Page 46 of Tough Justice
“I don’t want to drag her into this more. She was pretty upset when we got off the phone earlier.” Silence pulsed on the line for a beat too long. “What?”
“Mom didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“She’s on her way to Wyoming. Booked a flight as soon as you got off the phone with her earlier. Her plane’s probably close to landing right now.”
Closing his eyes, he threw back his head and groaned. He had enough on his plate. The last thing he needed was an unexpected visit from his mother. “Why?”
“Are you kidding me? Her child is in the hospital. I can’t believe you didn’t expect her to show up earlier. Of course she’d want to be with Heather. You can’t be at her bedside twenty-four hours a day.”
Guilt gnawed at his gut. He’d told Heather he’d be back to see her but hadn’t made the trip after everything that had transpired with Suzy. He needed to protect her, and it’d be easier to do that inside his house.
As if reading his mind from across state lines, Riley asked, “What?”
“I’m not at the hospital.” He winced, bracing himself for her anger.
“So she’s just lying there all alone? What the hell’s your problem?”
The harshness of her words snapped the tight bundles of nerves that held him together. “My problem is I need to keep Suzy safe. Heather understands that.”
“And this Suzy chick is more important than your sister?”
A lump tightened his throat. “She’s just as important to me, only in a different way. Trouble is here because of me, and that trouble wants to hurt the woman I care about more than anything else in this damn, messed-up world. I have to protect her.”
“Wow,” Riley said. “You have it bad.”
He wiped a palm over the rough whiskers on his jaw and let out a long breath. “I do. I haven’t felt like this in well…. ever, really. If something happened to Suzy because of me, I’d never forgive myself.”
“She sounds like someone special. I hope I get a chance to meet her.”
“You will.”
“You seem pretty damn sure,” she said with a small laugh. “She better feel the same way about you.”
He and Suzy had glossed over a few of the standard beginning of relationship questions. He didn’t expect her to show all of her cards. Hell, he understood why she’d wanted to hold some things back before diving off the deep end. But for him, he had no doubt she was the one. They had all the time in the world to find their rhythm. To peel back the layers and discover each other.
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
“And what about bull riding? Is that just done and over with for good? You loved that more than anything in your life. I hateto think of you throwing away everything you worked so hard for.”
“I’m not throwing anything away. I mean, I could always go back if I wanted. At least for a little while. But all I’m worried about is the right now. And right now, I want to be in Hillmore. With Suzy. The rest will fall into place.”
The squeak of a floorboard brought his attention to the doorway. Suzy stood there with her hair swept over one shoulder, exposing the long column of her neck, and the prettiest smile on her face.
“I’ve got to go Riley. I’ll call you soon.”
Not waiting for a response, he disconnected and hopped to his feet. Like some unseen force, Suzy drew him across the room. He stood in front of her and settled his hands on her hips. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough.”
“Long enough for what?”
“To know that all I want to do right now is kiss you.”
He leaned down her and gave her exactly what she wanted.
Circlingher arms around his neck, Suzy moved her mouth against Duke’s and a purr vibrated her throat. If their first kiss had made her world stop, this one turned the whole planet upside down. Being in his arms felt right, like it was the one place she was meant to be.
