Page 49 of Waiting in Wyoming

He would probably love a woman just as much, just as deeply. Her stomach clenched when she thought about that,when she realized—shewas the woman this man said he wanted. The one he’d been waiting for.

Her dad was looking at her. Meyra waited. She knew he would have something to say. “Why are they looking for Brandt?”

“Two young men were found dead on the back ravine of the inn around five yesterday afternoon,” her father said. “One was on Brandt’s property. The other was on ours.”

“Who were they?” Meyra asked, her stomach clenching.

“Police haven’t released the IDs. Dylan found them. Dylan and that actor friend of hers. They were most likely killed the night before and left there.”

She felt sick just thinking about that. Right there, in their backyard. Where anyone in her family could have been hurt. How had Dylan found them?

“Is Dylan okay?” Meyra shivered. Brandt pulled her tighter against him. “Is she okay?”

“She’s going to be fine, in time,” Rhea said. “Dixie is keeping a close eye on her sister.”

Meyra nodded; that was good. Dixie was good at taking care of people when they needed it most.

“I’ll call Joel as soon as I can,” Brandt said. He hadn’t let go of Meyra. Meyra didn’t want him to. She felt safe when he held her.

Rhea nudged her father on the arm. “We’re going to head upstairs. We hadn’t anticipated finding you quite so soon.”

“We’re going to the hospital to check on Gunnar. And Heather. She’s the lady who was at the inn—with the two little girls. She was hurt, too.” And Meyra was worried. Everyone was talking about Heather in hushed tones. She knew something more was going on. She just couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Heather works with Gunnar—my sister’s, well, he’s the father of my sister’s baby. Heather saved their lives. My sister, my parents, all of them. We are forever in her debt.”

“She was shot. Charlotte told me. Heather is still in the hospital. She almost bled to death,” Meyra said. She would never forget what it had been like when Marin and Brandt had been shot by Jasper Grady. How terrified everyone had been. Marin had gotten out of the hospital that night, but Brandt—he had been hurt much, much worse.

“I hate to hear that,” Rhea said. “I may have met her that evening in the dining room, I believe. With Brandt’s brothers? That very beautiful woman with the long brown hair?”

“That was her—she’s a bit distinctive. Powell was able to get a call out for help to Heather when those men broke into my parents’ place. Heather and her family live seven or eight blocks away. Heather was instrumental in saving my family’s lives. We can never repay her for what she did.” Brandt’s voice broke as he spoke. Meyra looked at him again. He was very expressive in how he felt about things sometimes. Probably far more than she was.

She liked that about him. How he was comfortable with how he felt. He had told her how he felt abouthermultiple times the night before. She believed him, too. Brandt was one of the most honest men she knew. Very much like her father. Meyra needed that—she understood that fully. She didn’t always understand people and subtle interactions. She needed direct honesty.

“She’s Charlotte’s friend Zoey’s aunt. She really looks like Zoey, too,” Meyra added.

“Let me accompany you to the hospital, son. I have experience dealing with the media. I’d be happy to help. Keep the vultures away, if I can. If nothing else, I can distract them.” Her father was good at that. Sometimes Meyra thought he liked to yank journalists’ chains just for fun. Miranda had agreed with her before. She said her father deserved to have some fun, too. Her sister was really weird sometimes. Well, so was their father.

“Thanks. I’ll admit, I hate being in front of a camera. But I lost the draw. Apparently, since I wasn’t here to help them deal with everything that night, my brothers decided this is a fair division of labor.”

Brandt was so easy with her father. Most men she and her sisters and cousins dated were a little afraid of her dad. Sometimes, they were a lot afraid of him. Meyra could understand why. Her dad was really tall, strong, and imposing. Even in his sixties. And he was used to being in charge.

Of course, Brandt was just as tall. People looked at him, too. And he was good at being in charge. Just like her dad. He’d probably get even better at being in charge as he got older. He was only thirty-one, after all.

They made it back to the hospital in just a few minutes. The hotel wasn’t that far away.

Meyra decided that as far as small cities went, Finley Creek was okay.

She still missed home, though. But if Brandt had to travel back to Finley Creek a lot, she wouldn’t mind going with him. As long as she had someone to cover the dining room or the diner, anyway. Dylan would probably do it, if Meyra asked. Dylan was always working extra shifts when she could. She said she was saving money for a secret project or something. She wouldn’t tell Meyra what it was yet, though. Meyra would fully trust Dylan with her kitchens—her cousin knew what she was doing in there.

But it would be worth it, she decided. To be with him.

He never let go of her hand, except in the car.

And that was just because he opened the rear door for her. His cousin Houghton had sent a limo for them.

Brandt called Joel and told him where he would be and how to get ahold of him. And that he would look at photos of the dead men, if Joel needed him to. So that he could confirm they weresome of the men who had attacked him. Apparently, the dead men met that description.

She shivered again. She definitely hadn’t forgotten what had happened to Brandt that night. She never would. While he did that, she texted Dylan to see if her cousin was okay. Sometimes her dad missed things, where people were concerned. She just needed to check on Dylan for herself.

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