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“It looks like it went right through.” Wrapping the bandaging around the wound to stem the flow of blood, he looked into Pete’s painfilled eyes and whispered, “Thank you.”
Nan kept hold of his hand, the chain of events a jumbled blur as she replayed Pete’s timely interference followed by Dan and Grayson’s arrival. All she knew for certain was life was too short to second guess feelings. With sirens and flashing lights heralding the arrival of more cops and an ambulance, abundant questions that needed answering and her body racked with nausea and pain, she turned on Dan as Grayson helped Pete stand. Heedless of who heard, she grabbed his shirt, pulling up onto her toes with a furious whisper. “Damn it, Shylock, what we used to have, that was before…”
She choked as he lowered his head, his dark eyes as warm as the brush of his lips over hers and his voice. “That was then, and this is now. I love you, Nan.” A euphoric sense of relief flooded her system as she sagged against him, convinced the trauma of her past was finally over.
Dan’s words and his hovering, protective presence the next few hours eased the stress of getting her stomach pumped and going over the series of events with Grayson that had resulted in Alice’s death and Pete’s injury. There were no words for Nan to express her deep gratitude to Dan’s troubled employee, or how much more she now resented the Avet family for what Gerard and his mother had put her through. As Dan drove her home from Billings several hours later, she nodded off against his shoulder, relaxing and feeling good for the first time all day.
Dan stripped Nan and settled her in his bed before undressing and joining her. God, he was tired, he admitted, pulling her into his arms, relishing her soft curves molding to his side. He didn’t know how long it would take to dislodge his heart from his throat, where it had been stuck since seeing that crazed woman aiming a gun at Nan. Nothing could have clarified his feelings so effectively or cemented his future intentions faster than coming close to losing her yet again. He owed Pete a debt he could never repay and hoped he took him up on his offer to stay on at the ranch after his probation was up. From the way he’d left Bertie hovering over Pete in the barracks, he knew his foreman would ensure Pete’s acceptance.
He still wasn’t happy Grayson had taken the shot Dan felt should have been his. His friend’s terse reply, “I’m the sheriff, less paperwork,” did little to appease him after Nan relayed the scope of Alice Avet’s attempts to delay and discredit her testimony against Gerard while sitting in the emergency room being pumped full of toxin-killing drugs. Tightening his arms around her, he settled on gratitude for good timing and pure blind luck.
“So,” Nan whispered against his chest, her soft breath stirring his nipple into puckering, “how long do you think we’ve felt this way about each other?”
A low rumble of laughter shook his chest. “Longer than either of us will admit. I’m sure there’s a lesson to be learned there.”
Nan giggled, a rare sound coming from her as she pulled away and climbed on top of him. Straddling his hips, she reached down to grip his straining cock. “The only lessons I’m interested in learning are those that can make me feel this,” she lowered herself by slow increments onto his shaft, “good.” She sighed as she settled her soft, plump ass on his groin.
With her snug pussy hugging his rock-hard flesh, he gripped her hips and lifted, dragging his rigid length along her slick walls. “Then I’ll get started teaching right away.”
Dan’s heart finally settled back into his chest as she arched above him, crying out, “I love you, Master Dan,” as he surged up inside her.
Epilogue
Two months later
The bailiff opened the door into the front of the courtroom and nodded at Nan. “They’re ready for you, miss.”
Rising from the hall bench, she ran clammy palms down her sides before crossing the hall on rubbery legs. No matter how many times she told herself she could handle seeing Gerard again, she continued to wonder if that were true. Despite the hours Dan spent tutoring her on her testimony, giving her pointers, telling her what to say, and not say to certain questions, a small sliver of insecurity remained.
Offering her a smile of encouragement, the bailiff ushered her forward with a wave of his hand. “Deep breath, miss. Everything will be fine.”
“Let’s hope,” she replied, gazing into the courtroom. Instead of looking toward the defendant’s table, she sought the front row, every roiling emotion inside her settling when she saw the two most important people in her life sitting side by side. With Dan and Jay there, giving her their undivided support, how could she go wrong? Seeing Tamara, Sydney and Avery behind them was icing on the cake, their surprise presence sending a warm glow coursing through her. If they were in New Orleans, Nan didn’t doubt their husbands were here also.
Her heart rolled over as she entered, taking the first step toward a bright and promising future.
The End
