“Fucking fool,” she heard Shawn mutter.
Cutting her gaze toward the road, she gasped watching Dakota ride toward them, shocked to see him maintaining his seat on the massive, galloping stallion while using both hands to hold his rifle on his shoulder. If she weren’t so head over heels in love with Shawn, she might…her brain stumbled to a halt on that thought, and she had to force down the panic that threatened to come up from that admission.
Huddling back down, she winced at the bullet wound that must hurt like hell, a bullet he had taken for her. How could she help but fall in love? She’d been telling herself her life was back in Phoenix, the only place she’d ever known before coming to Mountain Bend. But did she really want to return to the rat race of the big city and her almost solitary life? There were young men a few feet away whom she’d never met, who didn’t know her, yet they stood ready to defend her against a madman. Other than an aging priest, there was no one back home who would make such a sacrifice on her behalf.
Another shot rang out from the trees, followed by a deafening barrage of return fire from all six men that seemed to go on forever. Lisa huddled lower, shivering when a sudden, eerie silence fell, the acrid smell of gunpowder wafting through Shawn’s open door.
“Is it over?”
Someone whistled, and Shawn nodded, rising from his crouched position. “It’s over.”
Dakota reached Shawn before Lisa could get out, wailing sirens and a cloud of dust heralding the arrival of more law enforcement and an ambulance. As much as she wanted to rush to his side, she stood back and let the paramedics see to his injury, not surprised when they insisted he needed to ride with them to the hospital to get stitched up.
Two sheriff’s officers, one young and lean, the other older with a middle-aged waistline, approached with grim faces.
“Is he dead, then?” Shawn asked, holding his hand out to Lisa.
The older man nodded. “They don’t come deader.” He tipped his hat to Lisa. “Ma’am, as soon as you’re up to it, I’ll need you to come in and make a statement. Are you up to looking at him and giving us an ID?”
“I’ll try, but I doubt if I know him,” she said, looking at the stretcher two men carried from the woods, the body covered with a blanket.
“Let’s get this done then you can ride with me to the hospital.”
If for no other reason than to move Shawn along in getting the medical help he needed, she didn’t hesitate to step forward as the sheriff lowered the blanket from the man’s face. “No, I’m sorry. I’ve never seen him before.”
“That’s okay. We had to check. You two get going. We’ll search him and the car and get his name soon enough.”
“Thanks, Lyle.”
“You can thank me by healing fast and getting on the campaign trail.”
“Campaign trail?” Lisa asked, climbing into the back of the ambulance behind Shawn then giving Dakota a grateful smile as he strode up. “I really appreciate…”
He cut her off with a hand slice. “No need. We take care of our own.” Turning his black eyes on Shawn, he said, “Clayton and I will meet you there,” before walking back to his horse.
Lisa kept quiet as she sat next to Shawn, and he closed his eyes, leaning his head against the padded side of the van as it started rolling. All too aware he’d never mentioned their relationship was anything except a temporary affair, she hugged her newfound feelings to herself and made plans on where to go from here.
****
Shawn stomped up to the front door of Lisa’s duplex, trying his best not to lay into her for slipping away from the clinic last night when he’d been groggy with pain meds. After refusing to let the ambulance take him all the way into Boise, they’d agreed to drop him at the small medical clinic in Mountain Bend that stayed open late for emergencies. Just as he’d suspected, the bullet had gone through the fleshy part of his upper arm, requiring minor cleaning up and a few sutures. That hadn’t kept Drew and Jen from joining Clayton and Dakota, or the entire sheriff’s department from converging on the clinic. That Lisa had taken advantage of the chaos to leave unnoticed still rankled.
Upon discovering she’d returned here instead of his place, he’d waited to confront her and to bring her news until school let out today and he knew she’d be home. He wasn’t sure how she’d take to what Lyle and Clayton had learned about her stalker, the personal connection sure to break her heart. The stalking alone had taken a huge toll on her, to hear it was a blood relative would bother anyone.
He rapped on the door then let himself in when he tried the knob.
“Shawn.” Lisa rushed forward from the kitchen, surprised pleasure turning her face rosy. “Shouldn’t you be resting?”
“I’m fine, Lisa, as I told you yesterday.” Tossing his hat onto the sofa, he stalked toward her with narrowed eyes, his lips curling as she backed up with a wary look until she bumped the counter. “You snuck out last night without a word.” He caged her in by bracing his hands on the counter behind her.
“You needed your rest.”
“Lame, Lisa, very lame. I
