Dundee holding Elizabeth in his arms.
'Clear this crowd out of here,' the sheriff ordered. He shoved Willard Moran toward a deputy. 'Take Mr. Moran inside and detain him until we have things under control out here.'
'Reece. I want to see Reece.' Elizabeth pleaded with Sam.
The sheriff motioned at the two deputies holding Reece. 'Bring Landry over here. Now!'
Reece couldn't get to Elizabeth fast enough to suit him. Kneeling, he cursed the cuffs that bound his hands, that restricted his movements. More than anything he wanted to take Elizabeth out of Sam's arms, to hold her close to him.
'Elizabeth.' Tears streamed down Reece's cheeks. He couldn't remember ever crying in front of people, or even crying alone. Not until Elizabeth Mallory had come into his life.
'Willard Moran killed your father,' Elizabeth said.
Reece and Sam exchanged knowing looks. 'And he was going to kill me, wasn't he?' Reece leaned over, brushing his lips across Elizabeth's forehead. 'You risked your life coming here.' Reece choked on the tears in his throat. 'You've risked your life twice to save me.'
'You'll be free now, Reece. Free to live the life you've always wanted.' Elizabeth lifted her hand, touching the side of Reece's face with her fingertips.
'God, Lizzie. Dear God!' Reece crumbled, his body shaking with sobs, his head resting on Elizabeth's chest.
She stroked his hair, caressing him with loving fingers. 'I won't ever have to cry for you again, will I, Reece? You... you can cry... for yourself now.'
Reece jerked his head up. He saw Elizabeth's eyes close and felt her hand drop away from his head.
'Lizzie!'
'Come on, Reece, get up!' Sam ordered. 'Get out of the way. I've got to take her back to the hospital.'
The deputies lifted Reece to his feet. He watched, helpless to do anything else, as Sam lifted Elizabeth in his arms and carried her down the sidewalk.
'Get Landry back inside,' the sheriff told his deputies. 'Looks like we're definitely reopening the B. K. Stanton murder case.'
Elizabeth sat in the chair beside the hospital bed she had occupied for the past few days. Her bag was packed, and she was dressed in jeans, a blue silk blouse and a brown suede vest. She and Sam were driving home to Sequana Falls today, but before she left, she had to see Reece.
Although Sam had kept her abreast of the events following Willard Moran's arrest, she regretted that she hadn't been at Reece's side to see him through the painful process and to share in the jubilant relief when Gary Elkins had completed the legalities that set Reece free.
Christina had stopped by yesterday to thank Elizabeth for all the help she'd given Reece and to tell her that no one in the family had suspected Willard Moran was capable of murder. The man had been B. K. Stanton's lawyer for over thirty years, a trusted friend. Chris and Kenny had called the man Uncle Willard all their lives.
Willard Moran had loved Alice Stanton with a mindless devotion. By destroying B.K. and eliminating Reece, he had thought to protect Alice from any more hurt and make sure her children's inheritance wasn't squandered on her husband's bastard son. In the end, Willard had been willing to sacrifice himself to achieve his goal.
Elizabeth heard a soft knock at the door. 'Come in.' She turned to see Sam standing in the doorway, Reece behind him.
'You're all dressed and ready to leave,' Sam said.
'The doctor told me to take it easy for a few days, and not to do anything that might reopen my wound again.' Elizabeth smiled at Sam, deliberately not looking at Reece.
Sam grabbed Reece by the arm, hauled him to his side, then stepped back into the hallway. 'I'll go get a cup of coffee or something while you two visit. I'll be back to get you in a little bit, kiddo.'
Reece stood in the doorway, staring at Elizabeth, his expression grave. 'You look a lot better than the last time I saw you.'
'I feel a lot better.' Every nerve in her body came to full alert, tingling with excitement and fear. 'Come on in, Reece.'
Reece ambled into her hospital room, his gaze traveling over the walls, the ceiling and the floor. Standing beside Elizabeth's chair, he cleared his throat.
Elizabeth stared at Reece, noting how different he looked from the man who had passed out in her cabin less than two weeks ago. He'd had a haircut, his glossy brown hair neatly styled, and he was freshly shaved. He wore dark brown slacks and a camel tan wool jacket, his tie a conservative beige-and-coral-striped silk.
'You look very handsome,' she told him. 'Like a successful young businessman.'
Reece knelt beside Elizabeth, resting his big body on his haunches. 'I owe you my life and my freedom, Lizzie. How does a guy repay someone for giving him so much?'
'You'll repay me by making your life count for something, by living well and being happy.'
Reece gripped the metal armrest on her chair. He wanted to touch her, but couldn't bring himself to reach out and take her hand. He wasn't sure how she would accept the news that he planned to stay in Newell and claim his inheritance.
'Sam told me he's going to follow you back to Sequana Falls today.' If only he could ask her to stay here in Newell with him. If only he could tell her what she wanted to hear. If only he could repay her for everything she'd done for him.
'My life is in Sequana Falls. Aunt Margaret. MacDatho. My business.' She couldn't read his mind, but she knew that despite all he'd gone through and all he'd learned, Reece wasn't prepared to give up his lifelong dreams and start a new life with her.
'I don't suppose you'd consider staying on in Newell.' He could offer her the world now, the whole world on a silver platter. Wealth, power, social position-all the things he'd been denied because of his illegitimate birth, all the things he'd dreamed of having for as long as he could remember.
Elizabeth willed herself not to cry; she had done too much crying lately. She laid her hand atop his on the armrest. 'I wouldn't be happy in Newell. I don't think you will be, either, but you'll have to find that out for yourself.'
'Ah, Lizzie, you mean so much to me.' Taking her by the hands, he helped her to her feet, then pulled her into his arms. 'I've never cared about anyone the way I care about you. You don't know how grateful I am that you came into my life when you did.'
She laid her head on his chest. 'I don't want your gratitude, Reece. I want your love.'
He tensed, every muscle in his body going rigid. 'I... uh... I'm not sure I know how to love anybody, especially someone as special as you.'
Wrapping her arms around his waist, she hugged him. 'There's an old saying, one I've heard Aunt Margaret quote. Something about all the love we come to know in life comes from the love we knew as children.'
Reece kissed the top of her head, breathing in that sweet rose scent that would forever remind him of Elizabeth. 'Well, that puts it in a nutshell, doesn't it? I don't know how to love because no one ever loved me.'
'That's not true.' Tilting her face, she gazed up into his amber eyes, those lone-wolf eyes that still proclaimed him an untamed animal. 'Despite what you think, your mother loved you. You know she did.'
'Yeah, well, maybe she did. In her own way.'
'And now you have my love.' She ran her fingertips across his jaw. 'I love you.'
Reece closed his eyes, shutting out Elizabeth's face, protecting himself from the glow of love that surrounded her. Damn, why couldn't he just tell her that he loved her? What made it so impossible?
He couldn't change his past. Not the circumstances of his birth, not B. K. Stanton's denial and rejection, not the years he and his mother had suffered at the hands of his sadistic stepfather. And no matter how much he wanted to be free from all the pain and auger and hatred inside him, he wasn't ready to forgive and forget. He had an inheritance to claim, a company to run, a sister he wanted in his life and a brother with whom he'd have to deal.
If Elizabeth would settle for the man he was, scarred and bitter and hungry for retribution, then he could offer her anything money could buy. He'd give her an engagement ring the size of a dime. He'd build her a mansion as big as the one Alice Stanton lived in.
'Thank you,' Elizabeth said.
