Rocky Mountain Cowboy (48 page)

Hawk shot him a look of contempt. “As if I give a damn.” Stepping away from Jenny, he bent down and grabbed the bodyguard’s shoulders, making him cry out again, while Hank took his feet. Together, they lifted him off the floor and carried him out the door to Hank’s truck. Jenny followed, shocked to see how hard it was snowing.

“Are we going to be able to get down these roads?” she asked as she followed in the dark.

“Yeah, we’ll make it. Both of us have four wheel drive.” In spite of his lack of concern, Hawk threw a couple of old horse blankets over Joe once he was placed in the bed of Hank’s pick up, then they all went back inside to get Steve.

They were more careful with him. They put him inside Hawk’s truck, propped him up against the passenger door, then retrieved everything from the cabin, blew out the kerosene lantern, and headed down the mountain. Jenny held her blood soaked white blouse to Steve’s wound, relieved that most of the bleeding had subsided. It took an hour to reach the hospital in the snowstorm, but both vehicles made it without mishap and pulled up at the emergency entrance. Hawk went inside to explain the situation and get assistance.

When both Joe and Steve were taken by the hospital staff, he called the sheriff. While they waited for him to arrive, a triage nurse came over to Jenny and Hawk to see what medical assistance they needed.

“This isn’t my blood. I’m fine,” Jenny told her. Hawk was about to echo her response, but she interrupted him. “He needs his shoulder looked at. He got injured at the rodeo today, and I believe it may need stitches.”

“Let’s get you into a room and have a look at it,” the nurse suggested, directing all of them, including Hank, to a curtained room.

Hawk went reluctantly and only because Jenny had him by the hand. After he took a seat on the examining table, she helped him remove his quilted undershirt. The bandage the paramedic at the rodeo had wrapped around his injury was loose and blood soaked. The wound had been reopened during his fight with Joe.

Images of Cindy attending him after the rodeo didn’t seem very significant anymore, not after Hawk had come to her rescue so fearlessly and unhesitatingly.

The nurse carefully removed the wide strips of gauze. While she gently pried away the dried parts, Jenny moved to stand between Hawk’s bent legs, at the end of the examining table. Taking both of his hands in hers, she squeezed them reassuringly when he flinched. Hank was sitting in a chair, behind them, watching.

“I’ll get the doctor to take a look and sew you up, Mr. Larson,” the nurse told him. “It shouldn’t be too long.”

“Let me know when the sheriff gets here.”

The nurse assured him she would as she left.

Hawk touched Jenny’s cheek. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’re going to have a nasty bruise here tomorrow. And what about your head? Any lightheadedness? Any dizziness?”

She smiled at him and shook her head. “Bruises heal. My head feels okay. When he hit me, I was on the bed— I didn’t hit a hard surface.”

“The bastard! I should have....”

“Shhh, it’s over.” Jenny lifted one hand to caress his beloved face. “Have I told you how wonderfully brave and heroic you were?”

Hawk took her hand and brought it to his lips. “None of it should have happened
to you.” He cut off her protest with a shake of his head. “Brad’s been manipulating me with Cindy for a long time, and I was too damn stupid to see it. I wanted to protect you. I didn’t manage that very well.”

“You did. You have,” she argued with a squeeze of his hand. “I love you. I should
have had more faith in you.”

“And I can’t get by without you, Jenny. You are the blessing that came out of your
dad’s death. I don’t ever want you to leave.” Lifting his lips from her knuckles, he held her eyes with such intensity, it took her breath away. “It’s pretty damn amazing, but I love you with all my heart, Jennifer Fletcher.”

“Oh, Hawk, really?” she asked, her eyes wide.

“Yes.” He smiled broadly and chuckled at her amazement.

Tears filled her eyes and rolled wetly down her cheeks, over her cut lip. “Really?”

Behind them, Hank laughed. “Jeez, boss, she doesn’t believe you, you took so damn long to tell her what the rest of us knew weeks ago!”

