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She glanced back at the forest to the east as though looking for said wolves to appear. “I’m getting some kind of gun tomorrow when I go through orientation. I’m apparently the new deputy. I was informed this morning, though I have to tell you that Gemma Wells works fast. I thought it would take days to find a place, but here I am.” She stared at him for a moment as though trying to decide how to proceed. “I’m glad you’re close by. I’ll find my feet, but it will be nice to have someone who’s lived out here close while I’m figuring things out.”
He breathed a sigh of pure relief. She wasn’t running. “I’m right across the street if you need anything at all. And I’m going into Alamosa this afternoon if you need supplies. You can give me a list.”
“You would do that for me?”
“Of course.” He would do it for anyone, but he would do it with a smile for her. “We’re neighbors. You’ll find we have to rely on each other out here. Especially in winter.”
“Well, neighbor, if you’re going into Alamosa, can I follow you and catch a ride back? I need to turn in my rental. I’m getting a county vehicle tomorrow, and they’ll let me drive it around town until I get a personal car. But I need someone to drive out with. I was going to ask my dad, but he’s got a meeting this afternoon.”
“I would love to help you.” He was about to tell her about the errand he would need to run when a crack split the air, and he felt something hit his left arm.
Pain flared and then he was tackled by Elisa, who sent him right into the snow as she covered her body with his. “Don’t move. Someone’s shooting.”
And it looked like he’d been hit.
Chapter Ten
“Hey, can I get you some coffee? The doc should be done in a minute or two, and he’ll let you know how things are going.” A beautiful woman in scrubs walked into the small waiting room. She’d been the one to greet them when they’d come into the clinic.
Elisa shook her head. “I’m fine. I think the last thing I need is coffee. My heart’s still racing.”
“You couldn’t tell.” Van sat across from her. “You were amazing out there.” He looked to the nurse. “She was cool as a cucumber. She didn’t even think about it, just jumped right on Hale and protected him and then got them out of the line of fire. Meanwhile I’m freaking out. I’m sorry about that. It probably made things harder for you.”
He was exaggerating, but she appreciated the fact that he’d likely never taken fire before, and it could throw a person off balance. “You were fine. You did everything I asked you to do.”
After the shot, she’d managed to carefully roll them to cover behind a tree, and she’d had Van drive the SUV around. She’d been fairly sure whoever had taken the shot was gone, but she hadn’t wanted to take the chance so she’d used the car as cover and had Van get in the back with Hale. Then she’d driven them here to the clinic.
Her gut had been in a knot, but panicking solved nothing.
Her first thought when he’d been shot was that she didn’t want him to die, and not in an “I care for all people” kind of way. In an “I want another chance with him” way.
“Well, I felt like I panicked.” Van’s head dropped back. “I hope he’s okay. I can’t…”
“Honey, he’s going to be fine,” Nurse Naomi assured them both. “I saw him a few minutes ago. It clipped his tricep. Doc is stitching him up, and then he can go home. I’m sure he’ll need some pain meds for a day or two, but he’ll be fine. Now the hunter who did this better be sure he’s never found, or we won’t be able to say the same for him.”
“You think it was a hunter?” Van asked.
Naomi put a hand on his shoulder. “I think it was an accident. Unless we’ve got another assassin in town and they’re after Hale. I don’t suppose he’s on the run from the mob? Secretly a CIA operative?” She gave Elisa a grin. “It happens a lot here.”
“Hale’s never been in trouble with anyone that I know of,” Van replied.
“Then it was probably a hunter,” Naomi assured them. “I’ve already called the park rangers and the sheriff. I have to call in any gunshot wounds.”
The door opened as though Nate Wright knew exactly when to make his entrance. Her new boss nodded her way. “Hey, Deputy Leal. Hale okay?”
She stood, the long habit of respecting her CO ingrained in her. “He’s going to be fine, sir. The bullet clipped him but there was a lot of blood, so I wasn’t sure until we brought him in. I probably should have administered first aid in the field, but I couldn’t be certain it was an accident. If someone was targeting him, I needed to get him out of the line of fire.”
