She opened the door to see Matt standing there with the biggest bunch of red roses she’d ever seen. In fact, she could hardly see his face. There had to be at least two dozen, and they were the most beautiful ones she’d ever laid her eyes on.
“Sorry it took so long, but the first store was out of red roses,” he told her.
She simply stood looking at him not knowing what to do or say.
“Are you going to let me in, or am I going to stand here all night?” Matt asked.
Think.
What could she do or say to let him know that Mark Vincent was standing behind the door with a knife that was now pressing close to her spine.
The panic phrase. Say the panic phrase.
“Matt, we’re going to have to do this some other time because I’ve developed the worst migraine of my life.”
He gave her a sly nod. Thank god, he now knew someone was with her.
“Sure, maybe tomorrow.”
“Yeah, after a good night’s sleep I’ll be as good as new.” He nodded to her again as she shut the door.
Vincent grabbed her and was about to drag her into the other room when there was a loud bang. Emily realized that Matt had kicked in the front door. He jumped Vincent. Emily screamed when the two of them rolled on the floor, punching and kicking one another like two guys entangled in a bar room brawl.
Where’s the knife? Please don’t let him stab Matt.
Should she dial 911 just in case Matt needed back up? Emily wanted to run and get her phone, but at the same time wanted to make sure Matt was okay. She opted to get the phone and as she dialed she heard glass smashing and then a thud.
“911 what’s your emergency?”
She quickly told the 911 operator what was happening and heard more glass smashing.
Emily ran back into the living room to see that the last crash had been caused by Matt and Vincent falling onto her glass coffee table. Matt’s eye was cut and pouring with blood, and his arm looked like the knife had caught him a couple of times. Matt got one good punch in, and Vincent finally went to the floor.
Matt reached behind his back for his handcuffs, and Emily couldn’t help but think about the time they’d fallen out of his jacket pocket. Vincent groaned as Matt snapped the cuffs around each of his wrists.
“You okay?” Matt asked her.
“I’m fine, and I dialed 911.”
“Great.”
“Oh, Matt.” She finally gave in and cried.
“Emily, it’s okay. Everything’s going to be fine, well, except for your bookshelf and coffee table.”
“Those are the last things I’m worried about. They can both be replaced, but you can’t.”
Matt must have noticed her ripped blouse. “He didn’t rape you, did he?”
She shook her head as a tear slid down her cheek. “I think he would have if you hadn’t arrived when you did.”
“Oh baby. I’m so sorry this had to happen. I promised I’d keep you safe, and I didn’t.”
He pulled her into him, and Emily sobbed onto his chest.
“He’s the one who beat Mia. He said she was double crossing him.”
“Shit, I’m betting she was his partner in those business holdings we were checking out.”
“If she wakes up from her coma, does that mean she’ll go to jail?
“I don’t know, honey. Maybe if she gets a good lawyer she’ll get probation.”
“My dad... I’ll phone him, see if he can help her.”
Sirens sounded in the background.
“The ring --- ” Matt suddenly looked like he’d lost every bit of color from his face.
“What ring?”
“Shit, everything’s ruined because of Vincent.”
He didn’t say another word but dashed outside. Emily followed him and noticed he was on his hands and knees looking through the red roses he’d obviously thrown to the ground when he’d kicked the door in. Next thing she knew he was searching through the dirt in the planter by the door.
He picked up his cowboy hat and stood. “I guess I’ll have to tell you that I had my grandmother’s engagement ring, and I came here to ask you to marry me. I hid it in one of the rose buds, and now it could be anywhere.”
“Oh, Matt.”
She ran over to him, stood on tiptoes and wiped away the blood that was about to drip into his eye.
“I might not have the ring but I can still do this.”
He went down on one knee, removed his hat and held it close to his chest as two police cars pulled up outside her apartment.
“Emily,would you do me the honor of being my wife?”
“Oh yeah, I think I’ll can do that.”
“Now if we can just find the ring we can make it official.”
Chapter Nineteen
“Your dad’s a sweetheart,” said Mia.
