His priority, though, was the resort and the guests who were in his care. A quick call to the resort manager put his mind at ease - all guests present and accounted for and only minor damage to the villas closest to the beach.
He went back to check on Erin and she was up. She’d put on his robe again and it swallowed her up, making her look like a child playing dress up in her parents’ clothes.
As soon as she saw him her face lit up and then it clouded over with a look of concern. “How do you feel today?” she asked. She hopped out of the bed and came over to rest a hand on his arm. “Any headaches? Dizziness?”
“I’m fine, nurse,” he teased then reached out and pulled her against him. “And how did you rest?”
“Never slept better,” she said with a relaxed smile and then her face went pink and he knew she was remembering their lovemaking from the night before.
And she’d soon have a lot more to grow pink about. Tonight he planned to give her even more of the same treatment. But now there was work to do. “You whip up some breakfast while I make some calls and get a work crew organized. It’s going to be a busy day.”
“Not for you it’s not,” she said, her eyes flashing. “Your first order of business is to swing by the hospital and have them check out that bump on your head.”
“But-”
“Not another word, mister. Go freshen up while I make breakfast. Then it’s off to the doctor for you.”
Dare could only stare at her in amused surprise. Now where had this bossy spirit come from? There was a lot more to Erin than met the eye.
As much as he wanted to get started on the repairs he realized the wisdom of her words. With a nod and a quick grin he yielded to his new boss and headed off to the bathroom.
Later that morning with the permission of his doctor Dare made his rounds of the resort and ensured that competent staff was on hand to cater to the guests. Then he stopped by his office to make some important phone calls after the storm. He had to connect with his relatives back in Michigan to assure them he was safe and with his insurance company to arrange for an assessment of the damage. It was a good thing he’d included flood insurance and wind damage for all his properties.
When he got back home late that afternoon Erin was nowhere to be found. He called her cell phone.
“There was an announcement on the radio that the shelter got a lot more people than they bargained for. They’ve run out of blankets so I got Carlos to take me down here to drop some off.” There was the sound of static and then her voice came back on the line but weaker than before. “It’s really bad, Dare. Lots of damage-” The call dropped, leaving him clutching the phone to his ear.
He tried calling back but only got a busy signal. Obviously the hurricane had not only affected the supply of electricity. It had messed up the phone systems, too.
He just hoped she would hurry back. She was in no condition to be traipsing all over town trying to save the world.
Within an hour Erin was back home looking flushed and eager. “They were so happy for the blankets,” she said, beaming. “We should take them some food, too. With all the people who turned up at the shelter I’m sure they’d appreciate it.”
“Sure,” Dare said, taking her by the shoulder and leading her over to the reclining chair. “But not today. You need to put your feet up and relax. Remember what the doctor said about the swelling in your ankles.”
“He said I need exercise, not pampering.” But despite her protest she relaxed into the chair and put her feet up, much to his relief.
He could see how much it meant to her to have been able to render assistance. She was obviously a kindhearted soul and he loved her for it.
Dare paused and looked up from where he was kneeling at her feet. Love. Now where had that thought come from? Unbidden, it had popped into his mind, startling him with how easily it had slipped in. Did he love Erin?
If his actions were anything to go by then maybe it was so. Right then he was busy massaging her ankles, helping to stimulate the circulation and prevent swelling. It made him feel…husbandly, if that was a word. But he had to admit, something had changed. He still wanted Erin, that was for sure, but that alone was no longer enough. His feelings for her had blossomed into something far more than just the physical. Now his desire was for an emotional connection.
That evening Dare made his specialty, stir-fried chicken with white rice, and he and Erin sat down to a quiet meal alone. They finished off with a cup of herbal tea for Erin and black coffee for Dare. Then, for the first time since they’d met, he told her about his musical family. He talked about his dad, a country and western singer who had moved to Michigan with his young wife, where they’d performed in nightclubs across the city.
As teenagers Dare and his two brothers often joined their parents on stage. Later, one of his brothers went on to a musical career while the other became a psychiatrist. Dare chose the field of engineering.
“But the entrepreneurial spirit won out, I see.” Erin lifted her teacup to him.
Dare nodded. “Never even got the chance to use my engineering degree, but who’s complaining?”
They were both having a laugh at that when Dare’s cell phone began to buzz. He peered at the screen. “My broker. Calling me now? Weird.” He took the call and was on the phone less than two minutes when he hung up. He was all smiles.
“Did you just win the lottery?” Erin asked cheekily. A man like Dare probably never wasted his time or his money on such slim odds.
“Better. That was my insurance broker. He said they’ll be going out tomorrow to assess the property damage at that new resort I bought. It’s likely they’ll cover up to eighty percent of the damage.”
“But why not one hundred percent?”
“That would be the ideal but there’s that pesky little thing called the deductible they have to take out first.” He shrugged. “But the good thing is, Dennis went to look at the place and the bulk of the wind damage was to those villas I was planning to bulldoze anyway. They were too hollow to stand up to the hurricane.”
“A blessing in disguise,” she murmured.
“You got that right.” Then he gave her a naughty look. “To celebrate I’ll grant you one wish, anything you want.”
“A massage,” she said with delight. “I want you to massage me from head to toe. Carrying this weight around is hard on the back and the legs.”
He put on a disappointed look. “Nothing else? Just a massage?”
“Yes, Dare,” she said, rolling her eyes, “just a massage. We’ve had enough fun for a while, don’t you think?”
He didn’t press after that. Erin had been more than generous in that department, considering her condition. He would give her a well-deserved break. He gathered the cups and teapot onto the tray. “Be right back,” he said and headed for the kitchen.
Dare had just deposited the tray onto the marble countertop when he heard a yell. It was Erin and she was shouting his name. He jogged back to the sitting room to see what the fuss was about.
What Dare saw made his blood run cold. Erin had collapsed onto the floor. She was clutching her stomach and moaning.
He rushed over to kneel by her side. “What’s wrong?’
“Cramps,” she gasped, her brow beaded with perspiration. She gritted her teeth and clutched his hand with a strength that rivaled a weight lifter. “I think…I’m going into labor.”
“Labor?” he all but shouted. “You’re nowhere near due yet.”
“Tell that to the baby,” she half-laughed half-groaned, then she was clutching his shoulders with both hands, shivering with the pain that shot through her body.
“We’re going to the hospital,” he said and lifted her into his arms.
“I’m not dressed,” she gasped. “My bag. It’s not packed.”
“Forget all that, Erin. We have to go now.” His heart pounded so hard it hurt. What the hell was going on? Erin hadn’t even hit her seventh month yet. How could she be having contractions? He placed her in the back seat where she could have more room to stretch out then he jumped into the Jaguar and speed off to the same hospital he’d visited just hours before.
As soon as they rushed into the emergency room Erin was wheeled off to a private room where the doctor on duty did an assessment. That was when they realized that Erin had been spotting.
“What does it mean?” she asked, her eyes wide as she clung to Dare’s hand. “Am I going to lose my baby?”
The doctor patted her hand. “We’ll run some tests then we’ll see what’s going on.” He waved his hand to a waiting orderly. “Ultrasound department,” he said and the man came forward at once to take Erin away in her wheelchair.
Dare was right behind him. “I’m coming, too,” he said. There was no way he was going to allow them to take Erin out of his sight. But there was something weighing on his mind, something he just could not shake. As he followed the men he cleared his throat. “Doctor,” he said, “if she…exerted herself, could that cause her to lose the baby?”