“I’m not dying Drixx, not for a long time,” she insisted, narrowing her eyes at me.
“You do stupid shit like you did today, and you might,” I argued, “of course if you do die, I will kill you.”
“You are the one who got shot, not me Hott,” she countered, “and if you died, I would have had to kick your arse.”
“Oh dear god, someone kill me, so I don’t have to listen to this stupid conversation,” Noxx groaned as he got up.
“Drixx is fine Blake, the bullet got him in the side and only hit flesh and fat,” Noxx explained, as if he was talking to Daxx, “Drixx, Blake didn’t get hurt and even though going out after armed men was the most stupid thing she has ever done, and even though she shot someone, she is fine. Okay?”
Glaring at Noxx, I debated if it would hurt too much to get out of bed, rip his tongue out and shove it up his arse. Probably.
“Get out,” I demanded instead. “Go home to your kids and wife. Leave my girl and me alone so we can make out before I yell at her for nearly destroying me when I found out she’d put herself in danger, forcing me to imagine what my life would be like without her.” I was speaking to Noxx, but I was looking at Blake, my words for her. Living without Blake would be like dying myself.
“She didn’t mean to, she just reacted, had she not been so worried about the brumbies she might have used her brain and waited for her big, strong, handsome cowboy, but she didn’t and she is so sorry. Will you forgive her?”
“Fuck, I am out,” Noxx shouted, storming out, grumbling a string of creative and impressive expletives.
“I think we annoy him,” Blake whispered, looking intently at me, her hazel eyes bright with unshed tears.
“Good. As long as I don’t annoy you, that is all I care about.”
“You do annoy me, but in the best kind of way.”
“Ditto, now kiss me.”
“So bossy,” she grumbled, but she didn’t hesitate to close the distance, her lips pressing sweetly on mine.
“You wanna talk about you shooting someone sweetheart?” I asked in between chaste kisses.
Blake let out a heavy sigh, “Not really, maybe later after my heart comes back to a normal rhythm. Seeing you under that tree not moving, is enough for me for now I think,” she replied quietly, one small hand pressing to my chest just over where my heart laid.
“I love you Blake, so fucking much,” I breathed into her mouth, silently agreeing to leaving that topic for another day.
“Ditto.”
“Will you marry me, sweetheart? Spend the rest of your life with me, annoying me and loving me?” I blurted out suddenly. I blamed the pain meds, but it wasn’t as if I wasn’t going to ask her tomorrow as soon as the drugs wore off.
Blake stilled, her lips frozen into a smile.
“Will you buy me a new horse for a wedding present?”
“I might.” I smiled back at her.
“Good enough. Yes honey, I will marry you, drive you up the wall, make your crazy stalker side even worse, and love you until you can’t take it anymore.”
“Oh, you will be surprised how long I can take it, Blake Isobel,” I growled, then took her mouth in a kiss full of love and promise.
“Is this trouble time?” she asked, reluctantly breaking our kiss, and laying her head into the crook of my neck.
Wrapping my arm around her back, I held her to me.
“I reckon so.”
“Can I tell you about the horse first, he is a beautiful chestnut and he has a few problems with loud noises, biting people and men.” I laid there with my life in my arms and listened to her talk passionately about a broken horse she was already in love with just from a picture.
Blake’s heart was big, and her caring nature had no limit. She protected those she loved and spoke up for them. She annoyed me, she pushed me to be a better man, and her love lifted me. No way was I going to change a hair on her head, I had found perfection and I was keeping her.
HENDRIXX
The music playing brought a chuckle from my brothers and me. I mean, who plays AC/DC at a wedding reception?
My wife, that’s who!
Wife. Blake was now my wife for a full two hours.
Six months ago after the worst night of my life, Blake agreed to be my wife. Since then it had been nothing but a whirlwind of hunting her down when she disappeared to try and ride Lancelot again, climbed up into one of the stock feed silos to check the levels, and making love to her every night then waking up to her sweet face every morning.
Now that she was officially mine, all was good in life. Even Mallory couldn’t keep hating my cowgirl, both of them working out their shit not long after I got out of the hospital. Mallory finally understanding the depth of love Blake and I had for one another. I guess shooting a dangerous fugitive in the kneecap impressed Mal enough to believe Blake loved me.
Roberts admitted to his part in the plot to have the brumbies killed, pleaded guilty, and was doing three to five years for conspiracy to … I didn’t give a shit, to be honest. I was tired of letting other people intrude on my happiness, wasting time worrying about things that were out of my control.
Family. That was all that mattered, and I had all the family I wanted … until Blake saw fit to give me babies. I didn’t mind waiting, she was young and still had a list of goals to achieve and horses to heal. Just as long as I could be there with her while she did it, it was enough for me.
“Well, it is
