Page 46 of Christmas Ransom

His first instinct at that moment was to forget about the money, the women, everything and just cut and run. Maybe if he’d had a full tank of gas in the pickup he would have.

“Starved!” he called after her, telling himself that he would outsmart her. “Something smells good,” he said, coming up behind Jesse as she pulled a bowl of stew from the microwave and set it on a trivet on the table. He put his arms around her and pulled her against him. At least she didn’t have the knife on her. But if he wanted the money and to live to spend it, he’d have to make sure the knife didn’t get stuck between his ribs.

CARLALOOKEDDOWNat the cast on her leg and wanted to cry. Crutches? She thought her freedom had been taken away before this. Now she really was in trouble. She was a sitting duck. Finding the man should prove easy. She could just sit and wait for him to come. It wasn’t like she could run.

Now Davy felt he had no choice but to stay with her. How could things get worse? They were both trapped. But the worst part was that when J came for her again, Davy would try to stop him. She could get the man she loved killed.

Dr. Hull and Davy helped her into the wheelchair. Her other option was, as Dr. Hull had suggested, getting a nurse. Carla wanted to laugh out loud. Someone from the hospital—a place she was now terrified of? It would just be her luck to bring the killer or his accomplice into her home.

But at the same time, she hated that Davy felt he had to take care of her. She couldn’t bear to think of how this was going to end. Davy couldn’t stay and protect her forever. Nor would she allow him to.

“Ready?” he asked as he took the wheelchair handles.

“This isn’t what I wanted.” She sounded close to tears and felt them pool in her eyes.

“You don’t always get what you want. Sometimes you get what you need.”

She recognized the verse. He’d sung it to her all those years ago—before they’d parted. “Something tells me that we aren’t talking about this current situation.”

He smiled as he pushed her out of the room and down the hall to the elevator. “I should have fought harder ten years ago. This time, you can’t push me away.”

Davy drove her home to her house. As he pulled into the drive, she said, “I overheard you talking to your brother. James is right. I’m not your responsibility. I don’t want you risking your life for me or putting it on hold any longer.” Her voice broke as he parked and turned off the engine. “I’m not going to be responsible for keeping you from what you love.” She took hold of her crutches.

“You aren’t keeping me from what I love, Carla. Stop fighting me, because you can’t change my mind.” His gaze burned into her. “Now let’s see how you do on these crutches. I cleaned off the sidewalk of snow earlier, but it will still be icy. You sure you don’t want me to carry you to the door?”

She looked at him, aghast, and it made him laugh.

“Just a thought,” he said, grinning, and he got out to rush around and open her door.

Carla was determined to make it to the house on the crutches. If she fell... Well, she just wasn’t going to fall. She was awkward, but she didn’t fall. She felt a rush of pride when she even managed the front steps to the porch. True, Davy was right behind her and would have caught her if she’d even wobbled, but she’d made it on her own.

He reached into her purse, pulled out the keys and opened the front door. She had to prove to him that she would be all right. She had to believe that J would be caught and that she would do fine on crutches until Dr. Hull put her in a walking cast. She had to believe that when Davy left, her heart would somehow survive.

Once inside, she turned to him. She looked into his denim-blue eyes. All of the Colt brothers had the same thick head of dark hair and blue eyes that ranged from faded denim to sky blue. They were all pretty much built alike as well, and all wanted to believe that they were the most handsome of the bunch. Close in age, they spent years confusing their teachers and the town.

But Carla knew that Davy was the most gorgeous of the Colt brothers. He was also the kindest, sweetest and most thoughtful. That she’d let him walk away ten years ago... That she was going to push him away again...

Before she could speak, he said, “Why don’t I make us something to eat?” He moved past her on his way to the kitchen.

“Wait. You cook?” If true, this made him even more irresistible.

He stopped to turn. “You keep underestimating me.”

It was true and they both knew it. He would make someone a great husband. She felt it to the tender center of her heart. She almost said that, but knew she couldn’t joke about him being with anyone else. She held his look for a few moments, then moved past him on her crutches. “I’m not even sure there is anything to cook in the fridge.”

JUDHADBEENcalled in to work for a few hours and had readily agreed. Anything to get away from Jesse for a while. Not to mention it took the pressure off him to deal with Carla Richmond.

On the way back home that afternoon after cashing his paycheck, Jud realized with everything that had been going on, he’d forgotten that one of Leon’s goons would be coming by for a payment. Wes knew what day Jud got paid. He almost turned around—until he saw that Wes was standing by his big black SUV—with a headlock on Jesse. Her hands were bound in front of her with duct tape and so was her mouth.

Heart jumping to his throat, Jud sped up. He couldn’t let Wes kill her. Jesse was the only one who knew where the money was. He wheeled in next to the SUV and jumped out.

“Let her go,” Jud cried and tried to pull Wes off her. Two men Jud had never seen before tumbled out of the SUV and grabbed him. “What the hell is going on?” he demanded, becoming even more afraid.

“Leon wants all of his moneynow. I’m taking your girlfriend as collateral. You ever hear of collateral damage, Jud?”

Jud tried to break free of the men holding him as Wes shoved Jesse into the back of the SUV. “Wait!” he cried as the two men released him and climbed back in the rig to shove Jesse down on the floorboard and slam the door.

Wes came toward him so quickly that he didn’t see the incoming fist. It hit him in the gut, dropping him to his knees on the driveway. He gasped for oxygen, unable to speak.

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