LEXI WAS ALREADY at the hospital when Skye arrived. They hugged in the hallway.
“What do you know?” Skye asked.
“Nothing. She’s in surgery. I can’t get anyone to talk to me.” Lexi looked pale and upset. “I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe she’s hurt.”
Skye held her close. She wanted to cry, but there weren’t any tears. Just guilt. Somehow this was her fault. If she hadn’t fought with Izzy over something totally ridiculous, none of this would have happened.
The familiar hospital smells reminded her of Ray’s last days, and standing there was too much like the endless waiting she’d endured.
“She can’t die,” Skye breathed. Not Izzy. Not like this.
Rapid footsteps made her look up. Dana hurried toward them.
“How is she?” she demanded. “What are they doing?”
Both Lexi and Skye looked at her. “We don’t know,” Lexi said. “The doctors aren’t-”
“Fine. I’ll get information. You two sit down. What about Jed. Has anyone told him?”
“I left a message on his cell and with his assistant,” Skye said, feeling stunned by everything. She couldn’t think. Too much had happened too fast. She couldn’t catch her breath. “I’ll keep calling.”
Dana led them to chairs. “Sit,” she instructed. “I’ll be right back.”
Skye and Lexi sank down, then Skye sprang up and started to pace. “We have to do something. It’s Izzy.”
“I know.” Lexi’s eyes filled with tears. “What if she…”
“No!” Skye said. “She’ll be fine. She’s our sister and she’ll be fine.” If she wasn’t, Skye would take out Garth. She didn’t know when or how, but she would leave him broken and bleeding on the side of the road. Nobody messed with her sister.
Dana returned a few minutes later. “She’s still in surgery. They should be finished within the hour. Her vitals are strong and she doesn’t appear to have any internal injuries. There are a few burns from the explosion. We’ll know more when they’re done.”
Lexi stared at her. “How did you get them to talk to you?”
Dana pointed to herself. “The uniform helps.”
Skye hadn’t even noticed Dana was dressed for work.
“Whatever it takes,” Lexi murmured.
“Is Cruz coming?” Dana asked.
Lexi nodded.
“Good. We’re going to check to see if he’s here,” Dana said. “Lexi, sit here and rest. We’ll be right back.”
Skye glanced back at her sister as they made their way down the hallway. “Do you think she’s all right, with the baby and all? This is a shock and that can’t be good.”
“Lexi is strong. Once Cruz gets here, he’ll fuss and that will help. How are you holding up?”
“I’m not. This is my fault.”
Dana rolled her eyes. “Don’t be an idiot. Garth paid some asshole to blow up an oil rig. Nothing about that is your fault.”
“We fought.”
“And if you hadn’t fought Garth wouldn’t have made this happen?”
Skye rubbed her temples. “Oh, sure. Use logic. That’s fair. Okay. Technically, this isn’t my fault, but I feel guilty. How’s that?”
“Better.” Dana glanced around, as if making sure they were alone. “Do you have the name and number of the computer guy? The one who could get into Garth’s system?”
“Sure. Leonard. I have his number at work. Why?”
“As soon as Cruz gets here to take care of Lexi, I want you to give me the number.” Dana’s eyes blazed with fury. “No one hurts one of my friends and gets away with it. Garth crossed the line with this and I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure he doesn’t hurt you guys again.”
Skye felt weary. “Dana, no. You’re a deputy. You can’t break the law.”
“Why not?”
“Because you have more to lose.”
“Izzy is like a sister to me. I could have lost her today. It doesn’t get worse than that. Give me the number. If anyone asks, tell them I thought he was hot and wanted to ask him out.”
Skye hugged her friend. Dana held on tight.
“We’ll get through this,” Skye murmured. “I swear we will.”
“I know. And when Izzy’s all better, we’ll make Garth sorry he was ever born.”
“I can’t wait.”
“I swear to you, Skye, I will personally arrest Garth Duncan and throw his ass in jail.”
“I believe you.”
