Chapter 24

Ivy drove out to Mike Paul’s place and found it dark with no signs of him or his truck. She’d knocked, hoping that maybe Jacob was there and could tell her where to find Mike Paul, but again, no luck. All she’d managed to do was spook the dogs. Weiner and Bun barked crazily, and she stepped back.

She’d pinned all of her hopes on finding him here. Of throwing herself into his arms and making him see just how much she loved him. She didn’t need to figure anything out. All she wanted was him. Forever.

“He must be at Benton’s,” she whispered. Ivy must have missed him. Or maybe he was somewhere else having a wonderful night without her.

Hot tears welled and overflowed, making long tracks that stung down her face. She didn’t have the heart to drive back to the Triple B ranch, at least not yet. Instead, she sat in her truck with nothing but a big, empty silence for company. Maybe she should go home and hide in bed. Maybe things would be better tomorrow. Maybe he was waiting for her back at her place.

But then why wasn’t he answering his cell?

With nothing to do but leave, Ivy was in the process of turning her vehicle around when her phone rang, and Cal’s name popped up on the media screen. She considered letting the call go to voicemail, but as she headed down the lane, tapped the Bluetooth.

“Hey,” she said, turning onto the road.

“Where are you?”

There was no point in fibbing. “I went to see Mike Paul, but he’s not here.”

“That’s why I’m calling.” Cal sounded wrong and upset.

Ivy’s stomach dipped. “What’s going on?

“He’s at the hospital.”

“What?”

“Mackenzie, the ER doc, just called his parents. I don’t know the details, but we’re headed over now.”

“Was he in a car accident? Is he hurt?” Fear, the kind that made a person sick to their stomach, gripped Ivy. “Cal?”

“All Mackenzie said was to come as soon as we could.”

“I’m on my way.”

She disconnected and drove like the hounds of hell were on her heels. Not particularly smart, considering it was winter, but she couldn’t help it. She gripped the steering wheel so tight her fingers cramped but made it back to town in record time. Ivy pulled up to the emergency entrance and spied three Sheriff’s cars parked outside. Two were from Big Bend, the other was from Bozeman. Her stomach tumbled over at the sight. Three cop cars? This couldn’t be good.

The nurse on duty, a woman Ivy didn’t know, glanced up from behind the triage desk and smiled. Her brown eyes were kind and soft.

“Can I help you?”

“I’m looking for my friend. Mike Paul Darlington. He’s here, and I need to see him.”

The woman began typing, her fingers click-clacking along, but then she paused with a frown. “He’s been taken upstairs.” She glanced up. “He’s in surgery.”

“Surgery? What the hell for? What happened?” Ivy’s voice rose as her panic increased.

“I’m sorry, but are you family?”

“What? No, I’m…” She faltered. “I’m his best friend.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give out that kind of information?—”

“I love him.” The stupid tears began again, and Ivy leaned against the glass partition. “Please. Just tell me where he is.”

“Okay. You need to calm down, though. Can you do that?”

Ivy nodded, and swiped at the tears on her face.

“He’s on the third floor, but he’s in surgery, so you won’t be able to see him for a few hours or longer.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

There were too many folks waiting at the elevators, so Ivy flew up the stairs. By the time she reached the third floor, she was out of breath, out of patience, and she needed a win, or she’d fall apart.

She spied Mike Paul’s parents as well as his sister Cobi near the nurse’s station. Melody’s face was a blotchy mess, while her husband’s cheeks were wet with tears. Cobi looked up as Ivy approached them and immediately opened her arms for a hug. The two women clung to each other for so long Ivy’s legs began to buckle.

“What happened?” She stepped back and studied their faces. They all looked so damn scared. “Is he okay?”

“He was shot,” Cobi answered slowly. “I don’t know much more than that. It had something to do with Marcus Clappison.”

“Clappison?” Ivy turned in a circle. “Where’s Jacob?”

“He’s here too. I think in the ICU.”

“And Marcus?”

“They’ve got the son-of-a-bitch in custody.” Everett Darlington looked like he wanted to hurt something.

“Any news?” Cal and Millie Sue walked up, faces concerned, voices lowered.

“He’s in surgery.” Melody attempted to smile. “Mackenzie says the surgeon, some Lance something or other, is good.” She nodded and whispered. “He’s in good hands.”

The next three hours were the longest Ivy could ever remember. She paced the floor. Then sat. Then did some more pacing. She didn’t want coffee or water or juice. She was cold, and even with all the pacing and a big winter coat, she couldn’t get warm. It seemed as if days had passed before the surgeon finally walked out to talk to them.

His speech was short and to the point. He mentioned scapula and blood loss and a bunch of other things Ivy didn’t understand other than Mike Paul was in recovery and his immediate family could sit with him.

“He’s going to be okay?” she asked Mackenzie as Everett, Melody, and Cobi followed the surgeon down the hall.

“Yes.” The tall brunette nodded. “He needs to heal, and that will take some time. The shoulder is a tricky thing. His scapula wasn’t shattered, but we won’t know if he’ll get the complete range of motion back. He’s young and healthy, and more importantly, that bullet missed a bunch of stuff that could have proven fatal.” She stepped back. “He’ll be awake in a couple of hours.”

“Come back to the ranch with us,” Mille Sue said. “We’ll return when he’s awake.”

“I’m not leaving.” Ivy shook her head. “I’ll stay. I want to be here when he wakes up.”

