Texas Grit

by Barb Han

  “Understood.”

  Carrie’s head bobbed again, and Dade’s heart clenched.

  “Don’t move. We’re going to get you off that ride in a minute. Keep still,” he warned and was grateful she listened. Kyle was like a statue on the platform, a few feet away from Carrie.

  The sheriff moved behind the barrier that had been set up as the bomb team agent worked a joystick controlling the robot.

  Tension was thick.

  After what felt like an eternity, the bomb guy declared the area clear.

  In the background, Dade heard the bomb tech tell the sheriff that the setup was a hoax, most likely a deterrent. There was no bomb, just a tangle of wires meant to buy time if Samuel’s fantasy had been interrupted.

  Dade sprinted toward Carrie. Kyle was already working the bar holding her inside the bench seat. EMTs were a second behind as Dade reached her.

  Her head bobbed up, and her gaze locked on to Dade.

  “I love you, Dade,” she said as she held out her arms. Tears streamed down her face as she seemed to gain more awareness of what was going on around her. Samuel must’ve drugged her to buy her cooperation.

  “You’re safe now,” Dade said and he didn’t care who was around when he said, “I love you, too.”

  * * *

  DADE PACED THE hallway in the hospital, waiting for word that he could see Carrie. He’d stalked past a dozen reporters three hours ago, and the place was humming with activity. Extra security had been called in to protect patients.

  A nurse wearing a name tag that said Bonnie stepped out of Carrie’s room after what had felt like an eternity. “She’s awake and asking to see you,” she said.

  “Thank you, Bonnie.” He’d put on a clean shirt and had washed off the blood from earlier. Thoughts of Timothy’s death weighed on him. Dade had already put a fund in motion for Timothy’s wife to ensure she never had to worry about money again. It wouldn’t bring Timothy back or replace him, but it was the least Dade could do. He’d also spoken to Kyle about coming to work at the ranch. The family welcomed honest people looking to earn a living.

  Dade took a few steps inside Carrie’s room. His heart stopped at seeing her there, hooked up to machines.

  The minute her eyes opened, he moved to her side.

  She patted the bed for him to sit but he shook his head.

  Instead, he got down on one knee right then and there. He took her hand in his.

  “Carrie, you were my first friend. I didn’t do right by you in high school—”

  She started to protest, but he said, “Hear me out.”

  She nodded as a tear rolled down her cheek. He hoped that was a good thing, because he couldn’t read her this time.

  “I should’ve been the friend you were to me. Loyal. Caring. Kind.”

  Her smile brought light inside the dark recesses of a chest that he thought would always be hollow, empty.

  “I have to live with my mistake for the rest of my life. The only way I’ll survive is if you’re by my side. I’ve never felt this way about another human being. You’re home to me, Carrie. You’re my home.” He paused long enough to look into her beautiful eyes. “Will you do me the tremendous honor of sharing your life with me as my partner, my wife?”

  “I love you, Dade, and I’m in love with you. I’ve had a crush on you since second grade, but—”

  His heart free-fell as he waited for her to finish.

  She repositioned on the bed, sitting up to really look at him.

  “You don’t have to do this,” she said. “I’ll be okay. I’ll pick up the pieces of my business.”

  “I’m not doing this to save you. This is the most selfish thing I’ll ever do. I want you to be my wife, Carrie. To be mine for as long as I have breath left in me. Nothing here is the same without you. You’re the only thing that’s real to me. The only person I need.”

  A knock at the door interrupted them.

  “Come in,” Carrie said with a glance toward Dade.

  Bonnie walked in carrying a large bouquet of flowers.

  “What is this?” Carrie asked with a note of caution in her voice.

  “There’s plenty more where this came from,” Bonnie said with a shrug. “Read the card.”

  Carrie opened the small envelope and read aloud, “‘Our thoughts are with you. Can’t wait for your shop to reopen when you feel better. Signed, the Houston family.’”

  “Looks like you have a lot of people in the community who care about you,” Bonnie said as hospital volunteers moved in one after the other, filling the room with beautiful flowers.

  Carrie wiped away a stray tear and then smiled. It was easy to see that she was blown over from the kind gestures.

  “I guess news is out.” Dade couldn’t contain his smile. “My family sends their love. They want to visit as soon as you’re up for company. You’re a celebrity in this town. You might as well get used to the attention.”

  “You’re the only reason Cattle Barge has ever felt like home to me, Dade. So, yes. If you’re still asking, I will marry you. I’ll be your partner in this life and your best friend.”

  Those were the only words that mattered to Dade. He kissed her.

