“Chloe, look at me, please.”
Carrie remained silent, sensing that only Adam could help her sister. A man who had trained to be a cop and to face the possibility of using deadly force could ease her sister’s guilt.
Chloe slowly looked up at him. “Do you know I’ve had that gun for years?” She spoke softly. “I bought it, and I’ve practiced with it, faithfully, making sure I could use it proficiently. And do you know why? Do you know why I did all that?”
“Yes, I do. So you’d be ready for that son of a bitch, if he ever came near you, or your sister, ever again.”
“Yes. Last night, I was pissed, because Andrew and Grant showed up, determined to protect me, to…to keep me from doing anything rash if Lockwood showed his face.” Chloe sighed, and a tear escaped her control and rolled down her cheek. “They guessed right off what I’d planned to do. That makes it more than my just shooting the man. That makes it worse. I
murdered
him.”
“The hell you did. Now you listen to me, Chloe. Lockwood was the one who broke into your home, and took
you
hostage. You didn’t do that. He did. Hell, if you want to blame someone for the fact you had to shoot the bastard, blame
me
.”
Chloe gasped and opened her mouth, obviously to protest, but Adam held up his hand. His expression looked grim. “I was so
fucking
pissed off that Lockwood had come into
my
town and taken one of
my
people hostage. I was going to go in there, fast and furious and damn the consequences.” Adam shrugged. “Only problem was, I’d never crashed through a window before and it was a hell of a lot more jarring than I’d anticipated. I had planned to land, roll, and pull my weapon and fire, and I can promise you, Chloe, I was going to shoot to kill.”
Adam covered her hand with his. “I’m going to thank God for the rest of my life that you
had
that gun and that you had practiced with it, and used it.” He stepped back. “That bastard got off one shot and hit me in the chest. The flak jacket protected me but I’ve got a bruise that hurts like hell.” Adam stopped and swallowed. “And the force of that slug hitting me tripped me up. If you hadn’t shot him, I would be dead.” He squeezed her hand. “In a couple of days, when you’re feeling better, I want you come on down to my office and we’ll do the paperwork. Deal?”
“All right.” Though subdued, this time Chloe met his gaze. Carrie thought that was something, anyway.
Adam nodded. “Good. Now, I have to go home and, um, explain to my wife why she shouldn’t take a frying pan to my head for acting all impulsive and doing something that was, ultimately, very nearly the death of me.” He shrugged and grinned.
“Good luck with that, cousin,” Chase said.
Carrie couldn’t help it. She said, “You can always tell Ginny that you just
got
so mad
.”
Adam’s laughter burst right out of him. “Are you kidding? I haven’t been married long, but I know enough not to use my woman’s words against her.”
“You’re a wise man,” Brian said. Then his expression sobered. “Thank you. Personally, I think the way you handled things was what had to happen to end it. You say Chloe saved your life? We think—Chase and I—that you saved hers, and Carrie’s.”
Adam met his gaze, nodded, and left the room without another word.
Carrie looked down at Chloe. “As soon as the doctor springs you, we’ll get you settled in at the ranch. The three of us will take turns checking on you through the night. No arguments.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Carrie’s head jerked up and she looked toward the man who’d just spoken. She was surprised to see both Andrew and Grant Jessop, two of Robert’s brothers—and the two men who’d “babysat” her sister the night before.
“How are you, Chloe?” Andrew’s gaze never left her sister as he came into the room and went straight to her. “You okay, love?” He laid his hand on her shoulder, then looked at his brother the doctor. “Is she okay, Robbie?”
Robert nodded. “She’ll need watching for the next couple of days.”
Chase said, “As well as being firefighters, Andrew and Grant are also trained EMTs, sugar. You might feel better having them come along with us. We certainly have the room for them—although
someone
is going to have to use the last bordello-style bedroom. You know the one I mean, the one that’s all pink and silver and so
pretty
.”
Carrie laughed, because there
was
one bedroom left to redecorate.
“Grant can have that one,” Andrew said. “He needs all the encouragement he can get to be pink and pretty.”
“I love you, too, brother,” Grant said. Despite the snarky tone, he came into the room, stood beside his brother, and had his attention on Chloe. He reached out and laid a hand on her blanket-covered leg.
Carrie didn’t think she imagined the way his touch settled her sister a little.
“Don’t I get a vote?” Chloe’s voice dripped with attitude, but she didn’t do anything to dislodge the Jessops’ hands on her.
Carrie smiled. That sounded like the sister she knew and loved. She couldn’t deny that there was something about these two firefighters that cut through Chloe’s distress.
“Sure,” Carrie answered. “You get lots of choices. Just not about this. I’ll feel much better if we have trained professionals on hand to help take care of you.”
She wondered for a moment if she’d overstepped, but the look of relief that came and went so quickly in her sister’s eyes convinced her she’d done the right thing.
“I guess I’m outvoted,” Chloe said.
“I guess you are,” Carrie agreed.
All of the men in the room proved their intelligence right then and there by keeping their collective mouths shut.
Brian couldn’t get the image of what
might
have been out of his head.
All through the business of getting Chloe and his cousins installed at the ranch house, his mind played a horrible vignette for him. He imagined Carrie getting that phone call when she’d been alone—his woman was faithful and loved fiercely and there was no way in
hell
she’d have
not
gone to her sister.
He imagined her walking, willingly, into her own worst nightmare, thinking it a small price to pay to save Chloe’s life. Carrie had no death wish and he knew that. She would have thought she could get away from that bastard once her sister was safe.
