by Leah Brooke
Will Prentice stepped forward, his eyes full of concern as they moved over her.
“Is she all right?”
Hayes rubbed her back. “I don’t know. Wyatt’s going to take her in while I deal with the sheriff. Holster your gun, Savannah.”
Savannah looked down, just now remembering that she’d fired a shot. Looking up into Wyatt’s concerned face, she dug in her heels when he tried to pull her toward the hotel.
“Wyatt. I fired a shot. Oh, God.” She looked at where Callister lay unmoving, his blood dripping down the steps of the hotel porch.
“I killed him. Oh, God. I killed a man.”
The horror of what she’d done seemed to drain all of her energy. Her knees went numb, and she could no longer keep herself upright. Collapsing, she didn’t even have the strength to grab for Wyatt.
Thankful that he caught her, she looked up into his face, seeing his mouth move, but the roaring in her head made it impossible to make out what he said.
She looked down at her hand, surprised to see that she no longer held the gun. She wanted to ask what had happened to it, but couldn’t find the words.
Lifting her head, she stared in the direction of where Callister had lain, but saw nothing and thought she’d gone blind for a moment, until she heard a voice and realized that Will Prentice wore all black and blocked her view of the steps of the hotel.
Wyatt’s curse penetrated the fog surrounding her, and she found herself lifted into his arms.
Closing her eyes against the dizziness, she became more aware of the voices around her, some she recognized from the ranch and others she didn’t.
Even with her eyes closed and her face buried into Wyatt’s coat, Savannah saw nothing but the shocked look on Callister’s face when she’d killed him.
* * * *
Wyatt kept his body between Savannah and her uncle as he carried her into the hotel.
Will led the way, pointing to a group of chairs in the lobby. “Why don’t you sit there with her? I’ll scrounge up some rooms.”
Nodding his thanks, Wyatt sat, holding Savannah close. Closing his eyes, he saw her again, putting herself between him and Callister and drawing her gun. He knew the vision would give him nightmares for weeks to come.
Pushing her hair back, he fisted a hand in it to pull her head back from his chest. “Honey, can you look at me?”
She’d been too quiet ever since the shooting, and it scared the hell out of him. The tears wetting her cheeks scared him even more.
“Savannah?”
Holding on to his coat, she lifted her pain-filled eyes to his.
“I killed him. I killed Callister.”
Wyatt smiled and began to rock her. “No, you didn’t. He’s alive and on his way to the jail right now. The doc’ll see to him, and he can spend the next several years behind bars.”
Savannah blinked and sat up, still weak enough to need his support.
“No. I fired. I shot him.”
Will came back with a handful of keys. Kneeling beside her, he grinned.
“Honey, you couldn’t hit the side of a barn. You shot out the lamp at the end of the porch. Almost hit me. Got some room keys. We’ll all stay for the night and head home after the wedding tomorrow.”
Wyatt bit back his jealousy when Savannah grabbed Will’s arm before the other man could rise.
Her clumsy movements as she struggled to sit up tugged at Wyatt’s heart.
“Are you sure? He’s not dead? I didn’t kill anyone?”
Will chuckled, glancing at Wyatt. “Just a lamp. Of course, it could have been because Wyatt knocked you down.”
To Wyatt’s horror, Savannah started to cry, her little body shaking and heaving with sobs.
“Oh, hell.” Worried for Savannah, he cradled her close, absently noticing the stunned horror on Will’s face as he straightened and backed away, holding out his hands as if he didn’t know what to do with them.
“What did I say?”
Pleased with his knowledge of his woman and the way her mind worked, he smiled up at Will in relief.
“These are tears of relief that she didn’t kill that bastard.”
Savannah nodded against his chest and cried harder. “Th–Thank G–God.”
After several minutes of rocking her, Wyatt frowned when her tears didn’t ease. Worried that she would make herself sick, he met Will’s look of helpless frustration, feeling much the same way.
