by Leah Brooke
Pulling her more firmly against his chest, Grant fought to keep his voice calm, hoping to hide his own fear for Quinn and Barrett.
“Mason’s fine. He’s standing by the front door, watching for any sign of movement out there, but it looks like they left. There are a lot of ranch hands out there, and everyone is checking for everyone else. Quinn and Barrett are fine, Kendra.”
Lifting her head, she gripped his shoulder, her eyes swimming with tears. “You don’t know that. You said you didn’t see them. If anything happens to them, it’s all my fault. Please. Take me to them. Please. Oh, God. Sirens. It’s the ambulance, isn’t it? They’re hurt and you’re not telling me. I want to be with them.”
Grant cursed, tightening his hold when she tried to get up. “Stay here, damn it. If you try to get up, you’ll fall down the stairs.”
Raising his voice, he yelled to Mason. “Get Barrett and Quinn up here as fast as you can, and for God’s sake, get somebody to cover the front so Kendra can see you!”
After a few minutes, he realized that nothing he said or did would calm Kendra down.
“Let me go!” She struggled against him, her clumsy and weak struggles scaring the hell out of him.
Grant crooned to her, holding her close and rocking her in his arms, waiting anxiously for the others to appear.
After several tense minutes, Mason appeared at the bottom of the stairs, glancing at Grant meaningfully before rushing up the steps.
He hadn’t seen Barrett or Quinn.
Mason smiled as he approached Kendra, his eyes going wide when she screamed his name and flung herself at him. “Hey, baby. Whoa! Easy, honey. I’ve got you.”
He had to brace himself against the wall when she threw herself at him, catching her against his chest with one arm, while holding on to the railing with the other. “Hey! Don’t cry. Are you okay?”
Kendra leaned back, running her hands over him. “Are you hurt? Did you get shot?”
“Of course not.” Turning, he started down the stairs, shooting another meaningful look at Grant. “The sheriff’s here with his men. It’s okay for her to come down now.” Hugging Kendra close, he rubbed a hand up and down her back and kissed her hair. “Let’s get you settled on the sofa and get a fire started. It looks like it’s gonna be a long night.”
Grant had followed them down the stairs and nodded, running a hand over Kendra’s back, alarmed that she still shook. “Yeah. Let’s get her settled down. She’s gonna make herself sick.”
He couldn’t believe how upset she’d gotten, humbled by the way she kept reaching for him even as she continued to run her hands over Mason.
She kept looking toward the doors, jumping at every sound, her head whipping around. “Where’s Barrett? Where’s Quinn? Where are they, damn it?”
She struggled against Mason’s hold. “Where are they? They’re in the ambulance. Oh, God! They’re dead, aren’t they?”
Mason’s whipped his head around to Grant, clearly shaken. “No. I mean, I don’t know where they are. I haven’t seen them yet, but they’re—”
“No!” In a feat of strength Grant didn’t realize she possessed, she broke free of Mason’s arms, eluded him and raced past a clearly stunned ranch hand, and out the back door.
“Fuck!” Grant grabbed the blanket from the back of the sofa and raced after her, with Mason hot on his heels. “Her feet are gonna get all cut up. Christ, can you believe her?”
Once they got through the back door, Mason ran beside him. “She’s something, isn’t she? Hell, she’s fast. If her feet are cut up, it didn’t even slow her down.”
Grant slowed, grinning to see her throw herself at Quinn, who looked clearly surprised to see her.
“Quinn! You’re not dead!”
Quinn held his pistol clear, catching her against him with the other arm as she wrapped her legs around his waist.
“Hey!” Quinn looked back at Mason and Grant, clearly shaken. “What the hell?”
She rained kisses all over his face before jumping from his arms to run her hands over him. “Are you hurt? Did they shoot you? Are you crazy—running out there in the dark? You could have been killed!”
Several of the ranch hands moved closer, clearly surprised and amused as Kendra continued to lecture Quinn while running her hands over him looking for injuries.
Grant’s chest swelled with pride. He’d never had a woman who cared so much, and it convinced him even more that he could happily spend the rest of his life with her.
