In a Killer’s Sights

by Sandra Robbins

  Gwen babbled until her throat became raspy, but she didn’t stop, determined to reach him with her words and remind him of all he had to live for.

  Suddenly Ben touched her shoulder again and leaned toward her. “The EMTs are coming in the door, Gwen. You need to get up now and let them do their job.”

  She gave Dean’s hand one last squeeze before she rose to her feet and backed away as four paramedics rushed into the building. Her heart gave a little leap when she recognized Joe, the EMT who’d taken care of her in the ambulance after she had almost been killed. That was only a few short days ago, but so much had happened since then that it seemed a lifetime.

  Joe smiled at her. “Miss Anderson, we meet again. But this time it’s Dean who needs attention. Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of him.” He glanced at Ben. “We were told there were two victims. Where’s the other one?”

  Ben nodded toward the other side of the arena. “He’s over there. It’s Billy Champion, or I should say Aaron King. Two of my deputies are with him and they tell me he’s badly hurt. He was gored through the side by that bull in the arena. One of the horns caught Dean in the leg.”

  Two of the paramedics headed to Aaron, while Joe and the other one dropped down on opposite sides of Dean and started their examination. Gwen could hardly breathe as she watched Joe cut Dean’s jeans away from the wound and begin emergency treatment. After a few minutes he glanced up at her.

  “He’s lost quite a bit of blood. We need to get him to the hospital.” Joe glanced at Ben. “We brought two ambulances, so we’ll transport them separately.”

  He nodded. “My deputies and I will help any way we can.”

  At that moment one of the paramedics called across from the other side, “We need to get a gurney over here. I’ll bring an ambulance around here so we can load him.”

  “We’ll load Dean from this side. See you at the hospital.”

  The EMT with Joe jumped up, dashed out the door and was back within a minute rolling a gurney. “Okay, Joe,” he said, “you grab him by the shoulders, and I’ll get his legs. Let’s be careful with that limb. We don’t need that wound to open up even more.”

  When they had Dean settled on the gurney, they hustled toward the exit and then the ambulance. Gwen followed as quickly as she could, and when they stepped out into the sunlight, she could see how pale Dean was. What if he died? How could she ever forgive herself if that happened and she had to live with the guilt that she had robbed him of five years he could have had with his daughter? And poor Maggie would never get a chance to know the wonderful father who would have loved her so much. Hot tears flooded her eyes once again.

  She felt Ben’s arm wrap around her shoulders as they stopped at the back of the ambulance. “Don’t worry, Gwen,” he said. “I’ve known Dean a long time. He’s a tough guy. It’ll take more than a seventeen-hundred-pound bull to get the best of him.”

  She looked up into Ben’s face and smiled. “Thank you. Are you going to the hospital?”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can. First of all, I have to call Mr. Lambert. He needs to get some cowboys over here to take care of Renegade. Then I’ll make sure Dean’s truck is delivered back to the ranch and check on your car in the tunnel, see if my other deputies have had it towed into town.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise. “How did you know my car was in the tunnel?”

  “Dean found it. He was trying to catch up with you before you could get on a plane back to New York. He called me as soon as he spotted your abandoned car, and then he got that text.”

  Her heart fluttered, and she gazed into the back of the ambulance, where Joe and the other paramedic were getting Dean situated for the ride to the hospital. “Then he must not have wanted me to leave,” she said.

  Ben shook his head. “I expect he didn’t. All he’s talked about for the last five years was how much he loved you and how he had messed up your marriage. But from what he told me last night, he wasn’t the only one who made mistakes.”

  Gwen’s eyes welled up again. “No, he wasn’t.”

  Ben smiled. “Then it looks like God had a plan to bring you two back together. Now go take care of Dean while I finish up my work here.”

  She put her arms around Ben and gave him a brief hug. “Thanks for being such a good friend.”

  “Oh, I didn’t do anything except pray for the two of you. Be happy, Gwen.”

