But it wasn’t Nate Masterson who came to her. It was Shane Lowell, the doctor who lived next door to her family. Miranda had graduated high school with his younger sister after she’d transferred to Masterson their senior year—in the care of her older brother. Miranda had known Shane for ten years now.
“Well. Nothing is ever boring with you Talleys, is it? I just saw Marin yesterday. After her little fainting incident, your grandmother wanted me to check her out.”
“How’s Dixie? What’s going on with her?” Miranda wasn’t certain of it, but she was almost convinced she was seeing two of him. “See two of you, Shane.”
“Concussion. Moderate. She’ll be ok. We’re taking her back for a scan before you, though, since she lost consciousness. She woke up on the ride in, recognized me, spoke coherently. Has a pretty bad headache. Now…let’s check you out. Double vision? How many times she whack you upside the head?”
“Twice that I remember. You sure Dixie’s going to be ok?” Miranda bit back a whimper. She didn’t know how long she was going to be able to hold out, to stay awake. She hadn’t hurt like this in a long, long while. “I—Shane, I’m just going to take a little nap right now, ok?”
Miranda passed out before he could respond.
70
Knight turned the little girl over to a pretty woman name Jude, who claimed to be the supervisor for child services in the Masterson County area as soon as he could. Jude—he’d missed her last name—had promised to contact the aunts Danielle claimed not to know well.
In his opinion, the girl would be far better off with the family Monica wouldn’t let her around. Luther and his daughters would take care of her.
Danielle would matter to them.
Joel Masterson had questions. Knight knew that he could ask those questions at the hospital. Knight needed to see that Miranda was going to be ok.
He waved one hand toward the other man. “I’m going to the hospital.”
Masterson scowled. “I kind of need you here.”
“Too bad.” He needed a ride.
He commandeered one with Rex Weatherby. Apparently, the man had been in town with his brothers looking at ranchland. He’d stopped by to lend a hand.
Well, he was lending one now.
“Drive.”
“No problem. What happened in there?”
“We missed one, apparently. She decided to take it up with Miranda.”
“Talley going to be ok?”
“I don’t know. Her cousin was attacked, too.”
They pulled into the hospital just behind a carload of women.
Familiar women.
Talleys, the lot of them.
They’d barely had time to get Miranda and her cousin to the hospital, let alone notify the family.
Marin practically ran to their side. “Knight, we…where are they?”
He wrapped one hand around Flo’s elbow. “They were brought in by ambulance. I’m not sure where they are now. How did you know to get here so quickly?”
If she said she’d seen it in her tea leaves, he was going to have her committed.
“It’s a small town, Agent Knight. Neighbors called five minutes after it happened, saying there was a disturbance at the inn,” Darcey, her oldest cousin, told him. “What happened?”
Knight hesitated, but they deserved to know. “There was an attack related to our case. It happened in your kitchen. Your sister Dixie was hurt, as was Miranda. I’m not sure of their conditions.”
After they settled down from the news, Marin took him by the hand. “We need to get inside. Miranda is going to need us soon. Thank you for saving them.” She kissed his cheek, then turned toward the man who’d driven him.
Weatherby had stuck around to get an update on the two women’s conditions. Marin scowled at him. “You! I should have known you’d be involved.”
“Just here doing my job. Unless the aliens are going to do it?”
Marin stormed into the hospital, her family following her heels much like the ducks followed that dog of theirs.
He’d forgotten the dog. Knight swore.
“What?”
“Their dog. I forgot Miranda’s dog.”
“I saw the dog. Had Masterson’s deputy deal with her. She’s fine. Now let’s get inside and check on those women so I can get away from the lunatic one.”
They stepped inside the hospital just in time to see Miranda being taken back through double doors labeled surgery.
Knight swore.
Nate Masterson came out of another exam room and went straight to Flo Talley.
Knight was going to be there. He had to know she was going to be ok.
“How are my granddaughters?” Flo asked.
“Dixie’s going to be fine. A moderate concussion, and she’ll be bruised for a few days, but she’ll be ok,” Dr. Masterson said, one hand going around her elbow and helping her to a chair.
“And Miranda?”
Knight tensed, then forced himself to relax his muscles. She hadn’t looked good.
“Miranda’s concussion—it’s a bit more serious. She was hit twice, at least. There’s not a lot of swelling, but there is some. We need that to go down—then we’ll discuss the break in her arm. She’s going to be our guest for a while—the break in her arm is actually more significant than the knocks to the head. We’ll know more in a few hours. We’ll do a second scan then.”
“Level with me, Nathanial. Is my granddaughter going to be ok?”
Nate Masterson hesitated just long enough to tell Knight all he needed to know. Then the other man spoke. “Miranda is young, in excellent shape, perfectly healthy. Provided the swelling from the concussion goes down—as it should—she’ll be just fine. Just not causing as much trouble as she usually does—at least not for a while.”
But she was going to be just fine.
Knight turned, and left the hospital.
He’d deal with what was left to do with Joel Masterson’s end of things, stick around the inn until Miranda was on the mend with her family at her side, then he would head back to St. Louis.
She didn’t need him. He knew that.
But damned if he knew why he just couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her behind.
Not now. Not after this.
He had to see her for himself.
71
Knight stuck around. He had to. No
