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“He’s a closet softie! Someone should know that that grumpy wallflower is really a big teddy bear.”

Laughing through gritted teeth, Thea looked out the window. The midday sun was high, but they’d come to take her for more tests soon. What would the sky look like when she was finally able to leave?

“What’s on your mind?” Brett asked.

“Nothing.”

Lie. That’s a lie. Intrusive thoughts were running rampant. Where to begin?

“You don’t have to worry about this happening again. I’ll be here.”

Of course, he would. Brett had always been protective of her, even when the feud between their families had only been a grudge. That protective nature had eventually convinced her he might have resorted to murder to help her.

“You scared me,” he said. “You scared me so many times.”

She opened her mouth to ask why, but he kept going.

“I thought they’d done something to you. I didn’t know if it was my family or yours, but I thought they’d done something to try to keep you quiet.” He brushed a hand over his short beard. “I went a little crazy after you left.”

Thea’s chest hurt, but it had nothing to do with a collapsed lung now. If he was really innocent, she’d done the unforgivable by leaving him. “Is that what Gage meant about his jaw?” she asked.

“No one in my family knew anything about where you went. At least, they weren’t telling me anything if they did. When I showed up at your house, Gage was ready to fight.” Brett clicked his tongue. “But he didn’t accuse me or my family of having anything to do with your disappearance, and that was all the confirmation I needed. Wherever you’d gone, he knew about it.”

“You’re right. He convinced me to leave.”

Brett snarled. Then his features relaxed as if he could exhale the anger. “I know a little bit about fear, but leaving? I can’t understand why you left without me. I–”

He stopped short and shook his head. “I guess now isn’t a good time to talk about that.”

He hung his head, and the intense pang of her remorse stung worse than ever. She’d messed up whatever good they might have had, and she’d hurt him beyond repair.

She wanted to cling to him. She’d wanted to latch onto him back then and never let go. When she left, she hadn’t been sure which way was up or who she could trust. Now, she knew. A whisper grew in her mind, saying that Brett could be trusted.

“They said they’ll have to monitor my lung for a while. I definitely can’t get on a plane any time soon, and they gave me something for nausea earlier. I don’t want to think about how bad it would hurt to throw up right now, but they said that was par for the course with the concussion.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll get you the best treatment, and I’ll be right here with you.”

Finally, someone to confide in. She should have known Brett would not only guess her worries but offer a shoulder to lean on in the same breath.

“It’s hard not to. The broken ribs hurt so bad, and I’m terrified of making the collapsed lung worse if I vomit.”

“What about your ankle? Did they say you need a new one? Did you pick out the replacement already? Make sure it’s not a lefty. You’d go broke just buying double the shoes.”

Thea grinned and let her head roll back against the pillow. The sprained ankle was the least of her concerns, and Brett had effectively turned it into a joke. “I’m not getting a new ankle. This one is just fine.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” He propped his chin in his hand and rested his elbow on the bed railing. “You always had beautiful ankles.”

Thea gently pushed at his arm, knocking his chin off his hand. “Stop joking and flirting.”

“It’s not flirting. It’s honesty. It’s an admirable quality. And those ankles are really–”

The door opened, and the friendly nurse walked in, halting Brett’s praise of Thea’s figure.

“It’s time to shine! You ready?” the nurse asked with way too much pep.

Thea pulled the sheet up and gripped it in both hands. “No. What are we doing?”

“X-rays and an MRI. Doc wants to make sure your noggin is okay.”