Chapter Nineteen

Nick sat beside Aiden's bed and simply waited for the man to wake up. He'd been out cold for going on four hours now. It was pitch black outside the window of the spare room in the ranch house and everyone else had already gone home and probably gone to sleep.

Nick rose from his chair and walked to the bed. He brushed a finger over Aiden's cheek and then readjusted the blanket covering him before going back to his chair and sitting down.

Nick wasn't surprised that Aiden had passed out. Not only was the man unaccustomed to violence and had been standing there to see Brody shoot a man point blank in the face but he hadn't been sleeping much in the last two months that he'd been running and in fear for his life every day. Add to that the stress of admitting what you were to those you cared about and it was a lot for one man to take.

Hell if not for the fact that Nick had been raised in the wild west and seen terrible violence in his life it may have all been too much for him today too.

He was still a bit disappointed that it had been Brody to kill both those bastards. Nick would have liked to have had a piece of them himself.... But at least they were dead and, for now, Aiden was safe.

Nick yawned and then shook his head roughly to try to rouse himself. He had been keeping a vigil over Aiden's bed and would not sleep until the other man woke up and Nick saw for himself that he was okay.

"You look like an old hound when you shake your head like that," Aiden's sleepy voice suddenly filled the small lantern-lit room.

A smile split Nick's face as his head whipped around to look at Aiden. Aiden looked surprisingly well... he had good color and was no longer pale and his brown eyes were sparkling in the glow of the lantern, "About time you came to," Nick scolded.

"Did I really pass out?" Aiden asked as he pushed himself up to a sitting position,

Nick nodded, "You sure did. Out cold. I caught you though. I didn't let you hit the ground."

Aiden moaned and covered his face, "Great. Now they're really going to think I'm the wife."

"They already think that," Nick laughed lightly. "Are you okay?"

Aiden sighed and removed his hands from his face, "Yeah. It's just hard to believe that those two men are dead. They didn't seem like mortal flesh and blood to me. They were like nightmares; evil monsters out for my blood. To see Brody so easily kill them both makes me feel a bit foolish for being so afraid."

"Don't feel foolish," Nick countered as he stood and filled a little glass from a water pitcher on the wall by the door. He handed the glass to Aiden who began to drink it greedily. "Those two men were cold blooded killers. They were dangerous and deadly. Brody is just even more cold-blooded, dangerous and deadly."

"I guess it's a real good thing that he's on our side," Aiden admitted, setting the now empty glass on the bedside table.

"Yeah, he's a man I certainly wouldn't want to go up against."

"But you did," Aiden replied with a smile, "For me."

Nick smiled back and crouched beside the bed, placing his hand over Aiden's cheek, "I reckon I'm more fond of you than I am scared of him."

"I'm rather fond of you too," Aiden teased. "Though I did nearly throttle you when you just blurted out the truth about us on the porch."

Nick winced, "Sorry," he offered. "I had a gut feeling that we could tell them the truth and that we needed to tell them the truth."

"Well I'm glad your gut was right..... Where are we?" Aiden asked as he glanced around.

"A spare room in the ranch house. Brody told me to lay you down in here where you'd be a bit more comfortable."

"You couldn't have been very comfortable in that chair all night," Aiden replied, glancing at the large clock on the corner.

"No, I wasn't but I had to stay and make sure you were okay."

Aiden flushed and his ears turned red as he picked at the blanket covering him, "If I pretend to be in bad shape do you think you could be talked into getting in the bed with me and just holding me while I sleep? The two nights you held me were the best sleep I've ever had."

Nick smiled and nodded as he kicked off his boots and unhooked his gun belt, "I'm pretty sure you could talk me into that," he admitted as he turned off the lamp and then slid beneath the covers.

Aiden curled up against his chest and Nick held him close, stroking his back and resting his cheek against the top of his dark hair, "Nick, do you think things are going to be okay now? Do you think we'll be able to stay here and be ourselves?"

Nick sighed and swallowed hard, "I really hope so, Aiden, but I can't say for sure. I guess we'll just have to see what tomorrow brings."

"But either way we'll be together right?"

"That's right, Aiden," Nick yawned and felt his eyelids growing heavier, "Now let's get some sleep because I'm beat."

Nick pulled the covers up over them a little more and kissed Aiden's hair, smiling when it seemed to only take seconds for the other man to once again be sound asleep.

Nick closed his eyes and held Aiden tighter, hoping against hope that things truly would be okay now.... But life had taught him to never expect the best and always prepare for the worst.

***

"Did it hurt, pa? Golly gee that looks like it hurt!" Nathan exclaimed as he watched Elizabeth sew up Brody's arm.

Brody shook his head and ruffled the boys blond hair, "Naw, it didn't hurt. You're pa's a bit too tough to be hurt by a scratch."

