A Cowgirl's Pride

by Lorraine Nelson

  Lucas Sr. set the tea tray in front of them. “Not as long as I’m alive! That scum doesn’t deserve you. I just got ya back, and I’m sure enuff not wantin’ to lose ya.”

  “He’s right, Leah. You going back to Vancouver would equal that of a death wish,” Michael said. “We’re building a case—a strong one. It’s only a matter of time.”

  “I hate waiting…not knowing what he’s up to, and I hate that I’ve put everyone I love in so much danger.”

  Lucas loaded a plate with sweets and placed it near her. “Eat up! It’ll give you energy.”

  “That plus a few more pounds,” she said as she picked up a lemon square. “I’ll be fat soon enough.”

  “No, not fat,” said Michael. “You’ll be glowing with child.”

  “Glowing? Bursting at the seams, more like.” She patted her belly and smiled. “He or she has been craving midnight treats as it is.”

  “Well, there’s plenty of those around. With Christmas right around the corner, the women have been bakin’ up a storm. Have you checked the deep freezer lately?” asked her father.

  She smiled. “No, but I’ll know where to look the next time the cookie jar is empty. When do we go chop down a tree?”

  “Too dangerous with Kendall on the loose. Zakia has an artificial, so we’ll use that this year.”

  “My being here has changed everything! We’ve always had a real tree.”

  “And we will again, just not this year.” Luke stood and rinsed his cup, glancing out the window. “It’s snowing again. We’re definitely in for a white Christmas.”

  She got up to look out at the swirling flakes, big ones, then noticed a face peering out of the bunkhouse window—Cal.

  He’d have a fit if she went to see him, considering the ribbing he’d get from the other ranch hands, but she wondered how he was feeling. Had the pain lessened any? She felt guilty for his injuries. If he hadn’t been angry with her, he would’ve paid more attention and turned back sooner. Or he might not have gone riding at all.

  “You make an excellent target standing in front of that window.”

  She tore her gaze from Cal's silhouette and moved to put the kettle on. “Oh! Sorry! I didn’t think.”

  “That’s what gets most people killed. Luke already had to replace that window once.”

  “Really? Did anyone get hurt?”

  “No, but it was a close call,” said Luke.

  “Well, that’s a relief! Do you think Roddy will attempt anything else tonight?”

  “Hard to say. You know him better than I do. What do you think?” Michael asked.

  She thought for a moment. “No, I think he’ll go home or take a room for the night and consider his next move. He’s never been one to act on impulse.”

  “Good! Then we should have a quiet night.”

  “Lord, I hope so. Do you want tea, Michael?”

  “No, thanks. I’m going to find Luke and check the fax machine in his office. Maybe there’s some good news waiting.”

  “Your mouth to God’s ears.”

  “What?”

  “Just praying for it to be true.”

  Michael left the kitchen, and she made her tea, snagging the cookie jar before sitting down. She was surprised when a triumphant smile highlighted Michael's features on his return.

  “We got him! Vancouver arrested all those involved and obtained a search warrant for Kendall’s entire estate. They are digging up the grounds as we speak.”

  Leah jumped to her feet and embraced him in a smiling, sobbing hug of relief. “It’s over. Oh, Michael, I’m so glad it’s over. You did it!”

  “We did it, Leah. You, me, and Trent. Without those detailed notes of yours and Trent’s files, we wouldn’t have had a leg to stand on.”

  “So they’re all in jail? No more surprises?”

  “Well, not all. Kendall hadn’t yet returned when the authorities arrived, but he’ll have a nice little surprise waiting for him.”

  She shook her head in alarm. “If he sees all the activity, he’ll bolt. Why didn’t they wait and make sure he was there?”

  “Surveillance tailed his car to the gate and reported that Kendall was in residence. Unfortunately, someone else was driving. Don’t worry, Leah. We’ll get him.”

  “Yes, I know. Thanks, Michael. I think I’ll head up to bed. See you in the morning.”

  She headed toward the stairs, hoping for a peaceful night’s sleep that wasn’t likely with Roddy still on the loose. The twins were already in bed. She rubbed her belly, hoping there was only one growing in there. Fate wouldn’t be that cruel, would it? Or should she think of it as a double blessing. Yes, if her baby turned out to be twins, she’d consider herself doubly blessed…just before she went stark raving mad.

  Trent and the family had congregated in the living room, so she stepped in to say goodnight. That’s when all hell broke loose. The front door blew inward and the blast propelled her forward. The shocked look on her father’s face was all she registered before everything turned black.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The blast echoed clear to the bunkhouse. Cal was on his feet in minutes, as were the rest of the men. He grabbed his gun and, slippered feet and all, made his way to the house. Frostbite be damned! Leah was up there.

