Hooked By Sundown (Canyon Junction: Hearts In Love Book 3)

by Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

  ***

  He spotted Sophie and her dad rushing into the hospital. “Where is he?” she asked Wade upon spotting him. Worry outlined her face. Wade put his arm around her shoulder.

  “Come on, I’ll take you back.”

  Her dad followed them. “How is he?”

  “They’ll talk to you about it. They didn’t tell me anything.” Talk about feeling worthless. That’s exactly what he felt like at the moment.

  Sophie clutched his hand. “How did you find them? Thank you.”

  He stopped. “Right here’s the room. I’ll tell you about it later. Go on in.” He pulled the curtain back.

  “Emmett, honey. Are you okay? I’m so sorry.”

  Wade’s heart ached like it never had before to see her in agony. He peered at Aaron and moved back so he could squeeze around to the other side of the bed.

  “Mom, you didn’t do nothing. Don’t be sorry. Hi, Grandpa.”

  “How you doing, boy?” Aaron ran his hand over the top of his head to view the cut.

  “I’m done with your Uncle Clay, I tell you. Done.” Sophie hit her fists against her thighs.

  “He didn’t know I was with him. I stayed on the seat when I heard him start the truck. I was going to pop up and surprise him, but then he had a call and was fighting with somebody on the phone. I thought he would just go to the store to get beer then go back home. But we crashed! I was scared. He climbed out the window. I yelled at him but he kept running, I guess. He might be hurt.”

  “I don’t care,” she said through tears. “If he ran, he wasn’t hurt.”

  Emmett’s eyes filled with concern. “I do care! I don’t want Uncle Clay to be hurt, either.”

  “He stole my truck, wrecked it, and injured you, Emmett. Look at you. I don’t have anything to drive now. Don’t you understand? He wrecked your dad’s truck.” She glanced at Wade.

  Wade witnessed the pain in her eyes. He blinked and looked away. She’d hung on to that truck as a piece of her husband. He glanced at the monitors to prevent looking into her eyes. A knot grew in his throat. Could she ever love him the way she loved Rhett?

  Aaron patted her hand as it rested on Emmett’s chest. “Sophie, honey, you can use my truck. I’ll drive my old one.”

  “Dad.” She peered at Wade with widened eyes. A deputy entered the room.

  “Are you the boy’s mother?”

  “Yes, I am.” Sophie wrung her hands. Wade stood beside her and took hold of one hand.

  “What can you tell us about the accident, ma’am?” He flipped his notepad open and put pen to paper.

  “I can’t tell you anything. I wasn’t there.”

  The deputy glanced at Emmett in the bed. “Ma’am, your son took off in your truck?”

  Sophie gasped. “No, my, my brother did.” She explained what Emmett had told her.

  “He ran off after he hit the tree.” Emmett said to him, “Is my uncle getting arrested?”

  “What’s your brother’s name?” the deputy asked Sophie.

  Wade observed her sadness masked with anger. From this point on, Clay’s next step would be jail again.

  Sophie hung her head and gave his name. “Clay Price.”

  “I’ll be right back.” The deputy pulled the curtain to leave.

  Sophie halted him. “You probably know him.”

  He nodded. “Please don’t leave until we’re finished here.”

  She huffed. “I’m not leaving my son.”

  Her hand was cold in his. “Do you have any idea where Clay went, Soph?”

  “He said he had to get somewhere. A…a bar, I think. I offered to take him home. I left my keys in the truck to talk to him when I saw his hood up by our barn. I forgot to get them when I went inside. He’ll be in so much trouble now. Where did you find Emmett?”

  “After you left, I had to run a part over to a rancher out this way. I came across the truck.”

  “Thank God.” Sophie pulled back the curtain. “Emmett, I have to find a doctor to see what is going on.”

  “They’re going to stitch my head. I’ll have a battle scar forever. The doctor said he wanted to take x-rays of my leg. Will stitches hurt?”

  “You’ll handle the stitches, son.” Sophie set her hands on her waist and frowned. “And you think that’s all cute?”

  “Yep! Daddy had battle scars.”

  Sophie frowned. “I’ll be right back.”