Elizabeth snorted and tugged her thread with a bit more force than was necessary causing Brody to wince and throw a glare back at her which she returned. He swallowed hard and looked back at Nathan, "You should be in bed, boy. Your brother and sister are sound asleep and it's the middle of the night."

"But, pa, I want to hear more about your adventure today!" Nathan whined.

Elizabeth shook her head, "You've heard quite enough," she snapped.

"You heard your mama. Now get to bed because you'll be expected to be up right after dawn to get your chores done."

Nathan shifted his feet and looked as if he wanted to argue but Elizabeth fixed him with her best icy stare and he nodded quickly, "Yes sir," he grumbled to Brody and then walked from the room with his shoulders slumped and his boots dragging.

Elizabeth quickly finished up her stitching and was about to go wash her hands when Brody grabbed her wrist and yanked her around him, forcing her to settle down on his lap. She hated that he was so much stronger than she was because right now she did not want to be cuddling with him. She was mad enough at him just now to smack him in the face with a cactus.

"What's got the spur up your ass, boss?" Brody asked as he wrapped her tight in his arms and refused to let her up.

Elizabeth cursed the way her body still reacted to him after all these years together. She knew he would notice the flush in her cheeks, the quickening of her breaths and the way her body instantly began to mold to his despite her feeble attempts to hold still.

"Not a damn thing, Brody," Elizabeth managed to snap back. "Now let me go."

"Nope," Brody shook his head. "I don't like this beating around the bush nonsense. If you're pissed off why don't you just tell me why so we can get to making up?" He grinned wickedly and Elizabeth elbowed his hard stomach causing him to grunt.

"I'm not pissed."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"Good, then since that's settled why don't we—"

"I'm damn livid!" Elizabeth snarled as she yanked herself from his arms and stood with clenched fists.

Brody let out a harsh bark of laughter and stood up, slapping his hand on the table, "Haha! Finally she speaks the truth. And why exactly are you so livid, cowgirl? What the hell have I done this time?"

"You got shot again!"

"Well since I didn't shoot myself I can't see why you're mad at me about that," Brody flashed her one of those rare smile that very few people ever saw, "It was a graze, boss. I think we both know I've had worse."

Elizabeth looked down at his bare torso and all those hard muscles riddled with scars and felt her stomach turn, "That's not funny, Brody Atkinson!"

"It wasn't a joke, Elizabeth Atkinson," Brody grumbled.

Elizabeth grabbed a towel off the table and began to wipe her hands, "You quit being a lawman so you wouldn't be in danger anymore, Brody, and you still got shot!"

"I quit being a lawman because my wife wanted me to."

Elizabeth glared at him, tossed the towel aside and began shoving her sewing equipment into her bag, "So now you're going to blame that one me too? If you're miserable spending so much time with me then—"

"Whoa now!" Brody called out as he grabbed her arms, tossed her sewing bag aside and forced her to stand still in front of him, "Look at me, now," Elizabeth looked up and cursed the tears that were gathering in her eyes. "Cowgirl, I could spend every single second of the rest of my life standing right beside you and die the happiest man on earth and you damn well know that's the truth."

"Brody, you have to stop acting this way!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"What way?" Brody demanded.

"Like you're invincible! Like you can't die! One of these days it's going to get you killed!"

"Elizabeth I don't act that way—"

"Yes you do," Elizabeth poked his chest. "You could have ended that with those men much quicker than you did but instead you had to go down there and prove how big your pecker was!"

"I don't have to prove that to anybody," Brody's brow rose, "You know that."

Elizabeth growled and shook her head, "Dammit, Brody, I know damn well you took too many risks today! I heard the whole story from Ryder when he came and picked up Susie."

Brody chuckled, "Consider the source there, boss."

"This isn't funny, Brody," the tears Elizabeth had been fighting slipped down her cheeks.

"Please don't cry, cowgirl," Brody pleaded with a groan as he pulled her into his arms and she buried her head in his chest. He held her tight, kissing her hair and caressing her back.

"Dammit, I'm not crying," she snapped.

"Was I not supposed to help him, boss? You gotta help me out here...."

"You were supposed to help him, Brody, but you weren't supposed to take unnecessary risks while you did it... Don't you know by now that I can't lose you? I did it once... I can't do it again."

Elizabeth felt her anger fade when he began to whisper sweetly into her ear. Truthfully the anger had been born of fear at knowing she had once again nearly lost the love of her life. "Dammit, cowgirl, you ain't gonna lose me again," Brody whispered gruffly as he lifted her into his arms bridal style and cradled her against his chest. "I promised you sixty years and I wouldn't never do a thing to let you down."

"I love you, Brody."

"Can we make up now?" Brody growled as he nipped at her neck.

Elizabeth smiled and then moved her mouth to his neck and began to nibble at the space just below his ear—the space that always caused him to lose his mind with lust, "You're gonna have to do awful good, Brody, I was awful upset."

Brody grinned and began to take the steps two at a time, "I'll take that challenge."