Cart Before The Horse Page 4

  “I will.”

  “Okay.” He turned around and leaned his hand against the doorjamb. He sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “I guess I’m going to head back to my office and call my mother. This very well might make her year.”

  “Your mother? You’re going to tell her?” Her voice rose in pitch and fear struck her in the gut, forcing the first tear. She batted it back.

  He let go of the door and he looked at her in disbelief. “Holly, it won’t be a secret forever.”

  “But… well…” She was at a loss. She certainly wasn’t going to be calling her mother the moment he walked out the door.

  “I have to tell them, Holly. They’re going to be grandparents. And they’re the kind to dote on a child.”

  She felt lightheaded again and reached for the doorknob for support and with hopes it would hurry him along before she

  exploded. “Fine. I’ll talk to you later, then."

  He gave her a smile and shut the door behind him.

  Holly tried to rest. She lay in bed for two hours and all that changed were the numbers on the clock. She couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t relax. Her life was in a spiral and she didn’t know where it was going to head. All that she knew was Gabe Maguire was now involved.

  She sat up and tunneled her fingers through her hair.

  Like it or not, the man was in her life forever. That was as crazy as those people who jet off to Vegas and marry someone they meet in a casino. Crazier. It didn’t only involve her and Gabe. It involved a person who was going to be dependent on them forever.

  She fell back on her pillow.

  Forever was a long time when you hadn’t planned for it. She’d always assumed she’d have trust funds set up and names picked out before she had a baby. Oh hell, she’d thought that for one time in her life she’d do something right and have a husband before she had a child.

  “One more time, Holly. One more time you got your events messed up,” she thought. Why couldn’t she have just been normal and done it all by the book? Graduated with people her age. Snuck out at night and TP’d someone’s house. She should have learned to get drunk at a frat party in college, but no one in college would talk to a fifteen-year-old.

  She looked at the clock. It was four. Gabe would be heading into his dinner rush as people began to pack up their business day and head out without a care.

  Carefree, that’s what she could have been if she wasn’t her. She could just leave work and go have a drink with a friend—a man, even. But no. Holly worked twelve-hour days every day. And because of it she owned a condo on the tenth floor, a Mercedes, Chanel shoes, and Gucci purses. But the love of a man had never fit into her plans. Those men who had tried had left.

  Now she had Gabe and a life she’d yet to meet.

  She lowered her hands to her stomach, and a warmth filled her. There was life within her.

  Tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She wasn’t sorry—and it was the best feeling she could ever have hoped for. She was going to be a mother, and she swore she’d be a good one, too.

  Through the tears laughter burst. She’d be the kind that expected matched socks in drawers and clean hands at all times. Gabe probably would let their kids pick up frogs or wear pretty dresses out to have ice cream.

  Could they balance each other out enough to raise normal children? Children? Her mind was already on the fritz. One was already more than she could handle.

  “I promise I’ll try, little one.”

  Gabe did his best to occupy his mind, but the best way to do that was to work, and he enjoyed all aspects of the restaurant. He poured drinks and delivered them to tables. He manned the hostess station and seated new parties. When a table needed clearing he bussed it and mingled with guests. Chandra scooted behind him with a glass in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other. “You seem out of sorts tonight. I really can handle this if you need to relocate yourself,” she said as she filled the glass with Coke from the tap and added a shot of whiskey.

  “I’m in your way, aren’t I?”

  “Didn’t want to say it right out.” She slid the glass to the end of the bar to the man who gave a wave as he caught it.

  “I’ll find somewhere else to be.” He walked around to the kitchen and watched the door swing back and forth as servers picked up plates and bussers brought them back empty.

  It was what he’d always dreamed of. But as of that morning, all his dreams had changed, and his mind spun with all the new things he wanted to do.

  He stepped back as a perky, as Holly had referred to them,

  stepped in to pick up her order. “You could help me with this,” she barked as she loaded her arms with plates.

  Gabe gathered the rest of the order on a tray and followed her to a large table of diners who drank and laughed. In the center of them all was an infant snuggled into her mother’s arms, sound asleep among the noise.

  Nine months wasn’t so long. Soon that would be him and Holly and their baby resting in their arms. The air whooshed out of his lungs and the plates in his arms teetered.

  “You’re going to drop that. Give it to me.” Penny, the waitress, took the plates from him and distributed them to the table. “Let me know if you all need anything.”

  She turned and walked back to the kitchen, but Gabe stood for a while and watched as the baby stirred. They’d be a family, no matter what Holly thought about him personally. His first step would be convincing her to consider them friends.

  He walked to the end of the bar, managing to get in Chandra’s way again. It was almost eight, and the dinner crowd would begin to wind down soon. The door opened and a large party walked through. He stood to help seat them, but behind them he noticed Holly walk through the door. She scanned the room and looked as though she considered turning around and walking out, but he caught her eye and smiled. The room warmed when she walked into it—and her coming to the restaurant was a sign she was accepting him.

