Well Bred

by Avery Gale

“What’s your beef with Phoenix Morgan?” When he returned his gaze to her, his eyes narrowed. She simply shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. “I’m just curious. You must have a pretty solid reason if you were willing to hurt an innocent woman to get to him.” Caila wasn’t naïve enough to think Orman was planning to let her walk out of here alive, so she hoped he’d feel safe enough to answer her questions and buy her some time.

  “What the hell? It’s not like you’re going to be leaving here in anything other than a body bag. Phoenix Morgan fucked up my security clearance. Instead of leaving buried records buried, he pulled everything out of the depths of hell and laid it all out for the review board to see. I not only lost the promotion I’d been all but promised, I was busted back to duties the boss’s maid could have handled.”

  “Was his report wrong?” There wasn’t a chance in hell. Phoenix Morgan didn’t make mistakes. But engaging Orman in conversation was not only going to gain her information, it was giving her a reason to shift closer.

  She’d been at the clinic close to an hour because she’d looked forever for the wrap she wanted. Note to self: Don’t let Kip organize the supply closet again. No wonder she hadn’t been able to find what she’d needed at the ranch. Surely someone had noticed she was gone by now. But the only person she’d told was Luke, and even though he was cute and friendly, the man didn’t seem like he had both oars in the water most of the time.

  “I didn’t say it was wrong. I said it should have stayed buried. No one was supposed to have access to that information.” She held back the laugh bubbling up inside. Caila could have told him nothing was buried so deep Phoenix Morgan couldn’t dig it up. The man was relentless.

  “Here’s another thing I’ve been wondering about. I didn’t kill you, so what are you so pissed about? Damn, I could have dropped you and never blinked. I wasn’t that far, and I don’t miss.” And it was true. Brandt Morgan had teased her for years, telling her he’d sworn his family to secrecy because he didn’t want her being recruited by Uncle Sam as a sniper. She’d thought being a sniper sounded like a great gig until she found out she’d still have to do basic training. Since being yelled at didn’t hold any appeal for her, she’d pushed the idea aside.

  “You really are a dumb bitch, aren’t you?”

  “Is that a real question? Because it sounded a lot like sarcasm to me. I have to tell you I’ve never been really good with sarcasm. Guess I’m too literal for it.” Shrugging, she tried to appear disinterested. “My daddy said I had my head in the clouds and only heard the words, but I didn’t always hear their meaning…whatever that means. And I think that’s what you just did. You didn’t really mean that as a question, did you?” Every time he gave her the opportunity to babble, she intended to use it to her advantage. She’d had years to perfect the ditzy blonde persona, and she could play the role like she was working on her first Academy Award nomination.

  He stood staring at her for long seconds before a sinister smile spread over his face. Caila felt like the room had suddenly become frigid…like some sort of evil had just passed through the short distance between them. Damn, the man was downright creepy. She wondered for a second if she was seeing what other murder victims saw moments before their deaths. Was this what true evil looked like? Probably.

  The roar of a pickup speeding into the yard caught Orman’s attention. When he turned to the window, she made her move. Lunging the last few feet, Caila jabbed the needle into the back of Orman’s shoulder and depressed the plunger. A pistol grip syringe would have been faster, but she doubted she could have concealed it from the man now swinging his attention back to her.

  “What the hell was that?” The powerful antibiotic was usually used to combat respiratory disease in bovine, but since it was systemic, she’d planned to use it on the bull along with the other more spectrum-specific drug. Lucky for Caila, it had been the Micotil she’d had in her hand when Orman walked in on her. The drug was known to be deadly in humans in dosages smaller than twelve cc’s; she’d just given him thirty.

  Orman was already weaving on his feet before Kip ran in the door. The crazed man raised the gun in his hand to shoot, but the shot went wild. The bullet took out a window across the room from where Kip stood looking like an avenging angel. He hadn’t even flinched at the gun’s loud retort; his eyes searched hers for some confirmation she was alright. She flashed him a cheeky smile when Orman dropped at her feet, the gun clattering across the floor in Kip’s direction. He kicked it out the open door and beckoned her to follow him outside as Orman lay gasping his last breaths.

  Standing in front of the clinic with Kip’s arms wrapped around her, Caila heard sirens in the distance. Sage’s pickup slid into one of the parking spaces, the doors opening before the truck stopped rocking from the sudden stop.

