Chapter 17 #2
Garrett was grinning. “I guess my last concern for my daughter has just been answered. Having him for a son-in-law is going to ease my last fears for her safety. I would not want to make that man angry.”
“He was bleeding quite a bit,” Travis said.
“Yes, but he was still walking and talking, and he’ll heal. Damn. That Whistler guy was big, too,” Garrett said.
“I know…linebacker big,” Travis said. “But Gunner sure can run. He looked like Superman taking flight when he took that man off a moving motorcycle. I sure hope he’s okay.”
“Call Holly. She’ll know. She’s likely with him.”
“Yeah, I will. I’m gonna go show Granny,” he said and went running back to the house.
* * *
Asher and Dylan Kingston were impressed with their little brother’s prowess, while their wives were in tears that he was hurt. Man and woman. Yin and yang. Different feelings for the same event, but all from love.
While back in Dallas, Gunner was home and resting in bed and Holly was at his house, answering call after call from his phone.
Most of them were from television stations or reporters from newspapers wanting an interview, and the answer from Gunner was no to all of it.
Finally, he told Holly to let it all go to voicemail.
He’d already talked to his family, and everybody else could wait.
The last time she went in to check on him, he had turned off the TV and was staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
“Gunner? Sweetheart? Is there anything you need?”
He turned his head and patted the bed beside him. “Just you. Only you. Lie down with me.”
She kicked off her shoes and crawled onto the left side of the bed nearest his uninjured arm and rolled over on her side to face him. “Travis called. The family sends their love and prayers for getting better, and Travis now thinks you’ve hung the moon.”
Gunner had finally seen the video and was somewhat shocked that he’d done all of that without thinking. Part of it was the cop he was, not wanting a bad guy to get away, and the other part was all Kingston.
A half smile broke the somberness of his face. “He’s a really good kid.”
“Lieutenant Samuels called. He’s out of the hospital and very proud of you. He knows that you resigned. Said to tell you it was a good decision and wishes you well.”
Gunner sighed. “Well, damn. That’s where I was heading when I stopped to get gas. I intended to tell him in person that I’d resigned. I guess he was already at home. It’s just as well.”
“Are you going to miss the people you worked with?”
He thought a few moments. “I don’t think so.
Without Samuels as lieutenant, it would have been hell to work under Greg Rance.
Nobody needs that kind of grief every day when you’re trying to solve murders.
Cliff Beale was my partner up until the bounty thing happened and Samuels put me on a leave of absence until all that was resolved.
Cliff and I worked well together, but his personal life, which he often brought with him to work, was a mess.
He gambled. And his home life was screwed because of it. ”
“Oh wow…and you won all that money. If you’d stayed…”
“He would have hounded me for money…either to bet with, or to pay off debts.”
He started to yawn, then winced and reached for his jaw. “That hurt.”
“You need an ice pack.”
“You are probably right. I didn’t think of that when I laid down. I keep those frozen in the freezer at the bottom of the fridge,” he said.
“I’ll get one for you,” she said.
“I could use another pain pill, too, if it’s time,” he added.
She blew him a kiss. “Be right back.”
He listened to her footsteps flying down the hall and closed his eyes.
She was running.
* * *
Gunner fell asleep with an ice pack wrapped in a kitchen towel leaning against his jaw.
Holly pulled the covers up over his chest, taking care not to bump anything that hurt, and blew him a kiss as she left.
It was past noon, and he had already taken his second pain pill without eating. One more dose and she knew from experience that if he didn’t put food in his stomach, he was going to get sick. A quick look through his refrigerator was useless. There was nothing there that he could comfortably chew.
She scanned several menus before getting to something she thought would work and placed two orders for meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and gravy dinners with one side, and four orders of two different kinds of soup for other meals, then sent texts to the girls at the office and to Gene, her boss.
I will work virtually tomorrow, but from Gunner’s house.
He’s in a lot of pain. Sorry for bolting like I did.
He was a bloody mess. Twelve stitches to close the cut on his shoulder, a really bad case of road rash on his arm below the elbow where he hit the pavement with the perp, a huge bruise on the side of his jaw from the biker’s helmet, and bruises all over.
But nothing is broken, and he will heal.
Still waiting on the appraiser to get to Gunner’s property. I have the photos for Zillow and Redfin ready to go. As soon as we get the appraisal and the inspection done, we can set a price. That’s all for now.
