Chapter Six
Bella directed Billy behind her desk and they crouched down together. She could clearly hear someone coming up the stairs, and it definitely wasn’t Jay. Her teeth were chattering so hard she wondered why Billy didn’t say something. He was busy texting while she laid the gun on the floor, making sure the safety was still on.
The stumbling footsteps grew louder and were accompanied by a litany of grunts and curses that Bella remembered only too well. She tensed as her former employee, Axel Jordan, swayed against the door frame, the smell of alcohol coming off him in waves.
“Stupid bitch,” he muttered. “Can’t even shut the safe properly. Thinks she’s so safe with that disabled vet protecting her?”
Beside Bella, Billy’s arm was rigid, his whole attention on Axel, and his normal expression obscured by an icy calmness that reminded her of Jay.
Axel stumbled against the desk, knocking piles of paper to the floor, and then leaned down to look into the safe, where the strongbox was clearly visible.
“I’ll just take it all.” Axel chuckled. “Bastards.”
It took Bella a terrified second to notice Billy was on the move. He crawled around the other side of the desk, gathered himself, and leapt on Axel’s back, bringing the younger man crashing to the ground.
Bella shot to her feet as Axel attempted to break free, his flailing fist connecting with the side of Billy’s head making him jerk backward. With a whoop
, Axel attempted to shake Billy off, but Bella wasn’t going to let that happen.
“Stay right where you are,” she yelled as she pointed the gun at Axel, and took up a two-handed shooting stance.
“Like you know how to fire that.” Axel gasped as Billy recaptured one of his hands and wrenched it up against his spine.
“You don’t think Jay taught me to defend myself?” Bella asked. “Try me.”
Billy shoved Axel’s head down to the floor again with some force, and he went quiet.
“Do you have any rope?” Billy asked.
“I have panty hose!” Bella laid the gun down on the desk and ran to her bedroom. Her hands were shaking so hard, it was almost impossible to get the darn panty hose out of the packet. Not that she needed to worry about accidentally snagging them . . .
When she got back, Axel was still out of it and Billy had grabbed hold of his other wrist.
“Thanks.” He took the black, silky hose. “What a waste.”
Bella’s knees gave way, and she sank down beside him. “I hardly wear them anymore. I prefer stay-up stockings or Spanx.”
Billy chuckled. “Good to know.”
“How can you be so cheerful?” Bella demanded.
“Because we won.” Billy turned to look at her properly. “Are you okay?”
She reached out and cupped his cheek, her voice trembling. “I thought he was going to kill you, and then I thought that would be the second man I’ve loved taken away from me too quickly.”
Billy placed his hand over hers. “You’ve had a terrible shock—”
“Yes, I have, and maybe I’m speaking the truth because there isn’t anything left to hide behind when this kind of thing happens,” Bella said. “I’d hate to be the kind of person who ignores a wake-up call.”
Billy’s cell buzzed, making them both jump. He took it out of his pocket and held Bella’s gaze.
“It’s Nate. I’m going to call him, okay?”
He pressed the screen and put the sheriff on speaker. “Hey, can you come on over to the Red Dragon? I’ve got Axel Jordan drunk and tied up in Bella’s apartment.”
“I’m already in the kitchen.” Nate sounded his usual laid-back self. “The back door was wide open.”
Bella winced. “I guess I forgot to check if it was locked when Sonali went out, and I didn’t put the alarm system on because Jay was still in the building.”
Billy patted her shoulder. “It’s okay.” He could hear Nate coming up the stairs and kept talking to him. “Axel smashed through both doors, so you should be able to walk right in.”
“So I see,” Nate replied. “I’m coming in now.”
Billy made sure that Bella’s gun was in full view on the desk, and slowly stood up, offering Bella his hand to help her rise as well.
“You’re bleeding,” Bella gasped.
“Yeah, I think his ring caught me when he walloped me on the side of the head,” Billy hastened to reassure her. “Nothing to worry about.”
Nate stood in the doorway and slowly put his weapon away. “Nice job, guys.”
“You’re welcome,” Billy said. “He’s drunk and he’s still breathing, and that’s all you need to know.”
“Got it.” Nate went down on one knee and shook Axel’s shoulder until he groaned. “You’re under arrest . . .”
Billy moved over to where Bella was standing, one hand over her mouth, and put his arm around her. “How about we go into the kitchen and make some strong coffee?”
