His Virgin Wife: The Wedding in White / Caught in the Crossfire / The Virgin's Secret Marriage. Diana Palmer

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      “Okay, boss,” she drawled, and ignored his stormy expression.

      As it turned out, Mack took Natalie home first and walked her to her front door.

      “Try to stay out of trouble,” he cautioned. “I may see you at the grocery store tomorrow.”

      “Sadie shops. You don’t.”

      “I can shop if I want to,” he said. He searched her bright face. “Just for the record, I wanted to take them home first.”

      She smiled. “Thanks.”

      One shoulder lifted and fell. “It isn’t the right time. Not yet.” He bent and brushed a soft kiss against her forehead. “This is to throw them off the track,” he whispered as he stood straight again. “A little brotherly peck should do the trick.”

      “Yes, it should.”

      His gaze fell to her soft mouth for an instant. “Next time, I’ll make sure I take you home last. Good night, angel.”

      “Good night.”

      He winked and walked to the car, whistling an off-key tune on the way. Natalie waved before she went into the house. She’d wanted Mack to kiss her again, but maybe he’d had enough kissing that afternoon. She hadn’t. Not by a long shot. She didn’t want to feel this way about Mack, but she couldn’t help herself. She wondered how it would eventually work out between them, but it was too disturbing to torture herself like that. She cleaned her face, got into her gown and went to bed. And she dreamed of Mack all night long.

       Chapter 6

      The phone rang on the one morning during the week when Natalie could sleep late. It was Mack, and he sounded worried.

      “It’s Viv,” he said at once, not bothering with a greeting. “I had to take her to the emergency room early this morning. She’s got the flu and it’s complicated with pneumonia. She refused to let me put her in the hospital, and I’ve got to fly out to Dallas this morning on business. My plane leaves in less than an hour and a half. The boys are off on a hunting trip. I hate to ask you, but can you come over and stay with her until I get home?”

      “Of course I can,” she replied. “How long are you going to be away?”

      “With luck, I’ll be back by midnight. If not, first thing tomorrow.”

      “I don’t have to go in to the grocery store to work until tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be glad to stay with her. Did the doctor give you prescriptions for her, and have you been to the pharmacy to pick up her medicine?”

      “No,” he said gruffly. “I’ll have to do that—”

      “I’ll pick them up on my way over,” she said. “You go ahead and catch your flight. I’ll be there in thirty minutes if they have her prescriptions ready.”

      “They should be,” he said. “I dropped them off before I brought her home. I’ll phone and give them my credit card number, so they’ll already be paid for.”

      “Thanks.”

      “Thank you,” he added. “She feels pretty bad, so she shouldn’t give you much trouble. Oh, and there’s a little complication,” he said irritably. “Whit’s here.”

      “That should cheer her up,” she reminded him.

      “It will, as long as you don’t look at him.”

      She laughed. “No problem there.”

      “I know you don’t like him, but she won’t believe it. If there was anybody else I could ask, I wouldn’t bother you. I just don’t like the idea of leaving her alone with him, even if she does have pneumonia.”

      “I don’t mind. Honest. You be careful.”

      “The plane wouldn’t dare crash,” he chuckled. “I’ve got too much work to do.”

      “Keep that in mind. I’ll see you when you get back.”

      “You be careful, too,” he said. “And wear your raincoat. It’s already sprinkling outside.”

      “I’ll wear mine if you wear yours.”

      He chuckled again. “Okay. You win. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

      She said goodbye and hung up, rushing to get her bag packed so that she could get over to the ranch.

      She walked into Viv’s bedroom with a bag of medicine, a cold soft drink that she knew her friend liked and some cough drops.

      Viv looked washed out and sick, but she managed a wan smile as Natalie approached the bed. Whit was sprawled in an armchair by the bed, looking out of sorts until he saw Natalie. His eyes ran over her trim figure in jeans and a button-up gray knit sweater with a jaunty gray and green scarf.

      “Don’t you look cute,” he said with a smile.

      Viv glared at him. So did Natalie.

      “Why don’t you make some coffee, Whit?” Viv asked angrily. “I could do with a cup.”

      He got out of the chair. “My pleasure. What do you take in yours, Nat?” he asked smoothly.

      She turned and looked him right in the eye. “Nobody calls me Nat except Mack,” she pointed out. “It isn’t a nickname I tolerate from anyone else.”

      His cheekbones colored briefly. “Sorry,” he said with a nervous laugh. “I’ll just make that coffee. Be back as soon as I can.”

      Viv watched him go and then turned cold eyes on her friend. “You don’t have to snap at him,” she said curtly. “He was only being polite.”

      Natalie’s eyebrows went up. “Was he?”

      “Mack shouldn’t have called you,” she said tersely. “I’d have been just fine here with Whit.”

      Natalie felt uncomfortable and unwelcome. “He thought you needed nursing.”

      “He thought I needed a chaperone, you mean,” she said angrily. “And I don’t! Whit would manage just fine.”

      “All right, then,” Natalie said with a forced smile. “I’ll go home. There’s your medicine and some cough drops. I guess Whit can pick up anything else you need. Sorry I bothered you.”

      She turned and walked to the door, almost in tears.

      “Oh, Nat, don’t go,” Viv said miserably. “I’m sorry. You came all this way and even brought my medicine and I’m being horrible. Please come back.”

      Natalie had the door open. “You’ve got Whit…”

      “Come back,” Viv pleaded.

      Natalie closed the door and went to the armchair by the bed, but her eyes were СКАЧАТЬ