Eyes closed, he surprised her by mumbling, “Never going to happen.”
She leaned over and kissed him softly, loving the feel of his warm lips pressed to hers. “Sleep. I’m going to take a shower, but I’ll be right back.”
He found her arm and tugged. “Climb up here with me.”
She missed being close to him, too. She couldn’t wait to hold him again. But . . . “I’d love to, but you take up every inch of that bed and I don’t want to hurt your cracked ribs.”
Tate’s mouth scrunched into a disgruntled pout. “When we get home, I’m never going to sleep without you again.”
She kissed him, though he might have fallen asleep right in the middle of it. She smiled down at him and brushed her hand over his forehead. She’d wanted him since they were kids. Now she had him. And nothing was ever going to come between them again.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Two days after getting out of the hospital over the weekend, Tate opened the door and frowned at the man standing on the porch. “Detective Valdez.”
“Tate. May I come in?”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I hoped I wouldn’t see you again.” He held his arm out to welcome Valdez in anyway.
“I get that a lot.” He glanced around the living room and into the dining room. “Is Liz around?”
“Upstairs.”
Valdez tilted his head and stared at Tate. “I heard she quit her job.”
Tate rolled his eyes. “You mean the owner suggested she might want to take some time to get her life together.”
As happy as Liz was to have him home, she’d had a hard time letting go of what happened. After suffering so many traumas, she had recurring nightmares.
But they were trying to look to the future by focusing on the wedding plans.
This Saturday she’d be his wife. Officially. Because he already thought of her that way.
True to his word, they stopped at the courthouse on the way home from the hospital. He had the marriage license. Now all he needed was his bride’s I do.
Liz descended the stairs. “How are you, Detective?”
Valdez shook Liz’s hand. “Tired as always. It’s good to see you.”
Tate put his arm around Liz’s back and held her close. “Would you like to sit down?”
Valdez shook his head. “I just came by to check on both of you and to deliver this.” Valdez handed Liz an envelope. “Clint’s father came to town to claim his body. We had a long talk about what happened. And how it happened. Mr. Mayhew blames himself for not doing what he could to get Clint the help he needed after Mr. Mayhew moved out of their family home. He hinted that he’d become someone he didn’t want to be anymore taking care of his mentally ill wife and out-of-control son.”
Liz exchanged a look with Tate, then turned back to Valdez. “What do you mean?”
“Mr. Mayhew didn’t go into detail, but inferred there were other incidents in high school and college. Clint’s behavior became too much, so Mr. Mayhew cut him off and sent him to work here in Montana, hoping the smaller town and simpler life would change him.”
Liz opened the envelope and showed Tate the check made out to both of them. “Two hundred thousand dollars.” Awe and anger filled Liz’s voice. “Why?”
“He can’t change what happened, but with that money, he’s hoping you can change your life. Aubrey’s and Kelly’s parents, along with the women at Clint’s work who he harassed got some, too. He knows an apology won’t give you back the home you lost or the peace of mind Clint stole from you. But it will pay Tate’s medical costs and get you started on your new life.
“If Clint lived, he’d have gone to prison for murdering Aubrey and attempted murder for Tate, arson, all kinds of other charges. Clint can’t pay for what he did, but Mr. Mayhew wanted to do something because he knew an apology wasn’t of any value to you after what Clint did.”
Tate wasn’t sure how he felt about the money. He wanted Clint to pay for what he’d done. Death seemed too good for him.
Did a big payday make up for what Clint had done to him and Liz? No. But it did make it easier for them to live the life they wanted.
“We could use the money for the cabin renovation and put some away for a rainy day.” Liz stared at the check and saw possibility, because she wanted so desperately to put