Jill Shalvis - Hiding Out At The Circle C

But his soft, easy smile faded when he took in the crutches and Haley reaching for the door handle. A huge frown creased his face when he spotted the purse slung over her shoulder. "You shouldn't be up. God, Haley, look at you." He tossed the flowers and the bag onto the chair and reached for her. "You're shaking. You look like you're going to pass out any second."

Backing her gently to the bed, he fretted over her while she sat stiffly, nervously. She hadn't planned on having to see him again, certainly hadn't figured on what it would do to her insides. He had a bandage on his forehead and his golden hair fell across it in a roguish sort of way. Those deep brown eyes looked at her with a mixture of affection, worry and- She slammed her own eyes shut against the onslaught of emotion that he caused.

She had no right , she thought as her throat closed up, no right at all to have him look at her with that much heat, that much hunger and love. "You brought me flowers," she said breathlessly.

"And a change of clothes. Why are you up?" he demanded.

He'd cleaned up, donned a fresh shirt. She tried not to notice how nicely it stretched over his shoulders. It was tucked into black jeans that had faded from too many washings, making them soft and snug enough to show off every exceptional inch of his lean hips and long legs.

Impatiently, he set his fists on his hips, bringing them to her attention. The big, gentle hands she'd come to love so much were bandaged. Because of her.

She tried to swallow the lump away, but it couldn't be budged. Damn him. Did he have to stand there looking better than any man had a right to look after the ordeal they'd been through?

"I thought you were sleeping," he accused. "I wouldn't have left if I'd known you'd wake up."

"I was sleeping." Couldn't he see how difficult this was for her? "I'm sleeped out, I guess."

"And ready to go," he added softly. His jaw tightened as he looked at her purse, then at the way she gripped her crutches like a lifeline. "My God. That's what you were doing when I came in just now, isn't it?"

Her guilty little start gave her away.

"Haley-"

But whatever he was going to say faded away as three grownups, a wheelchair and a baby all struggled to fit through the doorway at the same time.

Cam took one look at Zach, and then Jason pushing Nellie, who held the baby, and groaned audibly, confusing Haley.

"I told you I'd handle this," he said to them through his teeth.

Surprised by his rudeness, Haley looked at her extended family with a mixture of bittersweet pain and joy. It seemed that she would have to say goodbye, after all.

Zach squeezed past the wheelchair, coming forward to give Haley a gentle hug. "Are you doing okay?"

Cam muttered something under his breath about meddling family members.

Zach glanced at Cam, then back to Haley's tense face. "Is he being nice enough, Haley? Need me to sue him for you?"

"No, thanks." She felt a little overwhelmed by how much they obviously cared. "He's…" She looked at Cam, who had tipped his head back, studying the ceiling beseechingly, as if waiting for divine intervention. "He's being nice."

Jason scooped the bundle of joy from Nellie's lap and brought her forward to show her off. Peeling back the blanket, he revealed the sleeping infant.

"Oh," Haley whispered, reaching out to run a finger over the soft cheek. The little nose, the closed eyes, the tiny perfect red lips. Had she ever seen anything so lovely? "She's beautiful, Jason, so beautiful."

"Her name is Ally. And she looks just like me." He glanced at Cam's tight face, then grinned at Haley. "You are going to take mercy on him, aren't you, Haley?"

"Jas," Cam warned, taking a step toward him. "If you didn't have that baby in your arms-"

"Whoops!" Nellie covered her breasts with her hands. "I think it's time to feed the baby. Jas?"

Her husband frowned, paled. "But the doctor said you wouldn't have milk for two days-"

Ignoring him, Nellie deftly scooted the wheelchair between Cam and Jason, taking Ally back. Smiling easily, she reached for Haley's hand. "Honey, we didn't mean to intrude-"

"Then get out," Cam said, glaring at his brothers.

"But," Nellie continued serenely as if he hadn't spoken at all, "we just wanted to make sure you know how much we love you." Her voice wobbled a bit, her eyes welled. "Oh, Haley, honey, it's meant so much to have you around. I just really want you to believe that. I think of you as my best friend."

Haley's throat closed. Cam spared her a reply.

" Out ," he ordered in a gritty voice. "Everyone out." He held open the door, relenting when Nellie wheeled through. Bending, he gave his new niece a kiss on top of her head and squeezed Nellie's shoulder.

"Don't be mad, Cam. I just had to put my two cents in," she whispered.

Zach and Jason said nothing, just glared at Cam. One by one, they filed out, each giving Haley a last look that reminded her of Max when he was waiting to be fed.

They wanted her to stay.

The thrill faded quickly enough at the thunderous look on Cam's face as he carefully shut the door.

"They're-so nice," she finished lamely as he moved toward her.

"Yes," he agreed in a deceptively light voice. "They're very nice. And so meddling, too."

"They just wanted…" She trailed off, suddenly not sure what exactly they wanted.

"Yes?" He waited. "They wanted?"

"Me to stay," she whispered.

"That's right, they do. So do I."

At that unexpected admission, she fumbled, and words abruptly deserted her.

Cam had no such problem, and he advanced on her.

"Just a moment ago, when I came here, you were leaving," he accused in that same low, controlled voice with which he'd just dismissed his family. "You were actually going to walk out of here without a word." He shoved hands through his hair and turned slowly around, as if he needed the space. Then he whirled back, hitting her with those eyes. "After all we'd been through, after all we'd talked about, you would have just left?"

She looked down at her hands to avoid the grief in his voice, the agony in his eyes.

"Why, Haley?"

Her ankle throbbed, but it was nothing compared with the excruciating pain in her heart that his simple words caused. "I can't stay, Cam. You know I can't."

"I know nothing of the kind. There's no reason for you to run away. There's nothing to be frightened of anymore."

She lifted her head. "I'm more frightened now than I've ever been."

"Because of me?"

"Because of what you make me feel."

That was clearly beyond his ability to comprehend. "That's nothing to fear. I love you. For some reason, you think that's not possible, that no one could love you. But you're wrong. Nellie loves you, too, and so do my brothers. They don't want you to leave, either."

"But you're a family."

"Yes. And you've never had much of one around, have you? So let us be your family. Stay with us… Marry me."

Her heart stopped.

"You heard me right," he said, nodding, watching her reaction carefully. "Marry me, Haley."

One of her crutches clattered to the floor. Slowly, his eyes holding hers, Cam bent and retrieved it, but he didn't hand it to her.

"My job," she said weakly, in a voice barely audible. "What happened before-"

"Forget what happened." Tossing the crutch across the bed and out of her reach, he took her wrist in one hand. "As far as your work, do whatever you want, Haley. Work, don't work… I don't care. I want you, and I want you to be happy. With me."

She didn't want to think about what his caressing thumb against her palm did to her pulse. Didn't want to ignite that glimmer of hope in her heart. "I want you to be happy, too, Cam. That's why I'm going."