by Jill Sanders
They were all sitting at the hospital just outside of Tallahassee. Roman’s feet had been bandaged up and he’d been told to stay off his feet for the next few weeks.
Which, if she knew anything about him, would be a living hell.
“So,” Cassey glanced over at her, “in all the excitement, we forgot to congratulate you.”
She blinked and then frowned. “For?”
Cassey smiled. “Marrying our brother, of course.”
Missy frowned. “I… We…” She shook her head. “We’re not married.”
Cassey smiled. “I heard the agent call you…”
Missy laughed, stopping her by shaking her head. “I just didn’t think my business was any of his. We haven’t married.”
“Yet,” Reagan added, causing everyone to chuckle.
“Well, we really wanted to be the first ones in the family to have kids,” Marcus said, taking Shelly’s hand in his, but it looks like you have us beat by eight years.”
“What?” she gasped. “You’re…” She looked between Shelly and Marcus, who just nodded.
She jumped up to hug him, just as the glass doors to the hospital shattered. She threw her body over Reagan’s as glass flew everywhere. Then her arm was being yanked and she tightened her hold on her son as someone tried to pull him away from her.
There were a few moments of screaming and chaos as she and Reagan were pulled down a hallway. By the time things finally slowed down, she was staring up into caramel eyes so like hers she had to blink a few times to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating.
“Well, well, little girl,” her father said in a dry voice. “Looks like I finally got my hands on you again.”
She recoiled just as his hand swung out and caught her just above her jaw. Stars exploded behind her eyes as she fell to the ground. Hearing Reagan cry out in pain, she pushed herself up from the ground just in time to see her father grab for the boy’s arm.
“Don’t you touch him,” she growled as she threw herself at her father. She used every skill Roman had taught a sixteen-year-old girl who had been bullied and landed a solid kick to his shins.
Her left hook took the old man by surprise, causing him to drop the gun he had pointed at her son’s head. The right cross landed on his left ear, causing him to howl with pain as blood sprayed from the open cut that appeared. Next, she gave two quick jabs and had him up against the wall. She wound her right back for one of Roman’s specialty uppercuts, just as she heard the door behind them open. The blow landed on her father’s chin, sending him sprawling to the ground just as her brothers rushed into the room, cheering her on.
She stood over her father as Marcus grabbed up the gun and held it at his head. “Don’t you ever touch my family again, you bastard.” She spit on the ground in front of him, then turned and snatched up her son and ran from the room, knowing her brothers would take care of the scumbag until the police arrived.
***
“I tell you,” Cole said, laughing, “you should have seen it.” He smiled over at Missy, pride showing clearly in his blue eyes. “She’s a killer, that one.”
“I’ve never seen a pro boxer fight like our little sister did,” Marcus added, standing next to Shelly across the room.
Roman felt like a complete vegetable. His feet hurt like hell, and he couldn’t even move his shoulder. He hadn’t been there to protect his family when they’d needed it. His heart was heavy, knowing they could have been taken away from him so easily.
Missy’s hand was in his as Reagan sat next to him on his hospital bed. The kid’s eyes had been huge the entire time. A large smile played on his lips.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked her once more.
“Geez, Dad,” Reagan said, rolling his eyes. He realized it would never get old, having the kid call him that. “Like Uncle Marcus and Cole said, Mom took out Grandpa like a pro. And she’s promised me that she’ll show me how to box like her.” He smiled up at his mom and Roman saw something in the kid’s eyes akin to hero worship.
“Well…” He reached over with his good arm and ruffled the boy’s dark hair. “You do know who taught her, right?”
Reagan smiled. “Sure, Aunt Cassey said she did.”
Everyone in the room laughed as Cassey smiled and crossed her arms over her chest.
More than an hour later, after their family had left to go home, Missy tucked Reagan into the makeshift bed on the sofa across the room.
“He didn’t want to leave,” she said softly. “I hope it’s okay with the hospital that we stay tonight.”
He smiled and patted the spot next to him. “Just let them try to remove you.” He chuckled. “From the sounds of it, you can hold your own ground.” His smile fell away.
“What?” she asked, brushing her finger across his nose. “Why the sad look?”
His eyes met hers. “I wasn’t there to protect you.”
She smiled. “Oh, but you were. Who do you think taught me all those moves. If it hadn’t been for you…” She shook her head and closed her eyes as he pulled her closer.
“Shhh, don’t think about it,” he whispered into her hair. “We’re safe now.” She nodded. “Besides, no more need to run,” he said, causing her to pull back.
She smiled down at him and nodded. “Yes, no more running.”
“Does that mean you’ll come home?”
She sighed. “I am home.”
He nodded. “Then so am I.”
She shook her head. “No, not yet. You will be, once we make it official.” He frowned. “Our little sister was right about one thing.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Oh? Are you under the assumption that she taught you boxing?”
She chuckled and shook her head no. “No, but we should be married. I want to have the last name of Grayton one more time.” She smiled. “Marry me and”—she looked over at their sleeping son—“take us home once more.”
