A Bride By Summer: The Texas Ranger's Bride / From Best Friend to Bride / Once Upon a Bride

Get out of her room, Ranger Vance. Now.

“I assure you everything’s going to be fine.” He put the chair back by the window and left for the other bedroom.

After putting his gun under the pillow, he took off his cowboy boots and lay down, desperately needing a couple hours of sleep. It seemed as if no sooner had his head touched the pillow than he heard a phone ringing. He glimpsed Kellie’s face through his eyelids and bolted upright.

She answered the phone and turned on the speaker. “Why do you keep calling me?”

“I like to hear the fear in your voice.”

“You like to make people afraid?”

“Why not?”

“That’s sick. You’re sick, sick, sick!” she yelled into the phone. That brought Luckey from downstairs. Both men listened while she got him going. Keep it up, Kellie. Stick it to him where it hurts.

“Does your mother know what kind of person you’ve turned into?”

Bingo.

“What mother? She didn’t want us. We were orphans, but you wouldn’t know anything about it with your rich daddy and mommy. You’re going to pay for not going out with me. But first I’m going to finish off that husband of yours.”

“You don’t know who you’re dealing with!” Kellie’s lethal tone lifted the hairs off Cy’s neck. “Try to hurt him and you’ll wish you’d never been born!”

Luckey flashed Cy a secret smile before a maniacal laugh came through the phone. He muttered several obscenities and clicked off.

Kellie looked at Cy. “Did I keep him on long enough?”

“It was perfect. He’s ready to explode. That’s what I’ve been waiting for. Let’s all go downstairs.” He glanced at his watch. To his shock he’d slept seven hours. It was already five thirty in the evening. After putting on his boots, he reached for his gun and followed them out of the room.

“Would you gentlemen like some iced tea?” She’d already gone into the kitchen.

“We’d love it,” Luckey answered for them because Cy had made a detour to the living room to phone Kit.

“Any sign of him yet?”

“No.”

“He just made another harassing call to Kellie. She pressed his buttons. I think he’s going to make something happen as soon as he returns to the town house.”

“I’ll let you know the minute he shows up. Anything you need and we’re ready.”

“I owe you for this, Kit.”

Cy hung up and walked back in the kitchen. Trust Luckey to get Kellie laughing about something. His friend had a way. “What’s so funny?” He’d trained his eyes on her, unable to look anywhere else.

Before she could answer, Cy’s phone rang. It was Kit. He turned his back to her. “What’s up?”

“The second we got off the phone, a woman with neck-length brown hair pulled into a stall driving a used blue Sentra sedan. She got out wearing a business suit and heels and has just let herself in the condo.”

“We’ve got him!” Cy blurted with elation. It felt as if he’d been waiting forever for this moment. “He’ll be watching from the upstairs window with the rifle. I’ll give him ten minutes before I back out of the garage.”

“We’re on it.”

He clicked off and turned to Luckey, who was drinking a glass of iced tea. Kellie was in the background cooking tacos for dinner. “This is it,” he muttered. “You know what to do.”

“Yup.”

Cy hurried upstairs and put on his bulletproof vest. Over it he wore a gray hoodie, and he went back down to the kitchen. “Be sure and save me some dinner.”

Kellie’s eyes look haunted. “You’re leaving now?” He heard the wobble in her voice. “You haven’t even drunk your iced tea.”

“Sorry. I’ve got some business to do, but Luckey will enjoy it. Remember he’s here to protect you. See you soon.”

He opened the kitchen door to the garage and closed it behind him. Once he was in the Subaru SUV, he sat there to synchronize his time to the second with Kit and the crew. He hoped that once he used the remote to open the garage door, the sound would alert the stalker that he was leaving. That was the signal for the crew to move in.

The plan was to back out slowly, giving Dan time to make his best shot.

Five, four, three, two, one.

Up went the garage door. Cy started the engine and let it idle for a minute to draw out the stalker. Then he started backing into the alley. At the point where he turned the car, he braked and shut off the motor. In the split second it took to open the door and roll to the ground, he heard three loud shots fired in succession, shattering the side windows.

Some of the glass grazed his neck and cheek. Moments passed as he stayed down and let the other Rangers do their jobs. Sirens blared as police cars and an ambulance converged in the alley. He got out of the car and saw the street now looked like a war zone. The paramedics ran over to him while he got to his feet and brushed off the bits of glass, but he was waiting for the call from Kit.

When it came, they were the sweetest words he’d ever heard. “Your plan worked perfectly. This stalker was caught in the act. He twisted and screamed while we cuffed him. Now he’s on his way to join his twin.”

Cy drank in gulps of air. “Thank God.”

