Читать книгу A Bride By Summer: The Texas Ranger's Bride / From Best Friend to Bride / Once Upon a Bride - Rebecca Winters - Страница 16

Chapter Eight

Ten after midnight. No phone call from Cy. No doorbell ringing.

Kellie’s parents had left her town house at ten thirty. They’d begged her to go home with them, but she’d told them she was exhausted. After the exciting phone call from the captain of the Rangers, who praised Cy’s heroism for leading the team that caught both stalkers, she preferred to go straight to bed. She would drive out to the ranch in the morning.

Luckey had stayed with her until her parents arrived. He’d received a call from one of the other Rangers letting him know Cy had been taken to the hospital but his injuries were minimal.

She didn’t believe that for a minute, and the fact that he hadn’t tried to make contact convinced her something was seriously wrong. She’d heard the shots and learned what had happened from Cy’s superior. But he was trained to gloss over information he didn’t want her to know. Luckey had prevented her from going out in back while it was still a crime scene. She recognized he was only doing his job, but it killed her that she had to wait for information that came in bits and pieces.

That was the part of the exclusive Ranger brotherhood that bothered her. Surely Cy had to know she was anxious to hear his voice and make sure he was all right, even if she couldn’t see him.

Restless and worried, Kellie paced the floor and then sank down on the couch. Cy’s hide-a-bed was still in the living room. He would have to come back to get it, but obviously not tonight.

She glanced down at the rings. He’d be taking those back, too. But she felt as if they’d become a part of her. She would sleep wearing them one last time.

At one in the morning, she took some ibuprofen for a headache and went upstairs to bed. The painkiller helped her to fall asleep, but when she awakened Saturday morning, she realized she’d been crying. She’d had nightmares.

Because of her ordeal, her parents had worried she wouldn’t sleep well and might have bad dreams. But oddly enough, it wasn’t the stalkers who had filled her mind. Throughout the night she’d wandered endlessly in her search for Cy, unable to find him anywhere.

Thankful to be awake, she got out of bed to shower and wash her hair. If Cy came over this morning, she wanted to be ready for him. After putting on a clean pair of jeans and a plaid Western shirt, she applied some makeup and pulled on her cowboy boots before going downstairs.

While she was in the kitchen pouring herself a glass of orange juice, her phone rang. Fighting her disappointment that it wasn’t Cy, she reached for it. “Mom?”

“Honey? Turn on the news. We’ll talk after it’s over.”

Taking her juice with her, she hurried into the living room and turned on the TV to one of the local stations. Between swallows she watched the breaking news.

“For those of you who’ve just joined us, last evening our own Texas Rangers finished up a sting that ended in the arrest of two killers on the FBI’s most wanted list. Three brutal unsolved murders stretching from Illinois to Tennessee and South Carolina might have turned into four if it hadn’t been for our state’s bravest. We’re standing by for a message from the governor.”

Kellie sank down on the couch to listen.

“Today is one of the finest days for the Rangers, who prevented the murder of one of our celebrated Austin citizens, Kellie Parrish. She’s the twenty-five-year-old barrel racer who will be competing in the National Finals in Las Vegas in December. She has been stalked by identical twin brothers whose killing spree started four years ago.

“The same rangers who brought down the drug cartel here six months ago took the lead in the capture of these predators. The criminals’ names are being withheld as FBI agents in Illinois, Tennessee and South Carolina are putting all the facts together and notifying family members of the women they’d targeted.”

A shiver ran through Kellie. The thought of the poor parents and families of the three women who’d been terrorized and killed brought stabbing pain to her heart. Because of Cy, they could now be provided with answers. But those poor women hadn’t been blessed to have Cy protecting them.

Without wasting a breath, she phoned her mother. The minute she heard her voice, she broke down sobbing. “Oh, Mom. Cy is so wonderful.” She tried to hold back the sobs, but it was pointless. “I don’t want to think what would have happened if he hadn’t taken my case.”

“Then don’t, darling. Have you talked to him since last night?”

“No. He had to go to the hospital last night. Maybe he’s still there. I have no idea how serious his injuries were. Even if he’s been released, I’m sure he has so much to do.”

“I don’t wonder. How soon are you coming?”

She wiped her eyes with her other arm and took a fortifying breath. “I—I don’t know yet.”

“Sitting around waiting to hear from him isn’t the answer.”

Kellie jumped to her feet, hurt by her comment. “What do you mean?”

“The two of you have been living in close quarters throughout your ordeal, pretending to be married. Now that the threat has gone, I’m not at all surprised you miss having him at your side on a constant basis. He’s the stuff heroes are made of. Heavens, I’m a little in love with him myself. Please don’t tell your father.”

“Oh, Mom.” She let out a half laugh because her mother knew her so well.

“I’m not surprised you’ve lost your head, but you’ve got a championship to win, remember? Ranger Vance isn’t going anywhere. Give it time.”

Kellie hated it when her mother was right.

“Thanks for the talk. I should be at the ranch within the hour.”

