Her Last Defense (17 page)

“I’ll take the ‘I love you,’ part. But this isn’t goodbye. More like hello again.” He propped one hip on the edge of her bed and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears.

For the first time, she realized he wasn’t wearing any protective gear. Fear exploded inside her like an over-filled water balloon. She tried to scrabble back, away from him, but she was so weak all she managed was to thrash against the sheets. “No! Clint, don’t touch me. Mask. You need a mask! Please—”

Horror strangled the rest of what she wanted to say.

“Shhh. It’s all right.” He stilled her with his big hands on her shaking shoulders, then framed her face. “It’s
okay. The virus is all gone. It’s been out of your system for days.”

ARFIS, gone? While she tried to comprehend what he was saying, he let her go, straightened up and the impenetrable shield he usually wore over his expression fell away. He smiled.

Clint, smiling?

He had a beautiful smile. White and straight and strong.

“You still gave us a scare. The virus had done quite a number on your systems. It took a few days to stabilize you, but you’re going to be fine.”

“B-but…how?”

He dipped a finger under the neck of her hospital gown, lifted a thin chain. On the end of it dangled the silver star and circle. “Texas Rangers always get their man.” His smile broadened. “Even the microscopic ones.”

I
t was a perfect night in heaven.

The last few leaves of fall clung to the trees under a silver-dollar moon. The surface of Lake Farrell, the best fishing hole in southeast Texas, or so Clint told her, rippled like black velvet. And the air, sharp with the scent of pine, was clean enough to scrub the last remnants of illness out of a woman’s lungs with each breath.

Macy stood in the doorway of Clint’s cabin, with José chattering happily in her arms and picking at her hair. After the monkey had helped save her life, she could hardly have abandoned the poor thing. He’d adjusted amazingly quickly to life as a pet. He was already spoiled rotten.

José lifted one simian hand and pointed toward the lake, his voice raising from chatter to full squawk.

“Yes, I see him.”

Out on the pier, her husband placed beer bottles in a neat row and then headed back to shore.

They’d been married by the hospital chaplain as soon as she was strong enough to sit up. He didn’t want to miss out on a single day living with her as his wife, Clint had claimed. He’d let her hold on to his badge until he replaced it with a ring.

“Watch this,” he said as he stepped back on the porch.

Then he sat down in the creaky old grapevine chair and frowned at her bare feet on the cold planks. Nearly a month had passed since she’d woken in the hospital, weak and disoriented, and he still worried about her.

He motioned her over with his fingers and pulled her into his lap, tucking the quilt she had slung over her shoulders carefully over every exposed bit of skin before lifting his gun.

In his left hand.

“Plug your ears,” he said.

She did, and turned her face into his shoulder to protect her eyes. She knew what was coming. He’d started training himself to shoot with his non-dominant hand over a month ago. The question was, was it working?

Clint fired three rounds, and she raised her head to see, almost afraid to look. His early efforts had met with frustration, but he’d been practicing religiously. She knew how important it was to him.

She smiled at the empty pier railing. “Three out of three? Not bad.”

His face turned serious. “Not good enough, though. I got a call from Austin today.”

She tensed. “Ranger headquarters?” He’d been waiting for them to decide his fate, she knew.

He nodded. “The powers that be have reviewed the test results from the neurologist. They’re not going to let me back in the field, even if I can qualify on the gun range with my left hand.”

Her heart swelled into her throat. She stroked his cheek with her fingertips, and he snugged her closer to him. “I’m sorry, Clint.”

“Don’t be. They’re not going to let me in the field, and I’ll miss that. But they had another proposal.”

She waited for him to explain, sensing the change in direction was something he was still working through.

“After our brush with disaster, it seems the governor is interested in starting up a new task force. An anti-terrorism group aimed specifically at protecting Texas and Texans from terrorism. It would be state level, but would coordinate with the federal agencies like Homeland Security and the FBI. He was thinking the Rangers would be the perfect group to run it.”

“They asked you to be on this team?” She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, honestly. The four men who had sabotaged Texas Stadium had been caught in Chicago two days later, trying to buy train tickets to Canada. It turned out they’d been from two separate hate groups—one Middle Eastern and one from the disease, poverty and famine-ravaged Sudan—who had joined forces, a terrifying trend in itself.

The drug that had saved her life had already been analyzed and duplicated in Atlanta. The project had been David’s last for the CDC. He’d known going in that they
would terminate him afterward. At least they’d given him a chance to redeem himself somewhat for the damage he felt responsible for. He’d worked tirelessly and cracked the cure in record time.

The results of his new drug in Malaysia were very positive. He was there now, working without compensation to treat those still recovering from the disease.

The threat of anyone using ARFIS as a biological weapon had been nullified. But how many more plots to kill or maim were being cooked up out there? How many more times would Clint have to put his life on the line to stop them?

On the other hand, being a Ranger wasn’t just what he did. It was part of who he was, and she loved him. All of him.

She would learn to deal with it.

“You won’t have to give up your badge?” she asked.

“Not give it up. Just trade it in.” He lifted his quicksilver gaze to hers. “For one that says captain on it.”

Joy bloomed inside her. “You’re getting a promotion?”

He nodded. “They didn’t just ask me to be on the task force. They asked me to lead it.”

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “Congratulations, Captain.”

“I’m not sure how it’s going to work out. It’ll mean riding a desk a lot, but I guess I’ll adjust. I can always call Bull for advice.”

She pulled back, sobered. “How is he?”

“Regaining his strength, slowly.”

“Still no word from Kat?”

The pretty blond Ranger had taken off without a word as soon as Captain Matheson had come out of emergency surgery, Macy had been told. No one had heard from her since.

Clint shook his head. “Del’s been trying to track her down, but with the baby due any day, he’s had to stick close to home.”

“She blames herself.”

“That’s why it’s so important we find her. I hate to think of her out there alone. She needs some help dealing with it.”

“You’ll find her.” She hoped it was true.

“Yeah.” Clint pulled the quilt tighter around her. “You cold?”

“No, it’s a beautiful night.”

He kissed her gently, sweetly, gradually taking her deeper, arousal rolling in between them like the tide. “Could be a beautiful night inside too. In that big, warm bed in there.”

“Could be.”

She smiled against his lips as he lifted her, carried her over the threshold.

It was a perfect night in heaven, indeed.