  She looked past the patrons at the bar to where he stood at the end. She was dressed casually, but her hair was down, and he liked the way it framed her face and softened her eyes. The

  chill in the night air had obviously forced her into a heavier coat and the responsible side of him was glad to see she was taking care of herself.

  Gabe walked toward her. “I’m glad you came by.”

  She brushed her hair back over her shoulder. “I don’t feel right about coming down here.”

  “You’re going to need to get used to it.” He touched her

  cheek again, but she flinched and he removed his hand. “Why don’t you sit here,” he said as he pointed to the empty stool beside him. “Or I can get you a quiet table.” He could see both options made her uncomfortable. “Or we could go up to my place and have a little dinner.”

  “Really? You can get away?”

  “He’s in the way,” Chandra said as she wiped down the bar. “He’s been stepping on my toes all night, and if he’d get out of here for an hour, we’d all relax.”

  He knew how to read Holly’s eyes. Any warm-blooded female would look at Chandra and be jealous. He’d have to work on assuring her that wasn’t going to be a problem.

  “If you’re so anxious to be rid of me…”

  “Why can’t you be like everyone else who runs a place like this and hide in your office?” She poured a beer from the tap and handed it to a man at the end of the bar.

  Gabe laughed. Well, at least they had all noticed that he wasn’t just the guy who held the title to the place. He was a presence, and it wasn’t going to change.

  “Chandra, this is Holly.”

  “Nice to meet you.” She reached her damp hand over the bar and shook Holly’s then quickly pulled it back and poured another drink. “Get this guy out of my bar, would you?”

  He turned back to Holly. “What are you hungry for?”

  “I’m not really hungry.” She put her hand to her stomach, and he could see the color drain from her face as a wa
itress passed by with a tray of food. “I have a hard time keeping anything down.”

  Knowing Chandra was straining to hear every word, he mouthed, “Morning sickness?”

  “Sure. And all day.”

  He led her away from the bar. “My sister Mallory was sick from conception until birth. All day long. And that was her third so she had two other little ones she was always caring for.

  Andrew is still paying for making her so sick.”

  Her eyes widened and glazed over with fear.

  He shook his head. “It’s not always like that. Don’t panic.”

  “I’ve been panicked since I gathered my clothes off the floor of the hotel room,” she said.

  He wanted to touch her face again. He wanted to pull her into his arms and just hold her, but not here. Not yet.

  “I’m going to take you upstairs and get you settled, then I’ll come down and get us a couple bowls of soup. Does that sound okay?”

  Holly’s lips turned up into smile and she nodded. “I might be able to try some soup.”

  The apartment above the restaurant wasn’t as shabby as Holly had imagined. It was as big as her condo. The walls were painted in warm browns, and the window coverings were heavy drapes, obviously to keep the light out when he slept during the day. The couch was a rich, dark leather that matched a battered recliner that had seen better days.

  Gabe turned on the gas fireplace and it lit the living room up in an orange glow, casting shadows on the ornate wood

  coffee table.

  “I’m not sure what’s on TV this time at night, except for sports.” He pushed the buttons on the remote until the TV turned on and then handed it to her. “Find anything you’d like. There are water bottles in the fridge. Bathroom is down the hall.” He turned back to the door. “Make yourself comfortable and I’ll be back up in a few minutes.”

  Holly nodded as he walked away. She flipped through the channels, which were only local, and settled on something just for the noise. She shrugged out of her coat and laid it on the couch. Without even leaving the room, she decided she could learn a lot about the man who was now her partner in life.

  There was a bookcase full of mystery novels and even a few

  romances. That made her chuckle. There were a few trophies for baseball and one for bowling.

  Above the fireplace were framed pictures. The largest frame stood in the center of the mantel. Gabe, his parents, his sisters, and their families were thrown into an impromptu huddle, smiling broadly. Everyone in the photo resembled Gabe and each other, so she assumed they were his family. She would have known his father anywhere. They were a match, though he had his mother’s eyes.

  The smiles on the faces of the two boys he held in his arms tugged at her heart. They were as different as night and day, but almost the same age. They each had their tiny arms wrapped around Gabe’s neck and their cheeks pressed to his. She’d never seen a man so happy.

  The other frames were of ski trips and people crowded around the bar with friends. There was a picture of Gabe with an older man behind the bar in the restaurant downstairs. His uncle, perhaps. A picture of Gabe and his mother had her wondering what her reaction was when he told her about the baby. She’d been too cowardly to even think about calling her mother. She’d have to, but she wasn’t ready.

  Holly wandered around the room, picking up things and setting them down. Off to the side, a frame stood on a table by itself. She walked over and picked it up.

  Gabe stood behind a woman, leaning over her shoulder so they were cheek to cheek. His arms were wrapped around her waist and their bodies were pressed to each other’s. Wherever they were, it was cold—their cheeks and noses were red, but their smiles warmed even Holly, who only looked down at the

  memory on paper. This woman couldn’t be a sister or even a cousin. This woman meant something far more to Gabe.

