CoyoteWhispers (7 page)

“You can’t sleep in those. Leave the shirt on though, it
gets chilly even with the heat on.”

Before she could move he’d snagged the end of the bow and
yanked the drawstring loose. Gripping a bunch of fabric in each fist at her
hips he tugged the sweats down her legs and threw them in the general direction
of the dresser.

“There. Climb in. I’ll go see to our friends and be back
before you’ve missed me.”

“Who said I’d miss you?” She smiled around another yawn and
her eyelids grew heavy.

“Me.” Steve bent over and gave her a smacking kiss on the
mouth. “Rest. I’ll be right down the hall.”

“Rest with me.” Her eyes closed.

“Later.”

“Okay.”

“Back to agreeable Doc, I see.”

“Only until I sleep.”

Steve chuckled. “Doesn’t matter which Doc you are, I’m still
glad you’re in my bed.”

“You just liked the sex.”

“Gordie.” His fingers brushed her cheek.

“Mmm…”

“Sleep.”

“Night.”

Steve gazed down at a sleeping Doc and tried not to climb
into bed with her. He still had to go out and deal with their friends and he
wanted to be sure Dale kept him in the loop about her house and the clinic.
Anger still burned in his gut when he thought about her not calling him last
night. She wouldn’t admit it but she was still holding him at arm’s length. A
smile stretched his mouth. There would be no holding him off now.

Doc was right, he had enjoyed the sex but it had been far
more than a physical act. He’d finally been buried inside her after years of
dreaming about it. No fantasy he’d concocted came close to the real thing. Now
he wanted a repeat but she needed to rest and he had to sort out a plan of
defense because there was no doubt in his mind that Marcus was back on the
scene. In fact, Steve was pretty sure the man had never left.

He tiptoed from the room and pulled the door shut, leaving
it open a crack so he could hear Doc if she called out. Quiet voices drifted
down the hall, they grew louder as he made his way back to the dining room. The
table had been cleared and everyone sat with a mug of coffee, at least he
thought that’s what he smelled. Obviously Kat’s talents weren’t just with food.

“How is she?” Kat asked.

“Asleep.” She eyed him through narrowed lids. He knew what
she was really asking but he wasn’t getting into that with her. “Later.”

Steve spied a spare mug and picked it up. The aroma rose up,
teasing his senses with the taste to come. He sipped, the hot liquid filling
his mouth, spilling over his tongue. Damn, whoever made this knew what they
were doing. Taking a bigger drink he walked out of the room and headed for the
garage. They’d left Doc’s purse in his truck when they rushed inside earlier.
He placed his mug on the table beside the garage door as he walked past.

He retrieved her bag from the truck and headed for the
button to shut the roller door and pressed it, but movement at the end of the
driveway caught his eye and he quickly aborted the action. Peering into the
night, Steve tried to focus but the lack of light outside and the abundance of
it inside combined to make it impossible. He stepped to the edge of the garage
for a better look when he heard someone behind him. Spinning on his heels,
fists raised, he came face-to-face with Dale.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

“No worries, I’m a little jumpy.”

“That’s expected. What are you doing?”

Steve pointed down the driveway. “What is that?”

Dale leaned forward. “You got floodlights?”

“Yeah, let me get the switch.” Steve strode to the other
side of his truck and flicked a couple of levers. Light illuminated the entire
front yard.

“Shit!” Dale took off running.

“What the fuck?” Steve dropped Doc’s purse and raced after
the sheriff.

The new layer of snow on the ground proved difficult to
traverse and they slipped and slid their way to the end of the drive. They
skidded to a halt as a woman wobbled and lost her footing in the slippery
conditions, crumpling beside Dale’s car. At least Steve thought it was a female
bundled up under all that snow gear.

He crouched down and gripped her shoulder. “Hey, are you all
right?”

“C-c-cold.” Her voice was muffled by the beanie pulled down
low on her forehead and the scarf wrapped around to cover what was left of her
face, but neither could hide the chattering of her teeth.

Steve pushed the cold, wet material aside. “Recognize her?”
he asked Dale.

His friend sucked in a breath as he squatted beside him.
“Tatum. It’s Tatum Brant. William’s granddaughter. But she hasn’t been back in
the mountain for years.”

