The Widow and the Will (28 page)

Chapter 60

Ford didn’t want to leave the hospital, but Ruth Langford unceremoniously evicted him, saying that if she saw him again before he’d gotten at least six hours of sleep and a shower, she would personally kick his butt. She and Harry had arrived to find him sitting in the chair he’d pulled next to Tess’s bed and slumped with his head next to their daughter’s lap, sound asleep.

Not wanting to argue with the mother of the woman he was now in love with, Ford had accepted his banishment, promising to come back later. He still hadn’t spoken to Tess about his feelings because the pain meds had kept her asleep the entire night. It didn’t matter. There would be plenty of time for the two of them to hash things out.

As he drove back to his place, he had plenty of time to think about everything that had happened the day before. The hour-plus drive should have let him reflect and process, but all he could remember was the feel of Tess’s arms around his neck when he had finally been able to get to her.

Ford did as he was told and went home to get a shower, but he ignored Ruth’s demand that he get some sleep. Who needed sleep when there was coffee to be had? Dressed in fresh clothes and with the first cup of coffee in his stomach, he decided to go to the office to catch up with his brother. He’d been sending texts and had tried to call a couple of times, but Hudson wasn’t responding. After all the drama of the last few weeks, Ford’s trouble radar was taking a rest and he didn’t think anything of it.

When he arrived at the office, the door was open, the lights were on and the smell of fresh coffee was thick in the air. “Hey!” he called out as he entered and dropped his helmet and vest on the couch.

Hudson came out of his office to lean on the doorframe with his arms crossed against his chest. “Hey. How are you?”

“Okay. I’m good. How come you didn’t call me back?” Ford got a cup of coffee and stepped closer to his brother. “What’s up?”

Without any warning at all, Hudson’s fist came out of nowhere and landed squarely on Ford’s jaw, sending him stumbling backwards and the coffee cup spiraling through the air splashing liquid everywhere.

“What the
fuck
?!” he yelled, rubbing his jaw and charging at his brother.

“Whoa! Whoa!” Hudson put his hands up, palms out. “Truce!”

“Truce? You fuckin’ hit me!” Ford ignored his little brother’s surrender and clocked him back, his right fist connecting with Hudson’s stomach.

“Ooof!” was all the sound he could make as the air whooshed out of his mouth.

“You don’t ever get a free shot, little brother,” Ford growled. “Now we’re even.” He grabbed some napkins from the coffee stand and threw them down on the spilled coffee, then bent over to retrieve the cup which thankfully had not broken. “Now what the hell was that for?” he asked.

Hudson was still leaning on the door frame, but in a slightly bent posture as he rubbed his gut. “For lying to me,” he said hoarsely, trying to get his breath.

“Lying?”

“About Tess!”

“Aw, shit.” Ford shoved the cup next to the coffee maker and shuffled over to the couch, where he flopped down, throwing his head back to bang against the wall. “Shit, shit, shit. How did you find out?”

Hudson joined him and then slapped a hand on his brother’s leg. “Lilly told me.”

“Oh for God’s sakes!” Ford sighed.

“What? You didn’t think Tess would tell her sister? You’re dumber than I thought.” Hudson chuckled and assumed the same pose as his brother, so they both were staring at the ceiling. “She told me last night at the hospital, though I probably could have figured it out for myself, the way you charged into her room and wouldn’t leave her side.”

Ford didn’t know what to say, so he said nothing.

“It’s all right, brother,” Hudson said after a while. “I’m not mad at you.”

“Could have fooled me. That was a hell of a punch.”

Hudson chuckled and nudged him with his shoulder. “You should have just told me. I would have been okay with it.”

“Bullshit,” Ford spat. “I told you to get your head out of your ass where Tess was concerned. You woulda told me the same thing.”

“Maybe. But when it was all over, I would have told you to do whatever made you happy.” Hudson lifted his head and stared at his brother. “You know that.”

“I guess.” Ford rubbed his jaw some more and wiggled it around to relieve the soreness. “This is all new territory for me, brother. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like this.”

“Don’t worry about it. You’ll figure everything out. But you have to promise me one thing.”

Ford turned to meet his brother’s eyes. “What’s that?”

“No more secrets, man. Just be honest with me. Talk to me. Okay?”

