Trusting Sydney: The Temptation Saga: Book Six (15 page)

“Would I rather keep Duke with me? Absolutely. I love that child. He is my son. But I can’t give him the life he deserves while I’m trying to take care of his mother. Lucky for me, my daughter, who I know loves him as much as I do, is available to see his life isn’t disrupted too much.”

“Not disrupted? Don’t you think he’ll miss you two?”

“Of course he will, but he’ll be home with his big sister who adores him and can care for him as well as anyone. He won’t be with his distracted father who’s trying to do right by him and his mother at the same time.”

Sydney sniffed. “I’ll just get attached, and when Mom’s better, she’ll want him back.”

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

“I suppose so. I just—”

“Miss Buchanan?” a nurse interrupted.

“Excuse me, Dad.” She turned to the nurse. “Yes?”

“Mr. O’Donovan is awake. He’s asking for you.”

“
I
hear
I have you to thank,” Sam choked out.

Sydney spoke through tears. “Thank God you’re okay. I’m so sorry for all of this, Sam. This is all my fault.”

“You promised me you wouldn’t let me die.”

“You heard that?”

“I heard you. I knew you were there. I wanted to tell you so much, but I couldn’t.”

“I know. How are you? Are you in much pain?”

“I can’t see out of my right eye.”

Sydney smiled. “There’s a patch on it.”

His lips twitched. “Oh.”

“But you didn’t lose your sight, Sam. You were really lucky.”

“Lucky because you got help in time. Like you promised. Thank you.”

“Please, don’t thank me.”

“I—” He choked, and his words came out in a gurgle.

Sydney touched his parched lips with her fingers. “Don’t try to talk anymore. Just rest.”

“Will you stay?”

“Of course.”

Sam dozed off again. Sydney booked a room at a nearby hotel and called her father with the information.

“What have you told Duke about Mom?” she asked.

“Just that she’s sick and has to be at the hospital for a while. He misses her, but he’s doing okay. The virus is completely out of his system now and he’s eating like a horse.”

Sydney smiled. “I’m glad to hear it. Would you…would you consider bringing him to Denver to see Sam? I know it would mean a lot to him.”

“Absolutely. There’s no reason for us to stay in Bakersville any longer. The rodeo’s nearly over.”

“Great. You can stay in my room. I have two queen beds.”

“We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

She hung up and called Dusty.

“Should I come up?” Dusty asked.

“No, he’s going to be fine. I know you can’t miss Harper and Amber’s wedding tomorrow.”

“I’m sure they would understand.”

“Of course they would, but there’s no reason for you not to be there. Harper is your sister-in-law’s brother. You should be there.”

“All right,” Dusty relented. “Just take good care of him, okay?”

“Absolutely.”

She’d take the best care possible of him.

Before she left.

“
W
ell
, hello there,” Sydney said to Duke. “I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you too, Sassy.” The little boy gave her a big hug.

“I hear you and Daddy had quite an adventure.”

“Yes. Mama’s sick.”

“I know. But she’ll be better soon.”

“And Sam is sick too?”

“Yes, he is. But seeing you will make him feel a lot better.”

“Daddy said he had a accident in the car.”

“Yes, he was hurt pretty bad. But the doctors fixed him right up.”

“Will the doctors fix up Mama too?”

Sydney melted. Duke’s big brown eyes shone with love and trust. “Yes, Duke. The doctors will fix Mama.” She hoped she wasn’t lying to the little boy. “Let’s go say hi to Sam, okay?”

A few days had made a big difference in Sam. The lacerations on his face looked much better, though he still wore the eye patch. The doctors said he’d be able to leave in a few more days. He finally felt he looked okay enough to let the little boy visit.

“Look who came to visit,” Sydney said, holding Duke’s hand as they entered Sam’s room.

Sam and Sydney had asked that any machines, other than his IV, be removed before Duke came. The nurses had smiled and said Sam no longer required the other machines, he was doing so well. Now he lay in bed, his lips curved into a smile at the sight of Duke.

“How are you doing, buddy?”

“Fine. I’m sorry you got hurt.”

“That’s nice of you, but I’m going to be fine.”

“Good, I’m glad. My mommy’s in the hospital too.”

“Yes, I heard. I’m sorry about that, but they’re taking really good care of her.”

“Yeah, that’s what Daddy says.”

Sam paused for a moment. “Daddy’s right.”

Sydney knew immediately the reason for the pause. It was hard for Sam to say “daddy.” He thought of himself as Duke’s daddy.

They’d agreed Duke wouldn’t stay long. They didn’t want him to get upset at the sight of Sam.

“We should get going,” Sydney said.

“Thanks for coming to see me,” Sam said.

“You’re welcome. We’ll come back soon, won’t we, Duke?”

“Sure. We’ll come back soon.” Duke smiled.

Sydney relinquished Duke into her father’s care and went back to Sam.

“Thanks for bringing him,” Sam said.

“No need to thank me.”

“That’s not true. I need to thank you for so many things.”

The long fingers of guilt threatened to choke her. “No, you don’t.”

“Sydney, please. Let me do this.”

She sighed and looked around the hospital room. So sterile. So empty. Thank goodness Sam would be leaving soon. He’d have to wear the eye patch for a few weeks, but other than that, he’d get along fine.

“Okay, Sam. Say what you need to say.”

