“You’re not getting out of here with her,” Brody said in a menacing voice pointing his gun at them.
“Don’t bet on it, Deputy.” Ryan stood just behind her, gun to her head and in control—for now. “You won’t take the chance shooting me with Tess right here so close to me.” Suddenly, he pointed his gun at Brody. “I hate like hell killing you, but I don’t have a choice in the matter since I know you’ll try to stop me.”
“You’re damn right about that,” Brody’s stance widened as he stared at Ryan. Tessa was shaking.
“Drop the gun, Deputy or I’ll kill her and you.”
“Please, Brody, just let us go,” she pleaded, as tears trickled down her cheeks.
“You know I can’t do that, Doc Mac. Sam wouldn’t like it,” Brody said without taking his eyes off Ryan.
“Sam doesn’t care about me—not anymore, but he cares what happens to you,” Tessa said trying to convince him.
“The man apparently has morals, if he quit fucking you when he found out you were married,” Ryan said sarcastically.
“Doesn’t matter, Doc. Kirkland’s not leaving here with you,” Brody muttered and Tessa saw a muscle tick in the man’s jaw. Brody was as forthright as Sam was, and would die trying to stop Ryan.
“Drop the fucking gun,” Ryan shouted grabbing Tessa by her ponytail and yanking her head back on her neck making her cry out.
Tessa could see the defiance in Brody’s eyes but he let out a breath, and slowly lowered the gun to the floor.
“Christ, you do have balls, Deputy. I really hate like hell to do this,” Ryan said then he fired his gun. Tessa screamed and watched in horror as Brody fell to the floor. Ryan grabbed her ponytail tighter, and pulled her over toward where Brody lay bleeding on the floor.
“Damn it. You’re quick I’ll give you that, Deputy, but now I just have to shoot you again.” Tessa watched Brody as he struggled to brace himself even as he bled from a gunshot wound to his arm. Ryan stood over him aiming the gun down toward Brody’s head.
“Please, Ryan, don’t. He’s hurt enough. He has a wife and son. Please. Let’s just go. The sheriff is going to know it’s you anyway. You don’t have to kill Deputy Morgan.”
“Oh, but I do. I told you, I don’t like leaving loose ends. You know—”
The sound of a gunshot went off at the same instant the glass in the front door shattered. Blood spattered on her face then Ryan released her hair and fell backward onto the floor. She turned to look down at him. A bullet to the forehead had ended his life.
****
When the fifteen minutes had passed, Sam got worried that Brody and Tessa hadn’t returned so he slipped out of the town hall and walked to the hospital. The streetlights lit the way for him and he could see light spilling out onto the sidewalk from the hospital’s lobby windows. Something told him to use the opposite side of the street so he could see inside without being easily detected. He walked beside the cars parked along the sidewalk.
When he reached the location directly across from the hospital, he swore aloud when he looked in to see Kirkland yanking on Tessa’s hair, and pointing a gun at her head while yelling at Brody who stood with his weapon pointed at Kirkland. Sam withdrew his weapon and moved to the center of the street. He knew with the bright lights inside, no one would see him outside in the street, and with two streetlights out, he was virtually invisible. Suddenly, everything inside seemed to speed up, and then Sam watched in horror as Brody laid his gun on the floor and Kirkland shot him causing him to fall to the floor.
“Son of a bitch,” Sam muttered as he raised his weapon, moved closer to the doors, rolled his shoulders, and took aim at Kirkland. He watched the bastard drag Tessa by her ponytail over to where Brody was struggling to get up. Tessa was saying something but Kirkland took aim at his deputy. Kirkland planned to kill Brody. Sam widened his stance, took a deep breath, and slowly blew it out, knowing he couldn’t wait any longer. He fired and saw Kirkland’s head snap back just after the bullet shattered the glass doors striking him right between the eyes. As Sam ran to the hospital doors, he saw Kirkland fall back onto the floor and heard Tessa scream. Stepping through the broken glass, crunching it beneath his boots, he reached Brody and knelt down beside him.
“Are you all right, Brody?”
“I’ll live but I’m bleeding pretty badly.”
