Page 45 of Marrying Mr. Majestic

I glanced over at him. “Do you want to come with me?”

His nostrils flared slightly. “Yes. I’m not as familiar with outdoor sports as you are, but I do know that it’s not ideal to venture into the wilderness alone.”

Silas’s words took me by surprise, unleashing a flood of emotions and memories from my father’s death. Suddenly, my lungs forgot how to breathe, and I felt cold despite the warm sun.

His hand grasped me under the elbow, supporting me. “Way? Waylon, Jesus. What is it?”

“Huh?”

His eyes were filled with concern. “You looked like you were about to vomit. You okay?”

I shook my head. “N-nothing. I’m… fine. Yes. Sure. You can come with me tomorrow.” I took a deep, cleansing breath to try and get my focus back. “But make sure you have decent footwear.”

After giving him choppy directions to Lake and Jackson’s shop, where he could find hiking boots that might serve him well enough on horseback as well, I left him standing in the street while I rushed away, back to the safety and solitude of my office.

SIXTEEN

SILAS

I stared after Way, itching to follow and ask him what the hell had just happened, but I knew better. For some reason, I wasn’t on the top of my husband’s good list right now, and the judicious choice would be to leave him alone to calm down.

During the drive back to the ranch, I thought about Way’s angry outburst. The man was overloaded and overwhelmed despite my aggressive efforts each night to take his mind off work and relax him to within an inch of his life.

My specialties were helping companies come out of disorganization, assisting C-level executives on how to avoid burnout, and guiding companies through growth pinch points, so it was frustrating to watch him continue to get buried under his commitments. I wasn’t used to having to sit on the sidelines while someone I… while a friend tried stoically to carry too heavy a load. It was one of the reasons I’d been attempting to lighten it.

But the man was shit at accepting help, even when it was freely given.

Frustrated, I glanced at the clock in the upgraded rental Kenji had arranged for me—a decent-sized SUV that didn’t make my legs feel like pretzels every time I drove it—and realized that it was already late afternoon on the East Coast, which meant my sister would be waking up and getting ready for her vampire shift.

I dialed her number and grinned in anticipation of hearing her voice come through the car’s speakers. Camille was not only one of the smartest people I knew, but she exuded positivity, always. Talking to her was a sure way to restore my good humor.

But when she answered, she sounded like she was still half-asleep. “Silas?”

“Morning, sunshine. Sleeping late today?” I asked.

Camille grunted groggily. “I only got to sleep, ah…” Sheets rustled. “Two hours ago.”

“Two hours.” I checked the clock again. “I thought you gave up round-the-clock shifts after residency, Dr. Concannon.”

“Me too.” She yawned. “But we had a lockdown situation in the ER last night, and?—”

I nearly ran the truck off the road into the scrub grass and gripped the wheel tightly as I righted it. “A lockdown? Christ, Camille.”

“Calm down.” Camille sounded marginally more awake. “It sounds dramatic, but it’s not, I swear. There was no danger.”

“Really?” I said caustically. “Because here I thought lockdowns only happened when there was a threat, like a fire or an active shooter, especially when you work at a hospital in one of the roughest neighborhoods in the city. But you’re saying they put you on lockdown for shits and giggles?—”

“Don’t be an ass,” she said, amused. “We had another round of budget cuts a couple months ago, and since we’re already bare-bones with the medical staff, it was time for the security team to thin their ranks. Now, every damn time a patient who’s had too much to drink starts mooning the nurses, security has to lock the whole department down so they can go investigate. It’s a pain, but that’s all it is.”

I tried counting to ten to keep my temper under control. I barely got to six before blurting, “Camille. I know you don’t want to hear this, but?—”

“Then don’t say it.” Her voice held a bite of temper that reminded me of my own. “You know I went into medicine because I want to help people, Silas. Providing care in an underserved area like this one is important work. If I found another hospital where I was needed half as much as I am here, I’d consider—consider—taking a different job. But since I don’t think that exists, don’t waste your breath. And no, before you ask, I don’t want you to endow the hospital with a security fund, either,” she added wryly.

“I need you,” I reminded her. “I know your patients need you, but I do, too. If you’d let me help…”

Why was I fucking surrounded by people who refused my assistance?

“Oh, Silas. You have the best and kindest heart—” Camille began.

---