“Let’s get her inside out of the weather.” Steve slid his
arm around her as best he could with the bulky jacket she wore. He lifted and
Dale steadied them as they got to their feet.

One on either side of her, they headed back to the house.
She trembled against him and Steve could feel the damp and cold seeping from
her clothes to his. It was awkward, she seemed to be wearing a wardrobe full of
clothes beneath her thick coat. They reached the garage and crossed to the
connecting door where Brogan and Quinn met them.

“Who the hell is that?” Quinn asked.

“Tatum Brant,” Dale answered.

“Where’d she come from?” Brogan asked.

“Bottom of the driveway, she was trying to make it to the
house,” Steve said. “Can you go shut the garage door and turn off all the
lights, Quinn?”

“Sure.”

“Oh, and Doc’s bag is on the ground near the light
switches.”

“Got it.”

Her trembling had turned into bone-rattling shakes by the
time Steve guided them into the living room where he and Dale lowered Tatum to
the couch. He began removing her wet outerwear and quickly discovered the
reason for her bulky mass. The women came in from the kitchen and immediately
rushed over.

“Jesus. Is that…” Kat asked.

“Tatum Brant,” Steve said.

“Is she…?” Doc’s sister seemed to be having problems forming
complete sentences.

“Pregnant?” Steve finished for her.

“I haven’t seen her in years. How’d she get here?”

“No idea and right now my priority is getting her warm,”
Steve said.

Tatum tried to curl up but her protruding belly hampered her
efforts. Dale sat next to her and pulled her against his side. He wrapped his
arms around her as best he could and ran his hands up and down her arms. “You
got a blanket, Steve?”

“Yeah, let me grab one. I’ll turn the heat up too.”

Steve left the room. After pulling a couple of quilts from
the linen cupboard and returning them to the living room, he detoured to his
room to check on Doc. She was exactly where he’d left her, sound asleep with
one hand tucked under her cheek. The dark circles under her eyes made her face
look bruised and he vowed to spend the next week making sure she got plenty of
rest so those black smudges disappeared completely. He pulled the covers up
over her shoulders and bent down to drop a light kiss on her forehead.
Breathing deep, he drew her scent into his lungs.

Memories of earlier flashed through his mind. His cock
hardened and a groan rumbled in his chest. There wouldn’t be a repeat
performance any time soon. Not with everyone still here and Doc in need of
sleep. With a sigh, he straightened and forced himself to turn and leave the
room. Each step dragged and he wondered at the irony of the moment. He’d waited
so long for her to acknowledge their attraction and when she did everything and
everyone seemed to be getting in the way of them being together.

As he approached the living room, he could hear raised voices.
They got louder the closer he got and he quickened his pace, determined to stop
them before it became a yelling match.

“Hey, keep it down, you’ll wake Doc.”

The sight before him amused and confused him. Dale stood
with the pint-sized Tatum right up in his face. For someone who’d barely
functioned a few minutes ago, she’d made a swift recovery. She’d backed the
sheriff up against the wall and had a finger prodding him in the chest. Both
turned toward him as he entered the room.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Doc
is
here?” Tatum stepped away from Dale.

Dale grabbed her by the arm. “I told you you weren’t seeing
her tonight.”

“And I told you to stop manhandling me.” She tried to pry
his fingers from her skin. “I’d hate to see how you treat criminals if this is
how law-abiding citizens are handled.”

The sheriff dropped her arm like it was a hot rock. “Tatum.”

“Sheriff.”

Steve watched as they stared each other down and much to his
surprise Dale broke away first. He watched the sheriff close his eyes and run a
hand down his face. “Tatum, Doc is resting. She had a…scare earlier and isn’t
up to seeing a patient.”

“I’m not a patient. But you haven’t given me two seconds to
explain myself so it’s no wonder you’ve jumped to the wrong conclusion.”

“Tatum, what were you doing out on the road?” Steve asked.

“I came up here after I called in at the café. The woman
behind the counter said Doc and Kat were here and she thought Doc might need
me,” she explained.

“Need you?”

“I’m a nurse. Doc’s nurse, actually, but I’m not due to
start until after the fifteenth of next month.” She walked over to the couch,
one hand pressed to the small of her back making her pregnant belly stick out
more. Slowly, she lowered to the cushions. “Damn, I must have pulled something
trudging through the snow.”

