Page 101 of A Cowboy's Trust

“Those are good drugs.” Tansy blinked hard, the floaty sensation in her brain twisting in circles even as she chased an important idea. “Home is love. You and me. And Jeffie. And the guys. And gals—Sydney too. She saysguysis unisex, so all of us.”

Jake’s lips twitched. “You’re getting high.”

“High on love,” Tansy agreed. “We’re almost a family.”

Wait.

That wasn’t what she wanted to say. She needed for him to know theywerea family in all the ways that mattered.

Only Jake had risen to his feet to press a kiss to her forehead. “Shhh. Go to sleep. I’ll be right here when you wake, bright and early.”

“Marry.” Tansy’s tongue twisted to a stop before she could get it all out.

“Merry and bright, yes,” Jake parried back. “My unstoppable Tansy.”

Dammit. That was nice, but it wasn’t what she meant. Fighting to get the words right through the furry blanket on her brain wasn’t happening.

She’d have to ask him in the morning. Or as soon as she had her feet under her. Cast and all.

They were meant to be together.

24

Agentle touch landed on his shoulder, and Jake jerked upright.

“You won’t be able to move after sleeping like that.” Sydney shook her head. “Crawl onto the bed beside her.”

Jake peered at his watch through bleary eyes. “Is Tansy okay? What are you doing here?”

“They’re short staffed, so I took a shift.” Sydney glanced at Tansy’s chart then nodded firmly. “She’s doing fine. They cut back on the painkiller on the second dose, so she should be wide awake by ten. She’ll be cleared to head home then.”

“How’s my brother?”

Sydney snorted. “Stubborn.”

Jake resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Other than the usual. How’s his head?”

“He refused to come into the hospital, so I stitched him up at High Water.” Her eyes flashed with annoyance and a hint of something Jake would guess was satisfaction. “He whines a lot.”

“Declan?” What exactly had Sydney done to his stoic oldest brother? “What did you stitch him with, a staple gun?”

“Tempting idea. I’ll consider that for next time.” She shrugged. “He’s fine as well. The stitches will come out in a week. Other than a bump to the head, I think his pride was hurt more than anything.”

“Melissa wasn’t what we expected, on so many levels.” Sadness mixed with his sense of happiness, and it seemed very wrong.

Something of what he felt must have shown on his face because Sydney raised a brow. “You had better not be feeling guilty for surviving. You, Tansy, Jeffrey.”

“No guilt about that.” He measured her and decided to go for it. “Can you keep an eye on Declan for the next few days? Just to make sure he doesn’t do himself permanent damage?”

“He’s a big boy,” Sydney pointed out. “Probably not keen on a babysitter.”

“No, he’d hate it.” Jake nodded seriously.

She reacted as expected, a wide grin crossing her face. “I’ll be sure to drop by often.”

Amusement danced through him even as Jake rubbed his neck, easing closer to the bed. The idea of joining Tansy was tempting. She slept on her side, fingers meshed with his. “I don’t want to wake her.”

“An earthquake wouldn’t wake her,” Sydney assured him. “Also, if she does have any bad dreams, you’ll be that much closer if you’re already in bed with her. Go on,” she insisted, pulling the IV cord out of the way and gesturing him onto the mattress. “Doctor’s orders.”