Walker Revenge (The Walker Family Series Book 5) (7 page)

He opened his eyes and looked at her urging
her to continue with a nod.

“Russ, you never did anything to push me
away. I let my mind do that, and it did a good job. I was wrong.”
She moved to her purse and pulled out her phone. “I got pregnant
three months before you returned. In fact, the day I got your
message that you’d be coming home was the day I found out.”

She sat back down in the chair and scrolled
through her phone. “I had decided to admit that I’d had an affair
and face the consequences. I didn’t plan to get pregnant. Dominic
and I got married a week later.”

Chelsea lifted the phone so that he could
see the screen. “This is Lucas.”

Russell looked at the little boy in the
picture, and his chest tightened, and it pained him to look at him.
He had her blond hair and blue eyes. The smile on his face was
contagious, and he knew he’d begun to smile just looking at
him.

“He’s a beautiful little boy,” he said, and
she looked down at the picture and smiled.

“He’s amazing, Russ. He’s my entire
world.”

“As he should be. Chelsea, I’m okay with you
being at the house when I get home. I don’t know that I’ll be a
very good patient, but…”

She laughed. “You’ll be horrible, but I’ll
take that as payment for what I’ve done.”

Russell shook his head. “You’ve already paid
enough. It’s time to forgive yourself. You have Lucas. He should be
your priority. I’m just your job now.”

“You could never be just that.”

Their eyes lingered on one another, and he
knew that he had spoken the truth that first day. He did still love
her.

She leaned in and pressed a lingering kiss
to his cheek. “Thank you,” she said as the door opened and she
quickly stepped back from him.

The nurse walked in and began her charting
of his vitals. It was obvious to him that the women didn’t know
each other.

Chelsea picked up her purse and her coat.
“I’m going to head out. Phillip said he’d meet me at my house so I
could collect a few things.”

That told Russell that things were a little
more serious than anyone had let on. They were worried enough to
have her leave her house and not go back without an escort.

“Are you working tomorrow?”

She shook her head. “I’m only in-house for
now. It’s better that way.”

“Right. You’d better get back before my mom
spoils your son.”

She laughed. “He could use some of it. He
loves her,” she said, and her eyes lit up.

“What’s not to like? My mother is
magic.”

Chelsea nodded as she walked out of the room
and Russell rested back.

Yeah, his mother was magic. Who’d have
thought she’d somehow manage her magic between him and Chelsea.

He closed his eyes, let the nurse finish her
job, and he thought of Chelsea and her son. Somehow he’d gone from
despising the woman to being her friend again. But nothing had hurt
as much as seeing her son’s face. That might just be a betrayal his
heart couldn’t overcome. They could be friends because he believed
she truly needed one. But that feeling of love that kept creeping
into his heart—that needed to go. He never wanted to be hurt like
that again.

Chapter Seven

The music on the radio seemed a little
cheerier, and the holiday decorations that hung on the lamp poles
brought happiness to Chelsea.

The very thought of being surrounded by the
Walkers for Christmas made her smile, alone in the car.

When she pulled up in front of her house,
Phillip Smythe was already parked there. As she parked behind him,
he climbed from his patrol car and walked back to her.

He looked in the backseat as she slipped out
from the car.

“Where’s Lucas?” His voice tremored with
worry.

“Glenda Walker has him.”

Phillip eased. “Good. He’s safe there.”

“You seem concerned.”

Phillip took off his hat and ran his hand
over his hair, which always was a sign he was upset about
something. “I haven’t talked to Russ yet, but they found evidence
of the other blue pickup’s paint on his truck. He was pushed off
the road.”

Chelsea stepped up to him and placed her
hand on his arm. “That’s horrible. Why would someone do that? I
know he runs his mouth but…”

“The pickup we tracked down belongs to
Dominic.”

She felt the blood drain from her head, and
she leaned against the car for support. “He wasn’t out when Russell
got in his accident.”

“You’re right. And we’ve confirmed that he’s
still in Texas. A deputy even went out and saw him at his
residence.”