IT WAS NEARLY TWO in the morning when Skye left the hospital. She drove to the Cassidy Ranch to collect Erin. Earlier, she’d spoken briefly with her daughter, who was concerned about her aunt but also having lots of fun with Fidela, Arturo and Mitch.
She parked in front of the house. The porch light was on, as was a lamp in the front room. The door opened before she’d made it to the porch.
Mitch stood there, looking strong and capable. She’d been unable to cry at the hospital but the second she saw him, she felt the tears on her cheeks. She flew across the grass and launched herself at him.
He caught her and held on as if he would never let go.
“He could have killed her,” she said with a sob. “She might be dead now.”
Mitch kissed her forehead. When she straightened, he pushed the hair from her face and wiped her cheeks.
“But he didn’t,” he said. “She’s okay, right?”
Skye gulped then nodded, feeling better in his arms. Knowing Mitch was with her meant she didn’t have to be strong all on her own. She could lean on him a little. “It could be a lot worse. She has a lot of bruises, a few burns. Nothing’s broken. But…” She stared at him. “She might be blind.”
Mitch swore. “Are they sure?”
“Not yet. They say she’s going to have to do some healing. In a few days we should know more. But the doctors made it clear it was a serious possibility.”
Mitch put his arm around her and led her inside. She collapsed on the sofa and covered her face. “This is Izzy. She’s so full of life. She loves adventure. She can’t be blind. How can she go cave diving if she’s blind? How can she swim with sharks and all that other stupid stuff she does?”
“You don’t know she’s blind yet,” Mitch said, settling next to her and putting his arm around her shoulders.
“I know, but what if she is? What if she’s never okay?”
He didn’t answer. The truth was if she was blind, Izzy would deal. She would figure it out, make a life for herself and move on. That’s what people did. Sure, a few got stuck in self-pity but eventually even that got boring. Not anything Skye needed to hear right now.
She leaned against him. “I have to be strong. I have to get it together. Izzy needs me. What have I got to cry about?”
“A lot and you don’t have to be strong tonight. I’ll handle things.”
“Erin will want to know Izzy’s okay.”
“It’s nearly three in the morning, Skye. She’s a kid. Let her sleep. You can pick her up in the morning. Or better yet, stay here.”
She sniffed. “Is she okay?”
“She was worried, but we kept her distracted. Fidela read to her until she fell asleep.”
“Think that would work for me?”
“We can try it if you want.”
“Thanks, but I need to get home.”
“No, you don’t.” He stood and pulled her to her feet. “Come on. You can sleep in the second guest room. That way you’ll be here when Erin wakes up. You’ll both feel better being in the same house.”
She hesitated, then nodded. He led her upstairs. He wanted to take her to his room, not to make love with her, but to hold her. He wanted to put his arms around her and physically keep her safe. But there was Erin to think about. If Skye’s daughter woke up before them, it would confuse her to find her mom in his bed. So he kept going to the end of the hall and pushed open the door.
She stepped inside, then turned back to him. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything.”
He kissed her forehead. “Try to sleep. If you need anything, I’m across the hall. The bathroom is through there.” He pointed to the door to the right.
“Okay, thanks.”
He pulled the door nearly closed, then went into his room. Once there, he crossed to the window and stared out at the night. Garth had to be stopped. This had gone too far. Without evidence, the police couldn’t make a move so it was up to him.
THE MAIN OFFICES for Cruz Control were done in red and black. All the artwork reflected the car theme and racing stripes led the way down the hall.
Mitch sat in Cruz’s office, where car parts battled for space with every car magazine known to man.
“The local police are reluctant to get involved,” Mitch told Cruz. “The explosion was in international waters and the oil rig is owned by a British company.”
“Are they still considering what happened at Skye’s party a prank?”
Mitch nodded. He’d spent a frustrating morning speaking with a detective who had been sympathetic but unhelpful. “Without definitive proof that Garth is determined to bring down the family, the events are all unrelated and seemingly random. Rumors aren’t against the law.”
