Her Lucky Cowboy

by Jennifer Ryan

  “What are you going to do?”

  Bell snuck a peek around Patty. Sure enough, Rowdy held up his hand and crooked his finger for her to come to him.

  “Go now. Take Kaley up to the road where the sheriff’s vehicle is parked.”

  Bell stepped around Patty and walked toward Rowdy and certain death. Fear washed through her but turned to a determination she’d never felt when Kaley called out, “Ma-ma.”

  “Bell,” Dane called when she didn’t turn their way.

  Instead, she walked right into the hands of a killer, knowing only one of them would leave the stables. She’d do anything and everything to keep her promise to raise and love Kaley. She’d do anything to keep the life and love she’d found with Dane.

  She stepped into the stables, her eyesight off due to the darker interior. To give herself a moment to adjust, she went on the defensive.

  “You killed Brandy and my grandmother. Why the hell would you be so stupid as to show up here?”

  “Don’t call me stupid, you fucking bitch.” Rowdy stepped out from behind a feed bin.

  The smell hit her all at once. Stale beer, cigarettes, acrid body odor, musty earth, and the unmistakable smell of rotting flesh. He held the rifle pointed at her chest, his left hand holding the barrel. His right hand, at the trigger, was completely covered in third-degree burns. Red and raw like meat, blackened at the edges and scabbed. He could barely close his hand around the gun. Infected, pussy blisters formed at his wrist and on some of his fingers. The burns went so deep that a few of his bones were exposed.

  “That looks bad. Turn yourself in now, and maybe you’ll keep your hand. If not, it’ll rot off, and you’ll die from sepsis. You need to go to a hospital.”

  “And end up in a fucking cell. No way. I’m here to tie up loose ends and see that fuck gets what’s his. He thinks he can take my woman, my child, and get away with it.”

  “Dane and Brandy were friends. Can you say the same? Did you care for her, keep her safe, love her the way she deserved to be loved?”

  “She was mine!” His warped mind only saw Brandy as a possession. Not a person to be respected and loved. Something to hold on to and show the world, Look what I have.

  “You made her afraid of you. You made her want to stay as far away from you as possible.”

  “I loved her.”

  Angry he couldn’t see the truth, she let her fury fly with her words. “You hit her. That’s not love. That’s abuse. That’s you trying to be in control when you are not. That gun doesn’t put you in control. You’re sweating like crazy because you’ve spiked a fever. I’ll bet you’re suffering from dizziness. Soon, you’ll pass out. Right now, the only thing keeping you going is your lust for revenge against someone who did nothing to you.”

  “How about I just shoot you now, bitch, and get it over with?” His finger contracted on the trigger.

  She held her breath, trying to think past the fear clouding her mind. “Because we both know you’re waiting for Dane to come in here. What fun would it be to kill me without him being here to see it?” She hoped that made him wait.

  “Exactly.”

  She tried not to show her relief that she’d bought herself a few more moments.

  Rowdy’s hands shook. He swayed side to side, his feet wide to steady himself. Desperate, Rowdy had chosen this place and time to make his last stand, because he didn’t have much time left if he didn’t get medical help.

  “We both know one other thing.”

  “What the fuck is that?”

  “Dane will never let you get away with this.”

  Patty walked up to Dane at the fence. She dropped the chick at his feet and took Kaley from his arms.

  “Where is Bell going?”

  “Rowdy is in the stables with a rifle pointed this way. I’m taking Kaley to the sheriff’s car up on the road.”

  “Shit.”

  “Sit,” Kaley repeated.

  He almost swore again. “Get moving. I’ll get Bell.”

  “Be careful.”

  Dane didn’t know if Rowdy could see him or not. He took a chance and went the opposite way, along the back of the toolshed, to come around the stables from the other side. Rodrigo had been working with the horses in the stables. Dane wondered how Rowdy had gotten onto the property without being seen by one of his guys. They’d been so vigilant these last days, especially with Kaley on the property. Gabe had even sent Dane a couple more guys. He checked the house and saw them keeping watch from the front and back porch. They wouldn’t have been able to see the stable doors from their vantage point.

