Unexpected Lovers (6 page)

He hung up, and Maria chewed her lip as she dropped the phone back on the cradle. She’d been having an affair with Eric for several years. He’d always told her they would be together once he got rid of Whitney and had her money to sustain them. What he didn’t know was that she also knew he’d been with Whitney’s best friend, Mallory. Maria didn’t trust him, but love him she did.

* * * *

“What the hell do you mean, she’s not here?”

“I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t tell you anything other than she isn’t a patient here.”

“I’m her husband, God damn it!” Eric shouted, leaning toward the woman behind the desk.

“Without her permission, I can’t tell you anything, even if you are her husband.”

“I want to see your supervisor, now!”

“Certainly,” the woman said as she stood and moved toward another lady sitting several feet away.

Shit! If they won’t tell me, how the hell am I going to find her?

“Can I help you, sir?” a lanky blonde asked, when she stopped in front of him.

Mmm…nice. Big breasts, trim waist. I bet she’s hot in bed, too.

“I certainly hope so.” He purposely laid on the charm. “My name is Eric Scott. I’m an attorney from Los Angeles. My wife should have been brought in here several days ago after a fall in the canyon and I’m trying to locate her.”

The woman frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“My father had a heart attack about the same time, and I had to fly home. I left her here to recuperate, and I think she must have been discharged, but I can’t seem to locate her. I’m trying to find out where she went after she left here.”

“She didn’t call you and tell you she was being discharged?”

He dropped his gaze in what he hoped looked like embarrassment. “We had a bit of a fight before I left, over my leaving her here. I’m assuming she’s still pissed at me, so no, she hasn’t called me. I need to find out what day she left and if you know where she went, that would be helpful, too.”

“Let me see what I can do.”

“I would appreciate it more than you know.”

The woman tapped on the computer keyboard for several moments while he stood, shifting from foot to foot.

“Well, I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you where she went because we don’t have that information. She left here yesterday morning.”

“Thank you for your help,” Eric said, grumbling under his breath.

“Excuse me,” a young woman dressed in scrubs said off to his left. “Are you looking for Whitney Scott?”

“Why, yes I am.” He smiled, hoping he looked sincere.

“I saw her leave with Ryan O’Rourke.”

“Ryan O’Rourke?”

“Yeah. He’s a paramedic with the local fire department and Doctor Novak’s cousin.”

“Really.”

“Tiffany, I think you need to go back to work,” the blonde said with a tip of her head.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Tiffany disappeared quickly through the doors, but it didn’t matter. He had a couple of names, and that’s all he needed.

“Thank you for your help, Miss…?”

“Barbara Snow.”

“Ms. Snow. I appreciate the information, and I’m sure my wife will be pleased to know the hospital here has excellent customer service.”

The woman gave him a frown, but he turned on his heels, heading for the entrance as a plan hatched in his mind.
First I’ll find Ryan O’Rourke, and then I’ll take care of Whitney.

* * * *

Sunlight splashed across Whitney’s face, dragging her from one of the best night’s sleep she’d had in at least a month. The constant fighting with Eric and then trying to make up had taken its toll.

A soft groan escaped her lips when she rolled over on the comfortable mattress and opened her eyes. At first, she didn’t recognize the room. The soft pastel blue on the walls soothed the soul and the pretty curtains on the window spoke of expensive taste.

The light tap on the door had her struggling to sit upright in the bed before she called, “Come in.”

The door opened, and Brett poked his head in. “Good morning.”

“Morning.”

He stepped inside carrying a tray in his hands, and the smell of bacon and coffee met her nose, making her mouth water.

“How did you sleep?”

“Better than I have in a long time, even with a broken leg.”

“Do you need something for pain?”

“Not right now. I’ll sleep the day away if I take it.”

“I don’t want you to hurt, Whitney. Broken femurs can be very painful.”

“Enough with the doctor thing, okay?”

“This isn’t Doctor Novak talking, it’s Brett.”

“I’m fine.” She winced when she moved and quickly glanced in his direction, only to find a frown on his face.

“Stubborn woman,” he grumbled.

“That’s me. Didn’t I warn you?” Propping herself up against the headboard, she said, “Is that
my
breakfast? I’m starved.”

“Yeah. I hope you like bacon and eggs.”