  Wade followed her out. “There’s nothing I can do here. I’m taking off. Let me know later how Emmett is.”

  “No. Stay? The deputy might want to talk to you.”

  Wade checked his watch. He had nothing to do but deliver a part then go to bed, but he’d think about this all night, anyway. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, please stay if you can.”

  He sent a text to the rancher expecting the delivery.

  They waited at the nurse’s station. “Can anyone here tell me about my son, please? What’s your plan? I need to talk to a doctor. His head is still bleeding. He has a headache and pain in his leg. Do something!”

  Wade feasted his eyes on a mama bear at work here. He folded his arms and observed her kick in to mother mode. Hell, it was a good thing she hadn’t seen him when he rushed in here. His brain had kicked into protect mode.

  ***

  A few hours later, Emmett had his head stitched and his lip had been iced numerous times. In addition to the x-ray, he needed an MRI for his knee, which would be scheduled as out-patient. Now he slept. Sophie sat on the side of the bed in the twenty-four-hour holding center in the ER. Aaron had left due to having an early court schedule. Wade hadn’t known it before, but Aaron was semi-retired. He’d wondered why he had been home so often during the day.

  Sophie paced around the room a few times then sat in a straight-back chair beside the bed, her elbow leaning on the mattress. The smooth skin beneath her eyes had dark circles. “Why not sit in the recliner? Try to get some rest.”

  Sophie sat straight and faced him. “Go home, Wade. I appreciate you waiting with me. Thank you.” She rose, leaned over him, and gave him a soft kiss. A nurse entered the room to check on Emmett and gave a little shake to wake him. He opened his eyes and smiled. She nodded at Sophie and left the room.

  Wade took her hand. “I’ll wait until morning. You’ll need a ride home.”

  She sighed. “Once again I have to call the sub line because of my brother. I’ll lose my job.”

  Wade yawned, covering his mouth. “No, you won’t. They know what a good worker you are. Accidents happen.”

  “What kind of mother did I look like telling the deputy I had no idea what had happened to my own son? Damn Clay. I’ll beat him bloody when I get the chance.”

  “Then you’ll be in jail and Emmett needs you at home.”

  “I’m so mad at him. Did your brother do stupid stuff like this?”

  “Worse,” Wade replied with a heavy heart. “I need to be at the lab at eleven in the morning. Cynthia and her boy have to be there too.”

  She strode away but turned to face him with sadness in her sleepy eyes. “Before long, you’ll remember why you cared for her, and I’ll be history.”

  “You’re not going to let it rest, are you. You want to know what I remember about her?” He questioned as low as he could with the subject at hand when instead he wanted to raise his voice to get her attention.

  Wade sat forward with knees apart, his hands dropping between his legs. “We were in a serious relationship. I remember how it tore at my heart when she said good-bye. I won’t keep defending myself to you, Sophie. If Noah’s my kid, and you plan on sticking around, you need to accept we’ll see each other.” Wade stood. “I never invited her into my life, but now she’s here, and she’ll be here because I’ll want to see my kid, and he isn’t old enough to drive himself. If you can’t deal with it, then don’t come over again.” He stormed out the door. Damn, but she needed to make up her mind.

  He came to an abrupt stop in the hallway. What th
e hell had he just done? He reentered the room. She had tears in her eyes. Wade took her hand to pull her into an embrace. “This is new to me too. I don’t know how it’ll all work, but I want you to be a part of it.” He took a step back. “Want a cup of coffee?”

  Sophie stared at the floor but lifted her eyes to his. “Coffee would be nice. You’re a kind man. I don’t deserve you.”

  “Shh. I’m exactly what you deserve, darlin’.”

  Chapter 14

  Sophie woke in the chair beside Emmett when another nurse entered the room to check his vitals. She checked on Wade sleeping in the recliner. It was the first time she’d seen him sleep. Lashes appeared long with his eyes closed. His sensual lips were slightly parted, his breathing slow. He lifted his hand to rub his chin then his eyes opened to hers. Wade smiled, but his gaze went to the bed.