“I don’t understand,” she pleaded as she
eased from her position against the car. “Why would someone do
that? Why would they use Dominic’s truck?”

“I’m looking into that. But, Chels, if they
were willing to hurt Russ that badly, and he hadn’t even been in
contact with you, it worries me now that you have been with
him.”

“You think Russell is in some trouble?”

Phillip shrugged. “He’s not a troublemaker.
Sure, he has a short fuse, but he’s not a problem. There has to be
more to it. We’re trying to find who was driving the truck that
night.”

“How did you know it belonged to Dominic and
not know who was driving it?”

Phillip pointed across the street to where a
blue pickup truck sat parked at the curb. “We found the truck two
hours ago, right there.”

Her head began to spin, and she must have
swayed because Phillip’s arms came around her. “Let’s get you
inside and get you some water.”

“You’re sure Dominic is still in Texas?”

“I’m sure,” he assured her as he helped her
into the house.

~*~

The news had finally come in. They would
plan to send Russell home in two more days. He wasn’t sure he could
make it two more days. All he wanted was the comfort of his own
bed.

When the door opened to his room, he
couldn’t help but hope it might be Chelsea, but then he quickly
reeled that thought back in. No, he’d have plenty of time with her.
It wasn’t going to do him any good to be hoping for her, if he was
going to try and keep his heart at a distance.

So when his cousin Jake rounded the door, he
was pleased to see him.

“Oh, you look a lot better,” Jake said as he
pushed the door closed.

“Yeah, I feel better. They said two more
days, and they’ll send me home.”

“Good for you. Damn, I was in traction for
weeks.”

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t going two hundred
miles an hour.”

Jake laughed as he pulled the chair up next
to the bed and sat down. “It took me a year to walk. It looks like
you’ll be up and running soon.”

“I’d like that,” Russell said as he adjusted
the sling on his left arm.

“So…Chelsea?” His cousin grinned. “What’s
that story?”

“She’s my nurse.”

“No kidding?” He laughed as he leaned his
forearms on his knees. “You land in the hospital, and your ex is
your nurse. Do they do regular checks on that IV to make sure she
doesn’t add anything to it?” He sat back in the chair as he
laughed. “Damn, if that were one of my ladies, they’d have poisoned
me for sure.”

“Probably, but Chelsea isn’t like that.”

“So what’s going on there? I haven’t heard
you talk about her without snarling in years.”

Russell wanted to be snide and mad. He did
that well and had for years. Jake had been one of his partners in
drinking Chelsea’s memory away more than once.

But he didn’t feel that way right now.
“She’s moving in with my parents. Her and her son.”

Jake raised his eyebrow. “Dude, that’s
weird.”

“Well, my mom has a soft heart. She wants to
protect her from that ass she married. He was in prison. I guess
she’s divorced, and they have a son.”

“Serves her right for what she did to you,”
he said crossing his arms in front of him. “Women are trouble,
especially those that cheat on you.”

Russell picked up his water and took a sip.
He and Jake had had these conversations, but to hear him talk about
Chelsea that way hurt.

“People make mistakes. She made hers. She
cheated, got pregnant, got married, then…” He stopped and coughed,
literally choking on his words. “Then, from what I gather, he must
have abused her. Somewhere between that, and her getting a divorce,
the S.O.B. kidnapped their kid, drove to Texas with him, and
abandoned him in a car while he unsuccessfully tried to rob a
liquor store.”

“Shit,” Jake sighed.

“Yeah. Well, now he’s out on parole. There
seems to be some concern that he’ll jump parole and leave Texas to
come here. So now my mom is involved, and Chelsea and her son are
staying with my parents.”

“Aren’t you going home when you leave
here?”

Russell nodded. “Yep. Home, and she’s now my
nurse.”

“This is messed up, man. What are you going
to do with her there? You never did get over her.”

So, it had been that obvious. “I won’t go
through that again, but I can be her friend. She needs one.”

