Champagne & Chaps

by Cheyenne McCray

  No answer.

  He pulled his cell phone out of its holster on his belt and redialed her number. He took a deep breath, praying that nothing had happened to her. The phone rang and rang and then the call connected.

  A moment’s relief went through him but then his body went stone cold as he heard Sabrina speak.

  “Pablo, please don’t kill Derrick.”

  “This will teach you a lesson as well as him,” a man replied, probably Pablo.

  “Hasn’t Tom already taught Derrick a lesson by beating him with that pipe?” Sabrina said, fear obvious in her voice.

  “Shut up, bitch.” A pause and then, “Make sure she watches.”

  Fainter, Wyatt could hear a man begging for his life.

  A gunshot and then Sabrina’s scream.

  Terror for Sabrina and rage at the men who had her ripped through Wyatt as he heard her sob.

  “Good. She watched it,” Pablo said. “Now she’ll know what will happen to her if she doesn’t give us the twenty-five grand that belongs to us.”

  Wyatt’s phone started to beep.

  He cursed to himself, praying the battery wouldn’t die.

  “I’ve told you, I don’t have your twenty-five thousand.” Sabrina’s voice trembled. “I don’t know what happened to it.”

  “Save the bullshit,” another man said. “We want our money. And if you don’t have it, it’s your turn to pay in other ways.”

  The “in other ways” held a meaning in it that was all too clear. Wyatt wanted to yell that he’d pay anything they wanted. Maybe they’d hear him.

  “Wait.” Sabrina rushed the words. “I have my own money that I’ve saved up. Thirty thousand. You can have all of it. There’s a bank—”

  Wyatt’s phone went dead.

  Chapter 16

  Sabrina sat in the back of Pablo’s and Tom’s car again, her mind whirling as they drove to the bank in Sonoita. She didn’t really have the money—not after going through her bout with cancer. Any extra money she’d had was long gone and she still had more medical bills to pay off.

  But the men didn’t know that. Hopefully this would buy some time.

  “I still think we should take out the interest on her,” Tom said as he drove and Sabrina’s belly sickened.

  “An extra five thou will be enough interest.” Pablo gave her a look that would have been enough to terrify anyone. “But if she tries anything we’ll not only kill her, but we’ll kill that pretty lady she lives with.”

  Carly? They’d hurt Carly?

  No. She wasn’t going to let that happen.

  She wondered if Wyatt had been on the line, listening. If he was still listening. Or had it been someone else and they’d hung up?

  All she knew was that she couldn’t count on anyone but herself right now, she prayed that this worked.

  The drive went by too slow and too fast at the same time. Scenery flashed by and her thoughts kept churning and churning as she thought about what she’d been forced to watch. The way Pablo had so easily and so cruelly executed Derrick was something she would never forget, never be able to scrub from her mind.

  When they arrived in Sonoita, Tom pulled the car up to the bank and parked.

  “Tell you how this is going to go.” Pablo was turned so that he was looking at her, the gun pointed at her through the seats. “Tom is going to go in with you. If you pull anything, he’s going to signal me, and I’m going to drive straight to your friend’s house and execute her.”

  Sabrina’s skin prickled from her scalp to her toes. She hadn’t counted on this. She didn’t know if Carly was back from Sierra Vista yet. But what if she was?

  Pablo shoved into the back seat the purse they’d taken from her at Carly’s house and she caught it to her chest.

  Sabrina glanced around her, trying to do it as casually as possible. The only people on the street were a man reading a paper and a woman jogger wearing a waist pack doing stretches against the bank wall. It seemed a little warm for jogging, but this part of Arizona was a little cooler where summer temps averaged eighty-five to ninety-five degrees depending on elevation.

  Tom had slipped into a blazer over the T-shirt he was wearing and had slipped the gun and his hand into his pocket.

  He walked at Sabrina’s side and murmured in her ear, “I’ve got this gun pointed right at you. Try anything and I’ll shoot.”

  Heart pounding, she nodded, afraid to say anything.

