Page 41 of Chance

Chance left Kelly’s room, feeling overwhelmed and grateful that she would be all right. He hadn’t yet processed the loss of the baby.

Porter marched up to him. “I know this is not an ideal time, brother, but we have to talk to the Stones. I commandeered the hospital’s conference room so we can have a Zoom call. Everyone else is already gathering.”

Chance nodded and followed him down the hall. Numbness spread through his body, but he forced himself to put one foot in front of the other.

When he entered the conference room and the door was closed behind him, the rest of his family gathered around.

Porter put a hand on Chance’s shoulder. “Now that everyone’s here, how is she?”

Tears slipped down Chance’s cheeks, and he shook his head. “The baby’s gone.”

His family instantly converged on him, and he found himself in a group hug.

Slowly, the circle pulled away, and his brothers and sisters-in-law had tears in their eyes. Sadie and Sierra were unabashedly crying. Sadie grabbed his hand and squeezed. “I’m so sorry.”

“She lost the baby, but she’s okay. She’ll heal.” He had to say the words. If he had learned anything as a sheriff, it was that you always had to say things out loud to process them, even if you weren’t sure they were true.

Blaze nodded and took his other hand briefly. “She will. And that bastard is dead.”

There was a rustling slight sound, and Chance realized the Stones had joined the Zoom call already. He couldn’t even muster embarrassment that he was crying in front of them.

“We are so sorry, Chance,” Trey said.

There was a murmur of assent from the rest of them.

Chance spotted Raine, and he moved away from the others and stared at the computer. “I can’t say I’m sorry he’s gone, but I do know that losing someone hurts, Raine.”

“But he deserved to die.” Raine shook his head. “I can’t believe he would do this.”

Chance pointed at Raine. “This is not on you, brother. Do you hear that?”

Raine nodded, although his expression was hard. “I don’t believe that, but thank you for saying it.”

Porter filled them in on everything that had happened.

Brooks was in a separate window on the call, and as usual, he was all business. “I traced that call to your phone, Chance. I have the address if you want it. It’s in Oxford. So I guess her ex actually might have saved her life. And Ms. Connie’s.”

Chance hadn’t had time to digest the fact that Brian had hired a private investigator to watch her. The psycho had actually saved two lives.

If only they’d made it in time to save the third.

Chance felt like he was having an out-of-body experience as he sat in a chair and Sadie shoved a drink of water into his hand. Sierra was on his other side, checking his pulse and being all Dr. Asher. She gave him some crackers and said, “You need to eat something.”

Everyone was talking about the next steps, but he heard none of it. All he could do was look at the crackers and think of the baby that had been lost. The baby. Pain edged through his heart as if it had already been his own. Had he come to terms with the fact that the baby could’ve been his to raise?

Chance crumpled the crackers and stood, throwing them on the table. “We’re done with this. There is no gold. All this has only caused heartache, and now that Truman’s gone, no one’s looking for the gold. We’re done.”

Before anyone could say anything, he stormed out and down the hall.

He was headed to her room when Colt, Nash, and Blaze flanked him.

“Come on, bro. We’re going to take you to the ranch,” Colt said, tugging him away from the room.

He pulled away. “I can’t leave her alone.”

Nash put a hand on his shoulder. “Sierra and Sadie won’t leave her side. Don’t worry. Let’s get you cleaned up, and you’re going to take a nap before we bring you back. We’ve got your back, brother—and hers, too.”

Chapter 28