Cowboy Retribution, page 14
“That’s some of the best news I’ve heard all day,” A.J. said.
Tess beamed up at him as she hugged him a little tighter and for a split-second, the crazy mixed-up world that had tilted on its axis righted itself again.
“The fluids will wash out the rest of the poison. At his size, it probably would’ve taken a larger dose to kill him, but it came close.” Derick gathered up his supplies. “If you’ll excuse me. I’ll come back to check on him in a few hours. Once that bag finishes dripping, you can take it out yourself or call and I’ll come do it.”
“I got this, Derick. Thanks. Go on home. You can come back in the morning. If anything changes with him, I’ll call.” A.J. had pulled out his fair share of IVs over the years. He knew exactly what to do.
With Tess by his side, A.J. moved to the bed. Bear’s tail immediately started wagging. Tess took the chair that had been pulled up next to the bed and A.J. sat down with his dog.
“Good boy, Bear.” He leaned over and rested his head next to Bear’s. “You have a lot of living left to do.”
That night, A.J. and Tess slept curled up next to Bear.
Tess was the first one to wake the next morning. She slipped into the bathroom to freshen up.
The door opened and A.J. walked in. “Okay if I join you in here?”
She nodded as she finished brushing her teeth.
“Where’s Bear?”
“Outside with your father. They seem to be bonding.” A.J. moved next to her and grabbed a toothbrush and toothpaste.
Tess watched as he stood there, looking so right in her bathroom at the sink next to her.
He rinsed out his mouth and turned to her with a look of concern.
“What’s wrong?”
Oh, man. How did she tackle that question? How did she tell him that the only time nothing was wrong was when she was with him and Bear?
She figured it was now or never and she might as well develop the courage to say what had been on her mind.
“A.J. McGannon, if someone told me last week that I’d be standing here in this spot with you, I would’ve laughed in their face. But now? I find myself in the unexpected position of not wanting to leave.” She studied him and he gave no indication of what he was feeling. His face was a stone, and a gorgeous one at that. She wanted to be able to look into those gorgeous hazel-brown eyes for the rest of her life and if she stopped now she feared she would never have the bravery to tell him what he really meant to her.
She’d stepped aside and let her father run her life for too long. And that was on her. Caring about someone else’s feelings was one thing. Now, she realized anyone who loved her would want the best for her. It might take some getting used to, but her father would come around. He wouldn’t spend the time he had left unhappy with her.
So, she continued.
“I’ve fallen for you hard, A.J. I’m in love with you.”
He stood there looking a little stunned.
When he didn’t respond, her pulse shot through the roof and her heart pounded the inside of her rib cage, beating out a staccato rhythm.
There it was. She’d put her feelings out there. The thought of him rejecting her pressed a heavy weight on her shoulders that she doubted she’d recover from.
Maybe she should’ve played it cool. He’d made it pretty obvious that his feelings for her went beyond friendship. She could have waited to see how it all played out.
But then hadn’t she been doing that her whole life? Standing in the background, taking what life gave instead of grabbing the bull by the horns.
“What do you think about the two of us making a go of it?” she asked, unable to make eye contact.
Her confidence was short-lived when he didn’t immediately respond. Her heart freefell, slamming into her toes. If he didn’t feel the same, it was time to buck up.
She forced her chin up. It was important to know where she stood with him. Anything less than a real shot at a relationship wouldn’t be good enough anyway.
A moment of hesitation struck. She wished he would say something instead of looking like he was trying to find the right words.
Tess knew exactly what she wanted even if he didn’t. And since she’d already showed her cards, she figured that she might as well go all-in. If it didn’t go her way, she would learn to accept it. She could always request to work with a different family member when a dispute came up to ease the awkwardness they would both feel now. The McGannons were decent people and would understand the basis of her request.
“Say something,” she urged, looking away. Somehow, facing a different direction seemed like it would help soften the blow when he told her that he didn’t love her and didn’t want to speak to her again.
Instead, he took a knee.
Tess’s mouth fell open and shock robbed her voice.
“Tess Clemente, I’d intended to speak with your father first but here we are, and this seems like the best possible moment to tell you how I feel.”
Her arms goose bumped, and warmth spread through her.
“I couldn’t love anyone more than I love you. You’re the sun when the world is full of clouds. You’ve become my best friend and the person I most want to talk to when anything happens in my life. There’s always been something undeniable between us and now I finally figured out what it is…love.” He took her hand in his. “Would you do me the great honor of becoming my equal partner in life? Tess Clemente, will you marry me?”
He hadn’t finished his sentence before Tess had cupped his face in her hands. With tears of joy in her eyes, she said, “Yes, A.J., I’ll marry you.”
A.J. was on his feet in a split-second. He looped his arms around her. And she kissed him.
Mouths fused in the sweetest kiss she’d ever experienced.
He pulled back first and, breathless, said, “I always knew you were a game-changer. I just didn’t know what that meant until now.”
“You’re my home, A.J.”
And she meant it. With A.J., she’d found home.
17
Epilogue
The camera was set. The equipment in place. The wedding would stream into Clive McGannon’s hospital room where Kurt sat along with his new brother Levi.
“We were gathered at the hospital the other day because he moved his fingers,” Levi said, looking at his father—a man Kurt felt no magic connection to despite learning they were related.
What had he expected?
A sudden blast in his heart that said, Hey, that guy’s my father?
Kurt wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for a kinky-haired angel back at home. His one-year-old daughter, Paisley, owned his heart. She deserved to have more of a family than just Kurt. Losing her mother and the woman Kurt had spent more than half of his life loving had brought him to his knees.