He smiled and pulled her closer. “I thought you’d never ask.” He kissed her and then pulled back. “I always knew I would marry you,” he said, brushing a tear from her face.
“Oh?” She smiled down at him. “How?”
He chuckled. “Because we met on your wedding day and I silently said my vows that day, standing on the shore of the lake.”
Tears rolled down her cheek. “What vows?”
“To cherish, protect, and love you til my dying days.” He pulled her down to a kiss and held onto her knowing that he’d do just that.
Holding Haley - Preview
Prologue
Haley West sat on the edge of the pond and cried until she couldn’t cry anymore. She was fourteen years old and now both of her parents were gone.
Her father’s funeral had taken place just last week. It was still hard to believe that he wasn’t there to talk to or go riding with anymore. Haley’s mother had died when she was just four years old, too young to really remember her. But her first real memory was that of the shock, knowing that it was all because of her that her mother had been taken away from them. She grew up believing that it was her, and not the tornado, that had tragically ended their young mother’s life, and she did everything in her power to make sure she never caused harm to anyone or anything again.
Feeling a nudge on her shoulder, she looked up at Dash, her gray quarter horse. He was the fastest horse on the ranch and he was all hers. Her pa had purchased him for her fourteenth birthday a few months ago. She had mentioned to him that she wanted to try her hand at barrel racing like her big sister, Alexis. After getting the new horse, she had tried it a few times but decided she liked running through the fields with him a lot more. They were so fast together. The horse seemed to know what she was feeling and thinking. He always took her to where she wanted to be, even today.
“I know,” she told the horse. It was time for supper and she’d be missed if they didn’t get back to the house.
Lauren, her oldest sister, was in charge of everything now, including her two younger sisters. Using th
e back of her sleeve to wipe her tears away, Haley started to get up from the soft ground where she’d thrown herself for a good bout of crying. She stopped when she heard a branch break not far from her.
All around the watering pond, the bushes and trees here were tall. Even this early in spring, the green leaves were very thick. It took a while, but finally she noticed a tall boy standing right beside one of the low branches of a large oak, just a few yards away.
“Hey,” she said easily. She’d been born and raised in Fairplay, Texas and knew almost everyone who lived there.
“Hey,” he said, stepping forward slowly. He was wearing an old blue and white shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His jeans and boots were covered in dry dust and dirt, most likely from going through the fields. His dark hair was long and spiked up a little, like he’d run his hands through it. He had the darkest eyes she’d ever seen, but when he smiled, they lightened to a warm honey brown.
He walked over to her now and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry,” he whispered next to her ear. “We just got back in town yesterday from spring break at my aunt’s in Dallas, and I heard what happened to your dad.”
She nodded her head against his shoulder. She thought she’d cried all her tears out, until Wes Tanner held her close. She cried some more against his shirt. And when she was done crying, she finally felt like everything was going to be okay.
Chapter One
Haley was going to kill him. Her eyes bore holes into his back as he talked to his friends across the room. How dare he do this to her! Her arms were crossed over her chest. She tried to deny it, but she started to feel the sadness sinking in.
He hadn’t even had the balls to tell her the big news himself. Instead, she’d had to overhear it from his best friends, who were talking a little too loudly at the party after drinking a few too many beers. But if what they were saying was true, she was going to kill Wesley Tanner and bury him where no one would find his ruggedly good-looking body.
She circled around the room for a few minutes, trying to calm herself down before she approached him. It was their graduation party and every senior in their small school was there, partying it up. Everyone was in a chatty mood, so it took her a while to make her way across the room.
When she was approached by Hannah, one of her friends since grade school, she sighed, knowing she was going to be delayed yet again.
“Did you hear?” Her friend took her arm and pulled her towards a darkened corner. “Is it true?”
“What?” Haley felt like rubbing her forehead. She was sure she was slowly getting a migraine, but since she’d never had one before in her life, she couldn’t be sure.
“Did Wes join the army?” Hannah asked, looking concerned.
Haley didn’t know what to say. Should she tell her friend that her best friend and boyfriend since grade school had decided not to share this news with her? It was too much for her to think about. The betrayal was eating at her, so instead, she walked away, heading towards the door and some fresh air.
She walked out of the high school gym and headed towards the elementary school playground. Gathering up her long dress, she sat on the swing and removed her sandals. Pushing herself off from the sand, she started to slowly swing.
It couldn’t be true. Her mind started running through all the scenarios of how she was being punked. Maybe Wes didn’t even know what everyone was saying about him?
She was about to get up and go find him, to make sure, when she felt his hands on her back.
“Want a push?” he asked right next to her ear.
She quickly stood up and turned towards him. “Is it true?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
He mimicked her stance. “Is what true?” He tilted his head and looked at her.
“Did you join the army? Are you leaving Fairplay for basic tomorrow?”
His eyes got big and his smile dropped away. “Haley, listen . . .” But she had turned and started walking away from him quickly. She didn’t need to hear him say it. She saw the answer in his eyes; it was written on his face.
