Not bothering to acknowledge him, Nathan hung up and bent to speak to Susannah. “The mayor’s alive. Paramedics are coming for him. How badly are you hurt?”
As she dropped her hands, blood spewed all over her blouse and jacket and then sprayed his jacket, too.
“Oh, crap, sweetheart. Why didn’t you say something?”
Nathan ripped his jacket off and tore open his shirt. In seconds, he’d made a compress for her wound. “Hold this tightly against your forehead. We’re going to find Dr. Black.”
“But…”
He lifted her and cradled her in his arms as he would a child. “Hang on. This won’t take long. Try to stay still.”
No one paid any attention to them as he charged through the streets past the crowds of people with Susannah holding on to her head with one hand and on to him with the other. She was losing so much blood. Deep waterfalls of the stuff gushed, soaking through his shirt in seconds.
Racing down the last street, he saw Rafe Black coming the other way.
“Dr. Black! It’s Susannah. Look at all this blood. Help her.”
The doctor reversed course and ran alongside him. “Is she conscious?”
“Yes. Just talked to her. But there’s so much blood.”
The doc let them inside his office and asked Susannah to lie down, keeping her from becoming too light-headed. “Let me take a look.”
With a quick wash of his hands, Dr. Black was bending over her with cotton swabs.
His own hands were empty and itching to help. Fidgety, Nathan didn’t know what to do with himself. He paced around the office, needing something to do but not wanting to move away from her side.
“Lie still, Susannah,” the doctor was saying. “There’s a large chunk of metal embedded in your forehead. It’s deep but looks a lot worse than I think it is. Still, head wounds bleed like a son of a gun.”
Nathan stepped to the doctor’s side. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
The doctor shook his head. “I’ll get the bleeding stopped in a minute or two. After I give her something to numb the area, I’ll try debriding the wound so I can clean up the jagged edges, then suture whatever I can. No guarantees how pretty it’s going to be.”
“I don’t care about that. Will she be all right?”
“She’ll live. Just give me some time here.” He never looked up but went on with his work.
Nathan stepped right outside and took a deep breath. He felt nauseous and shaky but fought it off.
His father. He’d almost forgotten.
After punching in his father’s number on his cell, he told him where he and Susannah were and asked him to join them. Then he lifted his head and sniffed the air. The smell of burning rubber filled his nostrils. That was going to be one hell of a mess for someone to clean up.
What the devil had gone down here? And how had Susannah ended up in the middle of all the trouble?
By the time his father pulled the pickup to the curb in front of the doctor’s office, Nathan was sitting on the front steps, trying to make some sense of things.
When he explained everything to his dad, there were still big pieces of the puzzle he hadn’t figured out yet.
“Best bet is to wait until Susannah can shed light on what she knows,” his father told him.
“Ford’s on his way. He wants to talk to her.”
“We’ll sit in on that discussion.”
Yeah, they would—whether Ford liked the idea or not.
“Are you okay, son? You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine. But I have to say I never want to live through another scare like that in my lifetime.”
His father patted his knee. “That’s just the way life goes. When we love someone, their welfare becomes more important than our own. You may have to hold up under a lot more of the same kind of stress or worse before your time on this earth is over.”
It was a good half hour later when Ford arrived. By then, the smoky scent in the air had dissipated and his nerves were back under control.
“Nate. Mr. Pierce. Everybody okay here?”
“We’re good. But I’m not sure about Susannah. The doc is still working on her.”
“Miller got away before I could reel him in. I put out a BOLO on him. He won’t get far. We have a lot of questions. For Susannah, too.”
Nathan’s father got to his feet. “Well, let’s check on the doc’s progress.”
The three of them entered the office with Ford in the lead. “Doc Black?”
The doctor came out of the inner office. He ignored the fact his white coat was covered in blood spatters.
Taking a breath, he said, “I’m giving her a few minutes to rest. She’s going to be as weak as a newborn for a day or two. But I don’t believe she lost enough blood for a transfusion. She’s in good health. She’ll rebound.”
Nathan’s knees started to wobble again, but his father quietly held him up from behind. “Can we see her now?”
“In a minute.” Dr. Black turned to Ford. “Were there any other casualties? Is a doctor needed anywhere else?”
“The only other person hurt in the explosion was Mayor Kittridge. But I just talked to the Devotee clinic and was told he’ll be fine. Had a few minor cuts and bruises and a slight concussion but no broken bones. He claims he’ll be back to work by tomorrow.”
The doc nodded. “What the hell happened?”
“That’s what we hope Susannah can tell us.”
“All right. Let me check on her a second.” Dr. Black went back into the interior room.
But he was back within minutes. “She’s sitting up and drinking orange juice. I think she should be able to answer questions now.”
Nathan was the first to reach her side as she sat on the edge of an examining table. She seemed fragile, and the bandage covering her forehead looked ominous. He wanted to gather her up in his arms and race back to the ranch, where he could protect her and keep her from any further harm. But he knew that wouldn’t happen for a little while yet.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“Oh, Nathan.” She reached out her hand to him.