Sam nodded, and stood then spoke into the two-way radio hooked on his shoulder calling for an ambulance and the coroner. He turned his eyes to Tessa.
“Are you all right?” She nodded but her face was pale and he saw she was trembling. Giving her something to do was the best way to keep her from losing it completely. “Could you get some gauze for Brody’s wound and wrap it until the ambulance gets here?”
“Yes…I…yes.” She disappeared down the hallway.
“Let me look at it,” Sam told Brody as he helped him sit up then assisted him in shrugging out of his jacket. “Shit—not through and through. You’ll need surgery to remove the slug, my friend.”
“I’ll be fine. Just get Maddie for me,” Brody’s speech was beginning to slur due to shock and blood loss.
“I’ll call Rick and have him get her. She can meet you at the hospital.” Sam made a quick call to Rick.
“He was hiding in the back, Sam. He probably would have waited as long as it took,” Brody murmured.
“You’re probably right. Save your strength. The ambulance is on the way.”
Sam quickly stood when Madilyn came running through the door and he glared at Rick.
“She refused to go to the hospital. She said she knew he was here.” Rick shrugged.
Sam watched as Madilyn sank to her knees beside Brody with tears streaming down her face.
“He’ll be fine, Madilyn,” Sam said as he squatted down beside them, patting her on the back.
“He’d better be, Sam Garrett,” she said and glared at him. He saw Brody smile.
Sam ran his hand over his mouth. “Yes, ma’am.”
Tessa returned to the room with supplies, cleaned up the blood on Brody’s arm, and then wrapped the gauze around it. Sam swore when he saw all the blood and he saw Madilyn’s face go pale. He put his hand on her shoulder to lend comfort.
“How did he miss you?” Sam asked Brody.
“Well, he obviously didn’t, but I dodged when I knew he was going to shoot. I watched his eyes. I was ready for it,” Brody told him.
“Good job.” Sam watched Tessa wrap tape around the gauze. The next thing Sam knew, there were people trying to crowd into the hospital. He stood and faced them raising his hands to reassure folks.
“Everything is fine. Go back to the town hall. Brody got himself shot, but he’ll be fine.”
“Is that Kirkland?” Wyatt asked him, jerking his chin at the man on the floor.
Sam glanced over his shoulder to the man lying in a pool of blood. “Yes.”
“Good shot, Sam,” Wyatt told him and turned to the crowd. “Come on, everyone. This is completely under control—back to the party.”
Sam sighed. He knew everyone considered him and Wyatt to be the best sharpshooters around this part of Montana. Wyatt had helped Sam out on more than one occasion and Sam had saved Madilyn when a lunatic had her. Sam didn’t like killing anyone but to see Kirkland with his gun pointed at one of his deputies made him see red, and there was also no way he was getting out of here with Tessa. Sam glanced down at her while she worked on Brody.
“I’m so sorry, Brody,” she said to him as she finished the bandaging.
“Don’t worry about it, Doc Mac. I’ll be fine.”
Sam watched as Tessa looked to Madilyn. “I’m so sorry, Madilyn. It’s my fault.”
“No, Tess. Please don’t think that. You didn’t pull that trigger.”
Sam glanced away. Tessa blamed herself for Kirkland shooting Brody. He mentally shook his head as he saw the ambulance pull up. When the EMTs rushed in with a stretcher, they all moved back. They checked Brody over then lifted hi
m onto the stretcher and rolled him out. Madilyn followed and climbed into the back of the ambulance with Brody.
Sam would wait for the coroner. He exhaled long when he realized only he and Tessa remained. Watching her stare down at Kirkland, Sam saw a tear roll down her cheek. Was she upset he was dead? She raised her eyes and looked at him.
“I’m sorry I had to kill him, Tessa. I couldn’t take the chance, if I just shot to wound, he might have been able to still kill Brody—or you,” Sam told her.
Tessa moved to stand close to him staring up at him. “Don’t apologize for killing him. He deserved it. I’m glad he’s dead. He was an evil, evil man.” She walked around him and started out the door. Her words reminded him so much of Mary Baker’s.
“I’ll need you to come in and file a report, Tessa.”
