You're Still the One

by Jacobs, Annabel

  "Yes, yes." Her eyes were dark with worry, but clear.

  He walked her to the back of the cabin. "No matter what, stay covered until this is over."

  Her hand tightened on his arm. "Be careful, Rick. Please."

  "I will. We've got plans after this, right?" He smiled at her.

  "Right."

  He allowed himself one hard kiss, then edged along the back of the cabin to the opposite corner. After one glance to make sure Katie was safely in place behind the cabin, he eased up the side, thumbing off the safety on his Magnum.

  He hoped Katie would do as he'd asked. If there was any chance of her being in the line of fire, he wouldn't be able to think of anything except her.

  He looked back once more. She was there, waved at him. Thank goodness, she was playing it smart. She'd stay out of sight.

  Putting all other thoughts out of his mind, he slipped silently to the front corner of the cabin. Tommy stood at the bottom of the steps, still talking.

  He had managed to get Henderson's goons and Grace outside. The two men, Baldy and a tall, skinny guy, matched the descriptions Rick had gotten after the murder of Billy Edwards. Skinny stood on the middle step, his gun trained on Tommy. On the top step, the bald guy held Grace in front of him like a shield, one arm hooked around her neck.

  The lush body and tight black outfit were classic Grace, but Rick had to look twice at the blond bob. He'd only ever seen her natural medium brown hair. She whimpered, her body pulled awkwardly into Baldy's.

  When the man shifted, Rick finally saw his gun, drilling into the underside of Grace's jaw.

  "I'm telling you, those disks are in town." Tommy's features were drawn, his gaze trained on the man who held Grace. "If I don't pick them up by tomorrow, they'll be mailed to the police."

  Good thinking, Tony, Rick commended silently, trying to gauge his chances of taking Baldy from this angle. Move down another step, you slimeball.

  Skinny stepped to the ground, backed Tommy into the hood of his pickup.

  The bald guy pushed Grace down another step, then another. Rick moved silently toward them.

  "Robert!" The skinny man called. "There's a car back there. Behind this truck. It's a black Cor-"

  Rick jammed his gun into Robert's back. "Let her go."

  The man tried to angle away from Rick, put Grace squarely in front of him, but she dug in her heels. He yelled, "Joseph!"

  The skinny guy whirled, aimed at Grace. Tommy roared and tackled him from behind. The gun went off. Grace screamed.

  "Drop, Grace!" Rick ordered. "Fold your legs and drop!"

  His words were drowned out by more gunfire from Joseph. He and Tommy grappled on the ground, fighting for the gun.

  Rick yelled at Grace again, and she folded her legs. Caught off balance, Robert stumbled, slamming her into the railing.

  "Tommy!" she screamed. "Tommy!"

  Joseph's gun fired again, Robert draped himself over Grace like plastic wrap. Rick couldn't get a clear shot.

  Tommy yelped, frantically pushing at the man on top of him. Scrambling off the ground, he stumbled and bumped into the grill of his truck. "He's dead. Crap, he's dead."

  Before Rick could tell Tommy to get Joseph's gun, Robert exploded into motion. He pushed Grace to the side and bolted down the steps.

  She tumbled over the rail, on top of Rick. Under the sudden impact, he stumbled. They both fell to the ground.

  A shot rang out. Tommy cursed. Another shot crackled the air. By the time Rick moved Grace and darted under the steps, Tommy had taken cover behind the passenger side of his truck and was shooting at Robert, who had ducked behind a tree.

  Tommy fired twice more, peeked over the hood to squeeze the trigger again. This time, the gun clicked, empty.

  Robert popped out from behind the tree, shot twice. Tommy dove for the ground.

  Grace screamed, getting to her feet.

  "Stay down, damn it, Grace!" Rick motioned her down. "Get behind the cabin. "Katie's waiting for you."

  Another shot sounded. Grace dropped to the ground, stayed low.

  Rick fired in Robert's direction. Saw the guy's shoulder and fired again.

  He had no shots to waste, no chance of getting to his other clip in the car.

  Robert fired. One shot whizzed past Rick's ear; another buried itself in the wood over his head. The other man bolted into the woods.