He couldn’t hold back a smile as she lectured a clearly stunned Quinn, much to the amusement of several of the ranch hands who’d gathered around him.
All amusement fled as he got closer and saw that her white socks now had blood on them.
Rushing toward her, Grant cursed when he saw how badly she shook and threw the blanket over her. “Damn it, Kendra!”
Mason came forward and took her from Quinn before Grant could. “Damned woman is fast.”
Quinn ran a hand over her back, stopping abruptly, his eyes wide with horror. “What the fuck? Did somebody get hit? There’s blood in the snow.”
Mason cursed and unbundled Kendra’s feet. “Shit. It’s from Kendra’s feet. She ran through all that glass.”
“Why the fuck did you let her do that?”
Mason tightened his hold as Kendra twisted, screaming Barrett’s name, and had to raise his voice to be heard over her frantic screams. “I didn’t let her. She was crazy to make sure everyone’s all right. She broke away and took off before we could stop her.”
Quinn blinked as if Mason was speaking a foreign language. “She was worried about us?”
“Boss?” Quinn spun to the ranch hand who’d called out to them. “What?”
Eddie nearly snapped to attention. “Barrett’s over there with the sheriff.” He kept glancing at Kendra, shifting restlessly when he realized that Grant, Mason, and Quinn sent him warning looks.
To Grant’s relief, Kendra stilled at the mention of Barrett.
“Is he hurt?” Pushing against Mason’s shoulder, she twisted to look at the ranch hand, and then twisted more in the other direction, earning a curse from Mason as he struggled to hold on to her. “Where is he?”
Quinn reached for her, gathering her close and looking at her as if she was a puzzle he couldn’t figure out. He kept rubbing her back, and stared down at her with eyes filled with concern.
Grant doubted very much that Quinn realized that love also shone in his eyes as he looked down at her, or the effect it had on the ranch hands.
They all looked at Kendra with renewed interest, clearly stunned at the effect she had on all three of them, even as she searched for Barrett.
While Quinn rubbed her back, Grant and Mason tucked the blanket around her. The ease with which they all cared for her, the natural feel of it, filling Grant with a satisfaction that made his chest swell and, despite the chaos all around them, settled something inside him.
Eddie nodded once, clearly understanding that Kendra was under their protection and off-limits. “They’re out front.” He smiled faintly. “Your woman seems real upset.”
Grant slid a hand over Kendra’s hair. “She is, but we’ll take care of her. Was anyone hurt?”
Eddie shot another glance at Kendra. “Eli took a bullet. Barrett took him to the ambulance. The boss is, uh…a little upset.”
Quinn cursed. “I can imagine.” He turned to Grant. “I’ll take her back inside.”
Kendra gripped the front of his jacket. “No. Put me down. I want to see Barrett.”
“Too bad.” Quinn hurried his steps, his boots crunching in the snow. “It’s too damned cold out here, and you’re hardly dressed for it. Your feet are all cut up and are gonna hurt like hell real soon.”
He’d put some distance between them and the others, so when he bent to whisper to Kendra, only Grant and Kendra could hear him. “I thought I told you to stay next to the bed. I won’t take kindly to being disobeyed in the future, Kendra.”
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Smiling coldly, he continued across the yard. “I’m going to get you inside and you’re going to stay exactly where I put you. You try to take off on me, and I’ll paddle your ass.”
Kendra gasped, her blush evident even in the bright outdoor lights.
She opened her mouth to say something, probably to curse at him, but Quinn spoke again, not giving her the chance. “And I’d enjoy paddling that ass very much, so don’t push me.”
Hiding a smile at Quinn’s fear and obvious caring for Kendra, Grant cleared his throat. “I’ll go around to the front and get him.”
He touched her hair before walking away, adrenaline still pumping through his veins. Hoping he could walk some of it off, he headed around the house, still a little stunned at Kendra’s reaction.
Reaching the front of the house, he struggled to focus against the flashing lights, his heart pounding furiously when he saw that paramedics tended to Barrett. He rushed over, shoving the sheriff aside, his stomach clenching when he saw all the blood on Barrett’s shirt. “What the fuck? Are you okay?”
