Baby, Drive South (28 page)

Porter lifted a crutch and tossed it across the room.

Nikki emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel and bound up with a jumbled mass of emotions. Her conversation with Amy had reinforced her decision to leave Sweetness. She didn’t belong there…especially not after what had happened between her and Porter. Things would be awkward, and she didn’t want this rebound crush she had on him to develop into something…worse. Been there, done that, had the broken heart to show for it.

But she’d decided not to call Darren. She didn’t owe him anything, didn’t even know if she was going back to Broadway for good. This morning she’d woken up stronger. Nikki padded to the window and glanced down at the bustling sidewalk and the pretty streetscape of midtown. She could live here. Maybe she’d return to Atlanta to start over once she tied up loose ends.

She walked back toward the bathroom and glanced at the door that connected her room to Porter’s. Was he awake? A white item in the floor caught her eye—her panties. She must’ve dropped them when she came into the room. Nikki blushed as she stooped to pick them up, remembering how Porter had pulled them off every time she tried to put them on. Her womb tightened at the memory. She’d never laughed so much in bed. Everything with Porter seemed fun and natural and…right.

Nikki glanced at the door and considered walking back into his room and crawling into bed with him, to pretend a little longer. She put her hand on the doorknob and listened to her heart thud in her ears.

No. She should walk away while things between them were good. If his reaction to her this morning was frosty, it would ruin everything. Nikki dropped her hand.

Instead she dried her hair, applied minimal makeup, dressed in a borrowed skirt and blouse, then repacked her overnight bag. She considered calling Porter to see if he wanted to join her for breakfast, then decided against it and descended to the hotel restaurant.

When she walked in, Porter was sitting at a table alone reading the newspaper. He looked so handsome, her pulse instantly ticked higher. But she was glad she hadn’t called him. He obviously hadn’t wanted her company this morning.

But he glanced up and gestured her over. As she made her way to his table, she tried to determine the reception she’d get. Cold? Flirtatious? Indifferent?

The latter, she realized within seconds.

“Good morning,” he said with a flat smile. “Ready to get those supplies and head back?”

“Er…yes,” she murmured, then sat in the proffered seat.

“The medical supply warehouse opens in thirty minutes. I asked the hotel concierge to fax our list to their sales department, so I’m hoping they’ll have most things rounded up for us when we arrive.”

Nikki nodded woodenly and busied herself arranging a napkin over her lap. Was this how a one-night stand worked? No mention of their previous…
activity?

“That way,” he continued, “we can get back on the road as soon as possible.”

“Fine,” she said, pouring a cup of coffee. “My bag is packed. I’m ready to check out.”

“Thought so,” he said, his tone dry.

“Excuse me?”

“Because you’re so organized,” he added mildly. “Do you see anything on the menu that looks good?”

But the slight hadn’t been lost on her. Stinging, Nikki picked up the menu with one hand and sipped her coffee. The hot liquid scalded her tongue, sending quick tears to her eyes. She set down the menu. “I’m actually not hungry this morning. Just coffee for me.”

He closed the menu. “Me, too. I just want to get on the road.”

“Right.”

“Right.” He massaged the thigh of his cast leg. The woman in her couldn’t help but recall the beauty of his muscled leg, and the physician in her couldn’t help but be concerned.

“Are you having pain?”

“My old injury…it acts up sometimes.” He gave her a pointed look.

Such as when he was up all night having sex.

Her cheeks warmed, but she was saved from responding by the arrival of a waiter. When the man left again, they fell into silence. Nikki sipped her coffee, searching her mind for something to say that was safely neutral.

Porter took a sip of his coffee, too. “Tell me, doc…do you always skip out of bed the morning after a one-night stand?”

She choked on the hot liquid in her cup. “No.” When he looked slightly amused, she straightened, realizing her answer made her sound as if she’d had many such escapades. “I mean, I haven’t had a lot of experience…in that area.”

He lifted his cup. “Then I’m glad I could oblige.”

Nikki didn’t know what to say. She’d never been good at sexual banter, and last night’s hookup apparently hadn’t helped in that arena. From her purse, her phone rang. It seemed like a perfect time to answer, so she excused herself and retreated to just outside the restaurant entrance. Darren’s name flashed across the screen. She sighed, then decided she might as well get it over with. She connected the call. “Hello?”