He took her offered hand in his own and entwined their fingers. Her skin felt warm, soft. The jolt of love he experienced with her touch was a big surprise. But maybe it shouldn’t have been.
“You’re going to be just fine,” he said with a hoarse voice. “Can you talk for a few minutes? Ford needs to ask you some questions.”
Never letting loose of his hand, she turned first to his father. “Hi, Mr. Pierce. Did you and Nathan come together? In the same truck?”
“Yes. We came to bring you back home where you belong. Didn’t know you were going to be caught up in an explosion, though. Wish we’d gotten to you first.”
She smiled and Nathan’s heart stuttered. “Thank you.” Then she turned to Ford. “Did you find Jonathan? He can’t get away.”
“He won’t.” Ford nodded his head and took out a pocket recorder. “He’s not in custody yet, but it won’t be long. Can you tell us about what you saw?”
“It’s kind of a long story.”
“Are you feeling strong enough to tell it? And do you mind if I record what you have to say?”
Susannah’s cheeks blushed, and she squeezed Nathan’s hand. It was such a sweet gesture, and she looked so innocent and beautiful that he fell more in love than he’d ever been.
“Um…I guess not. But will any of the Devotees—or Samuel—have to hear it?”
“I have a strong suspicion Miller will be tried in either the state or federal courts. So, no, probably none of the Devotees will ever need to hear this recording.”
“Okay. Can I just tell it from the beginning?”<
br />
“Sure. Start when you’re ready.”
Dr. Black cut in. “Don’t overtax your strength, Susannah. If this is going to take more than a few minutes, maybe you should do it tomorrow.”
“I’m okay. Really. And there’s one part Ford needs to hear.”
Dr. Black nodded and backed to the other side of the room, standing by in case she needed his help.
“I guess maybe you already know that three Devotees, men I didn’t recognize but knew were part of the group, came to the ranch yesterday carrying big guns,” she began. “I saw them sneaking up to ambush Nathan and his father. But I knew they were really there for me.”
Nathan’s blood pressure soared. He had been so wrapped up in arguing with his father that he hadn’t noticed a thing.
“So I called out to them and told them a story,” she went on. “I said I’d been wanting to go back to town and asked if they would give me a ride.”
Nathan cleared his throat.
She glanced up at him. “Well, I couldn’t let them hurt you, could I?” Turning back to Ford, she said, “I also told them that I’d given Melody away.”
Saying her daughter’s name apparently broke some kind of dam within her. She turned back to Nathan with tears in her eyes. “Is the baby okay? Kathryn has her?”
“Kathryn is taking good care of her. Melody is just fine. But I bet she wants her mama to come home.”
For a moment, Susannah looked like she might explode in tears. Nathan braced for the worst. But after biting her lip for a second, she returned to telling her tale.
“They seemed to believe my lie about Melody. Looking back, I guess she wasn’t the real reason they wanted me, after all. Just a few hours later, Jonathan showed up at my place, claiming the two of us were to be married. He said it like it was a fact I should simply accept. According to him, Samuel wanted things to be that way between us.”
“Did he attack you? Lay his hands on you? Hurt you in any way?” His temper flared, hot and fast.
Ford held up his hand to keep Nathan quiet. “Let her finish, Pierce.”
Nathan had to grit his teeth and clamp his mouth shut. He was still holding her hand, or he might’ve punched a wall.
“He only kissed my forehead, Nathan. Thank goodness. I played along with the marriage idea like I was a good little Devotee. But something just didn’t feel right about Jonathan. He seemed—uh—odd, I guess. So when he left my place on foot at eleven o’clock at night, I followed him.”
“You what?” Nathan took her by the shoulder. “Don’t you know how dangerous that was? What if something happened to you?”
The look in her eyes almost took him to his knees. “It’s all right. I know, sweetheart.” The way she said it was like a secret communication between them, telling him she understood how much he cared. “But nothing happened.”
Turning back to Ford, she continued her story. “Jonathan went to a mechanic’s shop on the outskirts of town. He never spotted me, but he stayed there so long that I got tired and went back to my room to bed.”
“Thank God.”
Ford ignored his remark. “Could you find the place again?”
“Oh, sure. I went back there this morning.”
“What?” Nathan was stunned. “Why would you do such a thing?”
“I was hoping to catch Jonathan doing something embarrassing or illegal. Anything I could use to trade for my freedom. I thought if I found out something terrible about him, he might help me sneak out of town without Samuel ordering my execution.”
“Do you have some kind of death wish?” Nathan’s fury came up to bite him once again. He began storming around the room.
“It was all I could think of, Nathan. I didn’t know what else to do.”
This time Ford cleared his throat and forced Susannah’s attention back to her story. “So what happened this morning?”
“I watched as he came out of the shop right before dawn. I guess he might have been in there all night, because he was still in his same clothes. I followed him again. This time he was carrying a package and went to the community center.”
