Page 37 of Hiding in Montana

If he had been wearing his Stetson, he would have touched the brim as he spoke.

She groaned. “How could something like this happen in this sweet little town? This was the West, but it wasn’t the Wild West anymore. That had been long gone a century ago.”

The sounds of a distant siren saved him from reminding her that bad things can happen anywhere. Geography wasn’t the relevant factor.

“Paulina, I’m going to take off before the cops show up.” Matthew took a couple of steps toward the top of the stairs.

Her voice came out like the crack of a whip. “Move off this porch and I’ll find out who’s after me and tell them everything. I’ll tell them everything I know about your backstabbing, slippery eel impersonation. Now who do you think they’ll believe? Me or you?”

He hovered as if weighing his options. An ambulance screeched to a stop along with a fire truck and a sheriff’s car in front of her house.

“I’m going to wait over there.” He pointed to a bench on the porch.

“You’d best stay where I can see you, too.” She continued to caress Clint’s face. “We’ve got company.”

This time, he didn’t answer, but let the weight of his lids take over.

With a small quiver in her voice, she said, “Clint, please open your eyes.”

It took a few moments, but he did as she asked. “I was just listening to you put the fear of the devil in Matthew.” He gave her a slight wink. “You really are my girl, you know that?”

“You bet I am.” She kissed his forehead again as the emergency personnel hurried up the walk and onto the porch.

Everyone looked familiar, but Polly might not know their names. “We got the whole town here.”

Joe, a guy he went to school with, asked her to move back so they could examine him, but he held up his hand. “Polly, stay with me.”

She moved from his head, placing it gently on the porch floor, and slid to his side, taking his hand. “I’m right here.” She kissed the back of his hand, doing her best to reassure him. Talking in a soft murmur, it relaxed the band around his chest.

A few minutes later, they had cut off his denim shirt and he could see Polly’s face. The wound must be ugly.

“Clint, good news, buddy. The bullet appears to have gone straight through, but we’re going to get you to the hospital to make sure.”

“Polly’s coming.”

Joe said, “There’s no room in the ambulance, but she can meet us there.”

Annie and Linc stepped forward. “Clint, don’t worry. We’ll bring her with us.”

He gave a slight nod. They eased Clint onto the gurney and before they could put him into the back of the emergency vehicle, he said, “Linc?”

He was next to him in a flash. “Yeah, Clint. What do you need?”

“Don’t leave Polly alone tonight. She needs someone looking out for her.”

“I can hear you, Clint. I’ll be fine. Besides, I’ll be at the hospital with you until you’re discharged.” She gave Joe a nod and kissed Clint’s cheek. “I’ll be right behind you.”

The ambulance doors closed with a thud and Nina, another friend from town, was riding next to him.

“Hey there, Clint. How are you feeling?” She was checking his pulse and pulled away the towel to put some kind of oversized gauze pad on his shoulder.

“Like someone shot me.” He closed his eyes against the harsh lights above him. Sirens whooped as they began to move.

“How did that happen?”

He wasn’t sure if Nina was asking questions to keep him talking or if she was trying to get information for Sheriff Blackstone.

“We were sitting in the living room talking and I thought I heard the doorknob rattle. I got up to take a look and as soon as I stepped onto the porch, I heard a pop, and then a searing pain shot down my arm. It’s some of the worst I’ve ever felt, and then I hit the floor.”

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