Jake grinned as he ran his tongue over his
teeth. “I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes,” he said as he stood.
“I have to get back to work. I have one more car to get out of the
garage by five. I’m glad you’re doing better.”

“Thanks,” Russell said as Jake waved and
headed out of the room.

Russell welcomed the quiet. He hadn’t
realized how much he’d tried to forget Chelsea until Jake had come
in. He had cursed her name too many times, as Jake had pointed out.
He hadn’t been raised like that. She must have really gotten under
his skin.

Sure, he’d dated since then, but it had
never been the same. All along it was supposed to have been Russell
and Chelsea. When that didn’t happen, then nothing was that
important.

Russell turned on the damned TV again. Was
it fate that Ross and Rachel were on talking about being on a
break? He chuckled to himself. Was that what Chelsea had thought
when she fell in love with Dominic? He didn’t know the man, no more
than knowing his name. What could have possibly lured her into his
arms?

It didn’t matter now he thought as he turned
the channel to the Food Network. Chelsea had her issues, and he had
his own. She had a son to raise and schooling to finish. He was
going to be getting back on his feet.

Even having her living in his house wasn’t
going to change what had happened between them. In time, his mother
would see that. They’d either be amicable or go separate ways.

As Guy Fieri drove off in his fancy red car
on the TV, Russell turned it off. Knowing that Dominic had hurt her
wasn’t sitting well with him. No one should have ever hurt her, not
matter what. So, she’d decided not to love him anymore, fine. But
why chose someone that would hurt her and kidnap their son?

The need to protect her rose in his mind.
They might not be lovers anymore, but he felt the need to make sure
she and Lucas were safe forever.

He smiled to himself. Perhaps that part of
his mother’s grace lived inside of him after all.

Suddenly, he wanted her at his house helping
him recover. Maybe that would help them all. And he knew, without a
doubt, his mother was going to have the time of her life having a
little one around the house. She’d been hounding Eric and Susan for
a grandbaby since they’d gotten married. He assumed Gia and Dane
would be feeling that wrath too, soon.

Maybe he’d send one of his brothers out on a
quest to buy Lucas a Christmas gift from him since he wouldn’t be
wandering the malls anytime soon.

He rested his head back against his pillow.
In his mind, he had found some peace with having Chelsea around.
With any luck, there would be the same peace when they were living
under the same roof.

Chapter Eight

Phillip guided Chelsea toward the house with
his hand on her back. She was very aware that he had his eyes
scanning in every direction as she unlocked the front door and
pushed it open.

As soon as they stepped inside, and she
closed the door, he held up his hand.

“Stay here,” he whispered as he walked
further into the house.

Chelsea, out of instinct, laced the keys on
her ring through her fingers like a weapon and held tightly to the
doorknob.

She watched as Phillip maneuvered through
the house as if he were checking for something. A few moments
later, he returned.

“I don’t see that anyone has been in here.
The back door is still locked. The windows are closed. Nothing
seems disrupted. I want you to look around and make sure.”

Chelsea nodded as she let go of the door and
walked through the house, the keys still tucked between her
fingers.

Each room looked the same as she’d left it
the day before. Even the sink still had dishes that needed to be
tended to. Perhaps Phillip would understand that she needed to take
care of that before they left the house.

“Once we leave here, I don’t want you coming
back here, understood? Pack what you need to stay at the Walkers’
and stay clear.”

She nodded. “Do you think someone has been
watching me?”

“Chels, none of this makes sense. But it’s
my job to get to the bottom of it. Someone ran Russell off the road
with a truck belonging to your ex-husband. That same someone parked
that truck across the street from your house, but your ex-husband
is still in Texas. Not a lot adds up right now. As soon as we’re
done here, and I know that you’re safe at the Walkers’, I’ll reach
out to the department in Texas to have them interview your
ex-husband.”

“I hope he cooperates. Nothing can happen to
Lucas. Promise me that nothing will.”

“Trust me, as a friend. I would never let
anything happen to him, or you, again.”

Chelsea had done the dishes in the sink and
packed more clothes for herself and Lucas.