AlmostHome (17 page)

Haley nodded distractedly. “No sir, nothing. We’d just woke
up and were having breakfast when we heard the scream.” She closed her eyes,
reliving that sound. “I ain’t never heard a body scream like that. Between
Conner and the horses, it was a fearsome noise.”

“I expect it was. We’ll investigate to the best of our
ability but I don’t think we’ll find much. Footprints if we’re lucky.”

“I under—”

“Haley?” Haley spun around when someone called her name.
Tracie Owens approached and seeing Haley’s confusion, she offered a smile.
“Student nurse doin’ an ER rotation. The doc says come on back.”

The sheriff forgotten, Haley held out her hand as she
approached the double doors. Wyatt took it and they followed Tracie back to a
curtained treatment cubicle. There were two doctors with a heavily sedated
Conner.

“Ms. Kilpatrick,” the younger of the two said. “I’m Dr.
Sharpe.” He gestured to his colleague. “This is Dr. Kellerman, the orthopedic
surgeon on staff.”

Haley’s eyes widened. “Orthopedic surgeon?”

Dr. Kellerman took over. “Your brother has developed a very
rare condition known as compartment syndrome. Basically, his muscles and the
tissue surrounding them are swelling at a rate faster than can be controlled by
antivenin and medication. The swelling is so bad that it’s compressing the
blood vessels and nerves in your brother’s leg. Oxygen can’t get to the tissue
and it begins to die. Without surgery, he’ll probably have permanent nerve
damage, possibly the leg will need to come off.”

Haley felt lightheaded. “Oh Jesus.” Her knees turned to
water and Wyatt eased her down onto a chair, squatting beside her.

“And with the surgery?” he asked Kellerman.

“There’s a very high success rate with this type of surgery.
The biggest problem will be scar tissue, of course, and the thickening of the
scars can cause some mobility problems with the joint involved. But with
physical therapy those issues are resolved.”

Haley blew out a breath. “Okay, so what’s involved with this
surgery?”

“We’ll make incisions in the leg here, and here,” Kellerman
explained, pointing to Conner’s swelling leg. “A small area of the fascia, the
connective tissues covering the muscle, will be removed to relieve the
pressure. In a few days, we’ll go back in and close the incisions. It’s likely
he’ll need skin grafts but we’ll see how he progresses. We’ll also put him in a
hyperbaric chamber to get more oxygen to the site.”

Nerve damage, skin grafts? Damn Rafe Winslow to the deepest
pits of hell. “And you can do that here?”

Kellerman nodded. “Yes, ma’am. And we need to do it as soon
as possible to avoid further injury. Conner’s been out of it so we need your
consent for the surgery.”

“Jesus,” she whispered, then stood and moved to her
brother’s side. God, he was pale, his breathing so shallow. “Do it. Whatever it
takes.”

And just like that, Conner was whisked away.

Chapter Eleven

Wyatt smiled as Haley buckled her seatbelt and cinched it
tight. She’d never been on a plane before and had revealed to him that she was
just a tad bit nervous at the prospect. “Soon as we’re in the air, we’ll have
ourselves a drink to calm your nerves.”

She nodded, then pointed at the phone. “You can make phone
calls from an airplane?”

“Sure. You wanting to call the hospital and check on
Conner?”

Haley ducked her head. “I know it’s silly. I mean, I saw him
with my own eyes and I know he’s okay. Hurting like a sum-bitch, but okay. I
just want him—”

“To know you aren’t abandoning him. I get it but he’s so
doped up on pain medication it’s not likely he’ll remember you calling. But if
it’ll make you feel better, help you relax, then we’ll call him once we’re in
the air.”

She leaned over and pressed a kiss to his lips. “How come
you’re so good to me?”

He chuckled. “Because I know what’s it like to have someone
you love so sick. And because I love you.”

“I love you too, Wyatt Brody, and I can’t wait to be your
wife.”

His wife. The word delighted and scared him all at once. It
was an awesome responsibility, taking on the care and feeding of another human
being, but one he was looking forward to. Haley was the perfect woman for him.
She knew what it took to be a rancher and wasn’t afraid of hard work. She was
honest, independent enough to be a challenge, funny and bright, and as if that
wasn’t enough, she was so pretty it sometimes made his heart skip a beat just
looking at her. Yessir, he was a lucky man. Today he was marrying the woman of
his dreams, tonight was his wedding night and he had plenty of fantasies about
how he intended to make love to his new bride.

* * * * *

Wyatt watched with delight as Haley’s eyes widened in
amazement. “The Bellagio? Are you kidding? Wyatt, it has to be the most
expensive hotel in the whole town.”

“And you’re worth every penny, sweet pea.” He took her hand,
raised it to his lips and brushed a kiss across her scarred knuckles. “Figured
since you’re not gonna get a big fancy wedding, the least I could do is get us
a fancy room for a few days.”

The dazed expression never left her face as the limo driver
pulled up in front of the hotel and opened the door so they could exit. Wyatt
pressed his hand to the small of her back and guided her to the private
registration in the executive suite lounge. The Cypress Suite was ready and all
arrangements met his specifications, the clerk assured him.

