The Winner Takes It All: Winning Back His Wife / In Her Rival's Arms / Royally Seduced

Her gaze met his with an intensity he knew well. She might look bruised and battered, even broken, but intelligence and strength shone in the depths of her eyes. Her eyes were what he’d noticed first about her when they’d met over morning coffee at a campfire. He wanted to look away, but couldn’t.

“Your schedule matters,” she countered. “It always has before.”

“I don’t want you to be alone.” That much was true. “You’re still my wife.”

Her face paled. “My fault. I’ve been so busy at the institute I never followed through on my end with the divorce. I’m sorry. I’ll have to get on that.”

After bringing up a divorce, she’d been too busy slogging up and down Mount Baker in the name of research to file the marriage-dissolution paperwork. He’d contacted an attorney. He rubbed the back of his neck. “No need.”

Her eyes widened. Her lips parted. “What do you mean?”

A part of him wanted to get back at Sarah, to hurt her the way she’d hurt him.

You’re a great guy. You’ll make some woman a fantastic husband. But our eloping was impulsive. I acted rashly and didn’t think about what I was doing. Or what would be best for you. I’m not it. You deserve a wife who can give you the things you want. Things I can’t give you.

Correction. Things she didn’t want to give him.

Regret rose like bile in his throat. “I knew you were busy, so once I established residency in Oregon I got things started there.”

“Oh.” Her gaze never wavered from his. “Okay.”

It felt anything but okay to him. The knots in his stomach tightened. His throat constricted. He’d had their entire future planned out. A house, pets, kids. And now…

Putting Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams and Mount Hood between Sarah and him had never appealed to Cullen more. “I’ll go see if your doctor is around so we…you…can find out when you might be discharged.”

He strode toward the door without waiting for her reply.

“Is it okay to get out of bed and use the bathroom?” Sarah asked.

Cullen stopped, cursing under his breath. He needed to help Sarah. But the last thing he wanted was to touch her, to hold her. What if he didn’t want to let go?

With a calming breath, he glanced over his shoulder. “Yes, but not on your own. I’ll grab a nurse and be right back.”

Cullen exited the room. He could have hit the button to call the nurse, but he needed some distance, if only for as long as it took him to reach the nurses’ station.

He would let the nurse determine the best way to get Sarah on her feet. If he was pressed into service, so be it. But he hoped the nurse was one of the practical types who would handle things herself.

The less he had to do with Sarah until her release, the better.

Sarah washed her hands in the bathroom sink.

A blond nurse named Natalie hovered nearby. The woman wore blue scrubs, and never stopped talking or smiling. “After surgery and pain meds, it takes a while for your system to get back to normal. But you’re doing great already!”

Heat rose in Sarah’s cheeks. She wasn’t used to being congratulated for using the toilet. Maybe when she was a kid, but knowing her parents, she doubted it. At least Natalie had given her some privacy. And it sure beat having Cullen help her, even though he was stationed outside the door.

Don’t think about him.

She dried her hands, wishing every movement didn’t take so much effort or hurt so much. “Um, thanks. I’m not used to going to the bathroom being a community event.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. This is nothing compared to labor and delivery,” Natalie said. “There’s no room for modesty there.”

Sarah couldn’t imagine. Nor did she want to. Given she had no desire to marry again, she doubted she would ever set foot into labor and delivery. Unlike Cullen. If ever a man was meant to be a father…

An ache deep in her belly grabbed hold of her, like a red-tailed hawk’s talons around his prey, and wouldn’t let go. She struggled to breathe.

Her incision. Maybe her ribs. She leaned against the sink to allow the pain to pass.

Natalie placed a hand on Sarah’s shoulder. “Sit on the toilet.”

A knock sounded. “Need help?”

Cullen’s voice stopped whatever had been hurting. Sarah straightened. “I’m fine.”

Natalie adjusted the back of the gown. “Let’s get you back before Dr. Gray gets on me for keeping you away too long. Doctor hubbies are the worst, since they’re sure they know what’s best for their wives.”

Maybe some doctors, not Cullen. He’d looked as if he wanted to bolt earlier. She didn’t blame him. This was the height of awkwardness for both of them.

Natalie opened the bathroom door. “Here she is, Dr. Gray.”

