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Scene #16
THE REUNION Ty waited, the stock keeping his attention. He
didn't want to screw things up. It had taken everything in him to
not pull her into his arms and hold her when they stood only inches
apart. He thought she would truly have figured it out when they
repeated one of their conversations from the first time they had
met in Charleston. His heart ached when she turned and
started to walk away. Pushing his hat up, he leaned his head on the
saddle. Desperately, he wanted to call out to her but seeing her
walk away from him hurt too damned much since he hadn't planned on
this reaction from her at all. He saw her pause at the gate.
"If you still want to help in the search for my husband, maybe I
should put you in charge of the whole deal because it seems to me
you know where you are, Lone Wolf." She turned, tears
streaming down her face. The two of them looked at each other then
both broke into a run. Ty lifted her up, hugging her, kissing her
and spinning her around. He drew her into a kiss, long and
passionate. The harder he kissed her, the more she wanted him. Then
she pulled back, her hand to her cheek. "Where have you been?"
"I lay unconscious with no memory of anything, on a trawler in
the Gulf. I regained my life about an hour after our son's birth."
"You knew?" "I felt all sixteen hours. I didn't understand
what had been happening but I thought it had something to do with
my visions of you." "Me?" "I kept seeing you." "Like
Andrew and Jessie?" "Exactly." "¡Me Deo, mi marido! ¡Te
amo mucho!" "¡Y te amo, mi mujer!" He led her back to the mare
and grabbed the roses. "I've been a lonesome coyote without you."
"I never gave up on you, even when Haywood wanted to have a
memorial service for you. He had given up but I told him no way!"
"That's my girl! There's one thing I have to tell you before you
hear it from someone else." "What?" "The man who saved my
life had prepared to go back out to sea. He gave his crew the night
in New Orleans and took me to a place on Bourbon Street where we
ate dinner and he paid for a girl named Heather to spend the
evening with me. Though very understanding, she fell off to sleep
while I wrestled with what my future might be. If I hadn't regained
it when I did, my life would have gone out the next morning on The
Summer Rose. Anyway, hell broke loose when I heard a commotion
downstairs. I went downstairs with my gun drawn and wound up
arresting two perpetrators who had one of the girls tied to a
chair. I saw you in her and my whole existence took over and I knew
who I—" "You were in a whorehouse?" "Yep, but I swear I
never touched her. I knew from what Captain Richards could figure
out I'd been married and the beauty I kept seeing had to be this
woman I'm eternally committed to." "Well, I guess, my lord, I
should tell you Nathan tried twice and I threw him out both times."
"Toni, I'm going to tell you something else. Don't get upset
because I took care of it and everything's fine." "What?"
"Nathan's in jail." "Why...?" "I've got him on two
counts of attempted kidnapping and assault. I stopped by to see
Joshua, found Jan unconscious and Nathan with our son in his hands.
He planned to take off with the both of you." "My God!"
"Before you blame yourself, it's not your fault. It began after he
moved to Texas. I had my eye on him the whole time but I could not
foresee this last month. Baby, he never fell out of love with you
and he expected to jump in and sweep you off your feet and take my
wife and family as his own." "My God, mi marido. I'm so
sorry." "It's not your fault. Everything is fine, especially
our son and Nathan's where he can't hurt you. Oh, and I asked Dave
not to represent him." "Thank you. I couldn't handle that."
"I know. Now, can we think about you and me?" "But, I have
to get back..." "Soaring Hawk's already taken care of. We'll
pick Josh up tomorrow. You, my Protective Dove, are a free bird but
under my protection." "Protective custody, my Ranger?"
"You bet!" he said, hugging her. They walked out of the arena
and Ty thanked Tom for the use of his stock and the mare.
"She's yours, Lone Wolf." "I can't—" "You can. The two
of you are made for each other." "I have no place to stable
her." "I'll take care of that. You're here enough."
"Thank you...for everything." "Go, Lone Wolf. Enjoy your
life!" They walked out to find Mac had brought the Jaguar over
from the hospital, his friend waiting for them. "Shall I take
you home, sir?" he asked, faking a British accent and bowing.
"Why not?" Ty replied, grinning.
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