Page 100 of Brooke's Bliss
“Laura has her.She’s playing with Sierra this afternoon.”Nell hissed as she tried to straighten up.“They’re having a tea party.”
“I’ll call her after I talk to Caleb,” Brooke said.
“Let’s get outside and wait for Noah.”Lucy ran back andgrabbed Nell’s purse.
“I can drive her,” Henry offered.
Lucy’s head shook.“Nope.You are going to sit in the backand hold her hand and help me keep track of her vitals.You shouldn’t bedriving while she’s in labor.Let Noah handle it.”
Henry nodded.
“This is the Bliss Clinic.Are you shot?”
The town was going to miss Naomi so much.“No one is shot,Doc.Nell’s in labor.We’re on our way in.”
Nothing.The line went dead.She wasn’t sure if he’d heardher or not.
She glanced down at her phone, ready to try to reconnect thecall.No bars.But they’d put a tower fairly close so the major parts of theranch had cellular coverage.Shane had told her if he was out in the farreaches of the ranch, coverage could come in and out, but it should always beavailable here.
What was going on?
She looked back at Henry, who was gently herding his wife tothe doors, helping her around the goats.“Henry, do you have bars?”
Henry stopped and slipped his cell out of his pocket.“No.Idon’t.The call connected?”
She nodded.“Yes.I got him on the line but…”
There was the sound of something going off in the distance.
Gunfire.
“Ladies, I need you to move to the far corner of the barn.”Henry’s tone had gone icy cold.Like something had washed over him and all thehugginesswas gone.
“Did Noah’s car backfire?”Lucy moved to the door.
Henry blocked her.“No.That’s not how modern cars sound.That was gunfire, and it’s coming from one of the houses.Lucy, please take mywife to one of the back stalls and make her as comfortable as you can while Ifigure out what’s going on.”
“Henry,” Nell began.
He seemed to take control of himself.A long, deep breathand his expression cleared and he was Henry again.“I know, baby.I’ll becareful.I’ll be gentle.”
Nell’s hands shook as she reached up and cupped herhusband’s face.“I’m sorry.I called the wrong name.I need you, John Bishop.This baby needs you.Our baby.”
Whoa.Okay, now if she didn’t sort of know the story, shewould think Henry had a double personality disorder.John Bishop was the namehe’d gone by when he’d worked for the CIA in black ops.When he’d been a deadlyoperative.
“Nell,” he began.
She shook her head.“Do what you need to do, John.Whateveryou need to do.You are off the leash, my love.”
His eyes hardened at the words, but he kissed her tenderly.“Stay safe.I’ll be back.”
Brooke’s heart rate tripled because she heard the sound oflarge vehicles pulling up to the driveway.“I think that might be Bay.”
She started for the door but Henry moved in front of her.Heeased the door open slightly, and his frown told her most of what she needed toknow.The low growl of his words told her the rest.“Not Bay.It’s two trucks.Maybe ten men, and they all have weapons, which will be helpful to me.”
A chill snaked along her spine.Shane had been worried aboutsomething happening.Bay hadn’t believed him, but it looked like Bay was goingto eat those words.Shane was still out there.“Shane and Bay had some troublewith a rancher a few months back.”
“I know.I actually started looking into the man months agowhen Trev was worried about him joining the ranching collective the G belongsto.I will say the man is good at covering his tracks.I can show you where hisbooks don’t align, but I can’t prove where the money is coming from,” Henryadmitted.“I suspect he runs his ranch like a mafia head, including getting ridof disloyal employees.”
