“Matt.” She whispered his name again, her eyes riveted on his face, his beloved face.
He gestured at her dress. “What’s the occasion?”
“Susanne’s getting married.”
“Anybody I know?”
Lacey shook her head. “His name’s Robert Morrison. He’s the editor of the Salt Creek Gazette.” Her voice grew wistful. “They’re very much in love.”
“I hope she’ll be happy,” Matt remarked quietly. “She deserves it.”
“And what do I deserve?” She had not meant to speak the words aloud, but they spilled out of her mouth of their own volition, sharp and edged with bitterness.
“What’s the matter, honey?” Matt asked sardonically. “Hasn’t J.J. given you everything you wanted?”
Lacey bit down on her lower lip, stifling the urge to tell Matt that he was all she had ever wanted. If only she could pour out her heart, tell him why she had moved in with J.J., tell him that the child she carried was his. But J.J.’s threat to kill Matt and her child kept her mute. She knew J.J. better now, knew he would not hesitate to kill Matt at the slightest provocation.
“Answer me,” Matt said curtly. “Hasn’t J.J. made you happy?”
“Of course he has,” she lied. She lifted her hand in a gesture that encompassed the room and its furnishings. “I have everything I could possibly want.”
Matt cocked his head to one side. She was lying. He could see it in the haunted sadness of her eyes, hear the pain in her voice. He passed a hand over his jaw, his expression thoughtful. It had been a mistake to come here, a mistake to see her again. He had thought himself well rid of any feelings for her.
During the past winter he had come to terms with the past and set a course for the future. He had learned why J.J. had killed Billy Henderson, and the knowledge was of no importance except that it meant he was a free man again. There was no point in airing J.J.’s dirty linen, nothing to be gained by ruining Susanne’s image of her brother. It was all in the past and best forgotten. As for the future, he was going home, back to Virginia to see if he couldn’t make a new life for himself. But something, some shadowy emotion he could neither define nor ignore had driven him to Salt Creek. He had to see Lacey one last time, no matter how much it hurt.
He had not expected it to hurt quite so bad.
Hands clenched at his sides, he took a step toward her. “Are you happy, Lacey?” His voice was soft, raw with pain. “Is this what you wanted?”
“Yes,” she exclaimed. “How many times do I have to say it?”
He took another step toward her, his heart aching for the misery he saw reflected in her eyes. “Lacey.”
“Go away.” She took a step backward, knowing she would lose all self-control if he so much as touched her.
He watched her, confused by the changing play of emotions on her face. What was she afraid of? She was reaching out for him, not with her arms, but with her soul. He could feel the unhappiness in her, see it on her face.
Without warning, he closed the distance between them and took her in his arms, his mouth dropping gently over hers, his arms sliding around her waist. He had forgotten how perfectly her body fit against his. He lifted a hand to her hair, his fingers removing the pins so that the heavy reddish-brown mass tumbled down her back in a riot of waves. He inhaled the fragrance of her hair and skin, let his lips wander over her nose and eyes before returning to her mouth.
Lacey swayed against him, the blood singing in her veins as she returned Matt’s kiss with all the love and longing in her heart. Her body gloried in the hard maleness of his, her nostrils filled with the scent of horse and leather and man. Her man. She belonged to Matt, body and soul, in a way she could never, would never, belong to J.J. or anyone else.
Matt drew back a little, his eyes searching hers. “You don’t love J.J.,” he said slowly. “You never did. Why, then? Why’d you move in with the bastard?”
Fear and reality returned as soon as his lips left hers. “I do love him,” Lacey said, not meeting Matt’s gaze. “I’m just happy to see you, that’s all.”
“Happy, hell. You’re hungry for me.”
She did not deny it.
“Lacey, come away with me. Now.”
It was tempting, so tempting.
“You want to, I know you do.” His lips nibbled at her earlobe, slid down her neck, trailed fire as they returned to her mouth, suddenly hot and hungry and demanding. His tongue probed the delicate recesses of her mouth, making her body tingle with desire, making her feel warm and alive for the first time in months. She pressed her hips against his maleness, heard him groan low in his throat as his hands slid down to her buttocks and drew her closer still.
