by Rose, Amelia
“Carey! Stop!” Amy said quietly, evenly, coming up to him and bringing him back to reality with the calmness of her voice. “He’s done, Carey!”
Carey stopped his fist in mid-swing, looking around as the room came back into focus. His eyes settled on Amy, and he stared into her large eyes as he worked to bring his breathing back to normal. He looked down at his hands, at the blood that peppered his knuckles, wondering for just a second how it had gotten there. His eyes traveled to where Mack lay only semi-conscious, then back to Amy, pleading with her silently to not think of him as a monster.
“What have I done?” He asked her, the question hanging in the air between them without an answer. “Are you okay?” He finally demanded. She nodded; the effects of the intrusion finally crashing over her until she sat back, trying to control the shaking that came over her violently.
Carey crossed over to her, wiping the offensive blood from his hands on his own clothes before he gathered her in his arms, holding her against him as her nerves recovered from what had happened. She leaned into him and closed her eyes, breathing in his scent and letting it soothe her.
“Are you sure you’re okay? I heard shooting earlier,” he asked, trying to look her over for any signs of damage.
“Yeah. The sheriff.”
“The sheriff shot at you?” Carey demanded, enraged all over again as he continued to look to see if she was okay.
“Well, not exactly,” she explained in an oddly detached voice. “He thought he was going to. I fired off those shots and took him down.”
“You mean you killed him? Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m really sure,” she answered quietly. “I hated to do it, but when he drew his weapon I knew he meant business. I had to dispatch him before he went looking for the others.”
“Anders!” Carey yelled, remembering the others and jumping up from the sofa, pulling Amy by the hand toward the kitchen. They broke through the swinging door into the darkened room and paused to let their eyes adjust until Carey remembered that the power had been restored before Mack and Matthews stormed the house. He flipped on the light switch by the door and froze when he saw the empty kitchen, the cots almost stripped and one or two of them over turned.
“Anders! Where are you?” Carey called out as Amy ran to the back door to see if anyone had left to the porch. A freezer door opened a crack before Anders burst through, dragging the others out of the freezer, wrapped in the thin fabric blankets. Even though the power had been out, the large walk-in freezer had retained most of its chill.
Anders grabbed Carey and hugged him, fighting back tears. “We all went in the freezer when I heard the gun shots,” the younger brother explained.
“We sure did,” Amanda spoke up, beaming at the boy. “He’s a genius. He got us all in there, and even thought to bring the blankets.”
Carey looked at Anders with an entirely new respect. This wasn’t just the sickly younger brother they’d all looked after growing up. He might not be a ranch hand or know his way around the barn, but Anders was important to the ranch in other ways, ways Carey or the others would never have been able to fill. He ruffled his brother’s hair for a second before hugging him close again.
The sound of approaching vehicles made them all freeze. Now that the sheriff was dead and Mack was practically hog-tied and unconscious, there was no way of knowing how many other people were in on his drug business. Amy drew her gun and retrieved Carey’s rifle, tossing it to him as he ushered the others back into the freezer, making sure they had their blankets again.
Carey and Amy watched out for each other’s backs as they crept toward the front door, dropping down when several pairs of headlights shown through the thinly-curtained front windows. They were at a disadvantage, staring as they were directly into the lights beaming through the remaining glass.
A knock on the door was almost a welcome relief, because Carey decided anyone bent on hurting them probably wouldn’t knock first. He approached the door with Amy beside him, her gun pointed in front of her toward the floor. “Who is it?” he called out.
“DEA, responding to a call,” the gruff voice called out. Amy shook her head no, warning Carey not to open the door.
“Why would the DEA just happen to show up here?” She whispered tensely. “Something’s not adding up.”
“That was me,” Anders called out from the kitchen door. “I called Dad and had him contact them when I heard you and Amy discussing it. It’s okay!”
Carey looked from Anders to Amy for confirmation, but Amy only shrugged before nodding in agreement. She kept her gun ready as Carey opened the door, relieved when he saw the officers and the lead agent’s outstretched identification. He showed them in, pointing to the locations of Mack and the sheriff, then ran over and grabbed his younger brother.
