A Wild Ride (Thompson & Sons Book 4) (26 page)

The sound of his laid-back drawl nearly did her in. She met the board at the edge of the road, fighting tears because her bursting into a sobbing mess was the last thing he needed right now. “Look at you, lazy butt. How did you rate the harem to carry you around?”

“Don’t they look great? I’m thinking of getting them to hang around 24/7. Especially the big blond—I might hire him to give me piggyback rides.”

The big blond—Chase—chuckled. “Of course, Your Majesty. Although I hope you don’t try to steer…”

Troy hissed. “Low-blow, man, low-blow. I’ll have you know I ended up exactly where I intended.”

They were carrying him toward the ambulance, and Nicole could only catch glimpses of his face. “I’ll meet you at the hospital,” she promised.

“Sure.” Troy lifted a hand from the board. “Hey, Nic?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you. Sorry I crashed your car.”

Plain as day, straight up, a hint of amusement in his voice.

How she found the strength to imitate his casual tone, she had no idea. “I love you too. We’ll buy another. Or maybe a tank.”

He wiggled his fingers. “See you in a bit. Oh, and tell Mike he needs to bring in his truck sometime soon—his brake pads need replacing.”

Then he was gone into the back of the ambulance.

Nicole turned, the smile she’d pinned in place vanishing between one breath and the next. Choking on tears of relief as strong hands wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her against a solid chest.

Kevin. “He’s going to be okay, Nic. We found him in time.”

“Good.” She sucked for air around the tears. “I need to get to the hospital. Where’s Mike?”

“Right here.” Her brother caught her by the hand and led her back to the truck. “Come on, let’s get you there in one piece.”

It was a long enough ride she let herself cry for a bit before wiping her eyes and getting herself under control. Until she saw Troy up close and personal, and knew he was really truly okay, she wasn’t going to believe it.

Mike dropped her by the emergency doors. “I’ll park then join you.”

Emergency staff made her wait until the trauma-room nurses said she could go in, guiding her down narrow hallways into the triage area.

Troy lay on a semi-reclined bed, IV drip inserted in his left arm, while a doctor worked a row of stitches on his head.

Of course, he spotted her before she could say anything. “Hey beautiful.”

“Looks who’s talking, handsome.” There was room beside the bed near his hip, and Nicole slipped into the space. She caught his fingers in hers, holding them cautiously.

He reassured her with a strong squeeze. “I hear I’m the main event for a while, Nic. Stitches, X-rays…”

“Ultrasound,” the nurse added, turning to Nicole. “You can stay here, or wait in the main area.”

“I’ll stay.”

“They finished my leg before you got here,” Troy told her proudly. “Double layer of stitches on that one.”

“Fancy. Did you get the embroidery option?”

He made a sound halfway between a laugh and a grunt. “And…we won’t do that for a bit. Laughing hurts.”

Damn it, she was an idiot. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. I love you exactly the way you are. Hang around, and I’ll find a closet for us.”

She was not going to cry, dammit. “I plan on sticking around for as long as you’ll let me.”

Their gazes met, and an emotional storm hit—more powerful than being wrapped up in the middle of a wild session of sex.

He’d heard what she was saying. Heard it either in her voice, or maybe it was osmosis between their fingers. They were
it
. Together, through everything.

The expression in his eyes was enough to help get her through the uncertainty and fear of the next couple of hours as they hauled him out for more tests before returning him to wait for results.

The nursing staff had to be keeping the rest of the family away—it was the only explanation Nicole could think of for there not being a mess of Thompsons surrounding them.

Although, at one point Clay appeared at her elbow, glancing around at the empty floor inside their curtained area. “Are you hanging in there?”

“Yeah. I need to sneak out for a pit stop.” She rubbed weary eyes, but there was no way in hell she was going home until Troy was settled.

Clay pressed a brotherly kiss to her temple. “I’ll stick around until you get back. In case Troy shows up.”

Nicole found the nearest washroom, barely noticing how hellish she looked in the mirror. She washed up, splashing icy-cold water on her face and the back of her neck.

