Destiny Wears Spurs (28 page)

Marching over to the information booth, he asked for directions. Five minutes later, Cody strode out the doors to meet his taxi.

* * *

Shoot. No purse, no key. “You’re on a roll, Monica.” She leaned against her office door and almost fell through. The door was unlocked. She must have forgotten to lock it on her way to the airport. That wasn’t like her. Then again, falling in love with a cowboy, getting pregnant, and moving to the country wasn’t like her, either. She grinned. As crazy as it sounded, she kind of liked the new her. It was liberating, knowing she could be herself.

Monica walked through the door, dropped her bag on the floor, then went to her closet to double-check that she hadn’t left anything else. Nothing. She only had a few minutes if she was going to make that flight. She glanced at her desk. “There you are, sitting pretty, right where I left you.”

“You won’t be sitting pretty much longer, and you won’t need a purse where you’re going,” a sinister voice said from behind her, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention. The voice sounded oddly familiar, but somehow different.

Wendell?

She turned around and jerked when she saw him. He stood in the doorway on heavy wooden crutches, dressed the same as he had been a week ago, but he looked vastly different. His hair was wild and greasy, he hadn’t shaved, and his clothes were wrinkled and dirty.

“What are you doing here?” She took a slow, careful step toward her desk, and her heart skipped a beat. If she could reach her purse, she could call for help.

“I’m here to make sure you get everything you deserve.” He took a step toward her, shifting from side-to-side on those blasted crutches.

He looked on edge. Antsy. Sweat trickled down the back of her neck. Wendell was a weasel, who happened to be good at manipulating everything his way, but he wasn’t a killer. Then again, he’d never lost at anything.

An icy numbness seeped through her veins, making her feel like she was on autopilot. “You brought all this on yourself.” She took another step back. Just a couple more, and she’d be there.

His laugh made her skin crawl. “You think I wanted this? I didn’t deserve any of this. I called everyone this week. Do you know I can’t get a job?”

Oh, God, what had her father done? Couldn’t he have waited until she’d left town? She took another step and her legs bumped into the desk, thank God. She slipped her shaking hands behind her and slowly reached inside her purse. She’d left her cell phone on after trying to call Cody.

“Your dear old dad blacklisted me. No one will hire me now.”

“I think your father’s actions, along with yours, did that to you.”

Wendell took another step toward her, ignoring her words. “Word gets around quick. My landlord heard and threatened to throw me out if I don’t make rent. Do you know how hard it was to get into that flat? I had to wait six months.”

He clenched his jaw. “Everything I worked for is gone. My father won’t speak to me. He’s going to die hating me. I lost it all, and it’s your fault. Now, it’s time for you to go.”

Blood rushed to her ears until she thought she’d pass out. She punched in what she hoped was 911, but left it in her open purse. If she picked it up, Wendell would know what she was up to. She could only pray someone would answer and hear what was going on.

“Time for me to go where?” she spoke in a loud voice.

“Straight to hell,” he shouted, and lunged at her.

Monica screamed and ran around her desk in the nick of time. If she could keep her desk between them, she would be okay. “Wendell, you’re crazy. You won’t get away with this.”

A deranged laugh bellowed from his mouth. “I’ve been following you, darling. No one’s here. I checked. And no one’s coming. I made sure of that when I cut the phone lines. I’m not leaving until you get what you deserve.” He picked up his crutch and swung it at her.

She ducked, and it missed, smashing a pen set and knocking a paperweight to the floor. How many times would she get that lucky? Her head spun, and she felt like she was going to throw up. Wendell swung a second time, and she ducked again, but this time she grabbed the waste paper basket by her desk and vomited. “Oh, God. The baby,” she choked out and then looked at him, instantly regretting her words.

Wendell’s brows shot up, and his gaze dropped to her stomach. “Interesting, but this doesn’t change a thing. If anything, it sweetens the revenge. Now I can get you and Rafferty back at the same time. Save me a trip to that wretched place he calls home.” Wendell picked up his crutch and aimed for her stomach.

