The Tycoon's Proposition Page 6

  He bid her a safe journey home. When they’d rung off, she phoned for room service, then called the airline and made a reservation for the flight leaving for Atlanta at nine forty-five in the morning.

  After her dinner arrived, she lay on the bed and ate while she discussed everything with Beth.

  “You’ve taken Richard’s death a lot better than I thought you would.”

  “I think it’s because I know he had someone who loved him right up to the end. Juanita’s very young. You could tell she idolized him. He would have liked that.”

  “You’re right.”

  Terri finished the last of her crab salad. “Juanita’s the one I feel sorry for.”

  “You did all you could. Honestly, Terri, I don’t know that many ex-wives who would throw their hard-earned money at their former husband’s lover!”

  “She’s going to have a baby.”

  “It’s not even his!”

  “I know, but she was depending on Richard.”

  “I still say your heart is made of mush. So tell me about the head of the Herrick Corporation. What’s he like?”

  Terri’s heart raced. “I-it’s hard to say. He’s still hooked up to an IV and has dressings taped to his stitches. The doctors won’t let him talk yet.”

  “Then how did you find out about Richard?”

  Heat filled her cheeks. “It’s a long story.” Terri didn’t dare tell her sister how she’d played a variation of the same game with him she’d played with Beth when they were children. “We managed to communicate. He finally wrote down a few words.”

  “I thought his hands were burned.”

  “Just the palms.”

  “It’s so bizarre to think it wasn’t Richard lying there.”

  “You can’t imagine.” Terri’s voice trembled.

  “What tipped you off? Mom never said.”

  Mom doesn’t know.

  “When they took the oxygen mask away, I saw his eyes. T-they were gray instead of blue,” she stammered. “Listen, Beth, I’d better hang up. This call is costing me a fortune. I’ll see you and Mom tomorrow.”

  “Can’t wait till you’re home. I want to hear all the details. We’ll be waiting for you at the airport in Rapid City. Have a safe flight.”

  After their phone call, Terri showered and packed before crawling into bed. Unfortunately she was wide-awake and restless, haunted by the events of the last few days.

  Angry at herself for reliving certain moments she needed to forget for her own good, she turned on the television to provide some background noise. There was a tourist magazine on the table that told where to eat and what to see in Guayaquil. She took it to bed with her and read until oblivion took over.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  BEN gave his family time to reach the elevator before he sat up and pulled the IV needle carefully out of his arm.

  After levering himself from the hospital bed, he removed his sling, then took off his pajamas. Once he’d dressed in the new clothes his parents had purchased, he put the sling back on. He stuffed the clothes and sandals Terri had bought for him in a plastic bag and started for the door.

  Dr. Dominguez appeared in the hallway. “Where do you think you are going this early on a Monday morning?”

  “My throat feels much better,” Ben whispered. “I have work to do.”

  The doctor stood there for a moment before nodding his head. “All right, but you shouldn’t be alone at home.”

  “I have someone in mind who will take care of me.”

  “That’s good. Come to the nursing station. Sister Angelica will give you some information for the care of your cuts as well as a soft food regimen. Make an appointment to return in a week. I need to see how your stitches are healing. Be careful when you shave.”

  “I will. Thank you, Doctor. I’m indebted to all of you on the staff here for your excellent care. Please feel free to distribute the flowers and fruit basket to any patients who will enjoy them.”

  “They’ll be much appreciated, Mr. Herrick. Thank you.”

  A few minutes later Ben emerged from the front doors of the hospital to hail Carlos Rivera, his manager and right hand at the work site.

  The night before, Ben had asked Sister Angelica to phone Carlos and notify him that he was at San Lorenzo Hospital. It hadn’t taken Carlos long to show up.

  Using pen and paper, Ben had told the other man to pick him up early the next morning. Carlos could always be counted on to follow through without asking a lot of irritating questions.

  “You have no idea how good it feels to get out of there!”

  “I can imagine. Where to now?”

  “The Ecuador Inn. Step on it!”

  When Terri’s alarm went off at quarter to seven, she didn’t feel at all rested. Upset with herself because her thoughts had been on Ben Herrick rather than Richard, she realized she ought to be thankful she was leaving the country.

  Knowing she needed food before a long flight, she ordered breakfast. Years ago she’d learned that she could skip other meals, but breakfast she couldn’t do without.

  While she waited for it to come, she dressed for the trip in a short-sleeved blue cotton sweater with matching pants and bone-colored leather sandals.

  Her haircut made it easy to brush into place. The sun had streaked it here and there, making her look more blond than she really was. With the moderate tan she’d acquired over the summer, she could wear coral lipstick. A touch of Fleurs de Rocaille on her throat and wrists, and she was ready.

  Worried because she needed to be at the airport two hours before her flight was called, she let out a sigh of relief when she heard the knock on the door.

  “Buenos di—” Terri started to say to the waiter after opening it, then let out a gasp, almost fainting from shock.

  Someone tall and dark she’d never expected to see again in her life stood there dressed in a cream-colored sport shirt and trousers. He wore his arm in a sling.

