Lone Star Heartbreaker (15 page)

To Caitlyn's dismay, Scott tightened his hold with one arm and grabbed her chin with the other. "We were good together. It could be good between us again."

She jerked her head out of his hold. "It was never that good. Now let me go!"

She thought she'd never be free. Was she going to have to scream and cause a scene? Al of a sudden, another hand gripped her shoulder from behind.

"Hey, buddy. I believe the lady made a request. I suggest you let her go.
Now
!"

Caitlyn had never been so glad in al her life as she was when she heard that deep voice. She pushed with al her might, and Scott released her and glared at Tyler.

"What the hel do you think you're doing?" Scott said, his voice slightly slurred. "You have no fucking right--"

"I have every fucking right," Tyler said, cutting him off. "Caitlyn, step back. This could get ugly, and I don't want you hurt."

She looked from Scott's furious drunken face to a Tyler McCade she'd never seen before. The man she'd practical y been living with for the past month had suddenly transformed from his usual happy-go-lucky self to a dangerous menacing stranger.

Caitlyn stood her ground and touched him on the arm. "Tyler, please. Let's just go to the camper."

"You're with
him?
" Scott asked unbelievingly. He looked from one to the other. "You're with Tyler Big Shot McCade? Wel , I'l be damned."

"Yeah, she's with me," Tyler said. "Why should you care?"

Scott laughed derisively. "You didn't tel him, baby dol ? Caitlyn and I were engaged to be married once upon a time." He picked up his beer and took a swig. "Didn't see you at Nationals, McCade. Rumor has it you're not flying anymore."

Caitlyn took hold of Tyler's arm and leaned against him. "He was in a plane crash. He's stil not over the accident."

Scott shook his head. "Looks like he's over it to me. What are you doing, McCade? Hiding behind a woman? Who would have thought it? Mr. Big Shot McCade grounded . . . because he's running scared."

Tyler gently pushed Caitlyn aside and stepped closer to Scott. "Mister, I'm giving you twenty seconds to get out of my sight, or I'l give
you
a very good reason to run scared."

"You? Hah! I'd like to see you try."

Tyler looked at his watch. "Ten seconds . . ."

Caitlyn held her breath. She real y didn't want to be the cause of a brawl right here in front of God and everybody.

Scott frowned and blinked drunkenly. He raised his beer in a toast. "I can tel when I'm not wanted. So long, suckers!" He swaggered off into the crowd.

"What a blowhard." Tyler put his arm around Caitlyn. "You al right, honey?"

She smiled. "I am now."

"I can't believe you actual y thought about marrying that asshole."

"I can't believe it either. I must have been insane." Caitlyn shrugged. "Oh wel , everyone's entitled to make mistakes. Come on, let's grab some dinner."

CHAPTER EIGHT

Saturday dawned bright and clear. Perfect flying weather. The blue West Texas skies stretched as far as the eye could see. The wind was calm and the temperature cool and brisk. A perfect day for the air show.

Tyler awoke from a sound sleep to the sounds of retching and moaning coming from the camper's smal bathroom. He jumped out of bed and hurried to the closed door. "Caitlyn? What's wrong, honey? Are you sick? I'm coming in."

He opened the door and saw Caitlyn hunkered down over the toilet. She looked up at him, her face pale, her hair bedraggled and her eyes watery.

She bit her bottom lip. "Oh, Tyler. I
can't
be sick. I just can't. I need that prize money. Oh God, I feel so horrible."

Tyler held her head while she retched once again. He grabbed a washcloth from under the sink, and after dampening it, he wiped her forehead and mouth. She was hot to his touch. "You have a fever. Can I get you anything? How about some cola? That usual y settles my stomach."

Caitlyn took the washcloth and held it against her hot skin. "That sounds good. I'm going to lie back down. I
can't
be sick. I have to fly today."

Tyler opened a can of cola and poured it in a glass. He sat on the edge of the bed and handed her the soft drink. As she sat up and sipped the cool beverage, he took the cloth and wiped her face and neck, trying to cool her off.

She finished the cola and lay back down. "Oh God. I can't afford to be sick. I need my chance at that prize money. What could be wrong with me? I was perfectly wel yesterday. I can't be sick. I have to fly."