“You’re pretty much a genius, did you know that?” He asked, rubbing his knuckles lightly on Anders’ head. He released a very embarrassed Anders and with his other arm, he pulled Amy to his chest. He kissed the top of her head before thinking better of it and finding her mouth with his own. He left a lingering kiss there as the others politely became very occupied with righting the overturned cots and folding the discarded blankets.
“You need a vacation, Officer McDade,” Carey said, still holding her. Amy pressed against him, enjoying the security of Carey’s embrace.
“I believe I do. In fact, you practically owe me a vacation. I came out here for a good time with cowboys. And you’re the only cowboy I see, so…” She left her sentence hanging as she playfully opened the first button on his shirt, pulling back the fabric and placing her lips against a smooth, undamaged area of his skin.
“So?” Carey teased in a thick voice, trying to keep his wits about him as Amy began working free another button. “Am I hearing you right, that you still want a cowboy vacation? I’ll have to get to work on that. How about we head out first thing in the morning after everyone gets back? We can take ourselves a nice, long, real cowboy vacation?”
“With the horses? And the sleeping under the stars? And all that good stuff?” She hinted slyly, running her hands up Carey’s biceps.
“There will be sleeping at some point,” he shot back, playing along.
“I do have a couple of concerns, though,” Amy cautioned him, her brow wrinkling slightly.
“Oh, really? And what might those be, Officer?” He asked, eyeing her skeptically as he joined in on her joke.
“For starters, I want a smarter horse this time. It doesn’t have to pass an IQ test or anything, but it does need to know how to walk forward without trying to kill me. Backward is still negotiable.”
“I think I can arrange that,” Carey said with a stern, businesslike expression. “Any other requests? Goose down duvets? Spa robes? Little mints on your pillow, maybe?”
“Nope. I don’t need those kinds of things. But I do have a question,” she said, stepping closer and peering up at Carey with a serious look on her face.
“What would that be, ma’am?” He replied innocently.
“Do we have to bring the cows along this time?”
Carey threw back his head and laughed before feathering her lips with kisses, spectators be damned. Without breaking their kiss, he bent slightly until his arms were around her waist, then lifted her to his height and walked with her out of the kitchen, through the living room, and out the front door to stand under the stars in front of the house. Amy left her arms wrapped around Carey’s neck as he gently set her feet on the ground, their kiss deepening as her hands wound their way into his hair. He pressed her body against his, holding her so close she could feel his heartbeat against her skin.
He finally broke the kiss and lifted her chin gently with his fingertips, looking into her eyes. “What if your vacation didn’t end?” He asked nervously. “What if you loved ranch life so much that you stayed?”
“Out here?” She asked, surprised. “A city slicker like me? Please, Texas wouldn’t know what to do with a Detroi
t cop running around all over the place. And what would I do all day without the excitement of the city to keep me busy?”
“Well, we do find ourselves in need of a sheriff lately, and you are the one who first made the connection between the sheriff and Mack, and the drugs. I bet you’re just the kind of cop we need.” He kissed her deeply again, then said, “And I think you’re just the kind of woman I need.”
Chapter Sixteen
Miranda stepped down off the front steps of the porch and came over to where Casey leaned against the split rail fence that ran the perimeter of the yard. She ran her hands up his back then wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head on the firmness of his shoulder blades. “Are you glad to be home, cowboy?” She asked, letting her fingertips slip between the buttons on his shirt and trace a path over the ridges of his chest.
Casey put his hands on top of hers and turned around, leaning back against the fence and pulling her to him. “I am definitely glad to be home,” he promised her, leaning in for a quick kiss. “I have to say, you’re a trooper. Not many brides are quite so willing to drop everything on their honeymoons and take off for a cattle drive.”
