“Maybe,” she agreed, taking a long drink to quench her thirst.

“You look like you’re just starting your ride. You up for a friendly race?”

Pulling her towel from her handlebars, she made a pass at the sweat already dripping from her temples. Pressing a finger to the screen, she highlighted the course titled, L’Alpe d’Huez. “I’m in a bit of a mood, so it might not be a good idea.”

His eyes widened in surprise. He tossed his drink into the air, flipped the bottle end over end, before holstering it in its wire holder. Carrie Ann blinked a few times. The memory of the gun-slinging sheriff from the show at Jackson Hole flashed like a beacon.

A flirtatious grin gathered in his eyes. “Maybe another day.”

Not wanting to seem encouraging or rude, she opted for a simple, “Have a nice ride,” before plugging back in.

Giving the tension knob a full turn, Carrie Ann pushed her bum back, crouched over the handlebars, and began the ascent. Her surroundings faded into the background with every pummel of the pedal and each bend in the switch back. Her anger grew as she climbed her virtual mountain. There would be no more avoiding the subject. Carrie Ann was going to get her day in court.

An hour and forty minutes later, Carrie Ann stumbled off her spin bike. Her thighs burning and legs trembled from the intense workout. Feeling a little lethargic and dizzy, she stopped to refill her water.

The thumping in her ears kept time with her heart rate as adrenaline surged. She could barely make out a woman’s muffled voice when she spoke to Carrie Ann, pointing out that her bottle was overflowing.

Walking away, she mumbled sluggishly, “I must’ve gotten my heartrate too high.”

Fueled with determination to set her father straight, she made her way through the gym. Stepping out the front door, bright sunshine beat down on her shoulders, zapping her of energy. Her body pitched and swayed as she walked to her car.

“Whew. I must’ve overdid it,” she slurred, aiming for the handle, but missing.

Standing beside her driver’s door, Carrie Ann clung to the top of her car. She was hit with another wave of spicy tobacco. Peering downward, she tried to make out a small blurry object lying on the ground. She screwed her eyes shut and stretched them wide, concentrating on the butt of a thin cigar between her tennis shoes.

Lifting her heavy head, her gaze landed on a pair of vivid green eyes.

Sunlight began to fade as the entire parking lot narrowed in around her, slipping into the shrinking shadow.

Chapter Fifteen

‡

A constant beeping filled her ears. Hushed voices sifted through the darkness like a distant daydream. Carrie Ann tried to peel the lids of her eyes open, but they were too heavy.

The sterile smell of saline and antiseptic burned her nostrils. She drifted in and out of a deep sleep, listening to the sounds of chatter warbled together with footsteps and someone coughing in the far remoteness of her mind.

Blackness.

A low drone echoed in her ears as a band squeezed around her bicep, rousing her from hibernation. Her hands felt encumbered, too heavy to reach the object tightening and scratching her arm. She heard voices, men talking. I’ll give you today, but that’s it. I’ve been more than patient. Carrie Ann licked her parched lips. Holding her breath, she attempted to listen closer, but her ears were filled with the beating of her heart.

She felt a set of hands, warm and strong, slip beneath the covers at the end of the bed and close over her foot. The massage was light and loving, warming her ice cold toes. The strokes too soft for treatment, but blanketed her with comfort and assurance.

“Summer?” Her raspy voice, laced with panic, nearly inaudible. Her breathing turned quick and jumpy. Unable to raise her arms, she scratched her nails on the bedding.

“We’re right here, Red.” His sunny familiar scent floated into her breath, calming her alarm. The sound of his voice snuggled beside her ear as he pressed the side of his face to her temple. “You’re safe. Everything’s okay.”

Carrie Ann managed one little nod.

A while later, she opened her eyes. An older man with dark hair, sat beside her. His stubby fingers drew small circles over her foot poking out of the blue cover. She blinked the haziness from her eyes. “Dad?”

He lifted his head. Her father looked tired and worn. His typical tough, no-nonsense rigidness, softened by the exhaustion clinging to the lines covering his face. “I’m here.”

Carrie Ann peered around the cold white room. Her gaze lingered down her body making sure all of her pieces were intact. She stretched and shifted. Nothing was broken.

“Why am I in the hospital?” Before he could utter a word, her body lurched upright, adding in a voice of distress, “Where’s Summer?”

“Shh, it’s okay. You’re fine. He’s here. He just went to get coffee.”

A small bit of relief traveled through her rigid limbs and she sank back into the hard crinkly mattress. Her father scooted the small chair he sat in to the edge of her bed. He closed a hand around hers.

“Why am I in the hospital?” she questioned again.

“Do you remember being at the gym?”

Carrie Ann surfed her memory, but had zero recollection. Meeting her father’s gaze, she saw wetness clinging to his lashes. Fearing the worst she swallowed hard, whispering, “Did something bad happen to me?”

“No, no. Nothing happened. You got lucky.” Her dad seemed to be registering her reaction, unsure if he should go on. “Jason, found you…”

“Yes, yes. I remember seeing him at the gym. We argued…sort of. Did he drug me again?”

“He saved you.” Summer’s deep voice filtered through doorway.

Tears sprung in her eyes, obscuring the silhouette of his tall, muscular frame moving toward her. The edge of the bed dipped as he sat beside her, pulling her into his arms for a full embrace. She hid her face in the crook of his neck, letting him hold her. Easing back, he cupped the sides of her neck, swiping the pads of his thumb over her damp cheek.

“Love you, Red.”

Their eyes locked. Those were the only words that mattered. “Love you.”

“You remember seeing Jason at the gym?” Summer stated.

“Yes.”

“He was sitting in his car getting ready to leave when he spotted you staggering out to your car. He was going to see if you were alright. That’s when he saw the bartender approach you. Do you remember?”

“Not really. Maybe. I remember feeling woozy, like I’d worked out too hard.”

“Do you remember a man approaching you? The bartender? He worked for Take Your Best Shot the night of the auction.”

“That’s right.” She shifted uneasily. “He was there…at the gym. He rode the bike next to me. That’s the guy who drugged me?”

“Yes.”

“Are you positive?”

“We’re positive.” Summer’s jaw was set so taut, the muscles near the hollow of his cheek twitched. He remained outwardly calm, but she could feel his hands shaking as he combed his fingers through her dark hair, placing a kiss to the top of her head. His heart thumped so loud, it echoed between them. Summer looked away momentarily, making a brief but monumental connection with her father.

“We’ll talk about the details later.” Her dad remarked coolly. All traces of color washed from his face. “You don’t need to worry, honey. He won’t be getting out of jail in this lifetime.”

Inundated with a strong need to apologize and tell him thank you, she questioned, “Where’s Jason?”

Another shadow of concern passed between the two men. “They released him last night. I’m sure you’ll be able to talk to him soon.”

“Released? From the hospital? What for?”

“Carrie Ann, he was stabbed during the altercation. Don’t worry. Doctors were concerned about a concussion, but he’s going to be fine. He got lucky, the knife only grazed his side, but it required fifteen stitches.”