Page 78 of Stand

But everything happened in the half-second she turned her back.

Cairo, about whom she’d completely forgotten, took her movement toward him as a sign to put himself into the fray. He’d been behind her, but now he dashed around and began barking at Julia, his deep bark a sharp contrast to Noah’s little defenders.

Sam yelled, “No!” but Julia was already moving, the tines of the fork glinting in the corner of Sam’s eye as she spun around. She saw the pitchfork angle down and swing at her beautiful, brave dog, and she screamed.

But Ty dove in front of Cairo, putting out his arm to protect the dog. The fork caught against his forearm, and he yelled in pain and fell to his knees.

Sam’s vision filled with red. She didn’t give a shit about the pitchfork or the law or anything. She flew at Julia, but Cairo got there first. Darting under the length of the pitchfork, which clattered to the floor next to Ty, he went for Julia’s legs—not biting but hitting her with his head, making her stagger, which gave Sam enough time to barrel into her and knock her to the ground, hard.

Julia fell sideways. Sam forced her onto her front and sat on her feet. Julia was the one screaming now, but Sam didn’t care. She shifted up to Julia’s legs and then her hips. A small voice told Sam not to sit on her back because she’d break it, but since Julia was now trying to buck Sam off, Sam thought about it. When Julia got one arm free and began grabbing for Sam, Sam used her knee to pin it down.

Julia might not have been able to move, but she sure could shout, and Sam’s ears were ringing worse than ever. Oh, no. That was sirens. And the blissful view of flashing lights on a patrol car. Thank God Noah didn’t live out in the country. Thank God Lauren had called just when she had. Thank God one of the kids had the wherewithal to dial 911. A cop got out and ran over to them.

Putting the cuffs on Julia didn’t stop her screaming obscenities at anyone within reach, but Sam was able to get off her.

“You might need two—” Sam said. And sure enough, Julia twisted out of the officer’s hands and began running to the side, away from the horse paddock, her hands behind her back and the stilettos making her steps awkward. But another officer was there, and this one was twice as wide as Julia and stopped her by the simple virtue of whipping a hand around her waist and lifting her off her feet. Between him and the first police officer, they at least had her where she couldn’t move, and Sam was able to scramble over to Ty.

♦

The stab of the fork hadn’t been so bad. It was the drag of the tines falling out again that had driven Ty to his knees. Two large punctures in his inner arm started to bleed profusely. Someone had stolen his voice, so he couldn’t tell Sam that she should get off Julia, that, even unarmed, she was dangerous. That he didn’t mind the injury—all the injuries—as long as Sam and their kids were safe.

One side of him might have started slipping toward the blissful, welcoming ground. Oh, all of him. Sam was popping up and down in his vision, sitting on Julia. Then the cops came, and Noah was crouched next to him, saying, “You okay, dude?” and he heard Noah’s shirt tear. He wanted to tell him it wasn’t worth Noah’s cool shirt, but Sam was there now, and anyway, he had no voice.

She dropped to the ground, sending a cloud of dust into his face. “Ty,” she said.

He fought unconsciousness. She wasn’t strong enough to take his entire weight, and he should stand or something. As he floated a little, he could hear her crying.

“’m okay,” he said, though all his blood was on fire. Was this just from the injury? Or had Julia finally given him an aneurysm?

“Ty…” She was crying. “Oh,Ty. You saved Cairo. I can’t believe it. You saved Cairo.”

“’Course I did,” he mumbled. “Love that guy.” Keeping his eyes open took too much effort.

“Ty. Stay awake. Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare leave me now.” Her arms were around his waist, her head next to his. She’d pulled him to a seated position. She was strong enough, after all. Of course she was.

“You’re mine now,” she said. “I won’t let anything bad happen to you. Not ever again.”

“’Course you won’t,” he said.

Another scream from Julia. He gained enough strength to turn his head to see what had made her so mad. Ah. It was him again, of course. Or rather, if the words she shrieked could sink in, it was Sam’s proprietary way of holding him that made Julia incoherent with rage. Luckily, both cops now had her firmly in their grasp.

Sam settled her arms around him even more closely, and he heard her say, “That’s right, lady. And don’t you forget it.” Julia couldn’t hear her because she hadn’t stopped her rant, but Ty appreciated it all the same.

He was so tired. “Let me lie down,” he murmured.

“No, no, honey, come on, don’t go to sleep. Just a couple more minutes till they get here.” She was holding his arm too tightly. He murmured at the pain. “Noah, get that tourniquet going. Come on, baby, stay with me. I love you. Stay awake with me.”

Funny. She was actually holding him up now. “Love you too,” he said, drifting. “My arm hurts.”

“I know, baby,” she said. “But it can’t be worse than seven minutes of Heaven with Sam Fielding, can it?”

He laughed and passed out.

Chapter 22

“We’re going to stay here,” Ty said.

They were in bed, as they had been a lot in the last week while Ty convalesced. Noah had been true to his word and given the kids so much to do, they fell into bed at night completely exhausted. Leaving Sam and Ty plenty of time to catch up.

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