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Relief tingled through his body. “I need to see her.” He grit his teeth and started to pull the covers off so he could get up.
A restraining hand on his shoulder held him down. “She’ll be back soon—”
“Stay in that bed.”
He whipped his head toward the door. There she stood, gorgeous as ever with her blond hair cascading in loose curls over her shoulders. Seeing her, alive and okay, he slumped back against the pillow. The ache in his chest had nothing to do with the bullet they’d dug out.
She walked into the room, coffee cup in hand, smile on her face. Both of them were for his father.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her. “Dad, can you give us a minute?”
“Sure thing.” His dad accepted the cup from her and leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, darlin’.”
Joel watched her watch him leave, then she turned those green eyes on him. The moment his gaze met hers, another memory blindsided him.
Brittany, leaning over him, holding his hand.
I love you.
Had she said the words, or had he been dreaming? Pain killer induced hallucination?
She stood beside the bed now. Within reach, but so far away. “The doctor’s going to want to see you.”
He didn’t say a word. Just watched her and realized how tired she looked. She’d been through a lot the past couple of days, and she’d still managed to save his life by dragging him into the cover of the woods.
She gave a self-conscious smile, confusion in her eyes. “What?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Yesterday.” He frowned toward the windows. “I was only out through the night, right?” He turned back to find her watching him now. Speculation shadowed her eyes. Was she wondering if he remembered?
“Yes, j
ust the one night. But I’m the one who should thank you.”
“For what? I got shot. Probably wouldn’t be here if not for you.”
She dropped her gaze to take hold of his hand. “You got shot and still kept me safe.”
“Not without your help.”
“Sounds like we make a good team.”
He tightened his fingers around hers. “We do.”
Her gaze met his, and his pulse kicked up, making the monitor beep faster. Ignoring that, it was the perfect moment to tell her how he felt—until the doctor walked in. He liked that she didn’t move away when the man came to stand on the opposite side of the bed.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Morgan. I’m Dr. Edwards. Nice to have you with us today.”
“It’s nice to be here. Relatively speaking.”
The doctor smiled as he transferred his gaze to the heart monitor while a nurse handed him the patient chart. He was an older gentleman, graying, but with a full head of hair. “Your heart rate was up when I came in, but now I can see why.”
He liked that Brittany blushed at that comment.
“How are you feeling?”
