Page 61 of Her Three Rangers

But the pain… that was real. The smell of smoke in the air was too vivid to be part of any dream. Bits and pieces started to come back to me. How I hurt my head. How I was lying on the floor. How Ty had come to save me.

“Garrick…” I whispered. Or hoped I’d whispered. Maybe I’d just thought it inside my head again.

“They’re taking him to jail,” Cody said, stepping aside and pointing to something in the distance that could have been a police car. I was just going to have to take his word for it.

I struggled to take a breath, but God, it hurt so much. I wasn’t sure how long I’d be able to keep my eyes open again this time.

“It’s okay, Gracie,” Nana said, gently pushing my hair back away from my face. “Rest now. We’ll be here when you wake up.”

Yes. Rest seemed like a good idea. Nana always knew just what to do. I was lucky to have her in my life.

I was lucky to have them all in my life.

Now that she had said it was okay, I let my eyes drift closed again.

I hoped she was right.

I hoped they were all still right here with me the next time I opened them.

“Nana?” I called out, my voice sounding quiet and strange to my own ears. “Ty?”

“We’re here,” Ty’s voice soothed my nerves a little as his warm hand slipped into mine.

“We’re all here,” Nana’s voice joined his.

Thank goodness. I opened my eyes, taking a moment to let them adjust to the dark room. I could hear the faint humming and beeping of machines around me.

“Where are we?” I asked. Not that it really mattered, since everyone I cared about—my whole world—was here with me.

“The hospital,” Cody said, appearing at my other side along with Jaeger.

“You were out for a while this time, beautiful,” Jaeger said. “You had us all worried.”

“Am I okay?” I asked, struggling to sit up a little before changing my mind. I definitely didn’t feel okay.

My whole… everything… hurt.

Especially when I moved. Or blinked my eyes. Or took a breath.

“You’re going to be okay,” Nana said. “You’re tough, like your grandmother.”

I smiled, or tried to. She was right. I was tough. Like her. But dear God, I felt like I had been run over by a freight train.

“We’re going to help you get better,” Ty said, gently squeezing my hand just enough to remind me that he was there. As if I could ever forget. “All of us.”

“The doctor said you’re lucky,” Cody added, though I certainly didn’t feel very lucky at the moment.

Or maybe I did?

Sure, I was in the most pain I’d ever felt in my entire life, but I was also surrounded by people who cared about me. Every single one of them.

That seemed pretty damn lucky to me.

“A concussion and two cracked ribs,” Jaeger said, ticking off my injuries on his fingers. “A hell of a lot of bruising. But nothing that a little time won’t heal.”

“And a little love,” Ty added.

I nodded, then felt my eyes open wider for the first time. I ignored the pain this time, because what I’d just heard was a lot more important than a concussion and… all that other stuff.

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