The Texan's Return

by Karen Whiddon

  Mac stared at her, his expression concerned. “Are you sure you’re up for that right now? Tom will understand once he finds out the reason why.”

  “Of course I’m up for it.” Her perky answer fooled no one. Both Mac and one of the uniformed officers eyed her, neither bothering to hide their concerned disbelief.

  “What’s going on?” Detective Logan walked back over, looking from Mac to Hailey to his officer, who shook his head and moved away.

  “I’ve got to get to my little brother’s basketball game,” Hailey said. “I’m already late.”

  “There are statements to make,” Logan said. “Plus you need to be checked out medically.”

  “Not right now. Please. I have to be there. I promised. Can’t we do the rest later?”

  The detective glanced at Mac, who shrugged.

  “I’m really late,” Hailey repeated, aware some of her desperation had leaked through to her voice.

  “I can help with that. Would you like a police escort?” Detective Logan asked, smiling. “The FBI is handling transport, and I’m done for the night.”

  She nodded, before remembering her car was now evidence. “I’ll need a ride,” she said, eyeing Mac.

  After holding her gaze for a long moment, Mac finally smiled back and nodded. “Since that’s what you’re determined to do,” he told Hailey, “we might as well make sure you don’t miss anything.”

  On the way to the game, staying right behind the police cruiser with lights flashing, Mac broke every speed limit. Hailey had no idea how long a basketball game lasted, but no one seemed to think it was already over, which was good.

  While she’d started to come back to herself, the shaking and the foggy numbness having begun to dissipate, Hailey knew she’d have to work harder to appear unaffected and normal. If anyone would guess something was wrong, her three siblings would. They knew her better than anyone.

  Even Mac. Though he constantly shot worried glances at her, he never questioned her ability to continue on with her normal life after having been tied up and assaulted and almost killed. She only hoped his apparent faith in her was justified.

  Right now, she just needed to straighten her spine and get through the next several hours. If she could do that, she could collapse later, in the privacy of her bedroom, where no one would see strong, capable Hailey breaking down.

  Oddly enough, this thought buoyed her. And Mac, so sure and strong and kind and loving, made her feel better, too. Watching his capable hands on the wheel as he drove, Hailey realized one truth that she should have known all along. She loved him. Always had and always would. Not that knowing made any difference. She’d never abandon her siblings.

  They pulled up to the middle school auditorium, and Mac drove right to the doors. “Go,” he said, smiling, though his eyes remained worried. “I’ll meet you there once I park.”

  “Thank you.” She leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. “See you inside.”

  Hurrying through the hall toward the crowded gymnasium, she hoped she wasn’t too late. Though she had an extremely good excuse—being tied up and held captive by a serial killer—she knew how much this first game meant to her brother. She wouldn’t miss it for the world.

  The game was still going on. Whew. She slipped inside, glad to see such great attendance. Every time her thoughts skipped back to earlier, she forced herself to focus on the task at hand.

  There. Tom. Out on the court, circling around a guy on the opposing team who had the ball. While she watched, Tom made a move, stripping the basketball from his opponent and dribbling it right past several other players.

  As he neared the basket, he shot and made it. The entire grandstand erupted, jumping to their feet and cheering. Hailey, too, though when she opened her mouth to yell, all that came out was a croak.

  And then, as everyone began to sit back down, the room started spinning. The last thing Hailey saw was the person in front of her, about to unintentionally cushion her fall.

  * * *

  Walking into the gymnasium, Mac located Hailey and headed toward her, just as she jumped to her feet, her attention on the game. On his way, he glanced at the court, just in time to watch Tom confidently steal the ball and score. He cheered and then looked back at Hailey to see her reaction. Like everyone else in the stands, she’d gotten to her feet, clapping. Her blond hair gleamed in the artificial light.

  Marveling at her beauty, he kept his eyes trained on her as he hurried toward her. Right as he reached the edge of the grandstand, she appeared to go boneless. She pitched forward, crumpling and falling onto the person in front of her.