Hesitating in the doorway, she nodded and then walked out, the glass crunching under her shoes. Sam muttered under his breath then sat behind the counter to wait for the coroner. Tossing his Stetson onto the counter, he leaned back in the chair and propped his feet up on the desk, hoping it wouldn’t take them long to get here.
Chapter Seventeen
It was a late Saturday afternoon and Tessa lay on her sofa dozing off when her cell phone rang.
"Doctor McGuire," Tessa answered in a voice barely above a whisper and full of sleep.
"Doc Mac?"
Tessa cleared her throat and blinked herself fully awake. "Yes. I'm sorry, who's this?"
"It's Wyatt. There's something wrong with Bear. Would you mind coming out or do you want me to bring him to you?"
"I'll be right there, Wyatt." Tessa hung up.
She was happy to do anything right now to get her mind off Sam. Anger rushed through her when more tears rolled down her face. It was certain now he wanted nothing more to do with her. Since the shooting last month, she hadn’t seen him at all. Rick had taken her statement.
Shaking anger, frustration, and the rest of the sleepiness from her head, she retrieved her medical bag and headed for Wyatt's ranch. When she arrived, Olivia came running out to meet her. It was snowing heavily around them.
"Thanks for coming, Tess. We don't know what's wrong with him. He won't eat and he's just lying on the straw. He doesn’t want to get up or anything."
Tessa could hear the panic in her voice. "Let me see him, Liv. I'll do what I can."
She followed Olivia into the barn to where the dog lay. Crouching down alongside the animal, she rubbed Bear's head. "What's going on with you, Bear? Did you eat something you shouldn't have?"
"He hasn't eaten since yesterday," Wyatt told her. He squatted down beside her. "He's only six years old." He glanced at Tessa. "Do what you can, Tess. Please."
An hour later, Bear was up and eating. He’d had a stomach virus of some sort so Tessa had given him some medicine to help. After checking him out again, she stood and told Wyatt and Olivia that he'd be fine but to keep an eye on him and let her know if there was any change.
“How’s your beautiful son, Liv?” Tessa had wanted to have children one day and had even imagined doing so with Sam but she’d obviously messed up that chance.
Olivia smiled at her. “He’s gorgeous of course. He looks just like his daddy.”
“You were lucky that Sam…” She couldn’t say anything more. Just saying his name made her heart ache.
Olivia hugged her then pulled back from her raising an eyebrow at her. "Are you all right, Tess?" Olivia whispered close so it was between just them.
Tessa started to nod but then a tear rolled down her face as she shook her head. Olivia wrapped her arms around her as Tessa cried. Tessa heard Olivia telling Wyatt that everything was okay, and that she'd be in soon then handed him the baby monitor.
Tessa pulled back. "I'm sorry, Liv. I'm trying not to fall apart…"
"I was hoping you two could’ve worked it out by now," Olivia said.
Tessa gazed at her and shook her head. "He’s done with me. I lied to him so he doesn’t trust me anymore. He’ll never forgive me."
"Why the fuck not?" Olivia exclaimed. "You love him. He loves you. End of story."
Tessa laughed without humor. “I’ve apologized so many times, Liv. He just can’t get past my lying to him, especially about being married.” She shook her head knowing all was lost.
"That man adores you. I can only imagine how he's feeling knowing you lied to him, but love is about forgiveness. You had your reasons, Tess, and eventually he’ll understand that." She put her arm around Tessa's shoulders. "Don't let the love of your life get away. Please don't do that, Tess. Sam's a wonderful man and you’re lucky to have found each other. That’s a huge feat in today’s world.”
“He doesn’t want me,” Tessa whispered.
“I don’t believe that. You know I’m your friend, Tess,” Olivia said.
“I know, Liv.”
“So, I wouldn’t say anything to hurt you, but I have to say this—if you let a man like Sam Garrett, get away—you’re a damn fool.”
