“Hurts like hell, Dev!” Wyatt groaned, which struck her to the core, as if she felt his pain just as much as he did.
“I bet.” Devlin wrapped his arm around Wyatt’s waist and let him lean against him. “Let’s get you taken care of.”
A short time later, Sheridan sat across the table from Lucy, her emotions jumbled, but she knew one thing for certain. Wyatt MacLean loved her. Without a doubt. What Katie had told her was a lie, a complete unadulterated fabrication. The fact that Wyatt came after her, getting shot in the process, proved it.
“He’ll be all right.” Lucy patted her hand. “My husband is the best doctor in three counties and Wyatt’s wound didn’t seem so bad. I’ve seen worse.”
“I know. It’s just…the waiting is killing me.” She stared at the coffee Lucy had poured for her. It was still untouched, but there was comfort in the aroma wafting from the cup. If only Wyatt hadn’t been so stupid.
“How did this happen? How did Wyatt get shot?”
Sheridan looked at her. There was sympathy mixed with curiosity on her face. She might as well tell her. It’ll be all over town before nightfall anyway. It was probably all over town now. She took a breath and told her everything. “I don’t know what he was thinking.”
“It’s simple, Sheridan. He loves you. And you love him.”
“I do, but—” Her response was interrupted when the door opened and Doctor Ben stepped into the kitchen. She rose from her seat, fearing the worst.
Doctor Ben smiled. “I was able to remove the bullet. He’ll need a few days to recover, but he’ll be right as rain before you know it.”
Sheridan couldn’t help herself. She launched herself into Dr. Ben’s arms, overwhelmed with emotion. “Thank you!”
“He wants to see you.”
She rushed out of the kitchen, leaving the door wide open, and ran around the side of the house to Ben’s office. She let herself into the small waiting room, took a deep breath, and entered the examining room.
“Are you staying?” Those were the first words out of Wyatt’s mouth. He sat up on the examining table, his trouser leg cut off just above his thigh, exposing a thick white bandage. He didn’t look worse for wear. In fact, he was still smiling, that same stupid grin he wore before.
Her gaze roamed over his face, then focused on his eyes, which were gleaming, not with pain, though she was sure he was hurting, but with hope. She couldn’t deny what she felt for him. She loved this man with an intensity that frightened her, yet, at the same time, made her feel free. “Yes.”
His smile widened as he reached out and clasped her hand. “Will you still marry me?”
She did want to marry him, wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. “Yes, but we’ll have to postpone until you’re back on your feet again.”
“No.”
“What do you mean ‘No’?”
He slid off the table and drew her into his arms. “I’m not postponing. I’m not waiting. If I have to crawl down the aisle to marry you, that’s what I’ll do.” He dropped a kiss on her lips. “Intwo days, when my folks are here and His Honor, Mr. Peabody, can stand in front of us, you and I will become man and wife.” He kissed her again. “I don’t want to wait any longer.”
Joy filled her, making her heart beat a little faster, and she could do nothing other than agree.
CHAPTER 19
In the history of doing stupid things, getting shot to stop Sheridan from leaving town wasn’t one of them. As far as pain went, it wasn’t too bad, though the stitches Doctor Ben had put in itched like mad. He had a twinge of discomfort here and there, but what really hurt was the knowledge he almost lost Sheridan.
He counted himself lucky that she was a forgiving person, especially after he explained about Katie. Still, Wyatt winced as he pulled on the trousers of the new suit he’d bought for this occasion, careful not to jostle the bandage too much.
His mother hadn’t been quite so forgiving, at first, and she had a lot to say to him when she and Royce arrived at the ranch the day after he’d been shot. She had forgiven him—eventually. After checking that Doctor Ben had done a good job stitching him up, she proceeded to start cooking and baking for the guests they had invited.
He grabbed his tie from the bureau, put it around his neck and made a simple knot. There was a soft knock on the door.
“Come in.”
Royce entered the room and took a look at him. “Nice suit.”
“Thanks. Yours, too.”
Royce glanced down at his new suit and grinned. “The occasion demanded one.” He looked up, tilted his head to the side, and declared, “Your tie is crooked.”