  When they walked through the glass doors of the bank, the first thing she noticed was that there was no teller at a window. There was a tall man making out a deposit slip and a woman sitting in a chair who looked like she was waiting for someone to help her. Maybe a loan agent or other specialist.

  “I need to make out a withdrawal slip,” she said to Tom as he escorted her inside.

  “Something’s not right.” Tom’s voice was suddenly agitated. “We’re getting out of here.”

  Her gut sank as he turned them back around. She wasn’t going to be able to slip the teller a note like she’d planned. If she didn’t think of something else, they would take her and kill her.

  The next thing she knew the man who’d been making out a deposit slip had a gun pointed straight at Tom.

  “Sheriff’s Department,” the man said in a calm voice. “Let her go and put your hands up.”

  Tom jerked Sabrina to the side, his arm around her neck, the gun barrel pressed hard into her kidney. His gaze shot from the man to the woman who’d been sitting in the waiting area. The woman was now standing and also had a weapon trained on Tom.

  “I’ve got a gun on her.” Tom’s voice was fierce. “I’ll kill her if you don’t let us walk out of here.”

  Sabrina thought about dropping to the floor, but Tom had such a good hold on her that he’d probably shoot her before she was able to.

  Tom jerked Sabrina around as if using her for a shield as he backed up toward the glass doors. He pushed through them, still holding Sabrina.

  Just as they made it through the doors, the sedan peeled away from the curb, Pablo at the wheel.

  “What the fuck—?” Tom started. In his surprise his hold on Sabrina loosened.

  Sabrina let her legs go lax and she dropped to the ground.

  Tom hesitated a moment then started to run in the opposite direction that the sedan was going. He looked over his shoulder and saw the two deputies chasing him. He raised his gun and fired.

  Another shot rang out as one of the deputies fired back.

  Tom collapsed onto the pavement, his body completely still.

  The sound of sirens shrieked through the air and she saw sheriff department vehicles cut off Pablo’s exit down the road. His arm was out the door and he was shooting at the deputies.

  The next thing she saw was Pablo slumped against the driver’s side door, the gun dropping from his hand.

  Deputies surrounded the vehicle but Pablo didn’t move. One of the deputies opened the car door and Pablo’s body tumbled to the asphalt.

  Relief flooded Sabrina and her body seemed to go limp. A tall man in a sheriff’s department uniform held out his hand to her and she took it.

  “I’m Sheriff Dan Cooper,” he said as he helped her to her feet. “You must be Sabrina Holliday.”

  She nodded, but couldn’t find any words.

  “You did great today.” Sheriff Cooper gestured at the two men. “Tom Rockman and Pablo Garcia have been wanted for quite some time now. They were small time drug traffickers and murderers.”

  “Sabrina!” Wyatt ran up to her from behind the police cars. He swept her into his embrace and held her so tight she almost couldn’t breathe. But she didn’t care. She was safe and she was in his arms again. “Thank God you’re okay.”

  “You’re here.” She tilted her head up and he kissed her hard.

  “Heard part of your conversation when you turned on your phone,” Wyatt said. “My battery died when you mentioned a bank. Didn’t know which one but got hold of Carly and she told me you
bank at this branch when you’re not in Tucson.”

  “You did a good job by getting Wyatt the names of the two men,” Sheriff Cooper said. “We knew exactly who to expect and that gave us an idea of how to get to them. They aren’t the sharpest criminals.” He glanced at Tom’s body and then Pablo’s. “Or weren’t. Doesn’t look like either of them made it. We had plainclothes deputies inside and out of the bank.” He gestured toward the woman in the jogging suit and the man who was on the park bench.

  Sabrina took a deep breath. “Thank you for everything.”

  “I’d better get going.” Sheriff Cooper touched the brim of his hat.

  She nodded and he left to join the other deputies.

  The paramedics wanted to check Sabrina over. She insisted she wasn’t hurt at all except she was shivering despite the heat. They put a blanket around her, afraid she was going into shock, but she eventually relaxed and stopped shivering.

