Page 79 of Christmas Homecoming Secrets
“Ma’am, let us check him out, please.”
Bryce gripped her fingers. “We’re not done discussing things,” he said softly.
“Okay.”
She moved away, her heart full for the moment. Bryce hadn’t said he loved her, but it had been in his eyes. She turned her attention to Heather who lay handcuffed to the gurney.
Just that fast, her emotion flipped into despair. Anger. Betrayal. The paramedics wheeled their patient toward the ambulance while two officers followed. One would ride in the back with her and the EMT.
Heather met her gaze for a brief moment, then looked away. Jade let out a slow breath and turned to find Bryce next to her. He placed an arm across her shoulders and kissed her temple. “It’s over,” he said. “She killed Frank, didn’t she?”
“Yes.”
“And she was behind all the attempts on your life?”
“She was.”
“I read some of Frank’s journal,” he said, “and I’ll be honest, based on what he wrote, I think Heather needs help more than prison.”
“We’ll make sure she gets the mental health services, but I don’t think there’s anything we can do to keep her out of prison.”
“Probably not.”
“What about you? Are you all right?”
“I’ve been cleared. Bruised, but not broken.”
“You threw yourself in front of that bullet she meant for me,” Jade said, her voice thick.
“And I’d do it all over again as long as it meant keeping you safe.”
He wanted to be a father to Mia and he’d taken a bullet for Jade. She was pretty sure that meant he loved her. The question was, would he admit it?
* * *
Even through all of the chaos and the interruptions, Bryce still heard Jade’s voice ringing in his mind. “I love you, Bryce,” she’d said. Four words that had thrilled him and scared him to death all at the same time. He was willing to admit he loved her, too, and little Mia had already wormed her way into his heart. In spite of his yearning to be her father, the doubts about his ability to be the kind of father she needed wanted to cripple him.
Jade squeezed his hand, and he returned the pressure. “Let’s go,” he said.
“Where?”
“Someplace peaceful where we can talk without interruptions.”
She smiled. “I know just the place. Let me call Mom and Dad and tell them they can come home. Then we can go.”
Two hours later, after promising to give their statements in the morning, Bryce rode Caesar, a beautiful paint with a sweet temperament, and followed Jade to the top of the hill on her parents’ property. When she pulled her horse to a stop, he did the same and took in the view. A manmade lake at the bottom of the hill rippled in the wind. Snow covered the rest of the area, but he could almost picture how it would look in the spring. Rolling green meadows, blue skies, wildflowers and trees. “Wow.”
“I know. This is the most peaceful place on earth, I do believe.”
“I won’t argue that.” He dismounted, then helped her down even though she didn’t need his assistance. He turned her to face him. “Jade, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. A lot.”
“Uh-oh.”
A slight smile pulled at the corners of his lips. “I know I come with a lot of baggage. Some days, I’ll admit, I don’t even feel like a complete man because of my leg.”
A gasp slipped from her. “I hope you know that’s not true.”
“I do. Mentally. But sometimes my self-pity outweighs my common sense. I can be moody and snarky when that happens.” He swallowed and looked away. “I don’t know if you understand what that entails.”
