“You—you can cook for me a lot from now on,” he said. Sidelong peeks at Lily showed him her breathing was steady and deep.
“As a good wife should. That was another reason Melanie was all wrong for you. She hated to cook. You were practically wasting away while she was pregnant.”
Fists clenched behind his back, Ryder gritted his teeth. He had to take this, to go along with her fantasies long enough to gain the upper hand. If Carrie even suspected how much he hated her, there was no telling what she’d do.
Something inside of him countered the feelings of revulsion with a reminder that even Carrie was redeemable in the sight of God. He disagreed mightily. No one that evil was worth saving.
You’re wrong, Ryder’s conscience insisted. Hate will consume you like a fire, leaving nothing but ashes.
There was no way he was going to be able to instantly change his mind and find a way to forgive Carrie for all she’d done. Not without a lot of prayer and soul-searching, first. But maybe he could at least talk to her, stall for time until the rest of the rookies arrived.
“I put my gun away. How about you putting yours down, too?” Ryder suggested again.
“You’ll be nice?”
“Of course. Haven’t I always been nice to you, Carrie?”
She tucked the revolver in her pocket. “You never took me to the dance. I wanted to go every year and you never asked me. Nobody did.”
“Is that what disappointed you about Brian and Mike?” The blond rookies who were like stand-ins for him in Carrie’s mind.
“Well, duh. Of course. It was partly my fault. They had the same hair color and blue eyes as you do but they were poor substitutes. I should have been more patient.”
“And waited for the right man,” Ryder offered.
Carrie smiled sweetly. “Yes. For you. I didn’t think you’d ever get over the loss of your Melanie until I saw how you were treating Sophie. I gave up too soon, that’s all. God was going to bring us together. I just needed to get some of the obstacles out of the way.”
“If you really believe in God,” Ryder said, “why would you act as if you’re smarter than He is and separate a man from his wife?”
The sweet smile vanished. “You aren’t listening. I told you. She was all wrong for you. You need to be with me.” She gazed at the sleeping child. “And our little girl.”
“But what bothered you about Veronica Earnshaw?” Ryder asked. “She and I had a professional relationship. That was all.”
Carrie’s brown eyes hardened even more behind her large glasses. “Veronica caught me staring at James Harrison, the next blond rookie that reminded me of you. She made fun of me. She even winked at me. And then she told James she’d come over to his room at the rookies’ condo to give him and his dog a private training refresher. Private! I knew what that meant. James was mine. Mine! He was always so nice to me. He even said he would have asked me to the police dance if he didn’t have to go on a stakeout to try to catch Veronica’s killer.” She laughed.
Ryder felt sick.
“Isn’t that funny?” Carrie asked. “I’m glad James didn’t disappoint me like the others.”
Harrison had no idea how close he’d come to being killed, Ryder realized.
“And Marian Foxcroft?” Ryder asked. “How did she disappoint you?”
“That rich snob got a little too close to finding me out,” Carrie said, shaking her head. “Nosy old woman.”
“All right,” Ryder managed to choke out. “Now I understand everything that’s happened. Give me a hug and let’s make up.”
“Can I trust you?” She was eyeing him with suspicion and edging away as he tried to work his way close enough to grab and disarm her.
Smiling, he reached out to her. The instant she made her decision he saw it in her face. The wrinkles and frown lines relaxed. She circled the table.
“I want a kiss,” Carrie said, giving him a dreamy look. “I’ve waited a long, long time.”
Ryder grasped her wrists to keep her from going for the gun in her pocket, spun her around and snapped handcuffs on her before he relieved her of the weapon.
Screaming and cursing, Carrie reverted to the insanity that controlled her while Ryder reported by radio.
“We’re ready to breach,” Tristan McKeller reported.
“You won’t have to. Come take custody of my prisoner,” Ryder said. “And call another ambulance. My daughter needs to go to the hospital.”
* * *
“I’m fine,” Sophie kept arguing.
The two nurses who had been assigned to keep her quiet until they could transfer her to a regular room were taking their jobs seriously. “You’ve lost too much blood. You’ll need a couple of days’ rest before you’ll be ready for discharge, let alone go back to work.”
“You don’t understand. They need me out there. I train search and rescue dogs.”
“If they’re already trained, they should work without you, right?”
“It’s complicated.”
“And you’re stubborn,” the darker-haired nurse said. “I’ve had some cantankerous patients in my thirty years of nursing but you take the cake.”
“What did you do with my clothes?” Sophie asked, looking around the cubicle. “I don’t see them.”
Younger and with spiked red hair, the other RN patted Sophie’s free hand. “We had to bag them for the cops because this was a crime. Trust me, you’re going to want to burn them. They’ll never come clean.”
“Can I at least have something to put on besides this thin gown. I’m freezing.”
“I’ll get you a warm blanket,” the first nurse said. She eyed her coworker. “You can give her some scrubs if you like. She’s not going anywhere barefoot.”
Smiling, Sophie thought, Oh, yeah? Watch me.
* * *
Riding in the ambulance with Lily, Ryder kept trying to wake her and succeeded in getting a few mumbled responses. Two medics were monitoring her respiration and blood pressure.