He reminded himself that he was here for Paisley. His feelings—or lack of them toward the McGannons—didn’t matter. His daughter had more uncles than she’d know what to do with. Of course, he had no plans to rush introductions. He needed to make darn sure they would treat her the way she deserved and not like an outsider.
“We are gathered here together today…” the minister’s voice boomed from the laptop speakers. The device had been positioned on a table so that Mr. McGannon could watch the ceremony in case he opened his eyes.
There was so much hope in the faces of his sons and nephews. A man with this much family surrounding him must’ve done something right in his life. It didn’t give him a free pass for the fact he’d turned his back on Kurt and his mother, but it did interest him.
Kurt was lost in thought as the ceremony continued in the background. The constant beeps of machinery keeping Clive McGannon alive became white noise after sitting there for a while.
He checked back into the wedding at the pronunciation of man and wife before the kiss. Spacing out kept him from thinking back to his wedding day to Stacy. She’d worn a beautiful white dress that he’d later learned was a rental.
They barely had two nickels to rub together in the beginning of their marriage, but they’d been happy. They’d been good together. There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t think about her. Wish she could hold their daughter or that he could go to her for advice on a million things relating to Paisley.
“My brother Ryan and I are waiting for Dad to wake up before our official weddings. A.J. and Tess moved forward so her father could be present. He’s ill and doesn’t have a whole lot of time left,” Levi broke into Kurt’s thoughts.
“What’s A.J. doing?” Kurt watched as he handed over a piece of paper.
Tess opened it, read it, and then wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck.
“Her father asked us to buy his ranch to secure her future. That’s A.J. giving her back the deed. We voted and decided the land should stay with Tess and her father,” Levi informed.
This news shattered Kurt’s initial judgment of the McGannons. He figured most people as rich as them were just as ruthless.
“She doesn’t want to tend to the herd, so we’re taking over that part. We felt the land that she and her father loved would always belong to her and A.J.’s children.” Levi pinched the bridge of his nose. “Now, if Dad would just wake up. The family would be complete.”
“You and your father are close?” Kurt asked.
“Yeah. We’re all pretty tightknit, though. I doubt Dad has a favorite,” Levi admitted.
Kurt didn’t know the man, so those words shouldn’t hurt as much as they did.
“Aren’t you upset with him? I mean, you had to have done the math by now. I know I did. Our mothers were pregnant at the same time. Since he was married to yours, it seems obvious he had an affair,” Kurt said. “That doesn’t make you mad?”
Levi nodded. “It did at first. But, you know, relationships are complicated and if Dad could speak, he might be able to clear this up. I’m trying to hold judgment until I hear his side of the story.”
Math was still math, and the numbers told their own story. Kurt held his tongue, though. If Levi McGannon wanted to live in denial, Kurt didn’t want to be the one to burst the man’s bubble.
“I heard about her half-brother,” Kurt nodded toward the screen. Technically, he’d read about the crimes in the news.
“Hudson tried to plea bargain but was denied. The man is going to Huntsville with all the other hardened criminals where he will stay the rest of his life,” Levi said. “Her dad said that he should’ve known something was up when Hudson seemed desperate for money a couple of times. Tess said her half-brother seemed interested in her work, so she didn’t question when he asked about her clients. She never mentioned names, but it was probably easy for him to put two-and-two together after visiting the center. The man is sick.”
“That’s messed up,” Kurt agreed.
“I mean, money is just that. Paper. Zeroes in a bank. I’m not diminishing the need to put food on the table. Beyond that, it doesn’t bring real happiness or love,” Levi stated.
“Growing up without any was tough, but we made do. We were happy enough.” Kurt couldn’t agree more now that he had a little money of his own. Beyond being able to pay his mortgage and put food on the table, having more cash in the bank didn’t create a magic well of happiness.
“Well, today is about a celebration,” Levi said, and it was obvious he was trying to redirect the conversation. “What about you? Anyone special in your life?”
“Nah. My daughter and my business are all I have time for,” he said, shaking his head.
Kurt couldn’t imagine finding someone that he could love as much as he’d loved his wife. He’d grabbed the brass ring, held onto it and had everything he could’ve ever wanted in a person.
Then, she died.
And now he had a booming business and an amazing kid. He was so tired some nights that he didn’t make it to his bed. Crashing on the couch had become habit.
In his life, there wasn’t room for anything else.
* * *
To read Kurt and Arianna’s story, click here.
Also by Barb Han
Cowboys of Cattle Cove
Cowboy Reckoning
Cowboy Cover-up
Cowboy Retribution
Cowboy Judgment
Cowboy Conspiracy
Cowboy Rescue
Cowboy Target
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Don’t Mess With Texas Cowboys
Texas Cowboy Justice
Texas Cowboy’s Honor
Texas Cowboy Daddy
Texas Cowboy’s Baby
Texas Cowboy’s Bride
Texas Cowboy’s Family
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Crisis: Cattle Barge
Sudden Setup
Endangered Heiress
Texas Grit
Kidnapped at Christmas
Murder and Mistletoe
Bulletproof Christmas
For more of Barb’s books, visit www.BarbHan.com.
About the Author
Barb Han is a USA TODAY and Publisher’s Weekly Bestselling Author. Reviewers have called her books “heartfelt” and “exciting.”
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Barb lives in Texas—her true north—with her adventurous family, a poodle mix and a spunky rescue who is often referred to as a hot mess. She is the proud owner of too many books (if there is such a thing). When not writing, she can be found exploring Manhattan, on a mountain either hiking or skiing depending on the season, or swimming in her own backyard.
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Sign up for Barb’s newsletter at www.BarbHan.com.
Barb Han, Cowboy Retribution