“I love you, Matt.” She murmured the words against his neck, knowing she had to say them or die. “I never stopped.”
“Then why, Lacey? For God’s sake, tell me the truth.”
“By all means, my dear. Tell him the truth.”
Lacey gasped at the sound of Tucker’s voice. She twisted out of Matt’s arms, her face as white as J.J.’s linen shirt, fear congealing in her heart as she saw the gun in J.J.’s hand.
Matt did not move. Through narrowed eyes, he glanced from Lacey to J.J., his gaze lingering on the Colt in Tucker’s hand. It was cocked and ready to fire.
“Go ahead, my dear,” J.J. said with a sneer. “I guess the man deserves to hear the truth before he dies.”
“J.J., please, I’ll do anything you say. Just let him go.”
“Tell him,” Tucker demanded.
“Matt, I…” Lacey licked her lips, hoping he would believe her. “I moved in with J.J. to keep you out of prison. He said if I became his mistress, he’d tell the sheriff who killed Billy. It’s as simple as that. I never loved him. Never!”
“Go on,” J.J. urged. “Tell him the rest.”
“The baby…it isn’t J.J.’s. It’s yours.” Lacey gazed intently at Matt, trying to guess what he was feeling, what he was thinking, but his face was impassive, his dark eyes empty of expression. “I did it for you!” she cried. He had to believe her, she thought desperately. He couldn’t die thinking she had been unfaithful. Oh, God, he couldn’t die!
Slowly Matt turned to face Lacey. For a moment he was angry with her, more angry than he’d ever been in his life. All these months he had hated her for being unfaithful. He had cursed the day they met, dying a little every time he thought of her carrying another man’s child.
But it was his child. His anger dissolved as he gazed into Lacey’s clear brown eyes, and he felt a rush of love more powerful than anything he had ever known. She had sold herself to a man she didn’t love to keep him out of prison.
“Lacey.” There was a wealth of emotion in his voice as he murmured her name. His eyes moved to her swollen breasts, to the bulge of her stomach barely visible beneath the concealing folds of her gown. A child slept there. His child. A child he would never see.
Tears welled in Lacey’s eyes as she felt the force of Matt’s love reach out to her. “I never slept with J.J.” She turned cold brown eyes toward Tucker. “And I never will.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, my dear,” Tucker said, his smile smug and sure. “I intend to seal our bargain tonight.” J.J. raised the gun a little higher. “Where do you want it, Drago? In the front, or in the back?”
“What the hell difference does it make?”
“None, I guess,” Tucker mused with a wry grin.
“Just one thing. Why’d you kill Pitman? You owe me that much.”
Tucker shrugged. “He knew too much. I couldn’t trust him to keep his mouth shut once he was locked up. You must have guessed that.”
“And that’s why you killed Gonzalez?”
J.J. nodded.
“What about Tanner?”
“I’ll find him,” J.J. said confidently.
“It never stops, does it? You killed Pitman to cover the fact that you killed Billy Henderson. And then you had to kill Gonzalez.”
&nbs
p; “And Tanner’s living on borrowed time,” Tucker said. “Just like you.”
There was a choked sound from the doorway. J.J. didn’t turn around, but Matt glanced past Tucker to see Susanne standing in the doorway, her face as white as her wedding gown.
“What does he mean, J.J.?” she asked, her voice brittle. “What does he mean about you killing Billy?”
“Nothing, Susanne. Get out of here.”
“What does he mean, J.J.?” she repeated, her voice rising. “Tell me it isn’t true.”
“He’s lying,” Tucker said flatly.
“Matt?” Susanne’s eyes were wide, bright with unshed tears. “Lacey?”
“It’s true,” Matt said. “J.J. had Billy killed because Billy was prying into things that didn’t concern him.”
“Damn you, Drago,” J.J. hissed. His finger tightened around the trigger, taking up the slack.
Lacey screamed, “No!” and lunged toward Tucker, her hand reaching for the gun, just as Susanne hurled herself at her brother.
“You killed him!” Susanne shrieked. “You killed my Billy. I’ll never forgive you!” She pummeled Tucker’s back with her fists.
