A Wild Ride

by Vivian Arend

  She felt partially human again by the time she headed back to emergency, jerking to a stop at the sight of an empty bed. Two new nurses were changing the sheets, and Nicole clung to the doorframe and willed herself to stay vertical.

  He was fine. Troy was fine.

  Oh my God, where was he?

  “Nic.” Solid hands on her shoulders.

  She whirled, looking into Clay’s face. “Troy?”

  “He’s been moved to another room. They’re keeping him overnight for observation because of the bump to his head. Come on, I’ll show you where he is.”

  It was a good thing Clay took her by the arm, because all the air drained from her lungs at once.

  Of course they’d moved Troy during the five-minute window she’d stepped away. Someday Nicole planned to have a short, violent talk with Fate about how it wasn’t funny to jerk people around like that.

  Clay led her to Troy’s bedside. “I’ll stick around. Drive you home when you’re ready.”

  “I’m staying,” Nicole insisted, linking her fingers with Troy’s as she examined his face carefully.

  “It’s okay for you to go,” Troy said. “They gave me a shot and a half of something that’s making me pretty damn relaxed. I’m going to be out like a light in a few minutes.”

  “Still staying.”

  Troy glanced past her. “You heard her, bro. Arguing with the lady is futile.”

  Clay pointed a finger at her. “Phone if you change your mind.”

  The room went quiet when he left, Nicole’s throat tight all over again as she carefully leaned in and stroked Troy’s face. “You scared me,” she confessed.

  “I scared me too,” he admitted. “But everything’s going to be fine. Well, except for the Mustang. Damn shame about her.”

  Nicole bit back tears. “She wasn’t ready to come out of retirement.”

  “No, I guess not.” Troy lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “You saved me.”

  For the first time he wasn’t laughing or lighthearted. It was pure adoration she heard in his voice.

  “You need to sleep.”

  “No.” He kissed her hand again. “I need you to know that you saved my life, and I’m so damn grateful. I mean, I hurt like a bugger, or I will when the joy juice wears off, but a few broken parts and some stitches are nothing compared to what would have happened if you hadn’t gotten everyone moving.”

  “You were late,” she said. “I was worried.”

  “You saved me,” he repeated. “No one’s ever saved me before. I wouldn’t have lasted the night out there, Nic. Clay said you were something else, ready to take on the world until they got their asses in gear.”

  The hours since she’d sat waiting at Traders were a blur… Had she really?

  “Honestly? I don’t even remember that. I just knew something was wrong.” Oh hell. “Laurel—I left her waiting at Traders in case you showed up there.”

  “She’ll be fine.” Troy tugged her closer. “You saved me, and now you’re stuck with me. That’s how it works, right? You save someone, and they’re yours forever.”

  Sounded good to her, if she could talk without losing it.

  He hummed softly, stroking her fingers. “Kiss me, baby. And seriously, you can go home.”

  Nicole gently pressed her lips to his with as much love as she could. “I am home,” she whispered.

  He was already asleep.

  Epilogue

  November, Rocky Mountain House

  Two months had passed since the accident, and Troy had recovered rapidly. Nicole figured it was because he was in such good shape to begin with, and stubborn to boot. He’d begun taking walks the day after he’d been released. Heck, he would have gone back to work if his family hadn’t loudly vetoed the idea.

  They’d managed to keep him out of the shop for all of two weeks.

  Troy claimed his rapid recovery was from sex, which he reinitiated far sooner than she thought possible. The man was nothing if not determined.

  And clever.

  “I’ll let you do all the work,” he’d murmured, running a hand over her hip as she cleaned up after dinner. “I promise, I’ll lie there and stay as still as possible. Just think—you can be in control for once.”

  He kissed her neck and sent shivers racing down her spine. “Troy…”

  “Honestly, the only thing that hurts right now is my cock,” he complained, sneaking behind her and tugging their bodies together. “We’ve already done the hand-job thing. And oral. Do your magic, baby. Make my day.”

  Of course, she’d given in, and the slow, careful lovemaking that had followed had been incredible.

  Now, a month after that first time, they weren’t quite as cautious, although not completely up to their old enthusiasm level. Still, the session they’d just finished left both of them lying flat out on the bed, sated and content. Fingers linked as they panted for air.

  Troy rolled toward her, lazily tracing a finger down her body. “That was awesome. Again?”

  “You’re terrible,” Nicole teased.

  “I’m your terrible.” He pressed a kiss to her collarbone. “I like living here with you, and it’s a cozy house, but we should look into something bigger for down the road.”

  A shiver of excitement raced over her. So many changes since the accident—

  No, not changes.

  Confirmations.

  Things they’d already decided now advancing to the next stage. Troy had moved in with her when he’d been released from the hospital. Said he wasn’t going to spend another night apart.

  And their lovemaking? No condoms.

  A mix of joy and fear struck. They could end up starting their family at any time, and…Troy had been right. Even eager as she was, the nine months it would take for a baby to arrive would give her time to get her head in gear.

  In the meantime, they had each other to enjoy and a future to plan for. At Nicole’s insistence, Troy had looked into colleges and training programs he could partially complete through correspondence. Whether babies arrived sooner or later—both of them were in complete agreement that Troy was going to train for a new career.