  “Is she okay?” She heard the panic in Sage’s voice, and it was only then she realized how close she’d come to losing her life a few minutes ago. For some reason, the man lying a few yards away had shifted the focus of his revenge from Phoenix to Aspen and finally to her. Caila doubted she’d ever fully understand how he’d rationalized it.

  She could hear the conversations taking place around her, but Caila felt oddly disconnected from it. Once Brandt arrived, he’d gone inside the clinic and returned a few seconds later. Kip opened his arms, and she felt the loss of his warmth as Brandt turned her to face him. “What was in the syringe, Cal?”

  “Thirty cc’s of Micotil. I was taking it back to the ranch for the bull.” Of all the reactions she’d expected from the local sheriff, the grin she watched light up his face wouldn’t have been her first guess.

  “Well, since it’s still buried in his shoulder, it’s easy to see he got the full dose. I’m assuming he didn’t volunteer for the injection, so what made him turn sideways?”

  “He heard Kip drive in and looked out the window. He’d already told me he was going to kill me. He was angry because I stopped him from hurting Aspen. And he wanted to hurt her because he was angry at Phoenix. His thinking was very convoluted, and I’m not sure I’d have gotten away with distracting him much longer.”

  Brandt nodded and turned his attention to Kip. “Get her out of here. The local news folks are going to show up, and I don’t want her exposed to that. I’ll come by later and get her full statement. Is that his gun?” He pointed to where Orman’s weapon lay in the dried grass.

  “Yes, I kicked it out the door when he dropped it, just in case he caught a second wind.” Brandt nodded as he used a pen to pick it up and drop it in a plastic bag. She saw him flip on the safety through the plastic, and a wave of fear swamped her. Knowing the weapon could have easily ended Kip’s life, or her own, made her sway on her feet. If Kip hadn’t arrived when he had, she likely wouldn’t be standing here now. Caila knew a lot about firearms, and the reality of being shot at such close range was terrifying.

  She looked up at Kip and whispered, “I want to go home.” The fact she was standing so close to the house where she’d grown up would tell him far more than her simple words. She no longer considered this home. His sweet smile warmed her heart, and for the first time, she didn’t question where she belonged.

  He bent down and scooped her into his arms before walking the short distance to his truck. “My pleasure, baby. My pleasure, indeed.”

  Epilogue

  Five months later

  Caila stared at herself in the antique pedestal mirror in Coral’s bedroom and smiled at the chaos surrounding her. Faith, Hope, and Charity Morgan were bouncing in the middle of their parents’ bed, which might have gone unnoticed except they were dressed in the flower girl dresses. Coral and Josie were trying to corral them, but weren’t having much luck until all three little girls squealed “Daddy” and scampered off the bed when Sage stuck his head in the door.

  “Everything is ready, ladies. Let’s get this show on the road. Just because this is the last family wedding for …”—Caila watched him glance down at his daughters clamoring for his atte
ntion and smiled—“a really long time, that’s no reason to blow off our schedule.”

  Shifting his attention to his wife, Sage’s entire expression softened. “I’ll take the girls down with me. Hurry along. I’m anxious to dance with you, pet.” Coral’s cheeks flushed a beautiful pink, and Caila snickered. She’d heard about Sage’s habit of making his lovely wife come apart in his arms while they danced. Evidently, the man had talking dirty down to a fine science.

  When he closed the door, Josie, Joelle, and Aspen all burst into a fit of giggling. Josie, who was the shortest and therefore the roundest among them, grabbed the large carved wooden post at the corner of the bed to keep from falling over when she lost her balance. Coral’s cheeks were now crimson as she shook her head at her friend. “Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down, huh? We’ll see about that, Josie. And who’s going to pick you up, huh? Your partners in comedy over there? Hell, it takes two of them to see their toes. A lot of help they’ll be.”

  Aspen turned to Caila and grinned. “You do realize your wedding party resembles an advertisement for maternity bridal fashions, right?” The three of them fell into another fit of laughter as Coral and Caila looked on helplessly.

  As they made their way out of the room and down the hall, Coral shook her head. “Pregnancy has the strangest effect on some people. Thank heavens they’re enjoying it, even if the rest of us don’t understand their humor most of the time.” Caila smiled, because she’d been left wondering about the same thing more than once. “It sure is going to be fun to have babies to cuddle again, though. Not much cuddling happening with my three little hellions now, and I miss those sweet moments.”