  Carly showed up. Apparently she’d driven from Sierra Vista like a bat out of hell when Wyatt called her, but it had taken her a while to reach Sonoita.

  “I’m okay, really,” Sabrina said as her friend fussed over her.

  “You’ve got to stop scaring the crap out of us.” Carly put her hands on her hips, pretending she was mad, but her concern showed clear in her eyes. “Getting rolled in your vehicle and now this?”

  Sabrina gave a little laugh. “It hasn’t been exactly the relaxing vacation I’d planned on.”

  “It certainly hasn’t.” Carly shook her head.

  “But some great things came out of it all, too.” Sabrina looked up at Wyatt and smiled. “Some things I’m really grateful for.”

  “You and me both, sweetheart.” Wyatt pressed his mouth to hers.

  Carly hugged Sabrina. “I’m going to go home now and leave you two alone.” She turned to Wyatt. “Just bring her to my place before you cart her off.”

  He nodded to Carly. “You’ve got it.”

  Carly jogged down the road, in the opposite direction of Pablo’s car. Sabrina saw Carly’s red Jeep parked not too far away.

  Wyatt kissed Sabrina again, bringing her attention back to him. When he raised his head he said, “Just no more accidents or getting kidnapped, or any other number of things that are likely to give me a heart attack.”

  She smiled up at him. “No more. Ever.”

  He touched her face with his fingertips as he looked into her eyes. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

  Chapter 17

  It was Sabrina’s birthday, at the end of a long and amazing summer. She and Wyatt were sitting on the porch of the cabin where they’d first made love three months ago. He’d had a porch swing installed and they were casually swinging on it as they talked.

  “Are you sure that’s what you want?” he asked as he took squeezed her hand. “You know I love you just the way you are.”

  “You are incredible. You accept everything about me for who I am.” She smiled. “Do you know how much more of a woman it makes me feel that you accept me as I am? But yes, I want to have the reconstructive surgery done. I just can’t afford it after all of the insurance bills. One of these days I will do it.”

  He picked up the rucksack he’d brought that was sitting close to his side of the swing. She wondered what he’d chosen for lunch. When he opened the sack he reached in and pulled out a flat square box about four inches by four inches, and it had a pink bow. He handed it to her and she looked at him in surprise.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  He put his arm around her shoulders. “Open it.”

  The box was patterned silver foil and she pulled the pink ribbon, untying the bow, and let the ribbon fall to her lap. When she removed the lid she saw a folded pink piece of paper with a looped pink ribbon design on it. She glanced at him and he gave her a gentle smile.

  She unfolded the piece of paper and read it.

  This entitles Sabrina to a pair of breasts in a design of her choosing, by Dr. Marcus Xavier, Tucson, Arizona.

  Happy birthday, sweetheart,

  Love,

  Wyatt

  Sabrina put her fingers to her mouth and looked up at Wyatt. She then stared at the box and read again what it said. She brought her gaze back up to his and said, ”Wyatt, I—” She couldn’t finish. Tears rolled from her eyes. The emotions that had overcome her were so strong that she couldn’t talk.

  She flung her arms around his neck and began to cry quietly on his shoulder. “Thank you. I…” she whispered then trailed off. She pulled away. “I’m sorry. The whole moment just caught me. It’s more than me being able to get the operation, it’s your acceptance of me and that you would actually do this for me. I can’t believe this. I just can’t believe you.” She hugged him again. “You alone could have been my birthday present. I couldn’t imagine a better one and you just added to it with this. I love you so much, Wyatt.”

  “Just know that this is for you because you want it.” He stroked her hair from her face. “It has never mattered to me. I just want you to be happy.”

  She nodded. “I know. And that means more to me than you know. That makes me feel like a woman.”

  “Hold on now.” He moved his arm from around her shoulders and reached into his rucksack and brought out another box, the same size as the other one, but this one had a cream-colored bow.

  She took the box from him, wondering what in the world he could be giving her next. After pulling off the ribbon she found a note in the box, this time on heavy cream paper folded in half with her name scrawled across the front of it in black ink. She unfolded the paper and read it.

