The Man from Texas
Page 22
She nodded.
“That makes it dangerous for me to go back,” he continued. “But it’s just as dangerous for you. You can keep arguing that the attack on you after you left the Last Chance Bar was random, but I think differently. I think it was someone trying to avenge Sean Naylor.”
She had been wondering about that, too, after Ron Wexler’s death. But she’d been afraid to admit it, even to herself. “Who?”
“Sean’s father.”
“How did you come to that conclusion?”
“I’ve had your friends check it out. That police detective, Cal Rollins. And that other P.I. in your office, Sam Lassiter. I figured that since they found out I’m not working for the mob, I might as well take advantage of their help.”
“You’ve been busy,” she commented wryly.
“The senior Naylor’s been mouthing off all over town. He’s had a lot to say about police bungling. He wanted everyone to know that Sean was simply an innocent bystander gunned down by the department. Now he’s gone underground. Until he turns up, I want you where I know you’re safe.”
He looked as if he was prepared for an argument. But Hannah wasn’t stupid. She’d found the man with whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life, and she wasn’t going to spoil it by getting killed, just to prove she hadn’t lost her nerve. She’d already proved everything she needed to prove in the desert.
“All right,” she said quietly.
“All right. Just like that?”
She stroked her fingers lightly across his chest, loving the feel of the curly hairs against her fingers. “Well, there are a couple of conditions.”
His expression turned wary again. “Like what?”
“What kind of long-term commitments were you thinking of?”
He looked thunderstruck, as though he hadn’t thought much beyond the next few days. But he recovered quickly. “Would you…would you…” He cleared his throat. “Would you consider gettin’ hitched? I mean, if I got out of the spy business. I know it’s too dangerous for a married man.”
It wasn’t exactly the most romantic proposal she could imagine, but she heard the love shimmering below the words and saw the fear in his eyes. He looked like a man standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon, afraid someone was going to push him off.
Turning toward him, Hannah brushed her lips against his. “I was hoping you’d work up the nerve to ask.”
He laughed, tension easing out of him. “I thought you might think getting hitched to me was too much of a risk.”
“I told you. I love you. I’m never planning to walk away from you. Never.”
He cuddled her close, stroked his lips against her cheek. But when he spoke, his voice was serious. “I haven’t thought much about what I’m going to do. I don’t know any other jobs—besides ranching, and my dad killed my taste for that.” She guessed that for the first time in a long while he didn’t feel the pain in his gut at the thought of his past. “Although, I figure I don’t have to worry about an income right away. Addison’s letting me keep the million. Or what’s left of it.” He couldn’t stop the smile that curved his lips. “Said I deserved it, after what I went through.”
“He’s right.” She reached to stroke his lips. “And when you’re ready, I think that with your background, if you tried Randolph Security, they’d be glad to have you.”
“You reckon?”
“Yes.”
“I was afraid this was going to be hard. It’s easier than I thought,” he said with a look of wonder.
“Because we have each other. Because if you love someone, you do what it takes to make a good life together. I know it’s scary for you to believe in that, but I’ll prove it to you every day of our lives.”
“I knew I was making the right decision when I hired you,” he whispered, the raspy quality of his voice melting her heart. “Even if I couldn’t admit to myself that I wanted a lot more than a private detective. I guess you know that I never thought much about the future. I was always living in the present, living for my job—because that was the only place where I felt comfortable. But you’ve made me understand there’s so much more.”
She ducked her head to hide the tears blurring her vision, overwhelmed that he had come so far in such a short time. “I’m glad you figured it out,” she murmured, knowing that the years ahead with this man would bring her joy beyond imagining.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-5377-7
THE MAN FROM TEXAS
Copyright © 2001 by Ruth Glick
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