“Are you kidding? If all those selfish brides knew how exciting it is to be surrounded by good-looking, muscular cowboys all day long, there would be a riot at the airport with brides ripping up their tickets to the Caribbean to head out west instead!”
Casey raised one eyebrow at her. “Good looking cowboys? Plural? As in, more than one cowboy was good looking?”
“Well, for starters, there’s two of you, but you knew that already!” Miranda nodded, acknowledging that he and Carey were still often mixed up for the other one. “But, don’t worry, there’s only one cowboy who can get my attention, Mr. Carson.”
“Well, Mrs. Carson, it’s still nice to hear you say it! I mean, do I need to be careful with you around my brother because we’re both so handsome? He’s invited us to have dinner with him tonight, and I’d hate for all this gorgeousness times two to be more than you can handle.”
“Well, that would be a real problem,” Miranda admitted playfully. “If your brother’s date didn’t carry a gun. Trust me, I won’t be looking at either of you when she’s in the room, just to be on the safe side!” Casey laughed before giving Miranda a lasting kiss that left her nearly breathless. “How long’s the ride to the hunting lodge?” She asked, wondering whether they’d take the horses or the truck to have dinner with Carey and Amy, where they were staying on her ranch getaway.
“Only a couple of hours if we take the truck, longer if we take the horses, obviously,” he answered, smiling as Miranda clearly tried to process living on property that took hours to cross. “I thought we’d pack some overnight things and camp out tonight. What do you think?”
“You haven’t had enough of living ‘cattle drive’ style, have you?” She teased, already plotting how to get him to at least throw a real mattress in the bed of the truck. “I’ve had plenty of sleeping on the ground to last me at least a month or two.”
“Fine, we’ll compromise. You sleep in the truck, I’ll take the ground,” he offered with a quick kiss, knowing she would never go for it. Miranda was shaking her head before he’d even finished.
“Not a chance, Mr. Carson. You’re stuck with me from here on out. The justice of the peace said so!” She beamed proudly as she said those words. Casey leaned closer to give her one of his wonderfully ravaging kisses, the kind she could never imagine growing tired of, but first whispered against her lips.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He held out his hand to her and they walked inside to gather their things, then headed to the truck. Soon enough, they were bouncing along the same piece of land where Casey first took Miranda to propose to her.
“Do you think this old farm of yours is magical enough to be lucky twice?” She asked Casey, leaning her head on his shoulder as he drove.
“What do you mean?” He asked.
“I mean, I didn’t fall in love with the ranch, but I fell in love with you because of the man this ranch helped you become. Do you think it can work its magic on Amy’s heart in the same way?”
“I can’t say for sure,” Carey answered. “You know she’s a tough sell. I think she really cares about my brother, but even you can see what a culture shock this has to be. You left a good-sized city to move out here, but she’d be leaving behind her city and her sense of purpose.”
Miranda nodded thoughtfully. As much as everyone had tried to welcome Amy and make her feel like she belonged over these past three weeks, there was still something about her that seemed hesitant. On the surface, she seemed to enjoy being a part of the ranch, and it was obviously to anyone with even halfway decent eyesight that she and Carey were falling in love. But there was something else, some force field at work inside her that kept Amy from really being a part of it all.
“Well, Carey did say he had some ‘big news’ for us but he wouldn’t tell me anything else,” Casey explained. “Maybe their big news is that Amy’s going to stay for good and make an honest woman out of my little brother!”
Miranda sat up suddenly, excited over Casey’s announcement. “Really? Big news? You sure he said, ‘Big news'? How did he sound when he said it, did he sound like it was important, or did he sound surprised?”
Casey laughed, watching the eager expression on his new wife’s face. “Whoa! Slow down there! You’re gonna hurt yourself with all that guessing! He just said it in a regular way, nothing fancy. I’m sorry, I didn’t know his facial expression was going to be on your exam!” Miranda laughed along, then returned to her position beside Casey, her arm wrapped through his, her head on his shoulder.