  Rick squeezed off two shots, aiming for Robert's leg. The man tripped, then fell. Silence descended so abruptly that Rick's ears still buzzed from the sound of gunfire. The acrid smell of gunpowder burned the air. Rick blinked. Had he hit the guy? If so, where?

  After several moments with no movement from either Robert or Joseph, Rick moved carefully from under the steps. He knelt to check Joseph. No pulse.

  "Tommy, you okay?"

  "Yes." The man's voice shook as he rose slowly from behind the truck.

  "Check on Katie and Grace." Rick started toward the edge of the woods where Robert had fallen.

  Rick could see him, sprawled face down on a bed of pine needles, unmoving. Keeping his gun at the ready in case Robert planned to surprise him, Rick stood over the man. No twitch of a leg, no moan, nothing.

  He knelt, placed two fingers on the guy's neck. He was dead.

  He'd never killed anyone before. A wave of shock rolled over him, left his chest clammy. His hands unsteady, he thumbed on his safety.

  For a moment, he dragged in deep breaths, trying to ease the greasy knot in the pit of his stomach. Sweat trickled down the side of his face, and he wiped it away.

  He turned and started toward the cabin, looking for Katie's dark head. Just as he slid his gun into the small of his back, he reached the steps and saw her on the ground hugging Grace. Tommy was on his knees beside them.

  "They're both dead." Rick strode toward them. Grace was exactly where he'd last seen her.

  He had a clear view of them. Katie wasn't hugging Grace; she was holding her. Grace's head lolled against Katie's breast, her eyes closed. Tears streaked Tommy's dusty face.

  Dread fisted in Rick's gut. "Katie?"

  He didn't even realize he'd moved, but he found himself in front of her. Dropping to his knees, he gripped her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

  She looked at him with anguished eyes. "Grace. She's been shot."

  Fear a cold fist around his heart, Rick moved quickly. He and Tommy carried Grace carefully to Tommy's truck while Katie raced ahead to open the door and slide in. They situated Grace so hr head rested in Katie's lap, her feet across Tommy's.

  Outwardly, Rick was calm, but inside his nerves were a hot, jumbled mess. How close has those wild shots come to Kit?

  He followed them to the highway, calling an ambulance on the way. Then, he called Katie to let her know he'd meet her at the hospital. He stayed behind to wait on the police and tell them what had happened. The sight of Grace's blood on Katie's blouse had given him a brutal jolt, made him admit what he'd been trying to deny ever since she'd come back into his life.

  He needed to see her, make sure she was okay, but it was three hours before he finally reached the San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center in Alamosa where the paramedics had transported Grace. Due to the nature of her wound, they thought she needed a larger facility.

  Rick had given his statement to the local police and stood by Katie as she and Tommy had both given theirs. Rick had told her the cops were willing to wait until her sister was out of surgery, but she wanted it finished.

  Just as the police officers left, a young, blond doctor with kind blue eyes stepped out of the operating room. He introduced himself as Dr. Darren and told them that the bullet had nicked Grace's spleen. He'd performed a splenectomy, which had progressed fine, and they'd removed the bullet, but she had a pneumothorax - a hole in the lining of the lung - in her right chest from an errant central IV line placed by an intern.

  He recommended a three- or four-day stay in the ICU to recover from the blood loss and the puncture. Just after Grace was
taken to ICU, Sam Foley arrived. Rick hadn't seen the man in over ten years. He was still built like a line backer, broad but lean.

  His big built was a perfect match for his big heart. Not a speck of gray shone in Sam's dark hair. Katie's hair was the same mink shade as he dad's, and both Sam's daughters had inherited the man's stubborn chin. Rick was pleased to learn that Katie had called her father, glad she was letting him and Sam help her.

  The days passed in a blur of bad coffee, medical updates, an emotional seesaw of alarm and relief. Katie looked worried but never became overtly upset. Just handled everything in her cool way and looked increasingly gaunt.