She stopped talking and looked around for the juice box. After taking another sip, she went on. “Quite a few other Devotees arrived after he went inside—including Samuel, the police chief and the mayor. But then, as I was wondering what was going on at that hour, Jonathan came back out with the same package and slid it under the mayor’s car.”
“Under the car?”
“Yes, just like a mechanic would. I thought maybe he was fixing something under there. But then I remembered that he’d said he was coming into a promotion soon.”
“A promotion? To what?”
“He didn’t say. He’d been claiming to be the vice-mayor. I got to thinking that would have to mean he expected to become the mayor.”
Ford actually coughed before he got his composure back. “Why didn’t you call me?”
Susannah blushed again. “And say what? I didn’t know anything. Not for sure. Still, I was about to go look for a phone when the mayor came out of the center and started walking toward his car.”
“And you tried to warn him off?” Nathan exploded, so full of fear for her that he couldn’t contain himself. “You ran toward the danger to save a damned Devotee? They’d just as soon kill you as look at you.”
“He’s a human being. And supposed to be a pretty nice guy. Did you want me to stand there and watch him die?”
“That does it. We’re going back to the ranch.” He turned to Ford. “If you want more from her, come out tomorrow. I’m taking her home.”
“Careful, Nathan. The Devotees are busy with the explosion for now. But they won’t stay that way for long.”
“Let ’em come. This time we’ll be ready.”
CHAPTER 14
After sleeping most of twelve hours with the only interruptions to feed Melody and to eat a little something herself, Susannah woke up rather the worse for wear. But it didn’t matter.
The aches in her bones, the slight deafness, the itching wound under the bandage on her forehead…none of it mattered. She was back in a place where people cared about her.
Not only did they care but they’d actually worried about her when she’d left. They were worried enough to come after her. She tried hard but couldn’t come up with any other time in her life when she’d felt so welcome.
It was killing her to know her time here was growing shorter. Only a matter of a couple more days, not even a week, and then she would have to take Melody and disappear. Otherwise, the Devotees would get to her—somehow.
And people would be hurt in the process—people like Nathan. He’d been the biggest worrier. She’d seen it in his eyes when he’d listened to her story.
He cared. He really cared.
She still wasn’t entirely positive that he was in love with her, but the fact that he had worried and wanted to protect her made her feel all warm inside. Wishing she wasn’t so much in love with him, she could see that the only thing for her to do was to leave him. He would be safe.
Her life would never be the same after this—after him. That was for sure. But perhaps if she left soon, he would be able to move on to have a good life without her. Maybe he could forget and find someone to love who wasn’t so screwed up.
That thought made her queasy. The idea of Nathan with someone else was heart wrenching. But it was far better than having him hurt due to her hanging around too long.
She just needed to force herself to make plans for where to go and what she and Melody could do with the rest of their lives. It would not be easy, but it had to be done.
Crawling out of bed, she checked on the baby and was surprised to find Melody already awake and quietly lying in her crib, looking aro
und. “Good morning, Miss Sunshine. You look happy. Are you glad to have Mama home?”
Melody made a gurgling noise that sounded like “ah-goo.”
“Very nice, sweetheart. Just wait until I tell Nathan that you’re already making real sounds. He’ll be so happy.”
Susannah checked Melody’s diaper and reached for a dry one. Her little girl was almost six weeks old now, and she watched her mother’s every move intently, following her with big curious eyes.
She smiled down at her precious baby while finishing her change and she was surprised when Melody smiled back. That should have pleased her even more. And as a proud mama, she was happy. But despite her joy, big sloppy tears began running down her cheeks.
Without Nathan, she would have no one to share all the small milestones her child reached, no one to share the anxiety when worrying about her little girl as she grew. The loneliness became overwhelming.
Dumb. She wiped her eyes and sniffed the tears back. She’d been alone virtually her entire life, even when she’d been surrounded by family or a supposed lover. It shouldn’t bother her in the least to continue on that way. In fact, now she had someone. She had Melody. The two of them would be the family she’d always wished she’d had.
And she had better get busy with finding a way for the two of them to survive.
She scooped up the baby and strolled to the kitchen, trying to memorize every wall photo and floorboard on the way. This place would have a special space in her heart, and she wanted to remember it and Nathan always.
“There you are.” Maria’s smile was so big it covered her whole face. “Are you hungry?”
After returning to the ranch yesterday, Maria had shoved food at her every hour or so until it was bedtime, claiming she looked hungry. “I think I’m still full from yesterday, thanks. I’ve never seen so much food at one time. It was all great. But right now I’d love a cup of tea or decaf if you’ve got it.”
“Coming right up.”
“After that, will you be able to take a quick trip into town?” The deep voice from behind her sent shivers down her spine—very pleasant shivers.
Perfect Wyoming Complete Collection: Special Agent's Perfect Cover ; Rancher's Perfect Baby Rescue ; A Daughter's Perfect Secret ; Lawman's Perfect Surrender ; The Perfect Outsider ; Mercenary's Perfect Mission Page 31
