Yes she is. Don’t let on to Elaina about the bruise. Tammy would be humiliated.”
“Yeah like she’s not going to see it. She’s due out at the ranch this weekend.”
“Maybe it’ll be mostly faded by then.” He rubbed his chin and stared out the windshield.
“What was her family like?”
“Her father and brother were likable, the mother, well, it seemed like she was trying after a few days. She might have changed her attitude toward Tammy. In the beginning she was intolerable and her father seemed to rather stay out of it. We pretended we were engaged.”
Colt’s brows shot up but he never said anything.
“Her mother is one of those people who are more concerned about what others think of her. She was very demeaning when we accidently ran in to her on the first day back. I blurted that I was her fiancé before I could stop myself. Tammy was spectacular though.”
“Spectacular?”
“Yes, she played the part perfectly and put every other woman to shame. Jesus though Colt, she could fill out a dress like no one’s business.”
“You don’t say.”
“She was elegant, sophisticated and fetched a record quarter of a million at my auction.”
“Well shit. That’s impressive.”
“I bought her.”
“I figured.” He chuckled.
“You should have seen her up on stage. She was shy, blushing bright red and completely unpretentious. It was—irresistible. The bids were rising faster than I could count. I bought her because she was thrown into it. No time to prepare.”
“Well, she’s beautiful,” Colt said. Lance continued like he hadn’t heard him, but he knew he did. Lance never missed a thing.
“We took in a record two and half million. Marianne called me this morning when the final tally came in.”
“She’s got to be proud of that. She had some big shoes to fill.” Colt hid his expression of dislike. He really didn’t care much for the woman. Lance went through a hard time after the death of his friend and colleague and Marianne walked away from him.
“I think this will be the last year for me. She’s able to do it on her own now.”
Colt flicked him a look. “She make a play for you again.”
Lance nodded.
“She was not right for you man.”
“Yes, I know.”
“What about Tammy? She’s down to earth—and single, and as you said sophisticated and elegant,” he suggested slyly. He was one of the few people that knew about Tammy’s feelings for his brother. Yes, Elaina made promises but he had his ways of getting things out of her.
Lance shook his head. “She is too committed to her profession.”
Colt looked at his brother’s profile as he glanced off in the distance.
Lance was always very reserved but was there something in his tone that time?
“We could lay her off. Debbie’s been doing things on her own all weekend.
It takes her a little longer, and she’s tired, but it’s as if she has improved. ”
“We can’t lay her off. She can’t afford it,” Lance answered simply. “Even if we did, she’d find another way to fill the void like take extra shifts at the hospital.”
“Sounds like she’s avoiding something,” Colt hedged.
“Sounds like it.”
“Did you two—”
“—That’s none of your business Colt,” Lance cut in sharply.
There was that show of barely contained anger again.
“You’re right.” He shut his mouth after that.
They never pried into each other’s personal lives, but this was Tammy.
She was practically part of the family. She’d looked after all of them at one point and seemed to always to put the concerns of her patient’s and friends above her own. “She works too much, though.”
“She works too much to avoid life. She deserves a fucking spanking.”
Colt actually swerved the truck on the road at that statement. He was trying to gauge his brother’s expression and spent too long looking at him. “Christ, Lance!”
“Watch the road.”
“Yeah, well, you can’t say shit like that and not expect to floor me.”
Lance smiled. Violent lovemaking. “Sorry.”
“Liar.”
He chuckled.
The next day Tammy was in Doctor Hartley’s office working.
She was already exhausted from a sleepless night, and jet-legged on top of it.
She did her best to concentrate on her job and thought she was doing great until Rita, the other clerk that worked with her pointed out that she’d mixed up scheduling.
She’d overheard her booking an appointment and Tammy had entered it in the computer wrong. “Oh gosh.” She quickly fixed it.
As the day progressed she caught a few more. She just couldn’t shake the events over the past weekend, and what had happened between her and Lance. It was a fairytale, and those never lasted. She was being practical, wasn’t she?
“What is wrong?”
Tammy glanced up and saw Colt and Elaina standing at the counter. “Pardon?”
“I’ve been standing here for about a minute speaking to you and you’re just staring off into space.”
“I’m tired,” she quickly explained. “Jet lag.”
“Sure it is,” Elaina said suspiciously. A glint of amusement entered her expression.
Colt cleared his throat and looked oddly embarrassed, like he spilled secrets. “Is Jacob busy?”
“He’s in between patients Colt. He’ll be happy to see you.”
“We’re here for Lainie’s ultrasound. I don’t want her waiting too long.”
She smiled at the gruff protectiveness he was showing. “Go down to the room, I’ll go get him.”
“You go get him,” Elaina said to Colt. He gave her an unsure look but listened.
She leaned over the counter as much as her big belly would allow her. “Seriously. Are you okay?” she whispered.
After a moment of fighting her inner demons she answered honestly. “No.” Tammy knew Elaina was the only one she could talk to.
“I didn’t think so.” Elaina came around the counter and took Tammy’s hand. “Rita, if Colt comes out like a barracuda tell him I’ll be a minute.”
“You bet hun.” She looked at Tammy. “You take your time young lady.”
Elaina dragged her into an empty exam room and shut the door. “Out with it.” She placed her hands on her swollen belly.
“I’m a mess.” She started weeping.
“Your family? Gosh, maybe you shouldn’t have gone.”
“No, my mother seemed better when I left.”
Elaina’s eyes widened as it dawned on her. “Lance!”
She nodded weeping harder.
Elaina grabbed some tissues from a nearby box and handed them to her. “What happened?”
“We—” She just couldn’t continue. She could not have asked for a better time for her friend to be so insightful.
“Oh my God. Does he know how you feel?”
She shook her head. “I chickened out. We got together and I told him, basically, thanks for the good time.”
“Sit down, Tammy.” She pulled a chair out for her and grabbed another one. Her feet were killing her.
Tammy did as Elaina asked still wiping tears from her red rimmed eyes.
“You have to tell him.”
“I can’t. You should have seen the women, Elaina. Lance is so untouchable, and handsome. I can’t compete with ex-girlfriends, his expectations. He practically charmed a room with over eight hundred people in it and barely said a word. People think the world of him.”
Elaina already knew those characteristics of her brother in law, except one Tammy was describing. “What expectations?”
“I don’t know!”
“Did he give you any?”
“No.”