“Do I have your word?” Crystal had no plans to hang up this call without confirmation. There was too much at risk.
“You do.”
“Thank you,” she said into the receiver. “I only wish I could have been the one to set it up. Hear the words, the commitment with my own ears.”
“You know you can trust me. Right?”
“Of course,” Crystal stated. “With my life.”
“Good. Do me a favor.”
“Anything,” she promised.
“Go see your family and forget about this place for a while.”
“That’s a deal,” Crystal said before adding, “What happened to the bounty hunters?”
“Larson Figgs is going down for attempted murder,” Elise informed. “The woman is known as The Widow for her proclivity to wear all black, and was last seen heading over the border to Mexico. I imagine she’ll stay there until the situation cools off. We’ll catch her when she attempts to cross over again.”
“Good,” Crystal said. “Both need to be locked up.”
“Agreed,” Elise said. “I had Mahone pick up Trent’s cell from the gas station and admit it into evidence. There’s nothing left for you to do except go take that time off.”
“Will do,” Crystal said. “I’ll take care of informing Wade Brewer of the update.”
She ended the call with her SO after perfunctory goodbyes and then walked into the private room in the courthouse where she knew Wade would be. “It’s over,” she said to him. “Really over. You did your part, and the jury will send this bastard away for a very long time.”
He sighed relief as he studied her. Then came, “They’ll come for me when I’m not looking. I’ll never be safe as long as I’m on the grid. And since I can’t leave Aunt Rosemary alone, I’m a dead man walking.” He shrugged, looked resigned.
“There’s another solution,” Crystal said. “But before I tell you, I’d like to inform you that you’re no longer my witness. You can walk out that door anytime.”
Wade crossed the room. She took a step back and anchored herself against the wall. And then she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and tugged him toward her until their lips were barely an inch apart. “Does that mean what I think it does?”
“I hope so,” she said, smiling. “You did it, Wade. You testified. From what I hear Crane is going to be locked up for a very long time. Damon will be sent to a different prison, as will Trent.”
Wade’s gaze locked onto hers, causing a literal fireworks show to explode inside her chest. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again.”
She swallowed to ease some of the sudden dryness in her throat to no avail.
“You have quite the effect on me, Wade,” she said, staring into eyes filled with the same ache she felt.
“You called me Wade,” he pointed out, surprised.
“I guess I did,” she admitted.
“That’s a big deal for you,” he said.
She smiled and said, “Yes, it is.”
“I’d like permission to kiss you,” he said.
“Granted,” was all she said before his lips came crashing down on hers. He kissed her with the kind of intensity that lit a wildfire inside her. She parted her lips for him after his tongue tested the barrier.
He tasted like a mix of dark-roast coffee and peppermint toothpaste...better than Christmas morning.
Wade closed the gap between them, his body flush with hers, her back against the wall. She brought her hands up to his shoulders to anchor herself as she got lost in the kiss.
She dropped her hand to the center of his chest and could feel his rapid heartbeat against her palm.
A noise in the hallway brought them back to reality too fast.
Wade pressed his palm against the wall as he rested his forehead against hers. They both tried to calm their rapid breathing. “I have to go soon.”
“You don’t,” Crystal said. “Not if you don’t want to.”
He drew his head back and caught her gaze. “I think we both know the hand I’ve been dealt.”
“Yes,” she began, “but what if I was able to reshuffle the deck?”
“I’d have to hear you out, wouldn’t I?”
“I already mentioned that Michael Mylett’s son was arrested for aggravated assault,” she stated.
“Ri-i-i-ght.”
“My SO was able to negotiate on your behalf,” Crystal continued, unfazed. She could scarcely wait to tell him the news. “In exchange for lessening the charges against his son to essentially a slap on the wrist, we were able to get a commitment from Mylett that no one would harm you or your aunt. You’ll be under his protection for life.”
Wade stood there for a long moment, his expression unreadable stone.
“I thought you’d be happy,” Crystal said, confused by his reaction.
