by Jane Godman
“I didn’t know dogs could sulk, but that’s one moody mutt,” Trey said. “I took him back to Rylan’s ranch. Dinah said to let you know she’ll take good care of him along with all the others. She sends her love to both of you.” He pulled up a chair and sat down, viewing the bank of machines behind Rylan warily. “Can your blood pressure stand the strain if we talk about the case?”
“Ahem.” Bree moved her chair even closer to the bed. “David Swanson has done enough damage. If I think the discussion is too tiring for Rylan, we stop. Okay?”
Deciding he liked this new bossy side to her personality, Rylan moved his hand toward hers. “Agreed.” She entwined her fingers with his.
“Okay.” Trey nodded. “A few hours after I left Bree at her apartment, I got a call from the police in Winnipeg to say the man they’d detained had started behaving irrationally. As soon as they presented him with a list of the charges he was wanted for here in Colorado—assault, abduction, vandalism, etc., etc.—he asked to talk some more. That was when he dropped the bombshell that he wasn’t David Swanson.”
“I don’t understand.” Although Rylan’s voice was still weak, it was growing stronger. “You said David paid someone to do this. The other guy impersonated him, drove erratically and resisted arrest. He’ll face jail time. Who’d take that deal?”
“Apparently, David found himself a homeless guy who looked enough like him not to raise any eyebrows when he used his passport. The down-and-out won’t spend long behind bars. Totally worth it if he gets a big payout at the end.”
“If David is also in prison, how will he pay him?” Bree asked.
“The money could already have changed hands,” Trey said. “Or someone else may be responsible for making the payment.”
“So we’re back to Lone Wolf? What does David have to say about him?” Rylan was getting tired of his horizontal position, but he suspected he would regret any attempt to change it.
“Nothing.” Trey rubbed his knuckles along his stubbled jaw. “He’s not saying anything much at all from his hospital bed under police guard. Although the syringe you stabbed him with only contained painkiller—”
“Whoa.” Rylan looked from Bree to Trey and back again. “Back up a bit here. Who stabbed David? When? What?”
Bree gave Trey a reproachful glance. “I was going to lead up to that in easy stages.”
“I’d like to hear you break it gently when you tell him that David turned up at the hospital, stole a set of scrubs and cornered you in a treatment room,” Trey said.
“What?” Rylan jerked, then groaned as bolts of agony shot through him.
“Now see what you’ve done?” Bree was like a tiger protecting her cub. She smoothed Rylan’s hair back from his face. “As you can see, I’m fine. I stabbed him in the eye with a syringe.”
“She did,” Trey confirmed. “While it’s not the action I’d have recommended, it worked. My kid sister faced the bad guy and won.”
Rylan relaxed slightly. While he didn’t like the idea that Bree had been in danger while he was under anesthetic and helpless to protect her, he was glad David had finally been beaten. And if he’d been injured in the process—by Bree, of all people—well, karma had a habit of putting things right in the end.
“When it comes to the emails, David denies all knowledge of any of them, and insists he knows nothing about this Lone Wolf person,” Trey continued. “As for the stockpile of weapons, he alternates between saying he found them, or that they were left in his apartment by a friend. Anyway, going back a few steps... I headed toward the Diamond as soon as I knew David was still on the loose. That reminds me. How come you were already there, Rylan?”
Rylan coughed. The action sent fresh sparks of agony ricocheting through him, and he took a minute to get his breath. “There was someone I needed to talk to.” He squeezed Bree’s fingers. “I found your picture.”
Her gaze was the best painkiller. “So that was what it took to make you see sense? A rough sketch that I did in half an hour?”
Ignoring the pain, he leaned closer. “Maybe that was the excuse I needed to come after you.”
“If we can just focus for a bit longer? Because I think that doctor will throw me out once he gets here.” Trey forced their attention back to him. “So, I figured David had laid his plans carefully and he would be watching the gallery, and Bree’s apartment, for signs of her return. Sure enough, he made his move as soon as she was out in the open.”
Bree shuddered. “If Rylan hadn’t been there...”
“I was there. That’s all that matters.”
“David was preparing to fire more shots when we broke into his apartment. He knows he’s facing life imprisonment for attempted murder, but he’s adamant he doesn’t have an accomplice.” Trey shrugged. “It makes me wonder if you were right, Rylan. Was there ever another person or does he have multiple personalities?”
“If David doesn’t talk, we may never know,” Rylan said. “Even if Lone Wolf exists, he can slink away now and never be caught.”
“Is it wrong to just be very glad that David is going to jail?” Bree asked. “To finally feel that we can get on with our lives without constantly looking over our shoulders?”
“I don’t think I’ll be looking over my shoulder any time soon.” Rylan winced at the thought. “But I know what you mean.”
“Still here, Sheriff?” A voice from the doorway made Trey roll his eyes. “I thought I asked you not to tire my patient.”
“Just leaving, Doctor.” Trey got to his feet. “Can I drive you home, Bree?”
