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Nicole swung to face Slade.“Ahh, shit.”
“What’s bugging you now?” he asked, his tone testy as he divided his attention between watching for the shooter and her.
“You,” she snapped. Admitting she was gone over the guy was a hard pill to swallow.
He tossed her a peevish glare. “Me? What did I do other than prove I’m right about those texts you’ve been studying?”
“Oh, it’s not these.” She held up the phone, returning his hard look. “You just had to worm your way into my life, didn’t you, with the whole sexy cowboy swagger and friendly assistance. Then, as if the hot sex wasn’t enough of a capper, you got all protective, riding to my rescue, even getting hurt in the process. What woman in her right mind could resist falling in love with you? Just answer me that, damn it.” She fumed, fisting her hands on her hips when his lips quirked. “Oh, don’t you dare smile now, Slade Kincaid.”
A shot rang out, hitting right next to the window. “Get down! We’ll discuss your epiphany later.”
She didn’t argue, dashing to crouch behind the worn sofa, Sam joining her without being called as Slade returned fire. More shots ricocheted, these coming from the front of the cabin, whizzing by in the direction of the shooter. Breathing a sigh of relief, she realized help had arrived and, with luck, would aid in ending this standoff quickly.
It didn’t take long. There were more shots exchanged between Slade and whoever had arrived to help and the shooter. Nicole still grappled with the lengths Natalie had gone to, to take out her grief and revenge on her. All it accomplished was to enlighten the fact she wasn’t responsible for Tony’s diagnosis or the pain that had ultimately resulted in his death. She could now admit the sequence of events that left her scarred and killing him was unfortunate but not her fault.
Despite the battle waging outside this small cabin, a huge weight lifted from her conscience. The loud, rapid reports ended on that thought, the silence almost eerie after the constant noise reverberating for the past five to ten minutes. Shouts came from several directions seconds before Brett and Reed called Slade’s name then rushed inside.
“We’re fine,” Slade hurried to reassure his brothers, rising and holding his hand out for her without taking his eyes off his siblings and Evan who followed them inside.
That simple gesture drew her out from behind the sofa, her heart turning over, an onslaught of emotion overwhelming her all at once. She fought to get herself under control, needing time and space to assimilate all the repercussions of the evening. That need increased as they left the cabin and saw law enforcement officials leading a handcuffed Michael Renaldi toward them.
“Michael, you?” Nicole squeaked in disbelief.
She stood there in stunned disbelief. Of the three Renaldi siblings, Michael was the last one she would consider doing such a thing. The oldest family member always seemed so in command of himself, the family business, and his siblings, in that order.
“I wasn’t about to let Natalie destroy her future or our name. I was protecting her against herself.”
Slade stepped forward, brushing off Brett’s attempt to hold him back. “That’s your excuse for attempting to kill Nicole, and me? The only thing protecting you now from my wrath is those handcuffs.”
It’s a part of him, of who he is,Nicole mused, shaking her head at Slade’s seemingly endless capacity to safeguard the oppressed.
Reed moved between Slade and the county sheriffs holding Renaldi. “Moore, Jenkins, good to see you. Thanks for responding so fast. Where are you taking him?”
“Into Casper. They’ll book him at the main precinct. Ma’am,” the one responding addressed Nicole. “You’ll have to give a statement, both of you, sometime tomorrow will be soon enough.”
“Sure,” Nicole answered, still in a daze from the revelations of the past hour, the least of which were her deep feelings for the annoying neighbor, sex-on-a-stick rancher, and chivalrous man whom she never thought of as her type. Love had hit her so fast, so hard, like an unexpected punch to the face, that she’d gone into instant, angry defense mode. It would be a while before she could come to terms with just that, let alone Tony’s family’s attempt at retribution.
“Thanks, guys,” Brett said as the officers led Renaldi to their vehicle.
“No problem.” The cop yanked on Renaldi’s arm as he spouted about his slew of lawyers. “Shut up,” he told him.
Slade hugged Nicole to his side with one arm and reached down to pet Sam with the other while addressing his brothers. “Thanks. Mind giving us a ride back?”
“Come on. Let’s get out of here. I hope that’s a flesh wound.” Brett nodded toward his arm, shouldered his rifle, and pivoted, Reed following him.
“It is. I’ll take care of it.”
Nicole leaned into Slade’s warmth, shivering against the cold air as they walked around the old cabin and back through the woods to where they’d left their truck. Slade paused when they saw one of his hired hands at the truck.
“Evan, what are you doing here?”
He didn’t sound happy about seeing the young man he regarded with suspicion.
“It can wait,” Reed stated before Evan could reply. “First things first. Your girl is freezing, your arm needs tending, and this poor guy is still scared.” He reached down to pet Sam, but he wouldn’t budge from Nicole’s side.
“You’re right. Sorry, Nicole.”
As he lifted her onto the back seat, she noticed he didn’t refute his brother calling her his girl. That was enough to warm her. Either that or her brain wasn’t functioning yet after the trauma-laden evening. Nicole didn’t want to second-guess anything anymore though. Everything could wait until she put the past and the Renaldis to rest. Then she could think clearly about the present, and maybe the future.
