The Cowboy's Claim (22 page)

Cameron had left his men in charge to begin gathering evidence while he drove her and Garrett to the hospital. By the time they arrived there, Lizzy and Daniel had heard the news and had shown up. Lizzy offered to take the sleepy Garrett home with them and Courtney, trusting her friend with her life, agreed.

Now that she knew Garrett was safe and Abigail was in jail, all her thoughts were on Nick, who had been taken into the emergency room for treatment.

The next hour seemed to last a lifetime as she’d awaited word on his condition. She still couldn’t quite comprehend what had happened, the fact that Abigail had been behind it all, that she’d wanted Garrett to replace the baby she’d lost.

Finally, Dr. Spiro had come out to let her know that Nick had required thirteen stitches in his arm and that the knife wound to the chest had nicked one of his lungs.

The doctor believed the nick was small enough that it would heal on its own, so he was nixing the idea of surgery. Still, he’d given Nick a sedative to make him rest through the night and indicated that he would be watched carefully for any change to his condition.

Courtney now got up from the chair and moved to the hospital window, where the sun had finally made an appearance, announcing the end of the long, horrible night.

She stretched with arms overhead and then returned to her chair and gazed at Nick. His thick, dark hair was mussed, and she fought the impulse to gently move an errant strand off his forehead. His features were relaxed, his mouth slightly open, and she wanted to cover those lips with her own.

He was her father’s son, but he was also the man of her heart. No matter what had happened in the past, he’d put himself in front of a knife-wielding crazy woman to save his son because that was the kind of man he was, because that was the kind of father he’d be.

His eyelids fluttered several times and then she was looking into the beautiful blue depths of his gaze. He gave her a slightly loopy, crooked smile. “What happened?”

“You’re a hero. You’re
my
hero. Unfortunately at the moment, you’re a slightly damaged one. Thirteen stitches on the arm, a couple on your chest, a punctured lung and various nicks and scratches.”

“Will I live?” he asked in a light, still slightly slurred voice.

“Definitely.” She leaned forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, needing to touch him. “But, you’ve certainly given me a long night.”

“Where’s Garrett?”

“With Daniel and Lizzy. I didn’t want him here, but I didn’t want to leave your side until I saw those baby blues of yours.”

“He called me dada...or did I dream that?” he asked.

“He definitely called you dada,” she replied.

He closed his eyes, as if savoring this information, then opened his eyes again, shifted positions and winced slightly. “How long am I in for?”

“At least the rest of today and tonight, and then the doctor will check about letting you go home tomorrow, but I wouldn’t count on it.”

“I’d like to get out of here now,” he replied, his voice still thick with the sedatives and painkillers he’d been given throughout the night.

She smiled. “That’s not happening, cowboy.”

“And you’re the boss, right?”

“That’s right.” Her smile faltered as tears pressed at her eyes and blurred her vision. “Oh, Nick, I was so afraid. When you were fighting with Abigail, I was so terrified for you.”

“I wasn’t about to let that knife-wielding nutcase get the better of me.” He took her hand in his, and as always she felt the simple connection deep inside her heart. “I protect what is mine.”

A wealth of emotion pressed tight against her chest. “Thank you, Nick, for being a great father...for being the kind of man I’d want as a father to my son.” She stared at their entwined hands. “I wronged you in the past. I wasn’t the kind of woman you needed, and for that I’ll always be sorry. I wish I could go back and do those seven months all over again. I wish I would have confronted my parents, that I would have been standing next to you on the day that you buried your sister.” She looked at him and realized he was once again asleep. She had no idea if he’d heard what she’d said to him or not.

Realizing he’d probably be out for some time, she got up from the chair, leaned over and kissed him softly on the forehead and left the room.

Nick remained in the hospital for five days, the doctor insisting he stay in bed until the nick in the lung was well into the healing process.

Courtney and Garrett visited him every day, keeping the conversation light and entertaining as he got grouchy about what he considered a long confinement. The food made him cranky, and he complained that he couldn’t get any sleep and all he wanted to do was go home.

