She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Thanks. Do you think I could have some more water?”
“Of course.” I grabbed a bottle from my saddle bag. Guiding Taylor towards the rear of the truck’s cab, I opened the door. She eased herself in with a little help from me, and I handed her the water. “You can lay down if you want. It’ll just take a few minutes for Jensen and me to get the horses loaded up.”
Taylor gulped down half of the bottle of water. “Okay. Thank you.” She grabbed my forearm, sending a jolt of electricity up my limb. “For everything.”
“You’re welcome.” She released me, and I headed to help J with the horses. By the time we had them unsaddled, loaded, and ready to go, Taylor was passed out in the back seat.
Jensen peeked in at Taylor’s sleeping form. “She’s exhausted.”
I opened the passenger door of the rig. “No kidding. I think it’s an adrenaline crash. A few hours’ sleep and some food, and she’ll be good as new.”
Jensen hopped into the driver’s seat, turning the key to start the engine. “It could have been so much worse. She could’ve been killed.”
I fisted my hands, trying to release some of the rage inside me. “I know.”
Jensen pressed her lips together. “You’re going to figure out who’s doing this, right?”
I reached over and squeezed her hand. “I will. I promise.” She nodded and began navigating the trailer down the mountain.
Staring out at the passing landscape, I went through all of the possible suspects I could think of. Tuck and I needed to pay a visit to Frank Pardue tomorrow. But as crazy as the man was, I couldn’t see him going after a woman like this. I wondered if we could have some survivalist who’d lost it holed up in the mountains. I hated the idea of it being someone I knew. Someone who got their coffee at the bakery just like I did, who sat next to me at the saloon bar, who lived life in my town. I hoped it was a random stranger.
Before long, Jensen pulled up to the guest cabin. Officer Greg was waiting for us. I slipped out of the truck as quietly as possible and handed him the keys to my and Taylor’s vehicles. “She okay?” he asked, motioning with his head towards Taylor.
“She will be. I’ll brief everyone tomorrow. Has there been any sign of Caitlin or her car?” Guilt flashed through me at the fact that I’d been so focused on Taylor, I’d barely thought of Caitlin.
Greg shook his head. “Nothing. I’ll give you a call if we hear anything, and I’ll have the guys drop your vehicles back here.”
“Thanks, Greg. Just have them leave the keys under the floor mats. I don’t want anyone knocking and waking Taylor up if she’s resting.”
“Sure thing.” Greg pocketed the keys and took off.
I headed back to the truck and opened the door to the cab. Taylor let out whistling exhales of air. It was fucking adorable.
I brushed her golden-blonde tresses away from her face. Her skin, even scratched raw, still felt smooth as silk. “Time to wake up. You’re home.”
Taylor’s eyes fluttered open. Watery gray-blue depths stared back at me. I wanted to sink into them and disappear forever. “Hi.”
I grinned down at her. “Hi. You feel ready to sit up?”
She nodded, and I slowly helped her. “Ow.”
My brow furrowed in concern. “You hurting?”
“A bit.”
“Okay, let’s get you inside. We’ll get you something to eat and some pain meds. Then you can shower, and we’ll doctor your cuts.”
She nodded. I knew she wasn’t back to herself because she was agreeing with everything I said. My Taylor would have been arguing just for the sake of it. My Taylor. She wasn’t mine yet, but I was determined to change that soon enough. I shook my head as I helped her around the truck.
“I’ll keep you updated,” I yelled to Jensen.
“Thanks,” she called back. “Feel better, honey.”
“Thank you,” Taylor said in a voice that barely reached Jensen.
Taking her arm, I led Taylor up the steps, then unlocked the front door to usher her inside. “Why don’t you sit on the couch, and I’ll make you a sandwich.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
I settled her on the overstuffed sofa in the living room where I could still see her from the kitchen. “You don’t have to keep thanking me.”
“Yes, I do. You came for me.” Her eyes bore into mine, a blazing fire within them.
“I’ll always come for you.” My voice came out ragged, as though ripped from my throat.
“I’m glad,” she whispered.
I forced myself to step back, to put some distance between us. “I’ll get to work on that sandwich.” Spinning around, I headed for the kitchen.
In a matter of minutes, I had a turkey sandwich, a glass of orange juice, a bottle of water, and a couple of painkillers sitting on the coffee table in front of Taylor. She looked from the food to me and back to the plate again. Then she inhaled it all with a speed I would have thought impossible. When nothing was left but crumbs, she eased herself back against the pillows.
“Feel better?” I asked.
“Much. Now, I just need a shower.”
I stood, taking her plate to head back to the kitchen. “Do you want me to sit outside the bathroom in case you feel faint?”
Taylor’s head snapped in my direction. “Um, no I don’t want you to stand outside my bathroom while I shower. That’s just creepy.”
I chuckled, but inside, I felt something loosen. Taylor was back to her old self. “All right. I swear I’ll stay out here.” My tone grew serious. “But promise me you’ll sit down in the shower if you feel lightheaded. If you do, call, and I’ll come in. I swear I won’t look.”
Taylor snickered. “Sure, you won’t. Perv.”
I shook my head. At least she was giving me shit again.
As Taylor headed for her bedroom, my cell buzzed in my pocket. I fished it out and saw Tuck’s name flashing across the screen. “What’d you find?” I answered.
“Well, your girl was definitely shot at.”
I ignored the ripple of pleasure I felt at the your girl comment. “Bring me up to speed.”
“At first, I tracked Taylor’s movements, which brought me to a tree that, low and behold, had a bullet in it. Looks like a .223.”