Rachel’s heart seized. Rye made it to his brother’s side and felt for a pulse. Rachel got to her knees, reaching out for his still hand.
“Call an ambulance,” Rye said urgently.
She needed to touch him, to hold him, to assure herself that he was alive.
“Rachel, call 911 now!” Rye’s voice broke through her fear.
Rachel raced back to the house and called. Every second she prayed she hadn’t seen him alive for the last time.
Chapter Eight
The next several hours were the worst of Rachel’s life. She and Rye sat out in the waiting room of the hospital in Del Norte while Max was in surgery. The doctor told them he’d been hit by two stray bullets. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. There was a hunting rifle slug in his left arm and another in his leg. That was the easy part. The bullets hadn’t hit any major organs. His brain, on the other hand, had taken a beating. He had a concussion, and they weren’t sure about the severity of it.
By the time Rye and Rachel reached the hospital, several of the brothers’ friends and family members were already on their way. Within minutes of speaking to the nurses and settling in to wait, Rachel heard someone call out Rye’s name. Callie Sheppard and Stefan Talbot rushed in and immediately assaulted Rye with questions.
Rye had calmed everyone down by the time the doctor came out to explain that Max’s head trauma wasn’t as bad as they’d first believed. He was still in surgery for the bullet wounds and would need to stay in the hospital overnight, but the doctors were sure he would pull through.
“Which one of you is Rachel?” The doctor looked at the two women in the group with an amused smile on his face.
Rachel held up her hand, feeling very self-conscious. “That’s me.”
The doctor grinned. “Well, Mr. Harper came to while we were taking the CT scan. He’s not a pleasant man.”
Stefan and Rye laughed.
“He was insistent about seeing you, young lady,” the doctor said. “We had to promise that you would be in his ICU room when he came out of surgery. He was very difficult.”
“I can imagine.” Rye’s shoulders, which had been bunched around his neck for hours, finally settled into a more normal position. “You really won’t want to keep him here more than a day.”
Rachel could feel him calming down now that he knew his brother was out of real danger. If Max was bitching, then he was okay.
“They could sedate him,” Stefan said helpfully. Rachel looked at the handsome artist. From what Stella had told her, he was very famous and very reclusive. He was quiet every time he came into the diner. This was the first time Rachel could remember seeing him smile.
“They would have to,” Callie remarked. Rye’s admin looked very comfortable with the two men, each of whom had a foot and a hundred pounds on her.
“He’s all right, then?” a soft voice asked. Rachel turned around to see a gorgeous brunette with large blue eyes looking at the little crowd. She was stark white, as though all the blood had left her body, and there was a sheen of tears coating her eyes.
“Yes.” Rye’s face lit up, and he opened his arms. The young woman rushed into them. He wrapped her in a bear hug, kissing the top of her hair. Rachel had no doubt who the girl was.
“You must be Brooke.” Rachel took in the young woman who was Rye’s and Max’s baby sister. She looked like a willowy female version of them.
Rye kept an arm around his little sister’s shoulders and reached out to grab Rachel’s hand with the other. “This is Rachel Swift. Rachel, this is our sister, Brooke Harper.”
“Rachel is Max’s girlfriend.” Stefan enunciated each word as he looked at Brooke.
Brooke glanced from Stefan to Rye and back again. “What do you mean Max’s girlfriend? I thought you always took the cover role.”
Rye seemed eager to avoid his sister’s question. He turned to the doctor. “How long do you think it will be before we can see him?”
“Oh, a couple of hours,” the doctor informed them. He told the group to wait, and they would be called in one at a time to see him.
Rachel felt Brooke’s eyes on her as they settled in to wait.
Rachel felt very alone and awkward any time Rye got up to go somewhere. After the doctor came out to announce that Max had come through his surgery, Rye decided his appetite had come back. Neither one of them had eaten breakfast that morning, but Rachel still couldn’t stand the thought of food. Rye ambled off toward the cafeteria with Callie in tow. Rachel immediately wished she had gone with him. All during the long morning, Rye had been the one supporting her. He’d held her close while she cried and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they waited. She’d found herself holding on to his hand even after Max had been declared in the clear.
It was easy to depend on Rye Harper. He wasn’t in his uniform, so she was forced to see past the trappings of his office. Rye wasn’t anything like Tommy. He didn’t use his position to get things or intimidate people. He served the people around him, and they loved him for it. She could even forgive him for running a trace on her. If she had the resources, she would probably do the same for someone she cared about.
“So, you’re dating Max.” Brooke Harper sat on the sofa across from her, looking directly at Rachel. Now that her brother was all right, she was calm and collected.
The nineteen-year-old beauty tapped her foot impatiently against the carpet. She was dressed in jeans and a chic silk shirt. Though Rachel was thirty, she found herself strangely intimidated. Stefan Talbot was doing nothing to help her out. He sat beside Brooke. The look on his aristocratic face told Rachel he was concerned.
“I don’t know if we’re dating.” Rachel forced herself to look Brooke and Stefan in the eyes. She might be intimidated, but she wasn’t about to let them know. “I suppose it’s casual.” It wasn’t. Her heart was fully engaged, but they didn’t need to know that, either. It seemed to Rachel like she was about to get the “leave my brothers alone” lecture.
Brooke’s laugh was anything but humorous. “Bullshit. If it was a casual relationship, then Rye would be the cover. That’s the way they work in the outside world.”
Rachel knew she probably looked confused. Stefan leaned forward in his seat. His hazel eyes were serious as he explained some things to her. “When Max and Rye are at home in Bliss, they’re completely open about their relationships with women. It’s different in the outside world. When they leave the county, Rye tends to pose as the current female’s boyfriend, and Max is the supportive brother.”
Brooke’s arms came across her chest. “Rye is always the boyfriend. Max is always the one in the closet. He likes it that way. Max doesn’t want the responsibility.” She turned a saucy stare to her older companion. “A little like some other people I know, or has Jen finally gotten you to top her?” The last was said to Stefan with the long grin of a baby sister who knew way too much about the older men in her life.
“None of your business, Brooke,” Stefan said in a tone that allowed no disobedience.
Brooke seemed completely unfazed by his authoritative tone, but then, Rachel couldn’t blame her. She wasn’t about to let the artist tell her what to do, either. Stefan Talbot oozed authority and not in the huggy way Rye did. Rachel could tell he was a man who would be in charge of everything in his life.
“As it happens,” Stefan continued as though Brooke hadn’t mentioned his personal life at all, “Max has turned around on the whole idea of responsibility. You know they stopped sharing about a year ago?”
The last bit was spoken to Brooke, but Rachel found herself leaning in. She wanted to know what had happened.