The nerves that had taken over her body retreated, replaced with a tingling feeling of contentment for the man next to her. She had no doubt he would keep her safe. When the door opened Stan walked in like he owned the place, with Archie coming in behind him. Stan stopped. He hadn’t even put on a suit, which really didn’t surprise her. He wore jeans and a denim shirt, and a baseball hat on his head.
“Well, if it isn’t the murderer.” His lips curled into a sneer.
Aurora kept her mouth closed. Holt had told her to be silent until the attorney told her to talk, and since she wasn’t in the room yet, Aurora looked away from where Stan stood.
“Guilt won’t even let you look at me, huh?”
The door opened before Aurora could say anything and a striking woman walked in. She had a sheaf of papers in her hand and she crossed to where Holt sat. Both he and Hawk had stood when the woman came in the room. She shook their hands, and then offered hers to Aurora.
“Good to see you again, Ms. Bickman.”
“You, too, Ms. Turner,” Aurora said.
The attorney turned to Stan. “Mr. Hicks? I’m Leslie Turner. Is this gentleman your attorney?”
“I don’t need one,” Stan said. “He’s a friend so I have someone as a witness.”
“Well then, let me call in someone to set up the recorder so we don’t get confused about what’s said in this meeting.”
Stan glared at the attorney and she said, “Documentation.”
“Whatever.” He flounced down in a seat and he glared at Aurora.
“What’s it like getting away with murder?”
Leslie held up a finger in Aurora’s direction. She nodded and kept her mouth shut.
A woman came in with a pad and pen. She stepped in between Aurora and Holt and fiddled with a recorder set in the middle of the table. After she nodded to Leslie she moved to Hawk’s right, sat down and opened her pad.
“Now that we’re set, Mr. Hicks, what exactly do you want from Ms. Bickman?”
“Money,” Stan said. “She can’t murder my brother and get away with it.”
“Going to prison is not getting away with things,” Leslie said.
“Three years, and she only spent six months in prison, and then parole? That’s bullshit. She killed him in cold blood.”
“She killed him in self-defense,” Leslie said. “You were at the trial as evidenced by this.” She pushed a copy of the newspaper article where Stan had threatened to kill Aurora when he got the chance.
“An eye for an eye,” Stan said with a sneer.
“Yes, well that’s all good when said and done, but Ms. Bickman was punished according to the law. There is nothing else you can do or say about her punishment. This…” she tapped a sharp fingernail on the newspaper article, “is a threat, which is also punishable by law.”
The attorney pushed the papers she’d carried into the room across the table. “This is a restraining order. You are not allowed within two hundred feet of Ms. Bickman. This is our copy. We have one here, and there is one on file in the Bookman County Courthouse, and the sheriff’s department there.”
“Bullshit.”
Holt opened his mouth, but Aurora squeezed his thigh. He put his hand over hers and patted it gently to let her know he understood. Please be quiet. The attorney was doing what they were paying her to do.
“Then give me money,” Stan said. “Or I’ll sue her for all she’s worth. I hear she’s about to marry the cowboy, and they have a big ranch. I’d love to own it. Give me a million and I won’t sue.”
“If you’re talking about a wrongful death suit, you’re way past the time limit on it,” Leslie said. “You have one to three years to file a suit like that.”
“My mother deserves money,” Stan said.
Leslie shuffled through her papers and said, “It says here your mother died two years ago. I am sorry for your loss.”
“Give me money,” Stan said. “The murderer can’t get rich while I suffer. She killed my brother.” He pointed his finger at Aurora.
She wanted to defend herself, but what he said was true, and she’d paid for it.
“You’re beating your head against the wall, Mr. Hicks,” Leslie said. “I believe this meeting is over, and if you violate the restraining order there will be consequences.”
Hawk stood. He’d worn his uniform, with his gun on his hip. Stan stared at it, then got up without saying another word and stormed out of the room. Archie was fast on his heels.
“Just keep a watch out for him,” Leslie said. “He’ll try to find someone who will file a wrongful death suit for him, and he might find someone. But they won’t win, I can assure you of that.”
“I have a little money,” Aurora said. “About five grand. Maybe we should give it to him.”
“No,” Leslie said. “If you give him money he won’t go away. Just ignore his presence and concentrate on your upcoming wedding. I received my invitation on Monday. I look forward to attending.”
There was a glint in her eye, and Aurora couldn’t help but wonder why she was looking forward to the wedding. When they were outside the building, Hawk leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ve got to go fill orders at various stores for Jessica. I’ll see you back on the ranch.”
When they were in the truck, Aurora asked, “Who has Leslie got the hots for?”
“Reed,” Holt said. “They went to university together, and had a fling. Then they broke up. Now they’re looking at each other like they’re a midnight snack waiting to be devoured by each other.”
Aurora laughed. “How are they doing it when he lives in Bookman Springs and she lives in Amarillo?”
“Email and texts,” Holt said as he pulled onto the highway. “You hungry? Should we pull through a drive-thru for some junk food?”
“Are you kidding? I’m supposed to have a fitting for my dress in four days. I can’t afford to eat junk food.”
