by Black, Regan
Suddenly, instead of Baker filling her vision, she was looking up into snow-covered trees framing an overcast sky full of clouds. She scrambled out of the snowdrift to see Wyatt squaring off with Baker.
“Get the snowmobile!” Wyatt shouted as he dodged a punch.
Her first instinct was the Greenbriar machine. Looking to the shed, she saw the drift covering two thirds of the door. They’d never get to it before Tate shot them both. Then she heard the revving engine of the snowmobile around front. She’d scold herself later, if she survived.
Tate rounded the corner of the store, the back end of the machine fishtailing behind him. Inexperience and desperation made him reckless. He immediately dismissed her, aiming the machine at Wyatt.
She screamed a warning.
Wyatt must have heard her, but it was too late.
His body twisted, not quite in time, his face registering shock as he was bumped aside. Baker fell the other way, taking a face full of snow as Tate turned. His expression was stark hatred and vindictiveness as he circled around and aimed the machine at her.
Behind him, Wyatt was getting to his feet and Baker was stumbling, holding his side. Wyatt had to be okay. She clung to that singular thought, unable to comprehend another outcome.
She moved straight toward Tate and at the last second threw herself at the nearest tree, taking a stand in the rutted path left behind by the snowmobile’s runners. Looking around for a fallen limb she could use as a weapon, she came up empty, the snow was too deep.
“Stay away from him,” she shouted at Baker when he stumbled toward Wyatt. Baker didn’t look like he could be much of a threat, but she wasn’t taking any chances.
Tate muscled the snowmobile around and was taking aim at her once more. She fumbled with her zipper and used her teeth to pull off a glove so she could reach into her pocket. Circling the tree, forcing Tate to recalculate his angle again, she pulled out a few of the loose diamonds and threw them at his face as he passed her.
“Lose something?” she shouted over the drone of the engine. Her fingers were shaking from the freezing air and the barely leashed panic coursing through her veins.
Tate cursed her, standing up on the snowmobile and leaning forward as he came at her once more.
What she wouldn’t give for one well-placed rock, covered by snow, that would pitch him over and knock him out. Then she realized she had all the rocks she needed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out another diamond, pretending to hold something larger.
She raised her hand and threw a strike of epic proportions.
Tate shrieked and jumped off the snowmobile, running in the direction of her toss. His movements were awkward as his feet sank into the snow, his arms flailing for balance.
She smiled. Gotcha. She plucked out a few more diamonds, tossing them to either side of him.
He reached out as if he could catch one of the precious gems before it was lost in the snow. Of course, he missed. On his knees, he dug through the snow. “Stop! Stop!”
“I’ll give you the Mae West if you hand over your gun and leave right now,” she offered.
“Yes.” He reached for his gun.
“Slowly,” she warned, hand poised near her pocket. “Throw it over your shoulder.”
He did as she asked. “Thank you. Now get the hell out of here.” She secured the pouch of remaining diamonds. “Without a guide.”
“We’ll get lost.”
“Not my problem.” She figured the bears would enjoy a convenient, if somewhat stale snack when they woke up in the spring. Provided the authorities didn’t find his lousy carcass first.
Tate’s gaze narrowed, mean and calculating, as he got back on his feet. “I’ll just take you and—”
The threat was smothered by the snow as Wyatt shoved him down, face first, and dropped his knee hard between the man’s shoulders. The fight was over that fast. Wyatt gave him just enough room to grab a shallow breath.
“You’re a better man than me,” she groused.
Wyatt laughed. “Get the rope.”
“You know what I mean,” she said with a snort as she realized what she’d said. “He doesn’t deserve it.”
“Maybe not, but neither of us deserve to have his blood on our hands.”
She studied him for a long moment, seeing the boy he’d been and the man he’d become. He’d gone to grim places and carried out orders she couldn’t even fathom. Didn’t want to. Even if he’d never planned to return to Deadwood she was grateful he was here now. Thankful he was a hero at heart.
“What happened to Baker?” she asked.
“He’s passed out. Injury, exertion or whatever.” Beneath Wyatt, Cordell’s muffled voice sounded worried. “He’s not dead, but he can’t fight. Are there any diamonds left in there?” he queried.
Tate tried to talk again.
“Plenty.” She smiled. “We need to confiscate the diamonds he has,” she said. A gust of wind lifted the top-most layer of snow, carving from one drift to add to another. “Wind is changing,” she said. “Maybe the worst of this storm is over.”
“Let’s get them secured and see if we can get out a call for help.”
“On it.” She trudged back toward the outpost for the rope and whatever else might keep Tate and Baker subdued. “Then we’ll talk,” she added once she was out of earshot.
She wouldn’t let this prime opportunity for a second chance with Wyatt pass her by.
Chapter Ten
After a brief debate, Wyatt and Evie decided to keep Tate and Baker in the outpost. They built up a fire in the hearth and gave the men a couple of blankets and some bottled water while they debated what to do next. It would be so nice to leave them here to rot but that wasn’t practical and most likely the FBI would frown upon it too. Not to mention the mess it would leave for the Greenbriar’s to clean up.
