Josh Page 25

  “She stays,” he said through gritted teeth.

  The doctor was about to argue when she saw the set of his jaw. With a grim nod, she relented.

  When they were alone, Dr. Walton began her examination. “You weren’t satisfied with one gunshot, is that it?” The doctor’s strong fingers probed Josh’s arm, his leg, checking entrance wounds, exit wounds, and vital organs.

  Through it all, Sierra remained beside the bed, her two hands gripping Josh’s hand until it went numb.

  “Are you in pain?” Sierra whispered.

  “I don’t mind the pain as long as you stay close.”

  When the doctor was finished, she rang for her assistant. As soon as a sedative had been administered, they began the long and painful task of removing the bullets, cleaning up a river of blood, and stitching the wounds.

  Afterward, Dr. Walton examined Sierra. Finding her fit, except for the last dregs of anesthesia still in her system, she said gently, “Josh will be asleep for several hours now. I think you should go home with his family and get some rest.”

  Sierra shook her head. “I don’t want him to wake up alone. I have to stay—I have to—”

  “Honey, you look dead on your feet…” But as she saw determination flash in Sierra’s eyes, Dr. Walton relented and took pity on her. “Okay. You have to promise me that you’ll both get some rest, though.” She pointed to a reclining chair across the room and instructed her assistant to move it over.

  When the chair had been drawn up beside Josh’s bed, she helped Sierra to lie down before covering her with a warm blanket.

  Sierra rolled to her side and caught Josh’s hand in hers. She was asleep before the doctor and her assistant slipped from the room.

  The doctor smiled before squaring her shoulders. Now to face the noisy Conway family and tell them the patient would be as good as new in no time.

  She couldn’t wait for all of them to leave and head back to their ranch so she could have some peace.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  They’re coming.” Ela had been peering through the windows for the past hour, waiting to see the ranch truck bearing Josh home from town.

  Dr. Walton had ordered Sierra back to the ranch the previous day, as soon as she’d assured herself that all the sedative was out of the young woman’s system.

  Josh, however, had been ordered to spend an extra day in the clinic, since it was the only way the doctor could guarantee that he wouldn’t resume ranch chores too soon. As it was, she’d felt the need to send him home with written orders to rest for at least forty-eight hours before lifting anything heavier than a saddle.

  Quinn and Jake had driven into town, leaving the rest of them to find ways to fill the hours until they returned with Josh.

  The women had been cooking and cleaning up a storm, while Cole and Big Jim finished up their ranch chores.

  Though Sierra had offered to work alongside the others, they’d insisted that she rest. She’d slipped away to her room nearly an hour ago.

  “Nerves,” Phoebe had said. “She’s as jumpy as a housecat when a storm’s brewing.”

  “She misses Josh,” Cheyenne said. “I saw her staring out the window half a dozen times. Just staring, as though she were taking pictures in her mind.”

  Old Ela nodded. “I saw that, too. But she looked sad, as though the pictures were not happy ones.”

  “Seeing Josh ought to be just what she needs.” Spying the truck coming up the drive, Cheyenne dried her hands on a towel and shouted for Sierra.

  The family spilled down the porch and out to the truck, where the women hugged Josh and the men slapped him on his back before leading him inside.

  Sierra stood framed in the doorway, a hand at her throat as she drank in the sight of Josh, in need of a shave, still bearing the bruises and sporting a sling for his arm. Her eyes swam with tears, and she couldn’t seem to find her voice.

  Josh stepped closer and, because his family was watching, merely touched a hand to her cheek.

  “How’re you doing?”

  She swallowed, struggling to find her voice. “I’m okay. How about you?”

  “I feel a whole lot better now, just seeing you.”

  He lifted his head to breathe in the wonderful fragrance of Ela’s corn bread and Phoebe’s fried chicken, the meal he’d requested while still recovering at the clinic in Paintbrush.

  “Smells like heaven,” he said.

  “And you look like hell.” Jake held out a chair and Josh dropped into it, grateful to get off his feet.