There was a loud explosion as the gun in J.J.’s hand fired. Lacey screamed as the bullet meant for Matt struck her in the chest. The sound of the gunshot was still in the air when Matt drew and fired. His bullet struck J.J. square in the heart.
Time moved in slow motion after that. Tucker stood upright for a moment, a stunned expression on his face as his gun fell from his hand.
Susanne began to cry as her brother slowly sank to his knees and then pitched forward and lay still.
But Matt had eyes only for Lacey. She lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, her face drained of color, a crimson tide staining the bodice of her dress.
“Get a doctor,” Matt cried hoarsely. He tore the kerchief from his neck and pressed it over the dreadful wound in Lacey’s chest, appalled at how quickly the gray silk turned red with blood.
“J.J.…” Susanne whimpered her brother’s name.
“He’s past help,” Matt said curtly. “Please, Susanne,” he implored. “Go get the doctor.”
With a nod, Susanne rose to her feet and ran from the room.
“Lacey.” Matt called her name, begging her not to die. But she only lay there, as still as death. Clutching her hand in his, he willed his strength into her. Time and again he glanced at the door. Where was the doctor? What was taking so long?
After what seemed like hours, the doctor entered the room, followed by Sheriff Henderson. The sawbones carried a large black bag; Henderson held a gun.
The doctor didn’t waste time examining Tucker. The man was obviously dead. He knelt beside Lacey, his face grave as he quickly determined the extent of the injury. The bullet had passed cleanly through her body. Fortunately, no major damage had been done. Opening his bag, he began to treat the wound.
“I’ll take that gun, Drago,” Henderson said curtly, and Matt handed it over without a word, too concerned about Lacey to argue.
Henderson pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his back pocket and tossed them to Matt. “Put ‘em on.”
Matt slipped the cuffs off, his eyes never leaving Lacey’s face. She was moaning softly. “Is she gonna be all right, Doc?” he asked.
“It’s too soon to tell. The bullet missed her heart, but she’s lost a lot of blood. And she’s in labor.” The doctor finished bandaging the wound, wiped his hands, and stood up. “Bill, help me get her on the bed.”
Henderson glanced at Matt, then holstered his gun. Drago wasn’t going anywhere.
Gently the two men lifted Lacey and placed her on the bed, She groaned, her hands clutching her belly, her head moving back and forth on the pillow.
“I’ll wait outside,” Henderson said. He picked up Tucker’s gun and tossed a blanket over J.J.’s body before leaving the room.
Matt stood beside the bed as the doctor undressed Lacey, then covered her with a sheet.
Susanne entered the room a few minutes later, followed by Robert Morrison. They had stopped at the church to postpone the wedding, saying only that an emergency had arisen. Leaving a church full of people to wonder what had happened.
Susanne looked at Matt, and then at Lacey. And then at the blanket-draped body of her brother. This was all J.J.’s fault, she thought sadly. She had adored him all her life. Too late, she realized she had idolized a man who never existed.
“How’s Lacey?” Susanne asked.
Matt shrugged. “She’s lost a lot of blood. And she’s in labor.”
Susanne nodded. She felt so calm. Why wasn’t she crying? J.J. was dead, her whole life should be shattered. “I didn’t tell the sheriff,” she said, seeing the handcuffs on Matt’s wrists. “He was having a cup of coffee with Doc Bradley when I got there.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Matt said. He winced as Lacey cried out, her voice thick with pain as his child struggled to be born. “Hang on, Lacey,” he begged. Kneeling beside the bed, he took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze.
“Matt, I want Matt.”
“I’m here.”
Her eyelids fluttered open. Her eyes were dark with pain and fear. “Matt, I’m so afraid.”
“Don’t be. Everything will be all right. I promise.”
“It hurts,” she whimpered. “Everything hurts. Why? What’s wrong with me?”
“The baby’s coming,” Matt explained.
“But it’s too soon!”
“Relax, honey, just relax.”
“I can’t. It hurts.” She began to cry softly as a contraction knifed through her. She clung to Matt’s hand, her eyes fixed on his face, her grip loosening as the contraction passed. There was a pain in her chest. She frowned as she looked down and saw the bandage wrapped around her upper body. “What happened?”