Courtney had taken a leave of absence from her job waitressing at the café with Mary’s blessing. Courtney’s sole focus for the past week had been Garrett and Nick.

Cameron had been in and out, tying up loose ends regarding Abigail Swisher. According to Cameron, Fred and Abigail’s marriage had fallen completely apart about a month before she’d kidnapped Garrett. Fred had known nothing about what Abigail had been doing since the time he’d left town. At that time the room that was now a nursery in their home had simply been a spare bedroom.

Cameron had no reason to believe that Fred had been involved in any way in Abigail’s plans, and she was being held in jail pending a psychiatric evaluation.

Adam had returned from his trip to visit his friends looking both rested and mentally stronger. He instantly bonded with Garrett, and vowed to Nick that he was determined to get back to the land of the living.

It had warmed Courtney’s heart to see the relationship beginning to rebuild between the two brothers. She knew Nick wanted that and believed that Adam needed it.

What she didn’t know exactly was where she and Nick stood with their relationship. She knew he loved her and she was as deeply in love with him as she’d been years ago. But, she felt as if there was still some unfinished business between them, and she wasn’t sure how to go about fixing it.

She didn’t realize what it was until the morning she came to pick him up from the hospital. She’d left Garrett with Sophie for the morning so she could do what she felt needed to be done.

As she walked into the hospital room, he was up and dressed in a pair of tight jeans and a clean white T-shirt, and his cowboy hat sat on the edge of the bed.

Courtney wore a mint-colored sundress that she knew enhanced her green eyes and dark hair. She was nervous as she felt as if today was the day her future would be determined. She would either be with Nick for the rest of her life or he would remain a part-time babydaddy and nothing more.

“Am I glad to see you,” he greeted her. “And you look positively gorgeous.”

She grinned. “You’d think I was gorgeous if I had a paper bag over my head and was dressed in a burlap sack, because you know I’m here to spring you from this place.”

“I’ve been ready to get out of here for the last two days, and I’d think you looked beautiful even if you were wearing a burlap bag and didn’t have the keys to your car in hand.” He picked up his hat from the bed. “My paperwork is all in order, so I’m ready to go.”

“How are you feeling?” she asked as they headed down the long hallway that would lead them to the exit.

“Good, ready to get back to real life.”

“You feel like going on a little drive?” she asked.

He looked at her in surprise. “A drive?”

She nodded. “It’s something I need to do, and I’d like you to be with me.”

“Okay,” he said slowly as they stepped out into the morning heat. “Are you going to be any less cryptic about it?”

She flashed him a smile. “I don’t think so.” She opened the driver door of her rental car. “Consider yourself in my custody for about the next hour.”

“Hmm, I like the sound of that,” he replied and got into the passenger seat.

Courtney started the car and headed out of the hospital parking lot and immediately got on the highway that would lead them out of Grady Gulch and toward Evanston.

She tried to ignore the beat of her heart, which quickened with every mile she drove. Nick cast her several curious glances, but he didn’t ask any questions about their destination.

“Are you going to let me take you and Garrett to the town festival next week?” he asked.

“We’d love to go with you,” she replied. Strange how much things had changed in the past couple of weeks. The last time she’d thought about the town festival, she’d been making plans to attend with Grant.

“We’ll make a whole day of it,” he said. “I can’t wait to introduce Garrett to cotton candy and funnel cake.”

“And then you get to clean him up after he throws up from too many sweets,” she replied.

He flashed her that lazy, sexy smile of his. “I figure if I learned to diaper one end I can figure out how to clean the other end.”

She laughed and realized that no matter what happened in the next fifteen minutes, she would always love Nick Benson as she’d love no other man.

It wasn’t until she turned on the street where her parents lived that Nick spoke again. “Courtney, you know you don’t have to do this,” he said softly.

“I know.”

“Are you even sure you know what you’re doing?” he asked, worry in his voice.

“Maybe...maybe not, but it’s something I want to do, something I have to do.” She pulled up into the driveway of a huge, brick, two-story colonial and cut the engine. She unbuckled her seat belt and turned to look at him.