Holly
She was still sitting in the quiet of the room when her cell phone rang. It was Travis.
“Hey, little brother.”
“I wanted to check on Gunner, but Dad said I should call you because he might not feel like talking,” Travis said.
“He’s going to be fine. He’s hurting a lot now, but at the moment, he’s asleep. I’m going to work virtually for a while and will be spending the next few nights here until he is able to get around on his own better.”
“You will tell him we called and asked about him, okay?” Travis said.
“Oh, I will, honey. Everything okay there? Is Granny settling in?”
“All is well, and it’s like Granny never left. She’s doing the books. And Dad has a roping event coming up. Granny is all fired up about keeping times and announcing the competitors…like Mom used to do.”
“Good. You know that was Granny’s job before Mom and Dad were married, so she is an old hand at all of this, which is exactly what Dad needs. She’s someone who can pick up the slack without having to be taught what to do.”
“I guess I forgot about that,” Travis said. “Dad said you are moving back to Crossroads with Gunner.”
“I am…but we’re going to have to build a house first, which means he’s staying with his dad, and I’m staying at the ranch until the house is built.”
“That’s so cool, and so is Gunner. We’ve watched that video a thousand times. Dang, Holly. It’s like looking at something out of a movie.”
She chuckled. “I’m paraphrasing, but Gunner said flying through the air was epic. Coming down, not so much.”
Travis laughed. “He’s already become Crossroads’ new hero.”
“I can only imagine. Are you getting a little excited now about college?”
“Yeah. I found out that a guy I know from Tulia is also going there. We might room together.”
“That’s wonderful, honey. It will all work out. Life always does, whether we’re ready for it or not. Listen, I just hear a car pulling up. It’s probably DoorDash. Gotta go. Talk to you soon.”
“Okay, bye. Love you,” Travis said.
“Love you, too,” Holly said and hung up just as the doorbell rang. By the time she got there, the driver was backing out of the drive, and the food was on the doorstep. “Awesome,” she said and took it back inside.
She heard Gunner stirring and went to check on him. He was up and pulling on a pair of sweatpants with some effort.
“I’m so sorry, honey. Did the doorbell wake you? It was DoorDash.”
“I was awake, just not moving. But the longer I stay still, the stiffer I’m getting. I need to move around a little,” he said.
“Do you feel like eating anything?” she asked.
“If I don’t have to do much chewing, yes.”
“You need to eat something. Taking pain pills on an empty stomach isn’t a good idea,” she said. “I ordered meatloaf and mashed potatoes and gravy for you, or soups if you prefer.”
“Meatloaf and mashed potatoes sound perfect,” he said, and it was.
It took a while to get it eaten, but most of it was gone by the time he quit.
He got a fresh ice pack for his jaw and brushed a kiss across Holly’s lips.
“I’ve been sick a dozen times and still working on the job, had a broken nose, been shot once, and beaten up twice on the job before help arrived.
All that time, I came home to this house alone and healed in spite of myself.
You have no idea what this means to me.”
“You were shot?”
He showed her a small scar on the side of his waist. “Flesh wound. Nothing serious, but it hurt a while.”
“I will spend the rest of our lives together, loving all of the empty, lonely places within you. Just know that; now get yourself in bed.”
Before he’d taken two steps, the doorbell rang.
“Are you expecting anyone?” she asked.
“No.” He started to go to the door when Holly stopped him.
“You sit. If it’s some reporter, I’ll deal with them. You go to the door like that, and your picture will be front-page news.”
He looked down at himself, wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants, purple bruises everywhere, and his arm bandaged in two places.
“Point taken,” he said and sat in his recliner.
Holly looked through the peephole in the door. “Two people. A blond guy with sunglasses and a woman with purple hair.”
Cliff and Frankie. Gunner sighed. “Let them in.”
Holly opened the door. “I’m gonna need to see some IDs.”
They looked startled and then laughed when they realized she was teasing. Cliff yelled out. “Damn it, Gunner. Call her off. It’s just us.”
Holly laughed. “Sorry. Couldn’t resist,” she said, then stood aside for them to enter.
But the moment they saw him, their smiles disappeared.
“Jesus,” Cliff said.
Frankie’s eyes welled.
“I’m sitting up and talking, not lying in a casket. Get your asses in here and sit down,” Gunner said.
They sat.