Sarah shuffled out of the bathroom. She felt each step. An ache. A pain. A squeezing sensation. Nausea, too.

Cullen held his arms out slightly, but he wasn’t spotting her as closely as before. Dark circles under his eyes and stubble on his face made her wonder how much sleep he’d been getting. Not much, by the looks of it. But he was still the most handsome man she’d ever seen. That bothered her. She shouldn’t be thinking about her future ex-husband that way. Maybe it was the pain medication.

“You’re walking better.” He sounded pleased.

A burst of pride shot through her. “Just needed to find my legs.”

“It’s awful when they go missing,” Natalie joked. “The two of you should take a short walk down the hall and back. Sarah needs exercise.”

Excitement spurted through Sarah. She would love to get out of this room.

Cullen’s lips narrowed. He didn’t look as if he wanted to go anywhere with her.

Disappointment shot straight to the tips of her toes, even though she knew he had every right to feel that way. Why would he want to spend more time with her than he absolutely had to? She’d hurt his pride by bringing up a divorce. As if shutting her out of every part of his life outside the bedroom hadn’t hurt her. But she’d had to do something. It was only a matter of time before he left her. She’d saved them from suffering more hurt in the future.

“You should be walking a few times each day,” Cullen said.

Of course he had to say that. He was a doctor. But he’d done enough. She wasn’t about to force him into escorting her.

Sarah padded toward the window. “I’ll parade around the room. This gown isn’t made for walking in public unless I want to flash the entire floor.”

“I doubt anyone would complain.” Cullen’s lighthearted tone surprised her. “Especially not Elmer, the eighty-four-year-old patient two doors down.”

Natalie laughed. “Elmer would appreciate it. He’s such a dirty old man. But I’m sure you wouldn’t mind too much yourself, Dr. Gray.”

Cullen winked at the nurse. “Well, Sarah is my wife.”

Sarah stared at him dumbfounded. Legally she was his wife. But he wanted the divorce as much as she did. Why was he joking around as though they were still together?

He strode to the cupboard resembling a built-in armoire with a drawer on the bottom. “And since I’d rather not have any men leering at her, it’s a good thing I bought this.”

Sarah had no idea what he was talking about. “What?”

Cullen opened one of the cupboard doors and pulled out something orange and fuzzy. “This is for you.”

She stared in disbelief at a robe. “I…”

“I hope orange is still your favorite color,” he said.

She was touched he remembered. “It is.”

Natalie clapped her hands together. “How sweet!”

His gesture sent a burst of warmth rushing through Sarah. This was so…unexpected. She cleared her throat. “Th-thanks.”

“Now your backside will be covered, and I won’t have to get into any territorial pissing matches.” He held up the robe so she could stick her left arm through the sleeve. “Let’s drape this over your right shoulder and not bother your cast.”

Sarah nodded, not trusting her voice. She appreciated Cullen staying with her at the hospital, but his company was enough. She didn’t want him buying her anything, especially something as lovely and as thoughtful as this robe.

He tied the belt around her waist. “Now you’re set.”

She didn’t feel set. She felt light-headed. Chills ran up and down her arms. Neither had anything to do with her injuries, but everything to do with the man standing next to her.

“Ready?” he asked.

No, she wasn’t.

“Go on,” Natalie encouraged. “You can do this.”

No, Sarah didn’t think she could.

Cullen extended his arm toward her. She reached for his hand, unsure if touching him would hurt or not.

He laced his fingers with hers, sending tingles shooting up her arm. “It’ll be okay.”

Chills and tingles were not okay.

“I won’t let you fall,” he said confidently.

Sarah had no doubt he would catch her if her body gave out and gravity took over. But who would stop her heart from falling for him? Or catch her if it did?

CHAPTER THREE

THE LAST THING Cullen had expected to become was Sarah’s walking buddy, but that was what happened over the next three days. His reluctance gave way to anticipation for the after-meal strolls through the hospital corridors. He’d wanted to be here and help her. This offered him the perfect opportunity to do both.

They didn’t discuss the past. They barely mentioned the future unless it related to her recovery. Sometimes they didn’t say much at all. It was enough to be with her, supporting her. Enough, he realized, for now.

As they walked through the hospital’s atrium full of tall trees and flowering plants, Cullen held Sarah’s hand. A satisfied smile settled on his lips. “You did have the energy to make it down here.”

