“Paramedics!” Seth shouted, dropping to one knee beside him. “Hey! Over here!”
Jamie's eyelids fluttered, then he blinked several times before squinting up at Seth. “What... happened?”
Relief washed through him before a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Dude, you missed all the fun.” He shook his head. “I’ll tell you about it later. In the meantime, what the hell happened to you?”
Jamie winced as he reached for the lump on his head. “Uh... I’m not sure. I thought I saw something and went to check it out.” He frowned. “Next thing I knew, it was lights out.”
The sound of running footsteps grew louder as an EMT and paramedic hurried over with their equipment, followed by Shane, Tucker, Lane, and half a dozen others.
“Easy,” the EMT said, kneeling beside Jamie. “Don't move.”
Seth rose and stepped back, giving them room to work. The adrenaline that had carried him through the fight, the fire, and the frantic search for his friend began to ebb, leaving every bruise and scrape demanding attention.
Without thinking, he slipped an arm around Shylo's shoulders. She leaned into his side as they watched the crew examine Jamie, neither of them saying a word.
It wasn't until several long moments later that Seth realized he still had his arm around her. His muscles tensed, but he made no move to let go.
Neither did she.
Chapter 35
Two weeks hadn't made things any easier.
If anything, they'd made them worse.
Seth lay alone on the couch in his apartment, a pillow under his head and a half-empty bottle of beer resting on the coffee table as dusk fell over the Triple-R. A sports channel was on the TV, but he wasn't paying attention.
Outside his window, the ranch carried on as though Troy had never set foot on the property. The animals had been cared for and were settled in for the night. An evening breeze stirred the cottonwoods, and the scorched earth beside the house had been reseeded. Fresh green shoots were already pushing through the turned soil.
Life moved on.
After putting a rush on the DNA tests through a private lab, they had confirmed what everyone already knew—Shylo was Peter Wilson's daughter. Shane's sister. A Wilson.
Shane was doing everything in his power to make up for what their father never did. He'd already met with his attorney and accountant to figure out how to give Shylo her rightful share of Peter's estate. He'd also taken her to Wexler and let her pick out a brand-new truck on the Triple-R's expense account, brushing aside every protest that it was too much and that she hadn't earned it.
He insisted it was family taking care of family.
After Lou hired someone to replace her at Bar None, Shylo immersed herself in the business side of the ranch. She spent most mornings with the office staff, where she learned payroll, invoices, feed orders, breeding records, and everything else that kept the business running. Afternoons belonged to Shane and Tucker. Shane worked with her to master the art of riding, while Tucker taught her the basics of caring for the horses. She still had plenty to learn, but every day she tackled something new with the same determination she'd shown since arriving in Hazard Falls.
She belonged here.
Nobody questioned that anymore.
What Seth still couldn't get past, though, were the secrets she'd kept from him after everything they'd shared.
Over the past two weeks, he'd treated her the same way he did every other ranch employee. If she had a question, he answered it. If she needed a hand, he gave it to her. They worked side by side when the job required it, but the uninhibited laughter, lingering touches, and stolen kisses had disappeared.
He missed them.
He missed her.
That was the part that made no sense.
He understood why she'd kept her identity to herself. Hell, if their positions had been reversed, he wasn't sure he would've handled things any differently. She'd come to Hazard Falls expecting a fight over an inheritance, not to fall in love with the man she'd been deceiving.
Knowing that didn't erase the hurt. Maybe that was one of the reasons he'd always avoided relationships. They had a way of getting messy and complicated.
A knock sounded at the outside door, and Seth frowned.
