An Outrageous Proposal by Maureen Child Read Free Book Online Page B

room.
    “Ronan’s settled and happy now,” Ailish said softly. “And so
should you be.”
    Her fingers felt small and fragile in his grip, and the fear
and worry bottled up inside Sean seemed to spill over. “I am,” he blurted before
he was even aware of speaking.
    Her gaze sharpened. “You are what?”
    “Settled,” he lied valiantly. He hadn’t planned to. But seeing
her worry needlessly had torn something inside Sean and had him telling himself
that this at least, he could do for her. A small lie couldn’t be that bad, could
it, if it brought peace? And what if she was dying,
God forbid, but how was he to know since no one would tell him anything.
Wouldn’t it be better for her to go believing that Sean was happy?
    “I’m engaged,” he continued, and gave his mother a smile. “I
was going to tell you next week,” he added, as the lie built up steam and began
to travel on its own.
    Her eyes shone and a smile curved her mouth even as twin spots
of color flushed her pale cheeks. “That’s wonderful,” she said. “Who is
she?”
    Who indeed?
    Brain racing, Sean could think of only one woman who would fit
this particular bill, but even he couldn’t drag Georgia into this lie without
some warning. “I’ll tell you as soon as you’re fit and out of here.”
    Now those sharp green eyes narrowed on him. “If this is a
trick…”
    He slapped one hand to his chest and hoped not to be struck
down as he said, “Would I lie about something this important?”
    “No,” she said after a long moment, “no, you wouldn’t.”
    Guilt took another nibble of his soul.
    “There you are then,” he pronounced. “Now try to get some
sleep.”
    She nodded, closed her eyes and still with a smile on her face,
was asleep in minutes. Which left Sean alone with his thoughts—
    A few hours later the doctor finally deigned to make an
appearance, and though Sean was furious, he bit his tongue and was glad he had.
A minor heart attack. No damage to her heart, really, just a warning of sorts
for Ailish to slow down a bit and take better care of herself.
    The doctor also wanted a few more tests to be sure of his
results, which left Sean both relieved and worried. A minor heart attack was
still serious enough. Was she well enough to find out he’d… exaggerated his engagement?
    She would be in hospital for a week, resting under doctor’s
orders, so Sean wouldn’t have to decide about telling her the truth right away.
But he did have to have a chat with Georgia. Just in
case.

Four
    H e left his mother sleeping and made his
way out of the hospital, grateful to leave behind its smell of antiseptic and
fear. Stepping into a soft, evening mist, Sean stopped dead when a familiar
voice spoke up.
    “Sean?”
    He turned and felt a well of pleasure open up inside as Georgia
walked toward him. “What’re you doing here?” he asked, wrapping both arms around
her and holding on.
    She hugged him, then pulled her head back to look up at him.
“When we didn’t hear anything, I got worried. So I came here to wait for you.
How’s your mom?”
    Pleasure tangled with gratitude as he realized just how much
he’d needed to see her. He’d been a man alone for most of his adult life, never
asking for anything, never expecting anyone to go an extra meter for him. Yet
here she was, stepping out of the mist and cold, and Sean had never been happier
to see anyone.
    “She’s well, though the doctor’s holding on to her for a week
or so. More tests, he says, and he wants her to rest. Never could get my mother
to slow down long enough to rest, so God help the
nurses trying to hold her down in that bed,” he said, dropping a quick kiss on
her forehead. “Scared me, Georgia. I don’t even remember the last time anything
has.”
    “Family does that to you,” she told him. “But she’s okay?”
    “Will be,” he said firmly. “It was a ‘minor’ heart attack, they
say. No permanent damage, though, so that’s good. She’s to take it