Page 80 of Seaside Cowboy's Second Chance

Was it Dallas calling her name, or was she only imagining it? She tried to answer, but no words came out.

Then the world went black.

Chapter Seventeen

FOR TWO DAYS, DALLASalternated between hope and despair and back many times and now clung to hope like a lifesaving buoy.

Skylar was sleeping in a hospital room, pale and surrounded by machines, but alive.

Alive.

The word tasted like spring water, refreshing and promising.

Thank You, Lord.

Then worry constricted his rib cage. While by some miracle the bullet didn’t damage any organs or major arteries, so many things could still go wrong with a gunshot wound.

Lord, please give her a speedy recovery.

“It could’ve been worse,” Austin whispered as he took a chair nearby. He moved so silently Dallas didn’t hear his brother’s footsteps.

Skylar’s grandmother and Dallas’s mom had been here, too, but Kai and their other brothers had dragged them to the cafeteria to have a snack.

Dallas winced. “I was afraid I lost her forever.” The sheer volume of pain had been unbearable. He couldn’t imagine living in a world where Skylar didn’t exist.

“But you didn’t. And hopefully, she’ll make a full recovery.”

“I’m praying so.” He paused. “I just love her so much.”

“Everyone knew it for a while.” Austin rolled his eyes. “Well, maybe except Skylar. And she’s the one who needs to know. Have you prayed for guidance?”

“Yes. But I still don’t know what that guidance is.”

“You will with time. Have you told her yet?”

Dallas shook his head. “What’s the point? Her feelings toward me changed.” The words he’d overheard on the phone sent his heartbeat into overdrive. Did she truly love him? If she hadn’t been in danger at the time, he’d have been ecstatic to hear those three words. Until he realized she might’ve said them to show Earl she could relate to him. What if she didn’t mean them?

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