When he reached for her arm, she yanked it away.
“Why?” she shouted at him. “Why am I the last to know?” She didn’t care if anyone heard them. He’d just ripped out her heart and tossed it aside.
“I meant to tell you . . .” He raised his hands to take her arms again, but she pulled away.
“Don’t.” She stepped back. “I’ve known you all my life. We’ve never kept anything from one another. Why this? Why now?”
“I didn’t mean to. I’ve told you for a few years now that I was thinking about it.”
“Thinking about it! Not doing it!” She shoved his chest, sending him back a step. His hands dropped to his side and she saw his head lower.
“I didn’t think . . .”
“No! You didn’t.” She turned and started walking across the softball field.
She’d always imagined them getting married. They’d talked about it, but now . . . She turned and glared at him as he followed behind her a few steps.
“I’m sorry,” he said, taking a step towards her. She let him reach out and take hold of her shoulders. The thin straps of her dress did little to prevent the chill that wracked through her as she thought about not seeing him every day. “I signed up last week, and didn’t have the courage to tell you. You know my father was in the army, and his father, and his . . .” He looked down at her and wiped a tear from her cheek. “I guess I didn’t know what I wanted to do until last week, until . . .” He dropped off and looked at her.
She knew what he was talking about. Until the scare she’d had last week when she thought she was carrying his child. She looked down at her flat stomach and wished she had been pregnant. Maybe then he would have stayed. They could have gotten married and she’d have everything she’d ever dreamed of.
Turning away again, she closed her eyes and wrapped her hands around her arms tightly. “So that’s it then? I’ve scared you away,” she whispered.
“No.” He came up behind her and pulled her close. “I guess it just made me realize that there’s a whole world out there waiting for me.” He sighed. “We’re too young to think about starting a family.” She felt him shake his head. “I just needed to do this.” He turned her around again.
The lights from the school were too dim and too far away to see his face clearly, but she knew his dark eyes would be pleading with her. She was thankful she couldn’t see the softness so she didn’t feel weak for caving, for caring too much.
Just then, Dale, one of Wes best friends, came running up to them. “There you guys are. Well, come on. We’ve got a going-away surprise for you.” He grabbed Wes by the shoulders and tugged him towards the gym again.
She stood there in the dark field as she watched Wes walk away from her. Halfway back to the gym, he glanced over his shoulder at her, but she was sure it was too dark for him to see her sitting in the dirt, crying.
She drove home that night and refused to see him the next morning when he knocked on her locked window. He banged for almost a half an hour before finally leaving. He’d slipped a note under the windowsill, but she didn’t have the heart or the strength to read it. Instead, she shoved it in a large box with all her other memories of him. Then she carried it up to the attic where she locked it and her heart away . . . until he returned.
------------
Six years later, Wes stood next to the softball field and smiled. It felt good to be home. Most of the town of Fairplay, Texas, was crowded into the large park area. Two different softball games were going at once. A women’s team on one side and very young kids on the other. It was a wonderful contrast.
Families of every size and shape gathered around for the July Fourth festivities. He knew there would be lots of barbeque and watermelon, and after dark, fireworks. The noise level would grow deafening in the upcoming hour. It was a Fairplay tradition for as long as he could remember.
When his mother call
ed to him, he walked across the sidewalk towards her. He felt like all eyes were on him as they noticed the slight limp he now had, but he smiled and held his head up high as he crossed over and kissed his mother’s cheek.
“There you are. You would think that the army would have taught you to show up on time.” She smiled and patted his cheek. “At least once in a while.”
He chuckled. “I do like making an entrance.” He nodded to the crowd. The softball game had actually stopped when his mother had called for him. He could see every eye on him, and almost every face had a smile on it, except for the pitcher in the game. And of course, she was the only one he’d been looking at.
For her part, she was looking at him like he was a ghost. When he waved at her, she blinked and dropped the ball. Fumbling, she bent down and picked it up, then turned her back to him.
The players on first and second base rushed to the pitching mound and talked with her for a while. A heated conversation followed, but Haley won out and turned back to pitch the ball. She took a moment to adjust, then threw one of the fastest balls he could remember seeing a girl throw, striking the batter out.
“That girl is the best pitcher this side of the Mississippi,” his father said as he sat beside him. He had an arm full of Frito pies and Cokes. Reaching up, Wes took the food and passed some on to his mother as his dad sat next to him.
“She sure has an arm on her,” Wes said, not mentioning that he knew for a fact that she had a lot of other great body parts as well.
She looked great. If he’d seen her earlier, as he was walking the short distance to join his mother, he probably would have tried to hide the limp a little better. He couldn’t completely hide it, but he would have tried.
For the remainder of the game, she kept her eyes away from the stands. She played better than he remembered, and by the time her team had won, she looked worn out and frazzled. Her dark hair was a lot longer than the last time he’d seen her, and it was coming loose of the tight braid she wore. It was tied back with a blue bow like the other ladies on her team.