The snowmobile from the mining museum had a radio, but it was broken.
“You’ll need to go back to town,” he said. “You can lead Sheriff Russell in to pick us all up.”
“Not without you,” she argued.
He almost smiled, she was so predictably stubborn. “No one but the FBI knows I’m not part of Cordell’s crew and there’s no way to know if they’ve revealed themselves to the sheriff.” Her brow furrowed, but he knew he was getting through. “They all think I’m a kidnapper. It will be faster all around if you go alone.”
She stalked past him and into the outpost. He followed, laughing to himself when he caught her checking their restraints. “You shouldn’t be alone with them,” she said once she was back outside.
“Have a little faith,” he said.
She pressed her lips together, clearly holding something back. He didn’t know she was capable of that. Climbing into the seat, she gave him a tight smile. “Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”
She drove off before he could kiss her and he stood there, listening to the whine of the engine long after she was out of sight. He didn’t go back inside, too afraid of haranguing or hurting Cordell. The man had nearly killed Evie more than once. He needed the reward money and to get that, he needed to do this the right way.
Waiting with his own thoughts wasn’t any easier than dealing with Cordell and Baker would have been. As the adrenaline drained away, he couldn’t stop thinking about all of the ways he’d gone wrong with Evie. He’d been a kid, sure. Scared of his mother’s addiction dragging him down and Evie too, by association. He’d had to get out.
That was what he wanted to talk about. He wanted to look into her beautiful gray eyes and watch her accept his promise that he’d never walk away again. Returning to Deadwood for the FBI, for his future, had been a choice that he’d instinctively known would give him that opportunity. He finally felt man enough to come back into Evie’s orbit. Although he would have been happier if she’d never been caught up in Cordell’s mess, he wouldn’t have survived this half as well without her.
She was it for him. Somehow he had to find a wa
y to win her back. Her trust, her love, her kisses. Every ounce of the chemistry he remembered was still there between them. He saw it simmering between her flashes of familiar temper and even more tempting tenderness. No one in his life had ever demonstrated such caring and tough love for him in as Evie.
At last the sounds of rescue approached in the form of snowmobiles gliding over the snow-blanketed terrain. It shouldn’t have surprised him that Evie led the way. She parked at the far side of the building and sat there, watching the proceedings as the sheriff and Agent Pickering marched Cordell and Baker out.
“Good enough?” he asked Agent Pickering.
“Did you talk to them?”
He shook his head. “Didn’t trust myself,” he replied. “Is it okay if I ride back with Evelyn?”
Pickering arched an eyebrow and gave him a subtle nod. “As long as you’re right behind us. We need full statements, the sooner the better.”
He bounded through the snow toward Evie. “You and me.”
“That works.” She smiled, scooting back to let him drive the snowmobile.
“Did you turn over the diamonds?” he asked before he started the machine.
“Yes.” She rolled her eyes. “Everyone acts like I saved a kid.” She pulled her scarf up to cover her nose and mouth.
Another chance to kiss her gone. He needed to stop missing those. “The Mae West Solitaire isn’t that big,” he joked.
“Right?”
“You’re the new hometown hero,” he said.
She shrugged. “We’ll see,” she said from behind her scarf. “I think it’s too soon for a changing of the guard.”
The comment left him wondering what she’d told the sheriff and others before they came back out. Her arms came around his waist and he relished the feel of her pressed up against him.
They needed to talk. It was past time he laid all his cards on the table and let her make an informed decision.
When they reached the casino, the last to join the authorities gathered in the staging area, he quickly realized she hadn’t been exaggerating about the general sense of celebration and gratitude. They were surrounded by pleased officials. Everyone from the FBI to the casino security staff were eager to greet them and praise them for bringing in Cordell and Baker.
Now that the FBI had clarified his role in the robbery a weight lifted from his shoulders. He walked with his head high as he and Evie were ushered inside and through back hallways to the rooms set up for the teams investigating the security guard’s death and the diamond heist.
Although it was standard procedure, he nearly argued when they were separated to give their statements. He wanted to assure her he wasn’t going to disappear again. When they were finally done with the obligations, he sought out Evie for a quick word.
“Your dad was probably worried sick. Have you talked with him? Is someone taking you home?”
“We did talk,” she said with a tired smile. “Relief is an understatement. He says the driveway is blocked by a ten-foot snowdrift. I’ll stay here. The casino is so delighted to have the diamonds back they’re comping me a room.” She leaned close so no one else could hear. “A suite, if you can believe it, with all the benefits they save for the whales.”
“Nice. Enjoy it.” He knew the casino would give her a cash reward as well, but it wasn’t his place to tell her. Instead, he indulged in a brief fantasy of having Evie all to himself in that suite, with no cares or crises.
“You could join me.”
He tipped his head toward the FBI agents looming behind him. “I’m not done yet, but I’ll be in touch soon.” And when he did see her again, he’d tell her everything. Ask for everything. His heart stuttered, a combination of anxiety and eagerness.
“Soon,” she echoed. Her gaze turned cool and shrewd as if she could see straight through his skin to his rowdy pulse. “Wyatt Jameson, if you leave again without saying goodbye I will hunt you down and make you regret it.”
