Smoked (The Invincibles 5)

“What’s there?”

“It’s a fully operational ranch, so along with the main house, there are other smaller dwellings, barns, and outbuildings.”

“What is ‘fully operational’?”

“I raise livestock.”

“Meaning?”

“Cattle, sheep, goats, horses along with poultry.”

“It sounds big.”

“About a thousand acres. Oh, and there’s a trout pond.”

“It sounds like a place I’d never want to leave if I were you.”

The older I got, the more I felt that way. These last few months were the longest I’d gone without spending at least a day or two there to get caught up. Home or not, I received regular reports from the ranch manager, but it wasn’t the same as riding the property myself.

“I can’t wait to see it.”

“I can’t wait to show it to you.” My words were thoughts escaped, and almost startled me. I’d never taken anyone to the ranch, not even Hammer, who had fished for an invitation more times than I could count.

* * *

Shortly after we landed at the small regional airport in Asheville, I received a message from Hammer saying he couldn’t get Siren an appointment at the stroke center until Monday. It made sense, given today was Saturday.

I carried her from the plane to an SUV that sat, waiting on the tarmac. It would take us to the other side of the airfield where, according to another text from Hammer, a medivac helicopter was waiting.

I had to hand it to him. He had no real idea of the state of Siren’s injuries, yet he was one step ahead of me in thinking of things to make travel exponentially easier for her.

One of my ranch hands got out of the vehicle and opened the back passenger door for me. “Hey, Smoke. Welcome home,” said Henry “Jack” Gray.

“Thanks. I’ll sit back here. You take the front passenger seat,” I said to the nurse.

Once inside, I helped Siren lower herself so she could lie with her head on my lap. She looked uncomfortable, but it was the best I could do for the five-minute drive.

Not that she’d ever been a big talker, unless she was bitching at me about something, but Siren’s silence unnerved me. “You okay?” I asked, resting my hand on her waist.

“I…uh…thank you for doing this for me, Smoke.”

“You’re welcome, but what were you going to say instead?”

“Nothing.”

* * *

We were in flight a few minutes when I looked over to where she lay on yet another gurney and saw Siren studying me.

“I wish I could see whatever it is you’re looking at,” she said.

“It’s nothing but mountains covered by trees.”

“I doubt that.”

I cocked my head. “Why?”

“Your expression. You look enraptured.”