  His heart stopped, then adrenaline surged through him. Pushing through the onlookers, he reached her, scooping her up from where she lay, draped over the bleacher like a broken rag doll.

  “Don’t move her,” someone called out. “I’m a doctor.”

  So Mac laid her down gently on the floor at the edge of the court. The official called a time-out. And Tom rushed over. A second later, Tara and Eli appeared. All three kids clung together. They wore identical looks of shock and worry.

  “What happened? Is she all right?”

  The man who claimed to be a doctor hurried over. He took Hailey’s pulse, examined her eyes and then turned to Mac. “Did she take anything?”

  “No.” Glancing at the three kids, Mac swallowed. “She’s been through a very traumatic event. I think the immensity of it just caught up with her.”

  “I called 911,” another woman volunteered.

  “She needs to go to the ER,” the doctor said, standing and dusting his hands on his pants. “From what I can tell, while she’s in shock, she isn’t in any critical danger. They’ll need to run tests to learn more.”

  As relief flooded him, Mac held out his arms. Tom, Tara and Eli crowded in without hesitation. “She’s going to be all right,” he repeated. “I promise, she’ll be fine.”

  The paramedics arrived just as Hailey regained consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open. “What happened?” she asked, glancing from Mac to her siblings, her brows lowered in a perplexed frown. “I remember getting dizzy, and then...did I fall?”

  Tara, Tom and Eli surrounded her, all talking at once. Mac stayed in the background, ready to help in case she needed him. The paramedics helped her up, asking if she could walk, and helped her outside the gymnasium, Eli and Tara on their heels. Tom hesitated, looking from Hailey to his team.

  “Go back and play,” Mac finally told him, giving him a little push toward the game. “Your sister is going to be fine. I’ll come back and pick you up when the game is over.”

  After a second of hesitation, Tom nodded and dashed back to his team.

  Mac hurried outside, just in time to see Hailey being loaded into the ambulance, her expression confused. Eli and Tara huddled together, looking lost. When they saw Mac, they both brightened.

  “They’re taking her to the hospital as a precaution,” Tara declared. “Will you drive us there?”

  “Of course.”

  At the hospital, they saw the ambulance parked under the loading bay at the ER. “Stay with me,” Mac ordered, and he and the kids hurried inside. Hailey had been sent to Room 12 to be checked out. When they got there, she was sitting up in bed, shivering despite the blanket wrapped around her. She smiled wanly once she saw Mac and the kids.

  “Are you cold?” Tara cried, wrapping her arms around her older sister as if her body heat would be enough to warm her.

  “She’s in shock.” A stranger’s voice came from the doorway. A woman in a white coat walked into the room. “Apparently, she had quite a traumatic day. We’re going to give her some IV fluids and some medicine to help her calm down. After we keep an eye on her for a few hours, she should be able to go home, pending the test results, that is.”

  They all nodded
and the doctor left the room.

  “What happened?” Tara asked, moving in close and taking Hailey’s arm. “Why did you have a traumatic day?”

  “Where’s Tom?” Hailey asked instead of answering. Her voice wobbled because her teeth were chattering.

  “I sent him back to the game,” Mac told her. “I hope you don’t mind. It seemed like the right thing to do.”

  “It was.” Hailey attempted a smile, her gaze sliding past him to her brother and sister. “Kids, I’m afraid I have some bad news to tell you.”

  When she’d finished speaking, both Eli and Tara stared at her. She’d given them a cleaned-up version of the day’s events, but the end result remained unchanged—their birth father most likely was a serial killer. And he’d killed the other sister none of them remembered.

  Wide-eyed, the two kids stared at her when she’d finished speaking.

  “But you’re okay?” Eli squeaked. “He didn’t hurt you?”

  “No,” Hailey answered. “Thanks to Mac, I’m okay.”