  Fuck. He should have put a man in the hayloft.

  No sense beating himself up about it now. He needed to think and figure out the best way to take Rowdy down.

  He whistled to the guys up at the house and pointed to the stables. He put his index finger to his lips to indicate they should be silent. He pointed two fingers at his eyes, then back at them, letting them know if they moved down toward the stables, Rowdy would see them. He pointed toward the road, indicating they should walk away from the stables and come around the way he’d gone, in order to stay out of Rowdy’s sight.

  Rodrigo lay sprawled in the dirt at the back of the building. Blood seeped out of a nasty wound on his forehead. Dane checked his pulse, relieved the man was still alive.

  Bell’s calm voice drifted out to him. He needed to get to her, so he reluctantly left his friend.

  With his back pressed to the stable wall, he poked his head around the side and caught a glimpse of Bell standing in front of Rowdy, the rifle trained on her chest. Rowdy looked like shit.

  They stood in the center aisle, past the stalls. No way for him to get inside without being seen.

  With nothing but bad options to choose from, he went with the one thing that always got him through. Attitude. Sometimes you had to fake your way through a situation to come out on top. When you rode a hulking beast of a bull, you got on, gritted your teeth, and hoped for the best. Right now, he’d set his fear for Bell aside and do what he had to do to keep her safe.

  Dane walked into the stables with languid strides, like he had all the time in the world. Rowdy’s gaze shot to him. Bell tried to step away, but Rowdy dropped the gun and grasped Bell’s arm, pulling her to his chest. He caught her by the throat, his fingers digging into her skin just under her jaw. She grabbed his arm with both of hers, trying to pull it away. Rowdy pulled a wicked hunting knife from his belt with his mangled hand. He pressed it to her side and winced in pain. His hand looked bad.

  “Come on, man, you don’t want to do that.” Dane took his time closing the distance between them. “Let her go before this goes too far.”

  “It’s already gone too far. They’re going to put me in jail. Well, I’m not going. It’s time someone showed you. I’m going to make you pay. You can’t take what’s not yours.”

  “Come on, man, we used to be good friends. I’d never take anything from you.”

  “You took every bull riding prize. You took Brandy. You took my daughter. I saw the phone messages. I saw the way you talked to her, telling her you’d take care of her. She was mine. Not yours.”

  “She was yours, man. One hundred percent. Brandy loved you, but you pushed her away. You hurt her. All I did was help a friend.”

  “That’s not true. You were fucking her behind my back. You had a dozen women at a time and still you had to have her.”

  “No, Rowdy. Brandy was my friend. You accused her of sleeping with every cowboy who crossed her path. Half the time she didn’t even know the guy. Instead of spending time with her, you went to the bar and drank yourself stupid, flirting with waitresses instead of the woman you had at home.”

  “That’s not true,” he whined, like a child who’d gotten caught in a lie.

  “You know it is. Why the hell did you take this so far? Why didn’t you sober up and talk to her? Why the hell did you kill her?”

  “She didn’t want me. I didn’t mean to hit her
that hard. All I wanted is my family.”

  Dane shook his head and tried to keep Rowdy’s focus on him. “Now that’s never going to happen. You threw it all away the second you hit Brandy the first time, the tenth time, the hundredth time, until the last time, when you killed her. Over and over again you showed her she could never be with you and be safe.”

  “I tried to talk to her. She wouldn’t listen. I told her I’d changed.”

  “Right. Then you hit her again.”

  “She pissed me off. It’s her fault for not keeping her damn mouth shut and doing what she’s told.”

  “Women are like that. They’ve got their own minds. They do what they want to do.” Dane rolled his eyes, letting the sarcasm in his words show on his face.

  “All I wanted is to be with her. I wanted to see Kaley.” Rowdy pressed the knife into Bell’s side. Bell screamed and struggled, but Rowdy held her tighter and made her stop.

  Dane held up his hand. “I can make that happen. Here’s the thing, man, you’re holding the woman I love. I want her back. In one piece. So drop the knife. You and me, we’ll go get a beer, and you can see Kaley. She’s here.”