  By the fourth day, Grace was recovering well enough from the surgery and a mild pneumonia that they removed her chest tube and transferred her to a regular floor. Despite Grace's progress and the fact that Sam was there, Rick was the only one who could convince Katie to leave her sister's room. To eat, walk the grounds, to shower. But he couldn't get her to sleep, not even when he told her he'd sit with her. He marvelled at her composure, her stamina.

  He loved her. The words he hadn't let himself think for so long buried in his chest. He'd always loved her, figured he always would. Wanted to get her off somewhere alone and tell her, show her, but now wasn't the time.

  She remained upbeat with him, steady with Grace. Still, Rick sensed a subtle shift in her. Because of all the medical commotion, dealing with the police and Tommy's parole officer and getting updates from his uncle on the case against Henderson, Rick couldn't put his finger on what it was about Katie that seemed off. It was something he should recognize, but he didn't.

  She was incredible, so strong. He'd always recognized her independence, but he'd never given her credit for what those years of self-sufficiency had done for her. She was the core of her family, made all the decisions for Grace's care, made sure her father slept and ate regularly, even when she didn't. She never wavered.

  Until the fourth day. Even though it was just past surprise, Rick had been outside talking to his uncle on the cell phone. The FBI was waiting on Tommy and his evidence. Once they had it, they planned to pick up Steven Henderson, whose name was really Charles Antonio. Rick should get home, but Katie needed him.

  He walked in from the parking lot, the tap of his boots echoing on the tiled lobby floor. The doctors had pronounced Grace out of danger early this morning and said she looked as if she would recover fine, but they wanted to keep her at least two more days. He didn't want to leave Katie but didn't see how he could put it off after tomorrow.

  Pride filled him that she had, at last, allowed herself to lean on him. Even so, she hadn't cried, had barely expressed anger or shock over what had happened to Grace. She'd been as steady as the mountains surrounding them. Spending time with Grace, time with him.

  Needing to stretch his legs, he took the stairs rather than the elevator to the third floor. As he stepped into the empty corridor, the squeaking clank of a food cart drew his attention. An orderly and the cart he wheeled disappeared around the corner toward the nurse's station.

  Rick saw Katie leaning against the wall ahead of him. She stood with her back to him. Her shoulders looked slight in the coral linen cropped top she wore; the slim capri pants hung loosely on her. Had she lost weight?

  She was so still for a moment he thought she might be asleep, then she reached up to rub her temple.

  He walked toward her, glad she was taking a minute for herself. Her legs buckled and she wobbled suddenly. He lunged for her.

  "Whoa, darlin'." He caught her arm, steadied her. "You okay?"

  "Yes." She smiled brightly, but it looked like a desperate effort to him. Exhaustion lined her pale face. Dark circles ringed her eyes.

  "You need to get some rest."

  "I'm fine. I took a nap a while ago."

  "Liar," he said softly, gathering her to him. He spotted a couple of empty chairs in a small alcove by the stairs and walked her there.

  Sitting in one of them, he pulled her onto his lap.

  "Rick," she protested. "I'm fine."

  "Just sit here for a minute." He pressed her head to his chest. She looked like she was about to crumble. "Everything's under control. Your dad's with Grace. Just take a minute."

  "I want to be with you, talk to you."

  "We can be together right here, like this. Why don't you close your eyes for a while?"

  "I don't want to sleep. I'm doing all right," she said stiffly.

  "Yes, you are." He moved one hand up and down her arm, kneaded the nape of her neck, trying to loosen the tension he felt bowing her back and shoulders.

  She stared at him for a moment, the determination in her eyes giving way to resignation. Finally, she rested her head eyes giving way to resignation. Finally, she rested her head on his shoulder and let out a deep breath.

  "You're one amazing woman, Katie Foster, and you've been strong for everyone, but it's okay if you want to cry. Or get mad. There's only you and me here."

  "I'm fine, really." She sat up, flashed a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Did I already thank you?"

  "About a hundred times." Breathing in the soft shampoo scent of her hair, he narrowed his eyes. There it was again, that fleeting sense that something was wrong.

  "She was almost out of danger," Katie murmured. "Almost."

  He tipped her chin up with one knuckle. "You know that wasn't your fault. You're not blaming yourself."

