I picked at a loose thread on my t-shirt until Hayes tugged me towards him with his free hand.
“Hey, watch it. I’m working here. Do you want me to scar you even worse?” Hadley groused.
“A scar will just make me sexier.”
Hadley rolled her eyes.
Hayes laced his fingers with mine, pulling me down onto the arm of the chair. “You okay?”
No. I was not. Not in the slightest. “I’m fine.”
“Liar. Talk to me.”
I found that same thread and picked at it. “I just wonder if it was Ian or Allen.”
“I had the same thought. And I honestly can’t say one way or the other. The guy was wearing a hat, so I didn’t get hair color, just a rough idea of size that could’ve been any number of people.”
I nodded slowly and kept tearing at that string, trying to break it off. But if I did, maybe the whole shirt would unravel. Just like my life. What would be the breaking point for Hayes? For his family? They’d brought me into their fold now, but that could change in the blink of an eye.
My stomach roiled at the thought of how this could’ve turned out. Hayes really hurt. Or worse. The Eastons had already almost lost one daughter because of my family. I couldn’t be responsible if they lost a son.
“Ev.”
Hayes’ soft voice turned my focus to him. “Hmm?”
“I don’t like where that beautiful head is at right now.” He squeezed my hand. “No running, okay?”
I didn’t look away. “I’ll run if that’s what keeps you safe.”
His expression turned stony. “You run, and I’ll just follow.”
“He’s right,” Hadley interjected. “You can’t let some crazy run you off. You shouldn’t let anything scare you away from what you want.” Her gaze flicked to Calder for the briefest of moments and then back to me. “You deserve to be happy.”
Happy. It felt too dangerous to reach for. Yet I’d had so many bright starburst moments of it. But that only felt more reckless. Just like my hope and my peace. I wanted them but was scared to fully reach out.
Because as I looked at this man in front of me as Hadley tied off the final stitch, I knew he made me happy. Just like his family did. Spending little bits of time with Addie and Ben. My job with Miles, Kelly, and Tim. And seeing the sanctuary becoming a reality… It all made me ridiculously happy—this life I was building.
But it all felt like sand, slipping through my fingers. I was just one wrong move from it disappearing altogether. Only it wasn’t my wrong move that I feared. It was my family’s.
Hadley pressed a bandage over the neat row of stitches. “You need to keep that dry for two days. Take Tylenol and Motrin for pain and swelling. I’ll check it in a few days.”
Hayes reached out and ruffled his sister’s hair. “Thanks, lil’ sis.”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t make a habit of it.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Young popped the last bite of her pizza crust into her mouth. “Now that we know you’re going to live, we should hit the roads with everyone else. We’ll let you know if we spot anything suspicious.”
I’d heard radios crackling as Hadley stitched Hayes. Squad cars relaying their positions. But no one had seen a single man on horseback.
Hayes nodded. “Give me a few to get cleaned up, and I can join—”
Ruiz held up a hand to stop him. “You know you can’t work this case anymore. Advisory only. You’re clearly a target.”
His jaw worked back and forth as he swallowed down the words he wanted to let fly. “All right. Keep me in the loop.”
“You know we will,” Ruiz said.