  This certificate entitles Sabrina Holliday to marry Wyatt Cameron at the La Cholla Resort in Tucson, Arizona on a date they mutually choose. To accept, kiss Wyatt.

  The loss of words started all over and the tears flowed again. She laughed and cried. She wrapped her arms around Wyatt and kissed him, the box and ribbon tumbling to her feet.

  “Wyatt, I love you so much.” She pulled away from him, looking at him with amazement. “I can’t believe this day. I can’t even talk.” She flung her arms around him again, trying to stop the tears.

  “Well, if you can manage another word,” he said with a soft laugh against her neck, “yes would be nice to hear.”

  When she drew away again she was smiling and he brushed away her tears with his fingers.

  “How about yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,” she said with a smile of happiness. “Yes, I accept, Wyatt.”

  He kissed her hard then reached into his sack again. This time he drew out a ring box and opened it. Inside was a gorgeous marquis solitaire ring.

  Wyatt slipped the ring on Sabrina’s finger and it fit perfectly. “Carly helped me with your size,” he said.

  Sabrina laughed. “That’s why Carly wanted to go shopping at the jewelry store the last time we were in Sierra Vista and we tried on rings.” Sabrina shook her head. “So she was in on it this whole time.”

  He grinned. “Yep.”

  “I love you.” She ran her fingers along his stubbled jaw. “I love you more than I thought was ever possible to love another human being.”

  With a broad smile, he kissed her again then swept her up into his arms. She laughed and clasped him around his neck as he carried her into the cabin and to the bed.

  She’d never felt anything for anyone like what she felt for Wyatt. She loved her family but the way she loved Wyatt was intense, filling her heart with joy. She loved waking up with him in the morning and going to bed with him at night. They had their moments where they disagreed on something, like any couple, but their love was stronger than that.

  He lowered her onto the bed and knelt beside it. He gently stroked hair from her eyes, studying her as if he couldn’t get enough of looking at her. “You’re so beautiful, Sabrina. Inside and out. I love everything about you.”

  She reached for him, bringing him down so that his mouth was a breath away from hers. Then she opened up to him, feeling the strength of his
love and knowing that her love filled him just as much.

  * * * * *

  It was a clear morning, a slightly overcast but beautiful December day in Tucson at the gorgeous resort hotel. Sabrina stood, waiting for her cue, the fresh bouquet in her hands slightly trembling.

  Her long white dress flowed around her ankles as she turned and glanced at her three sisters and Carly, all wearing royal blue dresses. Carly was her maid of honor, her sisters her bridesmaids.

  The music started and Sabrina took a deep breath.

  “Come on, chicklet.” Carly smiled. “Get going.”

  Sabrina walked to the end of the aisle where the courtyard was filled with family and friends. She looked toward the end of the aisle where Wyatt waited for her. She knew that Mike was as Wyatt’s best man and his three brothers were there, too, but she only had eyes for Wyatt.

  He looked so amazing in his black western tux with the royal blue boutonniere. His broad shoulders filled out the tux, his dark brown hair slightly wavy. Their gazes met as she started down the aisle.

  It seemed to take forever before she reached him and they both stood in front of the pastor. She didn’t want to take her eyes off of him but they faced the pastor before he had them face each other and speak their vows.

  “You are a precious gift to me, Sabrina.” Wyatt’s blue eyes held hers. “You are everything that’s good and pure and true. I’m blessed to have you to love and cherish for the rest of our days.”

  Sabrina’s voice was soft as she spoke. “You are my heart and soul, my beginning and my end. I have never and will never receive a greater gift than your love for eternity.”

  Sabrina heard a ringing in her ears as she stared up into Wyatt’s eyes. She barely heard the pastor pronounce them husband and wife, barely heard him tell Wyatt he may now kiss the bride.

  And when Wyatt did kiss her, at that moment it seemed the most perfect kiss and her heart filled with a joy that couldn’t be denied.

  They turned and faced the crowd, now as one, and headed toward a life filled with love and a future they would embrace together.