Page 47 of Her Sweetest Rogue (The Worthington Legacy #6)

T he force of the strange man slamming into Trey’s body caused him to lose his breath. He sagged against Judith who stood behind him. But the bullet didn’t hit him. Instead, the man who’d saved Trey’s life fell to the ground at his feet, clutching his shoulder. Trey glanced up in time to see Nic’s pistol fire and Alex crumble to the dirt in a motionless heap.

Hawthorne looked his way. “Are you all right?”

Trey nodded. “The bullet hit this man, instead.”

Judith sobbed and wrapped her arms around Trey. He pulled her to his chest and she clung to his shirt. Burying his face in her hair, he held her tight. “I’m all right,” he whispered.

Nic ran closer to kneel beside the stranger who’d taken the bullet. “I think he’s still alive.”

Trey pulled away from Judith and crouched beside the unconscious man, rolling him from his side to his back. Blood coated the stranger’s shoulder and down his arm.

“We have to stop the bleeding,” Nic said.

Judith stepped beside Trey and lifted her gown, showing her petticoats. “Use this.”

Trey took the bottom hem and ripped a long strip while Nic removed the man’s filthy coat.

“Who is he?” he asked Judith.

“I don’t know, but he knows me somehow.”

Trey looked up at her. “He does?”

“Yes, but only when I was a young girl. He does not know his name. He says he has a head injury and does not remember anything.”

Not much light shone on them from the half moon, and Trey couldn’t see the man’s face very well. With all the hair covering his features, it was hard to detect anything. Trey concentrated on bandaging the man’s arm, hoping it would stop the flow of blood.

As Nic finished removing the man’s shirt, the stranger’s arm fell across his chest.

“Look!” Nic shook his head and pointed to a ring on the man’s finger. “Trey, isn’t that—”

Gasping, Trey ignored his bandaging and lifted the stranger’s hand.

“What is it?” Judith asked.

“He’s wearing my ring.”

“How can it be your ring?”

Trey shook his head. “It’s a ring with my family’s crest.” He peered closer at the unconscious man. Moving the long hair out of his face, Trey studied him until familiarity sneaked upon him.

Good heavens! It couldn’t be.

Emotion lodged in his throat as he gently rolled the man to his side so Trey could look at his back. When the old bullet wound just under his shoulder blade caught Trey’s eye, he gasped. “It’s Tristan.”

Judith fell to her knees and hiccupped a sob as she covered her mouth.

Nic’s eyes grew misty and he shook his head. “How is that possible?”

Trey rolled the man back toward him and swiped the hair away from his face again, studying him closer. Tears built in Trey’s eyes, but it was his heart that told him this was really his brother. “Tristan!” Trey’s voice cracked as he gently shook his brother. “Open your eyes and look at me.”

With tender prodding, Tristan finally blinked. When he met Trey’s stare, he smiled. “Trey,” he rasped.

Trey’s chest tightened and tears leaked down his cheeks. He gathered his brother in his arms and hugged him. “I cannot believe you are alive.”

Tristan sniffed. “I remember now. Thank God, I remember!”

Trey pulled away and cupped his brother’s face. “Where have you been?”

“I don’t know. I have drifted from one place to another. Nothing was in my memory. Not even my name.” He looked to Judith. “Until I saw her. Somehow I knew her.”

Crying, she leaned forward and hugged him.

“When she yelled your name,” Tristan told Trey, “another memory hit me. I knew you were my brother.”

Laughing with happiness, Trey wiped his moist eyes. “I…we all thought you were dead.”

Tristan looked on the other side of him at Nic and smiled. “Hawthorne, old man. How are you?”

Nic chuckled and gave him a bear hug.

Trey couldn’t believe the waves of emotion he’d experienced in one day, but the happiness flowing through him was worth every ache and sorrow he’d suffered. “Let’s get you home and cleaned up, Tristan. You look awful.”

Everyone laughed.

Judith scooted next to Trey and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer. He winked and kissed her on the mouth.

“Tristan,” Trey said as he looked back at his brother. “I want to introduce you to my fiancée.”

His brother’s weak hand lifted toward Judith and she grasped it with both of her hands. He kissed her knuckles and smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Again.”

As Trey helped his brother stand, his attention moved to the motionless body still on the road. “Nic? Did you kill him?”

“Yes.”

“Splendid. If you hadn’t, I would have.”

Trey’s heart sang with joy. Never did he think he’d feel this elated, especially after he thought Tristan had died, and again today when he thought the love of his life had left him. His chest still tightened, but there was a cleansing emotion spreading through him.

Smiling, he looked up at the darkened sky. If his father was gazing down from heaven—or up from hell—Trey hoped he knew how happy the prospect of marriage and family made him. He’d never follow in his father’s footsteps again.

*

Trey smiled at his beautiful Judith asleep curled up beside him on the couch. Her chestnut hair fanned across his arm and her white billowy nightdress made her appear virginal. Desire crept into his body, and he couldn’t wait until they were married.

The past few days had been dreadfully exhausting for Judith, and he feared she wouldn’t be able to keep alert any longer. Although she tried her hardest to have a strong spirit, she still needed protecting and loving. He would be the lucky chap to give it to her for the rest of their lives. Their wedding was only days away, but he needed to be with her now. Never again did he want to be separated from the woman he loved.

Quietly, he tucked a blanket around her as he cuddled her closer to his side. The household had retired, and he knew he could be with her like this all night and nobody would notice.

Tristan’s joyous homecoming took a lot out of the family. Mother’s first reaction to seeing her son back from the dead caused her to swoon, and rightly so for such a frail woman. After she gained consciousness, she kept Tristan’s hand in hers and wouldn’t let it go, holding him as if she didn’t want the dream to end.

Grinning, Trey stroked Judith’s arm, staring at her lovely face. He knew how his mother felt. He didn’t want his dream to end, either. It had taken him many years to become this happy, and he still worried something would snatch it away.

He cupped Judith’s face and rubbed this thumb across her bottom lip. Slowly, her mouth stretched into a grin. She blinked her eyes open and looked at him as he loomed over her.

“Is it morning?”

He chuckled. “No, my love.”

“Am I still on the couch?”

“Yes.”

“Why are you here?”

“Because I want to be with you always.”

“Hmm…” She turned toward him and snuggled her face against his chest. “This is nice.”

“Nice is good.” He kissed her lips. “But I have plans to make it better.”

“Better than nice?”

“So much better.”

“You do have ways of accomplishing that, don’t you?”

“Indeed, my lady.” He kissed her mouth. “In fact, I have decided where we are going to live after we are married.”

Her forehead crinkled and her eyes narrowed. “Where?”

“During the Season, we can live in my townhouse—unless you want me to sell it and get another one. But during the off months, I thought we could live in your house…where you grew up.”

She gasped, her eyes widening and sparkling with excitement. “You really want to live there?”

“I do if you do.”

“Oh, yes.” She threw her arms around him for a tight hug.

When her body relaxed, she left her head resting on his shoulder and looked up, her hand stroking his face. “We should retire to our room, don’t you think?”

He lifted his head enough to gaze into her sultry green eyes. “No, I want to stay right here. I will never leave you. Ever. I must be with the woman I love more than life itself.”

She gasped, her eyes widening. “Trey? You just told me you loved me.”

“Indeed I did. Was there any doubt?”

Tears gathered in her eyes. “I knew you did, but you have never said it before.”

“I shall say it every day for the rest of our lives, because I mean it, Judith. I love you completely.”

She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down for another kiss. No longer did she act like a tired woman, but instead one that was eager to be kissed good and hard. He wouldn’t disappoint her. Ever again.

The End