  She sat forward. Oh no! She should’ve called the sub line for a substitute by now. She scrolled through her contacts, made the call, then contacted the office to explain. She called Emmett’s school, and next, left a message on her dad’s cell. “I’ll get us a cup of coffee.”

  Wade stood and straightened his tall body in a stretch. “I’ll get it.”

  “No,” Sophie said with her palm raised. “I need to get out of this room a moment.”

  He strode to the window. “Okay. Thanks.”

  She stopped at the restroom to splash water on her face and run her fingers over her disheveled hair. Bloodshot eyes proved she barely slept. Emmett’s lip had increased in size and would hurt when he woke. Her thoughts went to her brother. Had he been arrested? Hospitalized?

  Sophie straightened her clothes then followed her nose to the smell of coffee and breakfast in the cafeteria. While there, she purchased two egg and bacon biscuits. At this moment, she wasn’t sure what Emmett would want to eat. He hadn’t needed stitches in his lip. According to what Wade had said, it looked worse than it was. She rushed back to the ER and gave Wade his breakfast sandwich and proceeded to drink her coffee. “You can eat it now or take it with you.”

  “Coffee first.”

  “Yeah, me, too. I don’t eat right away at home because I’m getting ready for work.”

  Wade’s gaze journeyed over her. “You look beautiful in the morning without doing anything.”

  She managed a smile. “Thanks.”

  Emmett raised to his elbow. “The food smells good. Will they let me eat?”

  “Probably,” Wade answered. “Your lip will sting a little at first.”

  “How do you feel this morning, honey?” Sophie asked.

  “Headache. My knee hurts bad. Do you think Uncle Clay went to jail?”

  “I don’t know. The doctor said the brace will help with the knee sprain until we find out what’s wrong inside. Looks like you’ll get special treatment at school since you’ll be walking on crutches for a while.”

  “Aw, darn, no horseback riding?”

  “Looks like it,” Sophie answered.

  Wade drank half the coffee. “When you get it off we’ll go riding again. Bender will like having you take him out.”

  “Can we, Mom?”

  Her son woke in a spirited mood after what he’d been through. “Sure. I got you a breakfast sandwich but wasn’t sure what you’d want. They’ll bring you something soon if you want to wait.”

  “Maybe they’ll have pancakes here? That’s what I want. Hi, Grandpa!”

  Sophie lifted her eyes to her dad. “I didn’t expect to see you here this morning.”

  “I brought up my truck. Miss Milly will take me back home to get my other one.” Aaron gave her a casual hug then smiled at Emmett. “How you doing, boy?”

  Emmett shrugged.

  “Well, I’ll see y’all later. Wade, stop by for dinner tonight. I’ll whip up something delicious. I’ll see you there around six o’clock.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll be there.”

  “You can cut the sir business. You made the grade.” Aaron gave Emmett a kiss on the forehead, winked at Sophie, then left.

  “You don’t mind, Sophie?” Wade asked.

  “Why would I mind having you for dinner? You’re welcome at my house. Besides, my dad didn’t put it into a question. I’ll parade you through my little section of Queen Creek while there.”

  Wade grinned. He strode to the side of the bed, lifted his shirt sleeve, and showed Emmett a long scar on the inside of his arm. “I have my own battle scars. Hang in there with those stitches. I’ll see you later.”

  “I’ll walk to the elevator with you. I’ll be right back, Emmett.” She took Wade’s arm.

  “They’ll probably keep him most of the day. You might not be home for dinner if they keep him the full twenty-four hours.”

  “He seems alert and better this morning. I’ll hang out as long as he’s here. Good luck with your test this morning.”

  At the elevator, Wade grasped her hands. “Listen. All it’ll be is a simple test. She’ll go her way, and I’ll go to work. Nothing else is going to happen.”

  “I’m sorry for feeling this way. I don’t know why I’m threatened by her.” She squeezed his hand, and she hated to release them for him to leave. She’d grown close to him. Dangerously close because now her heart would surely break if they parted ways. Everything about him caused a warm glow inside. The thought of another woman swooping in and taking him away now hurt, when she’d let her heart go after four long years now.

