Once Ace left, Erin leaned back again. “Hell, I didn’t even think about that. Hope must have been frantic when she found out what happened.”
Reese offered another sip of water. “I heard she was really shaken up.”
Refusing the water, Erin sighed, her stomach clenching. “I should have told you. I should have let Ace know what was going on.”
Duncan rose again. “Yes. You should have.”
“I just never expected it to come to that. I never expected Wes to come to Desire. Now I know that he came to get me away from where Nelson could find me.”
“And he would have had to kill you to keep his secret. I can’t even think about it.” Cupping her cheek, Reese turned her to face him, his gaze sharp. “Your headache’s gone.”
Surprised to realize he was right, Erin smiled. “It is.”
“Good.” He didn’t smile back.
Reese rose and moved to the window, his expression bleak as he stared into the night.
Unsettled, she looked at Jared, who’d dropped into the seat Ace had recently vacated, his expression thoughtful as he stared down at his hands.
An uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach had her gaze sliding to Duncan.
Leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, Duncan met her gaze with a steady stare.
Swallowing heavily, she gripped the blanket and pulled it higher, suddenly chilled. “What’s wrong?”
Aware that Jared lifted his head and Reese turned from the window, Erin kept her attention on Duncan, knowing he wouldn’t sugarcoat anything.
“I know you didn’t plan on Cramer showing up, but after he called, you should have told us everything.”
“You’re right. I was wrong in keeping it from you. Very wrong.”
Duncan’s brow went up. “Really? Bet those words have an aftertaste.”
Erin shrugged. “I can admit when I’m wrong. Like I said, I never expected it to come to this. We suspected Wes had taken some of the money, but I never would have expected him to take it all and blame me for it. I never expected Nelson to burn your store down. God, I’m so sorry for that.”
Dropping back again, she stared at the ceiling. “Nelson used to be a really quiet man. Boring, in fact. Never raised his voice. Never had a harsh word to say about anyone. That’s why it was so hard for me to believe he was actually embezzling. That’s why it took me so long to go to John with my suspicions. That’s why Nelson was able to steal so much money. I’ve always felt guilty about that.”
Smiling, she glanced at Jared. “I always thought I was cynical. John Ritten made me look like a lightweight. He taught me a lot. Apparently, not enough. I’m really sorry. If I’d realized what might happen, I would have told you everything.”
Jared’s eyes narrowed to slits. “If you thought we were overprotective before, you’re gonna see just how protective we can be.”
Reese nodded. “And I don’t give a damn how much you complain about it. Do you realize how close you were to being killed? Do you know that I would have had to live with the fact that the last time we were together I’d spanked you? Hell.”
Erin gulped again when Reese turned back to stare out the window, her attention shifting to Duncan when he straightened and came toward her.
Not stopping until he reached her side, Duncan took her hand in his, tracing his finger over her wedding band. “And we’d all been arguing. I couldn’t even remember the last thing I’d said to you.”
Jared rose and moved to the foot of her bed, bracing a hand on either side of her feet. “We didn’t exactly part on good terms this morning. I would have had a hell of a time living with that.”
“Don’t you know how much I love you?” Despite their attempts to stop her, she sat up, wincing as she slid her legs under her. “Don’t you know how happy I am with you? Don’t you know that you’re my life?”
By the time she finished, tears streamed down her face. “God. I’ve failed you. How could you not know that loving you changed my life?”
“Oh, baby.” Reese moved toward her, but Duncan reached her first. “We’ve been so scared.”
“Scared?” Lifting the corner of the blanket, she wiped her eyes, looking at each of them. “What the hell were you scared of?”
Reese lowered himself to the edge of the bed again, his hand closing protectively over her side. “Calm down. You’re gonna hurt yourself. You’ve got to stay still so this rib heals.”
“Answer me, damn it! What the hell were you scared of?”
Reese drew a deep breath and straightened, letting it out slowly. “We’ve been worried that you miss the life you had. We wondered if you’d missed the city.”