Their fingers were tightly laced together. Hawk leaned forward and softly kissed her wet lips, his deep blue eyes locked with her blinking teary brown ones.

“What can I say?” he laughed in self-deprecation. “I’m just a dumb, bullheaded cowboy. Takes a while to grasp what’s right in front of my face, I guess. But, hey, I do really, really love you, Jenny, and I....”

He was interrupted by the doctor and the sheriff, who came through the door at nearly the same moment. While one examined and then stitched, the other took down all the details of what had happened from each of them.

When he was finished, the sheriff turned to his deputy and told him to secure the bodyguard, who was down the hall being watched by hospital security while a doctor tended his knife wound. Steve was in surgery, and would be in the hospital a few days, but the sheriff told Hawk he’d have him under guard until he could be questioned. If he testified against Brad Caldwell, it might go easier on him.

The sheriff was baffled by Caldwell’s involvement. “Christ, his father was a judge,
and he was an influential businessman in the community. The family has lived here three generations,” the man exclaimed. “How can a damned land deal drive someone like that to arrange three murders?” He shook his head.

“The wrong business partners,” Hawk supplied. “Run a background check on that guy down the hall. I’ll bet you find some interesting history and connections.” Then he gave him a description of the other man he’d seen Brad with, the man he assumed Joe worked for. “Brad Caldwell just always thought he was smarter than everyone else.” He gave Jenny one of those slow crooked grins she loved so much. “Until my new partner came along and bested him.”

CHAPTER 28

It was still snowing heavily by the time they left the hospital. Snow plows had begun clearing the main highway through the valley, but the side roads were impassable for all vehicles except those with four wheel drive. It was slow going, but the giant flakes that drifted down in the glare of the headlights were lacy, delicate, and beautiful. Jenny had forgotten how lovely the first snowfall of the season could be. Snuggled next to Hawk in the cab of his truck, nestled under his arm, with the heater pumping out warm air, she felt the tension and fear of the day’s events drain from her. She was finally safe. She was going home, and Hawk loved her. Life couldn’t get much better.

Hawk’s declaration of love filled her with elation. For a man who found expressing himself difficult, he’d overwhelmed her with his simple words. She’d risked her heart, her savings, her career, and her life for him, and it had all been so worth it. He was her life. She wanted to spend all of it with him, years and years of it, until they were old and gray. God, how had she gotten so lucky to fall in love with him? Of course, the answer immediately followed the question. This was Tom’s doing. He’d had the sense to value Hawk as a friend and partner. His death may have brought the two of them together in tragedy, but it had also afforded them the opportunity to become friends and lovers. Their partnership may not have been formalized, but she was sure they’d work that out now.

“Are you asleep?” Hawk gave her a quick glance as he drove along the snow-covered road to the ranch house.

“No, just thinking.” She hadn’t been able to stop smiling since he had told her he loved her.

“About?”

“How much I love you, love you, love you!” Twisting in the seat, she proceeded to kiss the side of his face and neck over and over, punctuating each
I love you
with yet one more kiss.

Hawk laughed and stole a quick kiss himself. “Does this mean you’re going to stay and give me a second chance?”

“Oh yeah! I’m afraid you can’t get rid of me now. I quit my job, put my condo up for sale, and arranged to have my stuff moved out here.”

“You quit your job in Hollywood? Why? I thought you were thinking about working from here?”

“I have this last movie to do, but then that’s it. I decided I wanted to make a full time commitment to the ranch— and to you. I think I’ll just design clothes to sell here, maybe from a small boutique. Becky and I are thinking of starting a small business.”

“You decided all this before I said I loved you?”

“Yeah. I figured you were worth the risk— that you’d come around eventually, once you were done being so bullheaded and obstinate.”

In the dark, he frowned at her. “I was worried about your safety.”

“I know. And clearly, you were right to worry, but we came out okay because we worked together. I hope you learned that you can’t resolve everything by yourself. Everyone needs help from time to time. Dad and you and I have all helped one another when we needed it most. It made your partnership and the ranch a success for years. Now
we
need to make a successful partnership.”