Ford didn’t answer right away. He wasn’t sure he could make that kind of promise, even to his baby brother. There was still a lot of shit in his past he didn’t want Hudson to know. If he promised to be honest, he’d just be lying. And a hypocrite. Again.

“Is it a deal?” Hudson pressed. “No more lying. Just shoot straight with me.”

“Okay,” Ford finally agreed. “From this point forward, no more secrets.”

That would have to do. It was the only thing he could say to ease his conscience and satisfy Hudson’s demands.

* * * * *

Hudson ignored his brother’s fidgeting and twitching as they drove back to the hospital in St. Clair County where Tess was recovering. He was already pushing the truck past 90 miles an hour, what more did Ford want? Hudson had to admit, though, it was pretty amusing to see his brother as nervous as a groom on his wedding day.

When they got to the entrance to the hospital, Ford opened the door and began climbing out before Hudson could bring the vehicle to a stop. “Hey! Don’t be an ass!”

“See you upstairs!” Ford called over his shoulder as he bolted inside.

Hudson parked and then walked into the hospital, well behind his brother. He punched the button the elevator and waited for one to arrive. When the doors whooshed open, Lilly came out before he could take a step inside.

“Hey!” she said, before nearly bumping right into him.

“Hey. How is Tess?”

“Much better.” Lilly’s eyes were bright with relief and she looked much less stressed than from the night before. “Walk me to my car? I need to get home.”

“Sure,” Hudson agreed, following her back toward the door. “I thought you left last night, since Ford was going to stay.”

“No, I didn’t want to go. I slept in that alcove where you and I had our little talk.” Lilly closed one eye and shrugged her shoulders. “I know, I’m an idiot.”

“Nah. Just a big sister. You and Ford have that protective thing down pat.”

“It’s a gift.” Lilly chuckled and nudged him in the arm with her shoulder. “Or a curse. I guess it depends on how you look at it.”

They walked in silence for a while until they reached her car. Instead of getting in, she leaned against the side and squinted up into the sunshine. The day was bright and hot with hardly any clouds in the sky. When Hudson looked at her as she enjoyed the sun on her face, he was struck by just how beautiful she was. Now that she wasn’t in “big sister” mode, the lines in her forehead and around her eyes were almost gone. The corners of her mouth weren’t being dragged down by stress anymore and Hudson could see that Lilly and Tess shared identical smiles.
Why didn’t I see this before
?

“You know,” he said, “I’m the only one who hasn’t seen your sister yet. She’s going to think I dropped her case.”

Lilly’s laugh was clear and true, and her smiling with it made her look happy and full of joy. “No, I don’t think you have to worry about that. She asked about you this morning. But now that Ford’s here, I don’t think she’ll care anymore.” Lilly gave him an exaggerated wink.

“You’re probably right. But that’s okay.”

“Did you and your brother talk about things today?” Lilly asked, all serious again. Even though she had changed the subject, she still held on to the radiant happiness Hudson had finally noticed.

“Uh, yeah. You could say that.” He snickered and told her about their dust up at the office. “I think I’ll have to skip the crunches for a while.”

“Men are dumb,” Lilly muttered. “I swear.”

“Yeah, well. Not all siblings can be as perfect as you and Tess.” He smirked and then winked at her, not really able to stop looking at the way her hair shifted lightly with the slow summer breeze.

“I guess you and Ford will just have to take lessons, then.” Lilly batted her eyes cheekily. “I’m glad you worked it out anyway.”

“For now. You have to admit though, it’s going to be fun watching the two of them while they figure it all out.”

Lilly nodded in agreement and her laughter filled the air around them again. “Yep. And we have front row seats for it.”

Chapter 61

With the pain medicine wearing off, Tess could feel the throbbing in her leg getting worse. She wouldn’t ask for any more, though, because the last thing she needed was to become an addict. The pain would go away eventually and she would just gut it out until it did.

More than anything, she wanted to go home. The constant fussing from her parents and sister was getting on her nerves faster than she would have expected. Okay, yeah, she got shot. And beat up. But she was fine now. The injuries weren’t serious and Emily was in custody. Mike Andrews was dead. For the first time in a very long time, Tess felt like everything was going to be all right. The knot of anxiety that was constantly in the pit of her stomach and back of her mind was gone. It disappeared the second she saw the handcuffs around Emily Kingston’s wrists. Now she just wanted to go home and recover there.

