Be My Guest (26 page)

His gasps couldn't hide the venom of his
voice. "Well, now, ain't this nice. I'll teach you to mess with me.
Your rich boyfriend and all them others can watch you die."

Aurora heard the click of his gun and
watched as he aimed it at her head. She kicked at Lenny's legs,
catching him in the back of his knees as a shot rang out, followed
almost simultaneously by a second shot. The sound’s shock jolted
her. Expecting to be shot, she braced herself. When she felt no new
pain, she gazed around. Lenny clutched his shoulder and cursed as
he fell to the ground. Aurora grabbed the gun he dropped before he
could pick it up again.

Billy dropped his gun and raised his hands,
"Don't shoot. I'm unarmed." Two deputies took charge of Billy and
Lenny.

Will raced to Aurora's side and soon Raul,
Tommy, Bob, and other cheering men surrounded her, though their
faces became a blur. She put her head on Will's chest as the warmth
of his arms engulfed her in a hug to match any grizzly's.

"I think the girl who's missing is in that
house." Aurora said to Sheriff Hodges when Will at last relaxed his
arms around her so that she could speak.

Two of the deputies had already entered the
house. The Sheriff signaled to the only woman deputy with the group
and together they also went into the house. Soon Sheriff Hodges
returned alone to where Will stood with his arms around Aurora.

The Sheriff's said, "Yes, she's in there.
The ambulance is on the way."

"She's alive then?" Relief flooded through
Aurora.

Hodges' expression was grim. He ran his hand
across his face as if to erase the savage scene just witnessed in
the house. "She's had a cruel time. But, yes, if you could call it
that, she's still alive."

He paused in stern reflection, then turned
to Will. "Reckon we'll need a second ambulance now, thanks to your
marksmanship." He clapped Will on the back. "I told you we need you
in the reserve deputies."

Aurora asled Will, "You mean that was your
shot that hit Lenny?"

He kissed her quickly and beamed. "Best I
ever made. I couldn't let him shoot you, could I?" Will hugged her
again, then registered the moistness of her sleeve with horror.
"Oh, honey, you're hit."

She gave her arm a perfunctory examination
before declaring it only grazed. With the realization of how
precarious her situation had been, she again buried her head in
Will's chest.

"Oh, Will, I was so frightened. I was afraid
I would never see you again--afraid I'd never have the chance to
tell you and Kelly how I feel about you. Thank God you came when
you did."

"When you didn't come to the party, I was
thought it your way of telling me goodbye." The agony on his face
proved to her just how much he wanted her. "When Lori Beth told me
you'd been kidnapped, I went crazy." Will ran his hands up and down
her arms as if to reassure himself she actually stood here with
him.

His comment puzzled her. She couldn't figure
it out. "Lori Beth? How did she know?"

"Eunice Foster, bless her, saw those guys
dragging you away and called the sheriff. Then she called the ranch
to let us know. Lori Beth answered the phone." His lips kissed her
hair as he squeezed her to him. "So help me, I'll never buy feed
from anyone but the Fosters as long as I live." Will's hands
caressed Aurora's back as he held her to him. Never would he get
enough of the feel of her next to him.

"How did you know where they'd taken me?"
Puzzled, she heard his heart's rapid beat under her ear. It sounded
strong and clear, like her love for him. How could she have ever
contemplated leaving this man?

"Raul's cousin Paulo had a run-in with these
two yesterday. He told me how to get here while Tommy called
Sheriff Hodges with the same directions. We were closer than the
sheriff, so we got here first. Damn, it makes me ill all over when
I realized how close we came to being too late.”

She leaned back to gaze into his eyes. What
beautiful gray eyes he had. She could lose herself in them forever.
"You seem to spend a lot of time rescuing me."

He sounded very solemn. "I have all the time
you need, Aurora."

Aurora continued to meet his eyes. "Even if
it's the rest of our lives?" The kiss Will gave her was the only
answer she needed.

