Wyatt Read online

What had happened between himself and Alessandra had been good.

  What Valonia was talking about was evil. He felt a choking sensation in his throat, in his lungs. At the moment he wasn’t capable of rational thought. All he knew was that he couldn’t breathe—and that he had to get away.

  He had a good sense of direction. He had been here before. He turned and fled up the narrow lane, then bolted toward the right, up the midway toward the entrance.

  In back of him, he thought he heard Alessandra calling. But he didn’t stop. He had to get out of there. Away from the old woman.

  He reached the parking lot and ran headlong across the open space—unable to see the car speeding toward him.

  Chapter Nine

  Wyatt heard the roar of an engine, heard tires spinning on gravel. Perhaps it was an illusion, but it suddenly seemed as if a vehicle was heading straight toward him.

  He’d been running as fast as he could. Now he checked his forward motion, but it was already too late.

  Metal collided with his body. His head cracked against glass.

  The impact bought a scream to his lips. Then blessed unconsciousness took away the pain.

  ______

  He lay on crisp sheets, his eyes closed. His head hurt. His body hurt, too, especially when he tried to take a breath.

  “You’re awake,” an angel murmured.

  No, not an angel. Alessandra. She’d been here with him. He vaguely remembered her presence hovering over him—loving and protective.

  “How long since that car slammed into me?” he whispered, trying to squeeze the slender feminine hand that clasped his. He found he didn’t have much strength.

  “A day and a half,” she answered, her fingers pressing his. “You’ve been conscious some of the time. We talked.”

  “My memory is kind of vague on that,” he said, his voice rusty with disuse.

  “Well, you had a concussion, a punctured lung and a broken leg.”

  “Dumb of me to run off like that,” he muttered.

  “You had a shock. We both did.”

  Speaking was an effort; so was staying awake. His eyelids fluttered, and he briefly saw the room, knowing it was from the contact of her flesh against his. Then he drifted off again.

  Hours later, when he awoke once more, the pain was less.

  “Hello again,” Alessandra said. Her fingers were still wrapped around his.

  “You should go back to my house and get some rest,” he said.

  “They brought me a nice comfortable chair. You know, special treatment for someone visiting a decorated ex-cop. I’ve had plenty of rest.”

  He opened his eyes, blinked against the light. He and Alessandra were holding hands, so he could see her.

  She was sitting in a fake leather chair, wearing a deep blue dress that looked wonderful against her creamy skin.

  “It’s nice to wake up to such a beautiful sight,” he said. “I love that dress on you.”

  She glanced down at her lap, but the view didn’t change.

  “Let me tell them you’re awake again.” She got up and detached her hand. Quickly she crossed the room and exited.

  He lay with his eyes closed until he heard footsteps again. Alessandra had brought a nurse, he saw when he opened his eyes. She checked his vital signs and told him he was doing fine.

  With a growing sense of astonishment, he watched the woman work, watched her leave, then turned his gaze to Alessandra.

  “I saw that nurse,” he said, his voice low and husky. “I can see you now. I thought when I woke up that it was because you were holding my hand. But that’s not it. I’m seeing you—on my own,” he said, still not quite believing it.

  She ran to his side. “Oh, Wyatt! Are you sure?”

  He laughed, ignoring the pain, his gaze focusing on the front of her dress. “Hmm, you need proof? Well, from this vantage point, it looks like you’re wearing a bra under that beautiful blue dress. Too bad. I’ll just have to take it off you when I’m a little stronger.”

  She reached for him. And he had enough strength to bring one arm around her. There was no need to hold her to him. She stayed right where she was, clasping him gently yet surely.

  He felt her shoulders shaking, then felt drops of moisture hitting his face.

  “Oh, Wyatt,” she gasped. “I don’t know how, but I think the curse is over for you.”

  “I think a nice smack upside the head may have had something to do with it,” he whispered, taking care not to laugh this time.

  “Maybe it’s love,” she whispered. “And maybe it’s that you made a tremendous sacrifice for me. You could have hidden the evidence that your dad withheld. But you went looking for it—for me.” Her arms tightened around him, but carefully, so that she didn’t hurt him. “Oh, Wyatt. I love you so much. I always did. But I was afraid to admit it, even to myself.”

  Hearing those words made his heart soar. “I loved you, too,” he answered, his throat thick. “I love you now. But I thought it was hopeless. So I tried to tell myself it wasn’t true.”

  When her fingers tangled with his, he held on to her with all the strength he possessed, thinking that he and Alessandra had already wasted too much time. “Since we’ve both admitted we were fools to call it quits last time, does that mean you’ll marry me?” Realizing what he’d said, he held his breath.

  “Oh, yes,” she answered immediately.

  He sighed out his relief.

  For long moments she clung to him. Then she pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes.

  “Now that you’re my fiancée,” he said thickly, “I can rest easy.” He was asleep again as soon as he finished the sentence.

  The next time he awoke, he heard a woman’s voice. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Alessandra was talking to the nurse. “I’m back,” he said.

  Alessandra hurried to his bed, smiling, then stepped aside so the nurse could check his vital signs.

  When they were alone again, he fixed his gaze on the woman he loved.

  “I didn’t dream that, did I?” he asked carefully. “You said you’d marry me?”

  “I did.”

  He smiled. “Then how about a kiss?”

  She leaned down and touched her lips to his. Stronger than he’d been the last time, he held her to him, deepening the kiss, his soul warming at the contact.

  At last she straightened, smoothed her hair.

  “I’ll muss you up a little better when I get out of this hospital bed,” he said.

  God, she was pretty when she blushed, he thought. Then he grew serious again. “So, should I buy a trailer and move around with you? I figure I can work as a P.I. And I can do that anywhere.”

  “You’d live in a trailer?”

