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“So.” His gaze grows solemn. “You know what I do, right? Not with the flight simulators, but for Green Mountain Guardians.”

“Yes.”

“So, I was talking to the guys on my team about you.” He pauses. His cheeks go the slightest bit pink. “That sounds weird. What I mean is I talked to everyone about what happened. And they agreed with me.”

“Agreed with you about what?”

“That we can help you.”

A burst of hope is quickly doused by a cold splash of reality. Gage and his team can’t help me with the dogs. They can’t magically make my house feel safe again. Still, I have to ask, “How?”

Just as he’s opening his mouth to respond, a nurse comes bustling into the room.

She spends the next couple of minutes fussing around me, checking my blood pressure and heart rate and temperature before announcing chirpily, “You’re looking great, Miss Townsend.

At this rate, you’ll be out of here in no time. ”

Once she’s gone, Gage focuses his attention on me again. “So. Here’s what I—we—were thinking. Since your house isn’t really the safest place for you to be right now… Do you have someplace else you want to stay?”

Not really,” I admit. “I supposed I could stay with my sister, but she lives in Portsmouth. So that wouldn’t work with the dogs. I guess I could find a hotel room until my house is ready to stay in…”

“You need better security at your place. You know that, right? It was one thing before, but now… it’s not safe.”

Tears threaten again. “What else can I do, Gage? I have a responsibility to those dogs. I need to be there for them.”

“You also need to be safe. And you’re hurt. You have a concussion. You really shouldn’t even be alone for the next few days.”

“Then what should I do?” I hate being indecisive, but apparently, my ability to make decisions has abandoned me.

“You can stay at GMG,” Gage replies. “It’s completely safe—hundreds of cameras and motion sensors are set all around the property. Plus a state-of-the-art fence that nothing short of a tank can get through. We have cabins there for our clients to use.”

“Like your cabin?”

“Just like my cabin. Mine is set further away from the rest, so I can have more privacy, but the design is the same. Knox built them, and they came out great. Right now we have two dedicated for clients, and they’re both available. So you could even pick the one you want.”

Another spark of hope lights in my chest.

Staying at GMG, on the same property as Gage, would go a long way to helping me feel safe. “But what about the dogs?” I ask, knowing full-well I sound like a parrot. A parrot that has laryngitis, actually, given how scratchy and weak my voice is getting.

A frown moves across his face. “Your throat, Ror. You should be resting your voice. You should be resting, period, really.”

“I know. But?—”

“The dogs.” Gage gives me a small smile. “Of course you’re more worried about them than yourself.”

“They’re innocent,” I start. “Whoever came after me… it’s not the dogs’ fault. And they need someone there all the time to take care of them.”

“And we will.” His chin lifts. “Here’s what the team and I came up with. Elmore and Toby will stay with you. We’ll set up a rotation with guarding the barn until Alec gets the security system installed. And Max—do you know him?”

I shake my head no.

“Okay, so Max is a good friend of ours. He runs the car repair shop in town, and he loves animals. When he heard about what happened, he volunteered to help. Since Knox and Enzo have to head out on a job tomorrow, Max and Ronan will take turns staying with them until we come up with a more permanent solution. And Alec will get to work on that security system.”

My nose prickles as Gage’s offer sinks in.

He’s not just offering me a place to stay, but safety for the dogs.

“Once you’re feeling better,” Gage continues, “we can bring you over to the barn to check on them. But really, Ror. Are you feeling up to cleaning kennels and lugging around huge bags of food and running around after a dozen dogs?”

“Not really.” I sniff softly. “But you guys wouldn’t mind? Charlie is still on a dewormer. And Bandit needs special food. It’s hours of work…”

“We don’t mind.” Gage holds my gaze, the truth of his words in his eyes. “ I don’t mind. This is what we do, Rory. We help people. And you’re not just any person. You’re our friend.”

“But your teammates. Other than Enzo, they barely know me.”

“That’s not true,” he retorts. “They’ve heard about you from me. All good things.”

Oh.

My brain freezes on the thought of Gage talking about me.

He’s said good things?

But. Did he mention the scars? How unsocial I am? How I clam up whenever the topic shifts to my family and childhood?

Are they agreeing to this because they feel sorry for me?

“And you know Knox, albeit indirectly,” Gage continues. “He served on the same team as Isla’s husband. Matt would vouch for him, I’m sure.”

But I’m not worried about not trusting Gage and his team. I’m just… “I’m not used to asking for help.” It just slips out before I can stop myself. “I take care of things on my own. I always have, ever since—” My poor, abused voice breaks.

“Rory.” Gage scoots his chair closer to the bed. He catches my hand again, and just for a moment, that’s all I can think about.

Gage touching me.

Even though I know it’s only meant to be friendly, this is the first skin-to-skin contact I’ve had with a man in years. And not just any man. Gage. The man who worked his way past my defenses even though I was determined not to let him in. The man I’ve grown to trust.

I don’t want to think about the hospital and police and attempted murder and the plethora of other crappy things going on. I just want to absorb this moment. When I feel normal. When I can pretend Gage cares about me as more than a friend.

“Ror?” Taking my silence as disapproval, his eyebrows pull into a worried V. “If this isn’t what you want, I’ll help you come up with something else. Or if you don’t want any help at all, that’s okay, too.”

He pauses. “Well. I would hate it, because I want to help you. And I get it; not wanting to rely on other people. But it’s okay to ask for help sometimes. Or to accept when it’s offered. No one can be strong all the time. Not even superheroes.”

“I’m no superhero.”

“I don’t know about that.” Gage looks at me, an unreadable expression on his face. “I think you’re pretty damn incredible.”

Warmth blossoms inside me.

Maybe today isn’t all bad, after all.

“So? What do you think? Want to come stay at GMG?” A crooked smile tugs at his lips. “Come be my neighbor?”

As I look at his handsome features and the unexpected vulnerability in his gaze, I find myself smiling back at him. “Yes. I’d really like that.”

“Good.” Gage gives my hand another quick squeeze. “Then it’s settled. We’ll get a cabin set up for you to move in tomorrow. And until then, I’ll stay here to make sure you’re safe.”

Oh.

Even as my heart lifts, I wrench it back down.

Just friends.

That’s all it’ll ever be.

And no matter how great Gage is, I’d better not forget it.