Tyler took the glass from her and set it on the bedside table. "You're not flying today."

"I have to. Don't you understand? I real y need that money."

"I know you do."

"Maybe I'l be better in an hour or so. Then I'l be able to fly. I'm not scheduled until after lunch. Maybe I'l be wel enough to fly by then."

Tyler continued wiping her down with the damp washcloth. "I don't think so, honey. I don't have a thermometer, but you're awful y hot. You're burning up with fever."

She took the cloth and held it to her forehead. "I have some aspirin in the medicine cabinet. That'l lower my temperature. Please, wil you get it for me?"

"Sure thing." Tyler pul ed on his jeans, then searched the medicine cabinet. He returned to the bed and shook out two tablets into Caitlyn's outstretched palm. He poured more soda into her glass and handed it to her.

After swal owing the pil s, she offered a weak smile. "I'm certain I'l be better in a couple of hours. I feel better already."

Tyler sat on the bed again. "Caitlyn, honey. I can't let you fly today. It would be too dangerous."

"You can't stop me. I
have
to fly today." Her bottom lip trembled and several big tears slid down her cheeks.

Tyler reached out and wiped them away. "Don't cry. Please don't cry."

"I can't help it." She sniffed back the tears, but they were coming on quicker and stronger. "I've been counting on that prize money to help me get back on my feet. I know I could win it; I know I could. I
can't
believe I'm sick. Why couldn't I be sick tomorrow? Why today? I need to fly today; I need that money."

Tyler grabbed a box of tissues on the nightstand and handed it to her. "Here, dry your tears. No way can you fly today . . .
now wait a minute!
Hear me out. You know you can't fly; you know it would be too risky with you being sick like this. I'l take your place.
I'll
fly for you."

Caitlyn stared at him like he'd gone nuts. Maybe he had. He had no idea if he could actual y take the plane up. What if he froze? He'd been trying to get over his irrational fear for weeks with no discernible luck. For some reason, he felt very lucky today.

"You haven't flown in months," she said, then bit her lip. "I mean--"

"I know what you mean." He cupped her jaw tenderly in his hand. She was stil hot to the touch. No way could he let her fly this afternoon. "You don't think I can do it?"

She lifted her chin. "Of course, I think you can do it. The important thing is, do
you
think you can do it? You haven't flown the sequences. You'd be doing every event without any practice."

Tyler shrugged. "I've been coaching you for weeks. I'm very familiar with the Known Compulsory sequence. Even though I haven't flown it, I think I could do it in my sleep. And the Unknowns and Freestyles are my specialty. At least, they used to be."

Caitlyn searched his face. Her scrutiny made him al the more determined to do this for her. Final y, she shook her head. "I can't let you do it. What if

. . .?"

"What if I make a fool of myself?" Tyler took her hand in his and smiled. "I have to try, honey. The more I think about it, the more I believe this is the perfect push to get me over my damned phobia. I want to do this for you, Caitlyn. I'l win that prize money for you."

"But why? Why would you give me the prize money if
you
win the competition?"

"
If
I win? Oh, I'm going to win, honey. I feel it in my bones."

For the first time that morning, Caitlyn smiled. It warmed Tyler al over. "
That
certainly sounds like the old Tyler McCade. But a hundred thousand dol ars?" she said. "That's a lot of money. It wouldn't be right. I couldn't accept such a generous gift like that."

"I want to do this. I need to do this. I'l win the money for
you
." He took her hands in his, and brought them to his lips. "I love you, Caitlyn Ross. I want to marry you."

She gasped in surprise and those green eyes opened wide. "I . . . I don't know what to say."

He smoothed back some straggly wisps of hair from her forehead. "Al you have to say is yes. Believe it or not, I've never fal en in love before. I've never asked anyone to marry me. I never thought I'd find someone to love until I met you."

"But . . . but I
can't
marry you. You're Mr. Love 'em and Leave 'em."

"Not anymore." He squeezed her hands. "Marry me, Caitlyn. No one wil ever love you as deeply as I love you."

She pul ed her hands from his strong clasp. "I can't marry you. I
won't
marry you. You don't understand. Everyone I've ever loved has let me down. I promised myself I'd never open my heart to that danger again."