“You walked up here?” Dale barked.

“No, stupid. I drove, but I slid on some ice about ten
minutes down the road and ended up in a ditch. I walked the rest of the way but
then it started to snow and I got colder by the second. I’d just popped the lock
on the cop car out front when you two came to my rescue.”

“You broke into my car?”

Steve smiled. Tatum didn’t seem like such a law-abiding
citizen right now. She ignored Dale and kept on with her story.

“Look, I know this is strange but the woman at the café made
it sound as if Doc had been hurt and I couldn’t just go on over to Gramps’
house without checking she was all right.” She slumped back against the couch
with a sigh. “By the time I reached the end of the driveway my legs were
shaking with exhaustion as well as the cold and I was worried I’d collapse in
the snow. I thought if I could flip on the siren someone would hear.”

“I’m sorry Wendy worried you and put you in danger, but Doc
isn’t hurt,” Steve said.

“Um…Steve?”

“What?” He turned to look behind him at Kat.

“How many bedrooms does this place have?” Kat asked.

“Four. Why?” He glanced past Kat and through the windows
running the length of the room. “Oh shit.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” Kat said.

He walked over to join her. On the other side of the glass
he could see the deck, along with the rapidly accumulating layer of snow
covering it. More snow fell in a thick blanket that blocked out the view of the
timber railing twenty feet away, never mind the forest beyond.

“Damn. Doesn’t look good.” Brogan stepped up next to him.
“Does anyone know what the weather’s supposed to be like?”

“Yeah, we’re due for a storm tomorrow. Looks like it moved
in early,” Dale answered.

“Jesus. I guess I’ll go drag out the extra bedding.” Steve
turned from the window. “How many of us are there?”

“I can share with Kat if she’s all right with that and it
makes things easier,” Tatum said.

“I’m fine with that but don’t you dare have that baby in the
bed next to me.” Kat glared at her.

Tatum laughed. “It’s babies and they’re not due for another
three months.”

Dale made a choking sound next to him and Steve turned to
see a red-faced sheriff.

“Three months? You look like you’re ready to pop now.” Rowan
sat on the couch next to Tatum. “So you’re about four months ahead of me then.
And El’s pregnant too, but only just. Looks like there’ll be lots of new babies
next year.”

“Tatum, can I have a word please?” Dale walked over and
reached for her hand. “In private.”

Steve thought he saw her hesitate but then she placed her
hand in Dale’s and allowed him to pull her to her feet, quickly disengaging
their hands when she was steady. His friend seemed lost for a moment and Steve
realized he had no idea where to go to have their talk.

“Down the hall, first door on the left is my office. You can
use that if you like,” Steve offered.

“Thanks. I’ll bunk on the couch tonight. Just toss some
blankets out and I’ll fix it up when I’m ready,” Dale said.

“No need. The sofa in the office is a pull-out. Everyone
else can take a bedroom.”

“Oh, okay. We’ll be back in a minute.” Dale gripped Tatum’s
elbow and all but dragged her out of the room.

Steve couldn’t help think there was more going on with that
pair but he couldn’t see how when Tatum hadn’t been in the mountains for years
and was obviously pregnant with someone’s babies.

“Hey, what’s up with those two?” Kat asked next to him.

“Don’t know and right now I’ve got more pressing things to
think about.” He turned to Brogan. “You and El can take the first room on the
right down the hall. Quinn and Rowan take the next one and Kat, you and Tatum
can share the one across from that. There’s extra bedding in the wardrobes. I
think I might have spare toothbrushes somewhere too.”

Rowan stood and stretched. “I’m beat. Anyone mind if I call
it a night?”

“I’m thinking the same thing. Kat, do you need any more help
in the kitchen?” El asked.

“No. I just have to load and start the dishwasher. Go on to
bed. You’ve both got baby growing to do.”

Steve tuned out the women’s conversation and walked back
over to the window. He stared out beyond the glass at the wall of white. The
snowfall had grown heavier in the last few minutes. If it kept up for long no
one would be leaving tomorrow. As long as the storm blew over before morning he
could get the plow out and lead them all down the mountain road back to town,
but if it continued past sunrise he’d be stuck with his unwanted guests another
night.