Jodi nodded in agreement. “It would have made things easier, for me anyway, if Russell had committed all the murders.”
Yes, because it would mean her father was innocent. And with Russell’s confession, Travis was clear of Jodi’s attack. But clearing his name didn’t extend to the deaths of Gabriel’s parents. No. There wasn’t enough evidence to overturn his conviction. However, it was something Gabriel would take a closer look at. Jodi would no doubt do the same.
Jodi took hold of his hand, gave it a gentle squeeze. Considering it was such a small gesture, it had a big effect. It didn’t rid him of the ache in his heart, but it sure as heck helped.
“Don’t think I’m just going to drop this,” August went on. “As soon as you catch Russell, I’m finding a judge who’ll set Travis free.” With that, he ended the call.
“That won’t happen,” Gabriel assured Jodi.
She nodded. “I agree. If Russell had killed them, he would have said so.” She paused. “But at least now I know my father wasn’t the one who attacked me.”
In all the chaos, Gabriel had forgotten just how important that was to her. Good. It might help with the nightmares and panic attacks. But she certainly wasn’t panicking now.
She slipped right into his arms.
“I’m in love with you, you know,” she said.
No. He hadn’t known. And it left him speechless. Not the best time for that because she was clearly waiting for him to respond. Before he could get his mouth working, though, the nurse stepped in.
“Are you up to seeing Hector March?” The nurse directed her question to Jodi. “He’s asking for you.”
Gabriel wasn’t sure it was a good idea, especially since Hector might verbally blast Jodi again for not sticking up for him, but he didn’t stop her when she started to follow the nurse. Gabriel did go with her, though. For one thing, because she didn’t look steady on her feet. For another, he didn’t want her alone.
The hospital wasn’t that large by anyone’s standards, and it took them less than a minute to make it to the room where Hector was recovering. Unlike Jodi and him, Hector had required some surgery. Ditto for Jace, but both had come out of it just fine. Physically fine anyway.
The moment Jodi and Gabriel stepped into the room, Hector tried to sit up, but the nurse motioned for him to lie back down. He didn’t listen. Instead, he winced and grunted until he got into the position he wanted. Probably so he’d be able to face them head-on.
Hector’s mouth tightened when he looked at Jodi. “I would ask if you’re okay, but I can see you’re not.” His attention lingered on the bloodstains on her shirt. “He knifed you?”
She nodded. “This time, though, he didn’t hit any vital organs, and I did manage to cut him.” Jodi tipped her head to the fresh bandage on his leg and chest. “How about you? Are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine in no time. Just a few broken ribs.”
“And two gunshot wounds,” Jodi added. “The doctor mentioned it when he was examining Gabriel and me.”
“Flesh wounds. I’ll be back at work tomorrow.”
“In a week if you’re lucky,” the nurse corrected, and she stepped out.
Gabriel was betting Hector wasn’t going to stay in that bed for a week. A night maybe, until the effects of the anesthesia wore off.
“It can’t be easy for you to be here,” Hector went on, and it surprised Gabriel that the man wasn’t speaking to Jodi but to him. “You’re probably blaming yourself for what happened to Jodi. I know I sure as hell am.”
Jodi frowned. “It wasn’t your fault.” She looked at Gabriel and repeated it before she went to Hector and slid her hand over his.
Hector stared at her, clearly surprised. Maybe because Jodi wasn’t the touching type. Ironic that she could manage to do it now when she’d just weathered another attack.
“Thank you for everything you did for me,” she said.
Hector’s stare continued. “But?”
Jodi drew in a long breath. “But I can’t work for you any longer. And no, it doesn’t have anything to do with what went on tonight.”
“It has to do with Gabriel.” Hector huffed, groaned softly and then scrubbed his hand over his face. “I’m guessing he’s the reason I no longer see the panic in your eyes?”
She nodded. “He’s the reason for a lot of things.”
That got him a quick glare from Hector. Then, a nod. Hector and he would probably never be friendly to each other, but they could agree on one thing. They wanted what was best for Jodi. Because they both cared deeply for her.
“You’re not going to become a cop, are you?” Hector asked, and it sounded as if he was only partially joking. Partially disgusted with the thought of that, too.
“No, but maybe a PI. That way, I can put all the training you gave me to good use. I can still help people. Protect them, maybe. I could even set up an office right here in Blue River.”
So, she was staying. Or least thinking of staying. Even though it wasn’t a sure thing, it felt as if someone had lifted a weight off his shoulders.
Hector stayed quiet a moment while he continued to study Jodi’s face. “Is this goodbye then?”
“Yes,” she answered after a long pause. “Thanks again, Hector.” She leaned down, dropped a kiss on his forehead.
