Love Under Two Cowboys [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Cara Covington

  Carrie got a bad feeling when she watched Matt, rifle in hand, duck and run for the edge of the building.

  “Sweetheart, where did Adam go?”

  Carrie turned her head to look at Jake. She caught just the wisp of an expression, quickly masked when he met his wife’s gaze.

  “He’s going around to the front of the building.”

  “Why?”

  “Ginny, sweetheart? We have to just trust him, now.”

  It seemed as if they looked at each other for a long time. Finally, Ginny nodded. Jake bent close, kissed her lips, and then pulled her into his arms. She hugged him, then turned around so that she could, with Carrie and Brian, face the building.

  Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and Carrie couldn’t help but keep checking her watch. That deadline Lockwood had given her loomed large and close. Twenty minutes gave way to fifteen. When there was nearly only ten minutes left, Carrie noticed movement, and had to squint to see what was happening.

  “Well boy howdy, what’s Adam doing up there?” The sheriff appeared briefly in the window directly above Carrie’s bedroom. And then, as he opened that window, as he looked out, and down, and seemed to be measuring the rope, Carrie understood. Adam disappeared for a moment and then returned, hat removed, gloves on, rope looped around his right hand.

  “Jesus Christ, he’s holding that rope the way he would if he was going to ride a bronco,” Brian said.

  “Tell me he isn’t going to do what I think he’s going to—” Ginny stopped mid sentence.

  It happened so quickly, Carrie nearly couldn’t wrap her head around it. Matthew flattened himself against the wall of the building, now just a few feet away from her apartment, rifle in hand. He looked up at his boss, and when Adam nodded, he nodded in return.

  They moved in perfect synchronicity. Adam eased himself out the window, stood on the ledge, turned, and faced the building. Then he jumped.

  He arced out and down and, feet first, shattered the window as he hit it, disappearing inside Carrie’s apartment. The rope snapped out, the end sailing up into the air. Matthew moved, gun at the ready.

  Before he could reach the shattered portal, two shots exploded from inside the apartment, one on top of the other. She and Ginny both jumped, and then Carrie felt everything inside her go cold, even as Ginny screamed.

  Carrie felt Brian’s arms wrap around her and hold her close. His silent message was clear. He wasn’t going to let her go anywhere near that building until they knew that everything was all right.

  Matt lowered his rifle and seemed to wilt for just a moment. Then he straightened and appeared to be talking to someone inside the apartment.

  And then Adam appeared at the window, apparently whole and unharmed.

  “Oh, thank you, God.” The soft exclamation echoed Carrie’s sentiments exactly. Ginny moved to go to him, but Jake held her back.

  “Let’s just wait a minute, honey. Wait for his signal.”

  Matt was talking on his cell phone. Movement on the street to her right and slightly behind her caught her attention.

  It was the EMT vehicle that was attached to the Lusty Fire Department. Carrie’s heart was pounding in her chest. Matt had called for the paramedics. She felt her heart clutch as dread began to build inside her.

  Her cell phone vibrated in her hand and belted out that Kelly Clarkson tune.

  Carrie’s hands shook as she answered the phone.

  “Chloe!”

  “Hey, little sister. I’m okay. Well, mostly. Here’s Chase.”

  Her sister didn’t sound okay, not completely. But she was alive, and lucid, and Carrie closed her eyes in relief as she waited for Chase to speak.

  “It’s over, sugar. We’re going to bring Chloe out for the EMTs to have a look at her. Bastard clocked her in face, and she lost consciousness. I’m going to hop out the window and Adam is going to lift her out and give her to me. I want you to meet us right there at the van. Okay?”

  “Yeah, okay. Chase? Thank you.”

  “Hell, I didn’t do much. Now hang up so I can bring your sister to you.”

  It didn’t occur to Carrie until they were at the clinic that there might have been a reason the men kept her and Ginny from going to the apartment, or why, instead of using the door, all their in-and-out activity was centered around the window. It didn’t even occur to her to ask about Lockwood, because Chase had said it was over, and that was all she needed to know in the short term.

  Carrie held her sister’s hand the entire time that Robert Jessop examined Chloe. He was concerned about her loss of consciousness, of course, because that indicated the possibility of a concussion. But her jaw wasn’t, as Chloe told her she feared, broken.

  Her sister seemed very quiet throughout the exam, and Carrie wanted to chalk that up to the adrenaline crash. Yet Chloe clutched her fiercely.

  And then Carrie had a shiver of déjà vu. I was quiet and uncommunicative after I escaped the Lockwoods, and she let me be, and that was a mistake on both our parts.

  Jillian Gillespie helped in the exam rooms when she wasn’t manning the front desk. She’d pushed a stool close to Carrie so she could sit, but she’d stayed standing. Now she took advantage of the seat, pulling it close, and met her sister’s gaze. Carrie wasn’t going to let history repeat itself. She wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass, either.

  “I love you, Chloe. I knew I had to tell you that before all this happened. I never stopped to consider what it was like for you, back then, when we were separated. Then, when you finally found me, I never let you be there for me. I’m sorry about all of that, more than I can say.”

  Chloe met her gaze, shaking her head slowly. “We were just a couple of kids, Carrie. Both of us not much more than babies, doing the best we could in the aftermath of the worst possible circumstance. I think we ought to just cut us both a lot of slack, and let it all go.”

  “In a minute, maybe.” Carrie used both hands to hold her sister’s. “Will you tell me what’s got you all quiet? Are you in pain, honey? Please tell me.”

  Chloe closed her eyes, but not before Carrie saw such sorrow in them. When she opened them again, tears glistened. “I killed him, Carrie. I raised my gun, aimed, and I killed him.”

  Carrie supposed she’d known that, somehow, deep inside. She guessed she wasn’t very good at facing the icky stuff in life. Then her sister’s words, so recently spoken, came back to her. All things considered, maybe she’d handled a good forty years’ worth of icky stuff so far. Maybe she should give herself a break.

  What I should do is get my eyes off myself and put them on my sister.

  She reached out and gently brushed Chloe’s light brown hair. She didn’t know what she could say to her sister. She opened her mouth, but someone else spoke, instead.

  “What you did, Miss Chloe, was you saved my life.”

  Carrie looked up as Adam Kendall came into the exam room. Adam turned to Robert. “Do you mind if we come in, now?”

  Robert made a face, which told Carrie more than words ever could have that her sister was going to be all right. “Hell, why not? I’m getting used to having my exam rooms being used for all manner of various and sundry purposes.”

  “You’re cranky,” Adam accused. “You need to get to Houston with your brother and your woman. Play around in that club of yours. You always come back much more mellow from there.”

  “Bite my ass, cousin.” Robert smiled as he said that, a real smile that reached his eyes, so Carrie guessed this was normal behavior between the doctor and the sheriff.

  And then she realized they were clowning around for Chloe’s benefit. Chase and Brian came into the exam room right behind Adam. They headed straight for her, and ranged themselves one on either side of her. Each of her men put a hand on her and she felt better—anchored, and safe.

  Adam moved closer so that he stood on the other side of the stretcher. His gaze was on Chloe, but his question was obviously directed to Robert Jessop.

  “H
ow is she doing?”

  “She has a slight concussion. She’ll need to be monitored for the next couple of days. Her jaw’s not broken, but it’s definitely bruised and going to be sore. Chloe may want to limit herself to soft food for a few meals, until that pain eases.”

  While they spoke, it seemed to Carrie that her sister’s gaze was focused on her toes. She felt her trembling, and could only give her hand a little squeeze in response.

  “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.

  Chapter 22

  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.