As soon as Tommy went outside, Buck looked to see how badly James had been hit. There was a lot of blood. He did what he could to stop the bleeding and prepare the wound for traveling. “Keep this on the wound,” he said of the gauze and bandage he’d found in the bathroom cabinet.
“I know what you’re thinking,” James said. “But you can’t go after those three alone.”
“You need to get to the hospital,” Buck said. “Tommy needs to take you. Once you’re where you can use your phone, get Willie to send up deputies and Feds. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine,” Buck said.
James shook his head as Tommy came back in. “The truck’s ready. How’s James?”
“He needs to get to the hospital. You’re taking him,” Buck said, expecting more argument. But one look at how pale James had gone and Tommy nodded. “He’s lost a lot of blood. I did what I could. Get him off this mountain.”
James grabbed Buck’s arm. “I’m planning to stand up with you at your wedding, man. Don’t let me down.”
Buck smiled. “I’ll be there. Now go. They might decide to circle back. I want them to think we all left. Tommy, drive the truck down following their tracks to their vehicle. They would have busted through the drifts. It should make the going easier.”
“You do realize that we are going to have to disable their vehicle, right?” James said.
“You need medical attention. Tommy, don’t listen to him. Just get him to the hospital. Tell the sheriff hello.”
“Willie will be coming like gangbusters,” Tommy said. “Just keep yourself safe until he and the troops arrive.”
ANSLEYHADBEENwaiting anxiously by the phone. She’d wrapped the rest of the Christmas presents she’d purchased and put them around the tree. She’d cleaned the kitchen, made a batch of cookies and was just about to ice them when her phone finally rang.
Hurriedly, she scooped up her cell. “Buck?”
“Sorry, it’s me,” Bella said. “I’m in labor.”
It was the last thing she’d expected to hear.
“Don’t panic,” her friend said quickly. “I called my doctor. He said not to come in until my contractions were more consistent and much closer together. I’ve called Lori. She just put the twins down for a nap. She assured me that I might not be having this baby for hours—or maybe not even today. She called Ellie while I called Carla. Ellie’s in Seattle at her law firm. Carla didn’t pick up.”
“I’ll be right there,” Ansley said, knowing that Bella had to be wishing she’d reached someone with at least pregnancy experience. She checked to make sure that the stove was off. The cookies could wait. “I’m leaving now.”
Bella laughed. “I know I’m being silly, but this is all new and I’m nervous.”
“I am a great hand-holder,” Ansley assured her. “Have you been able to reach Tommy?”
“No, that’s the other thing. I haven’t heard a word since they went up into the mountains yesterday. I know he doesn’t want to miss this. He better not miss this.” Her voice broke.
“I’m sure he’ll be back before you even have to go to the hospital,” she said, not sure of that at all. She knew nothing about giving birth or babies. But after she and Buck were married, she couldn’t wait to learn. “Sit tight. I’ll be there before you know it.”
The moment she disconnected, she tried Buck’s number. It went straight to voice mail. “Hey, it’s me. Bella’s in labor. Hope you’re all right. Come back. Bella needs us all. I need you. I should never have sent you on this ridiculous mission.” She hung up close to tears. Maribelle was right. She was a spoiled rich girl. Even as she thought it, she knew that wanting to have her twin at her wedding wasn’t outrageous. It was her deepest desire. Unless, of course, her twin was a possible, even probable, criminal on the run and this ended up getting the people she loved killed.
DJTOOKTHEshovel down the mountain to the snowbound SUV and began digging. He needed the physical exertion. He went to work, shoveling as his mind raced. He kept thinking about Keira. Had he really been ready to jeopardize everything just to know whether or not she had betrayed him?
His thoughts rushed back to Sadie and the time they’d spent in the cabin. He didn’t want to leave here for fear the bubble would pop. He’d told her that he loved her, but he wasn’t sure that was enough. She’d said she loved him, too. But what would happen when they got back to the real world? If they got back?
He stopped to listen, hearing snowmobiles but far off in the distance; he glanced back up the mountain. He knew Sadie had taken the SUV keys the moment he couldn’t find them. She didn’t trust him and with good reason. He would do anything to protect her, even leave her behind if it came to that. But right now, he wasn’t sure that Keira wouldn’t show up. The cabin was no longer safe since the storm had passed. Keira might not be the only one coming for them.
Going back to his shoveling, he thought about Ansley Brookshire, his alleged twin sister, who was going to all this trouble so he’d be at her wedding. She really could be his twin, he thought with a chuckle. She was determined enough and they did look like they could be fraternal twins.
But how would she feel when she met him? She was a Brookshire. The name meant money. He was willing to bet that her childhood had been nothing like his own. She probably didn’t realize who she might be inviting not only to her wedding but also into her life.
He tried to imagine being part of this family Crawford had told him about. He would have been a complete fool not to realize that this was the fork in the road, the crossroads he’d felt coming. His deal with Sadie and her godfather had come to an end, but that didn’t mean that he and Sadie couldn’t have a future. A twin sister was offering him a family. And then there was Keira, who was either going to Alaska to live with her no-account husband or setting him up for a fall.
DJ stopped shoveling. With luck, he should be able to drive the SUV out now. He leaned on the shovel as he tried to catch his breath. He’d made a decision about his future. He and Sadie were leaving.
Glancing back up the mountain, he smiled to himself. It was a no-brainer. Let go of the past, let Keira go to Alaska, leave the poker game money for the Grandvilles and walk away. One call to Marcus Grandville once they got off this mountain could end this.
He took a deep breath of the cold mountain air. It was almost Christmas. He thought of their Christmas tree back in the cabin. He was ready to experience the magic of the holiday through Sadie’s eyes.