  He motioned the wranglers to be quiet and surround the house, while he went to the back door. Locked. He hobbled around to the front of the house, and that was when he saw them—two men standing in the firelit glow of the burning entrance.

  Were there any more? He scanned the surrounding area, recognizing his own men closing in, and made his move.

  “Hands up! You’re under arrest!”

  They turned to face him. Steel glinted in the sparse light of the rising moon. Guns! He ducked and pitched forward, sliding on his side in the snow and ice as he took a shot, hitting his mark. The man went down and the other took off running, but the wranglers soon surrounded him. With so many guns pointed his way, it didn’t take much to convince him to drop his weapon. He heard shouts from the other side of the house and figured there were more thugs captured.

  Cal tried to rise but couldn’t. Excruciating pain shot upward from his hip. Cookie appeared at his side with the wheelchair. “Cookie, I think I busted my hip.”

  “Ha! Some hero you turned out to be.”

  “I wasn’t trying to be a hero. I wanted to help, is all.”

  “Yep. Sure.”

  Cookie was a big man, a strong man, and Cal appreciated his help. Once in the chair, he balanced on his good hip and found the pain slightly more tolerable as Cook turned him toward the bunkhouse.

  “Stop! I need to know if everyone’s all right.”

  “You need to get inside where it’s warm.”

  “Please, Cookie. Find out for me.”

  “All right.”

  Cal’s gaze never left Cookie as he walked to the front of the house, spoke to someone in the crowd gathered there, then walked back.

  “Leah’s unconscious. The metal door knocked her flat. The man you shot in the leg will be okay, and they’ve called for two ambulances. I suggest you ride in one and get that hip checked.”

  “Okay. Grab my coat for me, will ya?”

  Cook went to the bunkhouse and returned with his coat, hat, gloves, and a blanket, which he carefully wrapped around Cal’s legs and feet.

  “Thanks, Buddy. May as well maneuver me closer to the front of the house while we wait.”

  “Harrumph! Who was your slave last year?”

  “Never needed one before,” he joked, although his heart was aching at the thought of Leah being hurt. Of all the times to not be able to walk.

  Sirens sounded in the distance, and he breathed a sigh of relief. They couldn’t get here fast enough to suit him. He sat nearby and watched as paramedics rushed into the house with a stretcher. The second ambulance arrived and tended to the gunshot victim. Cook parked him by the ambulance and, when the attendants came out with Leah, he grasped her hand, hoping a
nd praying for a miracle. Lucas had followed the stretcher outside.

  “How is she?” Cal asked.

  “She took the brunt of the hit. She’s unconscious,” he said, tears streaming down his face.

  “She’s also stubborn, a Manning trait. She’ll be fine.” Cal tried to convince himself as well as her father.

  “Leah? Can you hear me, honey?” said Lucas.

  “Sir, we have to go.”

  “I’m coming with you. I think I busted my hip when I fell,” said Cal.

  “We’ll be right behind you,” Lucas said.

  Cal nodded in reply as they loaded Leah into the ambulance, pulled out another stretcher and helped him onto it, checking his vitals before closing up and taking off. Cal felt every bump on the road as they sped toward the hospital, but he ignored the pain to concentrate on Leah, lying so deathly pale and quiet in the next bed. He’d never been much of a praying man, yet as he reached across to hold her hand he did just that…all the way to FortMcLeod.

  He hated to be separated from her for even a moment, and his heart ached when they wheeled her into emergency ahead of him. The emergency staff had to do their job, and he wasn’t much good to her in his condition.

  When the doctor finally came to see him, he poked and prodded and sent him to X-ray. He hadn’t busted his hip, but the fall had pinched a nerve…every bit as painful. They gave him a sheet of exercises to do and released him.

  Of course, he had no intention of going anywhere.

  “Where can I find Leah Manning, the woman who was brought in with me?” he asked a nurse.

  “Are you family?”

  He nodded. “Fiancé,” he said, crossing his fingers against the lie. He had to see her. Had to know she was all right.

  The nurse consulted a chart behind the desk. “She’s in acute care. Bed 14.”

  “Thank you.” He wheeled himself down the corridor and into the acute care section, finding her without any trouble. He closed the curtain around her cubicle and, parking as close as he could, took hold of her hand, surprised when her eyes opened.

  “Hey there, pretty lady. You’re awake. How are you feeling?”

  “Like I’ve been pounded into the pavement, but otherwise okay.”