This was all that she needed, this man was
her lifesblood. She raised her head, "Will, about the store..."

He cut her off before she could finish. "I
don't care about the store. You can buy it or burn it, and it will
be fine with me. You can work in town or sit on the front porch and
whittle all day, I don't care. All I care about is that you marry
me and spend the rest of your life with me."

The men busied themselves with Lenny and
Billy, discreetly turning their backs. The bullet from Will's gun
hit Lenny in the shoulder but exited through his back. Lenny would
live to stand trial.

When the sheriff's deputies were ready to
leave, Tommy clapped Will on the shoulder. Aurora thought to
herself that Will's shoulder would soon be as sore as Lenny's with
all this good-ol'e-boy shoulder clapping. Tommy put an arm around
each of them as he led Aurora and Will toward the truck. "Come on,
birthday boy. Although you won't get another present to match this
one, you have guests waiting for your return."

Raul walked beside Tommy. "Sí, amigo.
Vamanos." He smiled at his friend and added, "It is just a thought,
but I am thinking that perhaps you will want Aurora with you in the
truck. Paulo can ride back with Bob or me."

Will shook Paulo's hand. "I can never repay
you, Paulo. Without you and Raul, I would never have known where to
find Aurora. This is the best birthday gift any man could ever
have!"

Paulo smiled and gazed from Will to Aurora.
"I think, my old friend, that it is a wedding gift you have instead
of a birthday gift.

Alone with Will in the truck, Aurora sighed
and snuggled close to Will. “Happy birthday. I’m sorry all this has
spoiled your barbecue and celebration.”

He pulled her into another bear hug. “After
tonight’s terrifying episode, it’s turned out to be a wonderful
day. You finally said you’ll marry me.” Their lips met in a fiery
kiss.

Horns from the pickups around them honked
and they broke their embrace. Someone yelled, "Get a room,
guys."

"Guess we should go." She giggled, smoothed
her hair, straightened her skirt. “Darn, your gift is in my car
behind the shop.”

He reached for her hand. Trust me, you’re
the only gift I need.”

She tilted her head and smiled at him.
“Aren’t you even curious about the other gift I had for you?”

“No gift could be as wonderful as your
promise to marry me, but I give up. Tell me what you planned for
the party.”

“It’s an enameled red heart key chain.” When
he looked at her as if she’d lost her mind, she laughed and met his
gaze. “And a key. The key to Peggy’s shop. No, I mean it’s the key
to my shop. You already have the one to my heart.”

He flashed a triumphant grin. “I’ll treasure
them both forever.”

***

About Caroline Clemmons

As long as I can remember, I've made up
adventures. Okay, I admit the early creative stories featured me
riding the range with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and saving the
West. What a disappointment to learn that Roy was exclusively
committed to Dale! Eventually, my best friend from across the
street and I decided to become better detectives than Nancy Drew.
We drove our parents and neighbors crazy sticking our pert little
noses where they didn't belong. About that time I started writing
down my adventures, but mostly I was a reader. Not until I read
Nora Roberts' early novels did I decide to create my own romance
manuscripts. My road to publishing was a lot slower than Nora's
was. No surprise there! I still read Nora's books—as well as those
of countless other authors—but now I write full time. Unless life
interferes, that is.

My Hero and I live on a small acreage in the
ranching and horse country of North Central Texas. Our two
daughters are grown, supportive, and live nearby. Living with Hero
and me now are Webster, our sweet black Shih Tzu, and our two
shorthaired cats: Sebastian, a large black and white tuxedo who
thinks he's our watchcat; and Bailey Erin, a shy apricot tabby.
When I'm not writing, I love spending time with family, reading,
traveling with Hero, browsing antique malls, and digging into
family history and genealogy. Writing about strong heroes and
heroines who overcome amazing obstacles to forge a meaningful life
together is my passion.

Learn more about the author at
http://www.carolineclemmons.com
and at her blog at
http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com
.
She loves to hear from readers at
mailto:[email protected]