“Nick, I can’t go back and make the past right. I can’t fix what’s already done. At that time I was an immature fool who couldn’t see beyond my own issues, my own needs.” Pressure built up in her chest... A depth of emotion that had nothing to do with herself and everything to do with him.

“I know this is probably too little, too late, but it’s something I have to do for me...for us.” She glanced toward the house where she’d lived for twenty-four years, and a knot of anxiety tightened in the center of her stomach.

Now that she thought about it, it was a familiar knot of tension, one that had always been with her when she’d been living in that house with her parents.

“Would you go with me to the front door?” she asked.

His gaze held hers, and in his eyes she found not only an acceptance of the past, but the faint glimmer of hope for the future. “I’ll be right beside you,” he said.

Despite the frantic, nervous butterflies that took flight in her stomach as she got out of the car, she was also armed with a sense of rightness.

She’d slunk away from here as a disgraced, tossed-away, disobedient child, and she was returning as a strong, vibrant woman who knew exactly what she wanted from life.

As they headed for the front door, Nick caught her hand in his, as if in an attempt to offer her whatever support she needed. But, the closer they got to the door the less the butterflies flew in her stomach and instead a rise of indignation, of anger, replaced them.

She dropped Nick’s hand to knock on the door. A moment later her mother, Connie, opened it and stared in stunned surprise. “Courtney.” She said the name without inflection, making it impossible for Courtney to know if she was happy or sad to see her.

“Hello, Mother,” Courtney replied. As usual her mother was dressed in a conservative light pink suit, as if she were on her way to one of her many club meetings or social events.

“What are you doing here?” Connie asked.

“I just wanted to stop by and introduce you to Nick Benson.” She grabbed Nick’s arm possessively. “He’s the man I was seeing two years ago, the man who fathered Garrett, my son.”

Nick tipped his hat and Courtney continued. “As you can see, Nick is a cowboy. He’s part owner of a ranch in Grady Gulch, and he’s the only man I’ve ever loved. I’m hoping to build a life with him, and if that life includes mucking manure from horse stalls, I’m all in. We won’t be throwing any fancy parties, but we might have a few barbecues for friends and neighbors, and I’ll probably spill barbecue sauce down my chin and onto whatever blouse I’m wearing.”

Courtney’s mother shook her head, a touch of sadness coupled with disdain on her elegant features. “Oh, Courtney, we groomed you for so much better.”

“Groomed me?” Courtney released a slightly bitter laugh. “I was your daughter, Mother, not a dog to be groomed and trained.”

Connie’s nostrils thinned. “So, why are you here now?”

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m happy and that I’m choosing love over anything else in my life. I wanted you to know that my love comes with a cowboy hat instead of a three-piece suit, and I’d hoped that you’d be happy for me.”

“You’ve been nothing but a disappointment to your father and me,” Connie replied.

Courtney raised her chin, expecting nothing less from the people who had raised her. “And may I just say, the feeling is mutual.”

She was equally unsurprised when her mother stepped back and closed the door with the audible sound of a lock falling into place.

“Wow,” Nick said as he placed an arm around Courtney. “Are you okay?”

She smiled up at him. “I’m better than okay.”

“That was pretty tough.”

“It was nothing more than what I expected.” She released a tremulous sigh. “I was never a daughter to them. I was always just a project, like my dad working on the mayor’s Christmas tree or my mother’s charity events. All they ever wanted from me was to be a positive reflection on them, on their social standing in their community. I was never a daughter to be loved and cherished, to be nurtured to make my own choices and find my own happiness.”

Nick placed his arms around her waist and pulled her close. “You didn’t have to do this for me, Courtney.”

“No, I needed to do it for me,” she replied. “And I somehow felt that we couldn’t move on until I did it. And I want to move on, Nick. I want a life with you and Garrett together as a family.”

“And you meant what you said about mucking out stalls?” One of his dark eyebrows quirked upward in obvious amusement.

“Okay, I might have exaggerated that part a little bit,” she admitted.

“You know what I want to do right now?” he asked.