She’d woken up two weeks after Emily and Matt had gotten engaged. Emily was glad to see her finally out of the hospital and in a rehabilitation center. And despite still looking battered and bruised looking, she was on the mend.
“So does he think he can help you?” Emily asked her. “Yeah, he said the DA will probably make a deal with me. He’s going to do his best to make sure I don’t do any jail time, and if I do, he said it will probably be minimal.”
“Oh Mia, I hope this has taught you a valuable lesson,” Emily told her.
“Oh yeah, I’m out of the escort business, never going to mess with guys like Mike Vincent again. I’m just sorry I got you involved.”
“Never apologize to me because if I hadn’t I wouldn’t have met Matt.”
“So when’s the wedding?”
“We’re waiting for his brother-in-law to get back from his deployment because he wants him to be the best man, so at least another month. And I’m hoping you’ll be all healed up enough to be maid of honor.”
“Gives me something to work toward. I just hope you know how crazy this guy is about you. I never thought it was true when they said you could hear things when you were in a coma, but I heard everything he said to me. I mean when he thought I was you. What a sweet guy. He’s a keeper, that’s for sure.”
Emily had to agree. Meeting Mr. Right was the last thing shed expected to do when she’d decided to move back to Montana.
Emily looked at her watch. “Sorry to say I have to get going because I’ve got a paper due, and then Matt and I are going house hunting. Well, actually cabin by the lake hunting.”
“That sounds like fun.”
She stood and put on her raincoat just as the door to Mia’s room opened and in walked Mia’s ex-husband.
The one other good thing that resulted from all this was that he was back in her life. He’d heard about Mia being attacked and that she was in a coma and had come to visit her. Emily sensed he was the reason, Mia come out of her coma. Emily smiled. They were both still in love with one another. She had a funny feeling that Mia would be the one who would catch her bridal bouquet and these two would get hitched again.
“Bye, Mia.”
Emily shook her head as she left the room. Mia hadn’t even heard her now that Todd was in the room. Emily peered through the glass in the door. Todd had pulled up a chair by Mia’s bed, and the two of them looked like lovebirds with eyes only for one another.
*****
Emily snuggled into Matt as they watched the last piece of that day’s sun disappear on the horizon over Flathead Lake.
He leaned over to kiss her and knew it couldn’t get any better than what the two of them were experiencing that very moment.
“You know, I just thought that this won’t last forever for us. When we start a family, a cabin by the lake’s not going to be very safe for a toddler.”
“Yeah, we’ll probably have to move to somewhere sensible.”
“Just until our kids are off our hands,” Matt said. “Then maybe we can buy a houseboat for our retirement years.”
She snuggled into him. The thought of growing old with the woman he
now held in his arms, excited him in much the same way his body had reacted the first time he’d set eyes on her. The idea that they’d be old and watching the sun rise and set together thrilled him like nothing else ever had.
The End
About the Author
Vanessa Devereaux is the bestselling author of eight plus books, including Who’s the Boss, Cater to Me and Seduced by a Cowboy. Her favorite stories to write are historical erotica and ones featuring either bear shifters or cowboys. When she’s not writing, she’s teaching aspiring authors. You can find out more about Vanessa at her Web site, www.vanessadevereaux.com and follow her on Twitter @vandevereaux
Other Books by Vanessa Devereaux
Masters of Pleasure-Lord Finley
Masters of Pleasure-Lord Sandford
The Bear Next Door-Forbidden Shifters
The Boss-Fantasy LLC
The Handyman-Fantasy LLC
Seduced by a Cowboy
Cater to Me
Masters of Pleasure-James
Masters of Pleasure-Ian
Callum-Cowboy Tough
Erotic Bedtime Stores
Ghost of a Chance
Big Bad Bear-Forbidden Shifters
Always a Thief
Upcoming Books by Vanessa Devereaux
The Rake-Fantasy LLC
Aiden-Cowboy Tough
Bearing It All-Forbidden Shifters
Sweet Seduction-Cowbear Haven
Matt (Big Sky Lawmen Book 1) Page 9