  Her anxious blue gaze flew to his. “What on earth are you doing out of the hospital?” she cried angrily, fearing for his safety. “Are you insane?”

  “Most people think so,” Ben Herrick whispered with maddening calm.

  She couldn’t help but stare at his striking male features. “You’re not supposed to be talking yet!”

  His lips twitched. “I thought you’d be happy I could make any sounds at all.”

  “I am!” Terrie blurted. Her violent outburst seemed to fill the hallway. “Of course I am,” she said in a quieter voice, trying to calm down. “I just didn’t expect—”

  “To see me again?” he broke in before she could finish.

  By now her cheeks were on fire.

  Just as Dr. Fortuna had said, Ben Herrick looked amazingly fit, especially for a person who’d just left his hospital bed after an ordeal that could have taken his life. The tape that held the IV needle still adhered to his bronzed skin above his left wrist.

  “I—I was on my way to the airport.”

  His gray eyes narrowed on her upturned features. “Yes, I know. Captain Ortiz told me you planned to return to the States this morning. You weren’t even going to come by my room to say goodbye.”

  Filled with guilt and dazed because he’d actually left the hospital and could talk—even if it was a forced whisper—she scarcely noticed the waiter who approached carrying her breakfast tray. She’d forgotten all about it.

  “Buenos dias, señorita.”

  Terri murmured something appropriate and took the tray from him. “Just a minute while I find my purse.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” Mr. Herrick reached in his pocket with his free hand to pay the man a generous tip.

  When the waiter had disappeared he said, “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

  “Of course!” she snapped, feeling out of control. “You should be sitting down, you know.” She moved out of the way so he could enter.

  He shut the door behind him and walked over to the table, but he remained standing. Af
ter lifting the cover off the plate he said, “Your breakfast smells good. Go ahead and eat while it’s hot.”

  In the excitement of seeing him again, she’d lost her appetite. “Why are you here, Mr. Herrick?”

  His head turned in her direction. “The name is Ben. After what we’ve both been through together, I can’t imagine your calling me anything else.”

  Her pulse raced. “If the doctor released you, then you should have gone straight home!”

  “That’s where I’m headed.” He put the cover back. “I only stopped by the hotel long enough to take you with me.”

  She stood there in shock, convinced she hadn’t understood him correctly.

  “It’s very simple,” he continued to whisper, taking advantage of her silence. “Dr. Dominguez said I could leave as long as I had someone to watch out for me over the next few days.”

  Her legs started to tremble.

  “You have a family anxious to do that for you.”

  “They’re on their way back to Texas this morning.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I asked them to leave.”

  Aghast she cried, “How could you do that when they flew all this way to be with you?”

  “They were with me. The entire night. We had a very nice reunion. But I’m not up to entertaining them. At six this morning, I bid them goodbye.

  “Now that I’m out of the hospital, I’d like to recuperate in my own home with someone who knows instinctively how to take care of my needs. If you’d be willing to postpone your travel plans for a few days, I’ll make it worth your while.”

  “You mean you want me to act as your nurse.” Memories of the massage she’d given his legs refused to go away.

  “I simply want you to be yourself,” he said, shifting his weight.

  Terri darted him an anxious glance, afraid he was feeling weak after his ordeal.

  One dark brow dipped lower than the other. “Did I misunderstand you when you told me your work at the chamber of commerce consisted of doing a little bit of everything?”

  “No—” She hadn’t meant to sound cross, not when anger was the last emotion she was experiencing. Excitement would be more like it. A growing excitement she couldn’t seem to contain.

  “Then that’s all I’m asking,” he said reasonably. “According to the doctor, I’m supposed to be on a liquid diet today. Depending on how my throat feels tomorrow, I may be able to tolerate some soft food.

  “If you could take care of the meals and answer my phone for me, do a little correspondence while this arm is in a sling, I’d be grateful.”

  Her eyes traveled to his palms which the dressings still covered. She’d worried he’d done more injury to his hand when he’d written those messages at the hospital. Of course he would never complain about the pain. As she’d already discovered, Ben Herrick was no ordinary man.

  It was on the tip of her tongue to ask why he hadn’t sent for Martha Shaw. She had an idea his brother’s secretary would sell her soul to be in Terri’s shoes right now.

  But he probably had his male pride and didn’t want the other woman to see him like this. At least not until he’d recovered and no longer needed to wear dressings over his stitches. Since Terri had already been around him during his worst moments, no doubt he felt comfortable in her presence.

  “There’s another reason I want you stay,” he added.

  Alert to a different inflection in his voice, her breath caught.

  “Captain Ortiz came to the hospital last night. With the information I gave him, your ex-husband’s body could possibly be found in the next few days. Since you would have to identify it before it could be shipped back to South Dakota for burial, remaining in Guayaquil will save you another trip to Ecuador.”

  Now that she knew the real reason for his extraordinary request, she suffered a vicious stab of disappointment. In fact it almost incapacitated her. She averted her eyes.

  There was no mystery here.

  The man was only trying to spare her the grief of an unnecessary flight later on. Manufacturing a job as his nursemaid would give her something constructive to do while she waited for word from the police.

