A Real Cowboy Always Protects by Stephanie Rowe

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Skylar satin the corner of the hospital waiting room, her knees pulled to her chest, her chin resting on them. She was so scared. She couldn't stop shaking.

By the time she'd arrived at the hospital, Logan was already in surgery. She hadn't been able to find the men who had gone in the helicopter with him. They'd already left in the truck by the time she'd gotten down the cliff, and the helicopter had met them at the house.

She wished they'd waited for her to get down and go with him, but she understood why. Logan's life was at stake, and it wasn't as if she was really his fiancée.

Keegan and Skylar had brought the horses back. Chase had helped them put the horses away, but it had still taken precious time. Now, Keegan was getting her coffee, and she was alone.

What if it was too late? What if she'd waited too long to tell Logan how much she loved him and how much she needed him? What if it had taken her too long to get brave enough to claim the man and the life she wanted? What if—

"Skylar!"

She looked up as her mom came running into the waiting room. "Mom!" The tears she'd been trying to keep at bay broke free, and she flung herself into her mom's arms. She buried her face in her mom's shoulder, clinging on for life. She remembered when she and her mom had been in the hospital, just like this, when her dad had died.

It had been so terrible, so scary. They'd both been so scared of the future, and how they would get by without him. Alone. Just the two of them. "I’m so glad you're here," she whispered.

"Me, too." Abby pulled back and framed her face with her hands. "He's going to be all right, Skylar. He's a tough bastard."

"Mom!" She laughed through her tears. "It's so awkward when you swear."

"I've been teaching her. She's a quick learner." Frank limped up, his dark face creased into a warm smile. "I'm planning to corrupt her. It's going to be fun."

Skylar covered her ears. "Oh, my God. I really don't need to hear that." But she was already laughing.

"Skylar!" Leila waved to her, drawing Skylar's attention away from her mom. "Is he okay?"

Skylar took a deep breath, wrapping her arms around Leila as the teenager fell into her embrace, just the way she'd just fallen into her mom's. "He's going to be fine. He's a Stockton. You know how tough they are."

She hugged the teenager hard, and her mom leaned in and wrapped her arms around both of them. "It's time for a Leila sandwich," her mom said.

To Skylar's surprise, the teenager didn't try to pull away. She just clung to both of them, her body trembling as she hung onto Skylar.

"He's going to be all right," Chase said. "Trust me. We're much too stubborn to die."

Skylar looked up to see Chase standing beside them, holding his foster son in his arms.

Behind Chase, she was stunned to see a flood of Stocktons taking over the waiting room. Every brother, except the elusive Caleb. Most of the women, except the few that she presumed were home taking care of sleeping kids. The room was packed, and became even more crowded as Brody, Falcon, and Quintin walked in from wherever they had been.

Everyone was talking and hugging. The room was filled with such love and support that the tears almost started again. Abby tucked her arm around Skylar's. "This is a special family," she said quietly. "Surely you can see that?"

Leila nodded. "I know." The longing in her voice was so visceral that Skylar felt like she could almost reach out and touch the depths of her emotion with her hand.

She put her arm around Leila. "They're pretty amazing," she said. "But we are, too."

"They?" Chase turned back to them, his brows up, having clearly heard them. "What are you talking about? You all are part of this family."

Skylar managed a smile. "You know we're not really engaged. We don't have to pretend anymore."

"Not engaged?" Brody walked up. "What are you talking about?"

The whole room fell into silence at Brody's question, turning to look at Skylar. She swallowed. "We pretended to be engaged," she said. "It was a cover to keep me safe. And now that it's over…" She shrugged, her throat tight as she gave up the family she'd already started to love. "You can know the truth."

Keegan laughed. "The truth? The truth that you guys are totally in love?"

"Logan briefly regained consciousness in the helicopter, and the only thing he wanted to know was if you were all right," Quintin said. "He kept asking where you were and telling us to get you."

She looked over at him. "He did?"

"Damn straight he did," Brody said. "I thought he was going to pull his gun on us to make us go back and get you."

Tears filled her eyes. "He's going to be okay, right?"

"He is." Quintin walked up to her and pulled her into a hug. "But if he were to be a selfish bastard and die, then you need to know that you're already part of our family. He loves you, and that's all it takes. It's forever, Skylar."

"We don't need anything official to be a family," Chase said. "That's not how we are." He looked over at her mom. "You, too, Abby. You know that none of us have a mom, right? Our kids need a grandma around, and we're already counting on you."

Skylar started laughing through her tears. "You guys are crazy. What if Logan wakes up and realizes he's changed his mind?"

Chase put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "Doesn’t matter. We love you, too. Both of you."

That did it. The tears wouldn't stop this time, especially when everyone clustered around to hug her and Abby. She felt the warmth of their hugs, the truth of their love, and she knew that this family would never abandon her or turn on her. There would be no sides taken. She could count on them. Which meant she could count on Logan, too.

He needed to wake up so she could tell him.

Please, Logan, wake up.