Gabriel hated the punch of jealousy that went through him. Especially since it was obvious that Jodi didn’t have any romantic feelings for her former boss, but Gabriel was just feeling possessive at the moment. That probably had something to do with what she’d said to him.
I’m in love with you, you know.
He was definitely still reeling from that. Because, no, he hadn’t known.
The moment they were back in the hall, Gabriel eased her into his arms. He’d intended it to be just a hug since he figured she needed a little TLC after that chat. Of course, nothing ever stayed just a simple hug with them, so when she looked up at him, Gabriel kissed her. He would have also brought up that “I’m in love with you” if he hadn’t heard the footsteps heading their way. He automatically stepped in front of Jodi and drew his gun.
But again, it was only Jameson.
However, unlike earlier when Jameson had come into the treatment room, his brother was now smiling. “The Rangers found Russell.”
Gabriel still had his arm around Jodi, and he felt her practically sag against him in relief. “Where was he?” she asked.
“Not far from the ranch. He was on one of the old trails. He’s dead,” Jameson added a heartbeat later.
Gabriel’s mind started to whirl with all sorts of bad scenarios—like a shoot-out where more law enforcement officers had been hurt, or worse. “Did Russell kill anyone else?”
Jameson shook his head. “He didn’t get the chance. He bled out while sitting in his car. A knife wound to the stomach. Your doing?” he asked Gabriel.
“No. Jodi’s.”
So, she’d killed Russell after all.
Gabriel looked down at her to see how she was handling that. No tears. And she seemed a little stronger than she had been a couple of seconds earlier. Relieved, too.
“Good,” she whispered.
Yeah, it was. Not only because they didn’t have to worry about Russell coming after them, but because he also couldn’t try to kill his wife or August. Of course, his wife’s troubles were just beginning, because she’d have to live with the aftermath of what her husband had done.
“Are you okay?” Jameson asked her, but he waved it off. “Of course, you are. You’re in good hands.” He smiled, no doubt noticing that Gabriel and she were practically wrapped around each other, and he strolled off.
“Are you really okay?” Gabriel repeated to her.
She took a moment, as if trying to figure out how to answer him, and then nodded. “F
or years, I’ve dreamed about this happening. About getting back at my attacker. But now that I’ve managed it, it no longer seems important. This is what’s important.”
Gabriel hoped that she was talking about him. “Earlier you said you were in love with me.”
She stared at him, maybe trying to figure out how he felt about that and how he felt about her. But Gabriel didn’t want there to be any question in her mind.
“Right back at you,” he said. He even managed a smile before he kissed her. And because he figured she needed the words as well, Gabriel added, “I’m in love with you, too.”
Now, she smiled. Kissed him and slid as close to him as their injuries would allow.
She’d been right. This was what was important. And Gabriel now had everything he wanted right in his arms.
* * * * *
Look for the next book in USA TODAY
bestselling author Delores Fossen’s
BLUE RIVER RANCH miniseries,
available next month.
And don’t miss the most recent books
in her long-running series,
THE LAWMEN OF SILVER CREEK RANCH:
LANDON
HOLDEN
DRURY
LUCAS
Sheriff Flint Cahill can and will endure elements far worse than the coming winter storm to hunt down Maggie Thompson and her abductor.
Read on for a sneak preview of
COWBOY’S LEGACY,
A CAHILL RANCH NOVEL from
New York Times bestselling author
B.J. Daniels!
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Cowboy’s Legacy
by B.J. Daniels
SHE WAS IN so fast that she didn’t have a chance to scream. The icy cold water stole her breath away. Her eyes flew open as she hit. Because of the way she fell, she had no sense of up or down for a few moments.
Panicked, she flailed in the water until a light flickered above her. She tried to swim toward it, but something was holding her down. The harder she fought, the more it seemed to push her deeper and deeper, the light fading.
Her lungs burned. She had to breathe. The dim light wavered above her through the rippling water. She clawed at it as her breath gave out. She could see the surface just inches above her. Air! She needed oxygen. Now!
The rippling water distorted the face that suddenly appeared above her. The mouth twisted in a grotesque smile. She screamed, only to have her throat fill with the putrid dark water. She choked, sucking in even more water. She was drowning, and the person who’d done this to her was watching her die and smiling.
Maggie Thompson shot upright in bed, gasping for air and swinging her arms frantically toward the faint light coming through the window. Panic had her perspiration-soaked nightgown sticking to her skin. Trembling, she clutched the bedcovers as she gasped for breath.
The nightmare had been so real this time that she thought she was going to drown before she could come out of it. Her chest ached, her throat feeling raw as tears burned her eyes. It had been too real. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d almost died this time. Next time...