He smiled indulgently when Haley leaned in to him and
hissed, “Suite? Do you have any idea what that’s gonna cost?”

He put an arm around her and tucked her in close. “I reckon
I do since I’m paying for it. Now stop your fretting and let me spoil you a
little. God knows you deserve it.” He chuckled when her face turned the sweet
color of pink he’d come to know as a combination of pleasure and embarrassment.
Heaven help him, he figured he was going to be looking for ways to keep that
pretty blush on her cheeks for the rest of his life. Considering what they were
facing with Conner’s recuperation and her father’s threatening games, what
Wyatt wanted more than anything was to give Haley a few days of relaxation. And
really, he couldn’t think of a better means of relaxation and distraction than
providing her with as many mindless orgasms as she could handle. Not that such
a thing would be a hardship for him. The way he saw it, it was a win-win
situation.

“Oh my, ain’t it somethin’?” his soon to be wife said,
turning 360 degrees to take in the entire room.

Wyatt tipped the bellhop and crossed to where Haley stood
looking out the large plate-glass windows.

“You’re something,” he said, slipping his arms around her
waist. She turned to face him and it took every ounce of his considerable
control not to strip her bare and have his way with her. Instead, he rested his
forehead against hers and sighed. “I took the liberty of having some dresses
sent up for you. Don’t bother looking for price tags because they took ‘em off.
I wanted you to pick a dress because you love it, not because it’s the cheapest
of the lot. They should be hanging in the ladies’ bathroom. If you want a bath
before the preacher gets here, I suggest you get moving.”

“The preacher’s coming here?”

Wyatt smiled, kissed the tip of her nose. “I ordered our
marriage license online and had it delivered to the hotel. We’re getting
married in the smaller of the two chapels.”

“I didn’t know you could do that, order marriage
certificates online.”

Wyatt stepped back. “Not much you can’t do in Vegas.” He
gave her a little nudge toward her personal bathroom. “The ‘hers’ bathroom is
over there. Mine’s over here.” He nodded toward the other facility. “Let’s hope
they sent the right size tux for me.”

Haley blinked. “It’s all so…extravagant.”

Wyatt shrugged. “I figure we’re only gonna do this once so
we might as well do it up right. Go on now. There’s a big old soaking tub in
there. We got two hours before the preacher gets here.” He watched her go,
peeling off clothes on her way, and was sorely tempted to climb into that
whirlpool soaking tub with her. He shook his head with a little regret and
headed for the steam shower in the “his” bathroom. They had the rest of their
lives to bathe together. Visions of Conner swirled in his head and he grimaced.
Assuming they had the rest of their lives to be together. He shook off his
worry. Today was his wedding day. Nothing and no one was going to ruin it.

From across the room, he heard Haley exclaim, “Oh my God,”
and grinned at himself in the mirror. Showing her some of the finer things in
life was going to be more fun than a barrel of monkeys. He gave himself a
critical once-over. Definitely needed a shave. He wouldn’t want to chafe his
new wife’s tender thighs while he feasted between her legs. He laughed. Yup.
Marriage to Miss Haley Kilpatrick promised to be a hell of a lot of fun.

Wyatt was just straightening his tie when he heard Haley’s
tentative voice. “Wyatt?” The insecurity in her voice saddened him. After all
these months, how could she not know he thought her the most beautiful woman in
the world? He gave himself one last look and stepped out into the living space.

Dear god but she was stunning.

She’d chosen the white dress that brushed her calves and was
covered in black lace, though why anybody’d cover a wedding dress in black lace
was beyond him. He’d hoped she’d pick that one but a fellow could never tell
what a woman was bound to like. Sequined mesh sandals with transparent heels
put her nearly equal to his height. To his everlasting pleasure, she’d chosen
to wear her hair down and his fingers twitched with the desire to bury
themselves in the sunny silken locks. A wide silver wired band trimmed with
white roses and crystals held her hair back from her face. A couple swipes of
mascara, a brush of blush and pale pink lipstick highlighted the fresh beauty
of a face he’d come to love so much that sometimes it left him breathless. Like
now. How was it possible that her father didn’t know what a gift he’d been
given when Haley had been born?

“You look like a princess,” he said, crossing the room to
offer his arm. “Preacher’s waiting in the chapel. You ready?”

“I’m ready.” She gazed up at him with a shy smile. “Unless
you ain’t. I don’t want you to do this unless you want to.”

Wyatt chuckled and kissed her cheek. “Sweet pea, I’m so sure
it’s all I can do to keep from racing you to the elevator.”

She giggled. Lord but he loved that sound. “Don’t reckon I
can run in these shoes, cowboy, but once we get back here and I can kick ‘em
off, I’ll be chasing you around that big old bed.”

He opened the door and she went out ahead of him. Damn but
she was pretty. “Darlin’, it won’t be much of a challenge for you. I’m pretty
easy to catch when you’re the one chasing me.”

* * * * *

The east chapel was much more intimate than the larger
chapel or the outdoor venue, with the capacity to seat thirty guests. Not that
they’d have thirty guests but there would be a few and Wyatt had really had to
scramble to get them there without Haley finding out. His biggest fear was that
they’d run into everyone before they made it to the venue.

