that strength and heat, only to hear his voice whispering urgently in her ear.
“Come on, Maggie. Wake up, darlin’. The doctor’s here.”
It was the last, more than the term of endearment, that penetrated. Her eyes snapped open, and she immediately spotted the surgeon in his operating room attire standing beside Letitia and Jamal. Her gaze shot to Ryan.
“Have you heard what he’s saying? Is it good news?”
“I can’t hear from here.”
“What about his expression? How did he look?”
Ryan regarded her blankly.
“Was he happy? Sad? What?” she prodded. “You read people’s moods every single night at the pub. Can’t you read his?”
“Maggie, we could find out everything if we went over there,” he suggested with exaggerated patience.
“I don’t want to intrude.”
“Look at it this way—if the news is good, they’d want us to share in it,” he said. “If it’s bad, they’re going to need our support.”
She blinked at that, struck by the fact that a man who professed no emotional entanglements could still have the most amazingly sensitive insights. He should give himself credit for them more often. “Of course you’re right.” She stood up and grabbed his hand, pulling him along with her.
As they reached the small gathering, Letitia turned to them, her eyes brimming with tears. Maggie’s heart stopped. “Oh, no,” she whispered, her hand tightening around Ryan’s.
“No, no,” Letitia said, gathering her into a hug. “It’s good news. He’s going to be fine. My boy’s going to be fine.” She turned to Ryan, hugging him, as well. “And it’s all because of you, not just because you paid for the surgery, but because you got his daddy here. That gave Lamar the will to live. I know it did.”
“Now, it’s still going to be a critical twenty-four to forty-eight hours,” the doctor cautioned. “But I have every reason to believe Lamar will come through this with flying colors.”
“It’s a miracle, that’s what it is,” Letitia declared, her cheeks damp.
“It is, indeed,” Jamal said. He turned to Ryan. “Thank you.”
“I’m glad I was able to help,” Ryan said, clearly uncomfortable with their gratitude. “And now that we know Lamar’s made it through the surgery, I’m going to get Maggie home. She was out with me most of the night trying to find you, Jamal. She’s beat.”
“I’ll come by later, though,” Maggie promised, too tired to waste any breath on a futile argument. “And if you need anything, anything at all, you call me.” She pressed a slip of paper into Letitia’s hands.
“Bless you, girl. You, too, Mr. Devaney.”
Outside in the crisp air, Maggie drew in a deep breath, then turned to Ryan. “I can’t begin to tell you how relieved I am. You must be, too. And if we are, just imagine what Letitia and Jamal must be feeling.”
“They love their son. Of course they’re relieved,” Ryan said.
Maggie regarded him intently. “You know, Ryan, it’s possible that your parents did what they did because they loved you and your brothers.”
“Don’t be absurd.”
“How will you ever know if you don’t try to find them and make them explain?”
“Why the hell would I ever want to see them again?”
“So you can put the past to rest.”
“If you knew the whole story, you’d never suggest such a thing,” he said fiercely.
“Then tell me.”
He sighed, a lost, lonely expression on his face. “Maybe one of these days I will.”
“Why not now?” she pushed.
“Because we’re both exhausted.”
“Buy me a strong cup of coffee and I can listen.”
He smiled wearily at that. “Trying to get me when my defenses are down?”
“Absolutely,” she said without hesitation.
He leaned down and covered her mouth with his. The kiss was sweet and all too brief. “Ah, Maggie, what am I going to do with you?”
“Are you seriously asking for suggestions?” she teased.
His gaze captured hers and held, amusement darkening into desire, then giving way to regret. “Maybe one of these days,” he said.
She bit back her own regrets. “I’ll hold you to that, Ryan Devaney.”
He laughed. “I don’t doubt that for a second. In fact, I’m fairly certain you have a whole list of things I’m expected to make good on.”
“None you can’t handle,” she said with confidence.
Chapter Ten
Ryan had absolutely no intention of allowing Maggie to drive all the way home in her current state of exhaustion. Since he wasn’t one bit better off, there was only one answer: she’d have to stay at his place. Proposing that, while making it clear it was an innocent suggestion, was going to be a neat trick.
He pulled to a