“It’s more than rumors,” Cruz said, sounding angry. “What about doping Jed’s horses and the lawsuit against Lexi?”
“Wasn’t that dropped?”
“Yes, but that isn’t the point.”
“It is to them. Dana will do all she can, but we’re pretty much on our own.”
“You have a plan?” Cruz asked.
“Yes.”
“Then consider me your partner in crime,” Cruz said, his voice determined.
“Agreed.”
SKYE SAT in the chair by the bed and stroked her sister’s hand. Izzy lay on the hospital bed, her face nearly as white as the bandages around her eyes. There were angry red marks on her bare arms and bandages on her hands. One leg was propped up under the covers.
“That’s starting to get on my nerves,” Izzy said, pulling her hand free of Skye’s. “You’re patting me like a cat.”
“And yet you don’t purr,” Skye told her. “Were you sleeping? It’s hard to tell with the bandages.”
“My personal fashion statement. No, I’m not sleeping.” She grabbed Skye’s hand. “Just don’t do the petting thing, okay?”
“You’re so fussy. I’ll have you know I’m wildly busy. You should be grateful I’m taking time out of my schedule to be here at all.”
“Yeah, yeah. You were worried about me.”
“Only a little.” Skye did her best to keep her voice light. “How do you feel?”
“Like I got blown up and tossed in the Gulf. How do I look?”
“Battered and waifish. Do you need me to call a nurse?”
“Only if he’s male and cute.” She shifted and winced. “Otherwise, I’ll pass.” She gestured to the IV running into her other arm. “I have my own supply of drugs to dull everything. Life doesn’t get much better than that.”
Izzy had been sleeping steadily since her surgery two nights ago. When she woke up, she was coherent and as normal as could be expected under the circumstances. Every time she spoke and made a joke, Skye wanted to run into the hallway, telling the world her sister was going to be okay.
She managed to hold back, but just barely.
“You want to talk about what the doctor said?” Skye asked tentatively.
“No.”
“We have to at some point.”
“No, we don’t.”
“Izzy, you’re going to need the surgery.”
“Skye, I swear I can still kick you, so leave me alone.”
“For now.”
Izzy groaned. “I’m gritting my teeth. Do you see me gritting my teeth?” She drew back her lips. “Are you looking?”
“Very clenched.”
“Good. Talk about something else.”
They would have to talk about the surgery eventually, but the doctor had said there was time. Skye would listen to him, although what she really wanted was for Izzy to schedule it right away. To get it done with so she could be herself again.
“You were right about T.J.,” she said instead.
Izzy sighed. “Being right is one of my favorite things.”
“I know.”
Izzy turned toward her. “Right in what way? Did he hurt you? I swear if he hurt you…”
Skye squeezed her hand and fought tears. “Nothing that dramatic. Oh, Izzy, I’m sorry we’ve been fighting. I’ve felt awful about that.”
“I staged the explosion for just this reaction. I love it when a plan goes well.”
“It worked perfectly. I was so angry at you and I can’t even say why.”
“I wasn’t trying to hurt you or say you couldn’t get the guy. There was just something about him.”
“He was working for Garth.”
“What?” Izzy nearly rose into a sitting position before falling back onto the bed. “No way.”
“Oh, yeah. He was being paid and everything. I don’t know if it was to actually try to get me engaged or to play us against each other.”
“I’ll bet he was just supposed to make trouble.”
“And we played right into his hands,” Skye said with a sigh.
“You more so than me,” Izzy told her.
“As always, your support brings me such joy.”
Izzy smiled, then the smile faded. “Working for Garth. That asshole.”
“Tell me about it. Are you okay? Did you care about T.J.?”
“No. He was mildly interesting.” She squeezed Skye’s fingers. “I’m sorry I slept with him. I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”
“You were a little.”
Izzy hesitated. “Maybe. You’re very sanctimonious sometimes with your perfect life.”
“My life isn’t perfect.”
“Of course it is. You’re a great mother raising a great kid. You started a foundation to feed hungry children. How are the rest of us supposed to compete with that?”
