A Real Cowboy Never Says No (25 page)

Some of the stiffness faded from her shoulders, and she touched his hand. "I doubt I can reach him—"

"Will you try?" He flipped his hand over and cradled her fingers in his. "Please?"

She nodded. "Of course. What about the horses?"

"Gary will be in charge." Hope leapt through him. It felt so right to be bringing Mira back with him. "Let's go."

She looked past him, her gaze settling on his brothers, who were huddled in deep conversation. He felt her hesitation, and he swore under his breath. "I need you, Mira." The words came out rough, barely muttered under his breath, but when she looked at him, he knew she'd heard him.

Without another word, she squeezed his hand and started leading him back toward his truck.

Mira had never been around so much testosterone or so many pairs of Wranglers in her life, especially in such a small, confined, somewhat hostile space. There were six Stockton men hovering around Steen's bed. Chase and Travis, along with her gallant rescuers, Maddox and Ryder, who were both sporting bruises and moving stiffly from the fight they'd endured on her behalf.

Her throat clogged when she looked at their injuries. They were complete strangers who had jumped in to help her, simply because their brother had asked them to. Such loyalty and commitment to each other was so amazing, and it reminded her of what she'd had with her own parents. She missed that feeling of connection, and a sad envy wrapped around her for the tightness of their bond.

They'd been joined by Quintin, whose tall, lean body reminded her of a wild stallion surviving on guts and courage out on the range.

Lounging against the wall, and giving her the most hostile glare, was a man Chase had called Zane. Unlike the others who were wearing cowboy boots and hats, Zane was in motorcycle boots, and a black leather jacket. He looked fierce and angry, and most of it was directed toward her.

Each of the brothers was well-muscled, carrying the air of a man who had been to hell and back, and would never forget it. Travis at least had a decent smile, but even he wasn't smiling. They all looked worried, almost scared, barely talking as they took over the area around the bed.

As she stood in the doorway, watching them, her heart tightened for what they had endured, and how they'd forged unbreakable bonds with each other for survival. Chase was arguing in low tones with Zane, and she could hear her name being batted around while he tried to convince his brothers to let her talk to Steen.

Her gaze slid to Steen, and her heart seemed to freeze in her chest. With the tubes and the bandages, and his sunken face, it was like seeing her father again in that bed, dying. Tears suddenly filled her eyes, and she put her hand over her mouth, fighting against the surge of emotion. She started to turn away, but then warm arms wrapped around her.

She looked up as Chase pulled her against him, ducking his head so that his face was beside hers. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart," he said quietly. "I didn't think about the impact it would have on you. I shouldn't have asked you to come. I'll take you home."

His voice was so tender, his concern so genuine, that it broke through the vise closing around her heart. She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest, feeling the rise and fall of each breath and the steady thud of his heart. He held her tightly, pressing soft kisses to the top of her head, not asking anything of her, just offering his support.

Ever since the accident, she'd had to be so strong, and now, suddenly, Chase was there to hold her. The warmth of his body enveloping hers seemed to infuse her body with strength, taking the edge off the grief. She gripped his shirt, focusing on the feel of him, on the strength of his body.

As he held her, she began to understand the depths of what had happened. His brother, his beloved brother, was truly on the edge of death, and yet he'd left the hospital to come to her aid. Travis had come. Ryder and Maddox had come. These men, who claimed to have no room in their lives and hearts for anyone except their brothers, were liars.

They had room. They just didn't know it. They were born protectors, each and every one. They thought they had space only for each other in their sphere of protection, but they were wrong, and they'd already proved it.

And Chase...her dear, sweet, Chase. He'd been her protector since the very first moment, and AJ had known that.

Tears brimming in her eyes, she pulled back from Chase enough to look at him. His blue eyes were weary, and his face was lined with a lifetime of worry. She smoothed her fingers over his dark whiskers, each coarse strand like a promise of his strength. He'd been broken by women, and she knew he might never be able to cross that line and give her what she'd wanted: the superficial trappings and declarations of love.

But he gave her more. He gave her actions that spoke far more than words would ever speak. He was the man she'd been waiting for all this time. Did he love her? Or had his frantic, heroic rescue been because of the baby who reflected his own past?

She didn't know, but she needed to find out. If there was a chance, she would be brave enough to take it.

Chase frowned. "You want to leave?"

She shook her head. "I want to stay and talk to him."

The intensity of relief and gratitude that flooded his face made her heart turn over. This man cared, more than anyone would ever know, except, perhaps herself.

"But before I do," she said quietly, soft enough that the words were for him, but not so quietly that the rest of the room couldn't hear. She wasn't going to hide it, and she wasn't going to protect the others. "I have to tell you something."

She felt the attention of the room shift onto her, and Chase stiffened. She saw his jaw tighten, and his eyes cooled, putting distance between them. God, she knew it was a risk, but she was going to say it anyway. "I know that we got together because of the baby," she said. "I know that changes now that Alan's dead, but I just want you to know that I've fallen madly, deeply, truly in love with you. I don't need Alan and his threats to make me want to marry you. I think you'd be the most amazing father this child could ever have, and its uncles would be more than a mother could ever ask for. I would still marry you, if you wanted, and I would marry you for real."

Chase's face went impassive as he blocked his emotions from her.

Was he afraid of what she offered? Or did he want nothing of it? She stood on her tiptoes and clasped his face, forging onward with what she needed to say. "I know you might not love me like I love you, but I want you to know that you are worth all my heart. I love you, and my love will be with you no matter where our lives lead." There was utter silence in the room as she pressed a kiss to his mouth.

He didn't kiss her back, and her cheeks were flaming as she pulled back. His eyes were searching hers, brimming with emotions so turbulent she couldn't decipher them. She waited for a heartbeat, but he said nothing.