  Caila nodded because she was looking forward to being an aunt more than any of them knew. As an only child, marriage was the only way she could have nieces and nephews, and she was looking forward to it. She also suspected there might be another Morgan baby on the way, but she wasn’t sure. During the frenzy of wedding planning and getting her dad settled in the extended care facility, she’d neglected to get her birth control shot.

  She’d asked Kip to help her remember, but she suspected he’d intentionally forgotten. When she’d realized her mistake a few days ago, he’d grinned from ear-to-ear. “Baby, I can’t think of anything I’d love more than finding out you were carrying our child. I can hardly wait to share that experience with you.” Caila had stared at him for long moments, wondering again how a man could change his life so dramatically in such a short time. Less than a year ago, Kip had bounced from bed to bed, appearing to have adopted the morals of an oversexed alley cat.

  In a few minutes, she’d be retracing Coral’s steps down the curving staircase in the Morgan’s mansion on her way to the makeshift altar set up in front of the living room’s large stone fireplace. She was so close to fulfilling a lifelong dream the moment felt almost surreal. Coral seemed to understand her contemplative mood and gave her a quick hug. “I’m going to go down the hall and make sure everyone’s in line and ready. Take a minute to get yourself together, sweetie. It’s a big moment, and I know you can use a second of quiet.”

  Coral was right. It was a life changing moment. She’d dreamed about her wedding day since she was a little girl, and the same face had always been waiting for her when she reached the end of the aisle…Kip Morgan. Smoothing a few strands of her hair that had managed to escape the simple up-do the stylist had given her, she heard the door behind her open and was surprised to see Kip step inside. “You aren’t supposed to see me before the wedding, Kip.” She didn’t really believe the old superstition, but the words slipped out despite her best effort to hold them back.

  “I wanted this moment to be private, baby. The first time I see you in your wedding gown is sacred, and I didn’t want to share it with a room full of people.”

  The time she’d spent with Patsy looking for the perfect dress would always hold a special place in heart. They’d laughed hysterically at some of the more outrageous suggestions made by bridal store employees and gotten tipsy from the champagne the more upscale shops served. And Patsy had held her when she cried because her own mother wasn’t here to share the experience. The dress she’d chosen was a simple, strapless A-line, but the ivory lace overlay made it look elegantly vintage.

  Kip smoothed the backs of his fingers over her cheek drawing her attention. “And I wasn’t willing to take a backseat to my dad, no matter how much I love and admire him.”

  When she’d realized her own father wasn’t going to be sufficiently recovered to walk her down the aisle, she’d asked Dean Morgan if he would mind…it was the only time she’d ever seen him cry. Kip pulled something out of his pocket and leaned forward to whisper against the shell of her ear. “Close your eyes, baby.” She wasn’t sure if it was his warm breath wafting over the sensitive skin behind her ear or his words that made her shiver.

  When she felt him drape something around her neck, she gasped. “My grandmother always worried there wouldn’t be any keepsakes left for me, so she saved this for me. She made me promise to clasp it around the neck of the woman who’d stolen my heart.” She opened her eyes and felt tears burning the backs of her eyes as she took in the beautiful gold filigree heart lying perfectly above her dress. Anyone who didn’t know better would assume she’d picked it out herself because it complimented her dress perfectly.

  “I’ll treasure it forever.” And she would, second only to the ring he’d given her when he’d proposed. The princess cut diamond ring was the most precious gift she’d ever received. “The wedding ceremony is a formality, Kip. It’s for our friends and family. It certainly isn’t for me…because my heart has always belonged to you.” She saw him take a deep breath and knew he was fighting to stay in control.

  He finally nodded and stepped back. “Let’s go. Our future has already started, and I don’t want to miss a minute of it.”

  The End

  Other Books by Avery Gale

  The Morgan Brothers

  Coral Hearts

  Dancing with Deception

  Caged Songbird

  Game On

  Well Bred

  Knights of the Boardroom

  Book One

  Book Two

  Book Three

  The Wolf Pack Series

  Mated Fated Magic

  Tempted by Darkness

  Masters of the Prairie Winds Club

  Out of the Storm

  Saving Grace

  Jen’s Journey

  Bound Treasure

  Punishing for Pleasure

  Accidental Trifecta

  Missionary Position

  The ShadowDance Club

  Katarina’s Return

  Jenna’s Submission

  Rissa’s Recovery

  Trace & Tori

  Reborn as Bree

  Red Clouds Dancing

  Perfect Picture

  Club Isola

  Capturing Callie

  Healing Holly

  Claiming Abby

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