Free Undeniable by Delilah Devlin Page A

up. You’re home.”
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    Kate held a steaming cup of coffee between her hands and breathed in the aroma. Finally she felt like she was perking up. She sat on the railing, eyeing the loading of the transport vehicles.
    The families tromped in a steady trail back and forth to the vehicles with their meager belongings. Even the children came with boxes of their toys for the journey. Watching their excitement, Kate felt the weight of her responsibilities shift off her shoulders. She’d done the right thing for them.
    Boot steps clomped on the wooden porch and she stiffened. Without turning to see who it was, she knew Sam had joined her. All morning long, she’d acted like a coward, retreating behind the excuse of overseeing the introductions of Ty’s men and her people, taking part in the discussions with the families to help alleviate their fears of the coming trek westward to the Davis Mountains.
    â€œKate,” he said, “you happy with your choice?”
    She swallowed against the lump forming at the back of her throat and turned to face him, setting her coffee cup on the railing. “Yes, Sam. I’m sor—”
    He shook his head. “Don’t. I’m okay. It’s not like we ever made any promises.”
    It was hard meeting his gaze. His eyes were moist, but a slight smile curved his lips. He looked sad, but resigned.
    â€œYou know I love you,” she said.
    â€œAnd I love you. I only want you happy.”
    He held open his arms, and she walked into them, wrapping hers around his waist. They stood like that for a long time.
    â€œI’m not going with you, Kate.”
    â€œWhat?” she drew back, staring in shock at his handsome face. “Sam, you can’t stay by yourself.”
    â€œShep and Danny, and a couple of the new men, are staying too. We’ll take our chances here.”
    She wanted to argue with him, rail at him for being foolish, but she recognized the stubborn set of his jaw. She could have been looking in a mirror. “Then she’s yours. Sanctuary is yours, now.”
    â€œCome back when you can,” he said, his voice rough.
    She nodded, tears blurring her eyes, not knowing what the future might hold for either of them.
    The front door slammed and Kate turned to the sound. Shep stepped out onto the porch, his gaze hard. “What hand did you say you stabbed?”
    It took her a moment to understand what he asked. “Are you talking about Ty?” she asked, feeling uneasy at the way Shep’s lips thinned. “His left one, why?”
    â€œNot a mark on him. I looked just a minute ago. Somethin’s not right.”
    Kate stiffened, feeling like the other boot had finally dropped. She hadn’t paid any attention, but she also didn’t recall seeing even a scratch on the back of his hand that morning.
    Shep and Sam drew their weapons, and Sam signaled to one of the hands who sat astride the corral fence. He jumped down and strode toward them, his hand already going to the gun strapped to his thigh.
    Kate followed suit, knowing where her duty lay, even as her stomach plummeted. She tucked her coat behind her holster and stepped off the porch toward the men loading the vehicles.
    Diego watched them approach and murmured something to Ty, who turned slowly to face Kate and her cowboys.
    His gaze swept down to the gun her hand rested beside, before coming back up to meet hers. “Something wrong, Kate?”
    â€œYour hand,” she said, keeping her voice dead even. “You healed really fast.”
    He nodded slowly. “I’ve got a great metabolism. The only problem is it needs blood to fuel it.”
    Shep sucked in a breath. “Vampires.”
    Kate felt as though the ground buckled beneath her feet. “What? They’re real?” Then she remembered the pricking sensation she’d felt the previous night when Ty had gone down on her. She stared at him for a long hard moment.