Page 62 of Guarded Hearts
Carson levered his body off hers and peeked at his brother. She couldn’t see what was going on.
“How bad is it, Oaks?”
“Only nicked me.”
Terror swallowed Layne. He’d been hit by one of those bullets. The gunfire didn’t sound like anything she’d heard in Wyoming shooting ranges either. That was no hunting rifle—it was pumping out bullets, spraying them far too fast.
“Stay down. I’ll get us home.”
Carson’s muscles were rock-hard with tension.
“What’s going on? Oaks, are you okay?” Her voice pitched higher in panic.
Carson’s warm, callused fingers stroked her temple. Her eyes flew open wide. She couldn’t believe he was trying to sootheherwhen Oaks had been shot and they might not make it out of this.
The car jerked left, then right. Gravel sprayed the underside of the vehicle, making her jump in reaction. Again, Carson brushed the hair off her temple and followed it with a tender kiss.
“Take the mountain pass home. The trees are thick. We can lose him there.”
“That’s the plan.” Oaks didn’t sound weakened from the bullet, just pissed off.
After what felt like an eternity, the car hit pavement again, and Oaks stomped on the gas. Her mind spun.
“Who was shooting at us?”
“Pretty sure it was your friendly neighborhood stalker,” Oaks bit off.
“Oaks! We’ll discuss this when we get to the ranch.”
He was trying to protect her from knowing the truth.
“Did you see who it was?” she asked.
“No, doll. It’s too dark and I didn’t even make out the vehicle before I threw you on the floor.”
“You can let her up now.” Oaks sounded like they were discussing the weather. Like every day of the week, every month of the year, he drove through a hailstorm of bullets to get his brother and his old girlfriend to safety.
With all those siblings, maybe he did.
“I’m not letting her up until we’re home. Layne, you all right?”
She’d be stiff from the crumpled position she was in, but alive. She nodded.
“Five minutes.”
“Make it four,” Carson growled.
It felt like less than four minutes. When the tires transitioned from a bumpy road to a smooth one, she tried to picture where they were on the map. Suddenly, Oaks braked.
The car stopped.
Carson peeled himself off her and threw open the door. The rush of rain and a crack of lightning filled the car.
He reached down for her hand and yanked her out of the car. When she emerged, she looked at her surroundings, struggling to get her bearings.
“Where are we?”
“The Black Heart. Our ranch, honey. Come on, let’s get out of the rain.” He took her by the hand and ran to the big ranch house she didn’t recognize from the old days when she’d visited.