  She lifted the frame closer. His hands rested on the woman’s stomach, and she’d placed hers atop his.

  When she noticed the big, shiny diamond on the woman’s left hand, a lump lodged itself in her throat, and she bit her lip

  to stop it from quivering. She looked even closer and noticed that Gabe had a band of gold on his left hand.

  The bastard was married.

  Chapter Three

  Holly tossed the frame onto a chair and grabbed her coat from the couch. She swiftly moved through the apartment, trying to pull on her coat as she swung open the door and bolted out into the hallway—where Gabe stood holding a tray of food. She fell right into him, pushing him into the adjacent wall and catching her balance just before she would have tripped down the first step. The soups spilled over and the tray crashed to the floor. Glasses of water and mugs of tea splattered against the walls as the glass shattered.

  “What are you doing?” He reached for her as she stepped away from the stairs. “Are you all right? Is everything okay?” He looked her over as if she were injured or sick.

  “I’m leaving.” She shoved past him and hurried to the stairs.

  “Whoa.” He grabbed hold of her arm and stopped her. “You’re not leaving until you tell me what’s wrong with you.”

  “You wouldn’t care. You’re a lying bastard and I don’t want to be here with you and I don’t want to share this

  baby with you.”

  “You’re sharing that baby with me no matter what you think of me personally. Now go back inside and tell me what the hell is wrong with you.”

  “I’m not going back in there.”

  “Then tell me here.”

  She lifted her hand to smack him across the face, but he caught her wrist. She let out a huff and stomped her foot like a child having a tantrum, but she was beyond caring what he

  thought of her. “You’re married. You’re leading me on thinking that you want to have this baby with me, and you’re married.”

  Gabe’s eyes flew open and his jaw dropped. It was all the proof she needed.

  She pulled her arm from his grip and turned to walk away.

  “Holly, it’s not what you think.” His voice was too calm. He wasn’t shouting. Excuses weren’t the first thing he’d rattled off his tongue.

  “Really? You just display pictures of yourself and some random woman in intimate poses? Not to mention the huge rock on her finger.” Her voice echoed in the stairwell. She wanted to run down the stairs, but something about his reaction stopped her.

  He closed his eyes and let out a loud breath. “Don’t move,” he said, opening his eyes and giving her a stern look. “I’m not kidding. Don’t move.” He walked back into the apartment.

  She stayed. She needed to know.

  When he emerged, he had the picture in his hand.

  “This one?”

  Holly looked down at it and then looked away. She didn’t want to see his betrayal staring up at her.

  “Is this what set you off?”

  “I’m not stupid, Gabe.” Her heart twisted. “Yes, this is the picture, and I know what it means.”

  “Holly, you’re right.” He swallowed, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. “This is Jasmine, my wife.”

  She should walk away. But the pain in his voice kept her feet rooted to the floor.

  Gabe looked down at the picture and ran his fingers across it. “This picture was taken twelve years ago in Maine.” He smiled. “I was twenty-six. It seems a lifetime ago.”

  He ran his fingers through his hair and then pinched the bridge of his nose. “We were married in Hawaii, on the beach. I met her in college and proposed to her the next week. She

  didn’t take me seriously at first, but eventually she gave

  into my charm.”

  The heat in the stairwell rose and she wanted to lash out. Most men would at least have tried to soften the blow. No, Gabe Maguire was going to stand before her starry eyed, looking down at the picture of his wife, and continue his story. She should have pushed him down the stairs, but she needed to know every awful detail about this man who was the
father of her child. “Where is she now? She didn’t move with you to Denver? She didn’t want to watch you working with the perky-titted girls who rake in the money for you?”

  He shook his head. “We were married for three years. This was our last vacation together. We were driving back to Boston, where we lived, and a truck crossed the center line of the highway.” He wiped at his eye, and his breath shook as he drew in air.

  There was no need to tell her something had gone terribly wrong, she felt it wrench in her gut and stab at her heart as she watched him relive it in his mind.

  His eyebrows drew together and his lips pursed. “I broke my leg. Didn’t even know it at first. It was just a pinch. I climbed out of the car and ran around the other side to get her out. She was driving, and in the confusion of the moment all I could see was a cloud of dust from the airbag under the truck’s head lights.” The first tear dropped, and it ripped Holly’s heart in half. “It had killed her instantly.”

  Holly covered her mouth as tears fell freely from her eyes. No matter what her eyes had told her, she’d been so wrong in her assumptions about him. “Gabe, I’m so sorry.”

  He nodded and kept his eyes on the picture. “I was devastated. I did what I could to piece my life together back in Boston, and I thought I had a good grasp on it. Then when my uncle said he wanted out of the restaurant business, I realized it was my calling. I came out here two years ago and started learning the ropes. When he moved back east a few months ago, I

  figured we’d see how it went.” He gave in to a chuckle. “I met you shortly after that. I guess it was fate saying move on.”

  “I’m sorry I accused you.” She rested her hand on his arm.