And think about Ford. And Jack. And what the hell she was going to do next. When she thought she was going to die and there were only moments left, her final thoughts hadn’t been for her parents or sister, or even just Jack. Tess had thought of Ford and how many regrets she had about him and what went on between them.

When Jack died, it had crushed her heart. She had been lost and alone and hadn’t thought she could go on living without him for a while. But there hadn’t been any regrets. She had been honest and true to him, loving him with all her heart in spite of any of the worries or doubts she had before the wedding. Not a day had gone by in their short lives where they didn’t tell each other how much they loved one another. There hadn’t been any secrets or half-truths. Tess couldn’t look back on their time together and think, oh I wish I’d done this or that.

Knowing she regretted not exploring a possible future with Ford gnawed at her heart. She knew he’d spent the night with her because Lilly had told her, but she hadn’t seen him yet that day and was anxious for his arrival. He would show up sooner or later and she was going to be ready for it when he did.

Tess made Lilly leave. Told her to get the hell out and not come back, that she would see her sister at home. Then she politely asked her parents to go to the cafeteria to get some breakfast, or better yet, leave the hospital totally and find a restaurant where they could eat. She wanted to rest and they were keeping her from doing that. Lilly knew exactly what was going on, but had the good sense not to let on in front of the folks.

With her eyes closed and the room finally silent, Tess replayed moments from the night before. The sight of Ford’s boots and the feel of his arms around her. Total and complete relief washing over her like a hot shower after a strenuous workout. His lips on her forehead and temples before she lost consciousness. She really wished they hadn’t doped her up so much last night. She would have wanted to see him one more time.

“I would have kissed him,” she whispered to what she thought was an empty room.

“Kissed who?”

Tess’s eyes flew open and there he was, standing at the foot of the bed with his trademark smirk firmly in place.
It’s like magic
.
Whenever I think about him, he just shows up
. Not letting her brain get the better of her, Tess grinned and answered immediately. “You.”

Ford didn’t wait for more confirmation than that. He was next to her in two giant steps and grabbing her face in his hands. His lips were hot against hers and Tess pressed against him, burying her fingers into his hair. The kisses said more than any words either of them could speak. When he finally let her up for some air, Tess hugged him tightly, ignoring the pain in her thigh.

“Thank you,” she whispered in to his ear.

Pulling back, he frowned. “For what?” His eyes searched hers for the meaning behind the statement.

“You saved my life.”

Smiling he leaned his forehead against hers. “No, that was the police. I was just there.”

“Pffft, if you hadn’t followed me, I’d probably be dead right now.”

Ford tried to shake his head, but Tess scowled at him. “Okay, you’re welcome.”

That’s better
.

Tess wanted to say more, wished she could explain everything she was feeling and thinking in just the right way at that exact moment, but it was all too new for her. She didn’t know how to do it and was afraid if she did it the wrong way, it would scare him off. Instead, she kept her mouth shut for a little while, happy to feel his arms around her and to lean in for a kiss from time to time.

When she finally thought she had a good opening line to start “the talk”, Ford beat her to it with the last thing she expected to hear.

“Hudson knows about us.”

Tess leaned back and let her arms drop to her sides. “Uh oh. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

Ford grabbed her hands in his and grinned. “It’s okay, he’s okay with it. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to freak you out.”

Tess blew out the breath she didn’t even realize she was holding. It hadn’t even occurred to her to worry about Hudson or any possible fallout between the brothers if she and Ford decided to… to date? Was that what they were going to do? “Geeze, you scared the shit out of me, saying it like that.”

Chuckling, Ford brought one of her hands to his lips and kissed it. “I’m sorry. I’m not exactly the smoothest guy in the world. I think you’re going to have to help me out with stuff like that.”

Returning the favor, Tess kissed Ford’s hand back. “And you think I’m the voice of experience here? I didn’t even think about Hudson. I was more worried about making sure we were okay.”

“Scoot over.”

Tess shifted carefully to the side so he could lean back in the bed and pull her into his arms.

“I know it seems a little late, but I was wondering if you’d be interested in having dinner with me some time. You know, after you get home and healed up.”

Tess laughed and nodded her head, giving him a soft, quick kiss. “I would love that.”