“Oh, God, no,” she screamed and fell back, flipping over her chair and grabbing her stomach. Thankfully, he’d missed. She crawled under her desk and tucked her knees up under her chin to protect herself from a blow.

“You can run, but you can’t hide. You’re mine,” Wendell said as he tried to flip the desk over.

Her father had splurged on real oak. Wendell couldn’t lift it. He hobbled around to the back of the desk and crouched down to her level. The space under the desk was too small to swing a crutch, she noted with relief. Her relief died a swift death when he tossed his crutches aside and lifted his fist. She had to fight back.

“You’re going to pay for having ever crossed me, darling. You could have had it all.” He pulled back his fist, but she lunged forward and pushed against his chest as hard as she could, catching him off guard. He rolled backward and she scrambled out from under the desk, snagging a crutch along the way. “You’re going to regret that,” he said, trying to get back on his feet without his crutches.

“The only thing I regret is ever sleeping with you, asshole.” She lifted his crutch and swung as hard as she could, making contact with his good leg.

Wendell howled in agony, falling to the floor and clutching his good leg. “You bitch.”

“You tried to kill me.” She shook all over. “What kind of monster are you? I ought to beat you, but I’m going to do something worse. I’m going to hand you over to the police I hear headed this way and let the inmates do it for me, pretty boy.” She stood just out of his reach, the crutch poised and ready should he try to get up again.

“You can’t prove a thing.” His skin paled beneath the stubble.

“Wrong. Your friend at Worldwide Pharmaceuticals turned against you, supplying a detective friend of mine with plenty of evidence of your shady dealings. Not to mention breaking and entering into the agency, as well as assault with a deadly weapon. My father has secret cameras even you didn’t know about, jerk. And I’m more than willing to testify against you.”

The police arrived and burst into the office, guns raised.

“Help, you have to help me. She’s insane. She tried to kill me. Arrest her,” Wendell said.

“Nice try, pal. We heard the whole thing on her cell phone.” The officer glanced at her as another officer slapped a pair of cuffs on Wendell. “You okay, ma’am? Did he hurt you?”

“Scared me, but that’s all. I’m fine.” She dropped the crutch and crossed her arms over her stomach.

The officer grinned, shaking his head. “I can see that.” Once Wendell was secure, the officers holstered their guns. “You did good, ma’am.”

She started to shake more violently. “H-He tried to kill me.” She could have died. The impact left her reeling.

The officer’s smile disappeared, and he grabbed her elbow to steady her. “Easy, there. Why don’t you have a seat?” He led her to a chair. “We’re taking him in. I’ll send someone to pick you up so you won’t have to ride with him, then we can get your statement.” He nodded to another cop who hauled Wendell to his feet and shoved him forward.

Monica glanced at her watch, and the reality of her situation hit her. A sudden ache filled her heart. “I was headed out of town, but I missed my plane. Can I make a statement here, or give it later?” She took a deep breath. “I don’t think I can relive that right now.”

“Sure thing, ma’am. Come into the station when you get a minute. Can I give you a ride, or call someone for you?”

“No, but thank you. I just want to be alone right now.”

They left her office, and Monica collapsed in her chair on a sob. She’d never been so scared in her life. If the police hadn’t arrived when they had, well, she couldn’t even think about that. She had herself a good cry, and when she felt better, she called the airline and found out there wasn’t another flight to Denver, Colorado until tomorrow. She booked it and cried again over the thought of not seeing Cody for another day. She needed to be in his arms and know everything was going to be okay. It had to be, because she was lost without him.

She decided to get her bag and head home. It was all she could do, anyway. She’d dropped it by her closet. Walking over, she picked it up, but her arm jerked back and a sound like a piece of paper tearing echoed in the quiet room. What else could possibly go wrong? No way was she carrying her bag with clothes spewing out all over. She’d come back for it later. As she opened her closet door to stuff the bag inside, her office door opened too, and she slammed the bag into it by accident.