With a conspiratorial smile, Wyatt continued to rub Savannah’s back, loving the feel of having her in his arms.
“Of course I’m going to have to redden her bottom for this.”
To his amusement—and relief—Savannah stilled, her sobs subsiding.
Hiding a smile, Wyatt sat back, sharing a look with Hayes, who rushed toward them.
“She deserves to be spanked for running away and for thinking she could face her uncle and Callister on her own.”
Hayes opened his mouth to say something, but Wyatt shook his head, stopping him.
“She was hysterical because she thought she killed Callister, and then started crying buckets when Will told her she hadn’t.”
Hayes lifted a brow and nodded in understanding, but his eyes remained dark with concern.
“She should be crying at the thought of being turned over my lap. I don’t know what kind of harebrained scheme she thought she was pulling, but not telling us about Callister was damned dangerous. Did she think we didn’t know about him? She must not have a hell of a lot of respect for what we do for a living.”
Aware that Savannah peered up at him, Wyatt kept his head lifted as Will handed a key to Hayes and moved away.
“It appears we’re going to have to work a little harder to earn her respect. When I think of what could have happened to her if we hadn’t realized she was gone almost immediately—what if we’d been too late? She put herself in danger instead of being honest with us from the start.”
Hayes nodded. “I don’t know what she hoped to accomplish by coming here alone, but she’s going to learn that doing things like this won’t be tolerated.”
When Savannah pushed against his chest and sat up, her eyes sparkling with anger, Wyatt wanted to throw back his head and laugh in relief.
“Don’t you take that tone with me, Hayes Hawkins. For your information, when I left Desire, I had no intention of coming back.”
Surprised at that, Wyatt lifted a brow and tumbled her back against him and started to speak, but Hayes beat him to it.
Hayes knelt in front of her, running a hand over her thigh, his eyes narrowed. “Is that a fact?”
A knot formed in his stomach, not easing even when she eyed Hayes warily and pressed back against him in an apparent need for protection.
She had to learn that she couldn’t get away with that. If they hoped to have any chance of keeping her safe, he and Hayes would have to stick together. A haze of red formed in front of his eyes. The danger she faced here had been enough to enrage him, but the thought of her leaving them for good sent his temper soaring.
“I’m not protecting you from Hayes. He’s got a right to be angry. So do I. What the hell do you mean about not coming back?”
Savannah shrugged, looking over Wyatt’s shoulder toward the front door as though hoping one of the men in the group gathered outside would help her.
“I didn’t want my uncle to cause any trouble. Although they didn’t say anything today, the men with my uncle know how to stir up trouble and turn people against those who don’t think the way they do. They would have upset Maggie and wouldn’t have been happy until they had everyone in Tulsa coming to Desire to save us. They would have ruined everything you’re all trying to build. I told you that.”
Wyatt took a deep breath and let it out slowly, determined to control his temper and keep her with them at all costs.
“We don’t care what the people here think, and you had no right to leave without saying anything to anyone. It’s a good thing Maggie told Eb what you w
ere up to. What if we didn’t get here in time? Why didn’t you tell us about Callister? There’s a damned Wanted poster of him in the sheriff’s office.”
Savannah’s eyes went wide. “There is? How do you know that?”
Wyatt clenched his jaw and counted to ten. “What the hell do you think we do for a living, Savannah? It’s our job to know these things. Didn’t you think we checked? We’ve been in contact with the sheriff in Kansas City and with the train station. We knew who was with your uncle and when he left.”
Savannah blinked up at him, looking far too fragile.
“You knew and you didn’t say anything?”
Hayes tugged her arm, pulling her to her feet, and hauled her against him.
“We didn’t want you to worry. It’s our job to handle it. Now, about your leaving—”
“I’m not.”
Wyatt ran a hand over her soft hair, hardly able to breathe.
“You’re not? When did you decide this?”
She looked so adorable and vulnerable when she blushed that he wanted to stick her in his pocket and keep her there.