  A sense of peace he’d never known traveled through him as their lips pressed together. The past no longer mattered. He could forgive his mistakes. He’d found the love of his life, and part of him had known it all along.

  With Carrie, he’d found a real home.

  * * * * *

  Look for the next book in USA TODAY

  bestselling author Barb Han’s

  CRISIS: CATTLE BARGE miniseries

  later in 2018.

  And don’t miss the previous books in the

  CRISIS: CATTLE BARGE series:

  SUDDEN SETUP

  ENDANGERED HEIRESS

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  Cease Fire

  by Janie Crouch

  Prologue

  If you wanted someone killed right, you had to do it yourself.

  He should stitch that on a pillow. Damien Freihof smiled as he watched guests enter the church.

  He knew from “Mr. Fawkes,” his mole inside Omega Sector, that the church had already been swept for explosives and there were guards posted at all the doors. No
one without an invitation, and a facial scan to prove their ID, was getting into the building.

  It was at least nice to see the law enforcement agency was taking him seriously.

  But Damien wasn’t crashing the wedding today. Even though it was Brandon Han and Andrea Gordon’s, both of whom Damien knew personally. They’d all come so close to dying with each other last year—didn’t that bring people closer together?

  Damien wasn’t at all surprised they were getting married today, just a year later, after the way Brandon had fought to free Andrea. It had been remarkable, really; the other man’s passion—utter determination—to save her.

  He’d saved her that day, but in the end it wouldn’t be enough. Thanks to Mr. Fawkes’s plan, they would all die. Every single member of Omega Sector’s critical response team.

  But that was for later. Not today.

  Today, Damien was just here to look around. To prove to himself how close he could get without anyone realizing who he was. Snap a few pictures.

  Particularly of the woman he planned to kill within the next few weeks.

  He’d already picked her out. Knew who would die. He hadn’t yet decided exactly when or how, but he knew it would be with much fanfare and would definitely garner the attention of those working at Omega.

  They had to pay—had to pay for what they’d done to him and his precious Natalie.

  Damien’s more subtle approach at revenge—convincing others to stalk and kill the people beloved by Omega Sector—hadn’t been enough. Yes, one Omega Sector agent had been killed and another put in a coma, but there should’ve been much more bloodshed by now. Much more grieving.

  But Damien had left the killing to others and they had not been able to live up to their commitment. He wouldn’t make that mistake this time. Now he would take matters into his own hands.

  But not just yet.

  Damien was nothing if not a patient man. It had been a while since he’d last struck and it would be a while before he struck again. Just enough time for the law enforcement agents to wonder if he was still here or if he was gone for good.

  He hadn’t gone anywhere.

  And soon, while their defenses were down, he would strike again. Strike at the very heart of them.

  Everyone might survive the wedding today.

  But they wouldn’t survive much longer.

  Chapter One

  Everyone wore their sidearm to the wedding.

  Given that at the last wedding, two months ago, a maniac had burst in and tried to kill the wedding party, firearms were understandable.

  Every member of the elite law enforcement task force known as Omega Sector remained determined not to be caught unawares again.

  The psychopath at the last wedding had been arrested, and fortunately, no one had been hurt. But everyone knew that as long as Damien Freihof, the mastermind behind the recent attacks against Omega, remained at large, none of them would be safe.

  So every agent at Brandon Han and Andrea Gordon’s wedding had some sort of holster. Waist, shoulder or ankle for most. A few of the female agents probably had weapons strapped to their thighs or in their evening clutch bags. None of the sidearms were noticeable, but they were there.

  Roman Weber had one at both his waist and his ankle. And there was no way he was letting his guard down tonight.

  Thanks to Damien Freihof, Roman hadn’t even been able to attend the last Omega Sector wedding. He’d been too busy coming out of a coma from an explosion Freihof had carefully planned. Another Omega Sector agent had been killed. If Roman had been two feet closer to the blast, he would’ve been killed, too.

  So no, Roman wasn’t interested in laughing and drinking and dancing, even if many of his closest friends were in the room. Instead, he kept finding his eyes drawn to the multiple entrances to the ballroom of the ski resort here in Colorado Springs, where the reception was being held.

  Two main doors leading into the resort, three separate kitchen entrances, and a set of double doors heading out to a terrace. Freihof could attempt to make his way through any of them.

  He was around. Roman hadn’t seen the man anywhere, but knew in his gut that Freihof was nearby today. The man was so good at disguise it was possible he already waited here inside the room, although Roman didn’t think so. There were too many trained agents looking for Freihof for him to risk it.

  The guy was a psycho, but he wasn’t stupid.

  Still, Roman walked over to the shadows closer to the main doors. Just in case.