  “For you, I’d live in a pup tent.”

  She reached for his hand, held tight. “When you took me home, I loved your house. I loved the garden. And the big rooms. Living in a house like that would be like stepping into a dream world. Living there with you would be…wonderful.”

  “Hmm, it will be fun to see you decorate it.”

  “You don’t mind my making changes?”

  “No. I’d love to have you make the place your own.”

  She looked pleased, then her expression sobered.

  “What? Whatever you’re thinking, tell me!”

  “Would you mind traveling with the carnival part of the time? At least at first. I’d feel like I was leaving them in the lurch if I disappeared. There’s a girl who can take my place. My cousin—she has the talent to be a good fortune-teller, but I need to train her.”

  “I’d like living with you there—if your family can accept Louis Boudreaux’s son.”

  “They know what you’ve done for us.”

  “They know my father hid evidence that would have cleared Carlo,” he said, knowing he had to get that out in the open, yet feeling his insides clench as he waited to hear her response.

  “Wyatt, what you did—showing me that evidence—took courage and inte
grity. Your father gave you those qualities because of the way he raised you.”

  “But his life was a lie!”

  “Or he just made one big mistake. Don’t judge him. You don’t know what kind of pressure was put on him.”

  “You can say that?”

  “Yes. I can. Remember, I was the woman who hated you for the wrong reasons. It was such a relief when I gave up that hate. Like lifting a terrible weight off my shoulders. Nobody knows better than I do that we have to go ahead from here. Loving each other. Supporting each other. Focusing on everything good in our lives.”

  He nodded, understanding that it was true, understanding how lucky he was. He had his sight back, and he was going to marry the woman he loved—a woman who could make his life complete.

  “Don’t let bitterness eat at you. Promise me.”

  He swallowed. “I can’t do it all at once. But with your help, I can start.”

  “Do it for yourself—not me. I give you permission to forgive him.”

  He nodded, amazed at how wise she was and praying he could accept the challenge she’d thrown at him.

  “Let’s start with love,” he said. “How about another kiss?”

  “As many as you want!” She leaned over, pressing her lips to his, then deepening the contact, and he knew he was the luckiest man in the world.

  GYPSY MAGIC

  I hope you enjoyed Wyatt (Justice is Blind), the first novella in the Gypsy Magic serial. Each of these compelling stories ends with an HEA for the hero and heroine. But only the full set will finally get to the bottom of the murder mystery. Be sure to read them all!

  Part 1: Wyatt (Justice is Blind)

  Part 2: Garner (Love is Death)

  Part 3: Andrei (The Law is Impotent)

  Other series from Rebecca York, Ann Voss Peterson, and Patricia Rosemoor:

  NEW ORLEANS MAGIC

  (Originally published under the title Boys in Blue)

  Part 1: Jordan by Rebecca York

  Part 2: Liam by Ann Voss Peterson

  Part 3: Zachary by Patricia Rosemoor

  RENEGADE MAGIC

  (Originally published under the title Desert Sons)

  Part 1: Luke by Rebecca York

  Part 2: Tom by Ann Voss Peterson

  Part 3: Rico by Patricia Rosemoor

  SECURITY BREACH

  Book 1: Chain Reaction by Rebecca York

  Book 2: Critical Exposure by Ann Voss Peterson

  Book 3: Triggered Response by Patricia Rosemoor

  CHRISTMAS IN JENKINS COVE

  Book 1: Christmas Spirit by Rebecca York

  Book 2: Christmas Awakening by Ann Voss Peterson

  Book 3: Christmas Delivery by Patricia Rosemoor

  AUTHOR WEB SITES

  Ann Voss Peterson: http://www.annvosspeterson.com

  Patricia Rosemoor: http://www.patriciarosemoor.com

  Rebecca York: http://www.rebeccayork.com

  About the Author

  A master of paranormal romantic suspense, Rebecca York is the author of over 150 books. A New York Times and USA Today best-seller, she has written paranormal romantic thrillers for Berkley and romantic thrillers for Harlequin Intrigue. Her romantic-suspense series, Decorah Security, is set at a detective agency where agents have paranormal powers or work paranormal cases. She also writes an Off-World series where each story is a science fiction romance taking place on a distant planet in the far future.

  Her many awards included three Career Achievement Awards from RT Book Reviews, a Prism Award, and two RITA finalist books. Find more about Rebecca’s work at her Web site or Facebook page or Twitter page.

  Sign up for her newsletter.

  Other digital books by Rebecca York

  DECORAH SECURITY SERIES

  Book 1. On Edge (a Decorah Security prequel novella)

  Book 2. Dark Moon (a novel)

  Book 3. Chained (a novella)

  Book 4. Ambushed (a short story)

  Book 5. Dark Powers (a novel)

  Book 6. Hot and Dangerous (a short story)

  Book 7. At Risk (a novel)

  Book 8. Christmas Captive (a novella)

  Book 9. Destination Wedding (a novella)

  Book 10. Rx Missing (a novel)

  Book 11. Hunting Moon (a novel)

  Book 12 Terror Mansion (a novella)

  Book 13. Outlaw Justice (a novella)

  Book 14. Found Missing (a novel)

  Book 15. Preying Game (a novel)

  Decorah Security Collection (an anthology including Ambushed, Hot and Dangerous, Chained, and Dark Powers)

  OFF-WORLD SERIES

  Book 1. Hero’s Welcome (an off-world series short story)

  Book 2. Nightfall (an off-world series novella)

  Book 3. Conquest (an off-world series short story)

  Book 4. Assignment Danger (an off-world novella)

  Book 5. Christmas Home (an off-world short story)

  Book 6. Firelight Confession (an off-world novella)

  Off-World Collection (includes Nightfall, Hero’s Welcome, and Conquest)