“Nikki?” Darren’s voice sounded surprised. “Nikki, it’s me…Darren.”

Her throat convulsed. “Yes, I know. What do you want?”

He stumbled over his words. “How are you?”

She crossed her arms and glanced back toward the table where Porter sat. “I’m fine…and I’m busy.”

“Where are you?”

“That’s none of your business,” she bit out.

“I know, I know,” he said. “I’m sorry, I’ve just been worried about you.”

“Darren, my welfare is no longer any of your concern.”

He sighed. “I deserve that…and more. I’m sorry for what I did to you, Nikki. I guess I just got cold feet about settling down and I lost my judgment.”

She blinked back hot tears at his cavalier explanation, but fought to keep her voice strong. “I’m not interested in your motivation for cheating on me, Darren. Did you call for a specific reason?”

“I…yes.” He cleared his throat. “Nikki, I know I don’t have any right to ask you this, but I love you and I want us to get back together. Can you forgive me for making a stupid mistake?”

Nikki’s heart pounded and her stomach churned. In those first days after he’d broken the news that he’d fallen in love with someone else, hadn’t she dreamed of him coming to her and saying just that? Her chest ached with a mixture of anger and hurt that he’d thrown away her love as if it meant nothing. More than anything, she longed for things to be the way they used to be. But could she ever trust him again?

“Darren,” she finally said into the phone, “I can forgive you—”

“Oh, thank you, sweetheart! I knew we could work this out.”

“But,”
she continued, “forgiving you doesn’t mean I want to get back together with you. Those are two different things.”

“Right,” he agreed hurriedly. “And I know I’ve dumped a lot on you in a short time, but please promise me you’ll think about giving us another chance.”

“I can’t do that. Unlike you, I don’t make promises lightly.”

“Fair enough,” he said. “For now, it’s just wonderful to hear your voice.”

She looked up and saw Porter glancing her way. He pointed to his watch.

“I have to go,” she said.

“Okay. I love you.”

Nikki hesitated. “Goodbye, Darren.” Then she disconnected the call with an unsteady hand.

“Everything okay?”

She looked up to see Porter moving toward her on his crutches.

“Yes,” she said, although she still felt shaken as she returned her phone to her purse.

“Not to rush you, but we probably need to get going.”

“Of course,” she said, trying to compose herself. Thinking about Darren while Porter stood in her personal space was like receiving two radio stations on the same channel—the result was mostly static.

To her great relief, Porter didn’t make any other references to their night together on the drive to the medical supply warehouse. They both seemed to have retreated to their respective corners. When they reached the warehouse, the sales manager had gathered a sample of products for Nikki to consider, making the ordering process fast and efficient. Smaller supplies filled the van to its capacity, then Porter arranged for one of the delivery trucks to follow them with the more bulky equipment.

The four-hour drive back to Sweetness was strained and painful. Nikki was uncomfortably aware of the big man next to her, of how recently they’d been intimately intertwined, and how distant he was now. And her phone conversation with Darren looped through her mind like a break in the pavement on the interstate…
thump…thump…thump
. By the time they pulled up in front of the clinic, Nikki’s head pounded, and she just wanted to lie down. She climbed down from the van and retrieved her overnight bag.

“I’ll come back later to help unpack the supplies,” she said.

After miles of silence, Porter suddenly looked as if he didn’t want her to go. “I can get one of the men to drive you to the boardinghouse and bring the van back here.”

“That’s okay, I’ll walk.”

“Thanks for going,” he said. “It was…interesting.”

She gave him a flat smile, then turned toward the rooming house, letting out a sigh. What a mess she’d made for herself. To add insult to injury, she’d been back for mere minutes, and she could already feel her allergies kicking in.

When she walked inside, she deflected inquisitive glances from the women who’d helped with her makeover. She could only imagine what the gossip had been about her and Porter in their absence.

And was confirmation written all over her face?

