Part 21 (1/2)

”Yeah?”

”I love you.”

”I love you right back, Drew. You mean the world to me.” He squeezed her hand again.

”Don't make the nurses mad so they won't let you come see me. I like knowing you're okay.”

”Jeb is going to be on his best behavior now that he's seen you, aren't you, Jeb?” Marshall nudged Jeb's leg.

”I'm going to be a perfect gentleman as long as they let me come see you when I want to.” Jeb smiled.

”That's not really what I said,” Marshall pointed out.

Two days later, they let Jeb go home and promised Drew she would be able to leave the next day if she didn't spike a temperature. So far, she was feeling fine, other than being tired. They a.s.sured her, Jeb, and Marshall it would pa.s.s. She was surprised Jeb hadn't insisted that she stay longer and said as much once the doctor had left.

”The only reason is because I think I can take better care of you at home where we can watch out for you. There are too many d.a.m.n people in and out of here for my liking,” Jeb complained.

She wasn't a bit surprised by his statement. Ever since the sheriff had admitted they didn't have anything on the man, or men, who were after her, he'd been like a momma bear and p.r.i.c.kly as a pear. They'd found a couple of sh.e.l.l casings, but the fingerprints didn't match anyone they had on file, so they had to wait until they had someone in custody to take their fingerprints to charge them.

Even with the bullet from Jeb's shoulder, they needed the gun to match it. All of this meant they needed probable cause to arrest someone. So far, they only had suppositions.

”I don't want to stay here another night, Jeb. Let me go home now. I can't sleep in this bed.” And it was true. Since she'd come out of the drug-induced sleep, she'd been awake but tired ever since. ”I'll sleep so much better at home.

”We'll take you there tomorrow, like the doctor said. Not before.” Jeb leaned over and kissed her.

When she attempted to deepen the kiss, he pulled back and shook his finger at her.

”No hanky-panky while you're sick.”

”I'm not sick!” she yelled.

”Shhh, they'll make us leave if we're upsetting you,” Marshall reminded her.

”They already look at us funny. One of the younger nurses actually asked me if I was really living with both of you.”

”What did you tell her?” Jeb asked with a glint in his eye.

”That I was actually living with three men, but only two of them slept with me.”

”Aw, baby. You didn't.” Jeb closed his eyes and hung his head.

”What? It's the truth. I'm not ashamed of it.” Drew pouted at him.

”Once you get completely well, I owe you several spankings,” Jeb warned her.

”For what?” she demanded.

”For coming back for me when you should have hightailed it out of there once the shooting started, for one.” He stuck up one finger then another and said, ”Two, you went and scared the c.r.a.p out of me by getting shot. Not once, but twice!”

”Shhh, hold your voice down, or the nurse will come kick you out.” Drew winked at Marshall.

”Drew, baby. I know this probably isn't the right time or anything, but I can't wait any longer. Marshall and I want you to be our wife. I know that's not very conventional, and this isn't all that romantic, but I love you and can't stand not knowing if you feel the same way.”

Drew felt her heart plop in a flip at Jeb's words. She'd wanted to hear them for a long time now but was too afraid to put her hopes into words. She smiled, knowing there were tears in her eyes.

”Yes, I'll be your wife. Both of you. I love you both very much, and I don't care if it's not conventional. As long as we're not hurting anyone, it shouldn't matter what goes on, on our land.”

Jeb jabbed Marshall in the side with his good elbow. Marshall fiddled in his jeans pocket and pulled out a ring.

”It's not much, but we didn't figure you would wear something fancy out on the ranch, and I know you're going to always want to work out there even when you don't need to. Marshall insisted that it be a diamond. I wanted to get a stone the color of your eyes.”

”I told him to get you one for our anniversary.”

Marshall and Jeb both took her left hand as Marshall slid the ring on her finger. Drew's eyes teared up to the point where she couldn't see anything. She swiped her eyes and held out both arms to her men.

”I love you both. Thank you so much! It's perfect. And you're right, I wouldn't have worn anything any bigger, 'cause it would have gotten in the way. This is perfect.”

”I know you can't actually marry both of us, but we felt like you should marry Jeb for real, so that if we had any children, they'd have his last name.” Marshall bent down and kissed her.

”Robert and Kenny are going to witness all three of us say our vows out at the ranch,” Jeb added then bent down and kissed her as well.

”That's a wonderful idea about the vows. I love it. As for marrying Jeb, I'm glad you two decided, because I couldn't have made a decision like that. Did you flip a coin?”

Marshall chuckled. ”Actually, we almost did, but I told him he was the oldest, and the foreman, so he should marry you.”

”Marshall, I'm not pretending that you're not my husband and lover, too, when we are out in public. I won't hide our relations.h.i.+p.”

”It wouldn't matter if you did. All that matters to me is what we three know and what goes on at the ranch.”

”It's yours and Jeb's now, too. It's our ranch, our home,” Drew told them.

Chapter Twenty.

Jeb rubbed the back of his neck. All day he'd felt as if someone was watching him. He'd caught Drew several times, but this felt different. Ever since they'd brought her home nearly a week ago, she'd sat outside on the porch to watch them work around the ranch. If they drove around the fence line to check it, she went with them. If they had to ride horses anywhere, someone always stayed with her.

He looked around but couldn't see anyone. He finished dumping the dirty hay and horse manure in the compost pile and washed out the wheelbarrow before returning it to the barn. He ambled over to where Drew sat on the porch, drinking a gla.s.s of iced tea.

”How are you feeling? Warm enough?”

”I'm fine. Plenty warm enough. Soon it will be summer, and I'll be complaining about the heat.” Drew took a sip of her tea and smiled up at Jeb.

”That's a long time off.” Jeb chuckled ”I can wish, can't I?”

”Marshall is jealous because I got house duty today.” Jeb leaned in and kissed her. He loved her kisses.

”Hmmm, maybe I should make it up to him tonight.”