Page 8 of Sniper Daddy
“How is she?” he asks me.
“Awake,” I answer. “Still in pain.”
Eli smiles gently at Piper. “Good to see those eyes open. I’m Eli. I patched you up when Boyd brought you in. Mind if I check a few things?”
She nods, but her gaze flicks to me. I stay right by the bed, arms crossed, watching every move he makes. He checks her pulse, listens to her lungs, feels the swelling on her leg.
“You’re healing well,” he tells her. “The leg is healing nicely. Ribs will take time. Rest is still the best medicine. No sudden movements.”
She thanks him quietly. When Eli leaves, I lock the door behind him and return to the chair.
Piper watches me. “You haven’t left this room much, have you?”
“Wanna make sure you’re okay.”
She’s quiet for a long moment. “Why are you doing this? You don’t know me.”
I meet her eyes. “I know enough. Someone tried to kill you. I don’t like people who hurt women. Simple as that.”
She looks away, but I see the way her shoulders relax just a fraction.
The next few days pass the same way. I stay by her side. I help her eat. I help her sit up when the pain gets bad. I bring her water, adjust the pillows, make sure the fire stays warm. She asks more questions every day, and I answer every single one.
On the second full day she’s awake, she asks about the women again. “The ones who brought the clothes. Harper? And who else? What are they like?”
I tell her. Harper is with Rafe. She has a niece, Poppy. She runs the lodge like it’s her own kitchen. Fiona is Gavin’s sister, tough as nails, helps with security. Sadie came here running from her own trouble. Daisy loves the garden. Emma loves to read. Kayley has her nephew, a little boy named Aidan and is dating Gavin. He’s the one in charge. Hannah’s dating the sheriff, Silas. They all look out for each other. They’ll look out for her too if she lets them.
She listens closely. “They sound nice.”
“They are,” I say. “They’ll come by soon. They’re giving you space until you are ready.”
On the third day she asks about the mountain. “Why Wedding Cake Mountain? That’s a strange name.”
I smile faintly. “Old story. Looks like layers of cake from a distance when the snow sits right. The name stuck.”
She smiles back for the first time. It’s small and tired, but real. It hits me harder than I expect.
By the fourth day she can sit up longer without wincing as much. Eli comes by twice a day now. He puts a real cast on her leg whileI hold her hand through the pain. She squeezes my fingers tight but doesn’t cry. I’m proud of her for that.
That evening she asks about me.
“Tell me about you,” she says. “I want to know the man taking care of me.”
I lean back in the chair. The firelight flickers across her face. She looks better. The bruises are starting to fade to yellow. Her eyes are clearer.
“I was in the military,” I say. “Special forces. Sniper mostly. Spent twelve years overseas. Long waits. Precise shots. Learned to be quiet. Learned to watch.”
She waits for more.
I give her the surface. “I was good at it. Too good, maybe. When I got out, the noise of the world was too loud. I found Haven 7 through a friend. The men here understood. We built something quiet. Something worth protecting. I like the distance. The control. The ridge where I can see everything coming.”
She studies me. “You don’t talk much, do you?”
I shrug. “Never saw the point in wasting words.”
She smiles again, softer this time. “I like that about you. Most people talk too much.”
We fall into comfortable silence after that. I bring her more soup. She eats on her own now, but I stay close. When she winces reaching for the mug, I take it and help her without being asked.
