Beneath the Stetson(58)

Her lips opened and closed. Tears trickled from her beautiful eyes. “He’s okay?”

“Completely.” He shuddered, swamped by a wave of relief so strong it made him dizzy. “My in-laws were hiding out with him in Del Rio, hoping to slip across the border into Mexico when the furor died down.”

“Poor little man. He must be so confused.”

“We’ll make sure he sees a counselor. And we’ll smother him with love.” He nudged her hip. “Move over, gorgeous.” He raised the head of the bed and leaned back against the pillows, gathering her in his right arm, tucking her against his chest. “Nate is driving him back to Royal early in the morning. I want you to be there with me at the Straight Arrow, Bailey, to welcome him home. If the doctor thinks you’re well enough to be released.”

She nestled into his embrace. “Oh, yes,” she said. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

* * *

Eight hours later, Bailey sat on Gil’s front porch wrapped in a quilt, waiting for Nate’s squad car to come into sight. When it did, she stood up, the tears flowing again. She hated feeling so weak and emotional, but her relief and joy were profound.

Gil put a hand on her shoulder. “Save your strength, honey. I’ll bring him to you.”

The car pulled to a stop at the foot of the steps, and a door flew open. “Daddy!” Cade ran toward his father, the two males meeting halfway in a boisterous hug that was beautiful to watch. Seeing Gil reunited with his son healed a deep crack in Bailey’s heart. She may not have solved the case of Alex’s kidnapping, but that failure paled in comparison to this victory.

Moments later she saw Gil whisper something in Cade’s ear. The child looked up and saw Bailey. His mouth rounded in an O of surprise and his little face crumpled. “Miss Bailey,” he wailed, running up the remainder of the steps. “You’re okay.” He threw himself at her, and Bailey winced as she tried to catch him without jarring her injury.

Hugging Cade tightly, she rested her cheek against his dark hair. “I’m pretty tough,” she said. “And you were awfully brave.”

Gil eased his son away. “We have to be careful with Miss Bailey, Cade. Her head is still getting well.”

After that, Cade insisted on seeing her bandages, and of course, they all had to thank Nate profusely. It was almost an hour later before she was finally alone with Gil. Cade had run to his room to play with his toys. His father scooped Bailey into his arms and carried her up the stairs to his bedroom. She could hear the steady beat of his heart beneath her cheek.

“You smell good,” she said, burrowing her nose in the crisply starched fabric of his white cotton shirt. In honor of Cade’s homecoming, he had worn his best Stetson and his fanciest pair of cowboy boots.

Gil flipped back the quilt and the top sheet and laid her gently on the soft mattress. “Don’t flirt with me,” he begged. “I’m trying to remind myself that your recovery has a long way to go.”

“I want to sleep with you tonight,” she whispered.

A dark flush tinged his cheekbones. “Sleep only. I won’t be responsible for putting you back in the hospital.”

She tugged his hand. “Lie down beside me.”

He kicked off his boots, removed his belt, and stretched out on his back, careful not to jostle her head. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. “I feel so damn good, I may just float up to the ceiling.”

Linking her fingers with his, she smiled up at the surface in question. “I’d miss you,” she said.

After a long silence, he spoke again, this time with no humor at all in his voice. “I’ve been waiting to hear you say something very important, Bailey.”

She froze, the words stuck in her throat. It was a huge commitment. Turning her life upside down. Giving up everything she knew. “You’re asking if I love you?”

“Yes.”

Why was it that she could face down an armed assailant without flinching, but taking this leap petrified her? She’d been on her own for a long time. Self-reliant. Depending on no one. Her emotionally unavailable father had taught her that.

But Gil Addison was an entirely different kind of parent. And an entirely different kind of man. He cared. And he wasn’t afraid to show it.

The question was, could she be as brave? She turned on her side and put a hand on his chest, covering his heart. “I do care about you, Gil. How could I not?”

Her wording was not lost on him, because he grimaced. “Thank God. For a while there, I thought you only wanted me for sex.”

She laughed softly. “Well, that is a definite plus.”