Before We Kiss (Fool's Gold #14)

The soft voice was familiar. Perhaps the only one in the world he had always loved. He forced his eyes open. The room swam at first, then settled and he saw Shelby standing by his bed.

He saw her eyes first. Big and blue. Like his own. They had that in common, along with their dark blond hair. Both inherited from their mutual father. They had different mothers, though. That showed in the rest of their features. Shelby was small boned and delicate. Like a fairy princess come to life. Only no fairy princess should have a fist-size bruise on her face.

“I’m going to kill him,” he said, or at least he tried. His mouth was dry and speaking was harder than he’d thought it would be.

“Kip.” His baby half sister leaned close and kissed his cheek. “Oh, Kip, I’ve been so worried. They said you nearly died.”

She took his uninjured hand in hers and squeezed. “I came as soon as I heard.”

“I wish you hadn’t.”

She’d flown halfway around the world and for what? To watch him lie in a hospital bed? He’d been injured before—they both knew the drill. Although what he would never admit was that he hadn’t been hurt this bad before. He wouldn’t acknowledge the chill of fear that whispered this time was different. This time meant he would never compete again, never ski professionally. This time, maybe he wouldn’t walk.

The doctors hadn’t said anything and he didn’t ask, but he wasn’t a fool. And the possibility of how bad it could be terrified him.

Shelby touched his face. “You look terrible.”

“Always with the compliments.” He freed his hand and pushed the button to raise the bed, then studied her. “Dammit, Shelby, what are you doing back home?”

“You know why I’m there.”

He did. Shelby’s mother had cancer. She’d been in remission for a while, but it was back. Staying with her mom meant staying with her dad. And when Nigel Gilmore drank, he was a mean sonofabitch.

“She only has a few more weeks,” Shelby told him. “I can stand it.” She pressed the back of her hand against her cheek. “Normally I stay out of his way, but she’d had a bad night and he caught me sleeping.”

Kipling closed his eyes against the image of his father hitting Shelby while she slept. He swore. Normally he would fly to Colorado and go see his father himself. Those ugly visits usually kept Shelby safe for at least a couple of months. But he wasn’t going anywhere for a very long time.

She took his hand again. “I’m okay. I’ll be fine. The second she’s gone, I’ll leave. You know that, right? I’d never stay there if it wasn’t for her.”

He nodded because he believed her. Fortunately Nigel had never hit his second wife. Kipling didn’t have a clue as to why she was immune, but what the hell.

She bent down and kissed his cheek. “I love you, Kip.”

“I love you, too.”

She was his family, his heart. She was the best of him—of all of them.

She settled back in the chair and pulled an issue of People magazine out of her bag. “So, you ready to get caught up on the latest gossip? I hear Katy Perry has a new boyfriend. You always had a thing for her.”

“It was the blue hair,” he said, closing his eyes. “How could anyone resist that?”

* * *

DELLINA ARRIVED AT the hotel behind the big van. Her heart was pounding and she was pretty sure she was shaking all over. The thing was, her reaction had nothing to do with the upcoming weekend and everything to do with her close encounter with Sam.

Talk about amazing. The things he did to her body. She wanted to believe it was all about technique, but she had a feeling there was more to it than that. Obviously they had chemistry. Their first time together had been spectacular, too. But this time had been different. There’d been a little extra oomph—probably because she now knew him and liked him. Connection made a difference.

“Connection isn’t a relationship,” she told herself as she parked. “And I can’t deal with this now.”

There would be plenty of time for introspection after the weekend party. For now, she had to get her act together and take care of business.

“If only clichés paid in cash,” she murmured as she grabbed her bag and headed for the van.

An hour later, the goodie bags were unpacked and she’d gone over the list of rooms with the front desk manager. She settled herself in a quiet corner of the shaded porch and called all her vendors to get last-minute confirmation.

“You know this is the third time you’ve called me,” Angel said when he picked up the phone. “I’m ready. You’re kind of a nightmare to work with.”

She grinned. “You’re lying. I’ve met your fiancée so I happen to know you like it when a woman takes charge.”

Angel chuckled. “Don’t tell anyone. Yes, the obstacle course is ready. I’ll have plenty of water on hand for hydration. There’s a first aid kit, everyone who works here knows CPR and the weather is good. Now can we be done?”

“We can. Thank you.”