“No, thank you.” She raised Rylan’s hand to her lips. “I’m not going anywhere for a very long time.”
Chapter 19
Bree watched Rylan as he endured the doctor’s poking and prodding. Although his expression didn’t change, the lines of pain were etched deeper, and his complexion grew gradually paler. By the time he lay back on the pillows, his face was bathed in sweat and the dark circles beneath his eyes stood out like bruises.
“Will I lose any of the movement in this arm?” he asked. Although his voice was calm, Bree could tell how much it cost him to ask the question.
“I trust not.” The doctor pursed his lips. “The bullet passed straight through, fracturing the shoulder joint and causing considerable soft tissue damage. Those issues were addressed in surgery. We also dealt with injuries to the nerve structures that supply to the upper body, arms and hands. What follows now will be a lengthy period of rehabilitation. I can’t rule out further surgery, but I’m hopeful that it won’t be necessary.”
“When can he come home?” Bree asked. She wanted Rylan back in his own environment. On his ranch, where he belonged, surrounded by his own land and his beloved animals. From now on, that meant their home.
The doctor looked at her over the top of his glasses. “If he behaves, and follows instructions, it will be a week. If he doesn’t, it could be two.”
“Do you hear that?” Bree said to Rylan. “You are going to do exactly as you are told.”
When the doctor had gone, he turned his head toward her with an obvious effort. “Where were we? Oh, I remember. I said I love you. You said I know. I’m still waiting to find out whether you love me too.”
She gave a soft laugh. “You have doubts?”
His smile was teasing. “Not quite the three little words I was hoping to hear.”
Bree moved until her face was inches from his. “I love everything about you, Rylan Bennet. I love how you rescued Papadum from a dumpster... How when you heard the story of a cat belonging to Cindy from Finance, you took her home with you. And I love that even though other people left Boo, the brokenhearted goose, at the side of the road, you refused to leave him there to die.”
“I did what any decent human being in the same situation would have done.”
She shook her head, brushing a soft k
iss across his forehead. “That’s debatable. But in any case, those animals got a new life because of your big heart. It takes a special kind of tough guy to show his sensitive side and make a home for the world’s waifs the way you’ve done. But it’s about more than how you care for your misfits. It’s how you care for me and how you make me feel...” She ran a finger along his arm. “All the time.”
He groaned. “Maybe not the best time for that sort of information.”
“You asked.” She gave him a mischievous grin. “But we have plenty of time for the physical stuff when you’re all mended.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
She laid her head next to his on the pillow. “As long as you hold me, I’ll be happy.”
“I never believed in love at first sight,” Rylan admitted. “When other people talked about it, I figured they were describing an intense attraction that happened when they met someone. But the first time I saw you, Bree...my heart was overflowing with the most genuine emotion I’d ever known. Suddenly, the whole world made sense. It was wonderful, and scary at the same time. It was even more meaningful because it was so out of character for me. In case you hadn’t noticed, I like to be in control.”
“I noticed.”
Bree could see his eyelids drooping as he talked. He’d been through so much, and she was amazed at the strength with which he’d clung to life. After the surgery, the doctors had admitted that, in those first hours after the shooting, they had been unsure if they could save him. Hearing that, she’d gone on a roller coaster of emotion, alternating between happiness and might-have-been.
Alongside everything else, she had been dealing with a hefty should-have-been-me dose of guilt. How did you thank a man who had taken a bullet for you? She knew the answer to that question now. You didn’t. Not when that man loved you. She would have done the same for Rylan. That was the magical give-and-take of real love.
“I wasn’t looking for love.” His voice was sleepy now. “Never thought forever was for me. But when I first saw you, it was like a buzzer went off inside my brain. It told me the search was over. Didn’t even know I was looking, but I’d found you.”
“We found each other.” Bree lifted her head to watch over him as his eyes closed. “And we have our own forever.”
Epilogue
Four Weeks Later
“It was my shoulder that got injured, not my legs,” Rylan grumbled.
“And you lost a lot of blood,” Bree calmly reminded him. “The doctors have said you still need to take things easy.”
“I don’t think a walk on my own ranch is going to do me any harm.”
They were seated on the porch, eating a late lunch and watching a few fluffy clouds scurry across an otherwise perfect sky. The whole pack of dogs were dotted around the lawn, while Jekyll curled up beneath Bree’s chair. Nance’s ducklings were old enough now to leave her protection, and they bobbed about on the pond. Their cat mom lay in a shady spot on the bank, watching them.
The peacefulness was in such sharp contrast to everything they’d been through. Lightness lifted Bree’s heart, invading her senses and making her spirits soar. “If you really are ready for a walk, I have something I want to show you.”
Rylan smirked at her over the top of his coffee cup. “I’ve seen it all. In bed last night, and just now in the shower.”
She shook her head sorrowfully. “I always suspected you were a wicked man. Now, I know it for sure.”