“When I got here. I realized that I wouldn’t be happy anywhere else and that I wasn’t going to let my uncle ruin my life any more than he already had. Are you sure Callister’s not dead? There were so many shots. Did I hit him?”
Hayes chuckled and lifted her against him.
“No, you hit the lamp. Who taught you how to shoot anyway? You scared the hell out of Will.”
Savannah’s face turned even redder.
“I only missed because Wyatt knocked me down. How many times did Callister get shot?” Her eyes widened. “Did my uncle get shot, too? I saw him push Callister, but—”
Wyatt took her hand and started up the steps, struck again by how small it felt in his.
“Hayes shot Callister once in the shoulder, and Hawke shot him once in the other. All the other shots were Callister’s. Your uncle and his friends ducked and didn’t get hit at all. Other than shooting my hat off, he missed with all of them. We do all know what we’re doing, Savannah. Now, we need to talk about how much you deserve to be spanked for what you put us all through.”
He had no intention of spanking her, but she didn’t have to know that. After what she’d been through, she needed soft words and a lot of cuddling.
Smiling to himself, he started up the steps. He could always bring this up at a later date, and make sure she loved it.
To his horror, Savannah stopped after the first stair, wincing and lifting her face to his, her bottom lip trembling.
“All right, but I’m so sore. Can I take a bath first? You landed on me pretty hard and—”
Feeling like the brute she’d called him many times, Wyatt lifted her into her arms as carefully as he could and hurried up the steps, yelling over his shoulder for a bath for her.
“I’m sorry, honey. Where are you hurt? I should have known better. Damn, you’re so delicate.”
Hayes hurried ahead of them and opened the door, his expression lined with worry.
“I’ll call for the doctor so he can look her over.”
“No!”
Savannah held onto Wyatt’s arm, looking up at him adoringly, making him feel ten feet tall.
“Please don’t call anyone. I don’t want anyone else here. Please? I’ll be fine. I just need you and Hayes.”
Hayes became a flurry of activity, unbuckling his holster and tossing it aside, whipping his jacket off and grabbing a blanket from the bed, wrapping it around Savannah as he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her onto his lap.
“Don’t you worry. No one else will touch you. Wyatt and I will stay right here with you all night.”
Savannah lifted adoring eyes to Hayes, her bottom lip sticking out a little farther.
“Thank you so much. You and Wyatt are going to be the best husbands in the world.”
Wyatt stilled, narrowing his eyes on the little minx. Her adoring smile and too-sweet tone were suspicious enough, but her last comment convinced him that she was doing her best to get out of a spanking.
He should have realized it sooner. Savannah wouldn’t have complained unless she was bleeding from a dozen places or had a bone sticking out somewhere.
Wyatt studied her with Hayes, wondering just when his friend would realize that Savannah had already learned how to play them.
Shaking his head, he went to the door, knowing damned well Savannah would be sore as hell tomorrow after being slammed to the ground.
“I’m going to go check on her bath.”
He couldn’t stop smiling as he opened the door and went out. Hell, if she wanted to play him that way, he’d consider himself the luckiest man in the word.
Now, he just had to get her to admit that she loved him and life would be perfect.
Chapter Twelve
Yawning, Savannah stretched, feeling better than she’d felt in years. She paused in midstretch, frowning as she tried to remember when she’d ever felt this good.
She couldn’t think of a single time.
Last night the intimacy between them had been deeper than ever, even though neither one of them had taken her.
“How are you this morning, honey?”
Savannah opened her eyes in time to see Wyatt slide, fully dressed, onto the bed next to her. She smiled, touched by the look of concern in his eyes.
“I’m fine. Wonderful even.”
Wishing his clothes and the bedcovers didn’t separate them, she ran a hand over his chest.
“I can’t believe the things that you and Hayes did last night. I’m not used to be taken care of like that.”
Running a fingertip over her collarbone, Wyatt smiled at her shiver.
