“Luke.” Incredibly, she recognized him. “You saved my life once. Save it again. Please. Let me go.”
Luke didn’t reply. He could tell her he was sorry, but that would be a lie.
A nurse had appeared in the open doorway. “I’ve called Security,” she said. “They’re coming.”
“Fine.” Luke forced his squirming captive to the floor, holding her facedown with her hands pinned behind her back. “While you’re at it, call nine-one-one. Tell the dispatcher that the police can come and get Marie Fletcher.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
IT WAS MORNING WHEN ERIN STIRRED AND OPENED HER EYES. THE first thing she saw was Luke bending over her. He looked exhausted, his eyes bloodshot and sunk into shadow. His hair was mussed, his jaw dark with stubble. But he was smiling. That was all that mattered.
But everything else was strange—the bed, the room, the pain in her head, and the tubes and monitors attached to her arm. Where was she? What had happened to her?
Luke bent down and brushed a gentle kiss on her chapped lips. “Good morning,” he murmured. “Do you know where you are?”
She struggled to think clearly. “Am I in . . . the hospital?”
“You are. You’ve been through a pretty rough time. Do you remember anything about what happened to you?”
She tried to shake her head. It hurt. A lot. “I don’t remember anything,” she said.
“You were driving on the freeway when someone came by and shot you through the window,” Luke said. “The car rolled down an embankment and crashed. The doctor who took the bullet out of your skull said you were lucky to be alive.”
Erin’s free hand moved up to touch the bandage on her head. “When did all this happen?” she asked.
“Yesterday. You haven’t missed much.”
“And you’ve been here the whole time?”
“Since you got out of surgery. I never want to leave you, Erin. Not ever again.”
She gave him a feeble smile. “That suits me fine,” she said. “But something tells me I won’t be worth much for a while. Strange, all I remember is driving on the freeway. I was on my way to apply for a loan and—oh, no!” She struggled to sit up. “Get me out of here! I’ve got to get that loan!”
Luke eased her back onto the pillow. “No, you don’t. Somebody else will have to see about the loan. I’m going to talk to Sky. Maybe—”
“No, I’m the owner of the ranch. They won’t talk to anybody else. And even if they would, they’re not going to lend money to somebody who’s flat on her back in the hospital. How long do I have to be here? Ask the nurse—”
As if summoned, a perky young nurse stepped into the room. “You’re awake! Awesome! How do you feel?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Erin tried to push herself up, but a stabbing pain in her ribs stopped her. She lay back on the pillow. “I need to get out of here. How soon can I be released?”
“Not for a couple more days, at least. And then you’ll have to rest at home. You’ve had some serious injuries, honey. You can’t just get up and go running around like nothing’s happened. Now, let’s check your vitals.” She took Erin’s blood pressure and looked at the monitors. “Excellent. I think we can take that IV out and move you to a regular room before breakfast this morning. You’ll be more comfortable, but you’ll still need to stay quiet. I hear your boyfriend was with you all night. He sounds like a keeper. You’d better hang on to him.”
“I plan to, if he’ll have me.” Erin managed a smile.
“Just try and get rid of me,” Luke said. “While you’re busy with the nurse, I’ll go outside to get some air and make some calls.”
“Get yourself some breakfast,” the nurse said. “The cafeteria’s pretty good. And it’ll take a while to get Erin here cleaned up and transferred to her new room.”
* * *
Outside, in the parking lot, Luke took his phone out of his pocket. It was early yet. No one answered in the main house, but Luke did manage to reach Sky and give him an update. “Thank God,” Sky said when he heard that Erin was awake. “And thank heaven you caught Marie. I know she’s my cousin, but I’ve disowned her. She deserves to be behind bars. But what I can’t figure out is why she was trying to kill Erin.”
“Maybe the sheriff will be able to tell us.” Luke decided to save the story of his own connection to Marie for another time.
“Oh, something else,” Sky said. “Carmen took a call yesterday from a lawyer, a Mr. Shannon White, who said he had some urgent business with Erin.”
“Did Carmen tell him that Erin was in the hospital?”