Kelly nodded and glanced up. "One of the officers told me Consuela wrote out a statement."
"Really?" He lifted an eyebrow. "Consuela hates to write anything, even letters. What did she say?"
"She said that once she saw the Star Mother cult for what it really was, she knew she couldn't go through with the suicide. She only pretended to take Valya's elixir because she saw what it was doing to everyone. That's why her mind remained clear. What convinced her the cult was just a madwoman's fantasy was when Valya arranged the deaths of her own children." Kelly drew in a shaky breath. "By drawing pictures in the sand to communicate, Consuela was able to convince Lynette to spill her drugged drink this morning, the same way Consuela spilled hers. After everyone was passed out and the generators started, she ventilated the main tent as best she could before going after Lynette. That's when she found me."
Perhaps his work with Consuela had done some good after all. "And Valya?"
She looked warily at Lynette then silently mouthed: She didn't make it.
A part of him ached over that, but it was the part that cared for Lynette. Hearing of her mother's death would be especially hard on the child, and now was not the time to tell her. "How are you holding up?"
Kelly shrugged. "Dizzy. Hungry." She held up a bottle of water. "And thirsty." She handed it to him.
He chugged half of it before giving it back. "Thanks."
A strained silence settled between them, then both said in unison, "I'm sorry."
They laughed, and Kelly said, "You first."
"I'd rather you did." He climbed into the ambulance and sat beside her, cradling a now-sleeping Lynette in his lap. "You were about to tell me something just before the police got here."
An EMT approached them and held out his arms. "I'll take her for you," he said, nodding at Lynette. "We need to check her vitals, treat her for shock."
Sam stared down at the sweet little girl in his arms and bent to kiss her gently on the forehead. Reluctantly, he handed her to the EMT. "She's very precious. Please take care of her."
The pasty-faced EMT nodded and grinned as he gently took Lynette from his arms. "Don't worry, sir. She's in good hands."
Sam watched the man vanish around the corner of the ambulance before saying, "So..."
Beneath the layers of grime on her face, he saw her blush. She focused on Jake's hand again. "I'm sorry for putting you through all this to save my brother. Now that it's done, I have to take him back to Phoenix, back to our father."
Sam's heart caved in. "I understand."
"I'm staying with him, Sam. He needs me."
"I need you."
Her head snapped up. "You do?"
"I realized how important you were to me the moment you left my cabin yesterday. Then less than an hour ago, I almost lost you forever."
She blinked, her eyes shining, her lips parted, but she remained silent while waiting for him to go on.
He grabbed her hand and held it between his own. "Everything's different for me now. After what Valya did to me, and to my mother, I never thought I could love anyone. Women were a threat, not to be trusted. But then I met you." He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the backs of her fingers.
Kelly shuddered beneath his touch and smiled. She leaned back against the wall of the ambulance. "Okay, you've convinced me. Men really aren't so bad."
"Sure we are," he said slyly. "We just need you women to make us better."
Never having had a meaningful relationship, how was she supposed to express how she felt? She'd already made a fool of herself once, when they had picnicked that night at Key Views. Coming on too strong had caused a fight between them, which had ultimately ended in a night to remember. Maybe blurting out her feelings wasn't such a bad idea after all. "Sam?"
"Yes?"
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
She stared at him, nonplused. "Are you teasing me?"
"Why? Are you teasing me?"
She let out an exasperated gasp. "I think I'll return to my original assessment of men. You're all jerks."
He rolled his eyes.
"How dare you make fun of me. I just bared my soul to you, and you won't even take me seriously. You think it's easy to admit how I feel? Men have been running my life since the day I was born. You're all self-centered brutes. After everything I've been through with you these past few days, I can't believe you have the nerve to mock my—"
He silenced her with a kiss. A long, deep, hungry kiss that sent wonderful sensations scurrying to her most sensitive parts. When he finally drew away, leaving her breathless, he said evenly, "Shut up."
"Okay." She kissed him back, her tongue dominating the dance between their lips. She pulled back first and said, "Better?"
His eyes were dark with passion. "How about we close these ambulance doors and do it right?"
Her lips quirked in a teasing smile. "Would you like me to stay in California?"
"Need you even ask?"
"It's the polite thing to do."
"What about your father?"
She sighed. "It's going to take some time for me to get used to the New Dad. I haven't forgiven him for how he abused Jake and me when we were kids, but I've softened to the possibility."
"What about Jake?"
Kelly paused before saying, "He'll decide for himself. But I'd really like it if you'd work with him, Sam. He's going to need counseling after all this."
Sam frowned. "And what do I get in return?"
She hummed as if deep in thought before saying, "Me. I'll help you with Lynette, and I'll be your partner in the cult intervention business. We make a good team."
"Indeed we do." He leaned in to kiss her again, his booted foot nudging the ambulance doors until they closed.
Desert Guardian Page 23