  “I will.”

  At that moment one of the EMTs jumped out of the rear of the ambulance and ran around to the driver’s side. Joe stepped to the back door and looked down at her. “Miss Anderson, do you want to ride with Dean?”

  Suddenly Gwen realized she had to make a decision that would impact the lives of Dean, Maggie and her. When she’d left this morning, she had believed that she’d ruined any chance of happiness with him, but then he had come after her. Did that mean he wanted a life for the three of them? Was that what she wanted?

  They’d tried marriage once before and had failed. Now they had Maggie, and if they weren’t successful a second time, she would be hurt, too. What was the best choice for all three of them?

  “I certainly do,” Gwen said. “He’s my husband.”

  Ben took her hand and helped her climb up into the ambulance. She settled beside Dean for the ride to the hospital. As the vehicle pulled out of the parking lot, she bowed her head. Dear God, she prayed, watch over Dean and heal him. Please give us another chance to make our marriage work so that we can be parents to our daughter, and man and wife together, the way You intended. Just one more chance, one more.

  She mumbled the prayer over and over all the way to the hospital, the entire time Dean was being examined by doctors, and then throughout the hours he was in surgery before he was finally moved to the recovery room. She had dreaded being alone while she waited, but she needn’t have worried about that. Within minutes after her arrival at the hospital, Shorty, along with several employees from the ranch, crowded through the door and dropped down on the couches and chairs to wait for word of the man they respected as a boss and valued as a friend. Concern lined their faces, and it made her feel good to know that the men who worked for Dean regarded him so highly.

  Time seemed to drag by, and the mood in the waiting room grew more somber by the minute. To distract herself, Gwen began to mull over the events of the past few days and began to realize that a simple decision Dean had made years ago had created a chain reaction that almost ended in another tragedy today.

  She remembered that night Dean had told her he wasn’t supposed to be on duty, but was going to take a fellow officer’s shift so the man could be at the hospital with his sick child. Good-hearted intentions, but they had put him in Trip’s path and had led to Trip’s death as well as the death of a good friend of Dean’s.

  Unable to deal with the self-imposed guilt of killing a young man, Dean had turned to alcohol to dim his thoughts, and that decision had ultimately brought about the end of their marriage. Dean’s inability to cope with his problems had caused her to keep the existence of his child a secret. Meanwhile, Aaron’s anger and bitterness had festered, driving him toward plans of revenge. All of them had lived half lives for years as they struggled to cope with the memories of the past.

  But that time was over now. Dean had come after her when she’d left, so that must mean he still loved her. And he had put himself at risk today to save her life. They had a future together, and she intended to do everything she could to make it happen.

  “Gwen.” The sound of her name being called pulled her from her thoughts, and she looked up to see Ben standing in front of her, his big Stetson hat in his hand. “Have you heard anything?”

  She stood and shook her head. “Not yet, but it should be anytime now. It feels like he’s been in surgery for hours.”

  She’d no sooner finished speaking than the docto
r walked into the room. He pulled off the surgical cap he still wore and smiled as he came toward her. “Miss Anderson, I wanted to let you know that Dean came through the surgery successfully. There was some damage to the leg, and he’s going to need some physical therapy. But the good news is he’s going to be fine.”

  Gwen turned to the ranch employees, who had all got to their feet when the doctor walked in. “Did you hear that? Dean is going to be fine.”

  The tension they’d been radiating dissolved with a collective sigh of relief. They grinned at each other, but Shorty swiped at his eyes. “That’s good news, Miss Gwen. Good news indeed.”

  “What about Mr. King?” Ben asked.

  The doctor exhaled and shook his head. “He was more badly injured than Dean. He had a punctured lung, but we think he’ll recover.”

  Ben’s face hardened. “Good. He needs to stand trial for all the things he’s done. I’ll have to post a deputy here to guard him until he’s well enough to be taken to jail.”

