that, even though the practical portion thought the world would be better off without him. What if he’d died? Where would he be right now? A near-death experience made a man wonder about things like Heaven and Hell and eternity.
“It’s more than luck, Drew.”
“Still praying for me?” He knew she was. Every time they spoke on the telephone, even that last time, she ended the call with the same words, “I’m praying for you, Drew.”
When she’d first gotten into the religion-thing, he’d thought church was a nice, wholesome hobby to keep her occupied while he was away. But Larissa took her newfound faith very seriously, and he’d noticed the change in her.
“Constantly,” she whispered. And one look at her face told him it was true. She was probably praying this very moment. The idea both comforted and disturbed.
Did God even care about a sewer rat like him? If He did, why had life been so ugly? Why was he so filled with garbage that he tainted everything he touched, even his marriage?
But this was where the tainting ended. He’d hurt Larissa enough. He wouldn’t damage her more.
“Thanks,” he said.
She didn’t answer, just sat there looking beautiful and uncertain. He felt like a jerk of the grandest order. The woman who was comfortable with senators and billionaires didn’t know what to say or how to act, all because of him.
That he’d ever managed to win her love in the first place still amazed him. He, a nobody from nowhere, had won the heart of the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful girl in Tulsa society. He didn’t fit with her kind at all, and they had let him know. Especially her parents.
“I guess your mother and dad were happy to hear about the divorce.” The bitterness in his tone surprised even him.
She stared at him, lost for a minute. He was lost, too, his brain tumbling from one topic to the next. The only thing he could think of for very long was the pain in his body and the worse one in his heart.
“Mother and Dad don’t run my life.”
That was a laugh. She worked for her father, and couldn’t say no to her spoiled, whining mother. In the more than three years that he’d known the Stone family, Drew had never done one thing that pleased them. Mostly, he didn’t care.
But he did care about Larissa, and the estrangement brought her sorrow.
He’d do anything for Larissa. That’s why he had to do this. “I’m tired. Maybe you should leave now.”
She stared down at him, biting her bottom lip. “Go ahead and sleep. I’ll just sit here beside you.”
She wasn’t making this easy.
“Go home.”
“Not until I can take you with me.”
The crashing in his temples grew louder.
“Get this straight, Larissa. I don’t want to come home with you. Not now. Not ever.”
“You have nowhere else to go.”
That hurt. “Sure, I do.”
“Where? What else can you do except come home to Tulsa?”
“Rehab. One of those in-patient places. I already talked to the docs.” Not quite the truth, but close enough.
“Don’t be ridiculous. We have a huge house. I can hire nurses or whatever you need. I can take better care of you than some impersonal rehab facility.”
She reached out again, and he shrunk away. If she touched him, he’d lose his courage. With superhuman determination, he stared straight into her movie-star eyes and said, “Let me be clear about this. I can’t stand to be in the same house with you anymore. Now, get out and leave me alone.”
Abruptly, he closed his eyes and rolled his head to the side.
But not before he saw the stricken expression on his beloved’s face.
Chapter Three
Larissa tossed a tiny Gucci bag onto a chair and collapsed on the bed at the nearest hotel. Fat raindrops, like tears, ran in rivulets down the window.
She was too exhausted for tears of her own. Emotionally and physically, she’d gone about as far as she could for now.
The meeting with Drew had been harder than she’d expected, and she hadn’t expected an easy time. But she had expected him to want to come home to recuperate.
He was badly injured and disturbingly weak. The thought of him alone in an impersonal rehab facility tormented her.
How could he prefer such a place to their lovely, spacious home? The home they’d bought together? He loved that place as much as she did.
He just didn’t love her anymore. At least that’s what he claimed.
To hold back the cry of despair, she buried her face in a pillow.
Though she’d wanted to question why he had suddenly given up on them, after seeing his injuries, she was too concerned with his health. First, she’d get him well and then she’d fight him. She’d fight and she’d win because, even if it was arrogant, deep down she couldn’t believe he’d stopped loving her.
Something was wrong, though. Terribly wrong.
The thought stopped her cold.
Insecurity reared its ugly head. Sometimes men strayed, even strong, steady, decent men like her father. Mother had never guessed, but Larissa had. A politician, like a photographer, traveled widely and alone. Good-looking, charming—both the men in her life would have no problem finding companionship outside the home.
No. She couldn’t believe that about Drew. He might be secretive and mysterious in many ways, but he was faithful. She would know if he wasn’t.
The other woman in Drew’s life had always been his work. Could that be it? Was she cramping his freewheeling, traveling lifestyle?
No, that didn’t make sense either. He came and went as he pleased already, even though she’d asked him to be home more often. His job had always come first, even before their marriage.
The familiar tune of her cell phone played and she fished the instrument from the bottom of her handbag.
A quick glance at the caller ID brought a groan.
“Hello, Mother.”
“Have you seen him?”
With a sigh, Larissa pinched the bridge of her nose. It was always like this—the tug of war between her parents, especially her mother, and her personal choices.
“I had a dreadful flight. Thank you for asking, Mother. And I’m exhausted. Yes, I’ve seen him. His name is Drew.”
“I know that,” her mother snapped. “Is he