He couldn’t wait to tell Kellie, but he had to ride in the ambulance first while they tended to his wounds, which were superficial. After he’d been taken to the ER, TJ was there to greet him. While Cy sat on the end of the examining table as the doctor put some small bandages over the cuts on his neck and cheek, the captain’s eyes played over him with grave concern.

“That was a hell of a thing you did out there tonight, offering yourself up as the sacrifice.”

“I was wearing my vest.”

“He could have shot your head off.”

“I ducked. It was all planned out.”

“If you ever try a stunt like that again...”

“You told me this was a high-profile case and you needed it solved ASAP. I just wanted to make sure those two lunatics are put away forever. Trying to take me out added another lifetime sentence to their list of heinous crimes.”

After the doctor left the cubicle, the captain said, “I phoned Ms. Parrish and her parents and told them the siege was over. They’re probably at her condo right now celebrating.”

Cy would have liked to tell her the news himself, but he’d had to follow protocol and get checked over first. “Their relief must be making new people out of them.”

His boss nodded. “Thanks to you she’s free to live her life fully and win that championship in December. Vic got on the phone to the agents back east. Once again the fame of the Four is going out over the networks for catching two of the vilest criminals wanted by the FBI from coast to coast.”

“I’m thinking there may be other murders they’ve committed. With them both in custody, who knows what information we can get out of them. Hopefully, this will lead to solving some cold cases, too.”

TJ flashed him a rare smile. “That’s for the detectives to follow up on. What matters is that it took the Texas Rangers to solve this case. Something tells me we’ll be hearing from the governor soon. Again.” He patted Cy’s shoulder. “You’ve done great work,” he said in a quiet voice. “I’m glad you didn’t become an attorney.”

“Amen,” Cy whispered. Otherwise he would never have met Kellie. “Don’t forget it took the whole team, TJ. But thanks for going along with my unorthodox plan. I believe that was the word you used.”

“You flushed them out with your clever sting in record time. According to your buddies, this marriage seems to have agreed with you. What do you say?”

“The jury is out where that’s concerned.”

He nodded. “Vic’s waiting in the lounge. When you’re ready, he’s going to drive you home. Take the day off tomorrow to recover before you write up all the details of the case. That’s an order.”

“Yes, sir.”

After the captain left, Cy got off the table and reached for his hoodie and vest. He found Vic and they walked out to his friend’s car. “I appreciate the lift home.”

En route to Cy’s house, Vic glanced at him several times. “The captain was right. You’re damn lucky to have walked away from that shooting.”

“If you’re going to tell me you wouldn’t have done the same thing, I wouldn’t believe you. After Dan made his last harassing call to Kellie earlier today, I knew I was his next target. Which means the best move was to play it out on my own terms. While he was concentrated on me, the crew closed in, taking him by surprise.”

They grabbed some burgers at a local drive-through, then headed for Vic’s house in South Austin. Cy had chosen to live in a secluded neighborhood hidden away in a wooded area. His rustic lodge-style home with exposed wood appealed to him for several reasons. Besides a loft where he had his office, the open floor plan was dominated by a cathedral ceiling with tons of natural light.

When they reached the entrance, it dawned on him he hadn’t stepped foot in his three-bedroom house for over a week. Normally after being away on a case, home sounded good to him while he relaxed. But tonight he knew something was missing even before he got out of the car. He knew what it was. Kellie wouldn’t be here when he walked inside.

Over the past seven days, they’d spent hours together. When they had to be apart, she’d been constantly on his mind. If it weren’t so late, he’d drive over to her town house right now with the excuse that he wanted to collect anything he’d left while working the case.

But before that, he needed a shower and a shave.

Vic turned to him. “You look like death. Go to bed and we’ll talk in the morning.”

Cy opened the door. “I couldn’t have done this without you. I owe you big-time.”

“I’ll remember that when the captain gives me my next case.”

“Good night, Vic.” He shut the door and went in the house carrying his vest and pullover. Without turning on lights, he climbed the stairs to his bedroom in the loft located across from his office. He plunked his things in the chair and moved over to the bed to pull off his boots.

The moonlight coming through the window caused the gold band on his ring finger to gleam. He needed to remove it before he went into headquarters in the morning. The boss had told him to take the day off. For the first time since joining the Rangers, the thought of nothing to do all day long sounded like a death sentence.

A whole day without Kellie? He wouldn’t know what to do with himself. The captain’s question went round in his head.

According to your buddies, this marriage seems to have agreed with you. What do you say?

Cy threw back his head, afraid to answer it out loud. If he did that, it would be tantamount to a confession that could change his whole life. Especially if Kellie didn’t answer it the same way.

Chapter Eight

Ten after midnight. No phone call from Cy. No doorbell ringing.

Kellie’s parents had left her town house at ten thirty. They’d begged her to go home with them, but she’d told them she was exhausted. After the exciting phone call from the captain of the Rangers, who praised Cy’s heroism for leading the team that caught both stalkers, she preferred to go straight to bed. She would drive out to the ranch in the morning.