She nodded, and carefully stepped over Nate, who was busy calling for an ambulance and some backup.
Billy hugged her as they walked down the hallway. “You did good.”
She shuddered. “I’m not sure about that.”
“Yeah, you did. I believed you’d shoot him and more importantly, so did Axel. Your intervention gave me the moment I needed to knock him out once and for all.” He led her to the couch. “I’ll get the coffee. Do you want to text Jay?”
“I’m surprised he isn’t already up here demanding to know what’s going on,” Bella said.
As if she’d conjured him up with her words, Jay appeared in the doorway, his frantic gaze fastened on Bella, and he rushed over to her side.
“Are you okay? Nate just told me what happened. How the hell
didn’t I notice what was going down.” He took Bella’s hand in both of his. “Did he hurt you? How did he get in the kitchen? Did you let him in?”
Billy stepped into Jay’s line of sight. “Maybe you could ease up on the questions, Jay. Your mom’s pretty shaken up right now.”
Jay briefly glanced at Billy and then returned his attention to his mother. “That’s it. You’re coming to live with Erin and me. I can’t let you stay here another night.”
Bella sat up straight. “No, I’m not going to do that.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not giving you a choice, okay?” Jay stated. “Just pack a few things and come with me right now.”
Bella looked over Jay’s head right at Billy, and he cleared his throat.
“Bella doesn’t want to live with you.”
Jay slowly stood and turned to Billy. “Look, I’m grateful that you were here, and Nate says you were the one who tackled Axel, but this isn’t really your business, is it?”
“It is if Bella wants it to be.” Billy held Jay’s gaze. “Your mother is a grown woman. If she wants to stay here maybe you should respect her decision or at least give her the time to come to one herself.”
Silence fell as the retired Navy SEAL contemplated Billy long enough to set all the hairs on the back of Billy’s neck on edge.
“Mom can’t stay here tonight. The locks need fixing.”
“Then she can choose what she wants to do.” Billy looked at Bella. “Do you want to stay the night with Jay, or come back to the ranch with me?”
Bella rose from her seat and came to stand beside him. “Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll have to stay nearby so I can be here early in the morning when the locksmith arrives.”
“Jay could do that,” Billy said firmly. “Come home with me.”
“Yeah.” Jay cleared his throat. “I’ll take care of everything. You do what you want, Mom.”
Bella’s smile was glorious as she placed her hand in Billy’s. “Then I’ll come with you.”
* * *
Bella glanced over at Billy as they drove back to the ranch. She’d taken care of his bloodied head, talked to Nate, and made sure that Jay went home to Erin. The thought that Axel Jordan was now in custody made her feel so much safer.
“You okay?” Billy asked as they drew up in front of the silent ranch house.
“I’m getting there.” She smiled at him, and in the darkness he leaned over and gently kissed her mouth. “Won’t Ruth mind another guest?”
“I texted them all to let them know we were coming, so hopefully they’ve all gotten the message and gone to bed.” The gentle humor in his voice was balm for her soul. “They’re a nosy bunch.”
She climbed down from the truck and looked up as a flurry of snow descended through the blackness of the night. “The ranch house looks like a Christmas card with all the lights and the snow.”
“So I’ve been told.” Billy took her hand. “Come on in.”
The house smelled of Christmas spices and pine, and was lovely and warm. After shedding their coats and boots in the mudroom, they tiptoed up the stairs to the second floor. Billy opened a door and led her into a room with an angled roof that looked out over the barn.
“Chase converted these attic spaces into separate suites. He and January are across the hall.”
“It’s lovely.” Bella gazed out over the snow-covered roofs and fields. “It smells so new and piney.”
“It didn’t exist when Annie lived here, so it was a good place for me to start afresh.”
Bella pointed at the big wooden framed bed. “That’s one of Ruth’s quilts.”
“Yeah, and BB made the headboard.” Billy’s smile was wry. “You can’t get away from them even in here.”
“And you wouldn’t want to.” She walked straight into his arms, and it felt like coming home. “Come on, admit it.”
“It’s my home,” he said simply. “It’s who I am.”
Bella went to reply and yawned instead, giving him an up-close and personal view of her tonsils that made Billy smile.
“Let’s go to bed.”
“I don’t think I’m going to be good for much more than just sleeping,” Bella confessed.
“Then sleep.” He kissed the top of her head. “No pressure, remember?”