“Liv—”
“No. You listen to me. You love each other. The entire town was so happy about you two being together. We’ve all had our hearts broken at one time or other. It’s a part of life. You need to do whatever it takes to get Sam back.” Olivia took a deep breath. “Look at Wyatt. He swore he’d never love again, but he loves me and gave love another chance. I read somewhere that one day the right person will come along and make you realize why the others didn’t work out. Tess, don’t let love with this man slip through your fingers. Sam is an amazing man. You know how I feel about that sexy sheriff. You need to grab onto him and hold on before someone else does. Make him realize you two are meant to be together.”
Tessa shook her head. “It’s too late now, Liv.”
“That is a crock of shit. I don’t believe that. It’s never too late for real love. Sam’s loved you since the first time he saw you—I knew that even if he didn’t,” she said laughing. “And his love for you isn’t going to disappear because you hurt him.” Olivia took her hand in hers. “Go after him, Tess. Don’t let the love of your life go.”
“I’ve hurt him too badly. He’ll never forgive me.” Tessa was so certain about that it hurt to say it.
“Of course he will. He loves you. Look, Tess…I almost lost Wyatt, and when I think about what my life would be like without him…well, I just can’t imagine it. We were both so very stubborn. I was tired of him not committing and he was too proud to ask me to stay. Don’t let Sam walk away. Go after that man. You won’t regret it.”
“I’ll think about it,” Tessa whispered even as she wondered if what Olivia was saying was true. Could it be that she needed to just keep at him until he got past his pride?
“You’d better think damn fast because there’s not a woman in the entire county who wouldn’t jump at the chance to have Sam.”
“You don’t know how badly he was hurt when he found out,” Tessa whispered.
“All of us have worked hard for the love of our lives. Take a look at your friends right here in Clifton. Becca once accused Jake of stealing her horses and ransacking her home. Emma took Sophie and left Gabe because she didn’t believe he loved her and only married her because of their daughter. Madilyn wouldn’t leave here and go with Brody and she suffered miserably until he finally came back to town. Ryder made Kelsey leave him because he didn’t believe they could make it together. Katie wouldn’t move to Texas with Riley and almost lost him until he came to his senses. Wyatt treated me like shit but I hung in there until he listened to his heart. We’ve all had pain in our relationships but we all learned to forgive. Sam wants you, he loves you, and like Wyatt, he needs to get past his pride and listen to his heart.” Olivia sighed. “I’m trying to make a point here, Tess. Sam is your one and you are his. You need each other. It was fate you came to Clifton and met him just as it was for Becca, Kelsey, and me. Don’t let him go. If you don’t at least try, I promise you that you’ll regret it forever.”
Tessa star
ed at Olivia and suddenly, she knew Olivia was right. Sam was the best thing to happen to her and yes, she had hurt him but if he really loved her, he’d forgive her. She had been without him long enough. She had to give saving what they had one more try. Tessa nodded and hugged Olivia.
"Thank you, Liv. I have to go find Sam, I’ll beg him if I have to."
Olivia grinned and hugged her back. "You go girl. Invite us to the wedding."
Tessa smiled, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she laughed as she ran to her SUV. As she tore out of the driveway, nervous energy filled her as she drove toward Copper Ridge Road, where she hoped Sam was running radar. If she didn’t find him there, she’d go to the station or his home. Sam Garrett needed to know how much she loved him. If he didn’t want anything more to do with her after one more attempt to save what they had then at least, she’d know she tried.
****
Lately, the days seemed to run into each other, one after the other. Sitting at his desk on a Saturday, Sam stared at the form in front of him. He couldn’t concentrate. Thoughts of Tessa kept filling his head. Running his hand over his jaw, he tried to remember when he last shaved—the day before yesterday maybe. He really didn't care, sighing as he picked up the form.
Rick had filled it out and all Sam had to do was sign it. So, do it already. It was just a formality. A form used for DUI charges. Sam swore and signed the form. That finished up his day and that was why he'd taken so long to sign it. Knowing once he did, he could go home, and sit in that house—alone.
Jesus! You miss her.
Sam shook his head and stood telling his inner voice to shut up and get over her. Getting over her wasn’t going to be easy to do since they lived in a two-lane town, and he was doing his absolute best not to run into her as it was. He swore and strode from his office glancing at Betty Lou who stood when she saw him.
Sam Men of Clifton, Montana Book 7 Page 21