Skye didn’t know what to say. “It’s not a competition.”
“Sometimes it feels like it. Lexi is all smart and business-y. You’re like Mother Teresa with breasts and red hair and I’m the idiot who gets blown up.”
“Don’t say that,” Skye told her, fighting tears. “You’re my sister and I love you. I don’t know what happened with T.J. I really don’t. He pushed our buttons, that’s for sure. You’re all sexy and adventurous. Guys are into that.”
“Maybe.” She touched the bandages on her eyes with her free hand. “How did you find out about T.J.?”
“Mitch heard him talking to Garth. But I should probably tell you that after you told me you’d slept with T.J. and he was still planning to go out to dinner with me, I decided to teach him a lesson.”
Izzy grinned. “Yeah?”
“Uh-huh.” Skye told her about the dinner and the not-so-subtle invitation to bed. “He jumped at it, which is disgusting. He’d just been with you. So I told him off.”
Izzy laughed. “On the sidewalk?”
“Right outside the restaurant. After I had his car towed.”
“Go, Skye.”
“Thank you. It felt good. Then I called Lexi and we’ve been spreading some very nasty rumors about him. Everything from him being bad in bed to embezzlement to having a dick the size of a peanut.”
“So I was seriously flirting with danger by pissing you off,” Izzy said.
“You were, but you’ve always been brave. Which is why I know you’ll want to schedule the surgery right away.”
Izzy pulled her hand free. “That wasn’t a very smooth transition.”
“Come on. You know you’re going to do this.”
“I don’t know. I have to think about it.”
“What’s to think about?”
“Total blindness.”
“If you don’t have the surgery, you’ll be stuck where you are.”
“Until the bandages come off, I don’t know what that means. It’s my decision, Skye. Back off.”
“But you have to-”
Izzy pointed in the general direction of the door. “Aren’t visiting hours over? Shouldn’t you be leaving?”
“Izzy, don’t. I’ll stop talking about it.”
“Just go. I’m tired. I don’t want to talk anymore. Go on. You can come back later.”
Skye wasn’t sure what to do. After a few seconds, she rose and kissed her sister’s cheek. “I’m sorry. I won’t mention it again.”
“Like I believe that.”
“I’ll be by later.”
“It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”
Skye left. Everything had gone great with the visit, right up until the end. Why couldn’t she leave well enough alone? Why did she have to push?
She paused in the hallway, not sure what to do. Should she wait and see her sister in a couple of hours or come back later? Before she could decide, she saw a man walking toward her.
Every part of her went still, as if knowing he was here made her world right again. She didn’t have to decide on her own. She could ask his opinion because he would tell her what he thought and he thought things through. He was tough and difficult and smart and sexy and he made her laugh. He protected her and Erin. He was someone she could depend on. Just as important, she burned for him.
She walked toward him. When they were next to each other, he pulled her close.
“You okay?” Mitch asked.
“No. Izzy and I had a fight. I was pushing. Why do I do that? She’s still in the hospital. I shouldn’t be pushing.”
He led her over to a couple of plastic chairs in an alcove. They sat down. He laced their fingers together.
“Why were you fighting?”
“She needs surgery. The doctors can’t know for sure, but they expect her eyesight to be at about thirty percent when the bandages come off. It should stabilize there, but there’s also a chance it could get worse.”
“That has to scare the hell out of her,” he said.
“It does. But it can all be fixed with surgery. They can repair the damage and restore her to full sight. She’ll be better than new.”
Mitch’s dark eyes stared into her. “What’s the downside?”
“If the surgery goes wrong, she’ll be totally blind. The odds are tiny. The surgeon has never had it happen. But Izzy hasn’t scheduled the operation. I was pushing her to get it done, to get everything fixed, then move on. She won’t.”
“It’s only been a couple of days. Give her time. She’s adjusting to a lot.”
She wanted to snatch back her hand but was determined not to act like a five-year-old. “Are you taking her side?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s no reason to rush the surgery. She has time. Let her come to terms with what’s happened to her. It’s a big shock.”
