Wildfire Omens (Wildwood #1)

Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Cheyenne

I froze. Rhett had only said the words once before drifting off, oblivious to whether I was there or not, but I didn’t know what to do.

Naomi and Claire both looked at me. Claire’s face showed confusion, but Naomi looked … hopeful. Hopeful and desperate.

I couldn’t refuse the look on her face. So, even though Rhett seemed to be sleeping again, I stepped forward.

“I’m here,” I whispered, not sure he could hear me.

Naomi moved, making room for me to join her beside him. It was exactly where I wanted to be—and also the place I wanted to run from. Seeing Rhett lying here, broken like this… It was killing me. All I knew was that he had to get better. That I couldn’t lose him again. Not like this.

Naomi looked deep into my eyes, then pulled me into a tight embrace. When she finally let me go, both our eyes were wet with tears we refused to shed.

She sniffed and shook her head. “Honey, I don’t know if I even said thank you for finding him.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“I do. If you hadn’t… If he’d stayed out there much longer…”

“Don’t think of it,” I said as much for my sake as hers. “All that matters is that he’s okay.”

Someone knocked on the hospital door.

“Come in,” Naomi called, some of the strength returning to her voice.

Sheriff McGrath poked his head in the door. “This a good time?”

“Of course.”

He came in, shaking his head as he eyed Rhett. “Has he woken up yet?”

Naomi nodded, and I slipped back, feeling out of place standing there like I was one of the family. Claire shot me a sympathetic look, but thankfully Naomi didn’t seem to notice me leaving her.

“Briefly,” she confirmed.

“And? What did he tell you about what happened?”

Claire stepped in. “He asked us. Said he didn’t remember. But he’s still pretty out of it.”

The sheriff’s mouth went flat. “The doctor said with that kind of blow to the head he might not remember at all.”

“Well, it doesn’t really matter, does it?” Naomi snapped. Anger like I’d never seen from her flared in her eyes. “We all know who did this.”

McGrath’s hands went up. “Whoa, now. We don’t know for sure.”

“Oh, come on,” Travis said, his words dripping with disdain. “It was Thomas. We all know it, and we’re not going to let it stand.”

McGrath shot him a look. “Son, we don’t know anything for sure. Now, before you get your panties in a wad, listen to me. I agree with you that Thomas is a likely suspect. I’ve already gone to talk to him. Unfortunately, his wife gave him an alibi.”

“That doesn’t mean anything,” Claire said flatly. “She covers for him even when he beats her .”

“I’m aware. But without any evidence, my hands are tied. The doctor said there’s multiple ways he could have gotten his injuries. He might have been attacked. But he also could have been walking on the shoulder of the highway and gotten clipped by a truck or could have stumbled and taken a bad fall. Even could have even gotten thrown off a horse. Any of your horses missing?”

“No,” Travis said firmly. “He wasn’t riding one of ours.”

McGrath sighed. “Look, I’ll keep working the Thomas angle. I know there’s a good chance he was behind this. But I’m going to tell you right now”—he gave warning looks to Travis, Finn, Jonathan, and Claire in turn—“don’t even think about taking the law into your own hands on this one. If it was him, we’ll figure out a way to nail him. I don’t need you complicating things.”

The look on Travis’s face said he’d prefer to take care of things himself, but he gave the sheriff a reluctant nod. It warmed my heart to see how protective Travis was of Rhett, despite the bad blood between them. When it came to the Hawkins brothers, family meant family. They might annoy or beat up on each other, but in the end, they stood together.

It meant something. I hoped they knew how lucky they were to have that.

“Call me if he wakes up and you find out anything else,” McGrath added before turning on his heel and walking out.

Naomi huffed. “Well, I sure hope he’s doing everything he can to find out who did this.”

“Don’t worry, Mom,” Claire said, giving her a look that meant business. She crossed her arms and planted her feet. “If Thomas did this, I’ll find a way to prove it. He’s not going to get away with it.”

“I don’t know whether that makes me feel better or worse,” Naomi admitted.

Rhett was in and out of it for the next two days. The doctor reassured us that was normal and partly due to the pain meds that kept him mildly sedated. That was what he needed, the doctor said—to stay still, with no stimulation. Lights low, very little noise, lots of rest. He was out of the woods, but he had a long recovery ahead of him.

