Lang, Chloe - Wilde Love [The Brothers of Wilde, Nevada 6] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) (5 page)

“Yes, Sir. I will. I promise.”

Maude held out her hand. “You look pretty good for what you’ve been through. You’re really okay?”

Jessie nodded and took her hand. They headed down the hallway.

“I took the liberty of going in your room at the hotel and getting you some clothes. They’re in Austin’s room. I thought you could change in there.”

“You’re amazing, Maude.”

“So are you, honey. Awesome even.”

They passed the nurses’ station, and Maude pointed to the door of room four. “He’s in there, Jessie. His mom is with him. She’s expecting you.”

“Thank you so much.”

“Go. I’ll try to hold off the cowboys, but I can only do that for so long.”

Jessie grinned and quietly opened the door to Austin’s room. She saw him first. Her hands shot up to her mouth. The IV in his arm, his eyes closed, and the hospital room stunned her. He was a rock. He wasn’t supposed to be here.

She closed her eyes and fought back the tears. She felt an arm wrap around her.

Mrs. Wilde whispered, “He’s okay, Jessie. Really, he is.”

She hugged the mother of her five cowboys. “I’m so sorry.”

“Whatever for? You didn’t do anything to cause this.”

“Rich wanted me, not Austin.”

“True. But that doesn’t change anything, dear. Now, let me take a good look at you. Considering what you’ve been through, no wonder you look so shook up. You okay?”

Jessie nodded. “Has Austin come to at all?”

“No. Shouldn’t be long now. He’s going to have a lot of guilt, Jessie, when he does.”

“Why?” Jessie was the one who brought the trouble to Austin. He had no reason to feel guilty.

“He didn’t protect you. Sure, he didn’t have a chance, but that isn’t how the Wilde men look at things. They have to be perfect when it comes to their women.” Jessie could see the pride on her face as she spoke of her sons.

“He is perfect. I’m the one that’s flawed.”

“You sound like a woman in love.”

“I am.” Jessie couldn’t help but smile as she thought of her men. “But I don’t know if that’s enough.”

“Trust me. It will be. Austin is all thorns and steel on the outside, but on the inside—”

“He’s wonderful. It’s just…that…” Jessie wanted to tell Mrs. Wilde about Austin’s demand for her to choose between him and his brothers but hesitated.

“Something’s wrong? You’re torn up about more than the kidnapping and Austin being here, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Sweetheart, we’re going to be family. I always wanted a daughter, and now I’m going to have one. I’m here for you.”

Jessie trusted this woman more than any other. “He’s asked me to choose.”

Mrs. Wilde looked to Austin, and then turned back to Jessie. “I’m not surprised.”

“You’re not.”

“Actually, I’m thrilled. You’ve got him.” A big smile lit her face.

Jessie prayed she was right. “I’m not so sure.”

“Don’t give up on him, honey. I’d almost lost hope for my boy, and then you came to town. You can do it.”

“I’ll try. I promise.”

“Good enough. Now, let me leave you alone with him.” Mrs. Wilde kissed her cheek. “I hung your clothes on the hooks in the bathroom.”

Mrs. Wilde shut the door, and Jessie walked up to the side of the bed. Austin was completely out but breathing easily. She touched his cheek, and felt a single tear run down her face. “Master, I’m so sorry. Please be okay.”

Jessie leaned down and kissed him. He didn’t wake up as she’d hoped he might.

She looked up at the clock on the wall that reminded her of Denver’s obsession with time. Even with the invincible Maude working to keep Denver away, Jessie knew he’d be busting through Austin’s hospital room door at any moment. She rushed to the bathroom to dress. When finished, she sighed. It felt good to be in clothes again.

Jessie left the bathroom and looked once again at Austin, asleep on the bed.

“How in the world am I going to get through to you, Mr. Wilde?”

* * * *

Jessie flipped through another outdated magazine, trying to tamp down her impatience. The waiting room was filled to the max with Wildes and Strongs. Maude and her two husbands sat across from them. All but one of their sons had gone to the cafeteria, not because they were hungry, but because they wanted to kill time. The one left behind was one of the eldest, Tobias. Mrs. Wilde had gone back to Austin’s room with her three husbands. Jackson and Phoenix sat on one side of Jessie, and Denver and Dallas on the other.

After she’d left Austin’s room, Jackson, Phoenix, and Dallas had arrived in a whirlwind of testosterone. Not taking “no” for an answer and with the help of Denver, they’d guided her to the doctor. After answering a bunch of questions, saying “ah,” and suffering through other typical medical intrusions, Jessie was given a clean bill of health by the physician to the relief of the four overprotective cowboys surrounding her in the examining room. That seemed like forever ago to her now.

Jessie waited for him to wake up. The doctors had told them all that it could happen any time. As the seconds ticked away, Jessie’s worry began to expand.