She snapped on the bedside lamp to chase away the dark shadows hunkered in the corners of the room. If only Flint had been here instead of on an all-night stakeout. She needed Sheriff Flint Cahill’s strong arms around her. Not that he stayed most nights. They hadn’t been intimate that long.
Often, he had to work or was called out in the middle of the night. He’d asked her to move in with him months ago, but she’d declined. He’d asked her after one of his ex-wife’s nasty tricks. Maggie hadn’t wanted to make a decision like that based on Flint’s ex.
While his ex hadn’t done anything in months to keep them apart, Maggie couldn’t rest easy. Flint was hoping Celeste had grown tired of her tricks. Maggie wasn’t that naive. Celeste Duma was one of those women who played on every man’s weakness to get what she wanted—and she wanted not just the rich, powerful man she’d left Flint for. She wanted to keep her ex on the string, as well.
Maggie’s breathing slowed a little. She pulled the covers up to her chin, still shivering, but she didn’t turn off the light. Sleep was out of the question for a while. She told herself that she wasn’t going to let Celeste scare her. She wasn’t going to give the woman the satisfaction.
Unfortunately, it was just bravado. Flint’s ex was obsessed with him. Obsessed with keeping them apart. And since the woman had nothing else to do...
As the images of the nightmare faded, she reminded herself that the dream made no sense. It never had. She was a good swimmer. Loved water. Had never nearly drowned. Nor had anyone ever tried to drown her.
Shuddering, she thought of the face she’d seen through the rippling water. Not Celeste’s. More like a Halloween mask. A distorted smiling face, neither male nor female. Just the memory sent her heart racing again.
What bothered her most was that dream kept reoccurring. After the first time, she’d mentioned it to her friend Belle Delaney.
“A drowning dream?” Belle had asked with the arch of her eyebrow. “Do you feel that in waking life you’re being ‘sucked into’ something you’d rather not be a part of?”
Maggie had groaned inwardly. Belle had never kept it a secret that she thought Maggie was making a mistake when it came to Flint. Too much baggage, she always said of the sheriff. His “baggage” came in the shape of his spoiled, probably psychopathic, petite, green-eyed, blonde ex.
“I have my own skeletons.” Maggie had laughed, although she’d never shared her past—even with Belle—before moving to Gilt Edge, Montana, and opening her beauty shop, Just Hair. She feared it was her own baggage that scared her the most.
“If you’re holding anything back,” Belle had said, eyeing her closely, “you need to let it out. Men hate surprises after they tie the knot.”
“Guess I don’t have to worry about that because Flint hasn’t said anything about marriage.” But she knew Belle was right. She’d even come close to telling him several times about her past. Something had always stopped her. The truth was, she feared if he found out her reasons for coming to Gilt Edge he wouldn’t want her anymore.
“The dream isn’t about Flint,” she’d argued that day with Belle, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a warning.
“Well, from what I know about dreams,” Belle had said, “if in the dream you survive the drowning, it means that a waking relationship
will ultimately survive the turmoil. At least, that is one interpretation. But I’d say the nightmare definitely indicates that you are going into unknown waters and something is making you leery of where you’re headed.” She’d cocked an eyebrow at her. “If you have the dream again, I’d suggest that you ask yourself what it is you’re so afraid of.”
“I’m sure it’s just about his ex, Celeste,” she’d lied. Or was she afraid that she wasn’t good enough for Flint—just as his ex had warned her. Just as she feared in her heart.
* * *
THE WIND LAY over the tall dried grass and kicked up dust as Sheriff Flint Cahill stood on the hillside. He shoved his Stetson down on his head of thick dark hair, squinting in the distance at the clouds to the west. Sure as the devil, it was going to snow before the day was out.
In the distance, he could see a large star made out of red and green lights on the side of a barn, a reminder that Christmas was coming. Flint thought he might even get a tree this year, go up in the mountains and cut it himself. He hadn’t had a tree at Christmas in years. Not since...
At the sound of a pickup horn, he turned, shielding his eyes from the low winter sun. He could smell snow in the air, feel it deep in his bones. This storm was going to dump a good foot on them, according to the latest news. They were going to have a white Christmas.
Most years he wasn’t ready for the holiday season any more than he was ready for a snow that wouldn’t melt until spring. But this year was different. He felt energized. This was the year his life would change. He thought of the small velvet box in his jacket pocket. He’d been carrying it around for months. Just the thought of it made him smile to himself. He was in love and he was finally going to do something about it.
The pickup rumbled to a stop a few yards from him. He took a deep breath of the mountain air and, telling himself he was ready for whatever Mother Nature wanted to throw at him, he headed for the truck.
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