“See if you can get her to drink.”
Someone lifted her head.
“You need to drink, honey. Come on.”
She felt the edge of a cup press against her lips and sipped, something warm and wonderful sliding down her throat.
Conrad coaxed her into drinking more. “That’s it. We need to warm you up and get you hydrated.”
She drank again, the warmth soothing.
“How do you feel?”
She managed one word. “Hurts.”
“I’m going to give you some morphine, okay?” That sounded like Hawke.
She felt a prick—and everything faded.
She had no idea how much time had passed when Harrison’s voice urged her awake again. “Drink.”
She sipped.
“There you go. Good job.”
She opened her eyes, found herself in his arms in a sleeping bag, the crackling of a fire somewhere nearby. But this wasn’t her home. “Where are we?”
“We’re in the old cabin at Hasting’s mine.”
It took a moment for his words to sink in, but when they did, it all came rushing back to her. Don. His gun. His arms flailing as she knocked him over the edge. Gizmo licking her face.
Her eyes flew wide on a jolt of panic. “Gizmo! Where—?”
“He’s safe back in Scarlet. Megs has him.”
“He’s okay?”
“She took him to see a vet. Apart from exhaustion and some sore paws, he’s okay.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ve promised him a steak. That dog is a hero.”
Hot tears blurred her vision, her emotions threadbare. “I was so afraid he’d be hurt. That bastard tried to shoot him. I threw myself at him, tried to stop him. I didn’t mean to knock him over the edge.”
Harrison’s brows drew together in a frown. “Rest. Don’t think about that now. You defended yourself and Gizmo. You’re safe. Hawke and Moretti are here, too.”
“Hey, Kenzie.” Eric sat right beside her to her left.
Jesse stood behind him. “Glad to see you feeling better.”
“Hi, guys.” Then it dawned on her that she was all but naked—and stuffed inside a sleeping bag with Harrison, who was all but naked, too. Well, this was different. “I never thought you’d be rescuing me.”
Exhaustion pulled her back into sleep.
* * *
Conrad woketo the sound of Moretti putting wood on the fire. He raised his head, watched the peaceful rise and fall of Kenzie’s breathing.
She’d almost been killed trying to save Gizmo’s life. She’d taken a bullet for him. And Gizmo would have died to stay by her side.
The thought put an ache in Conrad’s chest.
