by L. P. Dover
Blake finished taking a sip of his soda and nodded. “She has Jerrod to help her in the mornings. Nightshade will be glad to see us come back though.”
“What about the new horse you’re supposed to be training? Tyla doesn’t mind putting in the extra work?”
He snorted. “She’s getting paid for it. Trust me, she’ll be fine. I have ten million in my bank account to help with that.”
“You deserve a whole hell of a lot more, after doing what you did. My dad will be indebted to you, as am I.”
He winked. “There’s plenty of ways for you to pay me back. As soon as we get home, I’ll start collecting.”
I leaned forward and rubbed my hand up his thigh. “Do we have to wait until we get home?”
“Don’t start something you can’t finish, princess.” He growled and grasped my hand, pushing it over the bulge growing rapidly under his jeans.
I pulled my hand back and frowned. “You’re right, it would be risky here.” I stood up and walked over to the door. “I mean, anyone could walk in at any time.” Pulling my sundress up and resting it on top of my ass, I turned to give him the view. Spreading my legs apart, I placed my hands on the door. “If only there was a way we could do it quickly . . .”
Looking over my shoulder, I saw his darkened eyes staring at my ass, mouth slackened in disbelief. I wiggled it a little and said, “Whatcha waitin’ for, cowboy?”
“Fuck, baby. Are you serious right now?” He stood and stalked toward me, unzipping his jeans and freeing his cock. Pumping it a few times, he came up behind me and grabbed my ass cheeks. Rubbing his length between them, he groaned. “I can’t believe this is happening. You’re so fucking hot.”
Leaning back into him, I turned my head and kissed him hard. He continued to move against me and the heat between us was consuming me alive. I leaned into the wall and pushed into him.
Pulling my panties to the side, he aligned himself and thrust home. It felt like he was splitting me in half and I almost fell to my knees with pleasure. Pushing into me hard and fast, he ground his fingers into my hips to hold me tight.
I bit my lip to keep my moans from getting too loud, but our bodies banging against the door and Blake’s grunts were too loud for anyone walking by not to notice.
“Jesus,” he bit out. “I’m gonna come.”
I pushed back into him, over and over, until he wrapped his arms around me and bit my shoulder, his whole body jerking with release. Hearing him come undone sent me spiraling into my own orgasm. He continued to move, as I spasmed and bucked along his length. I stood straight and he held me up, chuckling and nipping at my ear.
I joined in his exhilaration, giggling at my actions. “Well, that happened.”
“That it did, you little vixen. I never knew you had it in you.” He pulled out of me and turned me around.
I broke into laughter when I saw him standing there in a T-shirt, with his pants and boxers around his ankles, in a hospital room that wasn’t even ours.
A knock sounded on the door and my eyes went wide. The door started to open and I pushed Blake into the bathroom and shut the door. Dr. Reese poked her head inside and I spun around to face her.
“Hadley, your father’s awake. He’s asking for you.”
“Oh! That’s wonderful news.” I glanced down to make sure my dress was covering everything. “Blake, honey, did you hear that?” I called to him in the bathroom.
He came out of the bathroom all zipped up and I breathed a sigh of relief. “I did. Is he fully alert?”
“Yes, he’s wide awake,” the doctor said, holding the door open for us. Heart racing, we followed her down the hall toward my father’s room. “We have crutches for him so he can get up and walk around. The leg wound is healing nicely.”
We stopped outside of his door. I wasn’t ready to go in just yet. “Are there any complications from the drugs I should know about?”
She shook her head. “Nothing I could find. I think he’s just sick with worry over you.”
“Thanks, Dr. Reese. When do you think I can take him home?”
“Tomorrow,” she replied with a smile. “I gotta run, but I’ll check on you guys later this afternoon.”
Taking a deep breath, I propped against the door and watched her disappear down the hall.
“Do you want me to go in there with you?” Blake asked.
“Yes. He owes us both an apology.” I found the courage to press the handle down and open the door. My father watched us walk in with tears in his eyes and it broke my heart.
Blake nudged me forward. “Go to him,” he whispered, standing back as I closed the distance, taking a seat beside my father’s bed.
His skin was pale and he looked older than his usual self. The last time I saw him so vulnerable was after my mother died. After that, he’d turned into a powerhouse who had to control everything around him.
“I’m so sorry, Hadley.” He broke down in sobs. “I never wanted to hurt you. All I wanted was to keep my baby girl safe.”
“And look where that got us,” I countered.
He nodded. “I know. I put everyone’s lives in danger, mostly yours. The one person I wanted to protect ended up being the one I almost destroyed.”
“If it wasn’t for Blake, I’d be dead. He’s the one who found me.”
His gaze landed on Blake. “How did you find her?”
Blake’s jaw tensed. “I have my ways, Mr. Rivers. I wasn’t going to rest until I found out what happened to her.”
My father held out his hand. “I owe you an apology, young man. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay you after what you did.”
Blake stared at his hand, then shook it. “I accept your apology, but I don’t accept the fact you tried to take Hadley away from everyone, from me. It was selfish.”
“Blake,” I hissed.
