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to search your truck and you were kind enough to come here and make it convenient
for me. Right now that fancy rifle of yours is back at my office being tested for
comparison. I think this is one situation you won’t wiggle out of.”
There was a great deal of scuffling while the deputy cuffed Grant and dragged him
out of the room. The sheriff threatened to gag him if he didn’t remember he was in a
hospital and shut up.
“That’s what I wanted to tell Leah about,” Dash told Shane. “I’d already let Mac
know. I just wasn’t sure how close Leah was with Grant and if she’d believe me.”
“There’s nothing between her and Fallon,” Shane said with vehemence, “no matter
what he might try to imply.”
“And I think that’s why he tried to kill her,” Mac said. “He saw he wasn’t going to
marry the ranch, so with her out of the way he figured he could steamroll over Dash
and me. That we’d be glad to sell out and be rid of White Eagle.”
94
Eagle’s Run
“She saw it in a dream,” Ken Nightwalker said in his even voice.
Dash and Mac looked at him. “A dream?” Mac asked.
The old man nodded. “Two white eagles came into her life, chased by a black
vulture. I think we can say the vulture is gone for good.”
Whatever anyone else might have said was interrupted by the doctor who walked
into the room. He looked tired but he was smiling.
“I assume this is the family of Leah Morgan?”
“Yes,” they answered as one voice.
“How is she?” Shane demanded, pushing his way forward.
“She’ll be fine, but she’s got some recovery time before she’s up and around.” He
smiled at Shane. “The tourniquet on her arm and the ice packs on her head saved her a
lot of grief. Good work. Are you a doctor?”
Shane grinned. “A vet, but medicine is medicine. What did you find?”
“The bullet did a lot of damage to her arm, tearing muscle and tendons and
chipping the bone. She also bled a lot from it. But if she’d been holding her arm a
fraction either way the bullet would have hit her heart.”
“Shit. Sorry, doctor. What about her head?”
”The rock she fell on cut the temporal artery, but again, you managed to stop the
blood flow or we might not have been able to save her. She’s got a hairline skull
fracture but no internal bleeding. She has a lot of stitches, and she’ll be sore for a long
while. But if you can keep her in bed, she’ll recover nicely.”
“I intend to do just that,” Shane assured him, then felt himself redden as the men
around him grinned knowingly.
“It will be at least an hour before you can see her,” the doctor told them. “Why
don’t you all get a cup of coffee? You look like you can use it.”
“Thanks, doc. For everything.”
95
Desiree Holt
They found an empty table in the hospital cafeteria. Ken fetched coffee for all of
them, passed the cups around the table before sitting down. For a long moment no one
said anything.
“I’m going to marry her,” Shane said, breaking the silence. He looked at the other
men. “I’m not interested in getting a share of the ranch or anything else. My practice
does very well. I love Leah and I want to make a life with her.” He looked at each of
them in turn. “Any objections?”
One by one each man shook his head.
Ken Nightwalker stared at him with eyes so piercing Shane was sure they could see
into his soul. “I think you are a good man. Take care of my granddaughter or you will
answer to me.”
Shane swallowed a grin and nodded, then looked at Mac and Dash. “What about
you two? What are your plans? Leah will want to know.”
The two men exchanged a look.
Mac cleared his throat. “We’ve had a chance to do some talking. I know this was a
shock to Leah and it’s been hard to handle, but we want to claim our share of the
ranch.”
“Exactly what does that mean?” Shane demanded.
“I think it’s something we have to work out with Leah,” Dash said. “We don’t want
to disrupt anything. We’re willing to work on the ranch too. Share the profits, share the
work.”
“Dash is happy with the line shack for now,” Mac told them, “but I’d like to stake
out a place for me to build a house. As soon as Leah is well enough for us to talk about
everything.”
“We could have incorporation papers drawn up,” Dash went on. “All legal,
regardless of the will. They can spell out everything.”
96
Eagle’s Run
“If you’re serious,” Shane said, “I know Leah will work things out with you. She
doesn’t want a battle any more than you do.”
“Let’s put this on hold until she’s had some time to get her strength back,” Ken
interjected. “I think a couple of weeks won’t matter, right?”
Dash and Mac looked at each other, then both nodded.
* * * * *
“Whew!” Shane stripped off his jacket and tie and unbuttoned his shirt. “I’m sure
glad that’s over.”
“Shane!” Leah glared at him. “You’re talking about our wedding.”
He laughed and reached for her. “And a beautiful wedding it was. With the most
gorgeous bride in the world.”
Leah had worn a long, white silk dress with seed pearls at the neckline, perfectly
setting off her smooth tan and long, dark hair. Ken Nightwalker had given her away,
whispering as he handed her over to Shane that the spirits predicted much happiness
for the two of them.
Shane, in his suit and polished boots, looked every inch the Western gentleman. But
now the reception was over, the last of the cake eaten and the last of the champagne
drunk, the guests urged on their way by Mac, Dash and Ken. And the newlyweds were
alone at last.
They’d waited for the doctor to give her a clean bill of health before scheduling the
ceremony. Knowing how serious both wounds could really have been, they gave
prayerful thanks over and over again.
“God, Leah,” Shane said at least twice a day, “I thought my heart would stop when
I saw you on the ground. You scared the shit out of me. I don’t know what I’d do if I
lost you.”
“But I’m fine now,” she constantly assured him. “Really.”
97
Desiree Holt
Both Grant Fallon and his boss were in jail, Grant on charges of murder and
attempted murder, his boss on charges of conspiracy to murder and attempt to defraud.
Leah knew she’d be a long time getting past the lingering fear, but Shane worked hard
to make her feel safe and secure.
Mac had worked out the best place for him to build his home, construction had
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