Page 63 of Guarded Hearts
It was too dark and the world too streaked with rain for her to take the time she wanted to drink in the look of the ranch now. But the lane that had once been rutted, complete with potholes and patches of gravel, was now paved into a smoothness that was far better than the state roads.
As soon as the door shut behind them, she, Carson and Oaks looked at each other.
Carson pointed to the deep furrow carved into Oaks’s cheek. “Willow is going to lose her mind.”
Swiping his forearm over his cheek, he smeared most of the blood away. “I’m fine.”
Layne stepped forward. “Carson, you find the first-aid kit. I already patched up one Malone today, I can fix another.”
At that moment, a tall, striking, dark-haired woman burst into the entryway. One glance at her brothers and her shoulders wilted with relief.
“What the hell happened to you guys? I was watching the GPS tracker. You were all over the road!” She rushed to Oaks and reached up toward the graze on his cheek. “That’s a bullet wound. What the fuck, guys?”
“When did we give her permission to cuss?” Carson drawled.
“We didn’t,” Oaks responded.
Confused by who the woman was, Layne stood off to the side, waiting for an introduction.
The woman planted a hand on her curvy hip and cocked her head with an air of annoyance. “I’m old enough to swear, drink and smoke. I’m not your baby sister anymore.”
Layne blinked. Stunned.
Of course. This was Willow. All grown up. And gorgeous enough that it was no wonder she was irritated. With five older, very overprotective brothers, she probably didn’t get treated the way most young women would.
Layne counted backward in her mind. Willow had to be close to twenty-four years old.
She extended her hand toward Willow. “You probably don’t remember me. I’m Layne.”
She turned big gray eyes on her, fringed in thick black lashes, and bit down on her bottom lip. She shook her head. “Sorry, I don’t remember you. But I can see you’re shivering. Come with me and I’ll get you some dry clothes and a blanket.”
“No. I need to help Oaks first. He was shot.”
She whirled on Oaks.
“Oh no. You shouldn’t have reminded her.” Oaks started away, boots thumping on the new hardwood floors.
“As if I wouldn’t notice, Oaks. Somebody tell me what happened.”
They all ended up in the kitchen with Oaks sitting at a long wooden table. Carson slipped away and returned carrying a box that she could guess was filled with medical supplies.
Willow put the coffeepot on and soon the rich scent flooded the space. She buzzed between her brothers, pouring mugs of coffee for each of them.
Layne eyed the box. “There’s a lot of medical supplies.” She reached in and pulled out a medical stapler, brow cocked at Carson.
He gave an awkward shrug. “You never know around here.”
Oh god. What had she gotten herself into? And she wanted to be with Carson. That meant she’d belong to the Malone family. His brothers would be her brothers. His sister…well, she couldn’t wait to get to know Willow better.
They all had a lot of catching up to do.
She stripped off her wet sweater and draped it over the back of a kitchen chair, where it gently dripped on the tile floor.
As she cleaned Oaks’s wound, he never even blinked.
“It’s going to leave a scar.”
He glanced up at her face. “It’s not the first.”