Sheriff Crow and Rory burst through the front door as I leaned Garrett against the wall of the foyer. I’d called them as soon as I got within range of the house’s WiFi.

“How far out is the ambulance?” I started stripping Garrett’s wet coat from him.

“Ten minutes or so.” Rory dropped to his knees and opened a duffel bag of medical supplies. Sheriff Crow knelt, and both men helped me pull his wet shirt down.

“Just a scratch.” Garrett didn’t open his eyes.

Rory pressed his fingers to Garrett’s neck and stilled. “Shit, pulse is slow. Too slow.”

I pulled the gauze away from Garrett’s bullet hole beneath his clavicle. “There.”

Sheriff Crow leaned Garrett forward and stared at the exit wound. “Came out clean, but he’s lost a lot of blood.”

“I had enough of a first aid kit to douse it with alcohol and pack the gauze, but I couldn’t stop the bleed. And the rattle in his lungs has gotten worse.” I tucked Garrett’s hair behind his ear.

He leaned into my touch. “Red.”

“Red?” Sheriff Crow asked.

“That’s what he calls me.” I began pulling the damp shirt the rest of the way off, but lost my balance and hit the floor next to Garrett.

Sheriff Crow grabbed my elbow and peered into my eyes. “Rory, get her upstairs and warmed up. She looks like she might fall over herself.”

“No, I’m fine.” I shook my head and reached for Garrett’s hand.

“No, you aren’t fine.” Worry creased around the sheriff’s eyes. “Rory, get on it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ll wait for the ambulance. I expect it here soon.” Sheriff Crow rooted around in the duffel bag as Rory helped me to my feet. “Until then, I’ll check his wound. He’s going to be okay.”

Rory steadied me and herded me toward the stairs.

“Wait.” Sheriff Crow looked up from the bag. “Did you see anyone? Any clue who’d try to take a shot at you?”

“No.”

“Could it have been another hunting accident?” He took his hat off and threw it onto the small settee. “A stray shot?”

“That would have been possible if there was only one shot. But there were two.”

He shook his head. “I’m beginning to wonder why I took this job. What the hell is going on around here?”

My foot hit the bottom step, and I stumbled. I leaned on Rory as he helped me up the stairs. A distant siren promised help for Garrett, and I was finally able to take a breath without fear overwhelming me. “I have to go with him.”

Rory wrapped his arm around my waist and powered the rest of the way up the stairs to my room. “We’ll see what the sheriff says.”

I started to strip off my coat, then gave the staring Rory a look.

His face fell, and he turned toward the wall. “Let me know if you need help.” His tone still retained some hope that he’d get to see me naked.

I sank onto the bed and slowly dragged my clothes off until I was down to my tank top. The siren’s wail grew to ear-splitting levels, then quieted. Voices wafted up the stairs, and relief hit me like a wave. Garrett was going to be okay. I closed my eyes, and my world went topsy-turvy.

The last thing I heard was Rory’s voice. “Shit, you got hit, too.”

“Red?” Fingers stroked along my face, down my jaw, and to my neck.

I blinked awake. The septic smell of hospital seeped into my lungs as the light pinging of a machine told me my heart was still beating.

“Garrett?” I turned to find him sitting next to me in a wheelchair. Dark circles ringed his eyes.

“Thank God.” He kissed the back of my hand, his lips so much warmer than they had been the last time I touched them.

Memories of our last moments together hit me like a fist. “Are you okay? You lost so much blood.” I realized he wore the same hospital gown as mine, and the pole next to him carried an IV bag connected to his arm.

“I’m good. I made it because of you.”

He ran his thumb along my lips. They felt chapped.

“How long have we been here?” I blinked hard to try to clear the floaters from my vision.

“Only a few hours.”

“Mr. Blackwood, please.” A nurse stood in the doorway, her arms crossed over her name badge. “We need to get this done.”

“In a minute.” His voice stayed near a whisper. “Had to see her.”

I sat up, but the pain in my shoulder had me falling back against my pillows. “Damn.” I took a breath as the pain lessened. “What does she want?”

“Surgery.” The nurse’s no-nonsense tone rose with each word. “We drew the air out from around his collapsed lung, but it’s not filling back up. He needs to have it repaired, but the stubborn jerk wouldn’t agree to surgery until he saw you.”

I pressed my palm to his cheek. “Have you lost what little mind you had left?”

He smiled and pressed his lips to my palm. “Maybe.”

How had I ever thought this man was a killer? The love in his heart shone in his eyes, and I leaned forward slowly to give him a kiss. He returned it, then backed away and drew in a wheezing breath. I glanced at the nurse, who shook her head and glared at Garrett.

“Go, stubborn man.” I kicked my chin toward the nurse. “I’ll be here when you get out.”

He squeezed my hand. “I’ll be back.”

“I know.”

The nurse walked over and unlocked Garrett’s wheels.

I wanted to ask her if he was going to be okay. No, I wanted her to promise me he would be. I bit back my question as my eyes welled. Instead, I asked, “Do you think you could give him a shave while he’s out? You know, surgery protocol or something?”

“I don’t see any harm in asking Dr. Brown if it’s medically necessary.” The nurse smiled.

Garrett grunted as she rolled him away. “Not cool, Red. Not cool at all.”

The words, the three words that meant far more than just an arrangement of letters, beat on the bars of my heart, demanding I release them. But I couldn’t say them. Not even as he gave me one last soulful look. It was too soon, too intense.

I lay back in my bed and listened to him go, the slight squeak of the wheels on the linoleum growing fainter as my tears became a deluge that drowned out everything else.