Stone Cold Cowboy

by Jennifer Ryan

  The helicopter finally moved away and disappeared over the treetops. Rory thought he’d be able to think again without all the noise, but all he did was think one thought. He couldn’t lose her.

  “Please be okay.” He ran his shaking hand over her pale face and laid it on her soft cheek.

  Trigger pulled her sweatshirt away from the wound. “Look, man, it’s not that bad.”

  “She’s bleeding.”

  “He didn’t stab her, just cut her deep on the top of her shoulder. She’ll need stitches, but it’s not that bad. See.” The relieved sigh Trigger let out eased Rory’s worry, but not enough to slow his racing heart.

  Rory took his eyes off Sadie’s too pale face and studied the open gash seeping blood that oozed from the wound. Trigger was right. It wasn’t that bad. It could have been a hell of a lot worse.

  “Rory,” Sadie mumbled, her eyes fluttering open.

  “Sadie.” Her name came out on a relieved exhale. “Are you okay?”

  “My shoulder hurts.”

  Trigger took the gauze one of the DEA agents handed him and pressed it to the bleeding wound.

  “Ow!” Sadie tried to move away from Trigger and the pressure he put on the wound. “Stop.”

  Rory brushed his fingers over her forehead and into her hair. “Shh, you’re okay. It’s okay. You’re bleeding. He cut you.”

  “He likes to watch me bleed.”

  “He’s dead, sweetheart. He’ll never hurt you again.”

  Sadie let out a ragged sigh. “You saved Connor.” She rolled her head and stared over at her wailing brother. Another agent wrapped a bandage around his leg. He tried to shove the agent away with his handcuffed hands. “The shooter in the helicopter would have killed him to save Trigger.”

  “Beck,” Trigger corrected her. “Thank you for keeping my secret. You saved my life.”

  She placed her hand over Rory’s heart. “Rory saved us.”

  An SUV skidded to a halt at the edge of the clearing. Agent Cooke jumped out, went to the back of the vehicle, and pulled Torres out of the backseat and stared at them.

  Sadie smiled. “Beck, turn around.”

  Beck turned and sighed, hanging his head, his eyes closed.

  “It’s over,” Sadie whispered. “You’re out.”

  Rory loved her so damn much for keeping Beck’s secret and understanding all the man couldn’t say to her but needed her to understand. Beck had reached out to her in a silent plea to let his brother know he needed to get out. She saw that need inside him. Recognized it because she’d been looking for a way out of this futile situation with her brother. The depth of emotion hidden behind the wall Rory felt around Beck and all he kept hidden behind his closed eyes told him how much Beck needed this to be over. The look he leveled on Sadie conveyed a depth of emotion Rory didn’t understand.

  Sadie did. She reached out and took Beck’s hand in hers and held it tight. “You can go home now, Beck. Caden is waiting for you.”

  “I’ll never forget what you did, laying yourself over me like that. If he’d managed to plunge that knife into my—”

  “Stop. It’s over, Beck. Go home.”

  Caden walked up behind Beck and planted his hand on Beck’s shoulder. “She’s right, little brother, it’s done. We got him.”

  Sadie pressed her good arm on the grass and leaned forward. Rory helped her to sit up. She immediately touched her hand to her too pale face, rolled to her side, and heaved, gagging, but nothing came up. She curled in on herself and held her stomach. “Rory,” she begged. “Something’s wrong.”

  Rory reached for her, but she went limp in his hands. “No. No. We need an ambulance.”

  “Chopper is just past the trees in the field,” Caden said, kneeling beside Sadie. “What’s wrong?”

  “She’s pregnant.”

  The shocked and distraught look that crossed Beck’s face matched the worry engulfing Rory’s system that she might have saved Trigger, but Rory might have lost her and their baby.

  The helicopter ride to the hospital nearly sent Rory into a tailspin. Sadie remained groggy, but not truly conscious. He didn’t want to think the worst.