When they arrived at Carey and Amy’s temporary vacation site, the hunting lodge Carson Hill Ranch rented out each season, they were thrilled to see the couple arm in arm on the front steps, waiting outside once they heard the roar of the oversized truck approaching. Carey and Amy waved them in, both of them smiling broadly.
“Welcome, guys!” Carey called out as he and Amy met them beside the vehicle. “What can I carry?” He followed Casey around to the bed of the truck, retrieving bundles of dinner things and supplies.
Miranda and Amy, meanwhile, linked arms and went into the house, but they were only a few steps away when Miranda had to speak up. “So, I heard you have some big news,” she began, before squealing and grabbing Amy’s left hand, holding it up to inspect its digits for an engagement ring. Amy looked shocked, then mildly amused at Miranda’s implication.
“Now don’t you start, either!” Amy began, laughing and hugging her new best friend close. “I’ve been hearing all the hints I need for right now! No, it’s a different big news but you’ll have to wait until the boys come in. No sense spilling it and then having to repeat it!”
When all four were inside and had had the chance to catch up on the goings on at the ranch, Carey looked to Amy and gestured for her to begin. “Well, guys, someone over here blabbed that I had some news to share.” Miranda practically bounced in her seat while Casey leaned forward expectantly. “So, I’ll let you guys be the first to know that I’ve decided to stay in Hale. The judge has appointed me to be the new sheriff!”
Their faces frozen into forced glad smiles, Miranda and Casey alternated between looking at Carey and Amy, and looking at each other. Was this good news, or not? And what did she mean, staying in Hale? That was almost an hour away!
“Um, that’s great, Amy!” Casey began, looking pointedly at Miranda to celebrate. She recovered herself and clapped her hands excitedly—maybe a little too excitedly to be believed—before jumping up and giving Amy a hug. “I mean, that is great, isn’t it? This is a good thing?”
“Of course it’s a good thing!” Amy said with a laugh. “I think it’s going to be just the change of scenery I needed to get back into what I love doing. And with the DEA still uncovering how deep the drug ring in Hale goes, I figure I can also be needed around here.”
Carey had
been fairly quiet during their congratulations, smiling proudly but not saying much. Casey and Miranda exchanged a worried look, but didn’t let their nagging worry for the next Carson brother ruin the evening’s mood.
While Miranda and Amy sat on the porch after dinner and enjoyed the pampering of the twins having cooked and now offering to clean up, Casey stole a moment to whisper to his brother.“So, you didn’t seem too excited about Amy taking that sheriff position.”
“Was it that obvious? Damn, I’ve been working all day on my excited face,” Carey said back snarkily. “I mean, I can’t even tell you how glad I am that Amy’s staying around here, I just wish it was for a different reason than being the right cop to unearth a drug ring.”
“Yeah, I get it,” Casey replied. “but are you sure that’s all it is, and not the fact that she’ll be taking the job all the way over in Hale?”
“Well, there’s that, too. But we can always figure that out. It’s far, but it’s not like it’s across the country. It’s not even across the county!”
“Then what’s the problem? You got her to stay in this part of the country, that was a huge decision right there,” Casey explained, trying to be sympathetic while getting his brother to see that a major battle—losing Amy as she returned to life up north—had already been won.
“I just don’t like this whole business with Matthews and Crazy Mack, it’s just not sitting right with me that these things were happening right next door to us all this time, and we never knew about it.” Carey paused his pacing in the small kitchen and leaned back against this kitchen sink, running his hands through his hair. “And now, Amy’s going to get tangled up in all of it. I think she was right all along, this goes a lot deeper than just two local boys. I just can’t stand the thought of something happening to her, and she’s gonna go off and fight the bad guys!” Carey complained quietly, casting nervous glances to the front door to make sure they weren’t overheard.
“Dude, it’s gonna be okay. If that girl can survive in Detroit, then I don’t think Hale, Texas is gonna be too be a leap for her!” Casey didn’t know that Amy almost didn’t survive Detroit, and that was a huge part of the reason she’d stayed, knowing there wasn’t much of a life to go back to in the city.