“Told you so. This is much better than walking the hallways upstairs.” Sarah glanced up at the skylights. The ends of her long chestnut hair swung like a pendulum. Her bruises were fading, more yellow and brown than blue. “I can’t wait until I can go outside.”

“It won’t be long.” Sarah looked better, healthier. He squeezed her hand. “You’re getting stronger every day.”

Her green eyes sparkled. “It’s all this exercise.”

He wished it was because of him.

Yeah, right. He wasn’t foolish enough to think this time together meant anything. These walks were about her health, nothing else. “Exercise can be as important as medication in a patient’s recovery. So can laughter.”

She grinned wryly. “That’s why you wanted to watch the comedy show last night.”

“You laughed.”

“I did. And I’m smiling now.”

“You have a very nice smile.”

“Thanks.” She glanced at their linked hands. “Do you think I could try walking on my own?”

Cullen had gotten so used to being her living, breathing walker, holding her hand had become second nature. But it wasn’t something he should get used to, even if it was…nice. He released her hand. “Go ahead.”

Sarah took a careful, measured step. And another.

He flexed his fingers, missing the feel of her warm skin against his. “Tomorrow you’ll want to hop on a bike instead.”

Her lips curved downward in a half frown, half pout. “I like our walks.”

“Me, too.”

Her smile, as bright as a summer day at Smith Rock, took his breath away. He rubbed his face. Stubble pricked his hand. He’d been in a rush to get to the hospital and forgotten to shave again.

“But I have to be honest.” She looked around, as if seeing who might be listening. “I’m ready to escape this joint.”

“I don’t blame you.” Except once she left, everything would go back to the way it had been. They would live separate lives, in separate states. The realization unsettled him. “You should be released soon.”

“Has Dr. Marshall mentioned a discharge date?”

The anticipation in her voice made Cullen feel foolish for enjoying this time together. She wanted a divorce. He wanted one, too. “No. But given your progress, Dr. Marshall might have one in mind. Ask him when he makes his rounds.”

Hope danced in her eyes. “I will.”

Sarah took another step, swaying. She stumbled forward.

“Whoa.” Cullen wrapped his right arm around her waist and grabbed her left hand. “Careful.”

She clutched his hand. “I lost my balance.”

If that was the case, why was she leaning against him with her fingers digging into his hand? But he liked the way she clung to him. “This is the longest walk we’ve taken. Let’s head back to your room.”

He expected an argument. Instead she nodded.

Sarah loosened her grip and flexed her hand. “I can make it on my own.”

He laced his fingers with hers. “I know, but humor me anyway.”

She held on to his hand. “I suppose that’s the least I can do after all you’ve done for me.”

A list of what he’d done for her the past two years scrolled through his mind. “I suppose it is.”

Sarah owed him, and he would gladly take this as payback. He wasn’t about to let go of her. And that had nothing to do with how good having her close felt. He caught a whiff of her floral-scented shampoo. Or how good she smelled. Nothing at all.

That afternoon, Sarah gripped the edge of the hospital blanket. She stared at Dr. Marshall, wondering if she’d misunderstood him. She sure hoped so. “Don’t you mean an independent discharge?”

“An independent discharge is not going to happen.” Dr. Marshall looked like a grandfather, rather than one of Seattle’s top surgeons, with his silver-wire-frame glasses and thinning gray hair, but the man was turning out to be the devil in disguise. “You are unable to care for yourself. Your discharge planner and orthopedist agree.”

She hadn’t been waiting all afternoon full of hope only to hear this. “That’s…silly.”

Cullen, who leaned against the far wall near the window, gave a blink-and-you’d-miss-it shake of his head.

Her fingers tightened on the fabric, nearly poking through the thin material. She didn’t like being so aware of Cullen’s every movement. Her senses had become heightened where he was concerned. She’d wondered if he felt the same way. Now she knew.

No!

Frustration tensed her muscles, making her abdomen hurt more. Disappointment ping-ponged through her. They’d shared lovely walks though the hospital, holding hands like high-school sweethearts. She’d assumed Cullen would support her independent-discharge request, but he hadn’t. He didn’t want her returning to her apartment in Bellingham to stay by herself.

