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Billy.
Quaid squeezed Lilia s hand just because he had nothing to say to
that. The woman had been through hell and all to save Billy, even if it
didn t work. He just wouldn t tell her that. She deserved to believe
her efforts were not in vain.
 Billy s safe, Lilia. He s with Rourke, and my brother is very
protective of Billy. He loves Billy very much and won t let anything
happen to him.
Lilia s eyes watered.  Is he happy?
 I m very happy, Mother.
Quaid jerked a little and turned to see Billy and Rourke standing
behind him in the hallway. He quickly stood up and back away so
Billy could take his place. The agony on Billy s face said that he had
heard everything his mother said.
 Billy, Lilia whispered. Her hand trembled as she brought it up
to stroke the side of his face. Billy covered her hand with his own.
 I m so sorry, Billy. I tried, I swear I did.
 I know you did, Mother. Billy sniffled.  And it s okay. Clem
never got to me.
 He hurt you. I know he did. I heard you crying in your room so
often.
140 Stormy Glenn
Billy shrugged.  He can t get to me anymore. Rourke keeps me
safe.
 Rourke?
Billy smiled and held out his hand. Quaid watched his brother step
over and kneel down beside Billy.  Hey, Lilia, how are you holding
up?
 You love my Billy?
 More than my own life.
 You ll take good care of him?
Quaid felt tears clog his throat when Rourke nodded.
 I promise, Lilia. I ll protect him until the day I die. Billy means
the world to me. Rourke smiled.  I m hoping he ll agree to marry me
some day.
 Oh, I d like to see that, Lilia whispered,  my beautiful baby boy
getting married.
 Then you shall, Rourke said. He stood up and stepped to the
door, motioning for someone. A moment later, Quaid saw paramedics
step into the house. Rourke moved back to Lilia.  You just hang in
there, Lilia, and I ll make sure you see your son walk down the aisle.
The next few minutes were a flurry of activity as the paramedics
worked on Lilia and Ruben then transferred them both to the hospital.
Billy and Rourke rode along in the ambulance with Lilia.
 I need a drink, the sheriff said as after the ambulance drove
away,  a really big drink.
 I m buying, Quaid said. He rubbed his hand down over his face,
amazed at what a person could learn in a matter of a few minutes
what he didn t know for years.  Can you do anything about Sheriff
Miller?
 I don t know. I m not sure there s much I can prove at this point.
It s basically Lilia s word against his, and considering that he was the
sheriff and she s a Thornton, our chances aren t good that anyone
would believe her.
 Surely, there s a way to 
Cowboy Way 141
The sheriff held up a hand.  Just because I can t prove anything
right now does not mean I won t keep looking. That man was too
deep in shit for there not to be a trace of it somewhere. I just have to
find it.
Quaid nodded, feeling a little more satisfied. Sheriff Miller might
not have broken any laws outright that they could prove, but the man
was dirty. Quaid would bet his life on it. He deserved to be in a jail
cell right next to Ira and Clem Thornton.
 Just one thing, sheriff, until we know for sure that we can prove
something, we need to keep this quiet. Lilia and Billy don t need the
entire world knowing about their family connections. I m not sure
everyone would understand.
 I agree. I assume you ll be telling your family, so besides me and
them, no one else will know. But you need to understand, if this goes
to court, all of this is likely to come out. People will know.
 I ll talk to Elijah, see if maybe he can file some sort of
paperwork with the courts to put a gag order on all of this. He s sure
to know how to keep the more sordid details out of the papers.
 Good plan.
 Come on, I think I need that drink now, and then I need to get
back to the hospital. My angel is waiting on me.
 Matty s agreed to see you?
 Not yet, but he will. Matty loves me. Quaid grinned.  He just
doesn t know it yet.
142 Stormy Glenn
Chapter 13
Matty smiled as he listened to Ruben retell his tale for yet the fifth
time. He had stopped freaking out around the third time Ruben had [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]