"Get her to the house,” she heard Keefe say. She looked over Judd's shoulder and saw his pallid face. She opened her mouth to tell them she was fine, but Judd was already sprinting toward the house.
* * * *
"I am not going to the trauma center,” Stella said for the tenth time since Judd had set her on the nearest bed. Casey, Keefe, her father, and Nuala were all hovering around her. She was growing increasingly irritated. “I'm fine. Not a scratch except for my hands. Now would y'all kindly back off and let me up before I scream?"
"I think she's fine,” Casey said. “She just took a fall."
"I think she still needs an x-ray,” Keefe protested. “You never know."
"I think you ninnies need to stop clucking over me,” Stella ground out through clenched teeth. “If I say I'm fine, I'm fine."
"You're not getting up from there until we're absolutely sure nothing's wrong with you,” her father told her. “That's my final word."
No one questioned him though Stella crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. “I can't get a break around here.” She looked to Judd for help but he just stared at her. He was clearly in league with her father. “Is Lucy okay?"
"Jeremy subdued her,” Casey told her. “She's fine. It was just a scare."
"I can't believe that dumbass put you on a skittish horse,” Keefe groaned. “Idiot."
"She's a great horse,” Stella protested. “Loosen your panties and get out of my hair. There's so much testosterone in this room it's making me edgy."
"She's right,” Nuala told them. “None of you are doing her any good. Go on about your business for now."
Her brothers complained, but left after Nuala snapped at them again. Her father hovered for a few minutes before he motioned for Judd to follow him out. She watched them leave then relaxed. “Jesus. People think cowboys are tough. They're all a bunch of sissies."
Nuala chuckled, patting her hand. “When it comes to their women, yes they are. They all love you."
Stella wondered over that as Nuala rubbed salve over her skinned hands. After a long silence, she looked at her face. “You think so?"
Nuala smiled, reading the question behind the question. “I think so,” she agreed. “The real question is what're you gonna to do about it?"
Stella's own smile spread as her gaze fell on the window and the Range outside it. “I have to think about that."
"Don't think too hard,” Nuala advised. “Sometimes the answers to these things are simple."
Stella gripped Nuala's hand. “You always know what you're talking about."
"No, I've just lived long enough to make the best guess."
Stella chuckled. “So what do I say to him?"
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Chapter Twelve
He brooded through the rest of the workday and herded cattle with grim determination though all he really wanted was a tall glass of whiskey and quiet enough to think.
Keefe didn't talk to him though they worked close for the rest of the day. Judd noticed the knot jutting out of the bridge of Keefe's nose. That was some satisfaction. He'd broken the golden boy's nose.
The odd thing was that since they'd both watched Stella tumble off Lucy Girl, there'd been no heated stares, no taunting. The tension between them had seemed to drain instantly.
Just thinking about it made Judd's heart stop. He'd never been that scared in his life. Not under his father's fist or lost in the woods. Not watching Jim's cabin go up in flames. Not watching the reports of her accident in LA. He'd thought his heart would never beat again. He'd thought he'd never get his breath back.
Jesus, he was hooked right and tidy.
They headed back early, their job done before sunset. Keefe kept his mouth shut until they began to put up their horses.
"Hey, listen,” he said, not looking up as he wrapped the reins around his hand. He looked worn. Judd felt the same. A scare like that could take ten years off a man. “I owe you a thanks after the way you took care of Stella this morning. You were off your horse and over the fence before I could move. I just froze up. If it hadn't been for you and Casey, she might've..."
Judd had never felt more uncomfortable in his life. He looked down at the grass and dug the toe of his boot in it, silent.
Keefe sniffed dismissively and shrugged. “That's all I've got to say.” He hesitated for a long moment before sticking out his hand.
Judd blinked at it, shocked. He looked at Keefe's face.
He looked just as uncomfortable. Frustration worked over his face. “You going to take my hand or stare at it?” he snapped.
Judd fought a smile and put his hand in Keefe's. They didn't shake. Keefe tightened his grip on Judd's fingers and lowered his voice. “You hurt her, I'll friggin’ snap your head off. Understand me?"
Judd nodded once then dropped his hand. He watched, eyes narrowed curiously, as Keefe turned and guided his horse into the stable, calling for Jeremy.
It'd been a hell of a day.
"Judd?"
He looked over his shoulder and saw her. It wasn't over yet.
She took the hand her brother had squeezed. “You headin’ home?” she asked.
He lifted a shoulder, looking down at the bandages on her scraped hands.
"I imagine you're ready to go,” she guessed. “Especially after spending the night in jail."
He watched her face, looking for censure that never came.
"I didn't bail you out because I figured you both needed a night to think on it,” she explained. “And I wanted to make sure Dad wasn't going to fire you."
His eyes sharpened on her face, suspicious.
Reading him, she smiled. “He wouldn't have. It never even crossed his mind. He loves you just like he loves me and Keefe and Casey even though we screw up royally and embarrass him something awful sometimes.” She lifted a shoulder. “That's parents for you."
He looked away, out over the hills. He opened his mouth to tell her to meet him back at his place later if she wanted.
She interrupted. “I want to go to the cabin in the woods."
His eyes narrowed on her face, incredulous.
