Stone Cold Cowboy(110)

“I’m sorry. I should have told you where my brother was hiding. I should have called the cops immediately. You told me to let him go, but I wanted him to . . .”

“Shh, sweetheart, it’s okay. I understand.”

The overwhelming guilt swamped her again. She’d put his life in jeopardy. All their lives, and for what, a brother who had little if any regard for her or anyone else.

“If something happened to you . . .” She gripped his wrists tighter.

“Me? You’re the one who almost got stabbed.”

“You threw yourself in front of my brother when you knew that agent meant to kill him. You saved him for me.”

“I knew you couldn’t live with yourself if something happened to him.”

She placed her palm on his rough jaw. “I can’t live without you. Do you hear me? Don’t ever do something like that again.”

He managed to find a halfhearted smile for her. “I promise.”

“Where did you get the handgun you used to shoot Derek?”

“Trigger had it stashed in an ankle holster. You laid yourself out on him, but he reached down to get the gun. He couldn’t get to it in time, so I grabbed it and killed that bastard.”

She pressed her hand to his face and looked into his eyes. “Are you okay? That can’t have been easy.”

“I’m not sorry I did it. Caden refused to let me bring my rifles. He wanted to keep me out of it, but I couldn’t sit back and let your brother get hurt or let that asshole hurt you again. I’d do it all over just to keep you safe.” He pressed his hand to her belly. “Both of you.”

Sadie slid her hand around Rory’s head and pulled him in for a soft kiss. She held it, letting him feel how much she appreciated everything he’d done and how much she loved him.

“Hey you two, remember me?”

Rory pressed one last kiss to her lips, leaned back, and sat on the edge of the bed. He kept his intense gaze on her but asked Bell, “What’s the damage, Doc?”

“Twenty-two stitches in her shoulder. Severe dehydration. She’s just about done with that IV line and the vitamin drip we added. You can take her home in an hour. Her blood pressure and heart rate are back to normal. It’s still very early in the pregnancy. Stress is not good for her. She needs to get some sleep and take it easy the next few days. No strenuous activity. Limit the questions and rehashing of events until she’s feeling better.”

Tears gathered in Sadie’s eyes. He understood them all too well. “I’ll take you over to see Connor before we leave. He’s out of surgery. He’ll be fine. They’ll keep him here a few days, then transfer him to the infirmary at the jail.”

“I don’t want to see him right now.”

“Are you sure?”

“I want to go home with you.”

“Whatever you want, sweetheart.”

She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t listen to Connor spout off the same crap and lies. It might be too late, but about time she let him suffer the consequences of his actions and live her own life. She had so much to live for and Connor almost took that away from her. Rory saved him. He’d saved her in so many ways. He’d shown her a life and happiness she wanted more than anything. He’d shown her love so infinite it filled her up and made her believe dreams really do come true. Now all she had to do was live them.





CHAPTER 30

Sadie sat bolt upright in the dark, gasping. Her heart pounded in her chest so hard her ribs ached. She shook off the nightmare and all thoughts of Rory slamming into her brother as the shot rang out. In the nightmare, the bullet hit him instead of her brother. The thought of losing him sent a chill up her spine.

Rory slid his big arm around her waist, planted his hand on her hip, spreading warmth through her system and calming her down.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

She slid her hands over his warm skin and held tight. “Nothing. I’m headed for the bathroom again.” The IV and vitamin refill she got at the hospital definitely made her feel better, but it went right through her the last few hours.

Rory brought her home, put her into the shower to wash up, then tucked her into bed. He joined her for both, always touching her softly, sweetly, letting her know he was there. He couldn’t seem to let her out of his sight. She appreciated the attention, but worried about him, too. He’d gone quiet on her again. She hoped shooting Derek didn’t leave a permanent mark on him. She understood it disturbed him, but hoped he’d find a way to live with it. He’d done it to save her life.

She stared down at him beside her. Golden whiskers darkened his jaw. His hair fell over his forehead in soft waves. She brushed her fingers through it, pushing it off his face. The silky strands glided through her fingers. Rory pressed a kiss to her side, then fell back onto his pillow.