Blaze met their eyes and felt something in his chest ease. The fight was done. For now, at least.
He looked down at Rachel again. “You’re safe,” he said softly. “That’s all that matters.”
Chapter 43
“Is it really over?” Rachel asked. Her voice came out softly.
Blaze looked at her from where he stood in the dusty street. Kane’s body lay covered by a tarp now, and the deputy had already been taken to the doctor’s office. The townsfolk had begun to drift back into daylight like ghosts returning from hiding.
“It’s over,” Blaze said.
“You’re hurt,” Rachel replied, taking a step back to examine him more closely.
“Just a scratch,” Blaze replied.
“Don’t lie to me.”
Blaze glanced down. The line across his ribs had bled through his shirt. A dark patch was spreading slowly. He hadn’t even noticed until now.
“Guess I’ll live,” he said, shrugging one shoulder.
Rachel’s lip trembled before she caught it. “You scared me half to death.”
“Weren’t exactly my plan,” Blaze said with a small smile.
“I thought I lost you,” Rachel whispered.
“Not yet,” Blaze said. “Not till the good Lord says so.”
Behind them, a low voice said, “Seems we made it just in time.”
Blaze turned to see Marisol walking down the street with her Hawken Plains rifle slung over her shoulder. Graycloud was right beside her.
“Glad to see you two,” Blaze said.
Rachel stepped back, wiping her eyes. “You must be the ones who helped him.”
“That’s right,” Marisol said, smiling faintly. “You must be Rachel.”
Rachel nodded. “I am. And I owe you both more than I can express.”
“No debt between friends,” Marisol said. “We just did what needed doing.”
Graycloud gave a small grunt of agreement. “Your brother fought like a spirit of the storm.”
Rachel smiled, though her eyes still glistened. “He’s always been too stubborn to die.”
“Guess it runs in the family,” Blaze said.
Marisol’s eyes softened. “You should sit. That wound’s bleeding more than you think.”
“I’ll get him to the doctor,” Rachel said quickly.
“He’s patching up the deputy,” Marisol said. “I saw that he was shot in the shoulder, but he’ll live.”
“Brave man,” Blaze said. “Tried to step in, even when he didn’t have to.”
Graycloud folded his arms. “Honor lives in unexpected places.”
