In Shining Whatever (Three Magic Words Trilogy #2)(16)

"Sounds wonderful," Sophie said.

"What can I get you ladies?" the waitress asked.

"A triple order of fries, and I'll have sweet tea," Kate said.

"Diet Coke or Pepsi, whichever one you have," Sophie said.

"Sweet tea for me too," Fancy said.

"Why are you ordering diet, Sophie? You don't have an ounce of spare fat," Kate asked.

"Marc didn't say that he liked skinny broads, did he?" Fancy asked.

"I'm ordering diet because I like the taste of it better than the real stuff. Now I want to know about all those vibes that light up a room when you and Hart are in it together," Sophie said.

Kate hated to be in the hot spot, especially when she had to be truthful.

"Okay, I admit it! I was flirty when I did that Cajun dance at the cookout the other night. It was spur-of-the-moment, and I shouldn't have done it."

Fancy took a long sip of the tea. "Fifteen years ago you moped around, and we handed you tissues to blow your nose with while you cried over Hart Ducaine dropping you for Stephanie. Now you've got a chance to go with him, and you're turning it down. Why?"

"I'm afraid that if I let my guard down, he'll just hurt me again," she said.

Fancy's cell phone ringtone made her smile. "That's Theron. Sorry, girls, I've got to take it. Hello, darlin'," she said, and all the color left her face. "Oh, no! Are you sure it was him?"

Sophie and Kate both stared.

"We'll go right on over there."

"What?" Sophie asked. "Is something wrong with Theron?"

Fancy shook her head. "No, it's Hart. He's been hurt bad, and they've taken him to the hospital."

Kate's heart fell out of her chest to the floor and stopped beating. She stared at Fancy with blank eyes. Hart couldn't be hurt. He'd stayed on the back of a bucking bull for eight seconds multiple times and only had one little scar. He was invincible. She'd just left him and made that joke about shooting him. She was only teasing. Why were they looking at her like that? Didn't they know she could never shoot Hart Ducaine? She couldn't harm a hair on his head.

"Kate, did you hear me? Get up. Hart's been hurt."

"What happened?" she asked hoarsely.

Sophie reached down and pulled her up by her arm, picked up her purse, and tugged her out the door. "You are riding with me. You can't drive."

"Please tell me this is a joke," Kate whispered, when Sophie started up her truck.

Sophie started up the truck and said, "Theron wouldn't pull a sick joke like that on us."

"What happened?" She was still whispering, but her words boomed in her ears.

"I don't know, but we'll find out when we get there," Sophie said.

She turned back toward town and made a right turn on Gregg Street. Kate was out of the truck and running toward the emergency-room doors before Sophie turned off the engine.

"Hart Ducaine," she said breathlessly to the first lady in scrubs that she saw.

"Stitching him up now. Are you family?"

"No."

"Then have a seat."

"I'm going back there. You tell me where he is," Kate said.

"If you aren't family .. "' the woman said.

"Then I'm family," Kate said. "I'm his wife."

The woman smiled. "I don't believe you, but I'm not going to argue."

Hart lay on a table that looked too small and much too narrow for his big body.

The doctor looked up.

"She says she's his wife, but I don't believe her. Hart Ducaine isn't married," the woman said.

"Old work truck didn't have airbags. If it had, it could have saved these fifteen stitches in his hairline," the doctor said.

Tiny black dots went from one side of Hart's forehead to the other, and they'd shaved his hair back about two inches. He was going to love that when he looked in a mirror.

"Anything else?" Kate asked.

"He's a lucky man, Mrs. Ducaine. Lots of bruises. He was wearing a seat belt, and that saved him. No broken bones. Truck driver wasn't so lucky. He had a heart attack and was dead before his big rig hit Hart's truck.

"We will be keeping him overnight. He was agitated a while ago and kept fighting us, saying your name over and over. I assume you are Kate."

"That's right," Kate said.

"We had to cut off his chaps and that vest. You can explain it all to him when he wakes up. Okay, guys, put him in a room." The doctor snapped off rubber gloves and tossed them in a -trash can.

"Kate?" Hart reached out and grabbed her hand but didn't open his eyes.

"I'm right here," she said.

"Don't leave me."

"I won't."

His grip relaxed and he slept again.

"Is that normal?" she asked.

"Very. He's had a trauma. We'd give him something for the pain, but he'll need to be awakened every hour."

"I'll take care of that. I'm going out to tell my friends what's going on, and then I'll be right back," she said.

Kate literally plopped down in the chair between Sophie and Fancy. "They've stitched up his head, but there are no broken bones. Y'all can go on home. Sophie, you need to do chores. Fancy, Theron is going to be waiting."