“She’ll be fine in no time,” one assured him. “They’ll want to do a blood test in the ER to make sure she wasn’t given anything stronger than cold pills. It’s just a precaution. Her vitals are good. I wouldn’t worry.”
Ryder was dubious. Carrie had sworn she hadn’t given the child anything dangerous, but he wasn’t about to take her home without a thorough checkup. Besides, he needed to see Sophie. To tell her Lily had been found and Carrie arrested.
“Were you the crew that picked up a gunshot victim at the Canyon County Training Center tonight?” he asked.
“Yeah. We dropped her at the hospital.”
“Do you think she’ll still be there?”
The paramedic draped his stethoscope around his neck and smiled. “I doubt they had to send her on if that’s what you mean.”
“Thanks.”
“She one of yours, Chief?”
Ryder knew the man meant professionally. His answer was far from it. He smiled as he continued to hold Lily’s hand. “Yes. She’s definitely one of mine.”
* * *
Getting the hospital garb on over her bandaged shoulder was painful. Sophie managed with the help of the red-haired nurse. By the time she was dressed she was breathing hard and perspiring. “Whew! That was not fun. I need a minute to catch my breath.”
“Take all the time you need. I’ll be back to check on you soon. Your warm blanket is right here if you want it.”
“I’m good for now. Thanks.”
“We’re short on rooms due to the big accident.”
“I’m so sorry. I should have asked. Were there a lot of serious injuries?”
“The worst victims were flown to Flagstaff so I can’t really say. Ours are stable.”
“Thank God. Literally,”
Sophie said.
“You’ve got that right. Do you want me to help you put your feet up so you can lie down here?”
“No. Thanks. I just want to sit for a few minutes and let the pain subside.” That much was true. What Sophie did not say was that she hoped to be able to slip easily to the floor and walk, despite her condition.
She had no plans beyond that. First, she had to prove to herself that she was ambulatory. Then she’d find a way to rejoin Ryder and Lily, wherever they were.
That was the only goal that mattered. She had to know they were both all right. That Carrie had not killed them.
Her stomach knotted and she doubled over, almost losing her balance. The image of Lily, swallowing pills to protect Titus from harm, was one she would never forget.
All Sophie knew at this point was that Carrie had wanted to make Lily her own daughter. To do that, she either had to marry Ryder or get him out of the way and kidnap the child. Either could have happened while Sophie lay unconscious and bleeding.
Something vague kept drifting through her mind. It concerned Ryder and triggered tender feelings—the kind she’d been having for him since he’d first embraced her in innocence.
“Lord, help me do this,” she whispered. Using her good arm, she pushed off the edge of the bed. The landing was soft, yet jarred her shoulder enough to send a wave of pain and nausea through her.
Deep breathing helped. She let go of the bed. Stood straight and determined. Took one step, then another.
She was halfway to the exit when she saw Ryder. He was accompanying a wheeled gurney and holding Lily’s hand. The child was stirring!
Sophie gasped. Her pulse sped. Pain vanished. Ryder looked up and recognized her. The love in his expression was so overwhelming she couldn’t move.
In seconds he was beside her, his arm around her waist.
She sagged against him, drawing on his strength. “Is Lily...?”
“She’s fine. Just sleepy.”
“I was afraid.”
“I know. So was I. But it’s over now.”
“You got Carrie?”
“Handcuffed and hauled off to jail,” Ryder assured her. “Are you okay?”
“I am now that you’re here.”
Relief swept through Sophie. She began to collapse, and he caught her up, taking care not to bump her injured shoulder.
“Do you remember much?” he asked.
“Not a lot after Carrie shot me. Lily was very brave.”
“I get the idea you were, too.”
She snuggled closer and laid her head on his chest. “I had to try to save her.”
“I know.” They were keeping pace with the gurney where the little girl dozed. “Do you remember anything about the time when I found you?”
“Not really. I’ve tried, but all I get is warm feelings.”
“You’re on the right track,” Ryder said tenderly. “I was so worried when I saw you lying there, bleeding, I couldn’t help myself. I told you I loved you.”
Sophie lifted her head to smile up at him. “You did?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I don’t remember.” The smile grew to a grin despite the throbbing pain of her wound. “Maybe you’d better say it again.”
“Gladly.” He paused to tenderly kiss her forehead. “I love you, Sophie.”
She was fighting back tears of joy when she replied, “I love you, too.
* * *
Lily skipped into Sophie’s hospital room and presented a bouquet of wildflowers that were more seeds and insects and broken stems than blossoms. Sophie had never received such a beautiful gift.
“Thank you,” she said, taking the flowers with a wide grin and misty eyes.
“I picked them myself,” Lily announced.
Ryder backed her up. “That, she did. I offered to buy some for her to give you but she had to do it herself. Reminds me of you.”
“I just did what was necessary,” Sophie said quietly, watching the little girl begin to play with an arrangement of get well cards on a side table. “They say I can get out of here this afternoon. Will you be available to give me a lift home?”
He perched on the edge of her bed and clasped her hand. “I will give you anything and everything you want, if you’ll let me.”