She laughed, then cried out as something hit them from behind. Holt tightened his grip on the wheel and hit the brakes. “What the hell!” she cried out, and as the sound of metal hitting metal met her ears, her head slammed against the window, and everything went black.
Pain shot through her as Aurora fought to open her eyes. Things were dark, but there was also brightness fighting to push into the darkness. It took her a few moments to realize she was batting her eyelids, and someone was touching her, trying to keep her down.
“No, no,” she managed to croak out. She tried to push at the hands on her, but sharp pain shot through her shoulder and back, and she cried out.
But then, suddenly, a deep voice sounded in her ear. “Baby bear, listen to me. Calm down, do you understand me? Calm. Down.”
“Papa Bear?” she whispered. He was here, here to help her. Here to make her whole.
“Yes, right here. I’m right here. We were in an accident. You lost consciousness. You’re in the emergency room. Do you understand me?”
“Yes,” she whispered. He was on her left side, and she grabbed for him. He took her hand and squeezed. “You need to stay calm and let them help you. Do you understand?”
Aurora nodded, and pain once again shot through her. Tears leaked from her eyes and Holt leaned over her and kissed the edge of her eye. “I love you, baby bear. Please let them do all they can to take care of you.”
“I love you, too,” she said.
A deep voice joined the conversation. “We’re going to have to do emergency surgery to set her shoulder. Are you her husband?”
“Fiancé,” Holt said.
“You have medical power of attorney?”
“I can sign,” Aurora said.
The doctor appeared at Holt’s side. “What’s your name?” he asked.
“Aurora Bickman,” she said.
“And your fiancé?” he asked.
“Holt Coleman.”
“Where are we?”
“The emergency room in Amarillo, Texas.”
“She’s good,” the d
octor said. “Get papers so we can get on with it.”
Holt kissed her once more. “I’ll see you when they’re done. I love you.”
“So you said,” she said with a giggle.
“Have you already given her meds?” Holt asked.
“A little,” a female voice said. “You’re going to have to leave now.”
“I will see you soon,” Holt said.
“Behave,” she whispered to him, and when he smiled, she giggled. The pain was ebbing away, and she felt as if she were floating around the room. When he walked away she wanted to jump up and follow him, but for the second time that day everything around her went dark.
“Is he dead?” Holt vaulted from his seat as Hawk came into the surgery waiting room.
“No, but he’s in jail,” Hawk said. “He blew a .09 which is .01 over the legal limit, which means he’ll be charged with DWI, and I hope they add with bodily injury to that. If it hadn’t been for the guy next to you blocking his exit, Stan would have driven off. Where’s Aurora?”
“In surgery,” Holt answered. He blamed himself for the accident. He should have known Stan would do something. Why hadn’t he checked the parking lot for him? Or noticed they were being followed? “I’m going to kill him.”
“Don’t even say that,” Hawk said. He sat down close to his brother. “If someone hears you, you could be charged with a terroristic threat, which is what we threatened to do to Stan today. Keep your feelings to yourself. It’s hard, but do it. She’ll be fine, right?”
“Will she?” Holt shrugged. “What if they can’t set her shoulder right? She slammed into the truck door, even though she was wearing a seat belt. If she…” he stopped talking and balled his hands into fists.
“The Amarillo officer said Stan has had two DWIs in the last seven years, so this one will mean prison time.”
“He should have faced prison time before this.” Holt glanced at the clock. Was Aurora in surgery now? If he went to the Amarillo jail would the officers allow him time alone with Stan, enough to beat the shit out of the man?
“Leslie’s coming down,” Hawk said. “She wants to document all this. She told me she had an idea of how you could get Stan off y’all’s back forever. I told the guys to stay in Bookman Springs. Merry is going to check on the charges. I had to swear to call them the moment I heard anything.”
Holt nodded. He got up and started to pace. They were the only occupants in the room. It was all he could do to keep his temper under control as he thought of his baby bear lying on a table, undergoing whatever they were doing to her. He had no idea how long they were going to be in surgery, and it was the only thing that kept him in his seat when he really wanted to storm the jail.
“What about Archie?” he asked.
“The cops found him at home,” Hawk said. “Supposedly when Stan told him what he was going to do, Archie said he wanted no part of it and took a bus home.”
“He’s smarter than I thought,” Holt said, just as Leslie came in the room.
“Is everyone all right?” she asked as she gave the brothers hugs.
“Aurora’s in surgery,” Holt said. “But the doctors think she’ll be fine. She broke her shoulder.”
“I’m so sorry,” Leslie said. “But I want to talk to you about something. If I have your approval, I’ll talk to the cops about meeting with Stan.”
“If I see him, I’ll kill him,” Holt said.
“Don’t say that,” Leslie and Hawk said at the same time.
Holt felt as if he might explode. He nodded ever so slowly and said, “I know, I know, hold my temper. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be thinking it.”
“Let me talk fast before they come out to take you back to see Aurora. But first, let me ask was anyone else involved in the wreck? Or was it just the two vehicles?”
“Amazingly enough just the two of us,” Holt said.
“Good, then this might work,” Leslie said. “Let me tell you what I have in mind.”