Holding his hands up, he backed away. “I’m done. That’s all I wanted to say.”
“No, he’s right,” my father agreed. “I know you won’t forgive me now, but I hope in time you’ll understand my reasoning. You’re all I have left in this world. When Tristan told me he was responsible for all the threats, I felt like a fool. I played right into his hands.”
I gasped. “What all did he tell you?”
He reached for my hand and I let him take it. “Everything. He said he was going to have me killed as soon as you left for Ireland. When I arrived at the house, I could feel that something wasn’t right, especially when they wouldn’t let me see you. I tried to find you and that’s when everything went blurry.”
“They drugged you just like they drugged me. Connor was the one who told me everything,” I revealed.
“Where is he?” he asked.
I glanced back at Blake and he nodded. “Connor’s dead, Dad. Just like everyone else who was involved.”
“He never hurt you did he?”
“No,” I gasped. “Connor was actually one of the good guys. He might have been on the bad side, but he protected me.”
“So what happens now?” he murmured, squeezing my hand. “Do you think you can forgive me?”
Tears fell down my cheeks. I was still angry at him for what he did, but he was my father. I loved him more than anything. “On one condition.” He lifted his brows in response. “I want you to let me live my life. No more finding me bodyguards, or trying to make decisions for me. All of that is done. If someone calls threatening my life, you tell them to eat a dick.” Blake snorted and my father chuckled. “What I’m saying is, I’m going to live my life the way I want to live it. No more interference. Can you do that?”
Closing his eyes, he nodded. “I promise.”
“There’s one other thing,” Blake interrupted. My father and I both focused our attention on him. “Our stories need to be straight. If word gets out about your involvement with the mafia, you could face jail time. For the sake of Hadley, and your reputation, you need to say you had no part in it.”
My father blew out a nervous breath. “I can do that. D
o you think I can get away with it?”
Blake’s gaze narrowed. “Maybe, as long as you keep your word to Hadley. Pull any of this shit again and I’ll make sure it comes back to bite you on the ass.”
“Is he always this brash?” my father asked me.
Giggling, I looked up at Blake and smiled. “Always, but that’s one of the reasons I love him.”
Hadley
Two Weeks Later
“Hi everyone, and welcome to The Helen Carpenter Show,” Helen announced to the audience. Helen Carpenter was not only a TV host, but an actress as well. She was in her early forties with short blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and had a love for designer pant suits. Her show was the most popular one on TV and Felicity thought it’d be the perfect place to make a comeback. Helen took the seat beside me, her eyes wide and full of excitement. “I have to say Miss Rivers, I’m honored you agreed to be on the show after everything that’s happened. It’s your first appearance since then, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” I agreed. “But I love your show. When you asked me, I couldn’t possibly turn down the chance.”
She winked at me and smiled. “Well, I appreciate that, and I’m sure our audience does as well. I know we don’t want to spend the whole show talking about what happened, but I have to know, was it scary?”
“Oh my goodness, yes,” I explained. “Everyone thought I was dead. Who in the world is going to go searching for someone who’s supposed to be dead?”
“Obviously someone did. I heard you met him when you were in protective custody. Why don’t you tell me about that?”
I burst out laughing. “Yes, that was interesting. Let me tell you, I hated him when we first met. He was nothing but a dirty cowboy who liked to give me a hard time.” Blake shook his head and grinned when I glanced at him behind the stage.
“What all did he do?” Helen asked. From the get go, I knew they wanted to know about my relationship with Blake. He was still a mystery to them.
“For starters, he made me clean the horse stalls in his barn,” I told the crowd.
They all laughed, oohing and aahing as I continued to discuss Blake, and my entire stay on his ranch. Their favorite part was when I’d brought up the boots.
“That’s right folks,” Helen exclaimed excitedly. “While I was backstage with Hadley, she showed me some pictures she took. Apparently, her new beau is trying to start a new trend. Why don’t we take a look at this?” She nodded at one of the TV producers and then a picture popped up on the screen. It was of Blake in his Mexican pointy boots. The crowd burst into laughter and a ton of them whistled. Blake’s mouth dropped when he saw it.
“Ladies, look at that handsome stud. Much different than the clean cut Blake we’ve seen the past couple of weeks,” Helen said. Another picture popped up of him in a suit, from when we were walking into a restaurant for dinner.
Blake chuckled when more of the ladies started whistling at his picture. “I have to say, I miss his cowboy hat and jeans.”
“What is with those boots though?” The picture bounced back to the one with him in the boots.
“He lost a bet. I picked them out myself.”
“Very nice,” she laughed. “So what are your plans now that you’re alive?”
Taking a deep breath, I smiled at the crowd. “I plan on singing again, but I’ll also be making some changes in my life. And one of those changes, will happen right here on this show today.” My heart started to race; especially when I looked over at Blake. He had no clue what was going on.
Felicity disappeared and then walked out onto the stage, carrying the guitar Blake gave me. His eyes went wide when he realized what was going on. “Knock ‘em dead,” she whispered, passing me the guitar.
I pulled the strap over my shoulder. “Thanks.”