“I love bacon and eggs.

He nodded and set the tray across her lap.

“Where’s Ryan this morning?”

“He had to work today. He’ll be home later this evening.”

“You didn’t have to go to the emergency room?”

“No. I had a couple of days off. It worked out well with your discharge. This way, one of us is here with you.”

“Thanks for getting me out of there so quickly. I know it wasn’t easy.”

“It helps knowing people, and because you were coming home with me and Ryan, Doctor Clark didn’t have a problem discharging you.”

“How long do I have to wear this thing?” she asked, tapping on the hard cast on her leg.

“Six weeks at least, sometimes longer.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. Broken bones take a long time to heal, especially femurs. You won’t be able to put any weight on the leg for a bit.”

She frowned and picked up the cup from the tray, attempting to hide the concern slicing through her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, sitting down in a chair he pulled to the side of the bed.

“Nothing.”

“I may not know you very well, but you can’t keep the emotions running through you out of your eyes. They are very expressive.”

“Thanks. I think.”

A warm chuckle left his lips. “You’re welcome. Now quit stalling.”

“I can’t stay here forever, Brett. I have to go back home and face my husband.”

“You don’t have to go anywhere for now, Whitney. Our hospitality is open to you for however long you need it. No strings attached.”

No strings. What I wouldn’t give to have a no-expectations type of relationship with a man. I should have listened to my head with Eric and not my heart. I wouldn’t be in this predicament if I had.

“Do you want to tell me about Eric?”

Sticking a forkful of egg in her mouth, she contemplated how much to tell the disturbing to her mind and heart, man sitting next to her. Having Brett and Ryan wanting to take care of her made her feel all warm and fuzzy, but she also had to deal with this unmistakable attraction she felt for both of them.

Do I want him to know the whole sordid tale? It might be good to talk about it.

“Eric and I had been having problems over the last year. I’ve wasn’t sure until recently, but I suspected he’d been having an affair. He’s an attorney in my father’s law firm, and I thought it was one of the women in the office, but I’m not sure now. Eric told me he had to kill me so he could be with Mallory. She’s my best friend.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah. Anyway, I found some text messages on his cell. When I confronted him, he denied it, of course. He suggested we come up here for a few days to try to work things out. We’d always enjoyed rock climbing and hiking, so we went out into the canyon. We’d hiked a little ways down the trail, and I stopped to look over a ledge. The next thing I knew, I was falling headfirst down the embankment.”

Brett picked up her hand and laid it between his warm palms. “Ryan and I won’t let anything happen to you. You’re safe here.”

She smiled. “I know. You two have been my saviors. Too bad I couldn’t have met one of you before I married, Eric.”

His gaze dropped to their hands. “What are you going to do about him?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you going to file for divorce?”

Capturing her lip between her teeth, she contemplated his question.
Divorce? When I married Eric, I never thought we’d get to this point.

“Whit?”

Their gaze met, and she sucked in a ragged breath. Both Brett and Ryan made her feel safe, protected and cared about. If she had been honest with herself over the last year, she would have realized she hadn’t been in love with Eric for a long time.

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

“Why?”

A smile spread across his face, and a shiver rolled down her back.

“You’re an amazing, beautiful woman, and I wouldn’t mind getting to know you better.”

What about Ryan? I could never choose between them.

Tugging her hand out of his grasp, she said, “That wouldn’t be fair to Ryan.”

“Let me tell you something about me and Ryan.” He sat back against the chair. “We are first cousins and very close, which is why he lives here with me. I would never allow any of my other family to do that. He’s more like a brother than a cousin. We grew up together since our mothers are twins.”

“I understand.”

“No, you don’t. Let me finish.”

“All right.”

“There have been times over the years that we have shared a woman or two.”

“You mean you went out with the same girl?”

“No, I mean shared.”

Rolling around the information in her mind, she gasped when it finally dawned on her what he meant. “You slept with the same woman?”

“Yes. Together, Whitney. At the same time.”

Her mouth opened and closed like a guppy.

He smiled and put his finger under her chin.

“But…”

“We both want you, if that isn’t obvious.”

Oh my God! Two men at once?

“I’m not saying that’s what we expect from you. When it happened before, it wasn’t necessarily planned. The women were open to a ménage.”

“Ménage?”