“Look at me.”

She turned.

His expression glowed with seriousness.

“I love you.”

She closed her eyes for a moment. A pang of remorse shot through her. She loved him too, but it didn’t matter. She was leaving. She’d made up her mind.

“I love you too.”

“Sydney, I’d be dead if it weren’t for you.”

“I did what anyone would have done.”

“You promised you wouldn’t let me die, and you didn’t. And you promised you wouldn’t leave me here alone, and you didn’t.”

“Sam, I—”

“Please, let me finish. I love you. Yes, I still wish you’d told me about Duke from the beginning, but I forgive you, Sydney. I forgive you.”

Tears welled in her eyes. She didn’t deserve his forgiveness. She didn’t deserve him.

“And I trust you, Sydney. I trust you with my life.”

“Sam, please.”

“I want to be a part of your life. I want to be a part of Duke’s life. I won’t disrupt his life. I’ll settle for being his brother-in-law.”

Sydney dropped her jaw open. “What?”

“I want to marry you, Sydney.” He squeezed her hand. “You are what I’ve been waiting for all these years. Please. Marry me. You’ll make me the happiest man in the world.”

Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest. “Sam, are you sure? After all I’ve done? The lies?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything. I love you.”

Joy bubbled through her. Could it be true? “Sam, I love you too. I love you so much.”

“Then you’ll marry me?”

Her mouth trembled as she brushed her lips over his. “Yes, Sam. I’ll marry you.”

“
W
e catched
seven Rocky Mountain trouts!” Duke beamed as he held up the fish.

“I catched one and Duke catched two,” Sean announced. “Daddy and Uncle Sam catched the rest.”

“They’re both born fishermen,” Zach said. “It’s enough for dinner, if you ladies are up to it. The boys can share one, and that leaves one each for you two and two each for Sam and me.”

“Ugh, trout?” Sydney rubbed her belly. At ten weeks into her pregnancy, morning sickness—rather, all-day sickness—was at its peak. The thought of putting anything fishy in her mouth made her want to retch.

“Make that two for you then, darlin’,” Zach said to Dusty. “Saltines for Sydney, I assume?”

“Sassy eats so many crackers,” Duke said. “That’s all she eats!”

“You’d rather have crackers than trout?” Sean shook his head.

“Leave Auntie Sydney alone,” Dusty said. “When there’s a baby inside you, sometimes certain foods make you feel icky.”

“Did you feel like that when I was inside you?” Sean asked.

“Goodness yes,” Dusty said. “I couldn’t eat beef. It darn near killed your daddy that I wouldn’t eat his genuine McCray beef.”

They all erupted in laughter.

Duke had been living with Sam and Sydney on the McCray ranch for nearly a year. He missed his parents, but Roy had taken Duke to the hospital twice to visit with Carrie. Sam and Sydney had gone along. Carrie was improving, but it was slow going.

Roy had sold the ranch in Carson City for a decent price and now lived on the McCray ranch as a ranch hand. It was the best way to stay near Duke and be able to see to Carrie's needs. None of them wanted to disrupt the little boy’s life.

“Will your mother be able to come home soon?” Dusty asked after the boys had run outside to play.

“Yes, Daddy thinks so. She’s chosen to stay longer and get further treatment. She feels terrible about everything and wants to make sure she won’t relapse.”

“What’s going to happen with Duke?”

“We’ve talked about it. Sam and I are willing to do whatever’s best for him. He can stay here with us, or he can move in with Mom and Daddy. Either way, we’ll see him often. He’s right here on the same ranch.”

“Will you ever tell him the truth?”

“Someday, when he’s older.”

After a dinner of saltines, eaten with a clothespin on her nose to avoid the fish stench, Sydney tucked Duke into bed and joined Sam in their own bedroom.

“I’m beat,” Sam said. “A day with those two critters can take it out of a man.”

“Hmm, that’s too bad.” Sydney smiled. “Those crackers settled my tummy, and now I’m feeling”—she reached over for his erection—“a little frisky.”

“Oh yeah?” He rolled toward her. “I think I can accommodate you.”

Sydney turned, reached into her nightstand drawer, and pulled out two bandanas.

Sam’s eyebrows shot up. “I didn’t think you wanted to try that again.”

She winked at him. “That’s what you get for thinking.”

D
ear Reader
,

Thank you for reading
Trusting Sydney
. If you want to find out about my current backlist and future releases, please like my Facebook page:
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If you enjoyed the story, please take the time to leave a review on a site like Amazon or Goodreads. I welcome all feedback.

I wish you all the best, and keep reading!

Helen

L
ike the first
book in the
Temptation Saga
,
Tempting Dusty
,
Trusting Sydney’s
main characters are named after former dogs of mine, Sam and Sydney. I hope you enjoyed the story of two people learning to trust each other against the odds.

So many people helped along the way in bringing this book to you. Celina Summers, Michele Hamner Moore, Jenny Rarden, Cera Smith, Kelly Shorten, David Grishman, Meredith Wild, Jonathan Mac, Kurt Vachon, Yvonne Ellis, Shayla Fereshetian—thank you all for your expertise and guidance. Eternal thanks to Waterhouse Press for the expert rebranding of the series.

And thanks most of all to you, the readers. Who else would like to read about in the
Temptation Saga?
A book is coming…and I’ll leave you to guess whose story it will be.