He believed her. “It’s not like that,” he said. “I just have to take care of a couple of details. I’ll be right behind you.”
“Promise?”
Damn. After everything past and present, she still trusted he would keep his word. That slayed him. “Evie.” He caught her up into a hug, startling them both with how tightly he clung. “I promise,” he whispered into her hair.
There was no leaving without saying goodbye now. Where that should’ve left him uptight and irritable, he found a softness in the promise made. Hell, she didn’t know it yet, but there was no leaving. Not as long as Evie remained in Deadwood.
He had a second chance to restore their friendship, a golden opportunity to ask her to build a life with him. He wouldn’t screw it up.
* * *
Apparently saving the Mae West Solitaire warranted a hero’s reward. The casino promised Evie a cash reward equal to a percentage of the diamond’s value. It was more than enough to bail out her business and set them up for the future, assuming she stayed in Deadwood. The casino also treated her to one of their most luxurious suites, providing everything she could imagine to not only thaw out, but to pamper herself as she recovered from the ordeal. She spent a brief eternity indulging in the steam shower. When she finally turned off the taps and toweled off, she smoothed a silky citrus-scented lotion all over her weary skin. The fragrance gave her mind and heart a bright boost as she wrapped herself in the soft hotel robe.
Someone had delivered a bag of brand new clothes, including shirts and a jacket with the Silver Aces logo. The spa services menu was also prominently displayed, along with a handwritten note from Jack encouraging her to take full advantage of every option. A carafe of hot chocolate had been set out on the table along with two ceramic mugs and platters of sweet and savory treats from the kitchen. Everything looked and smelled so good, so revitalizing, that she felt almost like a princess in a fairy tale.
She hoped Wyatt would enjoy the same indulgent treatment once the FBI was done with him. Agent Pickering had taken her statement quickly and sent her up here to recover before meeting with Wyatt. It was only logical, considering his undercover role with Tate’s crew, but she felt sorry for him anyway.
Curling up into a cozy chair with a mug of hot chocolate and half of an oversized peanut butter cookie, she turned on the television. It seemed up here in the hotel, unlike the casino floor, reality was all-too-accessible. Every station was nattering on about the recovered diamonds, the weather system moving out at last, and the capture of Cordell and his crew.
She didn’t feel like a hero. There was no cause to feel like a victim, since her old—and once again current—best friend had been the one to take her hostage. She didn’t even feel much like a dedicated employee to use the term the reporters preferred. No, she felt like a woman who wanted to sit down with the men in her life and figure out how to move forward.
Hopefully together. At the very least with a comfortable understanding.
Was it time to leave Deadwood? Assuming Wyatt wanted her tagging along, she could help him set up his new business. The idea of spending time with him, loving him as a friend and partner and building a life warmed her more thoroughly than the shower had. The distance might actually help her relationship with her dad and give her a fresh perspective on her personal goals.
But that potential scenario assumed Wyatt would want that same time with her now that the crisis was over. Although she felt hopeful, she couldn’t bank on it.
Her body ached too much to sit still for long. Standing, she crossed to the window, sipping her hot chocolate and burrowing into the robe. Twilight was deepening and waves of untouched snow sparkled under the streetlamps. Although the storm was officially over, it would take several days for the city to dig out and return to normal. Knowing her community, people would already be tired of being stuck indoors. By morning, they’d be itching to get out and get moving, even though the accumulation and drifts would make it difficult to go anywhere.
If only Cottonwood Adventures ha
d the gear, she could offer people the outlet they needed. A thought occurred to her as she studied the courtyard below and gently bloomed into a full-fledged idea. What if they organized a snow day for hotel guests and invited the kids and families from the nearby neighborhoods? It would bring wonderful visibility to her business which would be a big benefit whether they decided to sell or expand. And the casino would get bonus points for community engagement. She mulled over the logistics and then reached out to Jack and Sarah to see if the casino had the desire, staff, and resources to pitch in with her last-minute idea.
To her delight, they were excited about the prospect of having a snow adventure day. As the details came together, she called her dad again.
“Evie.” He sounded pleased to hear from her though they’d spoken just a few hours ago. “How is the suite?”
“Amazing.” She described it to him. “It’s not home.” Her heart was all too eager to define ‘home’ as wherever Wyatt landed. She sure hoped that worked out. “I, um, put some things in motion.” She explained the plans for the snow day and the casino’s swift agreement and contributions in a rush, then waited on pins and needles for his reaction.
“Sweetheart, you’re brilliant.” The pride came through loud and clear. “When your mom died, I pulled back from the community.” He cleared his throat. “I pulled back from you too. It shouldn’t have taken a blizzard and an emergency to wake me up. I’m sorry for not making a better effort to see what you wanted for your future.”
She had to blink back tears. “Thanks, Dad. Is there any way you could make it over here for the event? I could ask Sheriff Russell to send a snowmobile for you.”
“I bet he’d do anything for you,” Dale laughed, the sound rusty but welcome. “I’ll figure it out, don’t you worry. I know you and Wyatt are both in one piece, but it sure will be nice to see you with my own eyes.”