Her gaze dropped to his leg. In his jeans and boots, she couldn’t see the proof that he knew what he was talking about but it was there.
“Have I mentioned I hate it when you’re reasonable?” she asked.
“No, but I’m not surprised.”
That made her smile. She drew in a breath. “Fine. I’ll let it go for now. You’re right. There’s no huge rush. It’s just this isn’t like her. She doesn’t usually react so passively.”
“She just got blown up, Skye. Give her a break.”
“There’s that logic thing again. She’s my sister. I want her to be okay.”
“She will be.” He glanced at his watch. “Are you going to stay here? Do you want me to meet Erin’s bus?”
Because her daughter would be home in a couple of hours after her last day of school. Because someone had to be there for her. But Erin wasn’t his responsibility. Not that the information would stop Mitch. He would do the right thing because that’s the kind of guy he was.
She thought about what had happened nine years ago, when her father had scared her into leaving Mitch. How she’d reacted without thinking and by the time she could finally think it all through, it was too late. She was pregnant with Erin.
She grabbed Mitch’s other hand and held on tight. “I loved Ray,” she said, staring into his eyes.
He tried to pull back, but she didn’t let go.
“I loved Ray,” she repeated. “Not at first. But over time. Sure he had issues-what on earth was he doing wanting to marry someone so young? But he was a good man and I appreciated that. I won’t take anything away from him by claiming not to have loved him.”
Mitch narrowed his gaze. “Is there a point to this?”
“Yes. I loved him, but I was never in love with him. I never felt the fire, the passion. When he died, I cried more out of guilt for not being able to give him my heart than because he was gone. He wanted all of me and I couldn’t give him that.”
She swallowed. “He’s Erin’s father, but I’m not sure how long she’ll remember him. His kids don’t want anything to do with her, which is their loss, but a position they’re unlikely to change.”
He’d tensed. “Again, your point would be?”
“I never stopped loving you. Not for a minute. I pretended I did-I lived my life-but you were everything to me and you still are.”
He jerked free and pushed to his feet. “Why are you saying this?”
She rose and faced him. “Because it’s true. I want you to know that you have always been the one. I doubt I’m capable of loving anyone else. I don’t expect anything, Mitch. I just needed you to know that I’m sorry I didn’t have the courage to fight for you nine years ago. I’m sorry for what we both went through, and yet I wouldn’t change it-learning to be a wife to Ray and having Erin have made me a better person. We’re both so different now, but nothing in my heart has changed. I love you.”
He’d come to terms with the past, and he was ready to be a good guy in her life-but love? Didn’t she know those kind of words could kill? He didn’t want to hear them. Not now. Not this way. Not yet.
He swore silently. She looked so damned sincere. As if she hadn’t burned him down to his heart…the heart that doubted it could survive a second beating from her.
“I don’t believe you,” he said flatly. Because it was easier…safer.
She gave him a sad smile. “I’m not surprised. Why would you? Why would you trust me? If me loving you means anything, then let me earn back that trust. I’m happy to do the work. I’ll earn your respect. I love you, Mitch. Nothing is going to change that. I’ve learned my lesson. I know what matters. I’m not going anywhere. Just think about it, please. Consider the possibility that after all this time, maybe we’ve found our way back to each other.”
He didn’t know what to say. It was everything he wanted to hear but it was also everything he was afraid of. Could he make himself that vulnerable to Skye, again? It was too much. So he turned and left without saying anything.
When he was back in his truck, he clutched the steering wheel hard enough to turn his knuckles white. It was that or put his fist through the window.
Why did she have to look so earnest? Why did he want to believe her?
His cell phone rang, but he ignored it. After starting the truck he drove back to the ranch. The phone rang every couple of minutes. Skye was nothing if not persistent but he needed time.
But when he pulled in front of the house, Fidela rush out to him.
“I’ve been calling,” she said, sounding frantic. She twisted her hands together. “Oh, Mitch, I’m so sorry. It’s bad. It’s very bad.”