She felt partially human again by the time she headed back to emergency, jerking to a stop at the sight of an empty bed. Two new nurses were changing the sheets, and Nicole clung to the doorframe and willed herself to stay vertical.

He was fine. Troy was
fine
.

Oh my God, where was he?

“Nic.” Solid hands on her shoulders.

She whirled, looking into Clay’s face. “Troy?”

“He’s been moved to another room. They’re keeping him overnight for observation because of the bump to his head. Come on, I’ll show you where he is.”

It was a good thing Clay took her by the arm, because all the air drained from her lungs at once.

Of
course
they’d moved Troy during the five-minute window she’d stepped away. Someday Nicole planned to have a short, violent talk with Fate about how it wasn’t funny to jerk people around like that.

Clay led her to Troy’s bedside. “I’ll stick around. Drive you home when you’re ready.”

“I’m staying,” Nicole insisted, linking her fingers with Troy’s as she examined his face carefully.

“It’s okay for you to go,” Troy said. “They gave me a shot and a half of something that’s making me pretty damn relaxed. I’m going to be out like a light in a few minutes.”

“Still staying.”

Troy glanced past her. “You heard her, bro. Arguing with the lady is futile.”

Clay pointed a finger at her. “Phone if you change your mind.”

The room went quiet when he left, Nicole’s throat tight all over again as she carefully leaned in and stroked Troy’s face. “You scared me,” she confessed.

“I scared me too,” he admitted. “But everything’s going to be fine. Well, except for the Mustang. Damn shame about her.”

Nicole bit back tears. “She wasn’t ready to come out of retirement.”

“No, I guess not.” Troy lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “You saved me.”

For the first time he wasn’t laughing or lighthearted. It was pure adoration she heard in his voice.

“You need to sleep.”

“No.” He kissed her hand again. “I need you to know that you saved my life, and I’m so damn grateful. I mean, I hurt like a bugger, or I will when the joy juice wears off, but a few broken parts and some stitches are nothing compared to what would have happened if you hadn’t gotten everyone moving.”

“You were late,” she said. “I was worried.”

“You saved me,” he repeated. “No one’s ever saved me before. I wouldn’t have lasted the night out there, Nic. Clay said you were something else, ready to take on the world until they got their asses in gear.”

The hours since she’d sat waiting at Traders were a blur… Had she really?

“Honestly? I don’t even remember that. I just knew something was wrong.”
Oh hell.
“Laurel—I left her waiting at Traders in case you showed up there.”

“She’ll be fine.” Troy tugged her closer. “You saved me, and now you’re stuck with me. That’s how it works, right? You save someone, and they’re yours forever.”

Sounded good to her, if she could talk without losing it.

He hummed softly, stroking her fingers. “Kiss me, baby. And seriously, you can go home.”

Nicole gently pressed her lips to his with as much love as she could. “I
am
home,” she whispered.

He was already asleep.

November, Rocky Mountain House

Two months had passed since the accident, and Troy had recovered rapidly. Nicole figured it was because he was in such good shape to begin with, and stubborn to boot. He’d begun taking walks the day after he’d been released. Heck, he would have gone back to work if his family hadn’t loudly vetoed the idea.

They’d managed to keep him out of the shop for all of two weeks.

Troy claimed his rapid recovery was from sex, which he reinitiated far sooner than she thought possible. The man was nothing if not determined.

And clever.

“I’ll let you do all the work,” he’d murmured, running a hand over her hip as she cleaned up after dinner. “I promise, I’ll lie there and stay as still as possible. Just think—you can be in control for once.”

He kissed her neck and sent shivers racing down her spine. “
Troy
…”

“Honestly, the only thing that hurts right now is my cock,” he complained, sneaking behind her and tugging their bodies together. “We’ve already done the hand-job thing. And oral. Do your magic, baby. Make my day.”

Of course, she’d given in, and the slow, careful lovemaking that had followed had been incredible.

Now, a month after that first time, they weren’t quite as cautious, although not completely up to their old enthusiasm level. Still, the session they’d just finished left both of them lying flat out on the bed, sated and content. Fingers linked as they panted for air.