He met Barrett’s gaze, fighting to hide the horror that gripped him by the throat. “Where did they hit you?” He pushed the paramedic to see for himself, relieved to see that none of the blood came from his chest.
Barrett waved his concern aside, his eyes sharp. “Is Kendra okay?”
“Yeah, but what about you?”
Barrett’s features appeared to be carved in stone, his lips thinned in anger. “I caught a stray one. Just nicked me. Most of this blood is from carrying Eli. He caught one in the side. He’s on the way to the hospital now, along with the one that Quinn got. It wasn’t Gus. The sheriff’s gonna go see him as soon as he’s done here. But he’s already talking. Said he works for Gus and that they were only supposed to shoot the place up—not hurt anyone. Are you sure Kendra’s okay?”
Grant scrubbed a hand over his face. “Her feet are cut up.” At the look of horror on Barrett’s face, Grant stepped forward, holding out his hands to block him and almost getting knocked aside for his effort. “Barrett, sit down. She was hysterical. She was so scared that one of us got shot, and she wouldn’t calm down until she saw us. Eddie told her that you were out here, and that you weren’t hurt. When she sees all that blood, she’s gonna go crazy.”
Barrett looked toward the house and then at his blood-coated arm, clearly fighting an inner battle. “Damn it.” He ripped off his shirt and glared at the paramedic. “You’ve got one minute to get a bandage on that.” Looking up at Grant, he pointed toward the house. “Go get her. They can take care of her feet. I’ll have my coat on to cover it up by the time you bring her out.”
* * * *
Kendra looked up as Grant came through the front door, looking behind him for any sign of Barrett. “Where is he? He’s hurt, isn’t he?”
Grant smiled, sharing a look with Quinn, who knelt at her feet, picking out shards of glass. “He’s right outside talking to the sheriff. He wants me to bring you out so the paramedics can bandage your feet.”
Kendra’s stomach knotted. “You’re lying. He’s hurt. If he wasn’t, he’d be in here himself.” Picturing him lying out in the snow, or in the back of an ambulance, getting ready to leave to go to the hospital without her, she started to jump to her feet, cursing when Quinn caught her before her feet hit the floor.
She struggled against him, her heart pounding furiously at the thought of Barrett hurt. “I want to go to him. If he goes to the hospital without me, I’m going to kick your ass. He doesn’t even know that I love him. Put me down!”
Fear for him had her scrambling to get free, tears stinging her eyes as Quinn held firm. “Please.”
Quinn rubbed her back, his hold tightening. “Stop struggling. I’m taking you out to him.”
This was all her fault.
She should have never come back here with them. She should have ignored the danger and gone home.
Her fault.
As Quinn carried her through the front door, she squinted against the flashing lights, frantically searching for Barrett.
He stood talking to the sheriff, towering over the deputies, ranch hands, and paramedics surrounding him. He appeared larger than life, his height and wide shoulders making it easy to find him in the crowd.
As if he sensed her, he turned, his eyes narrowing with concern when Quinn approached with her. “Put her over there. I want to see her feet.”
Kendra reached for him, her heart pounding. “I’m fine. You have blood all over you. You’re hurt. Oh, God! Let me see. How bad is it?” She had to wipe away the tears filling her eyes so she could see him clearly. “Let me see.”
“I’m fine. It’s not my blood.” He took her hands in his before she could push aside the edge of his jacket, kissing her palms. “I don’t want you to get any more blood on you.”
Kendra nodded, relief making her dizzy. She tightened her hold on his hand as Quinn carried her to sit on the paramedic’s back fender. “Thank God. How about Eli? How is he?”
Crouching in front of her, he frowned, his jaw clenching as he examined her foot, keeping a close watch on the young man cleaning the other. “He’ll be fine.”
He reached for the disinfectant and doused her foot with it, his eyes narrowed. “What the hell were you thinking—running through glass like that? I thought you were smarter than that.”
Kendra stiffened at the insult. Now that the danger had passed and her men were unharmed, the fear that had consumed her for the last several minutes turned to anger.