  The minute the chopper touched down on the hospital helipad, doctors and nurses whisked Sadie away. He’d been relegated to sitting in the waiting room answering questions for the DEA agent Caden sent to take his statement. He’d put the agent off long enough to call Bell and beg her to haul ass down here to check on Sadie. He didn’t trust anyone else.

  “Mr. Kendrick, Dr. Bowden asked me to come get you. Your girlfriend is waiting for you down here.” The nurse held out her arm to indicate the hallway that led into the emergency room. Rory stood and followed her, his stomach tied in knots, his heart barely beating. The closer he got to her, the less he was able to breathe through the one thought that refused to leave his mind. If they lost the baby, he’d lose her. She’d never forgive him for not protecting her and their child.

  “Right in here.” The nurse slid the glass door open.

  Rory stepped into the room and pushed the curtain aside. Sadie sat up in the bed in front of him, an IV line running into her arm. She didn’t smile, just stared at him, tears gathering in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks. The sadness he saw in her wrenched his gut, sucked the breath right out of him, and stopped his heart.

  “No,” he whispered, shaking his head, not wanting to believe that he’d lost everything.

  The anguish and despair that flooded his eyes and filled his whole face broke Sadie’s heart. Tears glistened in his eyes. She’d been so happy to see him, but still so overwhelmed at all that happened. “Honey, no, I’m fine. The baby is fine.”

  The relief that swept over him and rocked his big body told her how much he wanted this baby. Their baby.

  He pressed his hand to his forehead above his eye and sighed so heavily she felt it all the way across the room.

  “The baby is fine,” Bell assured him.

  Rory startled like he hadn’t even seen Bell standing by the counters, writing in her chart.

  Sadie held out her arms. Rory rushed her and hugged her close. He kissed her half a dozen times and held her face, staring into her eyes.

  “You’re okay? You’re sure?”

  “I’m fine.” She held his wrists, her grip tight. She needed to hold on to him.

  “But when I came in, the look in your eyes.”

  “I’m sorry. I should have told you where my brother was hiding. I should have called the cops immediately. You told me to let him go, but I wanted him to . . .”

  “Shh, sweetheart, it’s okay. I understand.”

  The overwhelming guilt swamped her again. She’d put his life in jeopardy. All their lives, and for what, a brother who had little if any regard for her or anyone else.

  “If something happened to you . . .” She gripped his wrists tighter.

  “Me? You’re the one who almost got stabbed.”

  “You threw yourself in front of my brother when you knew that agent meant to kill him. You saved him for me.”

  “I knew you couldn’t live with yourself if something happened to him.”

  She placed her palm on his rough jaw. “I can’t live without you. Do you hear me? Don’t ever do something like that again.”

  He managed to find a halfhearted smile for her. “I promise.”

  “Where did you get the handgun you used to shoot Derek?”

  “Trigger had it stashed in an ankle holster. You laid yourself out on him, but he reached down to get the gun. He couldn’t get to it in time, so I grabbed it and killed that bastard.”

  She pressed her hand to his face and looked into his eyes. “Are you okay? That can’t have been easy.”

  “I’m not sorry I did it. Caden refused to let me bring my rifles. He wanted to keep me out of it, but I couldn’t sit back and let your brother get hurt or let that asshole hurt you again. I’d do it all over just to keep you safe.” He pressed his hand to her belly. “Both of you.”


  Sadie slid her hand around Rory’s head and pulled him in for a soft kiss. She held it, letting him feel how much she appreciated everything he’d done and how much she loved him.

  “Hey you two, remember me?”

  Rory pressed one last kiss to her lips, leaned back, and sat on the edge of the bed. He kept his intense gaze on her but asked Bell, “What’s the damage, Doc?”

  “Twenty-two stitches in her shoulder. Severe dehydration. She’s just about done with that IV line and the vitamin drip we added. You can take her home in an hour. Her blood pressure and heart rate are back to normal. It’s still very early in the pregnancy. Stress is not good for her. She needs to get some sleep and take it easy the next few days. No strenuous activity. Limit the questions and rehashing of events until she’s feeling better.”