She turned away, feeling like her heart was shattering as she walked past the towering, silent masses of Stockton muscle and sat down on the edge of Steen's bed.

No one said a word as she leaned forward and placed her hands on Steen's cheeks. She leaned over and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "If you die now," she said softly, "you'll miss out on the chance to know what it's like to be truly loved by someone who will treat you well. And somewhere out there is a woman who needs you to hold her at night, to protect her, and to love her. If you die, then she'll never have the chance. She needs you, Steen. She needs you to get out of this bed, get out of this prison, and to rescue her, because there's no one else who can do it except for you. She's out there, right now, in this very moment, and she needs what only you can give her."

She took his inert hand and sandwiched it between her palms, pressing tightly. "Do you feel this?" she asked him. "This is what it feels like to be safe. She needs that from you, and she will be the one who will save you right back." She pressed a kiss to the tip of his finger, and couldn't stop the tears that started to fall. "Don't miss out, Steen. Life is so short, and opportunities are so fleeting. Don't miss her."

She bowed her head, trying to fight back the sobs. It was as if all the emotions that had been trapped inside her since her parents' death, AJ's death, the battle with Alan, and her feelings for Chase had suddenly surged to the surface, no longer willing to be crushed by sheer willpower.

Someone moved, and she looked up into Zane's face.

He'd sat down across from her, and she realized he'd heard everything she'd said.

"You tried to use a woman to save him? And love?" He sounded pissed, but also disbelieving.

"Yes." She kept holding Steen's hand.

"A woman is what destroyed him. That's what women do."

She met his gaze. "Don't be an ass, Zane. Not all women are evil, and you know it. So back off and let your brothers live a real life, even if you won't do it yourself." She knew it was probably a mistake to stand up against one of Chase's beloved brothers, but she didn't care. Someone had to, and it was going to be her, because they needed a protector, and she was going to claim the role.

Mira had just called his brother an ass?

Yeah, she had.

Chase grinned at the sudden irritation on Zane's face, and his brother looked over at him. "For real?"

"Yeah." He started walking across the room, ignoring his brothers, heading right toward her. Mira glanced over at him, and her eyes widened when she saw him coming.

Travis and Maddox moved out of his way, and he reached her in several short strides. He pulled her hand free of Steen's and knelt in front of her. The words that hadn't come before were tumbling through him, alive and vibrant, desperate to be spoken. "You're right," he said.

She frowned, her beautiful, tired face wary. "About what?"

"What you said to Steen."

Disappointment flickered across her face, and she lifted her chin. "It's what I believe."

"Well, it's true." He pressed a kiss to her palm. "I'm not going to lie, Mira. My brothers and I are fucked up when it comes to women."

She gave him a look. "Yes, I know that."

"But you've broken through that."

She blinked. "What?"

He chuckled, suddenly feeling the happiest he could ever remember being in his life.
She loved him.
"I've been waiting for you for ten years, Mira. Not just the fantasy woman, but the real life woman who leaves her coffee mug on the bathroom counter, and gets cranky when she gets hungry. I love the woman who can call my brother an ass when he's being one. I love the woman who's brave enough to ignore a room full of cynical Stocktons to give my brother the one message that none of us would have been able to give."

Some of the wariness left her face, and he saw hope in her beautiful eyes. Hope that he loved her back?

Hell, yeah, he did.

He shifted his weight so that he was on one knee, and he took her other hand, so he was holding both of them. He wanted this moment to be perfect, but he wasn't a poet, and he wasn't a romantic. All he could offer was himself. "I offered to marry you to protect the baby, but it was always about you. As Zane told me a thousand times, there were other ways to help you, but marrying you was the only one that felt right, because it was the only one that was right." He put his hand on her belly. "I love you, Mira, all on your own, and I've fallen more in love with you every day that we've been together. I want to be your husband, to be this baby's father, and to be a family."

Tears shimmered in her eyes. "But what about your brothers?"

He didn't even bother to look at them. He'd gotten his answer when Maddox and Ryder had headed toward the ranch at his request. It might be rocky, but his brothers would accept her because he loved her. "They're good."

She started to look toward Zane, but he caught her chin, directing her back toward him. "No, sweetheart. This is about us. You and me. It's no longer about anyone else." He took the plastic straw that he'd filched from the hospital tray and bent it into a disjointed circle. "I promise I'll get you a real one as soon as we leave here, but I want this done right." He held it up. "Will you marry me, Mira Cabot? I can't promise to be poetry and romance, but I promise you that I'll stand by you and love you every second of every day for the rest of my life. I love you with every last bit of my heart and soul, and I offer you my everything."

For a long moment, she said nothing, her eyes searching his desperately. He let her see the truth of his words, his promise of everything he was capable of giving. Would it be enough for her?

The silence in the room was overwhelming, everyone focused on her.

Finally, she held up her hand. "Yes," she whispered. "Of course, I'll marry you. It's always been you, Chase. Always. Since the first time AJ told me that his new roommate had told him that he should come to football tryouts with him, because his damaged foot would work the same in cleats as anyone else's. It just took ten years to find you."

Emotions flooded him, and he slipped the straw over her extended ring finger on her left hand. "AJ, the matchmaker."

She beamed at him. "He'd be happy right now."

Chase pulled her into his arms. "He'd be saying, 'it's about damned time,' and I tend to agree." Then he kissed her, the first kiss of the rest of his life.

When she melted into him, absolute rightness flooded him, and he knew that he'd finally found where he was supposed to be. He'd keep every scar on his body and soul, because without them, he'd never have ended up where he was, with Mira in his arms, loving him every bit as much as he loved her.

Love was a hell of a risk, except when it was with the right woman. Then it was the best, safest, purest emotion a man could ever have.

As for his brothers...well...he had a feeling that their time would come.