Page 44 of Dead Man's Hand

DJ swallowed, nodding, dark circles under his eyes. “The doctor said she should recover—once she’s conscious. If she regains consciousness.”

“I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to leave her, even for a minute,” Buck said. “But your twin sister needs you.”

DJ shook his head. “She’s better off without me. Can’t you see that I’m trouble? The people closest to me get hurt. Ansley doesn’t need that.”

“She needs you, flaws and all. You have no idea how much trouble she’s gone through trying to find out the truth about her birth parents,” Buck said. “She is no shrinking violet. She’s strong. She can handle just about anything, even you.” He smiled to soften his words.

“What if my past comes back and I put her life in jeopardy?”

“You’ll have family.” Buck reached into his pocket, took out the gold bracelet and handed it to DJ. “You’ll want this back. Your birth mother had it made for you. She called you Del Junior before you were born, and Ansley DelRae. She wanted you to know your father. You have more than just your twin, though she is definitely a force to reckon with. You’re a Colt. You have four half brothers. One’s a sheriff, the others are PIs. You also have your birth mother, who is just as anxious to meet you as Ansley is. She didn’t know the truth until Ansley came to town looking for her. But you’ll hear all about it from your mother, from your twin, from the rest of the family. DJ, you’d be a fool to pass up a chance to be part of this family. You won’t be alone. We have you covered.”

DJ put his head in his hands for a moment. “I don’t want to disappoint her. I’ve already disappointed two people I swore to protect and got one of them killed.”

He could have argued that Keira got herself killed, but he knew that wouldn’t help right now. “Believe me, I know what you’re feeling. I don’t want to let Ansley down, today especially. I promised her I would find you and if at all possible get you to our wedding.”

DJ raised his head, took in Buck’s suit, and then looked down at his bloodstained clothing. “Do I look like I’m dressed for a wedding?”

“You will. Like I said, we have you covered. The wedding will be short and once it’s over, you can come right back here. Your family is waiting.”

“Family, huh.” Buck could tell that he was thinking about Keira. “Charley always said you can’t overcome your genes,” DJ said. “I never knew what that meant until now. Now that my DNA makes me officially a Colt, I guess I don’t have much choice.”

“You always have a choice,” Buck said. “But you’d be a fool to pass up accepting the rest of the Colts as family. Hell, I’ve been trying to get them to adopt me for years. DJ, I promise I’ll have you back here as fast as possible. I brought you some clothes.”

“I don’t have a present.”

“You are the best wedding present either of us will get today. Trust me, once she sees you...”

DJ rose and went to Sadie’s side. He leaned down to kiss her forehead, then turned to Buck. “I need to meet my twin before the wedding,” he said. “I know you ran the DNA test, and it proves I’m her brother, but I need to know here.” He tapped his chest just over his heart.

Buck nodded, hearing the determination in his soon-to-be brother-in-law’s voice. “You got it. She can’t wait to meet you, either.”

ANSLEYSTAREDINTOthe mirror. Today was her wedding day. Brushing her dark hair back, she promised herself she wouldn’t cry even as her eyes filled with tears.

“You are going to ruin your makeup,” her mother said, and handed her a tissue. “Buck will show. Nothing on this earth can keep him from marrying you today.”

She took the tissue, dabbed at her eyes and nodded. “I know it’s bad luck to see each other on your wedding day but—”

“Buck called you. He told you he made it out of the mountains. He’s going to be here.”

“Have you heard how James is doing?” Ansley asked.

“He came through surgery fine. The doctor said he was lucky. The bullet missed vital organs. It was just the loss of blood they were worried about, but you know Lonesome. Once word was out that blood was needed, people turned out to help. Bella and the baby are doing great. It’s all good news.”

She shook her head. When she’d talked to Davy, he’d told her that Willie and deputies from the sheriff’s department had gone up to help search for bodies. Buck could have been one of them. She still worried that he’d been injured and didn’t want to tell her. “I shouldn’t have put so much pressure on Buck to find my brother. What was I thinking? Me and my perfect Christmas wedding. Without Buck—”

“Oh, honey.” Her mother took her in her arms. “Buck will be here and if I know him, he’ll have your twin brother with him. That man will move heaven and earth to give you the wedding you’ve always wanted.” She drew back to look at her daughter. “You just have to believe.”

Ansley nodded. She did believe in Buck, trusted him with the rest of her life. But she was set to get married in less than an hour and there had been no word from Buck since that one phone call. She couldn’t help being terrified that something horrible had happened up there, that she would die alone because Buck Crawford was the only man for her.

Her cell phone rang. She grabbed it up. “Buck?”

“Hey, honey.”

“Are you all right?” she cried.

“I’m fine. I’ll tell you all about it when I see you. Actually, after the wedding, if that’s okay. I know I’m calling it close.” Tears of relief began streaming down her face. “There’s someone here who wants to meet you before the wedding. He’s right outside.”

She heard the tap at the door and quickly wiped at her tears, her mother handing her another tissue. The door opened and standing there was her twin brother. She would have known him anywhere. Their gazes met and locked. As tears filled his eyes, she began to cry in earnest as she ran into his arms.

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