The Prodigal Bride by Beth Cornelison

Author:Beth Cornelison [Cornelison, Beth]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: suspense
ISBN: 9781426885020
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-02-01T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

A round 1:00 a.m. that night, Zoey keyed open the door to Gage’s house and stumbled into the kitchen. Her heart, burdened with images of her tiny nephew fighting for his life, sat like a paperweight in her chest, while her mind spun like a carnival ride.

Without turning on the overhead light, she groped her way to the refrigerator and took out the milk. In the glow from the open appliance, she poured herself a tall glass and drank half of it without stopping.

“I wasn’t expecting you home tonight.”

The overhead light flicked on, and sloshing the remaining milk on her shirt, she spun with a gasp to face Gage. “Leapin’ lizards, you startled me!”

“Sorry, but why were you creeping around in the dark?”

She mopped ineffectively at the milk on her blouse with tissue from her pocket and frowned. “I didn’t want the lights to wake you.”

“I wasn’t asleep. Too much on my mind.” Gage pulled a hand towel from a drawer and tossed it to her. “I thought you were staying the night at the hospital.”

“I would have, but Mom and Dad made me come home to rest. They’re worried about me overdoing it and jeopardizing my baby.”

“Good for them. I was a little concerned about that, too.”

She yawned and sopped moisture from her clothes. “After Holly fell asleep, Mom took the sleeper chair by the hospital bed, and Matt and Dad went upstairs to be with the baby. Paige went back to Mom and Dad’s house to relieve Jake of babysitting duty and to get some sleep.”

Her head nodded, heavy with fatigue, and she blinked herself awake. As physically exhausted as she was, she doubted her spinning thoughts, her guilt about Derek’s extortion, her concern for baby Adam, would allow her to sleep.

Her contacts felt gritty and dry, after too many hours of wear and the drying air of the hospital’s heating system. She plucked a contacts case from her purse and used the reflective surface of the microwave door to see as she took out her contacts.

“I brought Pet home around ten,” Gage said. “She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.”

“I know how she feels.” Zoey yawned. Her glasses were back in the master bathroom, so she squinted to clear the fuzzy images around her.

The damp fabric of her shirt caused a shiver to race over her skin. Knowing the milk would stink if not washed out soon, she started unbuttoning her blouse. “We’ll change shifts again in the morning, giving Matt, Mom and Dad a chance to sleep and shower.”

“I’m happy to do whatever your family needs me to do. Watch the kids, run errands, sit with Holly—” Gage stopped abruptly when she peeled her blouse off her shoulders and wadded it into a ball. A choking sound gurgled from his throat.

She tipped her head in query. “You all right?”

He rubbed his face and averted his gaze. “Sure. I just…” His hand flailed in a vague gesture that meant nothing to her.

Shaking her head, she headed into the laundry room.

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