  “I can’t believe how weak I feel. I’m not used to it, and I have to say I can’t wait to get stronger. Doc Walton said I’ll be feeling like myself by tomorrow.”

  “Of course you will, son.” Cole parked himself at the table and sat back, content to simply stare at his family, now that they were all together again.

  “I hope you’re hungry,” Phoebe said, as she and Ela began passing platters of chicken and mashed potatoes, garden vegetables, and corn bread.

  “Now this is what I’ve missed.” Josh filled his plate and handed the platter to Sierra, who helped herself to very little before passing it on to Jake and the others.

  Josh glanced at her plate. “That wouldn’t feed a bird.”

  “I’m not hungry.” She shrugged and looked away, her face unusually pale.

  While they ate, the family asked dozens of questions, determined to fill in the gaps of misinformation about what had really transpired on the mountain.

  “Sierra told us that you were shot earlier, at close range, and survived. How is that possible?” Cheyenne stared at Josh across the table.

  “A direct shot to the chest. Sebastian figured I was dead.” He closed his eyes for a moment at the wonderful taste of Phoebe’s gravy and potatoes, before turning to Sierra. “I guess you thought I was gone, too.”

  She nodded, but couldn’t manage to speak over the lump in her throat. Every time she thought about Josh nearly dying, the pain was almost more than she could bear.

  Quinn studied his brother. “Okay, Superman. How did you manage to survive?”

  Josh reached into his breast pocket and held up the heart-shaped rock that hadn’t left his possession since the incident. “Sierra found this earlier. I had it inside my parka, and it deflected the bullet.”

  “Let me see.” Jake took it from his hand and held it up for everyone’s inspection. “You can actually see the indentation where the bullet struck, and all the little cracks radiating out from it.”

  “Yeah.” Josh smiled at Sierra. “Talk about having an angel on my side.”

  Cole looked impressed. “I think that’s more of a miracle than my landing on Wolf River Plateau.”

  Phoebe touched a hand to his shoulder. “They were both miracles, if you ask me.”

  “I won’t argue with that.” After the stone had been passed around the table, Josh tucked it back into his breast pocket.

  Quinn turned to his grandfather. “Are the authorities finished with their investigation?”

  Big Jim nodded. “Pretty much. Everett told us that they located the helicopter pilot, who claimed to know nothing about Sebastian’s trouble with the law. He’d been paid a fortune to pick up two climbers, husband and wife, on the mountain and transport them to Canada. According to him, Sebastian had claimed that his wife had fallen ill during their hike and asked him to file a flight plan with the Canadian authorities, and had assured him that they would both present valid passports. The state police found forged passports in Sebastian’s pocket using phony names for both himself and Sierra, and located a private jet that had been commissioned to take them to France. It would seem that Sebastian had laid out some pretty elaborate plans. Everett thinks he might have pulled it off if he’d made it over the border.”

  “There’s something else,” Big Jim said.

  The others turned to him.

  “It seems Sebastian Delray has a history of stalking women. His last victim was the daughter of an Italia
n billionaire, who vowed to destroy the Delray name and empire if he ever came near the girl again. The chief thinks that Delray went a little berserk when he learned from his lawyer that Sierra had filed legal documents naming him. His family had threatened to disinherit him if he brought further shame to their name.”

  Cole’s voice was low with anger. “Maybe, instead of disinheriting him, they should have used their money to hire a watchdog to keep him from hurting another helpless woman.”

  Josh closed a hand over Sierra’s. “Helpless? If you’d had a chance to watch this amazing little female fight for her life, you’d never think of the word helpless again.” He shook his head. “You were amazing.”

  “You were both amazing.” Cole looked down at his empty plate, then over at Phoebe. “Did I spot a johnnycake on the counter?”

  “You did.” Her smile was radiant. “And Ela’s sweet vanilla sauce to pour over it.”

  He touched a hand to his chest. “Be still, my heart.”