After she got off the phone, her mood was completely different. She rushed upstairs for her purse and came back down to write a note at the kitchen table.

Dear Cy,

Words can’t express what I’m feeling, so I’m not going to try. I forgive you if you let yourself in to get the rest of your things while I’m not here. The governor gave you a ringing endorsement today. Congratulations. Just know that you will always have my undying gratitude. You saved my life. What greater service can one human do for another?

Kellie

She read it over several times, wondering if she needed to change anything. But no, it said what she wanted to say. Unlike the piece she’d written on the blog about their marriage, this one wasn’t over-the-top. Viewing it objectively, she felt she’d hit just the right tone.

Without giving herself a chance to change her mind, she removed the rings and left them on top of the note. After grabbing the extra garage-door opener from the drawer, she hurried out to the garage and climbed in her car.

When she backed out, she saw no sign of the crime scene from last night. But it was out here that the stalker had fired on Cy. Another shudder left her weak before she pulled herself together and started for the ranch.

During the drive, half a dozen messages were left on her phone. She knew she would be inundated by good wishes and concern from her friends for a while, but she wasn’t ready to talk to anyone about this except her parents. Then she would take separate rides on Trixie and Starburst, exactly what she needed to sort out her head.

Her left hand gripped the steering wheel. It looked bare without the rings. How do they feel, Mrs. Vance? he’d asked, staring at her with his gorgeous dark blue eyes.

They’d felt natural.

Without them, without him, nothing felt natural.

Another two miles and she pulled up in front of the ranch house. Her phone rang again. She glanced at the caller ID and rushed to answer it. “Cy?”

If he hadn’t known how she really felt about him, he did now.

“Good morning, Kellie.”

He sounded wonderfully alive. She gripped the phone tighter. “Are you still in the hospital?”

“I’m at headquarters. Last night I was only there for a few minutes to have a couple of tiny cuts treated before going home.”

“I’m so thankful you weren’t seriously injured.” Her voice shook. “I heard three shots.”

“It’s over now.” It was obvious he didn’t want to talk about it. “If you’re still at your town house, I’d like to come over and get my stuff. Vic’s coming with me. We’ll take out the hide-a-bed so you can have your house back.”

Kellie moaned. If she hadn’t left so soon...

“I’m sorry, Cy. I’m out at my parents’ house. You still have a door key, right?”

“Yes.”

“I can imagine how busy you must be, so feel free to drive over and let yourself in.”

After a slight pause, he said, “Sounds good. I’ll leave the key and your garage-door opener on the table.”

Her eyes closed tightly. She’d purposely left the rings and the note in case something like this happened. “Cy? I want to see you again to thank you. Is there a night you could come over and I’ll cook dinner for you?”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“There’s every need. You saved my life.”

“Tell you what. The captain has a new case for me. I need to take a look at it. When I know my schedule, I’ll call to let you know what night would be good.”

So now that he didn’t have to guard her, he wasn’t planning on taking her to his sister’s engagement party on Sunday evening. Already he’d been put to work on another dangerous assignment. That was his job.

For one week out of her life, the two of them had been inseparable. But it was over. He’d never again be exclusively hers. How was she going to bear it?

“I hope you can make it Monday or Tuesday. Cody and I will be leaving for South Dakota on Wednesday.”

Another silence before he said, “How long will you be gone?”

The breath froze in her lungs. “Seven weeks.”

“Seven?” He sounded surprised. “Without a break?”

“After I leave Oklahoma I’m doing three rodeos throughout Texas with Sally and Manny. It’ll be November before I return home.” She stared blindly into space waiting for a response.

“If I can’t make it either of those nights, will you give me a rain check?”

Kellie had to brace herself to handle the hurt. “Do you even have to ask? Ranger Vance will always have a standing invitation to my home.”

“That’s nice to hear.”

She could hardly swallow. “I’m so glad you’re all right. Take care of yourself, Cy. The Famous Four wouldn’t be the same without you.”

Enveloped in pain, Kellie clicked off before she said too much. Then she turned off her cell. She was glad he hadn’t learned she was still at the condo earlier waiting around for him.

The remark her mother had made during their phone call had gotten her out of the house in time to save her from making the biggest mistake of her life!

* * *

CY PULLED THE van in front of Kellie’s town house with a grimace. “Let’s get this done fast.” He didn’t wait for Vic. After he got out and opened the side door to accommodate the hide-a-bed, he headed for her front door. The key was on his ring.

Vic followed him inside. They made quick work of getting the couch out to the van. In a few minutes he’d restored the living room to its former order. “I’ll run upstairs to grab my laptop and any clothes I left.”

“While you do that, I’ll take down the camera from the garage.”

“Good. Be back in a second.”

When he came down with his bag, he went into the bathroom to pack the toiletries he’d left. All was done except to leave the key and garage-door opener.

Cy walked into the kitchen and put both items on the table. That was when his eyes were drawn to the diamond and wedding band he’d given her. They were sitting on a note she’d penned. A vise seemed to close around his chest.