Page 134 of The Cowboy’s Intriguing Love

Alexis’s eyes shone with tears as she said, “Well, hello, sweetie. How are you feeling?”

Davin just smiled and nodded at her, but he looked as though the weight of the world had just been lifted off his shoulders,

Shay smiled at them. “I’ve had better days.”

Cash chuckled. “Yeah, but the worst ones are behind you now, honey.”

He handed Ty a Styrofoam box from the cafeteria. “Here ya go, squirt. It’s not up to your standards, but it’s food.”

Shayna perked up and sniffed the air. “What kind of food?”

He chuckled and opened the box so that she could see.

“Ooh!”

He took one of the fries from the box and fed it to her.

“Take it easy with that crap, honey,” Cash told her. “You should probably stick with hospital fare till you’re feeling a bit better.”

Ty loved the way she grinned at his brother. “I bet you’d be eating the burger and fries if you were in my position,” she told him.

“Too damn right I would. All I’m saying is take it easy.”

Travis laughed. “And you can bet your ass he wouldn’t be taking it easy; he’d be in his truck and driving to the nearest In N Out.”

“Oh! You like them, too?” Shay asked. “Can I hitch a ride with you if you’re going to drive off in search of one?”

Cash chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do, honey.”

He was right: after she’d eaten just a few fries and a couple of bites of the burger, she was drooping back against the pillows.

“I’ll get out of here, and let you rest,” said Travis.

“I’ll come with you,” said Kolby.

Ty smiled to himself as he watched them both lean in to kiss her cheek.

Cash came closer. “I’ll get out of your hair, too.” He glanced at Ty. “Stick your head out the door if you need me – I won’t be far.”

Shayna turned white and grasped Ty’s hand.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“We have to be careful – he’s going to come back for me.” She turned to Cash. “That’s why you’re not going far, isn’t it?”

Cash leaned in close and looked her in the eye. “Relax, Shay. You don’t have to worry about him ever again.”

“But … you don’t get it … he said … he told me … he …”

Ty hated to see the fear in her eyes and the way she trembled. He scooted closer to her on the bed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“It’s okay, Shay. He’s gone. He can’t hurt you.”

“You mean … Is he dead?”

Ty nodded.

“What … what happened?”

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