  “That’s all that matters.” The fierceness in Tara’s voice matched her expression.

  “I am.” Some of the color had come back to Hailey’s face. “Please, let me talk to Tom before you say anything. Will you both promise me that?” The kids all nodded. “Thank you.” After taking a deep breath, Hailey swallowed. She dragged her fingers through her hair. “This has been a day.”

  “It has,” Mac agreed. He turned to look at Eli and Tara. “Would you both go wait in the waiting room for a minute? I want to talk to your sister alone.”

  Immediately and without question, they turned to go. “Here,” Mac said, stopping them before they reached the door and handing each of them a five. “I know you haven’t eaten yet. Get yourself something out of the vending machine while you wait.”

  They exchanged glances. “Hailey already gave us money,” Tara said. “We’ll find something to eat.” They left the room.

  “That was nice of you,” Hailey began.

  “Shh,” he cut her off, cupping her face with his hand and kissing her, slow and deep. When he finally came up for air, breathing hard, he took in her dazed expression and kissed her again.

  “I almost lost you today,” he said, his mouth inches from hers. “Do you have any idea what that did to me?”

  “I...” With a tremulous smile, she shook her head and sighed.

  “I love you, you know.” One more kiss, more insistent than the last. “I want to be with you for the rest of my life.”

  “I love you, too.” Gaze troubled, she turned her head away, so his lips grazed her cheek. “But, Mac, I can’t give you what you want. I won’t leave my brothers and sister.”

  “Who said you had to?”

  Her incredulous expression made him laugh.

  “Seriously?” She frowned. “You have to take care of Gus. I have to take care of them. What kind of life would we be able to have?”

  “We’ll figure it out. Though it breaks my heart, my situation with Gus is only temporary. And when June is better, she’ll come back home. I’m thinking she’ll want to take more of an active role in raising her children.”

  “Maybe.” Hailey still sounded doubtful.

  “You don’t have to decide anything today.”

  At his words, she relaxed, her relief palpable. “I don’t want to lose you, Mac.”

  One more kiss, this one sending heat blazing through both their veins. “You won’t,” he promised. “We’ll take this one day at a time and see what the future holds. As long as we’re together, everything will be all right.”

  “Together,” she agreed, her eyes drifting closed.

  “Together,” he repeated, his words a fierce promise, even though she’d already fallen asleep.

  Epilogue

  Gus had been thrilled to learn the actual killer had confessed and was in custody. Though Hailey had wanted to be there when Mac told him, she hadn’t been able to, so she’d listened in on the phone while Mac gave him the news. He’d whooped out loud, the Texas A&M battle cry, and then, according to Mac, he’d wept.

  Gus had insisted on a celebration, and once Hailey felt well enough, she and Tom, Tara and Eli went over with homemade cupcakes and bottles of sparkling water and a gallon of homemade sweet tea. Dolores brought brightly colored balloons and a pot of baked beans made, she said, from an old family recipe. Mac’s contribution was the one the kids were most excited about—foot-long hot dogs cooked on the grill.

  The day had dawned with the promise of a perfect spring day. The cloudless bright blue sky, the blooming flowers and the temperatures in the high sixties made it a beautiful time for a celebration.

  With everyone together, it felt like a family get-together. The only one missing was June, but she’d been absent so long, Hailey doubted any of the kids actually noticed her absence. She knew once June had been deemed well enough to return home, she’d have to spend some time rebuilding her relationship with her children.

  Meanwhile, Hailey had resolved to focus on each day as it came. Right now, she’d savor this moment, with these people. Being around Gus had taught her to take nothing for granted. His brief recovery hadn’t lasted, but he hadn’t declined further either. He was maintaining, she supposed, though the pounds continued to melt from him. He claimed not to be in any pain, so Dolores had withdrawn the morphine. She’d made him promise he’d let her know if he hurt, so she could take care of it.

  He loved having the kids running around, and his joy made Mac happy. Mac’s delight shone from his eyes, which made Hailey’s heart sing with pleasure.