Once again, Aurora opened her eyes and wondered where she was. Both of her hands seemed to be weighted down. She moaned softly and said, “Papa Bear?”
“Here.” She looked to her left and realized the reason she couldn’t move her hand was because he held it in his. He blinked rapidly, and she wondered if she’d woken him up.
“Can we go home?” she asked.
“Not quite,” he said. “Just a few days. Then you’ll have physical therapy.”
“That doesn’t sound like fun,” she said. “Do I get a vote in this?”
“Nope.” Holt kissed her forehead.
She had so many questions she wanted to ask, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answers. Holt must have read her mind because he told her what had happened, how Stan had rammed them from behind and sent them barreling into the side of the highway, with Holt barely keeping the truck from rolling. He told her that a driver behind them had stopped Stan from fleeing the scene.
“That’s why he’s in jail,” Holt said.
“Good.” She tried to sit up and winced.
“Listen, Leslie has an idea on how to keep him out of our lives, but it would mean signing a contract with him. She thinks we need to do it as soon as possible.”
“What do you think, Papa Bear?”
“Well, since I’m the driver I have to sign. The contract basically says we won’t sue him for all he’s worth if he agrees to leave you alone.”
“Is that blackmail?” she asked.
“As long as it works, I don’t give a damn what they call it.” He kissed her forehead one more time.
“How about you kiss my lips?” Her whole body felt numb, but that didn’t keep her from puckering her lips before she licked them.
He did as she asked, but it was more of a peck and in response she said, “Yuck.”
“Excuse me?” He sat down on the edge of the bed. “Did you just say yuck to my kiss?”
“You call that a kiss?” Aurora giggled, then wondered if she would have said that to him if she hadn’t been so doped up.
He pulled out his wallet and searched through it before he pulled out a piece of paper.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Writing down punishment times,” he said.
“Looking forward to it,” she said, and then she giggled. Yes, it was definitely the drugs.
“Austin’s going to sit with you while I’m out for a while,” he said.
“You’re going to see Stan.” It wasn’t a question, and before he could add to it she said, “Why don’t you bring him here so I can get closure, too?”
“Remember what I said, baby bear.” He took his hand in hers and squeezed gently. “I was the driver. Besides, this is my chance to take care of my little girl.”
“Thank you for taking care of me,” she said.
“Always.” He kissed her gently and this time she said, “Yummy.”
“Better answer.” She smiled, and closed her eyes. Then she opened them and said, “Papa Bear?”
“Yes, baby bear?”
“Don’t do anything he can use against us. For me, please?”
The drugs were taking over, and she could barely keep her eyes open. She closed them just as he whispered, “For you, baby bear, because I love you.”
She wasn’t sure, but she thought she mumbled a response. But if she didn’t tell him now she would tell him later, when they were home.
“You have to behave.”
Hawk’s words echoed through the room, and Holt drummed his fingers on the table, doing just as Aurora had done the day before at the lawyer’s office. Hawk was in uniform, and Holt was still wearing the same clothes he had on yesterday. Austin had brought him a change, but he didn’t want to take the time to clean up. He wanted to get this behind him. He wanted to stand up for his woman.
The door opened and Stan walked in, wearing shackles on his ankles and wrists. The deputy secured his cuffs to the table, then went to stand in a corner. Seconds later Leslie wal
ked in with another woman. She’d explained to Holt the woman was a notary to formalize the papers. She sat next to Holt and nodded.
“So she’s not dead,” Stan said. “That sucks.”
“You’re lucky no one’s dead,” Holt said.
Leslie held up her hand. “I’ve explained the deal to the defendant. He agrees not to contact Aurora, or you, if you agree not to sue him for the accident.”
Before Holt could answer, Stan said, “I don’t want any jail time.”
“That is not up to us,” Leslie said. “If you refuse the deal I’ve just offered you on the civil suit I’ll file the papers this afternoon. Then you can lose everything you own, and when you get out of jail you’ll have nothing.”
For a moment, Holt thought Stan would tell them to go to hell. Instead he said, “Where do I sign?”
Leslie brought out papers and Holt watched as Stan signed, and then Holt signed. Leslie signed, and the deputy signed as a witness. When the papers had been notarized, Stan stood.
“You should know the only reason your nose is not broken is because of the woman I love, who told me to keep my hands to myself.”
“Too bad she didn’t do the same thing with my brother,” Stan said.
“Too bad your brother didn’t do the same thing with her,” Holt answered. Oh he wanted to beat the shit out of the man who had almost taken Aurora from him. But he wouldn’t give him the pleasure, or, as baby bear had said, cause more trouble for them. But he would let him know how he felt.
“If you bother Aurora again, you won’t be able to breathe through your nose ever again.” There, he’d said it.
For a moment, Holt thought Stan would say something else, instead the man glared at him and left the room.
“You deserve a gold star for behaving,” Hawk said.
“I hope this doesn’t come back to bite us in the ass,” Holt said. “I guess we’ll see.”
“Relax,” Leslie said. “I’m a professional.”
They all laughed, and Holt couldn’t wait to get back to the hospital to check on Aurora.
Chapter 18
Aurora's Cowboy Daddy (Rescue Ranch) Page 16