She’d been stretching out her brain, thinking about what she’d learned during her investigations and interviews, and turning over every fact and discovery, no matter how insignificant. All her mental aerobics were to find any inkling of who might be behind the accidents and danger to the mine, to her, and now, also to her men.

Paul King had been the obvious choice of villain, but he was dead. Who then? No name rose to the surface.

“What time is it?” she asked Denver.

“Five minutes after you asked me the last time, sweetheart.”

Maude snapped, “Don’t be a smart-ass, nephew. Answer her. I want to know, too. You’re our unofficial timekeeper.”

 
He laughed. “Six fifteen.”

Jessie peeked around the corner at the hospital’s glass doors. The sun was coming up. It had been a very long night.
Please wake up, Austin.
Her anxiety vibrated inside her like a live wire.

“Honey, did I ever tell you about how I came to Wilde?” Maude asked, clearly hoping to distract everyone.

“Maybe, but tell me again.”

“I came here to talk some sense into my crazy sister’s head. Guess what?”

“What?”

She laughed and grabbed her husbands’ hands. “I went crazy for these two cowboys.”

“Tell me how that happened.”

“You’ve gone and done it, Jessie.” Tobias stood up.

“What did I do?”

“Don’t you want to hear how your dads and I met, son?” Maude giggled.

He shook his head and turned to Jessie. “You’ll enjoy the story. It’s a good one. But after you’ve heard it five hundred times—”

Maude sent him a loving wink. “But you were so cute back then.”

Jessie grinned. “You’ve got to be exaggerating, Tobias. Five hundred?”

“And twenty-five, at a minimum. That’s it. I knew I should’ve gone to the cafeteria with my brothers. Cousins, have any of you thought your girl might be hungry?”

Jackson looked at Jessie. “Are you, darlin’?”

“Actually, I am, but I don’t want to leave the waiting room.”

“I’m on it.” He stood.

“I’m coming with you.” Phoenix rose from the chair. “We’ll get enough food for mom and the dads, too. I doubt they’ve eaten either. Anyone else?”

“You’re good boys. Your momma raised you right.” Maude’s tone was filled with affection. “Bring some of those cinnamon rolls and some coffee. I bet I can get your mom to eat with that combination. Your dads can always eat, so I won’t worry about them.”

“Okay, Aunt Maude,” Phoenix said. Then he, Tobias, and Jackson headed to the cafeteria.

When they were out of earshot, Maude continued with her story. “You wouldn’t know it by looking at the rugged cowboy he’s become, but when I first saw Toby, he was crying.”

“How old was he?”

“Not even two. Grant was trying to change Heath’s diaper and Greg was feeding Nate and Seth at the Horseshoe in the middle of the day. Tobias had run outside without either of these cowboys knowing it. The door to the place shut, and Tobias couldn’t get back inside. I found him sobbing at the door. I walked him back in, and these two bumblers insisted on buying me lunch.”

“Sweetheart, you saved me that day, and then you saved me for the rest of my life.” Grant kissed his wife.

“Your life sure needed changing, just like Heath’s diaper.” Maude smiled lovingly into her husband’s eyes.

Greg cupped her chin and turned her to face him. “Me, too, love. I don’t know how I would’ve ever survived without you.” Then he kissed her, too.

“Now, you’ve both got me rattled. You two finish the story.”

Grant laughed. “You could never be rattled, Mrs. Strong.”

“Oh yes, I can. Often by you.”

“Good.” He continued, “Jessie, Greg, and I lost our wives on the same day.”

“Wives?” Jessie blurted out and immediately wished she could take back the too-personal question.

“It’s okay. What you’re thinking is true. We weren’t in a plural marriage back then. We each had our own family, a wife, and two boys.”

“Heath and Nate are mine.”

Greg chimed in, “Tobias and Seth are mine.”

“I hate when you say that.” Maude frowned. “They’re all yours and mine.”

“We know, sweetheart.” Greg continued, “We’re just stating the biological facts.”

Jessie shook her head. “I wouldn’t have guessed that.”

“In Wilde, not everyone is in a plural marriage, Jessie,” Grant stated.

“I know, but your boys look so similar to each other.”

Grant rubbed his chin. “Well, we’re brothers, and our late wives were sisters.”

“Makes more sense. The twins, Dax and Drake, are yours, Maude? Biologically speaking, I mean?”

The woman nodded and grinned. “Tell her the whole thing.”

“Our wives had gone together to Elko to shop, leaving the boys with us for the day. We liked doing that for them, to give them a break.” Grant’s face darkened, as he recalled the old memory. “On the way back, a drunk driver hit them head-on. They both died instantly.”

“Oh my God. I can’t imagine how tough that was for you.”

“Horrible.” Greg shook his head. “We did our best to be both father and mother to our boys, but they were all still in diapers, and we were both in a grief-stricken haze.”

“Then about a year later, our angel came to town and our whole life changed.” Grant looked at Maude with such adoration that it made Jessie happy for all of them.

“She fell in love with the boys first,” Grant stated. “We fell in love with her the moment we met her.”