  “See anything suspicious?”

  Roman knew Steve Drackett, director of Omega Sector’s Critical Response Division, was present before he spoke. Grace Parker, Omega’s head psychiatrist, stood beside him.

  “No. But it doesn’t hurt to keep looking.”

  Steve nodded. “Damn right about that.”

  Something inside Roman eased slightly. His boss didn’t think he was paranoid. Didn’t think searching for Freihof in the shadows of a wedding was being overly cautious.

  Steve slapped Roman on the shoulder. “But you do know that watching for Freihof isn’t solely your responsibility.”

  “Maybe not. But it’s definitely something I take personally.”

  Grace smiled at him, tucking a strand of her silver hair behind her ear. “If you didn’t take it personally, given what happened, I’d be a lot more concerned.”

  Roman had spent a lot of time talking to Grace over the past few weeks. The older woman would ultimately be the one who cleared him for active duty once he was cleared physically.

  The required sessions with her had been pretty agonizing at first. Roman wasn’t a sit-around-and-get-in-touch-with-his-feelings sort of guy. But Grace had made him feel comfortable. She had an air about her that never judged or condescended.

  She’d helped him realize how damn pissed off he was that he’d almost died. That Damien Freihof had almost killed him. That it was only sheer blind luck Roman was alive today.

  And that all those feelings were normal.

  “Am I acting crazy, Doc?”

  Grace gave a delicate shrug. “You’re acting aware and vigilant. Again, nothing wrong with that.”

  “I just want to catch this son of a bitch.” Roman gritted his teeth just thinking about Freihof.

  Steve squeezed his shoulder. “Your medical doctor said you would be clear for active duty next week.”

  Roman noticed Steve didn’t say anything about Grace clearing him mentally. His behavior here tonight wasn’t helping. He all but itched with the desire to get back out with his SWAT team on active missions. Desk work was killing him one minute at a time. But active duty was a no-go until he was cleared by both the Omega physician and the psychiatrist.

  “Okay, I’ve got a beautiful family who need my attention.” Steve grinned as he looked to where his new wife held their two-week-old son at one of the tables surrounding the dance floor. “Roman, you let me know if you think something’s not right. But on the other hand, you’re not the only one on duty tonight. Hell, you’re not even on duty at all.”

  Roman and Grace watched Steve walk across the room to his family. Neither of them said anything right away. Roman was going to try to outwait the older woman, but knew that she would win that battle. The psychiatrist had much more practice at the waiting-out-silence game.

  “I noticed Steve said that I’d be physically cleared for active duty next week, but he didn’t say anything about being cleared by you,” Roman finally said, not looking at Grace.

  “Do you think you’re ready for duty, mentally? Emotionally?” she asked.

  “I know that sitting at a desk is doing more harm to my mental health than being active and back out with the team would do.”

  “And is that what you think I should say in my report?” Grace raised one eyebrow.

  Roman had long since learned
that almost every statement he gave to Grace would result in another question from her. It didn’t bother him anymore. He knew it was just her way of getting him to think through answers for himself.

  Grace Parker was a brilliant psychiatrist. She worked with all sorts of people at Omega Sector: agents, victims, and had even acted as the SWAT team’s medical doctor in a few emergency situations. If she wasn’t twenty or so years older than his own thirty-one, he might have made a move on her long before now. Not that she would’ve taken him up on the offer.

  “You want me to say whether I think I’m ready or not,” Roman said.

  “Ultimately, that’s what really matters, isn’t it?”

  “Not on the piece of paper, it’s not. Only your opinion matters, not mine.” Roman trusted Grace to give an honest judgment and not hold him back if she thought he was fit for duty.

  But damn it, he wanted so badly to be back out in the field he could practically taste it.

  “Do you think that I think you’re ready?” she asked, turning toward him.

  “I would hope so.”

  “Do you think I think you think I think you’re ready?”

  Roman tried to wrap his brain around that statement, until he realized Grace was grinning.

  “Now you’re just messing with me,” he said, shaking his head.

  Her soft laughter rang out. “Guilty.”

  Roman smiled now, too, the tension broken. “That’s not very nice, you know.”

  “If it helps, I wouldn’t tease you about it if I didn’t think you were prepared to join the team in active missions.” Grace said.

  “Really?” Roman turned to face her more fully.

  “Steve didn’t mention me clearing you for duty, because I cleared you over a month ago.” She smiled at him. “Mentally, I think you’ve been ready for a long time. You just needed to give your body some time to rebuild and restrengthen.”

  “So I’m cleared?” Roman felt tension he’d held for weeks melt off him.

  “Yep. As soon as your physician says so.”