Sophie smiled. “I have all I need as long as the two of you are around.” She arched a brow. “Well, except for a dog or two. Life isn’t complete without furry friends.”
“That’s what Lily says. She wants a puppy, too, now that Titus doesn’t want to play.”
“He’s healing okay?” Sophie asked, sobering. “I can’t believe Carrie kicked him.”
“Tanya says he’ll be fine. Which reminds me,” Ryder said. “Ellen’s mother is awake and talking. Marian even remembers when Carrie knocked her out, which is another surprise. And another charge to add to the indictment, not that we need it to send Carrie away for keeps.”
Sophie’s heart swelled with thankfulness. “That’s wonderful. Poor Marian. I was afraid the coma would last the rest of her life.”
“I think we all wondered, despite plenty of prayers on her behalf.”
“What happens now? I guess all the rookies will be reassigned now that the murders are solved. There’s no way your budget can pay all those wages, is there?”
“Normally, no, but we’re working on that.” Ryder was stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. “Louise has already submitted her retirement paperwork and is helping Harmon and Marlton with theirs. I’ll have at least three openings. Four, if you count Ken Buck’s conviction for lying under oath and evidence tampering. I’m hoping I can convince four of the rookies to stay on permanently.”
“Then only one rookie can’t stay if they want to?” Sophie was so excited about the prospect she was almost giddy.
“If that’s what they decide, probably,” Ryder said. “James Harrison wanted to return to Wyoming, but unless Madison Coles can get a reporter’s job up there he won’t go. Tristan’s happy because his sister, Mia, is staying out of trouble here. Besides, he’s marrying Ariel and she has a teaching job to go back to as soon as her maternity leave is over.”
“What about Whitney and the doctor? Evans took over management of the clinic and it’s thriving. Surely he’ll want to stay after he passes his licensing exams, so she will, too.”
Ryder was smiling and nodding. “That’s what I’d hope.”
Sophie was counting silently. “That only leaves Shane and Gina, right? I wonder if I can convince her to stay on with me. She’s a great asset to the training program.”
“Don’t forget Ellen Foxcroft,” Ryder reminded her.
“It never dawned on me that she’d leave Desert Valley. Not now that her mother is recovering and she has the assistance dog center up and flourishing. With Lee Earnshaw going back to vet school, I suppose she might want to be closer to him, though.”
“A little distance won’t bother their romance,” Ryder assured her. “Lee plans to commute on weekends as much as possible. With Ellen’s money they won’t have any hardship traveling back and forth.”
Sighing, Sophie relaxed back against the elevated pillows. “Then they’re all happy. My whole rookie class is taken care of.”
He smiled in response. “I just realized something—all five rookies can stay if they choose to. Now that I’m the chief, my old spot is open too. That makes five. Now all we have to consider is us.”
“Us? As in you and me?” Sophie eyed Lily. “Let’s not rush things, okay? I want our marriage to be a joy for everybody, not just you and me.” She detected a mischievous twinkle in Ryder’s loving gaze. “What?”
“I don’t recall asking you to marry me, that’s all.”
“You will,” Sophie told him with a wry smile.
&nbs
p; “Oh? What if I don’t?”
Sitting up with a slight wince when her shoulder hurt, she reached to slip her other hand around his neck and pull him closer. “If you wait too long, then I will be forced to ask you, instead. I don’t care who pops the question as long as the mutual answer is yes.”
“Yes.” Ryder whispered it against her lips just before he kissed her. “How about a Christmas wedding?”
“I prefer Valentine’s Day,” Sophie said. “But we certainly should plan to spend Christmas together. That will give me a chance to win Lily over. I can help her participate in the church Christmas pageant, for one thing.”
Ryder laughed. “She told me last year that she wasn’t going to be in that play again unless she got to be Mary and carry the baby doll, so you may have your hands full.”
Sophie joined him with a soft chuckle as they both watched the little girl playing with the greeting cards. “I don’t doubt that a bit,” Sophie said. “I can hardly wait.”
EPILOGUE
Spring spread an abundance of wildflowers across the desert, as if preparing the entire countryside for the nuptials of Sophie Williams and Ryder Hayes.
The yard of the Desert Valley Community Church was bedecked with the same kind of floral decorations, in keeping with the wishes of a certain little blonde girl who had scattered petals down the aisle between rows of folding chairs for her mother-to-be and matron of honor, Gina Weston. Gina’s husband, Shane, was Ryder’s best man.
Nervous—in a good way—Sophie paused to appreciate the wide blue sky, breathe pure desert air and thank the Lord for this day. Every member of last year’s rookie class had married and all were in attendance, including their working dogs. Titus had accompanied Lily, carrying her basket of flower petals down the aisle for her and garnering broad grins.
With Phoenix at her side, Sophie smoothed her simple white sheath and grasped her bouquet. Lily had so admired the floral crown that held Sophie’s veil she had fastened flowers to the dog’s harness, making him strongly resemble a half-finished parade float.
The wind ruffled her veil. Sophie heard the music that was her cue and started toward the altar.
Search and Rescue Page 19
