Maybe she should have insisted on going with Brianna and Garrett.
* * *
Burke’s gaze followed Allison as she walked around the bed and sat down in the chair that Garrett had vacated. She looked impossibly tired. Part of him wanted to reach out, pull her down to him, and thank her for staying at his side. But that would only confuse her. For her own good, he needed to keep her at a distance. Still, it wasn’t easy when he needed her so much.
“Can I get you anything?” she asked. “Some fresh water, maybe, or a soda?”
He shook his head.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“Are you?”
“You wanted me to go with them, didn’t you?” she said.
&
nbsp; “It doesn’t matter. Brianna’s nineteen, and she’s got a mind of her own. She’ll do what she wants to.”
Burke kept the rest of his concerns to himself. He wondered if Brianna was attracted to Garrett. The man was handsome, witty, and newly single. And the ten-year difference in their ages was less than the age gap between himself and Allison. But Garrett was capable of playing games with the girl’s romantic heart, or, worse, gaining her trust and using it to further his own ambitions.
Until this current financial crisis raised its ugly head, he would have trusted Garrett with his life. Now he no longer trusted the man with anything, especially with his strong-willed daughter.
He’d spoiled Brianna after her mother’s death, giving her everything she wanted in an effort to make up for Kate’s absence. Now she was an adult, and it was payback time. Whatever the issue, come hell or high water, Brianna was used to getting her own way. He could only hope she’d have the common sense to make the right choices.
Damn, he hated being trapped in a hospital bed when he needed to stand up and take charge. He had never felt more helpless in his life.
“Have they told you how much longer you need to be here?” Allison seemed to read his thoughts.
“A couple of days. Then I’ll go to the rehab wing for some short-term therapy. After that I’ll be going home. But I’ve arranged for help to come in, so you won’t have to worry about taking care of me.”
“You know I’d gladly do it—take care of you, I mean.”
“I know. But it would kill me to see you tied down to nursing a broken man.”
“I’m your wife.”
“That can be changed. I’m still hoping you’ll make the sensible decision. I wanted to give you the world. I can’t do that anymore.”
She shook her head. Her face was a stoic mask. Only her lovely violet eyes showed pain. “What about Brianna? You can’t divorce her.”
“She might have to grow up fast.”
“Well, I’ve already grown up,” she said. “And I need to know what’s going on with you and Garrett and the real reason you won’t sign that contract with the investors. Saying you don’t like them isn’t enough. Stop treating me like a child, Burke. I need to hear the truth—the whole story.”
CHAPTER 6
Allison reached past the monitor cords, found her husband’s hand, and clasped it hard. “You’re asking me to make the most heartbreaking decision of my life,” she said. “You’re telling me I’ll need a lawyer to fight for my rights. But I don’t understand what those rights are, or whom I’d be fighting. This is no time to keep secrets from me, Burke. Not even for my own good.”
Burke closed his eyes. He appeared to be resting, but Allison knew he was thinking about what to say and how much to tell her. When he opened his eyes again, he looked tired and in pain. “How much do you know?” he asked.
“Only what Garrett told me—that the American Heartland is in danger of going under and maybe taking the agency with it. He said that in order to survive, you’ll need to remodel the theater and hire some big-name acts.”
He took a deep breath, bringing his oxygen level up. “Did he tell you there’s no money for that, and that the loan we took out to get the building up to code is due at the end of the year? And did he tell you what our options are?”
“As I understand it, you could either try to refinance for enough to pay off the existing loan and make the improvements, or bring an investor on board.”
“That’s right. I was working after hours on an application for the refinance, taking time to cover all the bases, when this damned accident happened. I figure the loan is a risk, but an honest risk. If we can pull the American Heartland out of this slump, we should be able to make the monthly payments and come out with our ownership intact. If not, it’ll be abandon ship, every man for himself.”