  The look in his eyes as she’d sat with him while he filled in application forms to become a personal trainer had made her want to jump up and start dancing. But the expression on his face when he’d gotten the acceptance letter to his first choice had been even better—

  He was scheduled to start in January.

  “I got hold of Maxwell Kent,” Troy shared, staring at her like she was made of the most exquisite chocolate and he was about to take a long lick.

  “Did he say when he planned on cashing the cheque?” They’d been waiting for the money to be pulled from Troy’s account. Having it unaccounted for made the accountant side of her twitch.

  “Yup. Never.”

  “What?” Nicole sat up in shock. “That makes no sense.”

  Troy shrugged. “He said he plans to pretend the car is still in his field, so he doesn’t want the money. And I should go buy you another car.”

  “He can’t do that,” Nicole said, confusion hitting hard. “Can he do that?”

  “It’s his choice, baby. Let the man be generous if he wants.” Troy stroked her again. “So, what colour car do I need to find?”

  She pressed a hand to his chest. “I don’t need that car.”

  “I know. I still want you to have it.” He winked, but didn’t say any more.

  That had been a few days earlier, but she’d been thinking about it as she fell asleep, Troy’s strong arm draped over her body. The man had something up his sleeve—that was obvious. For someone who still surprised her with his spontaneity, he was getting pretty good at making plans as well.

  Something clattered, and she jerked awake, groggy and confused.

  The noise sounded again, this time from the closed window.

  “Troy? Something’s outside.” She reached across the bed toward where he’d been curled against h
er.

  He wasn’t there.

  She sat up, confused, looking around the room that was dimly lit with the pale light of dawn. “Troy?”

  It was six thirty in the morning, and he wasn’t where he was supposed to be and something was—

  Clink.

  Clink.

  Nicole scrambled out of bed and peered out the window as another clink sounded.

  Someone was standing on the snowy lawn and was throwing pebbles at the window. Not someone—Troy.

  She shoved open the window. “What the heck are you doing?”

  He dropped to his knees and threw open his arms. “Oh, fair Rapunzel, let down… No, wait. Wrong lines.”

  She snickered. “I think so. Ain’t no way you’re climbing my hair to get in this window.”

  “That’s okay, I can get in the window without it.” He pushed himself up on the open window ledge so he was on level with her.

  “That’s cheating, you know. Climbing in first-storey windows isn’t that impressive.”

  Troy grinned. “Your fault for not having a two-storey house.”

  “What are you doing? Come back to bed,” Nicole said, tugging on his jacket.

  “Get dressed and join me,” he countered. “I have a surprise for you.”

  She paused. “The last time you said that, it didn’t end well.”

  He was all the way in the room and tossing clothes at her. “It ended fine. We’re together. Get dressed, and get moving.”

  There was no arguing with him when he was in this mood, and she wasn’t going to try.

  “Fine, but I’m walking out the front door, not crawling out the window,” she warned.

  Troy? Didn’t say a word. Just waited until she was dressed and pulled on her boots and then he gave the biggest puppy-dog eyes ever…

  Nicole growled. “You are the most wonderfully annoying person I know, Troy Thompson. It’s a good thing I love you.”

  Then she climbed out the damn window, letting Troy help her to the ground.

  By now streaks of light were brightening the sky, and she held Troy’s hand and let him lead her where he wanted, which seemed to be around the side of the house to the back where…

  …a shiny blue Mustang waited in her parking space.

  “Holy shit—you didn’t.”

  “I did.” Troy pulled keys from his pocket and shook them. “I’ve been waiting two months for this moment.”

  But instead of handing them to her, he pulled her into his arms, tipped her head back and kissed her soundly.

  When he finally let her go, Nicole was grinning from ear to ear. “Forget the car, give me more of those kisses, please.”

  “I’ll do both, but first, Nicole Adams?”

  He paused, and her heart skipped a beat at the expression on his face. The complete and utter fascination. The longing.

  “Yes?”

  Troy’s gaze held her in place. “Will you elope with me?”

  Oh God. It was so him, she burst out laughing. “Elope? Not get married?”

  “Elope, as in this minute, right now. Weddings suck, remember?”

  It wasn’t what she’d expected, but it was perfect because it was Troy, and he was everything she needed. “Sure. Love to.”

  They were in the car, the two of them grinning like fools, headed down the road before she could worry about anything remotely like details. She figured Troy had a plan, or if not, they’d make it up as they went along…

  Only when he pulled to a stop outside a wire fence blocking what was not much more than a snowy path leading onto ranching land, she glanced at him in confusion. “Troy?”

  “Trust me.”

  He left the car to open the gate, then drove along the snow-packed route toward the rise of the hill.

  Ahead of them the sun continued its slow journey skyward, orange and gold streaks growing stronger.

  They topped the ridge and Nicole gasped.

  A mass of people stood waiting in a semicircle, battery-operated candles in hands. Tall pillars lined the perimeter, each one supporting another enormous candle and turning the area into an impromptu wedding hall set in a hollow on the ridge.