“You’ve been hurt. Tucker…” Tears stung his eyes, and he swore softly. It was his fault she’d been shot, his fault she was in such pain. If he’d stayed away from her, none of this would have happened.
“He shot you,” Lacey said. “I remember now.” She searched Matt’s face. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. The bullet missed me and hit you.”
Before she could absorb that, another contraction hit her, and then another.
“I think you’d best leave the room, Miss Tucker, Mr. Morrison. And you, too, Drago.”
“I’m staying,” Matt said.
“We’ll go,” Morrison said. He took Susanne by the hand and started for the door. “We’ll be downstairs if you need us.”
The doctor looked at Matt speculatively. “Have you ever delivered a baby before?”
“No.”
“Think you can work around those cuffs?”
“I’ll manage.”
Things moved quickly after that. Lacey was lost in a world of pain as her baby made its way into the world. It was Matt who caught the child as it emerged from the womb, and he cried unashamedly as he stared at the tiny scrap of humanity cradled in his hands. It was a boy, with a thatch of thick black hair and smoky blue eyes.
The doctor cut the cord, quickly examined the baby, pronounced it as healthy as could be expected seeing as how it was almost a month premature, and then turned back to Lacey. She had passed the afterbirth and was bleeding profusely.
Matt held his son, freshly washed and wrapped in a blanket, while the doctor fought to save Lacey’s life. Sometime during the long night, Susanne came in and took the baby, but Matt hardly noticed. He refused to leave Lacey’s side. A short time later Morrison brought Matt a plate of food and a cup of coffee. Matt drank the coffee but left the food untouched.
“You should eat,” the doctor advised. He gestured at his own plate with his fork. “It’s good, and you need the strength.
Matt shook his head. He was vaguely aware of Susanne moving in and out of the room as the hours passed. It was near midnight when Susanne went to bed. The doctor fell asleep in the chair beside the window, but Matt stayed
at Lacey’s side. Her face was pale, so pale, her lips almost blue, her hands cold.
He knelt by the bed, his dark eyes haunted and sad. “Don’t die, Lacey,” he begged in a choked voice. “Please don’t die. I need you. Our son needs you.”
He was still awake when dawn brightened the horizon. Dr. Bradley woke with a start, stood up, and placed his stethoscope to Lacey’s chest. When he looked at Matt, there was little hope in his expression.
“I’ve done all I can do,” Bradley said. “It’s up to her now. All we can do is pray.” He moved quietly around the room, garnering his instruments. “Call me if there’s any change.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Doc.”
Henderson entered the room as Bradley went out. “Let’s go, Drago,” he said gruffly. “I’ve got work to do.”
Matt shook his head. “I can’t leave her.”
“And I can’t sit around here all day to keep an eye on you. Miss Tucker can let you know if anything happens.”
“What are you holding me for anyway, Sheriff?” Matt asked brusquely. “I killed J.J. in self-defense.”
“Maybe, maybe not. It’s up to a jury to decide.”
“Ask Susanne. She was here. She saw the whole thing.”
“We’ll still need a trial.”
Matt let out a sigh of exasperation. “Dammit, Henderson, I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got a brand new baby to care for and a wife who’s… Dammit, I won’t leave her.”
“What’s going on in here?” Susanne asked. She glanced from the sheriff to Matt. “You’re making too much noise. The baby’s asleep, and Lacey needs her rest. If you must argue, go outside.”
“Susanne, tell him I shot J.J. in self-defense. Maybe he’ll listen to you.”
Susanne glanced at the bloodstain on the bedroom floor. During the night, Robert had removed the body. She wondered absently if they would ever be able to wash the blood from the wood.
“Susanne?”
She looked at Matt and then at the sheriff. “It was self-defense.” She blinked back her tears. “J.J. was going to kill Matt. His shot went wide because I hit his arm, and the bullet hit Lacey instead. Matt fired his gun in self-defense.”
Henderson nodded slowly. She was telling the truth, he had no doubt of that. Everyone knew how much she had loved J.J. She wouldn’t lie about how he died.
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