  The doctor nodded. “I understand. I’ll take you to meet the head of our security so you can work out the details.” He turned back to Gwen. “Do you have any more questions?”

  “Yes. I wanted to ask about Dean’s foreman, Emmett Truitt. How is he doing?”

  “He’s doing fine. I checked on him earlier, and he was fussing because he had to stay another day here.”

  Gwen smiled as she envisioned a frustrated Emmett wanting to be up and on his horse again. “I’ll go see him later. When can I see Dean?”

  “He’s in recovery now, but we’ll be moving him to a room in an hour or so. I’ll have the nurse come get you, and you can stay as long as you like. He’ll be sedated for a while, so don’t expect to talk with him until morning. He should be awake then.”

  For the first time in days Gwen felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She smiled and shook the doctor’s hand. “Thank you.”

  “I’m glad I could be of service and glad it turned out so well for my patient. Now, you have a good night, and I’ll see you tomorrow. If all goes well, you may get to take him home, but he’s going to be incapacitated for a while.”

  “That’s no problem,” Gwen said. “Between the men who work at Little Pigeon Ranch and me, we’ll see that he’s well cared for.”

  The doctor smiled and glanced at Ben. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to meet our security chief now.”

  Ben nodded. “I’ll see you later, Gwen. When Dean wakes up, tell him I’ll see him tomorrow.” He started to leave, then stopped and turned back to her. “By the way, I received word before I got here that the state lab had phoned. They’re releasing James’s body tomorrow. So tell Dean he can go ahead and plan his grandfather’s funeral. If he needs me to help, I’m there for him.”

  “Thanks, Ben. I’ll tell him.”

  Shorty stepped up beside her. “Don’t worry, Miss Gwen. We’re all here to help Dean during this rough time, but we need to get on back to the ranch now if you think you’ll be all right by yourself. We’ve got chores to do before dark. Dean wouldn’t want us hanging around here and lettin’ his animals go hungry.”

  Gwen chuckled as she gave the cook a quick hug. “Go on. I’ll call in the morning and let you know how Dean and Emmett are. Hopefully, we’ll have both of them home soon. Then we can plan James’s funeral.”

  Shorty nodded and took her hand in his. “That sounds almost like you’re beginning to think of the Little Pigeon as your home, too.”

  A warm feeling engulfed her at the kindness shining in his eyes, and she realized it really was her home now—hers and Maggie’s. “I can’t imagine anywhere I’d rather be, Shorty.”

  “That’s good news,” he said. “James would be mighty proud you were coming home. That’s what he always wanted.”

  She swallowed the lump in her throat and shook hands with the men as they filed by one by one. Then she was alone.

  A while later a nurse came for her, and Gwen followed her to Dean’s darkened room. “Call if you need anything,” she said before she hurried away.

  Gwen nodded and stared down at Dean, whose chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. After several minutes she pulled a chair to his bedside, covered his hand with hers and settled in to keep watch. She had wasted too many years, and if he’d let her, she was going to be with him the rest of her life.

  It’s going to be a long night, she thought as she waited to find out whether he wanted the same things she did.

  FOURTEEN

  For a moment when Gwen opened her eyes, she couldn’t remember where she was, but then it came to her. She was in Dean’s hospital room, and she’d been asleep with her head resting on the side of his bed. She felt a hand caress her hair, and she slowly sat up. Dean stared at her as his palm slid down the back of her head to the side of her face. He trailed his fingers across her cheek and grazed his thumb across her lips.

  “Good morning.” His voice sounded very much like the croak of a frog, and she couldn’t help but smile.

  “Good morning to you, too,” she said. “How are you feeling this morning?”

  “Hungry. I have a craving for some of Shorty’s pancakes. How about you?”

  Her stomach growled in answer, and she laughed. “I guess I’m hungry, too. Come to think of it, I didn’t have dinner last night.”