  She twisted to face Troy. “Eloping?”

  He grinned as he put the Mustang in park. “Well, the ‘right now’ part of eloping. I couldn’t imagine us getting hitched without our family and friends there.”

  “Everyone is…” Nicole’s throat tightened, and she used the minute it took for him to walk to her door to get herself under control. He offered his hand to bring her to her feet. She went all the way into his arms. “I love you so damn much,” she confessed.

  “I know.” He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles as he stared into her eyes. “Official sunrise is in fifteen minutes.”

  “Then we’d better get moving.”

  “Oh, hang on.” Troy reached under his coat and pulled out toques. His with a long jester tail, hers with a crown trimming the top peak.

  Both of them rainbow colours.

  Nicole laughed. “Really?”

  “You going to argue with me?”

  Was she going to argue with him? Probably, but not about this. “It’s a lovely wedding outfit,” she said, taking the toque and slipping it over her head. She adjusted his to fit more rakishly, the long tail draped over his shoulder. Snickers of amusement escaped her at his mock-serious expression.

  Laughter. It was going to be a big part of their future—might as well officially start on the right foot.

  Surprise sunrise ceremony—when they’d started their fling last January, Troy had no idea this was where they’d end up.

  Yet here they were. The woman he loved more than his next breath held his hand as they paced between two massive glowing pillars, all their friends and family gathered around. Wide grins spread across every face as Troy and Nic made their way to the front, where the justice of the peace waited to hear their vows.

  It had been one wild ride, but this was exactly where they were meant to be, and Troy wasn’t going to miss a second of the adventure.

  He took the time to scan the crowd, meeting individual gazes for a meaningful exchange before going to the next. Friends waved their candles. Some offered a nod or a wink, like Kevin and Cyndi. Mike gave them thumbs up. Laurel stepped forward to give Nicole a collection of lace snowflakes on long stems, bundled up like a glittering bouquet of winter flowers.

  Short. Sweet.

  But with others, it was as if an entire lifetime passed between them in that short moment of connection.

  Len smiled, silent as always, but he tipped his chin as if in thanks as he reached an arm around Janey and held her tight. Troy’s little sister Katy leaned against Gage, the front of her winter coat swelling over her growing belly. Tanner clutched his daddy’s neck with one arm, the other furry mittened hand wrapped around his candle.

  Mitch stood next to Anna, and Troy grinned harder as he took in their contrasting outfits. Anna wore full RCMP uniform, Mitch—full biker gear.

  They’d announced they were expecting this past week at the Thompson family dinner. The bedlam had been deafening, especially since Clay and Maggie had made the same announcement just a couple weeks earlier.

  Troy met his oldest brother’s gaze, and damn if Clay didn’t swallow hard, as if he was holding back his emotions.

  Oh, hell, no. Troy was not going to lose it right now. This was a fucking happy moment. He squeezed Nicole’s fingers tight, centering himself on her.

  Her bright smile grounded him as they continued the slow march forward. Nicole looked past him into the gathering, searching faces as well. His father, her parents…Jodie and Dale.

  Jodie, who had all but fallen over herself to make amends over the past months. Having them over to visit, spending time getting to know him better. Troy had waited it out, and in the end he knew Nicole was relieved at the obvious attitude adjustment in her sister. In fact, Jodie had gotten up hours ago to make sure everything was ready for this morning’s ceremony,
and she’d offered their home for a celebration breakfast afterward.

  Whatever awkwardness might have existed was gone, erased like a brilliant winter sunrise after a chilling storm.

  Nicole tugged on his hand. “We’re here, sweetie.”

  He turned his attention to where it belonged for the rest of his life, pulling off Nicole’s gloves to enfold her bare hands in his. Troy looked into her eyes, and everyone around them faded away. She was beautiful and mesmerizing, but more than that.

  She was laughter and light and all that he needed.

  Her lips curved into a smile as the justice of the peace raised his voice. “We’re here this morning to celebrate. A new day begins, and a new start for Troy and Nicole. New, in that they’re making a commitment in front of us. The love they share has been growing for a long time. We don’t need to follow any formula to make this official, so I’m going to turn this over to them.”

  Troy was up, and it still seemed as if they were completely alone, even surrounded with so much family.

  “Nic, I threw this at you, so I didn’t plan a lot of fancy words. I figured what was in our hearts was the most important part. Plus, we should probably spend more time talking going forward than worrying about what we say at this moment.”

  “Talk time?” Nicole said with a mischievous smile, and Troy burst out laughing.

  “Lots and lots of talk time.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Nicole glanced into the sky. “Do we have a deadline?”

  “No. No deadlines, ever. This is you and me, forever, sweetheart.” He brushed his thumb over her cheek. “I love you.”

  Her eyes sparkled. “I love you too. Forever.”

  It wasn’t him who moved first, and it wasn’t her. They kind of flowed toward each other, wrapping together and making contact.

  Their lips met in what was a surprisingly sweet kiss considering it was them, but what wasn’t a surprise was the cheer that rose into the air. Family, friends—shouting their names and congratulations.

  Nicole tilted her head and offered a brilliant smile. “Does this make it official?”