“
We definitely do.” He turned briefly to look at her profile. “I signed the partnership papers on Friday. They’ll be filed on Monday. The Fletcher Larson brand remains unchanged.”

Tears filled Jenny’s eyes. “Oh Hawk, thank you!”

“My pleasure,” he said with a crooked grin. “That’s why the sale of those acres to Brad meant nothing. He would have had to get your signature to make the sale legal and binding. But I also want you to know I would have sold the whole ranch to him to get you back safely.”

“Now I
am
going to cry!”

When they pulled up to the house, Jenny let out a cry of delight as she saw her precious Corvette parked just inside the double doors of the equipment shed, safe and sound. “You have no idea how worried I was about leaving it in that parking lot overnight in this snowstorm!”

“I kinda figured you would be worried. We all know how much you love that car. Eli apparently got brave enough to tackle driving it home by himself.”

“Oh my God!” Jenny laughed. “And it’s in one piece.”

When they walked through the back door, they were greeted by the tantalizing smell of breakfast. Eli was cooking bacon and eggs, potatoes and pancakes. He even had the coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice ready. The moment he saw Jenny, he opened his arms and pulled her into a great big hug. “You okay, darlin’?” he asked, holding her back just far enough to check.

She nodded and kissed him. “Yes, thanks to all of you, and I’m so hungry! The only thing I’ve eaten in twenty-four hours is a hot dog.”

Eli motioned her to the table. “I figured all of you would be starved.”

“Damn straight!” Hawk confirmed as he took a seat next to Jenny. “Fighting the bad guys and an ornery bull all in one day does that to a guy.” Hank came into the kitchen through the back door, and Hawk motioned him to come have a seat. The cowhand had followed them home from the hospital. “You hungry, Hank?”

“Starving.”

The moment Eli put the food on the table they all started dishing up.

“It sure as hell felt good to nearly castrate that bodyguard,” Hank stated as he heaped several pancakes onto his plate, which was already full of bacon and eggs.

“What?!” Eli shot Hawk a look as he sat down to fix himself a plate.

“Steve Walker and one of Brad’s mobster goons were holding Jenny at the old Miller cabin,” Hawk clarified. “The bodyguard got a little too rough with her, so Hank and I decided the bastard needed a lesson in keepin’ his peter in his pants.” All traces of good humor fled from Hawk’s face as he looked over at Eli. “You know— a little cowboy justice.”

Concern etched Eli’s weathered old face as he stared at Jenny. “He didn’t ....”

“No, he didn’t get the chance to,” Jenny reassured him quickly. “Steve interrupted him, and Hawk got there moments later.”

“So, did ya make a steer outta the varmint?” Eli snarled.

Hawk’s jaw tightened and his blue eyes narrowed. “We should have... for even attempting it.” Reaching for Jenny’s hand, he gave it a tender squeeze. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, sweetheart. I tried to get up there as fast as I could. The snow didn’t help.”

Sweetheart
. She loved the sound of that. “I hear you won five thousand dollars at the rodeo today, Mr. Stud Bullrider,” she teased to lighten the mood and banish the vision of Joe attacking her. “What are you going to do with all that money after risking limb and life?”

Eli and Hank stopped eating and shot Hawk quick glances. Jenny noticed.

“It’s spent already,” Hawk responded evasively, quickly stuffing a fork full of pancakes into his mouth.

“Really?” she asked. “On what?”

Before she could probe further, Hawk waved aside her curiosity and shot the two cowhands across the table a pointed glare. “I’ll tell you later— when we’re alone.”

Resigned to wait, Jenny finished her midnight breakfast, then helped everyone clean up the remains of the meal. At the sink, Hawk hooked an elbow around her neck and pulled her close so he could whisper in her ear. “Can I move back into the house now?”

“Immediately. Tonight.” After wiping the last dish, she folded her drying towel and turned expectantly to him. “Can I help you bring your things over?”