Page 77 of Wyoming Bodyguard
Madden gave one, brief nod. “Thanks. It’s been one hell of a night.”
Deputy Sanders snorted and kicked at the ground.
“Did you have any idea about Marvin?” Madden asked, his voice coated in sadness.
“Not a clue.” Deputy Sanders ran a hand over his face. “God, what the hell was he thinking? He should have come to me. Told me what was going on. I would have helped any way that I could. We all would have. Instead, he took matters into his own hands and ruined countless lives including his own. This will devastate Beth.”
Lily tried to find sympathy for Mrs. Williamson. It was difficult as she sat in the back of an ambulance after suffering at the hands of the woman’s husband. But she understood how it felt to be caught in the crosshairs of someone else’s secrets.
She drew in one more breath of oxygen then lowered her mask. “Mrs. Williamson will have a ton of people rallying behind her just like I did.”
Madden slid an arm around her waist and kissed her temple before returning his attention to Deputy Sanders. “Is Marvin going to make it?”
Her body tensed as she waited for the answer. As much as she hated the hell Mr. Williamson had put her through, she didn’t want his death on Madden’s conscience.
“He’s hanging in there,” Deputy Sanders said. “Not sure if he’ll make it, but if he does, he’ll spend the rest of his life behind bars, along with Jason Simon who just woke from surgery. I’m so sorry all this happened.” Dipping his chin, he walked away, his head bent and shoulders stooped.
Lily let her gaze drift back to the destruction on her property. The flames had died down, and the firefighters were busy packing up their equipment. A weight sat on her chest. “What now?”
“Now we go to the hospital and make sure we’re okay then head home and go to bed.”
She snorted. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know, but it’s the next step. Then tomorrow we wake up and we take the next one then the next.”
“What if I don’t know what that next step should be?”
“You do. Listen to your gut, Lily. Look at the options. You can do anything you set your mind to, and I’ll be right here to help.”
“As long as I have you, everything else will fall into place. I love you, Madden.” Exhaustion hit her like a brick wall, and she rested her head on his shoulder. The future waited for her to make it whatever she wanted, but right now, everything she could ever want was right beside her.
* * *
Three days later, anxiety rolled around in Madden’s gut. He’d assumed racing into a roaring fire to save the woman he loved would be the most stressful event of his life. But that didn’t hold a candle to standing outside the hospital room of his girlfriend’s father, waiting to see him.
Dax stood beside him with his arms folded across his chest and way too much amusement on his stupid face. “How ya feeling?”
“Fine,” Madden snapped. “I don’t know why you’re even here.”
Despite Madden’s reassurances that Dax could care for the horses, Lily had insisted they visit his father’s ranch every morning to care for her animals. He’d made her promise to take it easy and was helping Dax himself when the call from the hospital came. Dax had insisted on driving them, even though Madden still didn’t understand why.
“Moral support for my brother of course.” Grinning, Dax peered through the thin rectangular window on the closed door. “She must be relieved he’s awake.”
Madden’s skin itched, but he couldn’t show his little brother his nerves. “She was shocked when the doctor called this morning. Relieved, yeah, but also anxious. There are a lot of questions that still need to be answered. Hearing them won’t be easy.”
“Sometimes the things we need to hear might not be easy, but they’re necessary. They help us grow and be better versions of ourselves.”
Madden’s jaw dropped. “Where the hell did that bit of wisdom come from?”
Dax shrugged. “Who knows. Don’t expect it to happen again.”
Madden laughed, suddenly grateful to have his brother with him. “I’m nervous, man. I’ve promised Lily that what her father thinks about us won’t change anything, but what if it’s a hurdle we can’t overcome?”
“Bullshit,” Dax said, scratching his chin.
“Excuse me?”
“I get the nerves. The rest is bullshit. You and Lily have been through more in the last few days than most couples have in a lifetime. You two were made for each other, always have been. Her dad’s opinion won’t change that.”
