He felt her glance. “Your sister isn’t a duty.”
“True. But the way you’re looking tonight, I’m not sure I want to share you with my family. You look stunning, Kellie.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “You look better than I feared you would after being sent to the hospital.”
He thought he heard a compliment in there somewhere. “I had no choice but to go in the ambulance. Those were the captain’s orders. Otherwise I would have come back in the town house to talk to you.”
She nodded. “Luckey told me as much.”
“Well, Ms. Parrish—we have a half hour of privacy before we reach my parents’ home, where you’ll be bombarded with questions. Ask me anything you want.”
“I want to know how you knew the stalker would come after you in the alley.”
“When I realized the stalker had a clear look at your garage in order to take that picture, and to see his brother hauled out to the van in the very same place, I decided he could be hiding out in one of the town houses on either side of the alley. So Vic and I went door to door. We hit the jackpot when we entered the town house opposite yours through the fence. Those two criminals had been renting it since February.”
He heard her gasp. “I don’t believe it. All this time?”
“We found enough evidence inside to help the agents in winding up the other murder cases back east.” Cy didn’t tell her about the shrine. It would horrify her, and she didn’t need the added trauma now that they’d been incarcerated. “Dan kept a loaded rifle with a scope by the side of the bedroom window overlooking your garage.
“After he sent you that last phone message about getting rid of your husband, I decided to draw him out. When the team saw Dan return to the town house dressed like a woman, I figured he would make his move against me soon. So I set it up and hoped he’d hear the garage door open. If he hadn’t done it when he did, then he would have tried again and again. It was my luck that he was so angry, he took the first chance he got.
“I backed the car out. As soon as I turned the wheels, I knew he’d take a shot if he was going to, so I stopped the car and rolled out to the ground. Those three shots shattered the glass. That was it. The team closed in on Dan, who had no idea they were staking him out, and took him away.”
She lowered her head. “You could have been killed so easily.”
“No. The setup was on my terms. I knew what I was doing. Those evil twins are going to be sent to prison for life without parole.”
“The governor praised you on TV.”
“It was all in a day’s work.”
“Don’t be absurd, Cy. What you did was as great as what the Original Forty did when they saved Texas.”
“That comparison is way over-the-top. Just remember that saving you was greater, and I couldn’t have done it alone.”
“But it was all your brainchild. Sometimes you seem bigger than life. I’m in awe of you.”
Cy smiled to himself. He’d take that for a start. “It helped that the target of those killers happened to be a woman who’s the pride of Texas. You showed courage under fire and stayed in control while they terrorized you. Kind of like the way you handle Trixie when you race into the arena. Thousands of rodeo fans across the country are in awe of you.”
“You’re never going to let me thank you properly, are you?”
They were driving into Dripping Springs. Cy took the first turnoff and drove to a neighborhood park with a small lake. After pulling to a stop in an area away from other people, he stopped the engine. He undid his seat belt and turned to her, sliding his arm along the back of her seat. “What is your definition of proper?”
He waited while she digested his question, then she undid her seat belt. His heart thudded as she launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck. She started kissing his face. Every feature. “This and this and this!”
Suddenly her mouth reached his and he forgot everything except the thrill of holding her in his arms once more. She was no longer the woman he had to protect. For the first time, he was free to kiss her and show her what she meant to him without having to hold back his passion. He’d been aching for her since they’d kissed a few days ago.
“I’ve missed you for the last two nights,” he whispered into her shimmering hair. Her fragrance enveloped him.
“It’s been hard since you moved out,” she admitted. “I know we were only together for a week, but I got used to being with you. To be honest, I feel lost.”
“I know the feeling.” Cy crushed her mouth again, never wanting this ecstasy to stop. They couldn’t get close enough. He would never be able to get enough of her.
“We’re going to be late for the party,” she struggled to say after he lifted his mouth so she could breathe.
He groaned. “What party?”
“The one I got dressed up for.”