Brian’s logical brain told him that Lockwood would have killed Chloe and made it impossible for Carrie to get away from him, ever. He would have incapacitated her and then he would have managed to get her away from Lusty, to God knew where.
The entire misadventure could have been over in minutes with no one in town any the wiser. It could have been hours before they realized what had happened, and they likely never would have been able to find her.
Carrie handed a can of Coke to her sister, and then came over to him and crawled into his lap. Her scent and the warmth of her body pulled him away from his dark imaginings.
“You have to let it go, darlin’.” Carrie grinned as she turned his pet name for her back to him. Then her face turned serious. “I’m here, and safe, and it’s over. It’s over
forever
.”
He met her gaze. The love he saw in her eyes went a long way toward erasing the terror still roiling in his gut.
“Might-have-been is no place to go, Brian. Trust me on this one, as a woman who has vacationed there many, many times.”
Brian nodded, and then pulled her tight. “It’ll take me a bit, Carrie. But I’ll close the door on that, eventually. I promise.”
“See that you do.” She kissed his neck after she whispered those words to him, and he let himself celebrate the reality of her there, in his arms.
Still, that fear clung to him worse than the smell of manure. He shuddered, and then whispered, “I’d die if anything ever happened to you, darlin’.”
“Jesus, people, get a room why don’t you?”
Grant’s comment made Brian chuckle. Carrie kissed his cheek and then slid off his lap, settling down on the sofa between him and Chase.
Brian skewered his cousin with a narrow-eyed stare. “Thanks, pal. I owe you one.”
“My pleasure.” Grant gave him a smile he immediately recognized, that of a cousin yanking his strings.
Brian looked around the recently redecorated parlor, where the six of them were relaxing, sodas in hand. Chloe hadn’t wanted to be confined to bed as soon as they arrived at the ranch, and he couldn’t really blame her. She took up the seat of honor, stretched out in the recliner. Andrew sat on her left and although he tried to appear casual, Brian knew his cousin was aware of every breath that woman took.
He shot a sly glance at Grant.
Him, too, even if he is trying not to show it
. Maybe he’d have a word with Grandma Kate about them. Then he could tell
Grant
to get a room.
Brian took a drink from his soda. He really could have used something a bit stronger, like an entire bottle of tequila. But Chloe couldn’t have alcohol for the time being, and so they were all drinking Coke to keep her company.
“Y’all don’t have to babysit me,” Chloe said. “Just go do whatever it is you usually do.”
The door opened and Julián came into the house. Brian could hear him toe off his boots as he usually did. Then he appeared in the doorway of the parlor and nodded to the room at large before turning his attention to Chloe.
“How are you doing there, Miss Chloe?”
“I’m fine.
Really
.” She looked around the room and gave everyone the evil eye. Brian thought his future sister-in-law would fit right in, here in Lusty. They had more than their share of women who didn’t like to be babied, especially when they needed it.
“I’m glad to hear it, because there’s a line of vehicles coming down the lane.” He turned his head and looked at Brian, and then Chase. “Critters are all settled in for the evening, gentlemen.”
“Good,” Brian said. “Grab a Coke and come join us.”
“I will, thanks. Think I’ll be setting out some plates and things, first, though.”
“Appreciate it,” Chase said.
Brian knew Chloe had no idea why Julián would say such a thing, but he and his brother and their cousins understood perfectly. By the way Carrie tilted her head, he guessed she’d figured it out, too.
After all, she belonged to them, and Lusty, now, too.
Chase got up and went to the front door just as the sound of car doors closing and voices reached them.
His mother and his Aunt Pam Jessop were the first to make it inside the house. Brian got to his feet, as did his cousins. He watched Chloe and Carrie from the corner of his eye even as he went over to his mother and kissed her cheek. Then he reached for the casserole dish she’d brought with her.
“That’s all right, dear,” his mother said. “I’m just going to go put this in the oven so it will keep warm.”
“I can take it, Abigail.” Carrie came over and also kissed his mother’s cheek.
“No, dear. You’ve had quite a harrowing day. You need to relax and just let the family take care of you.”
“I wasn’t the one in that apartment.” Carrie lowered her voice and sent a look over at her sister, clearly not wanting to say anything that would upset Chloe.
“Perhaps your body wasn’t, but your heart was right there, sweetheart,” Abigail Benedict said. “Go and sit with your sister. I think she’s about to be overwhelmed.” Then his mother looked at him. “And you and your brother go take care of your woman.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Brian grinned because Chase and Carrie had said the same words at the same time as he did.
This is what I love about Lusty
. Brian stood behind Carrie as she sat with Chloe while his family members—aunts, uncles, and cousins—dropped in to see how Chloe was doing. Many brought gift bags containing clothing or other items the woman would need for the next little while.
Carrie’s apartment had become a crime scene. Chloe hadn’t yet realized that she wouldn’t be able to get any of her things out of there, at least not for a few days. He also knew the place would have to be thoroughly cleaned and reckoned Jake would have to hire in a special company, likely from Waco, to take care of it.
At one point Chloe shook her head and whispered, “But these people don’t even know me!”
Andrew patted her shoulder. “They know Carrie, and the cowboys there, and us. They know Adam, and they know you matter to us all. That’s enough.”
Of course, his Aunt Bernice, Aunt Samantha, and Grandma Kate arrived as well. Brian didn’t think those three
ever
missed an occasion to visit and pamper, especially if there was another woman involved. He blamed it on genetics, and maybe a little had to do with their unique heritage. The birth of boy children in Lusty had always been more common than the birth of girl children.
It wasn’t just the menfolk who cherished the females in town, and that was a fact.