Luckey had stayed with her until her parents arrived. He’d received a call from one of the other Rangers letting him know Cy had been taken to the hospital but his injuries were minimal.

She didn’t believe that for a minute, and the fact that he hadn’t tried to make contact convinced her something was seriously wrong. She’d heard the shots and learned what had happened from Cy’s superior. But he was trained to gloss over information he didn’t want her to know. Luckey had prevented her from going out in back while it was still a crime scene. She recognized he was only doing his job, but it killed her that she had to wait for information that came in bits and pieces.

That was the part of the exclusive Ranger brotherhood that bothered her. Surely Cy had to know she was anxious to hear his voice and make sure he was all right, even if she couldn’t see him.

Restless and worried, Kellie paced the floor and then sank down on the couch. Cy’s hide-a-bed was still in the living room. He would have to come back to get it, but obviously not tonight.

She glanced down at the rings. He’d be taking those back, too. But she felt as if they’d become a part of her. She would sleep wearing them one last time.

At one in the morning, she took some ibuprofen for a headache and went upstairs to bed. The painkiller helped her to fall asleep, but when she awakened Saturday morning, she realized she’d been crying. She’d had nightmares.

Because of her ordeal, her parents had worried she wouldn’t sleep well and might have bad dreams. But oddly enough, it wasn’t the stalkers who had filled her mind. Throughout the night she’d wandered endlessly in her search for Cy, unable to find him anywhere.

Thankful to be awake, she got out of bed to shower and wash her hair. If Cy came over this morning, she wanted to be ready for him. After putting on a clean pair of jeans and a plaid Western shirt, she applied some makeup and pulled on her cowboy boots before going downstairs.

While she was in the kitchen pouring herself a glass of orange juice, her phone rang. Fighting her disappointment that it wasn’t Cy, she reached for it. “Mom?”

“Honey? Turn on the news. We’ll talk after it’s over.”

Taking her juice with her, she hurried into the living room and turned on the TV to one of the local stations. Between swallows she watched the breaking news.

“For those of you who’ve just joined us, last evening our own Texas Rangers finished up a sting that ended in the arrest of two killers on the FBI’s most wanted list. Three brutal unsolved murders stretching from Illinois to Tennessee and South Carolina might have turned into four if it hadn’t been for our state’s bravest. We’re standing by for a message from the governor.”

Kellie sank down on the couch to listen.

“Today is one of the finest days for the Rangers, who prevented the murder of one of our celebrated Austin citizens, Kellie Parrish. She’s the twenty-five-year-old barrel racer who will be competing in the National Finals in Las Vegas in December. She has been stalked by identical twin brothers whose killing spree started four years ago.

“The same rangers who brought down the drug cartel here six months ago took the lead in the capture of these predators. The criminals’ names are being withheld as FBI agents in Illinois, Tennessee and South Carolina are putting all the facts together and notifying family members of the women they’d targeted.”

A shiver ran through Kellie. The thought of the poor parents and families of the three women who’d been terrorized and killed brought stabbing pain to her heart. Because of Cy, they could now be provided with answers. But those poor women hadn’t been blessed to have Cy protecting them.

Without wasting a breath, she phoned her mother. The minute she heard her voice, she broke down sobbing. “Oh, Mom. Cy is so wonderful.” She tried to hold back the sobs, but it was pointless. “I don’t want to think what would have happened if he hadn’t taken my case.”

“Then don’t, darling. Have you talked to him since last night?”

“No. He had to go to the hospital last night. Maybe he’s still there. I have no idea how serious his injuries were. Even if he’s been released, I’m sure he has so much to do.”

“I don’t wonder. How soon are you coming?”

She wiped her eyes with her other arm and took a fortifying breath. “I—I don’t know yet.”

“Sitting around waiting to hear from him isn’t the answer.”

Kellie jumped to her feet, hurt by her comment. “What do you mean?”

“The two of you have been living in close quarters throughout your ordeal, pretending to be married. Now that the threat has gone, I’m not at all surprised you miss having him at your side on a constant basis. He’s the stuff heroes are made of. Heavens, I’m a little in love with him myself. Please don’t tell your father.”

“Oh, Mom.” She let out a half laugh because her mother knew her so well.

“I’m not surprised you’ve lost your head, but you’ve got a championship to win, remember? Ranger Vance isn’t going anywhere. Give it time.”

Kellie hated it when her mother was right.

“Thanks for the talk. I should be at the ranch within the hour.”

After she got off the phone, her mood was completely different. She rushed upstairs for her purse and came back down to write a note at the kitchen table.