  “You’ll figure it out as we go.” Wade lifted her chin and peered at her with the caring softness in his eyes she loved. “You’re the one I’m crazy about. There are no do-overs with her, Sophie. She’ll be gone and out of our lives before long, anyway.”

  “For now, but there’s a lot of years left where she’ll be a part of it.”

  “Let’s hope there’s many years left for Noah’s sake.” He smiled. “Like I said last night. I want you to be a part of the future, but you do need to think this over. I won’t have animosity for the rest of my life. I can’t live that way. If Rhett were here… I might feel the same way, so I’m trying to understand, but trust me when I say I don’t want her.”

  The elevator opened for the third or fourth time. Wade checked the time. “I need to deliver that part and go to work a couple hours before going home for a shower then to the lab. Don’t worry.”

  “I’m still getting to know you. It’ll take time.” Sophie smiled. “I’m crazy about what I do know. Have a good day.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek, but he pulled her closer to kiss her on the lips in front of a few doctors waiting to get on the elevator. She didn’t care. The smell of food filled the hallways and she remembered the sandwiches back in the room. “You forgot your sandwich. I’ll go get it.” She rushed away.

  In the room, she took the sandwich and said to Emmett. “Wade forgot this. Breakfast is coming. I’ll return in two minutes.” Back at the elevator, she handed him the breakfast sandwich. “Eat this on the way. A big strong guy like you needs some nourishment. I owe you breakfast Sunday morning.”

  “Sunday morning?”

  Sophie cocked her head. “You haven’t forgotten about Saturday night, have you?”

  “Yeah, but you just made my day.” Again, he pulled her close. “Gotta go, babe. Keep me posted about Emmett?”

  “Sure. See you tonight.”

  Wade winked before the door closed. Spending a whole night with him, with or without Emmett at his house, made her all jittery inside. She’d let Emmett decide. He might need a night away from her by Saturday.

  ***

  Wade waited in the parking lot for Cynthia who was twenty minutes late. He paced the length of his truck. He dialed her phone, but she pulled in as it rang, and he hung up. Wade got out and waited near his truck. His gaze didn’t go to her but to the boy. He wore blue jean shorts and a t-shirt with a big old pickup truck on the front. Yeah! His boy would be wearing cowboy boots before long. Well, shit, if Noah was blood, he would be.

  “I’m sorry we’re late,” she uttered as they w
alked in together. “I got a place at the extended stay outside of town. It was a good idea. Right, Noah?”

  The boy peered up at her with a smile so wide that his brown eyes shone.

  Wade held the door, gleaming inside to think they’d created such a cute kid. If the boy was his son.

  The official test hadn’t taken much time at all. Wade would receive the results since she didn’t need to see them, according to her. Well, good for her. He needed them for many reasons. “I’m going back to work. I’ll see you Saturday, but—”

  “Now what do I have to do?” She huffed.

  “You don’t have to do a damn thing if you don’t want to. Drop the kid off and go live your life. I’ll deal with telling him everything.” He lowered his voice when the boy looked up at him. “I’ll deal with telling him who I am. We don’t need you there.” Wade picked up the boy and peered at him close up. He had to smile. Instinctively, he brushed hair from his face. It was like brushing his own thick hair back. A new kind of excitement pinged his heart. “How you doing, Noah? You like the big truck on your shirt?”

  He nodded pointing to Cynthia. “Mommy bought it.”

  Wade glanced at her. “Does he talk much?”

  “Yeah, he does. He’s been in preschool forever. I told you he was smart.”

  “We’ll have to find him a place around here.” If…

  “That’s fine. I’ll ask my school on the base if they have a recommendation.”

  Of course, the preschool would be on the base where she’d been stationed. “We’ll handle it as time goes by. How’d you get time off to be here?”

  “I’m on a leave. Did you want to get lunch? Now what is it you wanted me to do Saturday?”

  Wade’s stomach grumbled. “Nah, I’ll grab something to take back. Instead of coming to my place Saturday, let’s meet at a restaurant for lunch. It’ll be more comfortable for everybody. Around eleven-thirty?”

  Her shoulders relaxed as if she liked the idea better. “All right.”