Wild Trail (Clean Slate Ranch #1)(95)

“For Colt Woods?” The male voice captured Wes’s attention. Mack’s, too.

Mack charged the man in a lab coat, while Wes hung back, not wanting to intrude. Wes was friendly with Colt to a point, but he wasn’t Colt’s family like Mack was—angry at Colt or not, Mack still cared. It was obvious in the way he grilled the doctor. Eventually, the doctor disappeared, and Mack sank back into the chair next to Wes. Dropped his face into his palms and trembled.

Wes’s stomach twisted. “Oh God.”

“No, he’s fine,” Mack said into his hands. “Just relieved. Need a second.”

“Thank fuck.” Wes draped an arm over Mack’s broad back, holding him until the trembling eased.

Mack sat up. His eyes were even redder, his cheeks slightly damp—sweat or tears, Wes couldn’t tell. “Took the bullet out. Small caliber, didn’t go deep or do much damage. No organs were hit. He’s stitched up and resting.”

Wes pressed a hard kiss to Mack’s temple. “I’m so glad. So glad for you.”

“Hope people don’t think I should automatically forgive him, because he saved my life.”

“No one’s going to think that, least of all Colt. He always struck me as a realist, not a romantic.”

“He’s something, that’s for sure.” Mack’s voice was gruff but held no malice. “They aren’t admitting him, but he’s high on painkillers. A nurse will let us know when we can go see him.”

Wes ignored the “we.” If ever Mack needed a private conversation with Colt, it was tonight.

Arthur and Reyes arrived a while later. Everyone hugged everyone else, even Wes. Mack updated them on Colt’s condition, and then Reyes pulled Mack into a corner to speak privately. Wes suddenly felt all kinds of awkward standing next to Arthur. He had no idea if Arthur knew he was dating Mack, or what Mack had told Arthur about why Wes had been with him at the site.

“Thank you for being here for my grandson,” Arthur said. “I know him and Colt have had their differences recently, but those boys are too close to lose each other.”

“They were both very brave tonight,” Wes replied. “I mostly hid in the trailer.”

“You were brave here in the hospital, I can tell. Mack’s calm. Collected. He’s a lot like his father. Loses his temper hard when he’s scared. So thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I care about Mack a lot.”

“Good. He deserves someone special. And maybe you do, too.”

Wes’s face went hot all over. “Mack is an amazing man.”

“That he is. He’s been to hell and back, but he’s still got a lot of love to give. You find yourself on the other end of that love, you don’t let go, hear? Love him as long as you’ve got him.”

Instead of an ominous warning that things wouldn’t last between them, Wes heard sage advice from someone who’d also loved and lost, and he appreciated the words more than he could express. Maybe he and Mack wouldn’t survive in the long-term, but they had each other now. That had to be enough.

Mack and Reyes returned. Mack didn’t comment on his new concern about the land buyer being responsible for the sabotage, so Wes didn’t, either. It wasn’t really something to discuss in the hospital, anyway. They made small talk, and eventually a nurse said Colt could be seen.

No one objected to Mack going back alone.

*

Mack hesitated on his side of Colt’s privacy curtain. Doctors and nurses walked past, paying him little attention. His insides were all jammed up, just like his thoughts, and he had no idea what to say to Colt. He definitely wanted to find out why he’d been up at the site in the first place, but an interrogation might not be the best way to start the conversation.

“I can see your boots, you know,” Colt said in a raspy voice.

Busted.

He circled the curtain and was totally unprepared for what he saw. Colt normally had a healthy tan, but his skin was nearly as pale as the sheets around him. He was slightly inclined in the bed, with various tubes attached to his left arm. Two dark smudges beneath his eyes. For a man who exuded life and energy, he looked...wiped out.

He just got shot, what the fuck do you expect?

“You look like shit,” Mack said.

Colt snorted. “Good, because I feel like shit. Getting shot fucking hurts.”

“You’re lucky that asshole had a shitty gun. Could’ve been worse.”

“Believe me, I know.”

Mack approached the bed, stopping near Colt’s feet. Unsure what else to say to the man, except “Thank you. You took a bullet for me, man.”

Colt tried to shrug, then flinched. “I signed up to take a bullet for you my first day in the police academy. I know you hate me, but you’re still my brother. Brother in arms, brother for real.”

Something unwanted tickled behind Mack’s eyes. He blinked hard several times to make it stop.

“I can see you thinking questions,” Colt continued. “Why was I up there at all?”

Mack nodded, not trusting his voice.

“I heard through Reyes that some stuff’s been going missing and you were considering security cameras. The last few nights, I’ve been riding out, hanging around the site for a while, usually late, after everyone else is asleep. I felt so awful about not catching the thieves before they struck again that I went out earlier tonight. Was nearly there when I heard the first shot.”