Love, Chocolate, and Beer (Cactus Creek #1)(110)

At hour three, finally, the doors opened. Luke looked up.

“She’s awake.”

He felt a wave of dizziness as blood rushed into his heart for seemingly the first time since he’d found her unconscious. Relieved cries echoed throughout the room.

Derek came straight over to him. “She’s asking for you.”

Luke rose up on legs he was amazed were still working.

He looked back and saw the friends and family that had known Dani for so much longer than he had. Suddenly, he felt gut-wrenchingly awful for them that they couldn’t go see her this instant. Just to see that she was okay. His step faltered, his emotions cementing him in place.

“Go,” said Xoey, her voice hoarse with lingering terror. “We’ll get our chance. You go now and tell her we all love her and that we’re all here. You just be there for her. For us.”

Luke nodded once and then walked the most emotional hundred yards of his life.

Oh god. His hands fisted in fury at the universe when he walked into her hospital room and saw her. His heart and soul was lying there before him on the hospital bed—bruised, battered, and broken.

“Dani.” Hot, angry tears ran down his face as he went to her side.

She cracked her eyes open. “Hi,” she said softly, her voice gritty and pained. Reaching for him with weak fingers, she laced her fingers with his.

“I thought I’d lost you.”

She tried to shake her head, but it came out as a weak head tilt. Opening her lips, she tried to speak again, but a serrated sound scraped out of her throat instead, causing her body to flinch.

“Shhh, don’t talk.” Luke swept the tear rolling down her cheek. “They said your throat is going to be pretty raw for a while.”

Her eyes snared his, and even though she didn’t—couldn’t—say it, he heard her.

“I love you too, Dani. So much.” He stroked her cheek gently, watching her eyelids flutter closed again as the pain meds overtook her. “Sleep, baby. I’ll be right here, always right here. And everyone is outside waiting too so you have to get better soon, you hear me?”

The silent room was his only reply.



*



“YOU GUYS ARE all being ridiculous. I should be able to go home already.” Dani tried to reason with everyone in her hospital room. “I’m not even that badly hurt. Sheesh, it was just a little steam explosion.”

Luke apparently didn’t think he could’ve heard a more absurd comment come out of her mouth. And he told her as much.

She rolled her eyes. “I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time when that tank over-pressurized. A freak mishap with a faulty valve—it happens. Luckily, it was Ole Betsy and she’d been empty. If it had been one of the active brew tanks or the bigger systems, then I’d see your concern. But it wasn’t.” She smothered her wince when she shrugged. “Really, I’m just glad no one got hurt.”

“Besides you!” growled Luke, looking so pained by the memory. “A damn elephant could stick its head in the hole that got blasted through the building, Dani. You got knocked out by metal debris the size of a frickin’ desk that hit you with the force of a car. It could’ve sliced you in two! You’re lucky it just put you in a coma.” He fluffed her pillow roughly. “Derek and I already talked about it; you’re staying in the hospital until they kick you out.”

Dani groused in response, but her eyes shined with love. She turned those eyes to him, and he gave her a growly kiss. They’d been doing this song and dance all week.

And she was all ready for another go.

“At least hand me my phone. If I don’t call around for bottling equipment quotes before Derek does, the stubborn ass is going to finagle a way to make it so I can’t pay a cent to help.”

A few days into her recovery, Derek and Luke finally got a chance to tell Dani their winery/chocolate shop partnership idea. She’d been so elated over the beautiful plans that she’d nearly cried. Then when the topic of using part of the brewery for bottling came up, she had cried—a bizarre byproduct of the hospital meds, she’d declared.

“Plus, there’s so much to do with the insurance,” she continued on a rolling grumble. “The tank manufacturer, the building repairs, the contingency plan during renovations,” she counted off her fingers when Luke snagged her phone and shoved it in his pocket.

“All taken care of,” interjected Xoey from the corner of the room.

Everyone in the room turned to gape at her, mostly in shock, though Dani’s shock turned quickly into a huge smile beaming with intense pride. And hope.

“Oh cut it out,” sniffed Xoey. “It’s not that big a deal. My uncle’s a contractor. As far as the other stuff, it didn’t take a brain surgeon. The numbers are right there on the bills; I just picked up a phone.” She glared at her. “Quit looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” asked Dani, innocent as can be.

Xoey’s eyes narrowed. “Like you’re going to try and extend your little stay here in the hospital. This is just temporary, you hear me? I’m not going to be your general manager.”

Dani’s hand shot to her abdomen and her groan split the air.

Everyone gasped and rushed to her bedside.

“I dunno, Xo,” she moaned on a theatric grimace of pain. “It may be a really long recovery for me.” Of course, her acting had always stunk so she couldn’t keep her smile hidden for long.