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“An amazing team to work with.”

“Who won’t want a crippled idiot who failed to beat some jerks in a fire fight.”

“What about friends outside of work? Or maybe there’s a girl waiting back home for you?”

“Nope. I mean, I have buddies, but nothing like the team. The work we do bonds us. And as for some sweet little thing pining for me, no chance. You know me. I love hard and leave fast. Just like you do.”

“There’s no one?”

He stared at the ceiling. “There was someone once, but that was a million years ago. And I was the one who fucked things up. She wouldn’t want anything to do with me. Especially not now.”

“Ranger, I get that you feel down. It’s a horrible situation to be in, but it sounds like you’ve given up.”

“Not given up, but I’ve had a damn hard kick to the nuts because of these injuries. I’ve never taken anything seriously.”

“You take your work seriously. If you didn’t, we’d be dead and the animals would have been taken. You stopped that. You kept Blaze and me safe. That was serious.”

“Yeah, but this work is in my blood. It’s what I’ve always done. I never even thought about what would happen if I couldn’t do it anymore. I’m not like Gunner. That guy had his life planned out from the moment he was born. He knows exactly where he’s gonna be and when he’s gonna be there.”

“Maybe not anymore,” Eden said quietly.

Ranger cocked his head, his eyes narrowing. “What do you know about his condition?”

“Nothing. All I know is that he’s alive. I can’t tell you more than that. Gunner and Wilder will fight. They won’t give up. And don’t you dare think about throwing in the towel, or I’ll break your other arm.”

He chuckled. “I have zero regrets about being on this team. I love what I do, but I should have chased for more. I spent so long fooling around and not taking things seriously. I’ve got nothing outside of work. If this gets taken away from me, I’ve no clue what I’ll do.”

Eden’s words lodged in her throat. Ranger had a right to be pissed. This shouldn’t have happened. “You’ll get through this.”

“And if I don’t?” He shook his head, and a forced looking smile spread across his face. “Forget about my self-pity. It’s just the meds talking. I’ve got so much shit running through my veins, I can barely remember my name.”

She gently squeezed his arm. “I bet you a case of cold beer you’ll be back at work by the end of the year.”

“I’m not betting on that. What about you?”

“What about me?”

“We’re the same. Why do you never take life seriously? What’s stopped you from setting your sights on one guy and sticking with him?”

“Those drugs really are making you talk trash.”

“Eden, I mean it.”

“No you don’t. If I got serious with one guy, we’d have never had our fun.”

“And it was fun. But you’re not serious about a single damn thing.”

“Hey, that’s not fair. I’m serious about loads of things.”

“I know you. Not just because we’ve hooked up. You keep it surface level and light, but there’s so much more. You always kept me at arm’s length. You made it clear what you wanted.”

“Because that worked for both of us. And I never heard you complaining.”

“It worked for both of us at the time, but it wouldn’t work for me now. Look at me. I’m fucked up. Would you want me like this?”

“I will not be your nursemaid, if that’s what you’re hinting at.”

“No, I’m not. I’m saying, if this shit goes south, if I lose my leg and have to spend months in rehab figuring out how to walk again, you wouldn’t look twice at me.”