“No, baby. Everyone’s fine but you.” He was tearing her coat and shirt off and she tried to help but she couldn’t move her arm. The pain had gone beyond pain and into a whole new realm of sensation that her brain couldn’t wrap itself around. The world moved in slow motion and yet everything went crystal-clear. There was Nancy, lying on the floor beside Kyle. So that’s what killed Rick. Arden started to laugh. Nancyalwayshad her family’s back. Kyle looked at her like she’d finally lost her last marble.
“I need a fucking first aid kit now,” Kyle shouted over his shoulder. Another woman appeared who Arden didn’t recognize. Arden thought she was a paramedic until she saw her gun.Uh, nope. Arden laughed again at her mistake.
“I’m clearing the house,” the woman said as she moved along the wall. She looked like a total badass, like Black Widow come to life.
“Ellie, I need your help,” Kyle said. “Grab that blanket and apply pressure to the back of her shoulder.” Arden felt her friend move behind her and she reached across the couch.
“I got shot in the front.”
“And it went clean through you, baby.” He glanced up at Ellie behind her. “That’s good, Ellie. Brace her.”
Arden finally looked down. That was a mistake. The world blurred at the sight of all that blood. It hurt to turn her head but she had to make sure Ellie was okay. “Did it hit you, Ellie?”
“No, but Rick owes me a new couch. See how much money he has in his wallet, wouldya?” When she laughed, Arden was relieved to know it wasn’t just her and that laughing was perfectly fine and acceptable in this situation. Kyle should just lighten up. Arden decided to close her eyes just for a minute.
“Baby? You need to stay with me.”
Arden opened her eyes at Kyle’s voice. The other woman was back and crouching next to him, studying her. When did that happen? Man, her shoulder hurt like a bitch, like the whole thing was a gigantic, abscessed tooth.
“Paramedics are on their way,” she said. “Walter’s stable and on oxygen and they’ll take him for observation. You’re going for a ride, too.”
“What’s your name?” Arden asked, though she suspected she was one of Kyle’s co-workers.
“You never saw me.”
“Oh, you must be Gina. Nice to meet you, Spooky.”
Gina smiled. “Nice to meet you, Arden.” Then she scowled at Kyle. “Really, Pup?”
Arden giggled. “Pup?That’s…”
The next time Arden opened her eyes, she was staring at a white-tiled ceiling and listening to machines going beep. The abscessed tooth in her shoulder was gone, replaced with something milder, more like a solid hit from a rock while tubing the St. Vrain.
Oh, I’m in a hospital room. She turned her head, which felt extremely floaty, and looked around.
Yup, she was in a hospital room. And she was alone.
“Kyle?” Wow. That croak was still with her. “Kyle?” she tried again a little louder.
Ellie stuck her head in the doorway. “Oh, you’re awake again!”
Again? When was I awake before?
Ellie hobbled in on crutches. “Sorry, I’m going back and forth between your room and Dad’s.”
“How’s Walter?”Where’s Kyle?
“Here, sweetie, let me get you some water.” Ellie reached for a liter-sized lidded cup with a wide straw. She pushed a button on Arden’s bed that raised her head. Her shoulder did not like that but the water sounded too good to complain about it. “Dad’s doing fine. They’re monitoring his lungs to make sure they didn’t get burned and they don’t swell up, but they’re optimistic. He’s on some mild pain pills for a few bumps and bruises and he’s content to be putting a puzzle together. One of the hospital volunteers is sitting with him now.” Ellie wiped her eyes. “It could have been so much worse.”
Arden sipped water from the straw while Ellie held the cup. It was cold and good and she was thankful for it. “How’s the ankle?”Where’s Kyle?
“Not broken, just sprained it good.” She bit her lip. “It’s going to be a challenge trying to take care of both Dad and the ranch. And, well, not sure how I feel about the front room anymore.”
Arden heard in Ellie’s voice what the woman avoided telling her in words. “Now you’re thinking of selling.”
“Ironic, isn’t it? But it sure as hell won’t be to some billionaire assholes making a land grab. I’m keeping it local. Gonna ask around, see if any young hippies in Lyons or Longmont are crazy enough to move into the hills and get back to the land.” She laughed and patted Arden’s knee.
“So. Where’s Kyle?”