She used the bathroom and then climbed into the big bed and lay on her back listening as the extraordinary, all-encompassing silence closed around her like a silken glove. She yawned again as Billy joined her wearing a Morgan Ranch T-shirt and pj pants with horses on them.
“Nice.” She pointed at the pants.
“Last year’s Christmas present from Maria. I have to wear them, or else she’ll be upset.” He laid his arm along the top of her pillow, inviting her to snuggle in against him, which she did. “Hmmm. That’s nice.”
She rubbed her cheek against the softness of his T-shirt. The fact that they were both here, and uninjured, suddenly hit her again. She slid her fingers under his shirt, needing to touch his skin.
“It’s okay.” He stroked her hair. “We’re all good.”
She lay there and breathed him in, enjoyed the rise and fall of his chest, and the way he held her as if she was made of spun sugar. She must have dozed off because she came to plastered all over his front, her inner thigh pressed against the heat and hardness of his need.
His hand was planted firmly on her butt, his fingers flexing.
“Billy?” she whispered into the darkness.
“Yeah?”
“I’m awake now.”
His low chuckle reverberated against her skin. “I can see that.”
“Will you kiss me?”
He slid a hand into her hair. “Always.”
And then it all became so simple. Skin uncovered, kisses everywhere until he rolled her onto her back and entered her in one slow thrust that almost made her cry again. She held on to him, her hands everywhere as he brought her to a new peak of pleasure in his own sweet time.
“Bella . . .” He groaned her name as he came, and collapsed onto the pillow beside her. She stroked the back of his head, and let him stay there until he finally found the energy to roll away.
He reached for her hand, interlocking her fingers with his, and searched her face in the moonlight.
“I should’ve asked you about contraception.”
“I’m past all that nonsense,” she reassured him. “I would’ve mentioned it otherwise.”
“And I can confirm that I got a clean bill of health from Dr. Tio last year.”
They grinned at each other.
Bella kissed his nose. “So we can just have fun.”
“Amen to that.” He kissed her back. “Do you think you can sleep now?”
“Yes.” She eased onto her side. “Just to let you know, I snore.”
“So do I.”
“Perfect.” She spooned against him, and he wrapped his arm around her waist. “Good night, Billy, and thanks for everything.”
Within two minutes she was fast asleep.
* * *
“Dad, did you hear about what happened at the Red Dragon last night? I—”
Billy opened one eye to see Chase coming in through the door, laptop in hand. He pulled up short, a look of horror on his face as he took in the clothes strewn around the floor, and the two naked people in the bed.
“Dear God, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize—”
“What’s going on?” BB put his head around the door and did a double take. “Jeez, Dad, gross. Lock the door next time, okay? You’ve traumatized Chase.”
Chase backed out with all the care of a hostage situation. “So I’ll assume you know what happened, and I’ll see you at breakfast.” He cleared his throat. “You too, Mrs. Williams.”
When the door finally shut, Billy looked down at Bella, who had pulled the sheet almost over her head.
“I did tell you they were nosy, didn’t I?”
He suddenly realized she was shaking with laughter, and felt much better.
“It could’ve been worse. It could’ve been Jay,” she spluttered.
“And now I’d be a dead man,” Billy murmured. He glanced at the time. “You okay to get up and face the family over breakfast? I’ve got chores to do, and I bet you’ll be wanting to get home.”
Bella grabbed his hand. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“All of this.” She waved a hand around, and the sheet fell to her waist. Billy made himself focus on her face, although it was almost impossible. “I’m okay with everything
.”
“Like with us being a couple?”
“Yes.” She met his gaze, her brown eyes so warm and full of shyness that he wanted to kiss her. “Especially that.” She bit her lip. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”
Billy nodded, too choked up right at that moment to do anything else. The fact that he was home, with his family, and now had this unimaginable, unexpected gift of love from a woman he liked, respected, and lusted after was almost too much to comprehend.
“Are you okay?” Bella asked softly.
“Yeah.” He swallowed hard. “I’m just counting my blessings.”
Everything he’d had and lost, everything he’d ever wanted to achieve with the blessing of this second chance now made sense. Bella made sense of it. Coming home to his old friend completed a circle he hadn’t even been aware he was traveling.
He gave in to the temptation to kiss her, and then she touched him, and . . .
“Wait a sec.” He eased himself away and went to lock the door before climbing back into bed. “Maybe just for once, the chores can wait.”