Page 125

“I want you to be with me. But now everything is messed up. I saw you go with him that night after I came to the hospital to take care of you.”

Lyric didn’t say anything for a moment. “You trashed my apartment.”

Rick’s body went rigid. “You deserved it, after what you did!”

“What did I do, except be honest with you from the beginning that I didn’t want that kind of relationship with you? You keep trying to force it, but all that does is show me that I don’t matter to you at all.”

Rick took a step toward her. “You do. I love you.”

Mason’s left hand was free. He didn’t bother to look behind him to identify who helped him. He slowly stood behind Rick.

“Then, if you really do love me, let me go, knowing you did it to make me happy.”

He shook the gun at her. “Why can’t we be together? Why can’t you just try?” Anger laced with frustration, sadness, and defeat filled those words.

“Because my heart belongs to him. It has for a long time.”

“He can’t love you the way I love you.”

“He loves me with his trust and understanding and care. He doesn’t take anything I don’t want to give. He accepts me for who I am and allows me to live the life I want to live.”

“I can be better. You can show me how to be better.”

“That’s not my job, Rick.” Her soft voice kept Rick calm. “I can’t fix you. You need help before you really do hurt someone.”

“What’s the point?” He put the gun to his head. “Every time I try, it turns to shit.”

“Don’t. You don’t want to do that!” Lyric reached for Rick.

Mason grabbed the gun and yanked it away from Rick. “You don’t get to do that and put that nightmare in her head.” He holstered the gun and pulled Rick’s arms behind his back. “Cuffs, Nick?”

Nick came out from hiding just outside the front door and tossed the cuffs to Mason. “You’re supposed to be on leave.”

“Yeah, well, it’s a small town, and the cops were busy with something else.” Mason shoved Rick into Nick’s waiting grip, then he pulled Lyric into his arms and hugged her close. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Thank you for saving him.”

“The idiot never took the safety off the gun.” He dropped that nugget of luck, then held Lyric by the arms away from him. “Why the hell did you walk into this house? You could have been killed. Do you have any idea what that would have done to me?”

She cupped his face and kissed him hard. “I love you. There was no way I wasn’t coming for you. Get used to it.”

He dragged her back into his arms, buried his facein her neck, and held her close until his heart stopped trying to pound its way out of his chest.

It took a minute, but he finally let her loose, though he kept her close with a hand at her waist. He turned toward the back of the house and shook his head at the couple standing there. His gaze settled on the woman Lyric resembled more than a little bit. “Thank you for cutting me loose, Mrs. Wilde. That was a huge risk.”

“Anything for Lyric.”

“I feel the same way,” he told her, earning a firm nod of approval from Lyric’s father, who stood next to his wife with a rifle in hand.

Lyric turned into him and put her hand on his chest. “Mom. Dad. This is Special Agent Mason Gunn and his brother Nick. They’re FBI. And this one is mine.”

He looked down into her possessive and love-filled gaze, then turned to her parents, not missing the subtle rise of the rifle, Mr. Wilde sending a message to Mason about treating his daughter right. Mason dismissed it because he’d never hurt Lyric. “Mr. and Mrs. Wilde, I’m so happy to meet you. I just wish it was under better circumstances.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you.” Mrs. Wilde grinned at him, then gave Lyric an eye-twinkling glance of approval. “And it’s Robin and Wade.”

He had to ask. “What are you doing here?”

Lyric answered for them. “As the crow flies, Wilde Wind Ranch is a little over a mile behind this property. By road, it’s about a fifteen-minute drive around the way.”