  Tears gathered in Sadie’s eyes. He understood them all too well. “I’ll take you over to see Connor before we leave. He’s out of surgery. He’ll be fine. They’ll keep him here a few days, then transfer him to the infirmary at the jail.”

  “I don’t want to see him right now.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I want to go home with you.”

  “Whatever you want, sweetheart.”

  She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t listen to Connor spout off the same crap and lies. It might be too late, but about time she let him suffer the consequences of his actions and live her own life. She had so much to live for and Connor almost took that away from her. Rory saved him. He’d saved her in so many ways. He’d shown her a life and happiness she wanted more than anything. He’d shown her love so infinite it filled her up and made her believe dreams really do come true. Now all she had to do was live them.

  CHAPTER 30

  Sadie sat bolt upright in the dark, gasping. Her heart pounded in her chest so hard her ribs ached. She shook off the nightmare and all thoughts of Rory slamming into her brother as the shot rang out. In the nightmare, the bullet hit him instead of her brother. The thought of losing him sent a chill up her spine.

  Rory slid his big arm around her waist, planted his hand on her hip, spreading warmth through her system and calming her down.

  “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

  She slid her hands over his warm skin and held tight. “Nothing. I’m headed for the bathroom again.” The IV and vitamin refill she got at the hospital definitely made her feel better, but it went right through her the last few hours.

  Rory brought her home, put her into the shower to wash up, then tucked her into bed. He joined her for both, always touching her softly, sweetly, letting her know he was there. He couldn’t seem to let her out of his sight. She appreciated the attention, but worried about him, too. He’d gone quiet on her again. She hoped shooting Derek didn’t leave a permanent mark on him. She understood it disturbed him, but hoped he’d find a way to live with it. He’d done it to save her life.

  She stared down at him beside her. Golden whiskers darkened his jaw. His hair fell over his forehead in soft waves. She brushed her fingers through it, pushing it off his face. The silky strands glided through her fingers. Rory pressed a kiss to her side, then fell back onto his pillow.

  “Hurry up. I want you here with me.” He hugged her close, then removed his arm so she could slip from the bed and run into the bathroom.

  On her way out, she stared at the big man in the bed, his arm stretched out to her empty spot, his face half buried in the pillow.

  So handsome. The man she loved. The man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. The man who’d nearly dropped to his knees and cried because he thought she’d lost their child. A man who cared deeply for his family, her, their baby.

  “I’m so lucky,” she whispered to her father in heaven. She missed him and wanted him to know she was okay.

  For the first time since she left her shift at the diner, she felt okay. She had Rory.

  The thing with Connor weighed on her. Rory tried to get her to go see him in the hospital before they left, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. He’d nearly gotten her and Rory killed. If he wanted to make things right with her, he’d have to come to her. She wasn’t going to make things easy for him anymore. Instead, she’d focus on herself, Rory, their baby, and the future she wanted more than anything.

  She pressed her hand to her grumbling stomach and bypassed the bed and headed for the stairs. Bell might have filled her up with fluids, but Sadie needed something to fill her belly. She padded down the stairs and walked into the dim kitchen. With the lights out, she opened the fridge and pulled one of the apples out of the vegetable bin. She closed the fridge and set the apple on the cutting board and sliced it up. She took a bite of the crisp, sweet fruit and chewed thoughtfully, wondering what else she could have with it. She opened one cupboard after the next, looking for anything that sounded good. She found the peanut butter and pulled it down, knocking over a can of peas. It thumped on the counter, rolled off, and thwacked the floor. She bent over to pick it up, stood straight, and caught herself on the counter when the dizziness hit again. Afraid she’d pass out and hit the floor, she quickly sat, leaned back against the cabinet, and put her head down, waiting for her stomach to settle and her head to stop spinning.

  The lights flicked on and Grandpa Sammy stood in the doorway staring down at her, sitting on the floor in her nightgown. “Are you all right?” He rushed to her side and squatted next to her, his big hand on her shoulder.

  She blinked away the spots in her eyes from the bright light. “Sorry I woke you. I seem to be a bit off balance.”

