Vicki took another sip, pointed to the dining room chairs, and then walked over to sit. He followed. Then once he was settled, she asked, "What happened?"
"It's not true." Colt stared at the ground. "Belle is at the local hospital."
"I thought she was in D.C?."
He nodded. His face was white. "So did I."
Neither of them said anything for a moment. Then Vicki said, "Why is she in the hospital?"
"She's unconscious, but witnesses have linked you to the driver that hit her."
"What?" Vicki's skin jumped. She shook her head. "How? Yesterday we went to see your sister. My car wasn't in any accident."
Colt's hand trembled until he tucked it under the table. "You went for ice cream with Clara, and someone saw you speak to the hit-and-run driver."
"I didn't speak to anyone." Vicki shook her head. They had gone to get ice cream with Alice. "Wait. Some man needed money for gas, and I gave him a dollar."
"That was probably it, then. The reporters are all saying you paid for a hit-and-run because you wanted me. The story is the House of Morgan has gone bad."
"I would never."
Colt nodded. "Of course not. Just don't leave this house today, Vicki."
Ice traced down her spine. "People actually think I hurt Belle?"
"I don't know what the neighbors believe." Colt scooted his chair closer. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her. "You're going to need your lawyer. The press is making it seem you're guilty."
She secured her arms around his shoulders. "What are they saying?"
He massaged her, but nothing stopped the heavy beat of her heart. "The trash basically says that the only daughter in the House of Morgan who came back from the dead is just another spoiled, rich brat who will do anything to anyone."
"Imagine if I actually went to nightclubs what people would say." Her heartbeat was wild, but Colt's was steady. She could hear the thump of his chest, and hers slowly went in sync with his. She sighed. "I don't know what to do."
"Trust me." Colt took her hand in his then placed it on his chest. She gazed into his dark eyes. The world faded away, and her lips tingled in hope for another kiss. "I won't let anyone hurt you, Vicki."
Colt would protect her better than anyone else. He was amazing.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Colt peeked out his blinds. No one was there. His pulse remained steady as he turned away. The porch had been quiet for a while now, so his threats to stay off his property had worked.
Vicki pressed her hand on his arm. "What should we do?"
"Let's find out what happened."
She let go of him. "I'll go get my phone."
"Delete anyone's voice you don't recognize."
She walked to her bedroom and came out a moment later with the phone on her ear.
He massaged his neck as he stared one more time out his window. Then he went to get his phone.
As he returned to the dining area, Vicki pursed her lips as she listened to her voicemail.
To comfort her, he sat beside her. Then he hit the button to get his voicemail and held the phone up to his ear.
She took his offered hand to hold as he listened to the first voicemail, from his mother. "Colt, honey, what have you done? I'm coming over to check on you this morning. Belle is in the hospital, and the news is saying you and Vicki caused her accident."
His heart raced. He'd dropped Belle off at Miami International, though he did speak to her on the phone in his panic to find Vicki. His breath caught. The other day, as he'd told her the wedding was off, she had tears in her eyes, and the memory haunted him. Vicki squeezed his hand, and he opened his eyes to stare at her.
His phone clicked to his next message from Alice. "Colt. You and Vicki aren't answering. What's going on? Vicki was with me yesterday, at the ice cream parlor. We didn't hit-and-run anyone. The news is crazy. Call me. John and I want to help."
Her messages must be the same. Vicki nodded at him as he listened to his last message. "Colt, it's Belle. I don't know what happened last night. It was a stupid car accident. I'm fine, and someone took something I said and completely changed every word I said or meant. I'm so sorry."
All the energy in his body left.
His chin dropped into his chest, he stood and paced toward the window.
Vicki reached for his shoulders and massaged his neck for a moment. He turned around and stared at the blonde bombshell who'd changed his life years ago. His heart lifted as she stepped closer to him and wrapped his arms around her. She sighed and said, "Alice sent me a newspaper article. I want to show you." She handed him her phone.
Vicki Morgan, the daughter of the notorious Mitch Morgan, is yet another heiress behaving badly. An affair, revenge, and a secret pregnancy all rolled up into a day in the life of a bored and wicked life.
He blinked and reread that first line. "We had sex the other day. You can't be pregnant."
"I'm not." She shook her head. "I even had my yearly gynecological exam yesterday, so it's definitely not true."
"Why did you go to the doctor? Perhaps that's where that story came from."
"I was waiting for Alice and the doctor was available. I wouldn't have to come back if I did it then, and that sounded good. Every year I get tested for cancer because I don't know my mother's health history."
He nodded. "Okay, princess. Don't worry about it."
Clara's door opened and she tiptoed back into the dining area. "Mom, Dad, is everything all right?"
Colt scratched his chin, and then he told both of them, "Grandma will be here soon, and we shouldn't plan on leaving the farm today."
Clara smiled and went into the living room to watch something on television.
Vicki's face went white, but she held her tongue. Colt traced her arm and offered her a small hug. "Everything will be fine."
Vicki's arms trembled. "She doesn't want me here. Maybe I should go to Alice and John's..."
He hugged her. "Princess, you don't want to go anywhere. Not until we figure out a game plan."
"What happened?" Vicki shook her head, and he took her hand in his. They were in this together. "This entire story doesn't make sense."
"Clara's settled in the living room now. We'll figure out how to handle this."
"Peter's message said to call him. He'll have his staff take care of the press, if we want."
"If he can make the reporters go away, then call your brother."
She picked up her phone. A few seconds later, she said, "Peter, whatever you can do. The new story is one hundred percent nonsense. I'm not pregnant. I drove Alice to the doctor's yesterday, and she was with him the entire time."
A minute later, she hung up and said, "Peter said lie low for twenty-four hours and his team will threaten lawsuits to anyone running this story."
"Not a problem."
She averted her gaze. "On a different note, I'm scared to meet your mother."
He turned and took both of her hands in his. "We'll have grown-up talk. If my mother says anything to you, she's gone."
"Dad, I want to see Grandma," Clara called out, and then turned again to the television.
"Of course." He kept his hands entwined with Vicki's as he told his daughter, "I am speaking to your mom."