“Nothing about this is silly,” Dr. Marshall said. “You are lucky to be alive.”

“Damn lucky,” Cullen murmured.

She didn’t feel that way. Nothing but bad luck could have put her at the crater rim when a steam blast occurred, something that hadn’t happened on Mount Baker in nearly four decades. Now she was stuck in the hospital with only her soon-to-be ex-husband for company when she needed to be at the institute figuring out if the event was a precursor to an eruption or just the volcano letting off steam as it had done in 1975. “Silly was the wrong word to use, but I’m not an invalid. I’m getting around better.”

Dr. Marshall gave her the once-over. “There’s a big difference between walking the hallways and being capable of caring for yourself.”

“You overdid it this morning,” Cullen added, as if dumping a carton of salt onto her wounds helped matters.

“I know I have a way to go in my recovery.” She would be doing fine once the pain of her incision and ribs lessened. The throbbing in her head, too. “But I don’t need a nursemaid.”

A knowing glance passed between Dr. Marshall and Cullen.

Sarah bit the inside of her cheek.

“No one is suggesting a nursemaid. But I agree with Dr. Marshall. You’re right-handed.” Cullen’s gaze dropped to her cast. “Dressing yourself, doing anything with your left hand, is going to take some adjustment. Not to mention your sutures and ribs. You’ll need assistance doing most everyday things. There will also be limitations on lifting and driving.”

Maybe she shouldn’t have expected Cullen to take her side. But even with his lack of support now, she had no regrets. Bringing up a divorce was better than waiting around for him to do it. And he would have. People always walked away. He would walk away from her once she was out of the hospital, leaving her alone. Again.

The sinking feeling in her stomach turned into a black hole, sucking her hope down into it.

No, she couldn’t give in and admit defeat. The institute relied upon her expertise. Others had been looking at the data since the steam blast, but volcanic seismology was her specialty. She couldn’t let people down. It wasn’t as if she had anything else in her life but her work. She glanced at Cullen, then looked away. “I don’t care if it hurts. I’ll figure out a way. I need to get back to the institute. I have a job to do.”

“Is your current health and your long-term health outlook worth risking for your job?” Dr. Marshall asked.

Sarah raised her chin. “If it means determining how to predict a volcanic eruption, then yes. It’s worth it.”

A muscle ticked at Cullen’s jaw. “If you return to the institute too soon, you won’t be doing them or yourself any favors.”

She saw his point, even if she didn’t like it. “I’ll be careful.”

“What does your job entail, Sarah?” Dr. Marshall asked.

“Analyzing data.”

“After she climbs Mount Baker to gather it,” Cullen added. “Or am I wrong about that, Dr. Purcell?”

Of course he wasn’t wrong. From his smug grin he knew it, too. That was why he’d used her title. “I can send a team up to download the data.”

Maybe that would appease him—rather, Dr. Marshall.

“Are you able to work remotely from home?” Dr. Marshall asked.

Sarah would rather be at the institute, but she would take what she could get. “Telecommuting is an option. I have internet access in my apartment.”

Dr. Marshall looked her straight in the eyes. “Is there someone who can stay at your apartment and care for you?”

Sarah’s heart slammed against her chest so loudly she was sure the entire floor of the hospital could hear the boom-boom-boom. Even though she knew the answer to his question, she mentally ran through the list of coworkers at the institute. Most would be happy to drop off food or pick up her mail, but asking one to stay with her would be too much. She couldn’t impose on any of them like that.

She’d never had a close friend, a bestie or BFF she could count on no matter what. Her life had been too transitory, shuttled between her parents and moving frequently, to develop that kind of bond with anyone. Not unless you counted Cullen. She couldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair to either one of them.

She chewed on her lower lip. “I could hire someone.”

“Home care is a possibility,” Dr. Marshall said.

Fantastic. Except her studio apartment was tiny. The floor was the only extra place to sleep, the bathroom the only privacy. She hated to admit it, but home care wouldn’t work.

“If Sarah’s in Bellingham, nothing will keep her from going to the institute or heading up the mountain if she feels it’s necessary,” Cullen said matter-of-factly.

She opened her mouth to contradict him, but stopped herself. What he said was true.

“You know I’m right,” he said.

It annoyed her that he knew her so well.