  “Close enough. Glad to hear nothing’s broken.”

  “What happened?”

  “Someone blew the front door off its hinges, and it slammed into you.”

  “Did anyone else get hurt? What are you doing here?”

  “None of the family was hurt except you. I fell and pinched a nerve in my hip.”

  “Oh, dear. If it wasn’t for bad luck….”

  “…I wouldn’t have any.”

  They laughed then fell silent.

  “What about the baby?” he asked softly, concerned.

  “She’s fine,” Leah said with a smile. “It’s a girl.”

  “They can tell that already?”

  “Yeah, apparently she’s quite laid back, and there was nothing to see, so, it’s a girl.”

  “I hope she has your hair.” He reached out and brushed a strand back from her forehead. “I’m glad you and the baby are okay. I was so worried.”

  “I’m fine, but they want to keep me overnight for observation. That knock to the back of my head was a good one.”

  “Those metal doors are heavy. It’s a wonder you weren’t killed.”

  “Guess I’m tougher than I look.”

  He smiled. “I always knew that.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed each knuckle.

  “Cal?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m sorry for running out on you the other day. If I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have gotten lost in the storm.”

  “Nonsense! That storm blew up so fast, I didn’t see it coming until it was too late.”

  “Well, I feel guilty. If I’d lost you….” She fidgeted in the bed.

  “Yes? If you’d lost me?” he prompted, hope welling within.

  “I would’ve lost my one true friend.”

  “Is that all I am to you, Leah? A friend?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer, but he asked anyway.

  “That’s all we can be, Cal. Don’t you see?”

  “No. I see a beautiful woman who is pregnant and alone. A woman who I very much want to have in my life…forever.”

  “You mean it? What about my baby? The kind of life I lived?”

  “If she’s anything like her mother, I’ll love her until the day I die. We can’t change the past, but I guarantee to make the future the best it can be. Will you marry me, Leah?”

  The curtain whipped back on the cubicle. Cal straightened up in his chair and looked around. It seemed the entire Manning clan had arrived en masse.

  “Leah, are you all right, darlin’?” asked her father.

  “We were so worried,” Zakia said as she rounded the bed.

  “How’s the baby?” Winnie asked.

  Leah laughed. “One question at a time. I’m fine and so is my baby girl.”

  “A girl? Sweet!” said Luke.

  “Guessin’ you won’t be my baby girl much longer,” her father said as he moved to stand beside the bed and brushed her forehead with a kiss.

  “Aw, Daddy, I’ll always be your baby girl.” She smiled and drew him into her arms for a hug. “The explosion? Was it Roddy who set it off?”

  “Yep! Cal took him down with one shot,” Luke said.

  “Cal?” She looked at him. “You weren’t even supposed to be outside.”

  “When I heard that explosion, I reacted, and am damn glad I did.”

  “Is that how you fell?” she asked.

  “Yeah, when I saw him turn, a gun in his hand, I dove for cover and dashed off a shot. Glad it was Kendall I hit.” He knew he had a smirky grin on his face. He couldn’t help it. He was proud to know that he’d been the one to take her enemy down.

  “So it’s over? He’s dead?”

  “No, not dead, but his shenanigans are over. Cal shot him in the leg. He’ll have plenty of time to recover behind bars.” Lucas stood proudly beside Cal, one hand on his shoulder. “I did right good in hiring this young’un years ago. He’s a good man.”

  “I’m glad you think so, since he’s just asked me to marry him.”

  “What? You don’t say. Well, what was your answer?”

  “I didn’t have time to answer when you all barged in.”

  “Want us to leave?” asked Winnie.

  Cal took her hand again and shook his head. “I reckon we’ll all be family soon enough. Is that right, Leah? You will marry me?”

  “Yes! I’d be honored to be your wife, Cal.”

  Several whoops and hollers had the nurses rushing in to quiet them down.

  “Party poopers,” said Lucas. “It’s not every day that my baby girl gets engaged.”

  After hugs and kisses all around, the Mannings left them alone.

  “I do love you, Leah. I always have.”

  “And I love you. I’m so glad I came home.”

  “I’ve prayed for nothing else since you left.”

  He stood and balanced himself on the edge of the bed then leaned forward to seal their love with a kiss. “To a promising future full of love and laughter.”

  “To us, always and forever.”

  www.lorrainenelson.weebly.com

  Other Books by Lorraine Nelson:

  Zakia and the Cowboy

  Covert Mission: Undercover Cop

  Trouble Brewing in Thunder Creek

  Virgins Behaving Badly

 

 

 
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