“I do.” My brows rose. “But someone won’t stop getting out of her damn bed, against doctor’s orders.”
Her cheeks reddened, and she seemed guilty.
“But you’re sick,” she shot back. “And you’re not in bed either.”
My shoulders stiffened.
The aches and weakness from the virus lingered in my muscles and my head throbbed, but after medicine and a lot of water, I was much better.
Better than she looked, at least.
My heart spasmed as the horrific scene from that morning flashed through my mind.
The sight of smoke staining the morning sky, pouring from Hearthstone Security, had been bad enough. I’d spent countless hours renovating that building with my father. It was the building where my brothers made their living. A place that brought us together.
But when I’d seen Palmer lying there in the snow—it was like the ground had been ripped out from under me.
The moment the call came on my pager, I’d sprung out of bed and raced outside.
I hadn’t expected her to be there. Or to be hurt.
I shook my head, trying to clear the images from my mind.
Palmer was going to be fine; her injuries weren’t serious. I couldn’t say the same for Hearthstone.
“I’m not the one who ran into a burning building,” I finally growled in reply.
She rolled her eyes. “Your entire career is running into burning buildings.”
“Not without training and protection.” My voice came out sharper than I intended. “That was irresponsible, going in there after a damn cat, of all things.”
Palmer flinched.
I instantly regretted my tone, but not the words. She needed to understand how dangerous that had been.
An uncomfortable silence settled over the room.
“I know it was stupid,” she eventually said, her voice soft. “But he was crying so loud in there. I could see him at first, but he got scared and ran deeper into the fire, and I just—followed him. Hailey loves him so much.”
I sighed and scrubbed a hand over my face.
“Hailey cares aboutyou.” I leaned forward, bracing my elbows on my knees. “Do you think she wouldn’t be devastated if something happened to you?”
She looked away.
I gritted my teeth. “We both care about you, Palmer. You’ve brought life back into this place after it felt like the darkness had won, and I will forever be grateful for that.”
It pissed me off that she didn’t seem to comprehend her own worth. In such a short time, she had become so important in our lives.
Finally, she mumbled, “I guess so.”
I stood without thinking, crossing the room to her bedside. I lifted the comforter she was tucked under.
“What are you doing?” she asked, startled.
“Scoot over.”
She blinked. “What?”