  "No. I know it wasn't my fault. And I know it wasn't your bullet. I know where it came from. You were firing away from her."

  "Good." He was glad she'd reached the same conclusion as the local police. He would die if he thought she believed it had been his shot that wounded her sister.

  He resumed his soft massage of her neck.

  "Tell me what your uncle said." She began to relax against him. "Tell me what the FBI is doing about Henderson."

  With all that had been going on, Rick hadn't given her the latest developments on the case. She did know that Tommy had been remanded into his custody by Oklahoma's parole board, and now that Grace had been pronounced out of danger, Rick would take Tommy home.

  "The FBI is ready for Tommy. They've been surveilling Henderson and are ready to move as soon as they see what Tommy has on him."

  "What's his real name?" She stifled a yawn.

  "Charles Antonio."

  "Is he really connected to the mob, like Grace said?"

  "Looks that way. He changed his name to Steven Henderson so that his Mafia ties to a Boston crime family wouldn't be so apparent. He moved into the Midwest five years ago and has been taking over territory in Oklahoma and Texas."

  She let out a deep breath. "Wow. My sister can pick them, can't she?"

  He chuckled, kneading the tight muscles in her shoulders.

  "Thanks for the massage." She pressed a kiss to his lips.

  He pulled her closer, but didn't deepen the kiss. He wanted more, but not here, not now.

  "I'm good to sit with my sister for another hour. Then maybe you and I can eat or something? I can give you an hour, too."

  "I wish you'd sleep. I'll sit with you."

  "I don't want to spend our time together sleeping. I want to be with you." She kissed him again, then stood.

  He rose, watching her thoughtfully as she turned and walked around the corner, her footsteps echoing on the tile.

  I can give you an hour, too.

  Her words bounced back, triggered that sense of something being off. Mentally flipping through the last few days, he realized how she'd gone between him and her sister with the measured regularity of a metronome. Like a checklist. Time with Grace. Time with Rick.

  It all fell into place then. His own words to her at the creek crashed back.

  I want all of you. You can't commit to me. I was always there for you. You were never there for me.

  She'd sworn she was ready to walk away from the responsibility of her sister - for him. Sworn that she wanted to choose him over that responsibility.
<
br />   He'd thought by being with her, he was supporting her. But when she should've been focused solely on Grace, she felt she had to give him equal time. She was choosing between them, and she didn't have to.

  He groaned, sank down in the chair. What had he done? Now he could see how she carefully rationed her time between them like the last bit of water in a drought.

  If he hadn't come upon her in the hallway, he doubted he would have seen the toll this was taking on her. She certainly wouldn't have knowingly shown him. Between the time she spent with Grace and the time she spent with him, she was driving herself into the ground.

  He had told himself he was helping her, told himself that he was the only reason she hadn't fallen apart. That he was the one who kept her on an even keel. What a lie. His presence presented a distraction for her, a demand on her time she didn't need. This constant juggling act wasn't what he wanted for her, this feeling that she had to choose between him and her family. Was this how it would always be?

  A sharp pain pushed up under his ribs. He couldn't watch her tear herself apart like this. He didn't want that for her, for either of them. Even though he might loose her forever, he knew what he had to do.

  CHAPTER 14

  "You're leaving? But why?" Katie demanded, panic flashing her delicate features.

  A little over an hour later, they once again stood in the small alcove by the stairwell.

  Rick had asked her to walk with him. It had taken him four flights of stairs and a cup of coffee to get the nerve to tell her.

  "It's time. I need to take Tommy back." He wasn't sure how to say it, but he knew he had to tell her. The timing couldn't be worse, but he couldn't stand by and watch her drive herself into the ground. He knew she would never say anything about it, much less admit it. It was up to him.

  "I thought you could stay until tomorrow." She searched his face intently. "I thought Tommy's parole officer wasn't expecting you back until tomorrow night."

  She paused, indecision flitting through her eyes, then she said, "I can go with you."

  "No." He hadn't expected that, hated the dilemma he read on her face. "It's too soon. Grace can't leave-"

  "My dad can stay."