Everything to Lose (Moonlight Dating Series #2) (9 page)

“Can do, sir. I’m sure Lissy won’t mind. After dragging me this far to see you and managing to hide it from me, she has a lot of explaining to do.”

“Coming to think of it, I’m not sure how she found out about me
,
either. Only thing she said was that it’s a long story.”

The men said their goodbyes and Dane headed to the end of the street. The air was fine, fresh, but the sun was out. It was the sort of weather he’d take any day over the sweltering heat of Texas or the gray London days.

He spotted Lissy across the road, leaning by a stylish storefront with a gray canopy above the display window, her booted foot against the wall. When she saw him
,
she straightened and waved.

He made it past the middle of the street.
It took a split second for him to register the sound of a motor and the look of horror on L
issy’s face as she yelled, “Dane
!” with her hand outstretched.

She rushed forward and pulled him toward her
to get him out of the way, but
the mad motorcycle driver had already turned onto Via del Trivio, and made right into him.

Lissy’s scream as he blacked out should have shattered glass.

***

The emergency department of
Ospedale Mazzoni
teemed with activity, agonized expressions, and assorted moans and groans.
Lisbeth
barely acknowledged these
predictable
sights in
a state hospital.

“You are lucky, Signor Marsh. It is just a leg sprain and will heal fully in a few weeks. You’ll have swelling and you will feel some pain on the outside of your ankle. Please see your doctor when you return home. Try to keep your leg raised on the trip back.”

Dane winced as he moved his leg and slipped off the stretcher. “Fly first class? Will you guys arrange that for me?” he joked, but the bespectacled, straight-faced doctor didn’t seem to be one for a sense of humor.

It was fortunate that the driver of the motorcycle had good reflexes. Upon seeing Dane
,
he swerved to the
right
into a parked car, causing some damage but no major injuries. Luckily
,
he’d also avoided the scaffolding constructed to the side of a building nearby. There may be some legal repercussions for the man, though. For one, his insurance would have to pay for damage to the car, as well as possibly compensate theirs for hospital and related expenses.

Dane had twisted his foot inward, stretching his ligaments. Lissy was relieved to hear it was only a minor sprain, and he would be able to walk without the need for crutches.

Finally, after hours at the hospital for routine tests and paperwork, they left the ward in a surreal haze. Lissy had her reality check – she could have lost her husband today.

The thought was beyond horrific.

Dane had told her all about his conversation with Fred. He put his arm around her and took slow steps to the entrance where Fred would be waiting to drive them to the hotel. He’d have left his wife in charge by herself to welcome the first covers for dinner and he said over the phone when they called him that the other chefs were good enough to handle the heat. He promised he’d have food delivered to their room when they got back – enough to leave them full for days.

“I could get used to this,” he said, referring to this quaint Italian city.

“So could
I,” she said with conviction.

“Seriously? I thought you were set on Richmond.”

“One never knows. Life is full of surprises,” she offered.

“Hmmm, good point.” Dane faltered and
grimaced
in pain.

“Lean on me,” Lissy urged. “I’m not a delicate flower, you know.”

“Nothing but the truth,
”
Dane laughed.
Then h
is expression
got serious.

“What?” Lissy asked, pausing in the hospital reception area. She turned to face him and held his hands in hers. People walked by them at a mile a minute
,
but she paid them no mind.

“You were right about everything.”

“I always am,” she quipped.

He squeezed her hands, his eyes crinkled at the corners. “I’ve always told you I had a happy childhood. And I did. My dad tended cattle all his life, and he wanted me to get an education. He said that if I did the right thing and aimed high, everyone would respect me.”

“Don’t all parents wish that for their children? To have a better life than they had?”

She didn’t miss how his whole body shook with the force of the emotions that
seemed to co
me free
from
inside of him.

“He drove me hard, too hard. He taught me the value of hard work, wouldn’t take shit from me, and he made it plain that everything I did in my life would reflect on him, on the whole family. And then he left. After preaching to me, he died betraying Mom, and I never knew.”

Lissy put a hand to his cheek. “Dane, honey, why do you torture yourself about this? Why not put it behind you?”

“I never told you this, but when you came along…well, let’s just say you weren’t in my plans.” He gulped. “Since I first met you, I couldn’t let you go, and I convinced myself I could have it all. That I could keep you and climb the ladder at the same time. It was in me, the need to succeed. He’d hammered it in good. I was dead terrified of the prospect of having a child, of getting off my path, and I lost you in the deal.”

Mixed emotions strangled her heart as comprehension dawned. She understood why he hadn’t trusted her enough. 

“You didn’t want to be like him…”

“I kept putting it off, year after year, thinking I could just keep things the way they were
’til
I got to the top. Then I realized it was impossible because each time I reached a goal, I wanted something more. I thought of my dad and I couldn’t stop. I was so confused, I thought the easiest thing was to push you away. If a man is not strong and determined to succeed, he is no man, he told me. I kept on believing that even through the hate. But now I know…I messed it all up because I allowed you to think I didn’t care. I’ll never forgive myself for that.”

She rose on tip toes and kissed his vulnerability away. He was a tough man – but inside
,
he was still the young, insecure boy who lost a father too early.

“If a man has no love and kindness in his heart, he is no man,” she countered. “And in my heart and mind you are very much a man. The man I love more than anything.”

His forehead bumped hers. “Forever my Lissy.”

They walked out into the evening, the stars bright as if cheering for them. Lissy leaned into her husband and contemplated how life
’s
surprises
unfold and hopefully,
in the end,
teach us a lesson. And hers was clear – without the love of her husband, she was like a snail without its shell. A woman with everything to lose.

It was a lesson well-learned.

Natalie writes stories of mixed genre, especially
contemporary, historical, paranormal,
and fantasy
romance, as well as romantic suspense. She likes to set her stories in exotic locations. Brooding or light-hearted, capable or daring heroes and heroines – love is a flame that brings people together and sometimes burns in the unlikeliest of situations. Occasionally, she does have her dark moments, which is when she drums up the odd horror piece.
Her strong belief is that writers should not feel compelled to write only one type of story as creativity shouldn’t be put in a neat little box. All writers should write what’s in their heart
,
as long as they give it their best
and please their readers
.

A lawyer turned writer
, Natalie
sold her first story to an e-publisher in 2007. Since 2006, she has
also
worked
as a freelance
editor.
She
loves to meet other authors and readers
and swap writer jokes and ten minute recipes
.

Natalie has been married for 12 years and has one son.
S
ince 2009
,
she calls the beautiful island of Malta home. When she isn’t working or writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, watching a good movie and most of all, reading.

Website:
www.nataliegowens.com

Facebook profile page:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=563297082

Facebook author page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Natalie-G-Owens-Author/24911987111
)

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/#!/natalie_g_owens

Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/4527498-natalie-g-owens