“His name is Wesley Connors, a Realtor from Austin, and erstwhile mayoral candidate,” Matthew said. “Needless to say, he won’t get elected now. Adam went with him to the hospital in Waco. He got quite a bit more glass in the face than you did. He claims it wasn’t him who fired that sniper rifle at the two of you the other day. He’s trying to cut a deal. I hope to hell he fails, but I don’t hold out much hope. He claims he can give the D.A. a really powerful and important man.” Matthew sighed. “We’ll see.”
“The good news is she’s not badly injured,” Dr. James said. “I’ll give you a prescription for some antibiotic cream to apply twice a day for a couple of days. I don’t think she’ll scar too badly.”
“The only thing we care about is that she’s safe and sound,” Steven said.
“Damn right,” Matthew said.
“Well, then.” Dr. James put both hands on Kelsey’s shoulders and gave her a good stare. “You, young lady, stay out of trouble.”
“Yes, sir.”
Steven found himself returning Matthew’s grin. How many times had they each answered one or the other of the Doctors Jessop just that way?
Dr. James leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Then he nodded to Steven and Matt and left the room.
Steven stroked a hand gently down Kelsey’s hair, so damn glad that he could, that she was here and alive and safe. “Does it hurt, sweetheart?”
“Just a little. The worst part was the gun going off. My ears just stopped ringing.”
“You’re lucky that’s all it did. When I think—Jesus.” Matthew choked that out, then stepped forward and wrapped his arms around their woman.
When Matthew eased his hug, she turned her gaze to Steven. “How did you know where to find me and get to me so fast?” She didn’t have to explain herself.
“I had the sudden urge to go to town and was just pulling up at the sheriff’s office when Matt and Adam came racing out, heading for their cars. Matt shouted to me that your attacker had you. The first place I thought to go was where that bastard had run you off the road on Sunday. I just floored it. I didn’t even look to see if the light was green or not.”
“Thank you. I wasn’t certain if maybe Connors wouldn’t somehow find that damn gun and start shooting at me even as I was running away from him. I could barely see anything I was so scared. So I just ran.”
“Jesus, Kelsey, you don’t have to thank me. You’re my heart. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you,” Steven said. He couldn’t stop the shiver that ran down his spine.
“It’s over.” Kelsey stretched up to kiss Matthew, and then she pulled Steven closer and kissed him, too. “It’s over, and I just want to go home. I want to soak in the hot tub, maybe sip some wine.” She blushed, looked down, then back up, meeting first Steven’s gaze and then Matt’s. “I got hot when you said you were going to spank me.”
Steven laughed, relief rolling through him. “Good thing,” he said, “because I have a feeling that may be a regular activity for us.”
“If I like it as much as I think I do, you can count on it,” Kelsey said. “So, can we go home, now?”
“Yeah,” Matthew said. “Adam will come out tomorrow to take your statement. For now, we can head out.”
“Of course, there is that crowd in the waiting room to be got through,” Steven said as he helped her off the exam table.
“Crowd?” Kelsey narrowed her eyes. “What kind of crowd?”
“Oh, just the usual,” Steven said. “You’ve got your Benedicts and your Kendalls and your Jessops, your Jessop-Kendalls, and Parkers, and Joneses—”
“And Parker-Joneses,” Kelsey finished for him. “In other words, family.”
“Yeah. One thing about this town,” Matthew said, “it’s lousy with family.”
“Nothing lousy about that,” Kelsey countered.
Steven’s heart had tripped when Kelsey had said “family,” and he knew from the glitter in Matthew’s eyes that he felt the same.
“So yes, we’ll go home,” Steven said, “and talk about family.”
“There’s nothing I’d rather do,” Kelsey said.
Chapter 23
They didn’t let go of her hands the entire time they’d walked from clinic to the car.
As predicted, the waiting room was full of family. Bernice hugged her first, sniffing back her tears, then turned Kelsey over to her two husbands. Jonathan and Caleb hugged her, then passed her off to Adam’s parents, and so it went.