They arrived at the chapel lobby without incident and Haley
gasped. Dooley and Maria stood waiting alongside Holden Petrie and his wife,
Martene.

“Oh Wyatt.” Haley threw herself in his arms with a sob. “I
can’t believe you went to all this trouble.”

Wyatt held her tightly and whispered in her ear. “Nothing
I’ll ever do for you will be too much trouble for me, sweet pea. I’d give you
the moon and stars if I could.”

She smiled up at him with so much love animating her
beautiful face that Wyatt was nearly struck dumb. By god, he’d slay every
dragon that came their way just to see that look on her face. Starting with
Rafe Winslow and Kent Kilpatrick.

“Just love me, Wyatt, that’s all I could ever ask for. That
and babies.”

He leaned back, smiling. “How many babies are we talking,
darlin’?”

Her lips curved into a knowing smile. “I figure we’ll need a
big family to run an empire.”

Wyatt chuckled. “An empire, huh? Then I reckon we’d best get
hitched so we can get started making babies.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly,
then gave him a nudge toward the chapel.

“Get moving, cowboy. I’m gonna ask Dooley to walk me down
the aisle.”

* * * * *

Haley had never felt like a princess in her entire life but
damned if she didn’t feel like one every time her husband looked at her. Her
husband. Wow. She’d done the one thing she never thought she’d do. Despite the
constant fear of what might lay ahead, she’d found the happiness she never
expected to find. The enormity of it made her a little lightheaded and she took
a deep breath then exhaled slowly.

Wyatt leaned down and whispered, “Too late to change your
mind now, Mrs. Brody.”

“Never crossed my mind.” They walked together behind their
guests, fingers entwined. “It’s just, I never thought I’d do it. My life ain’t
been all that normal, Wyatt, so I reckon there’s gonna be a learning curve, if
you know what I mean.”

He squeezed her hand. “I understand, but what say we leave
all the learning curve talk for another day. I made reservations for supper and
the sooner we get everybody fed, the sooner I can get you upstairs and naked.
Start making those babies we talked about.”

Haley grinned and gave him a shoulder bump. “I like the way
you think…husband. Now where are we eating?”

“Restaurant called Fix. It serves American food, nothing
fancy that we can’t pronounce. Steaks, chops, seafood. We’re all Texas ranching
stock, figured I’d keep it simple.”

Simple had never been a part of her life but Haley decided
she approved. The restaurant had clean modern lines, gleaming wood and
comfortable seating. The menu was simple with the prices printed right next to
each item so there were no surprises when the bill came. Wyatt ordered an extra
large seafood appetizer for the table to share and Haley had her first taste of
just about everything on the platter. She shuddered when Wyatt ate a raw oyster
but didn’t chicken out when he held one out for her to try.

“Well,” she declared once the thing was down. “The taste
ain’t so bad if you can get past the look of it.”

They ate and chatted while waiting for their food and Haley
tried not to fidget in her seat. Tried not to worry about Conner or her daddy’s
plotting. Today was her day. Her’s and Wyatt’s and damn if she’d let thoughts
of Kent Kilpatrick put a damper on their happiness. Holden ordered two bottles
of champagne and toasted the bride and groom.

“May you have many happy years together,” the aging attorney
said, holding up his glass. “I never did see two people more suited to one
another than the two of you.” He looked over at this wife and smiled. “Except
maybe for me and my lovely bride of forty years. We wish you joy and prosperity
and the comfort of unconditional love.”

Glasses clinked together and then Maria spoke up, “And many
babies.”

“And patience,” Dooley chimed in. “You’ll be needing that to
go along with the young’ns.”

“Hell, she’ll be needing that to put up with young Brody
here,” Holden quipped, and everyone laughed as the food arrived.

Haley had never felt so loved in all her life as she felt at
this very moment, with Wyatt beside her, surrounded by the first real friends
she’d ever had. There had been times in the past few months that she felt like
she needed to pinch herself to make sure this new life was real, that it wasn’t
a dream from which she would awaken and find out nothing in her life had really
changed. And now she was entering into a new phase. One that included a husband
and children. How was it that one person could deserve this much happiness? Her
eyes got watery and Wyatt reached over, taking her hand.

“What’s wrong, sweet pea?”

She shook her head, nearly overcome. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m
just so happy I hardly know what to do with it.”

Wyatt gave her hand a tug and she met him halfway for a
kiss. “Get used to it, Mrs. Brody.” He nodded toward her plate. “Now eat,
you’re gonna need your strength.”

Heat rose in her cheeks and she fanned herself. “You keep
talking like that and I’m liable to forget I’m a lady,” she murmured as she
picked up her fork.

“That’s what I’m hoping for, darlin’.”

As soon as the dinner plates were cleared, the waitstaff
arrived with a small cake topped with an embracing bride and groom statuette.
The cake was decorated with petal pink icing, dotted with tiny white roses,
pale green leaves and bordered with matching iced cupcakes. Haley thought it
was about the prettiest cake she’d ever seen.