Thud. Crash. Groan.

Oh, God, what was that?
Fear zipped up her spine. She glanced around her office and settled on the paper weight on her desk. Lifting it over her head, she eased her way toward the door. It couldn’t be Wendell, not unless he’d killed the cops and escaped. Not likely, since he’d left in handcuffs.

“Dammit,” a voice came from behind the closed door.

“Cody?” Monica let go of the paper weight in disbelief and almost dropped to the floor. She’d never heard a sweeter voice. She yanked open the door to find him lying flat on his back, the same way she must have looked when he’d knocked her out in the barn the night she’d been sleepwalking.

Only, he was wide awake and scowling.

Reality hammered into her, sobering her. He was here. He had come to her. But why? Had he found out she was on her way to him? Was he here to stop her? Kneeling over him as he had knelt over her, she touched his swelling nose. “Are you okay?”

Opening one eye, he peeked up at her. “Does it matter?”

She turned away and stood. “Why are you here, Cody?”

Picking up his Stetson, he rolled to his feet and answered her question with one of his own. “How’re you feeling? You look exhausted.”

If he only knew. She let out a breath. “I’m better now.”

He turned his hat in his hands. “If you say so.”

She gave him a small smile as she folded her hands. She wanted to touch him but still wasn’t sure why he was here. The silence grew unbearable.

Cursing, he slapped his hat on his head, scowled, and then put his hands on his hips as he leaned over her and growled, “Dammit, woman. Pack your bags. You’re coming home with me.”

“Excuse me?” Did he just say come home with him? “Are you sleepwalking, or something?” She stared at him in disbelief.

“Or something, but I won’t take no for an answer. I’ll throw you over my shoulder and haul that pretty little fanny of yours out of here, if I have to.”

She almost bubbled over with joy. He wasn’t here to stop her from going to him? And he didn’t even know about his impending fatherhood. “I think I might like that ride, cowboy,” she said with a smile and poked him in the chest.

His eyes widened, and hers filled with tears of love.

“Oh, Cody, we were meant for each other.” She took his hands and walked backward, pulling him into her office. She pointed to her carry-on now lying across the room, its contents spilling everywhere, and his eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

Slowly, ever so slowly, a grin crept across his handsome face. It blossomed into a full-fledged smile that came from the depths of his soul and reached all the way to the corners of his smoky-gray bedroom eyes.

“I guess if we think alike, well it must be.” He opened his arms to her.

She threw herself against him, and he lifted her off her feet to hug her. Pulling back enough to look her in the eyes, he said in a choked voice, “I was a fool. And I’m so sorry for deceiving you. I love you, sweetheart. So damn much. Please say you’ll marry me.”

A revealing moisture filled his eyes, and she cried out over the sound of the three words she’d feared she’d never hear, then she whispered in his ear, “You’re forgiven. And I know you love me. It hit you right between the eyes. Of course I’ll marry you.”

He threw back his head and barked out a laugh. “Woman, you
still
don’t make a lick of sense, but I love ya just the same. But what about your father’s company?”

Monica pulled back. He would move just to make her happy? “I love the ranch, and I love you. I’m happy, Cody.” She touched his cheek. “That’s not going to change.”

He looked relieved, but then he frowned. “What about Thorndike?”

“Trust me, he’s taken care of. It’s a long story. I’ll fill you in later. Right now, I’m exhausted.”

“That’s right; you said you had some summer flu thing, or something.” Cody ran his gaze over her, and his brows formed a V. “You look tired, I’ll give you that, but you don’t look sick to me. In fact, you’re glowing.”

“Well, this kind of growing takes nine months total, but since I’m two months into it, well ....” She wanted to giggle when Cody’s jaw fell open and his eyes bugged out like Buggy’s as they focused on her stomach.

He framed her face with his rough palms. “A baby? We made a baby?” A deep rumble echoed from his lips to her ears. He dropped to his knees, kissed her tummy, and then buried his face in her stomach as he wrapped his arms around her.