  His eyes darkened, and he frowned. “Were you here all night?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I didn’t want to leave you alone. I had company for a while. Ben was here, as well as Shorty and some of the ranch hands. And a couple I hadn’t met before—Steve and Betty Price—heard you’d been hurt, and they came by to check on you after everyone had left. They said to tell you their son, Jason, was going to be fine and that they’d be praying for you.”

  “I’m so glad to hear that. I met them in the waiting room while I was here with Emmett,” Dean murmured. The hand that had been caressing her face slipped to the back of her neck, tightened and pulled her head closer. “I’m so glad you weren’t hurt. I nearly died when I got that picture of you, and then when I saw you in that arena...”

  She put a finger on his lips to silence him. “Don’t think about that now. Let’s be thankful that it all turned out well for us. We made it through, and the doctor says you’re going to be all right. You’re going to have to take it easy for a while, but I’ve promised him that I’ll take good care of you.”

  Dean’s eyes searched her face as if he was trying to determine if she was being truthful. “Does that mean you’re thinking about staying?”

  “Only if you want me to.”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his eyes sparkled. “If I want you to? My prayer for the last five years has been that God would bring you back to me. Then when He did and you told me about Maggie, I made a mess of everything. I’m so sorry.”

  Gwen shook her head. “No, it was my fault. I was wrong not to tell you about Maggie years ago. Can you ever forgive me for that?”

  His hand stroked across her back and up again to her neck. “Both of us made mistakes. I’ve already forgiven you for keeping her a secret, but I need to know if you can forgive me and trust that I will never, ever put you or our child through the agony that I did when we were married. I love you, Gwen, and I want you with me. Marry me again, and let’s spend the rest of our lives making up for the years we’ve lost.”

  Her heart pounded in her chest, and she smiled through her tears. “I’ve always loved you, Dean, and I want to be your wife again. But I have to warn you. Your life is about to change drastically. Living with two females in the house can be a challenging experience. Are you sure you’re up to it?”

  He grinned up at her. “I think a guy who has taken on a raging bull and lived to tell about it is up to the challenge. Bring it on.”

  Then he pulled her down to him until the
ir lips met. Gwen framed his face between her hands as his arms circled her. They clung together, pouring all the loneliness and hurt of the past five years into their kiss.

  When they finally pulled apart, Dean smoothed Gwen’s hair back from her face and stared into her eyes. “For the last five years I’ve lived a half life. I’ve been adrift without hope that we could ever be together again. God’s given us a second chance at happiness. I realize what a precious gift that is, and I promise I’ll be worthy of you.”

  “And I of you,” she said as she lowered her lips to his again.

  * * *

  Three weeks later Dean, Ben and Emmett sat on the front porch, staring down the driveway for the first sign of Gwen’s car. Although he’d wanted her to fly from New York, she’d insisted on driving because she wanted to bring her car. But where was she? It had been an hour since she’d called and said they were headed toward the ranch. Dean was growing more impatient by the minute.

  “Did Gwen get everything taken care of in New York?” Emmett asked, without taking his eyes off the road.

  Dean nodded. “Yeah, but she had a lot to do. It’s not easy packing up all your belongings and moving to another part of the country. She had to decide what she wanted to put in storage and what she wanted to bring here. Plus she had to give the network two weeks’ notice and finish out her work there.”

  “Sounds like she’s been busy,” Ben said.

  Dean glanced down at his leg and frowned. “Yeah, and I should have been there helping her, but she insisted I stay for my physical therapy.”

  “She was right about that. I can tell you’re getting better every time you go. Besides, I want you to be able to walk down the aisle without a cane at your wedding, and you haven’t got much time left before the big day.”

  “I can’t believe it’s this weekend,” Dean said. They had talked about getting married before Gwen went back to New York, but had ultimately concluded that they wanted Maggie to be present. So they’d decided to wait until Gwen had settled all her affairs back East, which included getting her mother on board with their decision to remarry.