When she saw Susan Sosa, she asked the woman to meet her at the clinic in an hour to help set up a new office there. Then she hurried upstairs to her bedroom to find some aspirin and lie down for a few minutes to calm her jumbled thoughts.

As she lay there with a cool cloth on her forehead, Nikki began to relax. The night with Porter, the call from Darren… Neither event changed her intention to leave Sweetness. Her only decision was where to go from here.

Then a realization hit her and Nikki groaned.

She wasn’t going anywhere. She’d forgotten to buy the replacement fuel pump for her van.

30

“N
ikki didn’t say anything about leaving when she got back from Atlanta yesterday,” Rachel said.

Porter worked his mouth back and forth—something about the way Rachel wouldn’t make eye contact told him she wasn’t being completely truthful.

She grimaced at the orange-colored grease sitting on top of the vegetable soup in her bowl. “Honestly, Porter, Colonel Molly needs some cooking lessons. If people had to pay to eat here, they wouldn’t.”

Remembering Rachel’s poisonous chicken salad, he arched an eyebrow.

She blushed. “I’m not saying
I
could run this place.”

At her covert change of subject, he was sure she knew something about Nikki leaving Sweetness. “I’m more worried that the town has a doctor than award-winning soup.”

Rachel gave him an exasperated look. “Why don’t you just ask Nikki when she’s going back?” She blanched. “I mean if…
if
she’s going back.” Rachel glanced at her watch. “Look at the time. We’re unveiling the media room today. We’re going to download some movies and invite the men to come over tonight to watch them on the big-screen TV.” She gave him an encouraging smile. “You should come. Nikki will be there.”

He nodded and lifted his hand in a wave as she moved away. Rachel was right—he should just confront Nikki about her leaving Sweetness. She was probably at the clinic, where she’d been since they’d returned from Atlanta yesterday. He had to hand it to her—the little lady doc was doing everything she could to get the clinic in order before she abandoned him…er,
them
. Abandoned
them.

He lumbered to his feet and was on his way out of the dining hall when he saw an unfamiliar dark sedan pull to a stop on the road. Porter squinted. Michigan license plate, and the driver was male.

The man rolled down the window and pushed up his glasses. “Excuse me, I’m looking for Dr. Salinger.”

Porter’s confusion cleared. The doctor Marcus had emailed about replacing Nikki…what was his name? Dr. Jay Cross. Porter frowned, knowing the man’s arrival would only hasten her departure.

Then he brightened. Maybe he should let Dr. Cross know what he was getting into. The man didn’t seem particularly robust. With the right “introduction” to the area, maybe the man would change his mind about sticking around.

Porter extended a big grin. “Dr. Salinger’s been expecting you. Pull over and I’ll take you to her.”

Dr. Cross looked dubious. “Who are you?”

“Porter Armstrong. My brothers and I own this town.”

The man did as he was told, apparently eager to please his potential employer. By the time he alighted from the car, Porter had settled on a four-wheeler.

“Climb on!” he shouted. Dr. Cross, dressed in slacks, shirt, tie and sport coat, was hesitant. “It’s the easiest way to get around on this mountain,” Porter promised.

The man was barely on the seat when Porter goosed the gas. “Hang on!”

Dr. Cross found the handhold behind his seat just in time to keep from falling off. “Where are we going?”

“Dr. Salinger is at the clinic, but I know a shortcut.” Porter steered the ATV off the paved road and tore down a rocky side path. It would eventually wind around to the back of the clinic, but not before rising and falling steeply. “We can see the whole town from up here.”

“So there’s more to see?” Dr. Cross shouted, appearing to hang on for dear life.

“Not really,” Porter said cheerfully. “You might want to duck.” He crouched to ride underneath low-lying tree branches, suddenly glad he hadn’t been up here lately to clear the trail. Behind him, Dr. Cross bent low, jerking to one side.

They climbed higher and higher, and Porter made sure they hit every rock and rut along the way. When they reached high ground, he stopped the ATV at a precipice and shifted to idle. “Nice view, huh?”

Dr. Cross righted his glasses and looked over the edge, then shrank back. “What exactly happened to this town?”

“Tornado,” Porter said matter-of-factly. “An F-5 twister, to be precise. Mowed down everything in sight.”