Triplets For The Texan

“I knew I should have thrown that away.”

Hutch had the audacity to laugh. When he did, she caught a glimpse of the carefree young doctor she had fallen in love with so many years ago. Heaven help her. With the shadows gone from his eyes—chased away by genuine humor—he was irresistible.

He fiddled with a setting on the monitor. “It will take at least twenty-four hours to get your electrolyte levels balanced again. After that, we’ll have to see if you are able eat or drink at all. Otherwise, you’ll have to get nutrition intravenously.”

“How long will this last?”

“Well...” It was clear he didn’t want to upset her.

“Go ahead, Hutch. I can handle it.”

“Days. Weeks.” He grimaced. “For some it’s all the way till the end. But you’re in the earliest moments of this pregnancy. Your body is adapting to the flood of hormones. With any luck, things will settle down soon.”

“Thanks for the pep talk,” she said drily. She watched as he moved around the bedroom. “You can’t stay here. You have a job.”

“I was going to talk to you about that. I have a friend, a nurse, who does in-home care. She’s expensive, but it’s cheaper than being hospitalized and a lot more comfortable.”

“She would stay overnight?”

Hutch rubbed two fingers in the center of his forehead. “No. I would be here when I get off work in the evenings.”

Simone closed her eyes and told herself not to get upset. That wouldn’t be good for the babies. “You know that’s impossible,” she whispered.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand, the one with the needle taped into it. “My job is to protect high-risk infants. What happened to you is serious, but there’s no reason to take up a hospital bed.”

“What about staying away from each other?”

“You’re all hooked up. How bad could we be?”

The droll comment startled a laugh from her when she could have sworn she didn’t have it in her. “I have friends,” she said. “And parents.”

“Don’t be coy, Simone. I happen to know that Cecelia is newly engaged and pregnant and Naomi flits all over the country. Your parents wouldn’t begin to know how to be nurturing. I’ve met them, remember? I’m your best shot if you want to stay out of the hospital.”

Well, damn. The idea of checking into a hospital for something like this gave her the hives. “You could teach me about the IV,” she said, giving him a hopeful glance.

“Nice try, kiddo. Even Kate Middleton had to stay in the hospital a few nights when she struggled with this condition. Despite the fact that she had castles and servants at her disposal. Count yourself lucky that Dr. Fetter trusts me.”

“She should. You’re her boss.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I’m sorry Candace dragged you into this.”

He leaned over and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. “I’m not. You gave everyone a real scare. I’d just as soon be the one keeping an eye on you.”

Four (#u423052c9-dc69-5a61-b438-242e9f64750d)

Hutch kept his easy smile with effort. Never had he imagined seeing Simone in the state she’d been in when she collapsed. Severe dehydration could even affect the heart. When he’d first seen her, he had actually feared for her pregnancy.

Not only that, he had flashed back to losing Beth. Even though he didn’t want a romantic relationship with Simone again, there was no way in hell he was going to let anything happen to her on his watch.

The stubborn woman had to have been in misery. Yet she’d been determined to power through on her own. She looked a little better now, but not much. He estimated that she had already lost six or seven pounds. Her cheekbones stood out sharply, as did her collarbone.

He touched the spot beneath her ear. “They put motion-sickness patches on you in the hospital. I’ll change those out as necessary.”

“Is it safe?” Her fingers moved restlessly, pleating the sheet.

He frowned. “A hell of a lot safer than collapsing from dehydration. You were in a bad way, Simone.”

“I thought I could handle it.”

“You hate depending on other people for help, don’t you?”

“I don’t like to take help from you.” Tears welled in her beautiful eyes, making them sparkle.

He sat down again, telling himself he had to be the professional in this situation. “I owe you this much, don’t you think?”

“For what?” She couldn’t quite meet his eyes.

“For taking your advice and going to Africa.” He couldn’t help the fact that the words sounded accusatory. When it had become clear that he and Simone were crazy about each other, he had offered to linger in Royal for a few years until she got her ad agency off the ground. He’d assumed she would jump at the offer. Instead, she had broken up with him. She’d insisted she didn’t want to stand in the way of his doing something so important.

Bitter and disillusioned, he had realized that Simone didn’t love him the way he loved her. While he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her behind, she had cut him loose and bid him a cheerful farewell.

“I did the right thing,” she said stubbornly. “You had a mission to fulfill.”

“And what did you have, Simone?” Suddenly, he felt like a beast for harassing her. She looked fragile enough to shatter. “Forget I said that,” he muttered. “I’m sorry. It’s not important.”

Without warning, a noise from the front of the house had his head jerking up. Surely no one would barge in uninvited. But he had forgotten about Naomi. The style guru/TV star was as much a force of nature as Simone, though in a different package.

Naomi burst into the bedroom, wild-eyed. She barely glanced at Hutch. “Good lord, Simone. What the heck is going on? I just saw you a few days ago. What happened?”

Hutch moved toward the door. “I’ll leave you two ladies alone.”

Simone held up the hand that wasn’t tethered to an IV. “No. Don’t go, Hutch. You might as well both hear this at once.”

Naomi turned to frown at him. “I didn’t know you were back in town. Made yourself at home, didn’t you? I fail to see why you’re in this house. You hurt her enough the first time around. I’m here now. You can leave.”

Simone tried to sit up. “Hush, Naomi. You don’t know what you’re talking about. Ignore her, Hutch. You know how dramatic she can be.”

Naomi’s teeth-clenched smile promised retribution. She sat down on the side of the bed, careful not to jostle Simone. “Fine. What don’t I know?”

Hutch positioned himself at Simone’s elbow. “You don’t have to do this now, Simone. You’re weak and sick.” He worried about her state of mind.

She shot him a look that held a soupçon of her usual fire. “I’m not an invalid.” Reaching for Naomi’s hand, she twined their fingers. “Don’t be mad. I didn’t want to steal Cecelia’s thunder the other night. I’m pregnant, too. And apparently not handling it nearly as well as our newly engaged friend.”

The self-derision on her face hurt Hutch. “It’s not a contest,” he said.

Naomi gaped. “You’re pregnant?” She glared at Hutch.