Life at the ranch had to go on, so Naomi stayed at the hospital while the rest of us did our best to manage everything without her. Luckily, she was the kind of woman who thought ahead and had “emergency” muffins, casseroles, and breads in the freezer to feed the guests. But her absence made our short-staffed situation that much harder, and it quickly became clear we couldn’t go on like this. Not with a full schedule of tourists and trail rides.

On Tuesday morning, I stopped by the hospital to check on Rhett and Naomi before heading to the ranch. It still felt strange, but thankfully, Rhett was usually sleeping, and I convinced myself I was there for Naomi’s sake, not his.

Certainly not for my own sake, even though I couldn’t begin to put into words the pure relief I felt every time I saw him there and knew he was going to be okay.

This time, when I walked in, Naomi’s face lit up.

“Oh, Cheyenne. I’m so glad you’re here. We have good news.”

“Oh yeah?”

She nodded. “The doctor just did his morning rounds. Rhett is getting discharged today. It’s such a relief.”

“That’s wonderful,” I said, smiling as I gave her a quick hug. “I know you’ll be glad to get back home, and I’m sure he’ll recover faster being there, too.”

She bit her lip. “Yes, but I have something to ask of you. I’m fully aware of what a huge favor it is. I’ve thought about it a lot and I feel like it’s the best thing, but there are zero hard feelings if you say no.”

My heart beat a little faster, as I was unsure of what she was going to say next. “You know I’d do anything for you. What is it?”

“Rhett can’t stay in Jimmy’s old apartment. The bed is up in a loft, and the doctor doesn’t want him climbing ladders. Every guest room and cabin we have is already booked, and that wouldn’t work anyway because the doctor wants him under supervision for at least twenty-four more hours. Travis is supposed to get the girls tonight for the first time all month. Walker’s already set up in our room at home, and the bunk beds in Jonathan’s room aren’t ideal. If Rhett got confused and sat up quickly, he’d hit his head again.”

“I see,” I said, my heart pounding harder as I realized where she was going with this.

Naomi put her hands up. “If you say no, Claire said she’ll sleep on the couch and Rhett can have her room. But that still leaves him navigating the stairs at home, and things are never quiet on the ranch when we’re booked solid. You have an extra bedroom, and, well”—she swallowed hard—“the truth is, he asks for you every time he wakes up. My son needs you, and I have to ask. I hope you’ll forgive me for it.”

This time, I was the one to swallow hard. But she was right. Logistically speaking, my guest room was the best option for Rhett. That didn’t even take into account the fact that I had medical training none of the rest of them had. I knew how to monitor him. And they could manage more easily without me for a day than they could without Naomi.

“It’s fine,” I said before I could overthink it. “I don’t mind.”

Relief swam on her face. “Oh, thank you. Cheyenne, I really don’t know what we would do without you. I won’t forget how you stepped up to help through all this, despite how strange it must be for you.”

I gave her a weak smile. “You guys are family.”

She squeezed my hand. “So are you.”

“How soon is he getting discharged?” I asked as the reality of the situation began to sink in.

“An hour or two, the doctor said. We’re waiting on some meds from the pharmacy.”

“Okay.” I glanced at my watch. “Why don’t I head home, then? I need to pick up some supplies and put fresh sheets on the guest bed. Be sure to get a copy of his discharge instructions so I can read over them.”

“Of course.” She pulled out her phone. “I’ll call Travis to pick us up and bring us to your place. Jonathan will have to take a day off of school to cover things at the ranch. And Cheyenne? Thank you. Again. For everything.”

“It’s not a problem,” I said.

I wasn’t sure which one of us I was trying to convince.

An hour later, I was ready for them—or as ready as I could be, under the circumstances. Ash eyed me as I paced my living room, waiting for them to arrive.

“I know,” I said to her. “This is crazy. But I couldn’t say no.”

Truthfully, I hadn’t wanted to. Part of me had wanted to be the one sitting in that hospital room with him every single day. I couldn’t explain it. We weren’t even friends—I’d insisted on nothing more than “civil colleagues.” But seeing Rhett bleeding on the side of the road had shaken me.

I was used to seeing people with injuries and had even seen my fair share of dead bodies. That was par for the course as a search-and-rescue volunteer. I knew how to keep my composure, how to detach emotionally so I could do whatever needed to be done.

I should have been able to detach in this situation, too, but I couldn’t. I had thought my heart was going to stop while we waited that agonizing hour for medical attention, with him drifting in and out of consciousness. I’d found myself anxious every day since, waiting for updates on his condition.