  Phoebe merely smiled at him. “I’m sure the doctor wouldn’t object if you had a tiny slice, since we’re having a celebration.”

  “Hey, bro, you ought to get yourself shot up more often,” Jake muttered, as he watched Phoebe cut the cake and begin passing it around. “I wouldn’t mind having this kind of meal every day.”

  “You’d soon be fat and lazy, and then what would happen to all those girls in town who practically faint every time you walk by?”

  At Quinn’s comments, the others roared with laughter.

  “I’m sure I could find a pleasant way to work off these calories.” Jake took a bite of cake and closed his eyes. “Oh yeah. Definitely worth having you get shot at.”

  “Gee, thanks. As long as you’re not the one being shot.”

  “You got that right.” Jake winked at Cheyenne across the table, who was thoroughly enjoying the jokes.

  “Well, boyo.” Big Jim sat back and sipped strong, hot coffee. “I’m glad this ended well, but I have to say I think I’m getting too old for all this drama. I hope from now on you’ll stick to rescuing others, while keeping yourself away from danger.”

  Josh grinned at his grandfather. “I’ll do my best, Big Jim. Though I have to say that rescuing pretty women—”

  He turned to where Sierra had been seated, hoping to take her hand, only to find the chair empty.

  Before he could ask where she’d gone, he saw his family’s attention focused on the doorway leading from the great room.

  He turned to see Sierra carrying her gear.

  He shoved back his chair. “What’s this?”

  “It’s time I headed out.” She studiously avoided looking at him. “I’ve had a lot of time to think while you were recovering. It’s all I did, in fact. But I wanted to wait until I was sure you were going to be all right.”

  Those around the table had gone ominously silent.

  Josh wasn’t aware of anyone except Sierra.

  “So…” He snapped his fingers. “Just like that, you’re leaving?”

  “I should think you’d be relieved. Have you forgotten? I’m the guest who came for a night. I seem to have overstayed my welcome.”

  He started across the room and she shrank back, raising her hands palms up as though to hold him back. “Please, let me just say what’s on my mind.” She looked at the others. “I never meant to bring all this danger to your doorstep. I want you all to know how sorry I am.”

  They all started protesting at once.

  “That’s crazy…”

  “You can’t be serious…”

  “Somebody make her understand…”

  She raised her hands again, silencing their protests. “While I was at the clinic I heard from my agent. Several galleries are interested in showing my roundup photos. In fact, my agent says he’ll take all the Western photographs I can send him. So…” She stared at a spot over Josh’s shoulder. “It’s time I got back to concentrating on my career, so that you can do the same.”

  Josh backed up and looked as though he’d just taken a blow to the chest. “Well.” His face was pale. Pale and angry. “Congratulations. I know it’s what you’d been hoping for. That’s… great news. I guess now you really will be married to your career.”

  She glanced around with a look of desperation. “I know it’s another inconvenience, but I wonder if one of you would mind driving me to town?”

  While the others remained adamantly silent, Big Jim’s voice boomed out, startling everyone. “I’ll take care of it, sweetheart.”

  Jaws dropped. Eyes rounded.

  He kept his tone conversational. “But while I’m finishing my cake, I think, Josh, you ought to take Sierra up the hill to say good-bye to Clemmy.” He turned his gaze on Sierra. “I hope you don’t mind, but it’s a bit of a tradition in our family.”

  Sierra was already shaking her head. “I don’t think—”

  He ignored her and turned to his grandson. “Go ahead now. Take her up the hill and let her say a final good-bye.”

  “Tradition?” Josh stared at his grandfather.

  “You heard me, boyo.”

  Josh nodded woodenly and looked over to where Sierra stood, pale and trembling, in the doorway. Without a word he moved to the door leading to the mudroom and held it open.

  For the space of several moments she merely stared at it before lifting her head and following him from the room.

  In the mudroom he paused and pulled on his parka, easing it around the sling. Then he opened the outer door and waited while she slipped into her parka and swept past him, before closing it firmly.

