Page 76 of Canyon Killer

“Ian will do his best to see that you aren’t bothered by any of that,” she said.

“I’m going to hold him to it.”

Aaron put his hand on her shoulder. “Let me take you home,” he said.

“I need to go to the hospital.”

He hesitated, then nodded. “All right. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Ian woke tothe sharp tang of disinfectant and a monotonous beeping he couldn’t place. As his vision cleared, he recognized the bright lights and pale green walls of a hospital room. Then Bethany’s face loomed over him.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Numb.” His head felt wrapped in cotton wool and disconnected from the rest of his body.

“That’s probably the anesthesia.” This from a man, who turned out to be Bethany’s brother, Aaron. The sight of the sheriff’s deputy uniform brought the memory of how Ian had ended up here rushing back. “Craig Boston shot me,” he said.

“Craig is in custody now,” Aaron said. “You don’t have to worry about him.”

“They operated on your shoulder to remove some fragments of bone and repair some ligaments,” Bethany said. “You’re going to be sore and you’ll need physical therapy, but you should regain full use of it.”

“That’s good.” He studied her, trying to keep her features focused. “You got off the cliff okay?”

“I did. And under my own power, with a little help from Ryan and Sheri.” She squeezed his uninjured arm. “When you’re well again, we can do the whole via ferrata. Together.”

Aaron cleared his throat. “I need to get your statement,” he said. “But tomorrow will be soon enough. I’ll give you two a few minutes alone, then I have to take Bethany home, or our parents will probably disown us both.”

Ian nodded, then looked back to Bethany. “It’s not doing anything for my image that you keep meeting me at hospitals,” he said.

“We’re both alive,” she said. “That’s all that matters.”

He caught her hand in his. “I love you. I should have said it before. I’ve almost lost you twice now, and I’m not going to let another day pass without making sure you understand that.”

“I know you love me, but it’s nice to hear it.” She kissed his cheek. “I love you, too.”

“I’m not going to leave you,” Ian said. “You know that, right?”

“I know.” She kissed him again. “I’m going to leave you now, but just for a few hours. Then I promise you’re never going to get rid of me.”

“I like the sound of that. There’s just one other thing.”

“Oh?”

“You’re fired.”

“What?”

“You can’t be my employee anymore. I want you to be my partner instead.”

Her cheeks flushed. “Your business partner?”

“Business partner. And life partner.”

“Are you proposing?”

Not the reaction he had expected. “Is this a bad time?”

She laughed. “I just want to make sure that’s not the anesthesia talking.”

“It’s not.” Ian kissed her knuckles—the only part of her he could reach. “I almost asked you last night, then I chickened out. Did I mention I’m a big coward when it comes to relationships?”

“I don’t think anyone is an expert at these things.” She stroked his cheek. “But I’m willing to figure it out together. I predict we’ve got years and years to find our way.”

“That’s what I want,” he said. “Years and years of being together.”

“It’s what I want, too.” Bethany bent and kissed him again. A kiss that told him everything he needed to know about how much she loved him—and how good they would be together.

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