Page 49 of Wilde About You

"Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

Immediately, Eye Patch held up his hands in surrender. He seemed to have forgotten that he too was armed, or he'd just made the smart call not to get into a gunfight with Finn Wilde. "We don't want trouble, Mr. Wilde. We just came to take Miss Rivers to a meeting. We don't even know what the whole thing is about. We were just hired to get the girl and take her⁠—"

"You aren't taking her anywhere," Finn said.

Colin wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand and walked to stand next to me. "She's not going with you," Colin said.

"Hear that?" Finn said. "Now get the fuck off my property before I shoot all of you for trespassing. And next time, I won't give you the chance to leave."

All six men walked a wide berth around Finn as if he were radioactive. Colin shined the flashlight out at the yard to make sure they all actually left.

I turned to Finn. "I'm sorry. That was all my fault, and I can't thank you enough for helping out."

Finn looked at me, then at Colin, then back at me. He winked. "Like you better every day. Now get inside and clean up his nose before he bleeds all over my barn."

Finn rested the shotgun on his shoulder and strolled back to the house.

"I think I was right. Your old man is fucking cool."

Colin wiped his nose again. It spread blood across his face. "Yeah, he's got his moments. I think I need a nurse."

I took his arm, but he stopped for a second. He walked over and grabbed a big chunk of alfalfa in his hand and carried it to the black horse's stall. "Here you go, Thunder. I owe ya one."

twenty-four

. . .

Colin

Iwinced as I pressed the ice pack against my ribs.

Sadie kneeled on the couch next to me. "You poor baby." She kissed my forehead. "Those chocolate chip cookies are almost done."

I had to admit, this recuperation was far nicer than the knee one. "I think I have some other pains that you can take care of later, when we're upstairs, Nurse Honeybunch."

Sadie smiled. "That's a good nickname, and yes, I will tend to those injuries at a later time." She leaned down and whispered in my ear. "That is when I turn into Nurse Lovesacock."

"Oh man, cannot wait to meet her." I winced again. "I hate bruised ribs. I've had every other part of me bruised. Well, almost every part, but ribs are the fucking worst. Just breathing is a chore."

The oven timer rang, and Sadie hopped off the couch. "Cookies will help. They always help." She returned a few minutes later with a plate. "They're gooey, but too hot to eat."

I reached for one anyway and immediately had to drop it. "Ouch."

"Yes, that is the meaning behind too hot to eat." She sat down next to me again. "I can't believe what a badass your dad was last night in the barn."

I looked over at her. "He was the badass? What about the guy who took on six morons with meaty fists?"

She picked up the plate. "Of course, you were the biggest badass of the night. I mean six against one, holy shit. Try one now."

I picked up a cookie. It was hot but edible. "Hmm, delicious. And it was really six to three. I had help from a horse and from a madwoman with a mucking fork."

"I hope Zander isn't too mad about his broken fork. And I hope your dad isn't too mad about the fact that I brought trouble to his ranch."

I laughed but cut it short with a groan. I adjusted the ice pack against my ribs. "Trouble and this ranch go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly." Right then the back door opened and Dad walked in with his dog. Lenny came right in and plopped down on his pillow, and Dad plopped in his chair.

"How are the ribs?" he asked with an old man's sigh.

"Hurt like shit."