  Too late. Rowdy’s eyes searched both exits. Two deputies on both sides of the stables moved in and held their guns trained on Rowdy and Bell. Rowdy eyed the cops, his skin turning a sickly, pasty white. Sweat glistened on his skin. His scorched hand trembled with the knife at Bell’s side.

  “They’ll never let me go. They’ll put me in a cell to rot.”

  “Arrested is a hell of a lot better than dead,” Dane pointed out.

  “Right, I’ll be in a cell, and you’ll have her, my kid, a fucking happy life. The one I should have had with my girl and my kid. You took her. I want her back.”

  “I can’t bring Brandy back, but you can see Kaley. Put the knife down, and we’ll go see her. You don’t want to frighten her, right?”

  “You fucking lie. You won’t let me see Kaley. I’ll fucking kill this bitch, then you.”

  Unreasonable asshole. Didn’t he see there was no way out of this? No, Rowdy meant to take this all the way. He pressed the knife into Bell’s side again. She gasped and flinched.

  “You’ll finally fucking pay,” Rowdy yelled.

  The rage consumed Dane. “If that’s how you want it, then come on,” Dane yelled. “You want a piece of me, then you come here and take it from me like a man. Not some fucking pansy-ass who preys on women. Bell never did anything to you.”

  Rowdy dug the knife into Bell’s side again. Dane’s stomach tightened with dread. His heart slammed into his ribs, but he held it together. He had to for Bell’s sake.

  He hoped the deputies didn’t do anything stupid, like shoot with Bell in the way.

  “I’ll gut her and drop her at your feet like women do every time you give them that damn smile.”

  Dane held Rowdy’s gaze and smiled with enough venom behind it to make Rowdy’s eyes go wide and fill with fear. “You draw one drop of blood from her, asshole, and you’ll be dead before you take your next breath.”

  “That’s what you think,” Rowdy warned, but his voice trembled. “Fuck you!” Rowdy cried as he swiped the knife along Bell’s side. Blood bloomed over her white sweater like a crimson flower as she pushed away and fell to the ground.

  Dane threw a right hook into Rowdy’s nose, breaking it with a sickening snap, just like Gabe taught him. Rowdy tried to swing the knife again, but Dane planted both hands on his shoulders and shoved him up against the wall as far from Bell as possible . . . right into the metal rake the guys kept hanging spike-side out. Several tines punctured Rowdy’s neck. His eyes grew huge as blood spurted out of his mouth and trickled to his chest while he gasped for breath.

  Stunned, Dane released him. The rake came unhooked from the wall. Rowdy’s legs gave out, and he fell on his ass on the floor, his head bowed forward. The knife slipped from his hand and clinked on the concrete.

  Dane knelt next to him and whispered, “I warned you, motherfucker.”

  The two deputies shoved Dane aside. Bell grabbed him from behind and pulled him back. He turned and took her in his arms, hugging her close, with Rowdy dead at his back.

  “Are you okay? How bad are you hurt?” He held her away and peeled her sweater up to look at the gash on her side just above her hip.

  Bell stared down and touched the nasty cut with her fingertips, prying it apart and hissing in pain. “It’s not that bad. Maybe needs a few stitches. That’s all. I’m fine.”

  “You’re not fucking fine. You’re bleeding.”

  “First, stop swearing. Second, face it, I’m better than him.” She cocked her head in Rowdy’s direction.

  One of the sheriff’s deputies checked out Bell. A second bent and checked Rowdy’s pulse, then shook his head no to the other officers.

  Dane wanted to feel remorse, but all he felt was relieved the asshole was dead and would never harm anyone again. So relieved to have Bell in his arms safe and relatively unharmed, he hugged her close again and kissed her on the head, despite the paramedics who’d arrived seconds ago and were trying to staunch the bleeding with bandages.

  “You need to go to the hospital,” he said, wincing when she hissed in pain.

  “Uh, I’m a doctor. I can sew myself up.”

  “Oh God, please don’t do that.”

  “We’ll walk you out to the ambulance and clean that out, Dr. Bell. If you’d like, we can drive you in to the clinic.”