  Grandpa Sammy narrowed his eyes on her, stood, went back to the kitchen doorway, and yelled, “Rory, get down here.”

  “I’m fine. You don’t need to wake him, too.” Sadie pressed her hands to the floor to push herself up.

  Grandpa Sammy pointed a finger at her. “You stay put.”

  She sank back to her butt and stared up at him and the anger simmering in his eyes.

  “Um, I’m really okay.”

  Rory pounded down the stairs and rushed into the kitchen, wearing nothing but his jeans, zipped and barely hanging on to his hips. He spotted her on the floor and pushed past his grandfather. He knelt beside her and brushed his hand over her hair. “Sweetheart, what happened? Are you okay?”

  “She’s pregnant, isn’t she?”

  Rory’s eyes went wide, then filled with resignation. He kept his back to his grandfather and stared at her. He cupped her face and brushed his thumbs over her cheeks. “Dizzy again?”

  “A little bit. I’m hungry.”

  “Bell said you might be when I got you home and the stress and trauma wore off. I should have fed you before I put you to bed.”

  “It’s okay. I came down to make a snack.”

  Rory tucked his hands under her arms and lifted her up and right off the floor. He set her on the counter and handed her a slice of apple. “Eat.”

  She took the apple and bit off a huge bite.

  “I want an answer,” Grandpa Sammy demanded.

  Rory sighed and spun around to face his grandfather. “Yes, she’s pregnant.”

  “Holy shit,” Colt said, stepping into the room behind Grandpa Sammy.

  Ford followed with an “Oh my God.”

  Sadie wasn’t sure any of them was happy for them, or upset by the news. She grabbed a spoon from the strainer by the sink and dipped it into the peanut butter, stuffing it in her mouth and licking off the creamy peanut goodness. She’d let them work it out. She was too tired and hungry to participate.

  “We talked about this. I told you to make sure you did things right,” Grandpa Sammy scolded.

  “I’m pretty sure he did it right,” Colt said, a silly grin on his face. “She’s pregnant.”

  Sadie covered the laugh that bubbled up from her gut and licked peanut butter off the spoon again, hiding the smile on her lips. Rory glared at her over his shoulder.

  “What? That was funny.”

  “None of this is funny,” Grandpa Sammy
said. “You were supposed to act responsibly. Do right by her.”

  “I was responsible.”

  “He definitely did it right,” Colt added.

  Ford smacked Colt in the shoulder.

  Grandpa Sammy’s face darkened with anger. “It’s your responsibility to take care of her.”

  Rory squared off with his grandfather. “I did take care of her. I planned to take things slow, do things in the right order. What I didn’t plan for was the condom to break. It was an accident. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but it did, and now we’re expecting a baby we both want and can’t wait to meet.”

  Grandpa Sammy glanced past Rory at her.

  She pulled the spoon from her mouth, leaving a huge lump of peanut butter behind. She spoke around it, pointing the spoon at Rory. “What he said.”

  Grandpa Sammy pointed a finger at Rory. “You better do right by her.”

  “Are you kidding me right now? Do right by her. Of course I’ll take care of her. I nearly lost her and my child today. I killed someone to protect them. Not just to save them, but to save myself. I can’t live a second without her. She is everything to me. I love her. I’m going to marry her.” Rory went to the cupboard, pulled down the mug he’d made for his mother in grade school, and dumped out the black velvet box. He held it up to his grandfather. “I bought her a ring days ago, but I need more time. I need to know she loves me, not because of the baby, but because it’s how she truly feels. I need time to convince her to marry me and make a life with me and our child here on the ranch.”

  “Yes.” She didn’t have to think, she just blurted it out. She sat there watching Rory lose himself in defending his actions and what happened to his grandfather and completely forget she was sitting right behind him. The stress and trauma they’d been through these last weeks and especially today weighed on him. He wanted everything to be perfect, to go the right way, to be everything she deserved and he wanted for her.

  That was all well and good, but all she needed to know, all she needed to hear, was the plain and simple truth. He loved her. That was all she needed.