Helen sat back in her chair. “So are you ready to tell the audience what the surprise is?” she asked.
The crowd had given me their undivided attention, including Blake. I was nervous as hell, but I was ready. If there was anything I learned over the past couple of months, it was to get over my fears. Today was the perfect day to start.
I took a deep breath and turned my body toward the crowd. “For years, I’ve performed in front of thousands of people, in different cities across the country, but never have I gotten on stage and sang something new. The song I will sing today is something I wrote a couple of months ago. It’s about a very special person in my life. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Strumming my fingers down the strings, I glanced over his way. “It’s called My Gray-Eyed Cowboy.” Felicity jumped up and down and grabbed his arm, but he didn’t even notice her pulling on him. Drawing in a deep breath, I blew it out slowly and began. Music always came so easy to me, it was part of my soul. I wanted to look out at the crowd, but I couldn’t take my eyes away from Blake.
He loves me, he loves me not.
Oh, how I wish I knew.
We haven’t known each other long,
But when I’m with him,
I feel like I belong.
He loves me, he loves me not.
My gray-eyed cowboy, I want to know. (Please tell me)
Your heart may never be tamed,
But I am not afraid.
Will you love me if I leave, will you love me if I stay.
Dear gray-eyed cowboy, please show me the way.
Time has passed, a new life upon us.
So many things to see, so many things to do.
I want to stay in your arms,
And never let go.
My gray-eyed cowboy, I want to know. (Please tell me)
Your heart may never be tamed,
But I am not afraid.
Will you love me if I leave, will you love me if I stay.
Dear gray-eyed cowboy, please show me the way.
You may love me now, but can you promise me forever.
If there’s one thing I can say,
It would be this . . .
I promise to love you, I promise to stay.
Never again will I leave you.
My heart is yours, your heart is mine.
My gray-eyed cowboy, thank you for showing me the way.
The whole room was silent. A tear fell down my cheek and I wiped it away quickly before turning my gaze to the crowd. I didn’t know what to do or what to say, so I sat there waiting, as if I was on trial. I guess I kind of was. No one had ever heard the song before and now my fate rested on what the audience thought of it.
They jumped to their feet in applause, screaming and hollering my name, and I released the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
“Wow,” Helen exclaimed, “That was amazing. I could feel your emotions in it. I know that’s what we all love about your music. You put so much heart and soul into it.”
“Thanks. I like to write music about the people I care about. It makes it special.”
Helen smiled and gazed out at the crowd. “I know I’m not the only one who can’t wait to hear more. Why don’t we make things a little more interesting and bring out this gray-eyed cowboy? What do you say people?”
The audience went crazy, clapping their hands and whistling. Eyes wide, I turned to Blake, knowing he was going to hate coming out there. Instead, he winked at me as one of the producers hooked a microphone to his button down shirt. What was going on?
He walked out on stage and waved at everyone as he took the seat beside me. Leaning over, he kissed me and whispered over the loud applause, “Love the song. Thank you for singing it to me. You need to do it more often.” He put his arm around me and I snuggled into his side.
“I will,” I murmured, winking up at him.
Helen reached over and shook his hand. “Blake Evans, it’s good to have you on the show. I know a lot of people in the world want to meet Hadley’s hero, or better yet, her gray-eyed cowboy. Where’s your boots?”
“Soon to be burning in a fire the second we get home,” he joked. “I think I need t
o get Hadley a pair to wear at her next concert.”
I snorted. “Don’t think so.”
The crowd laughed and Helen giggled. “That’d be pretty epic. But Blake, I know the world’s been dying to ask you this question.” She glanced out at the crowd and then back to him. “How did you even think to go searching for Hadley? What made you think she wasn’t dead?”
His arm tensed around me as he went into detail about hearing of my death, and the struggle he endured thinking I was gone forever. Over the next five minutes, he answered questions about the mission to find me, how he was dealing with the paparazzi, and even more questions about his boots. The crowd adored him. But how could they not?
The show was about to be over and I couldn’t wait to get off stage and head back home. Blake and I hadn’t been back to Wyoming at all since the rescue.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a few minutes left and I do believe Blake has something he’d like to say.” She looked at him and he acknowledged her with a nod.
This was a surprise to me.
The stage lights brightened, and the lights over the audience dimmed. Blake stood, then got down on one knee. Gasps erupted from the women in the audience.
I clasped a hand over my mouth. “What are you doing?”
Felicity came out, handing him a small black box, winking at me before scampering away.
Blake squeezed my hands, his gray eyes swirling with raw emotion. “The day you showed up on my doorstep, I took one look at you and knew you were going to be trouble.” Snickers could be heard from the audience and I smiled.
“I didn’t want to care about you, but you made it impossible. I fell in love with you, knowing you could never be happy with a guy like me, or at least I thought you couldn’t. That’s why I’m here today, in front of all these people and the world, to ask you two questions.” Lifting my hand, he kissed it gently, his gray gaze never swaying from mine. “First, do you think you could be happy with a guy like me?”
Lips trembling, I nodded vigorously. “Yes,” I whispered.
“That leaves just one more question.” Taking a deep breath, he blew it out and opened the box.