Love's Harvest by Peggy J. Herring

Author:Peggy J. Herring [Herring, Peggy J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Lesbian, Contemporary, Romance, General
ISBN: 9781594930980
Google: ggTxAAAACAAJ
Amazon: 1594930988
Publisher: Bella Books
Published: 1996-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Nicole used the trip to prepare herself for what she would find at the hospital. She had

wanted to protest and insist that Camille go home, but she didn't want to be alone now. The

reality of Lalo's being back had not quite settled in yet. She would have a better idea of

how she felt about things once she saw him again.

She glanced over at Camille as she drove and was glad to have her there. She says she's in

love with me, Nicole reminded herself. But the timing is bad for us now. How can I ask her

to become a part of this? Lalo could be so difficult when he wanted to be, and from the

condition the servants had been found in, it was quite clear that he had not changed any.

Nicole looked out the window. She had no intention of exposing Camille to any of this.

At the hospital she asked what room Antoine was in and moved through the hallway quickly.

She lowered her head as she maneuvered around cleverly placed carts and abandoned

wheelchairs.

"I hate hospitals," she grumbled.

When they found Antoine's room, he was sitting up in bed with a small bandage on the side

of his head. His eyes were red and his wavy hair a mess. Nicole went to him and kissed him

on the cheek.

"What happened?" she asked gently.

"Lalo is back." He turned away from her. "He has a new lover."

Silence hung in the air between them. Nicole tried to think of something comforting to say

to him, but words escaped her. She was forever surprised at how much Antoine still cared

for her brother.

"I'm sorry," she finally whispered. "How are you? How did you get hurt? When can I take you home?"

"They'll release me tomorrow," he said solemnly. "Home, Nicole? I can't go back to the chateau with the two of them there." He socked his pillow a few times in an attempt to

fluff it up before lying down and pulling the covers up under his chin. "Lalo's a sick man," he said as he closed his eyes. "You should have seen the way he pranced around, insisting on

being referred to as the Marquis! He showed that young twit the winery. His winery, he

kept saying. His chateau. After all, he is the Marquis!" Antoine was nearly hysterical. "He's crazy, Nicole. Be careful."

"I can handle my brother," she said coolly. "And I won't stand for this nonsense about you not coming home tomorrow. Where is he, anyway? He wasn't at the chateau when I

arrived."

"I saw him briefly earlier. I don't know where he is now."

"I'll be here in the morning to pick you up. Maybe I can talk to him tonight and see what he wants this time. Now tell me how you got hurt."

"We argued. I was upset." Antoine lowered his voice. "It was wonderful seeing him again, but at the same time I was terrified of him." He looked up and met Nicole's eyes. "You and I have discussed him coming back several times, Nicole, but each time it gets worse.

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