Plus, there had been guilt after Claire told me about the incident with Thomas. I’d been the one to report him. I was the reason Diablo was at Falcon Ridge Ranch.

And I was the reason Rhett had come off of that barstool, starting a war with a man who didn’t like to lose.

I felt relief and panic both when Travis’s truck pulled into my driveway. I opened the door and waited as Travis hopped out and walked around, opening the back passenger door. Naomi met him over there, and the next thing I knew, they were walking toward my porch with Rhett in the middle, his arms slung around their necks.

He gave me an easy grin. Other than the bruising spread over his face, he looked more like he’d had a long night at a bar than like a patient who’d just been discharged from the hospital.

“Well, hey there, Cheyenne,” he drawled, his words slurring slightly. “Aren’t you the prettiest sight I’ve ever seen.”

“Sorry,” Travis said, wincing. “The doc gave him a heavy dose of narcotics before the drive to minimize the pain of the bumps in the road. He’s a little loopy.”

“More than a little,” Naomi said, fighting a smile.

“It’s fine,” I said, opening the door for them.

“Why are we here?” Rhett asked, looking around with his jaw hung open. “This is where Cheyenne lives. I remember. Been a long time. She’s so pretty.” He turned his head toward Travis. “Do you know how pretty she is?”

“Yep,” Travis answered, rolling his eyes.

“Cheyenne was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Rhett said, his words turning mournful. “But she’s mad at me. I love her so damn much. Always have. Travis, tell me how to make it right.”

My heart actually stopped.

“I’d suggest shutting your damn mouth,” Travis ground out. “Chey, where do you want him?”

“Down the hall. First room on the right,” I stammered. “It’s all ready for him.”

“Alright. I’ve got this, Mom,” he said, letting Naomi know she could let go.

She did, then handed me a stack of paperwork from her purse with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I imagine that was awkward for you.”

“It’s fine. People say crazy things when they’re on pain medications.” I waved it off like it was meaningless.

She looked at me intently. “I think he meant them. Meds or not, Rhett’s not the kind of person who says things he doesn’t mean. But I’m not going to get in the middle of things. It’ll be up to you what to do with that.”

I was speechless, but thankfully, Naomi didn’t seem to expect me to answer.

“Here’s the discharge paperwork from the doctor. He said twenty-four hours of close observation. If Rhett’s continuing to improve, then he won’t have to be monitored quite as closely after that, but here’s the hard part.”

“What?”

“They want him to be completely inactive for two weeks.”

“Two weeks?” My eyes widened. I knew that getting Rhett to comply with that was going to be difficult to say the least. Not to mention the fact that I hadn’t expected to have him stay with me for quite that long.

She sighed. “Two weeks with low light and as little stimulation as possible. The doctor doesn’t even want him watching TV. He’s supposed to let his brain heal and do absolutely nothing, not even think about anything. No reading, no exercise. Nothing.”

I blinked twice. “We’re talking about Rhett Hawkins. Adrenaline junkie, gets bored easily, can’t stand to sit still Rhett Hawkins.”

“I know.” She pulled a brown parchment bag out of her purse. “Meds. This should help, at least. Will keep him settled and manage the pain. His ribs are wrapped. The doctor said he’ll probably deal with headaches, vision changes, and nausea for a while.”

“Has he remembered anything yet?”

She shook her head. “Not yet. I hope he does though.”

“Me too.” I hoped for it with all my heart. I wanted the person responsible for this to pay.

“I’m going to do what I can with the guest reservations and try to get a suitable room set aside for him. When I asked you to look after him, I never meant for it to be for so long.” She gave me an apologetic look. “I know none of us were expecting two weeks of forcing him to be someone he’s, well, not. This isn’t all on you, Cheyenne. We’ll figure out how to manage this.”

“It’s fine,” I said, knowing she already had more than enough to deal with. “I’m here for whatever you need. It’s the least I can do.”

Travis came down the hallway. “Got him settled. He’s already asleep again. Thank goodness. Cheyenne, you going to be okay?” Doubt was written all over his face.

“We’ll be fine.” I put on false confidence. “I’ve got this. I’ve handled worse, and besides, he’ll probably sleep for the most part. I’ll check on him regularly and monitor his vitals. Don’t worry about me.”

Naomi gave me a long look, then wrapped me up in a final embrace before they left me alone with the man who was only a danger to my heart.