  Even though Gus couldn’t eat much, he took a single bite out of one of Hailey’s cupcakes, pronounced it delicious and smiled. He’d gotten weaker, but Hailey thought he seemed happier, more at peace.

  The kids had been subdued around him until Mac set them up a volleyball net in the backyard, and once they got outside, their natural exuberance returned. She was glad to see this. For the first few days after Hailey’s release from the hospital, they’d stuck to her like glue, afraid to let her out of their sight.

  But life went on. She’d made them go to school, and she’d returned to work at Mac’s caring for Gus. Now Saturday had swung around again, and they were celebrating the clearing of the Morrison name. Detective Logan and the FBI had promised to try to rush through an official exoneration, but no one knew if it would arrive in time.

  Mac and Dolores had managed to wheel Gus’s hospital bed and IV outside, so he could enjoy the warmth of the sun on his skin. He grinned, winking at Hailey when Mac wasn’t looking. She hurried over, eager to get him anything he might need.

  Instead, he held out his bony hand for her to take. Once she had, he motioned her to come closer.

  “What is it, Gus?”

  “Are you going to make an honest man of him?” he asked gruffly. “The one worry I have about leaving is being sure my son is happy. He’s been alone for way too long.”

  A warm glow flowed through her veins, making her blush. “We’re taking it one day at a time,” she began.

  The sound of Mac tapping a knife on a glass interrupted her. The afternoon sun lit up his dark hair with spikes of gold, shadowing his craggy face and making her chest ache. She’d always found his raw masculinity so damn beautiful.

  “Attention, everyone,” he said, eyeing Eli until the boy dropped the volleyball and watched him. “I have something I want to say.” Holding out one large hand, he locked gazes with Hailey. “Will you come and join me?”

  Everyone stared as Hailey slid her fingers into his.

  Still holding her hand, he dropped to one knee in front of her.

  “Hailey Green,” he began.

  “Wait.” She knelt down with him, her eyes filling with tears. “I thought we were going to go slowly.”

/>   “Hailey?” Tara’s clear voice cut across the silence. “Remember what I said? It’s time to grab some of that happiness for yourself.”

  Just like that, Hailey’s eyes filled. While Tara was right, she was too young to understand how complicated things were.

  “Miss Hailey?” Now Gus spoke up. “I’d sure like to see you and my son married before I go on to my next adventure to the life after this one.”

  “I’d like that, too,” Dolores chimed in, seconded by Eli, jumping up and down with excitement.

  More than anything in the world, Hailey longed to say yes. “There’s nothing more I want than to be your wife,” she said quietly, looking only at Mac. “But where will we live?”

  “We’ll figure that out,” Mac said, holding out the ring. “With love, anything is possible. Now, are you going to answer me?”

  He was right. Loving him so much, she managed to smile back through her tears. “You haven’t actually asked me yet.”

  With a hoot of laughter, he did. “Hailey, my darlin’, will you marry me?”

  Holding his gaze for one more moment, she looked past him to all the expectant faces. His father, at the end of his life. Her brothers and sister, at the beginning of theirs. Dolores, so caring and kind. “Yes,” she said. “Yes, I will.”

  He whooped and kissed her then, right in front of everyone. Sliding the ring on her finger, he whispered in her ear. “It’ll all work out in the end. You’ll see. One day at a time.”

  They were married a few weeks later, in the same spot in the backyard where Mac had proposed. In attendance was Gus, whom they’d once again wheeled outside in his hospital bed, as well as Dolores, Tom, Tara and Eli and, as a surprise, June, who’d gotten a day pass from the rehab facility to come.

  The kids were overjoyed to see their mother, lavishing her with attention, which gave Hailey hope that things would finally work out with June and her children.

  Today, though, she’d focus on Mac. Her Mac. Waiting eagerly for her to come to him and finally, finally, join her life with his.