She searched his gaze. “I want to go there with you. I figure we both need to, and I can't go alone. Please go with me. I don't know how to ask anyone else."
Because her eyes were brimming with unshed tears, he clenched his teeth and held back the urge to run. He hadn't been back to the place where he'd grown up since the fire. A part of him had closed off the possibility. It was too much. Looking at her, though, knowing she needed it and wanted him to be with her broke through his excuses before he could start building them. He breathed a long sigh, swallowed hard and nodded.
Jeremy saddled Lucy Girl for Stella despite Keefe's objections. They took off, racing across the hills like they had that first day. The wind in his face soothed some of the tension that had plagued him since the fight. The sun was setting when they reached the woods. They stopped by the creek to let the horses rest and drink then sprinted off again. They wanted to reach the site by nightfall.
As they got closer, Judd could've sworn he smelled smoke. They slowed when they saw the clearing ahead. His heart pounded as the horses walked out of the woods. The hills stretched out for miles around. The horizon beyond blazed, the burning orb of the sun already half gone. He heard her breath catch at the sight.
He'd expected the place where the cabin had been to be empty. He'd expected the earth to be blackened and dead, charred—a cursed place. Instead, a mound of wild vegetation had buried the foundations. Only the chimney stuck out of the ground. Honeysuckle had wrapped around the burnt bricks. There was a bird's nest on top of it. Wildflowers grew over the vegetation in profusion.
She slid off her horse and stood staring at it. “Beautiful spot,” she murmured.
Hearing the tears in her voice, he fought against his own emotions. He knew the exact spot Wild Willie had bled out. He knew where he'd stood watching, hating the man with every fiber of
his being. His horse stirred a bit as he shifted in his saddle.
She must've sensed his discomfort, looking over at him and lifting her hand. “Walk with me?"
He hesitated, wanting to stay put. Seeing the plea in her wet eyes, he slid off his saddle. He didn't take her hand, just walked ahead of her. Hands on his hips, he stood on the edge of the wild growth. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her crouch to gather some of the bluebells. His throat thickened, and he had to grind his back teeth to steel himself.
"I didn't think I'd ever get to say goodbye,” she whispered. “I didn't think there was any way. But seeing this ... remembering how happy she was here ... I think I finally have some closure."
He didn't speak. He felt like he was bleeding, those painful wounds opening up all over again.
"I think we both needed to come here,” she said. “Just once. I'm not the only one who needs to let go of the past and find a way to start fresh."
He glanced at her, saw she was watching him and turned away again. He walked to the place he'd stood that day, crouched down and gazed over the hills. Something was happening inside him. It was rubbing over the raw wounds like warm, sweet salve. The wind picked up and burned his damp eyes.
Her hand slid over his shoulder. “Judd, please look at me."
He swallowed before he stood and turned to her. Her cheeks were wet, the tears spilling from her eyes. Taking his hands, she tilted his arm, lowering her lips to the scars on the underside. “I know it hurts. I can't imagine what it was like, but I know how it feels now. I want to help you, like you've helped me. Let me help you."
He looked over her head and saw the horses grazing, standing close in the dimming light. Evening was falling over Wayback. Another day gone. How many more days was he going to suffer?
He sucked in a breath of fresh air and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to him. Her cheek pressed against his heart. He'd never felt more complete.
"I love you."
His heart rocked under her cheek. He reeled from the words.
She tipped her chin up to grin at his stunned face. “I love you so much,” she told him.
His eyes widened when he saw she meant it. Her arms wrapped around him to keep him from stepping back, forcing him to face the truth. He searched her face and saw her glowing green eyes opened up for him. Remembering Jim's words, the images he'd seen when he'd allowed his heart to open up to the possibility of life with Stella rushed back to him in full force.
He'd thought it was impossible. He'd thought it was a silly daydream. But here she was looking up at him like she wanted all that too.
Who knew?
He lowered his lips to her brow, tightening his grip around her. Another day gone. A new life about to start. “I love you, too,” he whispered, lips brushing against her soft skin. He blew out a stunned breath. “Never said that before."
She breathed a sigh of relief. “God, I've never felt so shaky in my life. But it's a good shaky, you know?"
He nodded. His knees weren't quite steady.
She looked up at him again. “I knew what I wanted the moment I got out of that hospital in LA. And I knew what I wanted the first time I woke up in your arms. I want life here at home in Wayback with you."
His lips curved as he lowered them to hers. He lingered for a moment, kissing her softly in the honeysuckle-flavored breeze. “You're coming home with me and you're going to stay there,” he told her.
Her smile was incredible as her arms looped around his neck. She pulled him down for another kiss just as the sun disappeared over the western horizon and the day and his long, lonely era both came to a close.
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About the Author:
Amber Leigh Williams is a member of RWA and secretary of the Gulf Coast chapter. Her Crimson Rose novel Denied Origin is available in e-format and print from The Wild Rose Press. The first novella, A Summer's Hope, in her Fairhope series is coming soon from the Champagne Rose imprint. She enjoys being a stay-at-home writer mostly because she loves spending as much time as possible with the three Labradors she shares with her husband, Jacob. She's lived in the South all her life and currently resides in Alabama.
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Blackest Heart [Wayback Texas] Page 10