Shaking her finger at him, she gave her temper full rein, needing the outlet. “Don’t you dare take that tone with me! I’m not stupid, and I sure as hell don’t take risks. I stayed on those fucking stairs until the shooting stopped—even though it was killing me. I sat there imagining one of those bullets killing one of you. How was I supposed to know you weren’t lying out there bleeding?”
Mason, who walked up behind Grant, blinked and looked questioningly at the others. “Kendra, honey, calm down.”
She whipped her head around to include him in her tirade. “Don’t you tell me to calm down!” When the paramedic finished bandaging her left foot, she jerked her right one out of Barrett’s grip and pushed it toward him.
Grant lowered himself to sit next to her, pulling the blanket more firmly around her shoulders. “Honey, you’re getting yourself all worked up for nothing. Everyone’s okay.”
Shrugging the blanket from one shoulder to free her arm again, she shoved at Barrett’s shoulder. “How the hell was I supposed to know you weren’t dead?”
Even through her anger, she noticed Barrett’s wince.
Lifting her eyes to his, she pulled her hand back slightly as it started to shake, the realization that he’d lied to her and had really been hurt clenching her stomach into hard, cold knots.
She pushed the edge of his coat back before he could stop her, sucking in a breath at the sight of a bandage covering most of his shoulder.
With a curse, he knocked her hand away and covered his bare chest. “Kendra, it’s just a graze.”
Shaking her head, she met his gaze, and turned to meet each of the others’. “You lied to me. Every one of you lied to me.”
Gathering the blanket around herself against the cold shiver that went through her, she lifted her chin. “I don’t know when the four of you decided that I was too stupid, or too weak to handle the truth, but I don’t appreciate it one bit. Christ, you make me feel like such an outsider.”
She looked directly at Barrett, her throat clogged with tears. “I trusted you, but it’s apparent you don’t trust me. You promised that you wouldn’t do that to me again. I can’t believe you still don’t trust me.” She blinked back tears and felt as if someone had kicked her in the stomach.
Barrett straightened to his full height, glaring meaningfully at the shocked attendant, who rushed to put things away. “That’s bullshit and you know it.”
He started forward, only to have Mason nudge
him aside. “I’ll take her in. Finish up with the sheriff so we can get this over with. Some of the men are boarding up the two broken windows in the back.”
Barrett scowled down at her for several long seconds before nodding once. “Get her settled.” Lifting her chin, he dropped a hard kiss on her lips. “We’re going to talk about this as soon as I come inside.”
The sheriff stepped forward, his smile apologetic. “I really need to speak to all of them. Shots were fired, men were injured, and I’ve got to get everyone’s account of what happened.”
Ignoring the dark looks from Barrett and Quinn, Kendra nodded. “Of course.”
Mason picked her up and gathered her against his chest. “I’ll just get her settled and be right back.” Walking across the front yard, he bent to kiss her hair, his eyes unreadable in the darkness. “Nobody thinks you’re stupid, Kendra, but you have to admit that we’re better able to handle a dangerous situation like this one than you are. It’s rugged country out here. We’ve all learned how to deal with danger. You just don’t have the experience for it. We want you to be safe.”
He surprised her by pausing right inside the front door, staring down at her, his eyes appearing lit from within. “I don’t get involved with women—not for more than a night, anyway. But if something had happened to you—Christ, I’ve never been so scared in my life. Kendra, I know that this has been a strange situation for all of us, but when we get this guy—well, I’m hoping you’ll stick around.”
Kendra snorted, still angry and hurt that they hadn’t told her the truth. “Why? For the sex? If you don’t trust me, that’s all we have.”
Mason frowned. “We didn’t want to scare you. You were nearly hysterical.”
She still shook. “I was scared that one of you would get hurt! I did what you told me to because I knew you were scared for me, too, but the four of you run out there and start shooting, and I’m supposed to just sit there and not care. I’m not made like that, Mason.”
Wiping away a tear that came out of nowhere, she sniffed. “I care too much for all of you. It’s stupid, overwhelming, and is probably going to hurt like hell when it ends. I went into this with my eyes open, but I hadn’t expected to fall in love with all of you. I even imagined we’d have a future here, but I don’t see how there can be one if you’re all going to lie to me whenever you think I can’t deal with the truth. I need you to trust me to be strong.”