Page 3 of The Outlaw's Code

“Good.” The doctor nodded before jotting her number down on a piece of paper. “Here’s my number. If anything changes, if he doesn’t wake up sooner rather than later, just let me know. We can handle things discreetly, the way Mr. Stratton prefers.”

As the doctor left the room, Levi quirked his eyebrows in my direction.

“What? What is it?”

“You’re going to play babysitter?”

“What about it?”

“For a guy you barely know?”

“He needs someone to look after him, Levi?—”

“And you really wanted it to be you?”

“I’m just trying to do the right thing. When I found him, I thought he was dead.”

“Right…” Levi nodded, his tone still lined with suspicion. “Let me know how it goes, yeah? We can put him in one of the open cabins we have near yours.”

Calder.

There was something cold settling in my stomach, something I couldn’t explain. Levi had helped me get Calder settled into one of the open cabins, unclaimed for the season. He was resting now on a warm bed instead of a couch. I’d thought about stripping off his clothes and getting him properly cleaned up. Instead, I’d opted for a wipe down of sorts, cleaning off every part of him that was visible, his arms, his face. He looked so much better not caked in mud, his expression betraying nothing except being sound asleep.

I just want him to make it.

I’d kept the doctor’s number close by, just in case, even as the thought of calling her made me feel so much worse. I watched Calder, then, noting the way his chest was rising and falling in time, nothing about his breathing seeming ragged or wrong. There was a slice of moonlight cutting across his nose?—

Moonlight?

I looked outside the nearest cabin window.

Shit.

How long had I been watching over him? It was almost afternoon when we’d first found him by the lake. How much time had passed since then?

I hadn’t even noticed it at all.

Because it didn’t matter. Not when I needed to make sure Calder would be okay.

He took in another breath, and I took one in, too. It didn’t matter how long it took for Calder to finally wake up. When he did, I was going to be there, waiting for him.

The wind howled outside, a haunting reminder of the way things had come to be. I quietly cursed the wind as I kept my eyes on Calder, willing him to wake up at any moment.

Please wake up, Calder.

Please.

2

CALDER

“Calder?”

There were warm eyes looking down at mine. Eyes I didn’t recognize but seemed to know me all the same. I winced at the light that hit my eyes next, my hand going up to shield my face from it. A few seconds later and my eyes started to adjust, the burning becoming more tolerable. When I lowered my hand, the stranger was still there, still staring right at me.

“Calder? Are you awake?” His voice was hopeful. “I’m so happy you’re finally?—”

“Who’s Calder?”

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