“Okay.” Cal hugged her. “Call us when he does.”

Ivy nodded. By now, it was after midnight. She was bone tired, but her mind wouldn’t stop moving. There were too many memories. Too many moments that meant the world to her.

Mike Paul at the jumping rock, so fearless and strong. The four of them camping out at the Bridgestone Founder’s cabin. Sophomore year when he’d dyed his hair pink because Shelby Miller’s mother had breast cancer.

She thought of how her heart turned over when he smiled at her. How warm his touch was. How it felt when he was inside her.

Ivy swiped at a tear just as Cobi and her parents appeared. They looked so tired and drained that her heart went out to them.

“How is he?”

“He’s going to be okay.” Melody hugged her, then whispered. “He’s asking for you.”

Ivy pulled away, and Cobi pointed down the hall. “Room 308.”

Ivy sprinted down the hall and reached the room just as Mackenzie did.

The doctor smiled and checked her tablet. “I hear our patient is awake. I was about to give him an update on Jacob, but I guess you can give him the good news. Tell him Jake’s going to be just fine. He’ll be ready to leave tomorrow, maybe the day after. It will depend on a few things, but he’s heading in the right direction.”

“Thank you, I’ll let him know.”

Ivy let herself into Mike Paul’s room. The lights were lowered, and thankfully, the room was private. She was shaking so bad that she had to take a moment and reach for some calm. When her knees stopped knocking together she walked over to the bed.

He opened his eyes as she approached and attempted a smile. It was a little loopy, but she was guessing he was high on some heavy-duty pain meds.

“You look like shit,” she murmured, coming to a stop beside him. He was pale, and his shoulder was bandaged.

“Pretty sure I feel worse than I look.” He moved a bit and patted the bed with his good arm, so she sat there, eyes lowered, trying her best not to cry.

“Jacob’s okay,” she said, staring at the bed sheet. It was light blue.

“That’s good.”

“Mackenzie says he’ll be able to leave the hospital in a few days.”

“I’ll have to call Arlene.”

“Who?” Was that a stain near the edge of the sheet? She picked at it.

“My office manager. I need her to call Wes, my backup guy, to check in on my animals.”

“Right.” The knot in her throat was so big she couldn’t breathe. Or talk. Or do anything but look at the dam bedsheet.

“Ivy. Look at me.”

“I can’t,” she whispered.

“Why?”

Why? She shuddered and exhaled. There were a million reasons.

“Ivy?”

“I love you, and you were just shot, and I’m sick of us both apologizing to each other for things that don’t matter. I’m done with the apologizing. I’m done thinking about the past. I’m done being afraid to be happy and to be loved, and I…” She finally looked up. “I went to your place tonight. I had something to say, and I’m sorry it took me so long to say it.”

“What’s that?” he asked, wincing when he tried to move his body.

“When I left Big Bend, I left the best part of me behind. That part was you. I had a lot of reasons, and I suppose at the time, they were so big and overwhelming that it felt like the right move was to leave. Cal made it easy; I wasn’t doing it on my own. And I was happy, for a while anyway. But now I realize that I was only living half a life, and I’m done with that. I want everything. I want it all. The house, the white picket fence, the kids.”

The words tumbled out of her and she had to take a moment. “I want you. You’re my forever, Mike Paul. You always were. And I’m hoping that I’m yours and you have to promise me that you’ll never get shot again.”

“Well now,” he said, voice husky. “Let’s start with the easy stuff. I guess I’m going to have to build me a white picket fence.”

“You might need some help with that.” She sniffled and attempted a smile.

He glanced at his shoulder. “Do you know anyone handy with a hammer?”

Heart in her throat, Ivy leaned down and pressed her mouth against his. “I might.” She kissed him then, a slow kind of kiss. The kind that made heads swim and hearts swell. It made desire burn, and aware that he was in pain and hopped on meds, she eventually broke away.

“I love you, Wilkens.” He grabbed her hand. “I always have.”

An idea formed in her mind. It was possibly crazy. No, it was definitely crazy. But she looked down at the man she would spend the rest of her life with and decided crazy was a good thing. Hell, it had gotten her this far.

“I’m supposed to get married on New Year’s Eve.”

“Yeah?” He laid back on the pillows. “You find any takers?”

“I had a Yankee lined up, but we decided it wouldn’t work.”

“Huh.” A half smile touched his lips. “What are you going to do about it?’

“Ask someone else.”

“You don’t say.”

“Oh, but I do.” She leaned forward. “How about you make an honest woman out of me?”

“Are you asking me to marry you?”

“I’m asking for a date for New Year’s Eve.”

Mike Paul grabbed her hand and squeezed hard, the look on his face hungry and fierce and so full of love it made her heart hurt.

“Fairly certain I’m available.” He pulled her down until she was sprawled across him. “Wilkens?”

“Yes?”

“You feel like maybe crawling into bed with me?”

“Is that allowed?”

“Do you care?”

Her answer was a long, slow kiss that curled her toes and made him groan. She got into bed laid beside him. She held him and cherished the feel of his strong, healthy body, and after a while, she looked up at him.

Mike Paul was asleep, his face relaxed. She snuggled up against him, finally feeling that she was where she was supposed to be. She’d just been given the best Christmas present ever, and no way was she letting it go. She smiled at the thought and, after a while, joined him in dreamland.