“What if I don’t want to be under his protection?” he asked.
Crystal wasn’t sure what about the arrangement didn’t make sense to him. “No, this is a good thing. Mylett is the top dog now that Crane’s been arrested. No one will go against him. You’ll be safe to walk down the street and do as you please.”
Wade’s lips compressed. Was he frowning?
She brought her hands up to cup his face, deciding to put her heart on the line. “We could see each other, if you’d like.”
Wade shook his head. Her heart fell, landing with a thud.
“I thought you—”
He shushed her by covering her mouth with his and kissing her so thoroughly that she almost forgot where she was.
Was it a kiss goodbye?
“The reason I’m not okay with the arrangement is because if I’m under anyone’s protection, I want it to be yours.” Wade broke into a wide smile. “I’ve spent a long time on this earth without even realizing someone like you existed. I never believed in love at first sight until I met you. Because you proved to me that I can trust my eyes. I may not be able to hear out of both ears, and I don’t have...” He motioned toward his prosthetic leg. “All of me. But what’s left belongs to you. Heart and soul. I mean it, Crystal. I’ve dated enough people to know when I’ve found the real deal. It’s you. I fell in love with you. And there’s no one else I’d rather be with than you. For life.”
“You might not see yourself as a whole person anymore, Wade. But I do,” Crystal said, tears gathering in her eyes. “Because what really makes a person whole is their heart. Their brains. Their mind. The mold was broken when you were made. But you weren’t broken when the mold was damaged.” Crystal stared up into the eyes of the man she loved. “We’re all damaged in some way or another, Wade. I’m not perfect. You’ll figure that out soon enough. What counts, what makes a whole person is what’s in here.” She placed the flat of her palm against his heart. “You’re whole. You’re perfect. I’m madly in love with you. Only you. It’s only ever been you.”
Wade picked her up off her feet and kissed her.
“Promise me one thing,” she said when they broke apart.
“Anything,” he said. “Name it.”
“You’ll give me your heart forever,” she said.
“It’s yours,” he said. “Before we even met, my heart belonged to you. I just didn’t know it until I met you.”
“Good.” She beamed. “Because I’m asking for forever.”
“On one condition,” he countered.
“Okay,” she said.
“Forever starts today.”
A rogue tear streaked down her cheek. Wade dipped his head and kissed it. He feathered kisses on her eyelids, the tip of her nose, her chin, until finding her lips.
Wade pulled back first. “Should we head to Mesa Point after picking up Aunt Rosemary?”
Crystal laughed. She felt lighter than she could remember. It would change when she got to Mesa Point. She realized the heaviness in her chest would return. And that was okay. Finding happy moments was even more important to her as she realized how truly fragile life could be. But that wasn’t why she’d laughed. “I got an update on your aunt.”
“Oh?”
“Turns out she started a wet T-shirt contest for the male orderlies,” she said, covering her laugh with her hand.
Wade’s laugh was a low rumble in his chest. Sexy as hell. And now hers.
“Sounds about right,” he finally said. “Guess we should give her another night or two in paradise.”
“I think she’d appreciate that,” Crystal said as she reached for his hand. He was reaching for hers at the same time. Their fingers met in the middle.
It was time to go. To get out of the courthouse. To start living.
And it was time to go home to Mesa Point, where the rest of her heart resided. With Wade by her side, she could weather any storm. This man was her lifeline, and she couldn’t wait to spend the rest of their lives together, side by side, as partners and equals.
“By the way, when you said you were playing for forever, I hope you meant it because I fully intend to ask you to marry me,” Wade said, causing her heart to sing.
“I don’t need a piece of paper to prove this is the kind of love that will last a lifetime,” she said. “But a wedding is a good place to start.”
Look for more books in
USA TODAY bestselling author Barb Han’s
miniseries Marshals of Mesa Point
coming soon.
And if you missed the first title, you’ll find
Ranch Ambush
wherever Harlequin Intrigue books are sold!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Captured at the Cove by Carol Ericson.