Dear Cy,

Words can’t express what I’m feeling, so I’m not going to try. I forgive you if you let yourself in to get the rest of your things while I’m not here. The governor gave you a ringing endorsement today. Congratulations. Just know that you will always have my undying gratitude. You saved my life. What greater service can one human do for another?

Kellie

She read it over several times, wondering if she needed to change anything. But no, it said what she wanted to say. Unlike the piece she’d written on the blog about their marriage, this one wasn’t over-the-top. Viewing it objectively, she felt she’d hit just the right tone.

Without giving herself a chance to change her mind, she removed the rings and left them on top of the note. After grabbing the extra garage-door opener from the drawer, she hurried out to the garage and climbed in her car.

When she backed out, she saw no sign of the crime scene from last night. But it was out here that the stalker had fired on Cy. Another shudder left her weak before she pulled herself together and started for the ranch.

During the drive, half a dozen messages were left on her phone. She knew she would be inundated by good wishes and concern from her friends for a while, but she wasn’t ready to talk to anyone about this except her parents. Then she would take separate rides on Trixie and Starburst, exactly what she needed to sort out her head.

Her left hand gripped the steering wheel. It looked bare without the rings. How do they feel, Mrs. Vance? he’d asked, staring at her with his gorgeous dark blue eyes.

They’d felt natural.

Without them, without him, nothing felt natural.

Another two miles and she pulled up in front of the ranch house. Her phone rang again. She glanced at the caller ID and rushed to answer it. “Cy?”

If he hadn’t known how she really felt about him, he did now.

“Good morning, Kellie.”

He sounded wonderfully alive. She gripped the phone tighter. “Are you still in the hospital?”

“I’m at headquarters. Last night I was only there for a few minutes to have a couple of tiny cuts treated before going home.”

“I’m so thankful you weren’t seriously injured.” Her voice shook. “I heard three shots.”

“It’s over now.” It was obvious he didn’t want to talk about it. “If you’re still at your town house, I’d like to come over and get my stuff. Vic’s coming with me. We’ll take out the hide-a-bed so you can have your house back.”

Kellie moaned. If she hadn’t left so soon...

“I’m sorry, Cy. I’m out at my parents’ house. You still have a door key, right?”

“Yes.”

“I can imagine how busy you must be, so feel free to drive over and let yourself in.”

After a slight pause, he said, “Sounds good. I’ll leave the key and your garage-door opener on the table.”

Her eyes closed tightly. She’d purposely left the rings and the note in case something like this happened. “Cy? I want to see you again to thank you. Is there a night you could come over and I’ll cook dinner for you?”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“There’s every need. You saved my life.”

“Tell you what. The captain has a new case for me. I need to take a look at it. When I know my schedule, I’ll call to let you know what night would be good.”

So now that he didn’t have to guard her, he wasn’t planning on taking her to his sister’s engagement party on Sunday evening. Already he’d been put to work on another dangerous assignment. That was his job.

For one week out of her life, the two of them had been inseparable. But it was over. He’d never again be exclusively hers. How was she going to bear it?

“I hope you can make it Monday or Tuesday. Cody and I will be leaving for South Dakota on Wednesday.”

Another silence before he said, “How long will you be gone?”

The breath froze in her lungs. “Seven weeks.”

“Seven?” He sounded surprised. “Without a break?”

“After I leave Oklahoma I’m doing three rodeos throughout Texas with Sally and Manny. It’ll be November before I return home.” She stared blindly into space waiting for a response.

“If I can’t make it either of those nights, will you give me a rain check?”

Kellie had to brace herself to handle the hurt. “Do you even have to ask? Ranger Vance will always have a standing invitation to my home.”

“That’s nice to hear.”

She could hardly swallow. “I’m so glad you’re all right. Take care of yourself, Cy. The Famous Four wouldn’t be the same without you.”

Enveloped in pain, Kellie clicked off before she said too much. Then she turned off her cell. She was glad he hadn’t learned she was still at the condo earlier waiting around for him.

The remark her mother had made during their phone call had gotten her out of the house in time to save her from making the biggest mistake of her life!

* * *

CY PULLED THE van in front of Kellie’s town house with a grimace. “Let’s get this done fast.” He didn’t wait for Vic. After he got out and opened the side door to accommodate the hide-a-bed, he headed for her front door. The key was on his ring.

Vic followed him inside. They made quick work of getting the couch out to the van. In a few minutes he’d restored the living room to its former order. “I’ll run upstairs to grab my laptop and any clothes I left.”

“While you do that, I’ll take down the camera from the garage.”

“Good. Be back in a second.”

When he came down with his bag, he went into the bathroom to pack the toiletries he’d left. All was done except to leave the key and garage-door opener.

Cy walked into the kitchen and put both items on the table. That was when his eyes were drawn to the diamond and wedding band he’d given her. They were sitting on a note she’d penned. A vise seemed to close around his chest.

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