“I think you’re going to have to get used to it. It all goes together, Savannah. It’s just like the night you helped Maggie deliver the baby. You were so exhausted that you couldn’t even keep your eyes open.”
He ran his finger lightly under her eye as if remembering the dark circles she’d had there.
“So tired. So strong. So fragile.” With a sigh, he sat back, running his fingers over her arm.
Loving the feel of his hard body pressed against hers, she snuggled into him, lifting her face for his kiss, but instead of obliging her, he cupped her jaw, his expression somber.
“Wyatt? Is something wrong?”
Running his thumb over her bottom lip, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
Uneasy at his strange mood, she pushed away from him, pulling the covers higher to keep her nakedness covered while searching his features for some sign of whatever made him look at her like he’d been kicked by a bull.
“If you’ve changed your mind about getting married, just—”
Other than the flash of his eyes and the tightening of his fingers on her jaw, she had no warning of his intentions.
Ripping the covers from her hands, he tossed them aside, revealing her nakedness. The desperation in his touch alarmed her, even more so when he rolled on top of her, pinning her to the bed.
“Don’t ever try to hide yourself from me again! Not marry you? I’ve been sitting here staring at you while you slept, trying to figure out how to tell you how much I love you, and how hard I’ll try to make you happy. I’ve been worried sick about landing on you last night and wondering if I broke something that doesn’t show.”
His jaw clenched as his eyes moved over her body.
“Damn it, you’ve got bruises all over you. After I told you that we wouldn’t hurt you—hell. Look what I did to you.”
Savannah blinked as he cursed soundly, reaching for him when he stood abruptly. She missed and scrambled to her knees, shaken and incredibly touched that he would be so concerned about a few bruises.
Glancing down, she noticed a fairly large bruise on her hip where she’d landed and a few little ones on her legs, but nothing more.
“Wyatt! What are you talking about? You saved my life. I’d rather have a few bruises on my legs than a bullet in me
.”
Wyatt cursed and turned back to her, stilling when he saw her naked and on her knees.
“Damn, you’re beautiful.” Rubbing a hand over his face, he looked away. “I’m sorry, Savannah. I’m not good at this, and I’m messing it up. I can track outlaws. I’m a quick draw and excellent shot. I can fight with the best of them. I’ve been called cold, ruthless, heartless, and just plain damned mean.”
Staring down at the floor, he rubbed his eyes, his shoulders slumping for the first time since she’d met him.
“I can pleasure you. I can protect you.” Bleak eyes met hers.
“I just don’t know if I can give you the tenderness that you need—the tenderness someone like you deserves. You’re out of your element here. Just like Maggie. Look at you. Instead of being wrapped in silk and lace, you’re getting married to us in pants and covered with bruises—bruises I gave you when I promised not to hurt you. Hell.”
After the night of tenderness he and Hayes had both showed her, she couldn’t believe he would even think such a thing.
Going on feminine instinct, Savannah kept her eyes on Wyatt’s as she shuffled closer, hiding a smile when his eyes widened and then narrowed as they moved over her body.
“So, you think that I’m too fragile to handle a few bruises?” Trusting her instincts, Savannah ran her fingers lightly over the bruises and higher, stroking her abdomen and purposely drawing Wyatt’s attention to her mound.
The delicious tingling she’d come to expect had moisture leaking from her to coat her thighs as his gaze lingered there as though transfixed.
Letting a pout creep into her voice, she slid her hands to the place between her breasts, surprised and delighted that touching herself in front of him seemed to arouse both of them. It also gave her a sense of power, something she’d never really felt before, even when on her own.
Curious to see how far she could go with it, she pouted. “Or maybe you just think I’m ugly when I’m bruised and you don’t want me anymore.”
A muscle worked in Wyatt’s jaw as his eyes followed the movement of her hand.
“Yes. No. Of course not. I meant, uh, that I hated that I bruised you.” He spoke in a monotone, obviously distracted. He licked his lips, meeting her eyes briefly before following the movement of her hands again.