Tyler frowned. "What do you mean
everyone
let you down? Are you talking about Scott Nelson? I don't know how you ever thought you loved that son of a bitch, but we won't go there. Are you comparing me to that bastard?"

Caitlyn pul ed another tissue from the box and blew her nose. "Of course I'm not comparing you to Scott. Scott's a slime bal . He's lower than dirt. I see now that I never real y loved him." She stared at the crumpled tissue in her fist, then tossed it in the trash. "I'm sorry, Tyler. But I mean it when I say I won't marry you. And I'l understand if you don't want to take my place in the competition. I'l survive without that prize money. I've done okay for the past year or so. I'l continue to do okay."

Tyler looked at the woman he loved more than life itself. She was a mess this morning. A beautiful mess. And the fever was making her loopy. He hoped she got wel fast. He hated to see her so sick. "This must be the fever talking. I know you love me. Shh." Tyler touched his finger to her lips to stal any argument she might offer. "I don't want you saying anything that you'l regret. When you think this over, I know you'l figure out I would never let you down."

He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead before rising to his feet. "Now I want you to rest. I'm going to go talk to the air show officials about flying in your place. When my family gets here, I'l send Cameron over to check on you."

"But Tyler--"

"No buts, honey. I'm doing this. For you. For me. For both of us."

****

Caitlyn lay in the bed after Tyler let himself out of the camper. She hugged a pil ow to her chest and tried to calm her racing heart. Had Mr. Love 'em and Leave 'em McCade actual y declared his love and asked her to marry him?

So many things had happened in close succession this morning; it was al blurry in her fevered brain. She blinked away the sleep threatening to take hold and took another sip of soda.

First, she couldn't believe he'd offered to stand-in and win the prize money for her. That would mean pushing aside the fears that had plagued him for the better part of a year and flying the Sukhoi in the competition.

Solo. Alone
.
All by himself.
Just him and the plane together once again.

Yes, she'd told him she believed in him, but in reality would he be able to get past his deep-seated fear?

If he were successful, the prize money would be a secondary triumph compared to his victory over his fear. Tyler McCade not flying was like a fish not swimming; it just wasn't natural. If he did fly today, his personal world would right itself. Life as he knew it would be back to normal.

And that brought her to the second and
most
important thing that had happened this morning: Tyler had said he loved her. Like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like it was
normal
for him to love her.

He'd said he'd never loved anyone before. Yet he'd dated dozens of women, hundreds of women, or so said the grapevine. Surely, he'd felt more than mere liking for some of them.

Except why would he lie about it?

When he'd said he wanted to marry her, Caitlyn's heart had nearly burst with happiness. She couldn't fool herself any longer. She'd fal en in love with Tyler McCade.

But loving him changed nothing. She couldn't risk her heart again. She hadn't been joking when she said everyone she'd ever loved had let her down. Her mother had died and so had her father. They'd left her alone in the world. And Scott . . . Wel , she'd never real y loved him; she realized that now. But he'd hurt her just the same.

So whether or not Tyler won the competition, Caitlyn knew it was time for her to move on. She knew better than to put down roots and get too attached to anyone, no matter the temptation.

Snuggling down under the covers, she closed her eyes and gave way to the overwhelming fatigue that beckoned. Maybe after she slept a couple of hours, she'd be al wel . Maybe Tyler was wrong and she
would
be able to fly in the competition herself.

Two hours later, a knock on the door roused Caitlyn from a deep sleep. She opened her eyes, disoriented and a little unsettled.

"Caitlyn? It's Cameron McCade. May I come in?"

Good lord! She probably looked like death warmed over even though she was feeling a bit better than earlier. The nap seemed to have refreshed her. She finger-combed her hair and wiped the sleep from her eyes. "Sure. Come on in. The door's open."

Cameron entered the camper and his commanding presence fil ed the smal space. He was just as handsome as his younger brother, yet once again, Caitlyn felt none of the thril s and chil s that Tyler's presence engendered.

The doctor took off his Stetson, set it on the kitchen counter and smiled at her. "Tyler sent me to check on you. How are you holding up?"