“We’ll see what colors they have tomorrow, honey,” I told the air since Lexi was long gone down the hallway.
Rowdy came out of the laundry room and smiled over at me, “We’ve got to get you some boots too, babe. And they come in every color of the rainbow, just so you know.”
“I have to go see my friends about my wedding dress tomorrow and Kari called and said she scheduled my doctor’s appointment. Do you still want me to go to that?”
“That horse has already left the barn, sweetheart,” Rowdy said as he put his arms around my waist. “But if you’d feel better about it, go and I will, too. I trust you. What are you cooking?”
“I’m making a quick dinner for us to eat before I help you in the barn. It will be ready in about five minutes.”
“What is that?” Rowdy asked me as he peered over my shoulder.
“Chicken and broccoli over noodles. You had everything in the pantry and freezer.”
“I did?”
“Yes,” I laughed. “Not exactly what I would have chosen to use, but it will work.”
“How did I have the stuff for chinese food?”
“Chinese food doesn’t just magically appear that way, it starts the same as every other dish.”
“Okay,” I felt Rowdy shrug behind me and then he rested his chin on my shoulder. “I’m definitely going to have to trust you on that.”
“How did the two of you not starve?”
“Canned food, frozen food, and spaghetti,” Leia answered as she walked into the kitchen. “I know we’re eating at Grunt and Shannon’s house, but I think whatever you’re making smells delicious and I’m so glad you are marrying us, Sierra. I thank you, my stomach thanks you, and my taste buds thank you.”
“It kept you alive this long, didn’t it?” Rowdy dropped a kiss on my shoulder and moved away. He swept Leia up in his arms and started tickling her. When Lexi came in, he grabbed her, too, and soon both girls were giggling. “I am way outgunned around here with you three, so I’m just going to start tickling you every time you side with Sierra. How about that?”
“No!” both girls yelled, still giggling.
Rowdy kissed both of them on the head and then turned them toward the front door.
“Get out of here, you filthy heathens! I’ll watch you two until you get to Grunt’s place.” Rowdy opened the door and the girls trooped outside without even glancing at me. It made my heart happy to see Lexi allowing Rowdy to play around and laugh with her and once again, my instinct to trust him and my decision to marry him were validated.
I had just served up our plates and set them on the table when Rowdy came inside. He kissed me as he walked past to sit in his chair and then the two of us dug into our food.
He didn’t have to say anything at all to let me know how much he liked dinner. The fact that he finished his plate and then dished up the rest and ate it just as greedily let me know.
“You may have hit the Texas Lottery, sweetheart, but I’m the winner here. A mouth like yours, that sexy body, and food like this? I’m the one who hit the jackpot.”
◆◆◆
I was sitting on the top rail of the corral when Marcus came up the driveway in his SUV. Rowdy heard him coming and walked out of the barn in time to greet Marcus as he walked in my direction.
I gave Lita Ford, the cream-colored horse that Rowdy had introduced me to, one final pat on the neck before I jumped off the fence to greet Marcus. The look on his face terrified me, not because he looked mean, but because he looked angry. I couldn’t imagine what had happened, and wanted him to just blurt the bad news out and get it over with.
I got my wish.
“That fucker Jackson is dead,” Marcus said without any warning. “Early on the day you left, before you guys even went downtown to get the marriage license, security at your apartments saw him lurking around and called the police. They came out before he made it into the complex and yelled for him to come out of the shadows. He came out with a gun in his hand and took a shot at the officers and they returned fire. Neither of the cops were injured, but Jackson took nine bullets and died at the scene.”
“Holy shit.” I put my hand over my mouth and sucked in a big gulp of air. “He’s dead?”
“It gets better, or worse, depending on your viewpoint,” Marcus hedged.
Rowdy’s arms came around me and he pulled me close, mistaking my tears of joy for sorrow, and tried to console me.
“It’s okay, honey,” Rowdy whispered. “Don’t cry.”
“You don’t understand,” I laughed. “I’m not sad, Rowdy - these are tears of relief. He’s dead. He can’t hurt us anymore. All I have to worry about now is his mother coming up with some plan to get Lexi.”
“I said there’s more,” Marcus shook his head. “It took them a little bit to identify him and when they did, they saw his record, his warrants, and the name of his next of kin. They called the police captain in the suburb where you used to live and got quite a story from him. According to the housekeeper at the old woman’s place, she had been hiding him since he escaped after kidnapping you. She had no idea he was scouring the internet for information and making plans to track you down. When she realized what he was doing, there was a big fight. The old lady sent her staff away and when they got to the house the next morning, they found her dead in the hallway right at the front door. Investigators think that the fight escalated and she tried to get away. He