“Is that true?” Dr. Marshall asked her.

She tried to shrug, but a pain shot through her. “Possibly.”

Cullen laughed. The rich sound pierced her heart. One of Cupid’s arrows had turned traitorous. “A one-hundred-percent possibility.”

No sense denying it. He’d had her number a long time ago.

Dr. Marshall gave her a patronizing smile, as if she were a five-year-old patient who would appreciate princess stickers rather than a grown adult who wanted him to work out her discharge. “My first choice in cases involving a head injury, however minor, is home care by family members, but Dr. Gray has explained your situation.”

Sarah assumed Dr. Marshall meant their marriage, since Cullen was the closest thing to family she had. She wasn’t an orphan. Her parents were alive, but they’d chosen their spouses over her years ago. “I’m on my own.”

“That leaves a sniff. A skilled nursing facility,” Dr. Marshall explained. “We call them SNFs. There are several in the Seattle area.”

Cullen’s smile crinkled the corners of his eyes, making her heart dance a jig. So not the reaction she wanted to have when she was fighting for her freedom. Independence. Work.

“That sounds like a perfect solution,” Cullen said.

Maybe for him. In Bellingham she had access to the institute and her own place to live. Down here in Seattle, she had…nothing. But what choice did she have? Sarah swallowed her disappointment. “I suppose. As long as I have my laptop and access to data.”

Dr. Marshall adjusted his wire-framed glasses. “Many SNFs have Wi-Fi.”

Might as well look on the bright side. “That’s better than dial-up.”

“Your concussion will make it difficult for you to concentrate for any length of time.” Cullen sounded so doctorlike. Totally different from the man who had helped her back to her room this morning. “If you push too hard, you may experience vision problems and headaches.”

“I’ll use a timer to limit my computer usage,” she offered.

“No symptom is a one-hundred-percent certainty, but Dr. Gray is correct. You don’t want to do too much too soon,” Dr. Marshall said.

Something about his tone and eye movement raised the hair on her arms. “What exactly am I going to be allowed to do?”

“Rest and recuperate,” Dr. Marshall said, as if those two things would appeal to her.

R & R was something a person did when they were old. Not when the second-most-active volcano in the Cascades might erupt. “The SNF sounds like my only option, but you might as well put me out of my misery now, because—”

“You’ll die of boredom,” Cullen finished for her.

In their one-plus year of marriage—over two if you counted the time they’d been separated—he’d figured her out better than anyone else in her life. That unnerved Sarah.

Dr. Marshall adjusted his glasses. “A few weeks of boredom is a small price to pay.”

Small price? The SNF sounded like an institutional cage. She’d be locked away and forced to sleep or “rest.” She stared at the cast on her arm.

Lucky to be alive. Maybe if she kept repeating the words she would believe them. Because right now life pretty much sucked.

“There is another option,” Cullen said.

Her gaze jerked to his. The room tilted to her left as if she were standing in a mirrored fun house. She closed her eyes. She must have walked too far earlier. When she opened them everything was back where it belonged, and Cullen was staring at her with his intense gaze.

She swallowed the lump of desperation lodged in her throat. Anything would be better than a nursing facility. “What other option?”

“Come home with me to Hood Hamlet.”

Her mouth gaped. The air rushed from her lungs.

“I have Wi-Fi,” Cullen continued, as if that made all the difference in the world. “I promise you won’t be bored.”

No, she wouldn’t be bored. She would be struggling to survive and keep her heart safe.

Here at the hospital, people came in and out of her room. She and Cullen were never alone for long. He left each night to go to his hotel. What would it be like if it were only the two of them?

Dangerous.

Sarah tried to speak, but her tongue felt ten sizes too big for her mouth, as if she’d been given a shot of Novocain at the dentist’s office. But she knew one thing… .

Going home with Cullen was a bad idea. So bad she would rather move into the SNF and die of boredom or stay in the hospital and die of starvation or go live in a cave somewhere with nothing but spiders and other creepy-crawly things for company.

Having him here made her feel warm and fuzzy. Taking walks reminded her of how comfortable they’d once been together. But she couldn’t rely on him to be her caretaker. She’d been vulnerable before they’d separated. She would be totally at his mercy in his care. If she found herself getting attached to him, or worse, falling in love with him all over again…