Page 41 of When The Dust Settles

“Or you could just leave her where she is.”

There was that possibility, with changes, a thaw in my and Rand’s relationship for one, to consider. But I didn’t want to talk about that. “How long was I out?” I asked, changing the subject.

“Almost two hours.”

“Oh, that ain’t bad,” I said, grinning at him.

“Not bad?” His gasp and how big his eyes got told me he was a bit horrified.

It was nice, how worried and scared he was, but really, I’d been out longer when I was thrown while breaking broncs or riding bulls or the time I was riding a new horse while barrel racing and he drove me into a wall when I overcorrected.

“It really ain’t,” I assured him, reaching out to touch his cheek and give him a little pat. “But so yanno, I’m all right now, so can I have some water?”

He had to call the nurse to ask—he wasn’t taking any chances—and after he did, a young RN with a name badge saying “Paisley Chambers” showed up, with a perky little blonde ponytail and pink scrubs. She explained, even though I knew already from Stef, that I’d been out a couple of hours, but my color was back and I looked much better.

“We had to give you some fluids and glucose to get your blood sugar up,” she said sternly, her voice full of authority for one so young, giving me the judgmental brow. “Why were you dehydrated and why aren’t you eating?”

So I explained about the cattle drive and then lied and said I normally did eat but hadn’t been just for the day but how I should have, what with being in the saddle the whole time.

“Yes, you should have,” she agreed. “Now, I’m sending a meal up in here, and you better eat everything on that tray, ya hear?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I agreed.

“Good boy,” she said with a smile before telling Stef that she’d find the doctor and that yes, I could have some water. Not a lot, but some. I was not to overdo.

Once she was gone and Stef poured ice water into the little plastic tumbler for me, I asked him the obvious. “Who in the hell were those people, Stef?”

“The guy in the long-sleeved shirt, his name is David Lawrence, and he’s one of my former students from the college.”

I waited for him to go on, sipping my water.

He cleared his throat. “The girl is Kree Walton, and they wanted to—”

“Oh, I know what they wanted to do,” I told him. “They wanted to kidnap Rand Holloway’s child and hold him for ransom.”

He nodded.

“So what, this David just called you up out of the blue?”

“Yeah, he said he needed a reference letter, and… God, Glenn, it’s just—” He inhaled sharply. “He was one of my teaching assistants, you know? Why would I ever have cause to doubt him?”

“No, you don’t blame yourself for that, Stef,” I insisted. “None of that’s on you.”

“I feel really stupid.”

“For wanting to help out an old student?”

His eyes searched my face. “You could have been killed.”

“So could you,” I volleyed, not bringing up the fact that Wyatt had been in danger as well. “But we’re both fine, so let’s not fuss on it no more.”

His smile was beautiful. “Yes, Glenn.”

I tipped my head as I looked at him. “You realize the security out there at the ranch is about to go through an overhaul, don’t ya?”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh yes, I already had this discussion with Mr. Holloway half an hour ago when we talked.”

I chuckled. “Is he on his way back?”