He closed his eyes. “I know that now.” He opened them. “But when you’re in that whirlpool you really think you can handle it, that the next big win will be your last.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s an addiction, Annie. Why does a heroin addict keep sticking needles in his arms when his veins are collapsing and his skin is a mass of scabs and his last meal was a can of orange soda? Why does an alcoholic keep drinking when he’s bloated from liver failure and yellow with jaundice and can’t remember what he’s done for hours and days at time? It isn’t logical behavior, it’s an illness.”

Ann put her hand over his. “I’m sorry I asked you about it,” she said quietly. “Anyway that isn’t the point now, the point is to get you well.”

He bit his lip, not looking at her. “I’ll pay you back for what you’ve done for me, both of you. If I have to work at it for the rest of my life I promise I’ll pay you back.”

Ann squeezed his fingers. “Why don’t we just change the subject, okay? It’s Christmas, let’s have some Christmas cheer. Heath and I were just going to have a light supper. You’ll join us, okay?”

He looked up. “Okay.”

“And stay the night?”

He nodded.

“When can I unwrap that huge box and see what you brought me?” Ann asked.

He laughed. “After dinner.”

Ann got up to go into the kitchen and said, “Come on with me. You can help.”

Her brother followed her out of the room.

Chapter 10

“So Tim won’t have to go to trial at all?” Ann asked, watching Heath’s face.

“No. He’s pleading guilty to a lesser charge of embezzlement and mishandling of company funds.”

“What will he get for that?”

“Probably a suspended sentence in exchange for continuing with his twelve-step program and community service. And he’ll have to pay the money back, of course, but I’ll do that initially and then we can work out a payment schedule for him to reimburse me.”

Ann flung herself on Heath, knocking him off-balance and sending him into the bedroom wall.

“Hey, hey, take it easy,” he said, laughing and catching her in his arms. “It isn’t over quite yet, these legal procedures always go on forever, you know that. But things are definitely looking up for your brother.”

“I don’t know how to thank you.”

“I’m sure we can think of something,” he replied, bending her backward and kissing her neck. “Now, what time is your appointment with Dr. Langley?”

“Heath, I am going, don’t worry about it.”

“You’ve been saying that for two months. We discussed this at Christmas and it’s now February. You’re half finished with your book, you’ve done an outline projecting it into a series and you’ve redecorated the den. You’ve found time for all of these things but not for the ten-minute drive to Langley’s office. I’m beginning to wonder what’s going on here.”

“My appointment is for eleven, and after that I’m having lunch with Amy at La Crepe. Okay?”

“Okay, Princess,” he said, and released her reluctantly. “I’m going to be at the Big Palm office all day. You can reach me there if you need me.”

“I always need you,” she said.

He smiled as he picked up his jacket and slipped into it. “The feeling is mutual,” he said.

“Are you sure you don’t have time for breakfast?” Ann asked, brushing her hair.

“Nah, I’m late already. But make sure you eat— I’m going to check with Daniela when I come home. And remember we’re having dinner with the Jensens tonight.”

“I remember.”

He kissed her cheek and went out into the hall as Ann resumed her toilette.

* * * *

Dr. Langley proved to be a cheerful general practitioner with wire-rimmed glasses and an intense curiosity about the woman who had married Heath Bodine.

“So how did you two meet?” Langely asked as he took Ann’s blood pressure.

“Actually, we knew each other years ago when we were kids on Lime Island,” Ann said.

“Kind of lost touch, huh?” Langley said, making a notation in her file.

You could say that, Ann thought dryly as she nodded.

“I never thought Heath would get married,” Langley said. “Since I’ve known him, five years I guess, he’s lived for his business, didn’t seem to have much time for emotional involvements.”

“I guess the time comes sooner or later for everybody,” Ann said lightly.

“So you knew him before he made his money,” Langley said, feeling the glands at the sides of her throat.

“Yes.”

“What was he like then?”

“Intense, quiet, very good with machinery.”

“Doesn’t sound like he’s changed much,” Langely said, laughing as he inserted his stethoscope into his ears. He listened to her chest and back and then removed the instrument, stepping back and saying, “So, what are you doing here?”

“Heath insisted that I come. He thinks I have iron- poor blood or something.”

“Have you been tired?”

“A little.”

“We’ll run a blood test for anemia. Any episodes of dizziness, fainting?”

“Vertigo once or twice.”

“Aha. So there’s more here than meets the eye.”

“I haven’t been passing out, doctor, just a little room spinning, unsteadiness.”

“Well, you’re slightly underweight and your blood pressure is low, that might account for it. Any trouble with your periods?”

Ann hesitated.

“Well?” he said, watching her.

“They’ve been irregular. I’ve only had two in the last four months and they’ve been scanty.”

Langley bit his lip. “Any nausea, bloating?”

Ann looked at him.

He nodded. “I’ll give you a referral slip to an OB/ GYN right here in the building. I can’t find a thing wrong with you but you could be pregnant.”

Ann gasped. “But I’ve had two periods!”

He shrugged.“Some people don’t stop all at once, like turning off a faucet. I could run a pregnancy test here but you might as well get checked out by a specialist, you’ll need one anyway if you are pregnant. Hastings is good, she’s very thorough.” He pulled a pad out of his jacket pocket and scribbled on a slip. He ripped off the top sheet and handed it to her.

Ann stared at it, stunned.

“Why do you seem so surprised?” Langley asked. “The possibility hadn’t occurred to you?”

“I thought as long as I was bleeding I couldn’t be pregnant. It seemed logical that the excitement and tension of getting married, moving back to Florida, other personal problems, could have thrown off my cycle,” Ann replied. “My brother has been in some legal trouble and it’s been pretty stressful.”

“I could be wrong. If you don’t want to wait for your appointment with Hastings, take a home pregnancy test. They’re quite accurate.”

Ann nodded.

“How do you think Heath will react to the news if you are pregnant?” Langley asked.

“I hope he’ll be happy,” Ann said softly.

“Of course he’ll be happy. With a beauty like you, he will make gorgeous babies.”

“Doctor, just in case you talk to him don’t say anything about this until I tell him, okay? I want it to be a surprise.”

“Sure, sure, I understand. But get in to see Hastings as soon as possible, okay? Your symptoms could mean other things—adhesions, endometriosis. You should be checked. Don’t you have a regular gynecologist?”

“In New York.”

“Go back to that doctor then if you feel more comfortable. But you’ll need somebody local if you plan to have the baby here, to oversee the pregnancy. Just don’t neglect this, okay?”

“All right.”

Ann left the doctor’s office with mixed feelings of elation and nervousness. She was certainly thrilled, but she couldn’t forget Heath’s reaction when she’d brought up the subject of having children on Christmas Eve.

Would he feel differently now if he knew the possibility had become reality? As she drove to the restaurant to meet Amy, she kept mulling it over in her mind, considering alternatives, trying to decide what to do.