Page 184 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Tears sprang to her eyes as she dropped down beside him. “Oh, my gosh! Call 911,” she cried. “Jordan, what happened?”

“He was hit by a black sedan that sped off,” a man said.

Jordan gasped for breath, a dazed look in his eyes.

Addie’s pulse pounded against her head in hard thrusts.Please let him be okay, she prayed. “Hold on. Help is on the way.” A burst of dizziness overtook her, and she had the feeling none of this was real.

The cloudiness dissipated from Jordan’s eyes for a split second as he focused on her. “Addie,” he breathed.

She reached for his hand. “I’m here.” Panic rose thick in her throat as her chest constricted to the size of a pea. “He needs help,” she screamed, looking around wildly.

“Help is on the way,” a woman assured her.

“I’ve—” Jordan made a gurgling sound as his shoulders convulsed.

“Don’t try to talk,” she implored.

He coughed, a thin line of blood bubbling from his lips.

A wave of nausea rolled over Addie. She suspected that Jordan was bleeding internally. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she watched his chest go up and down in a futile effort to get air. Jordan was dying before her very eyes, and she was incapable of helping him.

“I’ve—done—things,” he managed to say.

“Rest. Don’t talk.”

The anguish in Jordan’s eyes seared through her like a red-hot knife.

“Please— ” he coughed “—forgive me.” His eyes glazed, and she felt his hand go slack as life left him.

“No!” she cried, sobbing.

Chapter Two

Addie knew she needed to call Piper and tell her about Jordan. A part of her wanted to shrink back and let events run their course. Sheriff Hendricks would get around to it in the next few hours.

No, she couldn’t wait for him. The news needed to come from her.

Crazy how a few hours ago she’d been going about her life as normal, fretting over the details of the approaching conference. Jordan had done the same—coming to see her so he could get the jewelry to give to Piper. Tears glistened in her eyes. Hopefully, it would bring some comfort to Piper to know his last thoughts had been of her. Addie’s heart clutched. That wasn’t exactly true. Jordan’s last words kept replaying through her mind. What things had Jordan done? Forgive him for what? She pushed her hair out of her eyes and tucked her curls behind her ears as she took in a deep breath. She could do this! She had to hold it together to call Piper!

A knock sounded at the door the second before it opened. Sadie stuck her head in, her wide eyes radiating compassion. “How ya holding up?”

A lump formed in Addie’s throat. “Okay,” she croaked.

Sadie nodded. “Don’t worry about the conference. I’ve got everything under control. The execs just finished lunch and are headed into the Alpine room for their workshops.”

“Thank you.” She forced a smile. “What about dinner tonight?”

She raised an eyebrow, a hint of reproof in her voice. “I told you. I’m handling it. We’re shuttling them to the Center Street Grill.”

Normally, Sadie second-guessed everything, running every insignificant detail past Addie. However, the woman standing before her seemed to have newfound confidence. Or maybe Addie was just hoping Sadie could handle it. Either way, she had no choice but to leave things in her hands—at least for today. “I appreciate all that you’re doing.”

“You’re welcome,” she said briskly. “I’d better get back to it.” She offered a reassuring smile. “Hang in there.” She closed the door.

“I’m trying to,” Addie said to herself, “but it’s certainly not easy.” Was the hit and run an accident? Had the person driving the sedan panicked when realizing he or she hit someone? Or was Jordan murdered? A chill slithered down her spine. Jordan had been frightened when he rushed from the terrace.

Sheriff Hendricks and his deputy had questioned Addie right after the accident. She told them all she knew, which wasn’t much. She could tell that the Sheriff was way out of his league. Nothing like this ever happened in the sleepy town of Birchwood Springs, Colorado. Addie grunted. Well, the only other major crime incident that Addie could remember taking place in Birchwood Springs happened a couple of years ago. Her brother Corbin brought Delaney here and her ex-husband’s psychotic brother came after her. Why did all the bad things seem to revolve around Addie’s family? She shook off the negativethought. Now was not the time to feel sorry for herself. This wasn’t about her. It was about Jordan and Piper.

Addie’s first impulse was to call Corbin and tell him everything that happened. Corbin had connections in his private security company. No, she couldn’t call him now. He had his hands full with Delaney’s pregnancy. Maddox! He could help. No sooner had the thought surfaced than she squelched it flat. No way was she calling Maddox. She gritted her teeth.

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