  In the silence that followed, everyone turned to stare at Big Jim as if he had lost his mind.

  “You’re going to drive her…?” Cole’s words died when Big Jim lifted a hand.

  “I thought I’d buy Josh a little time. You could see in his face that Sierra’s decision caught him by surprise. And I could see in her face that she’d shed a lot of tears over this. I figure they can both use a little time to sort things out, away from all of us. That hill’s the perfect place for them to talk about what they need to do going forward.”

  “What they’re about to do is go their separate ways,” Jake said. “You heard Sierra. She has a career to think about. And I can’t see Josh traipsing around the world just because he’s crazy in love with her.”

  Big Jim smiled at his youngest grandson. “Sometimes the most impossible situations can have the simplest solutions. Trust me, boyo. After bringing them home safely when it looked like they didn’t have a chance, you don’t think my Clemmy will let them go wrong now, do you?”

  Without a word the family rushed to the window to watch as Josh and Sierra, standing as far apart as possible, climbed the hill behind the barn.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  It was one of those rare autumn days, with the sun warm enough to burn off most of the snow that had fallen during the latest storm. A cluster of black crows swarmed around a patch of sunflowers growing out behind the barn. Horses grazing in the pasture looked up as the two figures walked along the fence, before returning their attention to the tufts of grass.

  Josh and Sierra climbed to the very top of the hill and paused at the five headstones circling the larger grave marker. Just as his grandfather always did, Josh paused to touch a hand to the cool marble, tracing a finger around the letters that formed Clementine’s name.

  Despite the turmoil within, Sierra couldn’t help but feel a tug at her heart at the sight of all those headstones and the peacefulness of the place. “Does Big Jim ever talk about how it felt to lose all the people he loved?”

  “Not often. But he’s fond of saying that every day, even though his heart was broken, he knew he had to get up and keep going.”

  Sierra shook her head. “I can’t imagine that kind of pain.”

  “I can.”

  At his words she lifted her head to study him. He looked as sad, as solemn as she felt. She wished she could offer him some comfort, but she had none lef
t to give. Though her own heart was breaking, she knew what she had to do.

  “I hope someday you’ll understand why I’m leaving, Josh.”

  “I understand. You have a career to focus on now. A very successful career, if your agent is to be believed.”

  She hung her head. “I won’t apologize for having a career that matters to me.”

  “Don’t ever apologize for it. You deserve whatever success you achieve. You’re good at what you do.”

  She swallowed. “I know now what I didn’t know before coming here. I’m good at what I do when the subjects of my photos matter. You and your family matter to me, Josh. And that’s why I have to leave. I’ve thought this through very carefully. The longer I stay here, the deeper my guilt will grow.”

  “Guilt? What for?”

  “For knowing the pain I caused all of you by bringing Sebastian here.”

  “You didn’t bring him. The choice was his. He was the one stalking you.”

  “Those are just words. The truth is, you nearly died because of me.”

  “I would have gladly died to save you.”

  She hissed in a breath. “Don’t you think I know that? That’s why I have to go.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense. I thought this was about your career.”

  She shrugged. “Before I met you, photography was the most important thing in my life. But now…” Seeing the bleak look in his eyes she softened her tone. “Look, Josh. I’ve never met anyone like you before. You and your family are all the things that I didn’t think really existed in this world. Whoever heard of three generations living and working together, and actually liking one another?”

  “And you’re leaving because of my family?”

  She sighed. “How can I make you understand? I learned early in life how to be alone. And I was fine with it. How could I possibly miss what I’d never had? But now, seeing all of you…” She took in a deep breath, and decided to lay it all on the line. “I was a cynic long before my teens. Love was a joke. Family was a burden. Sebastian was right, you know. I dated him because I thought he might be able to further my career. That’s what my friends urged me to do. I saw nothing wrong with it, until I saw the ugly side of him. And to be honest, I… I think I accepted your invitation to stay at the ranch because I was tired of running and I wanted a haven. I never thought about your safety—or your family’s, either.”