Sam stared at him for a long moment. There was something wrong with him, but it would be an easy fix. She waded into the water, giggling as it sloshed over her boots, and clambered awkwardly up onto the stone plinth using the statue’s legs to hoist herself up.
“Sam!”
She heard the shouts, but ignored them, too intent on her mission. She stood upright, grinning as she embraced the cowboy and put her arms around his neck. When she felt steady, she carefully took off her hat, and stuck it on the statue’s head.
“There,” Sam shouted. “Fixed it.”
She took out her phone, found HW’s number, checked she had it right this time, and held the phone up. She pressed her cheek against the cold stone features of the Morgantown founder, and smiled as she took a selfie and sent it to her lover.
“Sam! Get down from there!”
She looked down to see Cam and Nancy gesticulating at her, and waved at them, almost losing her grip.
“It’s okay!” she yelled. “It’s all good!”
“Sam . . .” Nancy took a step closer. “You need to get down. You’re going to wake people up.”
Sam nodded obediently, and stared down at the gushing water, which seemed to be churning up into a storm.
Nancy held out her hand. “You’re coming down, right?”
“Got to get my hat first,” Sam said as she put her cell in the pocket of her jeans. She reached up to take the hat, and almost slipped again, making her friends on the ground gasp.
“Be careful!” Cam said in the calm voice she used in her professional life. “Just take it slow, Sam. You can do this.”
“I dunno.” Sam was now clutching the statue like a lifeline. “I’m not sure about that. Everything’s swirling around. . . .”
She looked up as a vehicle came around the corner, blue lights flashing, and stopped right beside the fountain. Nate Turner, the local sheriff, got out of his car, put on his hat, and strolled over to look up at Sam.
“Hey, I’ve had some calls about you causing a disturbance.” His smile was full of encouragement. “Do you want to come down and tell me what’s going on?”
Sam swallowed hard. “I’m not sure if I can actually do that.”
Nate sighed and rolled up his sleeves. “Then stay put. I’m coming in.”
* * *
HW cursed out loud, waking his twin, who was sleeping beside him on the plane.
“What’s going on?” Ry groaned and rubbed at his eyes.
HW showed Ry his phone, which his twin had returned to him later in the evening.
“What the hell is Sam doing?” Ry peered at the image. “Who’s that guy?”
“That’s the new statue in Morgantown,” HW growled. “And she’s up there taking a selfie with it.”
“Well, at least she’s almost home.” Ry relaxed down again, and then sat bolt upright when his cell buzzed in his pocket. He took out his phone “What’s going on, now?”
“Avery wants to know when we’ll be back,” Ry called out to Chase, who was sitting at the front of the plane with BB.
“In about five minutes,” Chase confirmed. “We’re landing on the ranch strip.”
After the Sky Jump, they’d taken HW to a microbrewery, and then on to the PBR Rock Bar and Grill, where they’d met up with his best friend, Rio Martinez, and other old rodeo buddies. He’d tried out the beer, rode the bull, and generally had a great night. None of them were big drinkers so HW was quietly buzzed, but definitely still standing.
His bride-to-be was obviously up to something far more worrying, but why was he surprised? Sam’s specialty was getting into trouble.
All the cell phones on the plane suddenly buzzed except HW’s, and then everyone looked at him.
“What?” HW stiffened his spine. “What’s Sam done now?”
Chase came back to speak to him. “Don’t stress, Bro, but Sam’s been taken to the sheriff ’s office for causing a disturbance.”
* * *
Gosh, the sheriff ’s office was loud . . . Sam wished everyone would just go away and leave her in peace. She closed her eyes, but she could still hear her friends arguing with Nate about his decision to put her behind bars. Had he actually charged her with anything? She couldn’t remember. He’d helped her down off the plinth, carried her across the water and straight into the sheriff ’s office with her friends tagging along behind.
He’d taken her cell phone, so she couldn’t contact HW and tell him where she was. Not that it was a problem. She was fairly certain that this being Morgantown, her beloved would be brought up to speed quite rapidly.
Finally, it got quiet, and the room stopped swirling around. Nate came back to take a look at her.
She opened one eye as he handed her a bottle of water and sat on the edge of her bunk. “What did you do to make them go away?”
“Well, I offered to put them all in here with you, and that seemed to do the trick.” He fought a smile. “You have a very loyal bunch of friends there.”
“I know.” Sam sighed and sat up. “Thanks for saving me.”
“You’re welcome.” This time his smile was more obvious. “First drunk who’s ever said thank you, rather than taking a slug at me, or vomiting all over my uniform.”
Sam made a face as she sipped her water. “I couldn’t get down. My boots were soaked, and I wasn’t able to get any grip.”
“Which is why you don’t climb up statues,” Nate said. He stood up. “I think I hear your rescue party.”
“My what?” Sam said, but he was already on the move, locking the cell door behind him, which he hadn’t done before. “Wait—what are you doing?”
She heard a familiar voice and lay back down on the bench, pulling the towel she’d used to dry off over her head. The door was unlocked; she heard the sound of booted and spurred feet on the concrete floor, and then silence.
Eventually, Sam couldn’t stand it anymore, and lowered the towel to see HW looming over her.
“Eew . . . You smell like spirits.” Sam wrinkled her nose.
“So do you,” HW pointed out. “But I’m not the one in jail for being loud and obnoxious, and fondling public property.”
Sam slowly sat up and waited for her head to stop spinning. “Did you bring a lawyer?”
“For what?”
“To get me out of here.”
HW stared at her, shook his head, and held out his hand. “Come on.”
She allowed him to help her to her feet and clutched his muscled arm for support. “I can just go?”
“Yeah, I’m breaking you out. I tied Nate up in the front office.”
“Really?” Sam looked worshipfully up at him.
“Wow, you really are drunk, aren’t you?” HW chuckled. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Come on, Billy the Kid. I’m taking you home.”
* * *
HW paused long enough to thank Nate for not pressing charges, and then walked Sam down the street toward her apartment. He’d spoken to Cam and Nancy, and sent everyone home, assuring them that he’d take care of Sam, and absolving them of any blame. Sam was uncharacteristically quiet on the way back, which was a first, and made the laughter bubbling up inside him even harder to hold back.