He reached for her hand. “But you love me.” There was quiet contentment in his voice as he said the words.
“Every wicked part of you.”
“We could skip the walk while you explore my most wicked parts,” he said hopefully.
Bree burst out laughing. “For someone who is supposed to be taking it easy...”
“Honey.” He drawled the word, while giving her an exaggerated leer. “With you, I’ll take it any way I can get it.”
She got to her feet. “Maybe you do need a walk. You have way too much energy today.”
Hand in hand, they slowly followed the creek toward the boundary with the disused ranch. The dogs streamed after them. Although Jekyll tried to stop the others from getting too close to Bree, his behavior was improving. The little oddball was calmer, and less aggressive.
“It’s because he knows he’s loved,” Bree said.
“Does he?” Rylan raised a brow. “I wonder what gave him that idea?”
When they drew close to the edge of Rylan’s land, Bree pointed toward the abandoned ranch. “Remember when we first came out here, and you talked about all the things you could do if you had that land?”
“Sadly, it was just a dream.”
“Maybe not.” Instead of stopping at the boundary, she carried on walking. “This is our land now.”
He smiled down at her, his expression bewildered. “I don’t understand.”
“After what happened with David, I learned the hard way about using my own name in real-estate transactions. I spoke to my uncle Russ while you were in the hospital, and he got his attorney to approach the owner of this ranch. He kept the Colton name out of it, but he also made it clear we wouldn’t be paying over the market value. We agreed on a price, and the contracts were signed a few days ago. I didn’t want to tell you until it was finalized in case it fell through.” She turned a half circle, sweeping a hand in front of her. “This is my contribution to our animal sanctuary.”
Rylan stood very quiet and still, his lips slightly parted, and his eyes narrowed against the bright sunlight.
“Say something.” Bree felt suddenly nervous. Had she done the wrong thing? Would his pride lead him to say he couldn’t accept a gift of this magnitude?
When he turned to her, his eyes were overly bright, his voice thick with emotion. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“I didn’t have to. I wanted to.” She placed a hand on his arm. “We’re a team now, remember? I want this sanctuary as much as you do.”
He used his good arm to draw her close. “What about the gallery?”
“Wise Gal will always have a place in my heart. And I will always be a painter. I visited Kasey a few times while you were in the hospital. She couldn’t talk because her jaw was wired, so our conversation was me talking, and her texting me her replies.” Bree laughed. “Luckily, it wasn’t the other way around, or I’d still be there composing the first text. I asked her how she would feel about managing the gallery. Obviously, her plastic surgery will take some time, but she was excited at the prospect. I can take on a more executive role, perhaps spending a day or two a week there.”
“That’s my wise gal. You have it all figured out,” Rylan said.
“When I thought you might not—” She shook her head. Those negative thoughts had no place anymore. “After you got shot, I reassessed a lot of things. I know how lucky I am to have found you, and I want to spend as much time as I can at your side.”
“Hey, I’m the lucky one, remember? It’s my nickname.”
“Oh, yes.” She looped her arms around his waist, pressing her face to his chest. “From now on, we can be lucky together.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Lucky.” She nodded. When he spoke again, his voice was slightly hoarse. “That was a proposal, Bree.” She looked up quickly, her mouth forming a silent O of surprise. “I was going to wait. Do it properly. Get a ring. Go down on one knee... But this seemed like the perfect time.”
“Any time would be perfect.” She rose on the tips of her toes to kiss his lips. “And my answer, of course, is—”
“Bree? Rylan? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Trey strode across the overgrown grass toward them.
“Say it quick, or I’ll have to get Papadum to sit on him while we run away,” Rylan said.
“Yes.” Bree dissolved into giggles.
“I’ll never understand why you tw
o always start laughing whenever you see me,” Trey grumbled.
“Just high on life.” Rylan’s expression was pure innocence. “You can be the first to congratulate us. We just got engaged.”
“It’s about time. I don’t know what took you so long,” Trey growled, as he swung Bree off the ground and hugged her. He shook Rylan’s left hand. “Congratulations.”
“You haven’t come with bad news, have you?” Bree asked.
“No, just the opposite. I heard from my informant last night. He confirmed that those whispers of an attack on The Chateau or The Lodge have gone quiet.”
“This, among other things, calls for a celebratory root beer float,” Rylan said.
Bree linked a hand through Rylan’s uninjured arm on one side and Trey’s on the other as they walked back toward the house.
Trey frowned as he watched the pack bound ahead of them. “You do know one of your dogs is a sheep, right?”
* * *
Don’t miss the previous volumes in the
Coltons of Roaring Springs miniseries:
Colton Cowboy Standoff by Marie Ferrarella
Colton Under Fire by Cindy Dees
Colton’s Convenient Bride by Jennifer Morey
Available now from Harlequin Romantic Suspense.
And don’t miss the next Coltons book,
A Colton Target by Beverly Long,
coming in May 2019!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Operation Hero’s Watch by Justine Davis.
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