  Before she could give him an answer, there was another rap on the door. His inquiring gray gaze met hers. “Are you expecting someone?”

  “Earlier I told the desk I was checking out. They’ve probably sent a bellboy to help with my luggage. Excuse me.”

  She hurried past him and opened the door.

  “Parker—” she blurted in complete surprise.

  “Good morning.”

  Terri quickly stifled a groan. “What are you doing here?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” He smiled before removing his cowboy hat.

  “I thought you were on your way back to Texas.”

  “Plans have a way of changing. I’m glad I caught you in time. If you’d allow me, I’d like to drive you to the airport.”

  She felt Ben’s presence behind her.

  “I’m afraid Terri’s not leaving the country for a while,” came Ben’s whisper.

  As he drew alongside her she noticed he’d helped himself to her apple juice. After being fed intravenously, she imagined it tasted good sliding down his sore throat.

  Ben’s appearance wiped the charming smile from Parker’s face. “Who let you out of the hospital?”

  “I was just released with the proviso that Terri would be there to take care of me. But it was nice of you to offer her your services. We’re both in your debt. Fortunately there’s still time for you to make it to the airport and fly out with the rest of the family. That is, if you leave now,” he added.

  The less than subtle hint caused the younger man’s eyes to glint with frustration and disappointment before they swerved to Terri’s. “How long are you staying in Guayaquil?”

  To her chagrin it didn’t sound as if Parker was ready to give up. She supposed that trait was what made the Herrick men seem a little bigger than life. However in Parker’s case, she should never have allowed him to drive her out to Richard’s apartment. It had led him to believe she could be interested in him.

  Though Terri hadn’t yet agreed to Ben’s proposition, he’d provided her with a perfect opportunity to send Parker the message that a relationship with him was out of the question.

  “I really don’t know yet.”

  She had the impression Ben drained the rest of his glass with satisfaction.

  “Now that you’ve learned I’m in the best of hands, you can tell Mother to stop worrying about me.”

  “I probably won’t leave until tomorrow,” Parker said, stubbornly holding his ground. He eyed her directly. “As long as I’m here, how about dinner this evening?”

  “If we didn’t have other plans, we’d enjoy it,” Ben responded before Terri could think up an excuse.

  His speculative gaze flicked to Ben. “What other plans?”

  “This is the soonest I could arrange for her to visit the site where her ex-husband died.”

  Terri blinked at the revelation, which had a sobering effect on Parker. He looked at her once more.

  “I didn’t realize.” She could hear his mind working. “When you’re back in South Dakota, I’ll get in touch with you.”

  “It may not be for a while,” Ben interjected. “She’s still waiting for his body to be found. That is the reason why she came to Guayaquil in the first place.”

  Filling the uncomfortable silence she said, “I appreciate your offer to drive me to the airport, Parker. Thank you for all your help.”

  He twirled his hat before shoving it on his head. “You’re welcome. Be expecting a call from me soon.” It sounded like a vow. “Take it easy, Ben,” he muttered before heading down the hall toward the elevators.

  “Thanks for flying down with the family, Parker. It meant a lot to me.” Ben closed the door, then leveled his penetrating gaze on her. “My brother has developed a crush on you. It happened fast.”

  “He’s very nice.” />
  “I agree.”

  “When he drove me to Richard’s apartment, he told me he was divorced. I’m sure he’s feeling lost.”

  “There’s no doubt about it. But first he needs to find out who he is before he rushes headlong into another relationship.”

  It was good advice. The kind she’d disregarded by agreeing to be Ben’s temporary nurse. Which reminded her that all this whispering couldn’t be good for his throat.

  She took the empty glass from him. “You should be home resting.”

  “You’re reading my mind.”

  For all she knew, he was ready to collapse from weakness. “I assume you live in an apartment. Is it far from here?”

  “It’s a condo about forty-five miles away.”

  Forty-five? “That’s a lot further than Richard’s apartment.”

  “By about twenty miles,” he concurred. “While you enjoy your breakfast, I’ll tell Carlos to come up for your suitcase.”

  Was Ben friends with one of the bellboys?

  Since she was the person who was supposed to be taking care of him, she decided she’d better follow his suggestion and eat so she wouldn’t run out of energy.

  The cold French toast and ham didn’t taste half bad. After swallowing her milk, she rushed over to the phone and made a quick call to her mom, telling her about the change in plans. Promising to phone her later in the day with the details, she rang off and hurried into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

  When she returned, she packed her cosmetic kit in the suitcase sitting on the bed.

  “I’m ready,” she announced to Ben who stood at the door with a deeply tanned Hispanic man. He wore a khaki shirt with the Herrick logo on the pocket. With a head of gleaming black hair and moustache, he was attractive in his own way.

  “Mrs. Jeppson? This is Carlos Rivera, my office manager at the site. I couldn’t function without him.”

  “How do you do, Mr. Rivera. I’m going to be his nurse for a while.”

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Call me Carlos.”

  While he reached for her suitcase, she found her purse on the dresser. By tacit agreement the three of them left the room for the elevator.