  “I’ll take her,” Dane said.

  “Mr. Bowden, there are a lot of people outside who’d like to see you and Dr. Bell,” one of the officers said.

  “My family is here to meet Kaley,” Dane said, running a hand over his head, remembering the party they’d planned to welcome Kaley to the family.

  “Go get Kaley. She’s probably scared. See your family. I’ll get this cleaned up and be back soon.”

  “I’m not letting you out of my sight. They can stick around and get to know Patty and Kaley until we get back.”

  She kissed him. Long and soft and laced with all her love. He took it in and let it fill him up. She kissed her way up his jaw to his ear and whispered, “Thank you for what you did. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  She cupped his face and stared into his eyes. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m better than great. I have you.”

  Chapter 24

  Bell stood in the midst of the Christmas morning melee and wondered why she’d ever agreed to host Christmas for Dane’s entire family, when she’d never had a family gathering of this size and scope. Gifts covered half the room. Torn wrapping paper covered the other half. Kaley opened all her gifts and tossed them aside, finding it more fun to toss the paper and ribbons than to actually play with any of her new toys. In fact, she sat inside a huge box filled with Styrofoam popcorn, covering herself up and tossing it in the air like snow.

  Gabe, Blake, and their father sat on the sofa, watching a football game, which Dane had recorded. Their gifts were stacked on the floor. Gillian, five months into her pregnancy, held one hand to her round belly and the other on Justin’s back, looking over his shoulder as he played with his new tablet.

  Joan and Patty sat in chairs by the window, quietly drinking tea and talking. Bell, Dane, Kaley, and Patty visited with Patty’s husband at the care facility in Bozeman yesterday. Patty’s hair had all fallen out due to the chemotherapy that might prolong her life a few more precious months but wouldn’t save it. She wore her new purple cap with the white flower Kaley picked out with Bell. Patty smiled down at Kaley with a mix of joy and sadness. Patty caught Bell’s eye. Bell read the look. This would be her last Christmas with Kaley, but Kaley would be in good hands and surrounded by family.

  A family that kept growing. Ella walked out of the kitchen with a mug of hot chocolate, her newest craving now that she was a few months into her pregnancy. She went to Gabe and sat on his lap. He hugged her close and slid his hand over her small baby bump. Ella
turned her head and kissed his forehead. So sweet.

  Dane sat on the hearth, his stack of opened presents and hers next to him. He loved the new Black Stetson she’d gotten him, since his had gotten ruined during the bull riding championships. He didn’t have the brace anymore. He walked with a slight limp, but his leg had completely healed. He loved being back to work on the ranch and riding. He loved it even more when she and Kaley went with him. He’d even bought Bell a horse, a gentle mare she loved and named Daisy. When Dane mocked the name, she told him she’d always wanted a horse named Daisy. He just smiled and kissed her.

  Dane rose, snagged the TV remote from the table, and paused the game.

  “Hey, we’re watching that,” Blake grumbled.

  “Hold on a second. I need to do something.” Dane closed the distance between him and Bell and took her hand. “Did you enjoy Christmas?”

  “It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.” She scanned the chaos in the room. She loved it that everyone around her smiled with warm eyes on her, knowing growing up, Christmas had never been like this.

  “I bet you’re wondering why I didn’t give you your gift yet.”

  “Oh, you didn’t have to get me anything. I loved all my presents from your family. Really, thank you everyone. I got more gifts today than I did my whole life.” Tears stung the backs of her eyes. She’d never known such kind and loving families existed. “Your generosity is truly overwhelming.”

  “We love you, Bell,” Dane’s mother said. “You’re family.”

  Bell smiled through the overwhelming emotions roiling inside her. She blinked back the tears.

  Dane squeezed her hand to pull her attention back to him. He brushed away the tear that escaped her lashes and fell down her cheek.

  “My family gave you a lot of really nice things. My gift to you is a little bit different. It’s something you always wanted but never got. Something I will only ever give once, and only to you, but you can use it every day for the rest of your life.”

  “What?” she asked, confused.