Troy rolled toward her, lazily tracing a finger down her body. “That was awesome. Again?”

“You’re terrible,” Nicole teased.

“I’m
your
terrible.” He pressed a kiss to her collarbone. “I like living here with you, and it’s a cozy house, but we should look into something bigger for down the road.”

A shiver of excitement raced over her. So many changes since the accident—

No, not changes.

Confirmations
.

Things they’d already decided now advancing to the next stage. Troy had moved in with her when he’d been released from the hospital. Said he wasn’t going to spend another night apart.

And their lovemaking? No condoms.

A mix of joy and fear struck. They could end up starting their family at any time, and…Troy had been right. Even eager as she was, the nine months it would take for a baby to arrive would give her time to get her head in gear.

In the meantime, they had each other to enjoy and a future to plan for. At Nicole’s insistence, Troy had looked into colleges and training programs he could partially complete through correspondence. Whether babies arrived sooner or later—both of them were in complete agreement that Troy was going to train for a new career.

The look in his eyes as she’d sat with him while he filled in application forms to become a personal trainer had made
her
want to jump up and start dancing. But the expression on his face when he’d gotten the acceptance letter to his first choice had been even better—

He was scheduled to start in January.

“I got hold of Maxwell Kent,” Troy shared, staring at her like she was made of the most exquisite chocolate and he was about to take a long lick.

“Did he say when he planned on cashing the cheque?” They’d been waiting for the money to be pulled from Troy’s account. Having it unaccounted for made the accountant side of her twitch.

“Yup. Never.”

“What?” Nicole sat up in shock. “That makes no sense.”

Troy shrugged. “He said he plans to pretend the car is still in his field, so he doesn’t want the money. And I should go buy you another car.”

“He can’t do that,” Nicole said, confusion hitting hard. “Can he do that?”

“It’s his choice, baby. Let the man be generous if he wants.” Troy stroked her again. “So, what colour car do I need to find?”

She pressed a hand to his chest. “I don’t need that car.”

“I know. I still want you to have it.” He winked, but didn’t say any more.

That had been a few days earlier, but she’d been thinking about it as she fell asleep, Troy’s strong arm draped over her body. The man had something up his sleeve—that was obvious. For someone who still surprised her with his spontaneity, he was getting pretty good at making plans as well.

Something clattered, and she jerked awake, groggy and confused.

The noise sounded again, this time from the closed window.

“Troy? Something’s outside.” She reached across the bed toward where he’d been curled against her.

He wasn’t there.

She sat up, confused, looking around the room that was dimly lit with the pale light of dawn. “Troy?”

It was six thirty in the morning, and he wasn’t where he was supposed to be and something was—

Clink
.

Clink
.

Nicole scrambled out of bed and peered out the window as another
clink
sounded.

Someone was standing on the snowy lawn and was throwing pebbles at the window. Not someone—Troy.

She shoved open the window. “What the heck are you doing?”

He dropped to his knees and threw open his arms. “Oh, fair Rapunzel, let down… No, wait. Wrong lines.”

She snickered. “I think so. Ain’t no way you’re climbing my hair to get in this window.”

“That’s okay, I can get in the window without it.” He pushed himself up on the open window ledge so he was on level with her.

“That’s cheating, you know. Climbing in first-storey windows isn’t that impressive.”

Troy grinned. “Your fault for not having a two-storey house.”

“What are you doing? Come back to bed,” Nicole said, tugging on his jacket.

“Get dressed and join me,” he countered. “I have a surprise for you.”

She paused. “The last time you said that, it didn’t end well.”

He was all the way in the room and tossing clothes at her. “It ended fine. We’re together. Get dressed, and get moving.”

There was no arguing with him when he was in this mood, and she wasn’t going to try.

“Fine, but I’m walking out the front door, not crawling out the window,” she warned.

Troy? Didn’t say a word. Just waited until she was dressed and pulled on her boots and then he gave the biggest puppy-dog eyes ever…

Nicole growled. “You are the most wonderfully annoying person I know, Troy Thompson. It’s a good thing I love you.”