"He might not make it?" She swayed, feeling lightheaded.

Tate's expression turned concerned for her and he put his arm around her shoulders, opened the waiting room door, and steered her inside. He gently pushed her into a chair and sat beside her.

"What happened?" she asked, when she could get the words out.

Tate's frowned grimly. "He was shot. Three times."

Shock tore through Tess like a knife ripping through her belly. "He was shot? How? Why?"

"The sheriff's office is investigating," Tate said. "The only reason he's still alive is because I stopped by to borrow a tool and found him. He lost a lot of blood."

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself...trying to put everything together...trying to make sense of things.

As it truly began to sink in, raw emotions swept through her. Terror that Gage wouldn't make it and the fear of losing him.

Losing him... She clenched her fists and held them to her heart as she realized the truth. She was in love with Gage. Somehow she'd fallen for him and she'd fallen hard.

And now she might just lose him.

She couldn't lose someone she loved twice. She'd loved deeply once before and hadn't let her heart open again until Gage.

A tear leaked from one eye and rolled down her cheek. Tate reached up and brushed the tear away.

"I don't give a d.a.m.n what the doctors say." Tate had determination in his tone, as if he could will it to be true. "He's a fighter, Tess."

She nodded and put her hands in her lap, her nails digging into the palms of her hands. "You're right." She put conviction into her own words even though she wasn't sure she believed them. Gage was a fighter, yes, but some things couldn't be fought through.

Tate put his arm around her shoulders again and gave her a squeeze before letting her go. "Now, we wait."

Gage's other brothers made it not long after Tess got there-they all lived on ranches so they were a little farther out than she was. Blake, Ryan, and Creed, who'd just gotten back from a bull riding event, strode in. Their mother and father arrived in nearly the same amount of time.

Tate introduced Tess to Del and Bull. Del was pretty and slim with short brown hair that curled up and Bull was a big bull of a man like his nickname suggested.

Tess hadn't expected to meet Gage's parents under such dire circ.u.mstances. Despite Tess's fear and terror of losing Gage, she admired his mother, Del's, calmness and the ease in which his father, Bull, handled the situation. She could see the fear and concern in everyone's eyes, but the entire family was rock-solid. Del reached out for Tess's hand. "Gage mentioned wanting to introduce us to you. More than once." She squeezed Tess's fingers. "I'm just sorry we're meeting for the first time like this."

"Me, too." Tess nodded and squeezed Del's hand in return.

While they waited for news, the family talked quietly together. Del and Bull gripped hands, the only outward indication of just how worried they were about their son.

The sisters-in-law, including Megan, also came down to the ICU to be there for the family.

It was deja vu all over again. The night her husband had been in the car accident, she'd been sitting in the ICU waiting room while the doctors had struggled to save his life. And he hadn't made it.

Gage had to. He just had to survive.

Chapter 27.

The wait was interminable. As Tess sat in the chair, her heart continued to ache. She loved Gage and she didn't want him to be suddenly torn from her life, an empty hole that nothing would be able to fill.

When the doctor finally came in, it was early morning. Every one of them got to his or her feet.

"Have a seat." The doctor motioned for all of them to sit down and they obeyed.

Tess's heart pounded, a sick feeling in her gut. She held her breath.

"How is Gage, Dr. Marcus?" Del asked. Apparently the family knew the doctor.

"As long as there are no complications," Dr. Marcus said, "We believe he's going to pull through."

Tess felt the collective sigh of relief from everyone in the room. Her own breath went out in a rush. Tears that she hadn't been able to shed while she waited flooded her eyes and she had to wipe them away with the back of her hand. Tears of relief.

The doctor explained how much blood Gage had lost and that the head wound had been superficial. The bullet had grazed his skull, but he had a concussion. They'd had to retrieve a bullet from his shoulder and the doctor explained the extent of that injury. The bullet that had gone into his thigh had pa.s.sed right through, causing little damage.

"He's going to be using a crutch for a while and unable to use his right arm until it heals. He will need to go through physical therapy," the doctor said. "But there shouldn't be any long-term effects."

"When can we see him?" Del asked, still gripping Bull's hand.

"One of the nurses will let you know when he can receive visitors," Dr. Marcus said.

As the door closed behind the doctor, Tess felt another rush of tears wanting to come on. She managed to hold them back, but barely.

All this time she'd been trying to ignore how much she cared for Gage. To fight it.

But now she knew she had to be willing to take the risk. She loved him and she'd do anything she could to keep him.

Eventually a nurse came into the waiting room to let them know that Gage could have visitors, but only a couple at a time and not more than ten minutes each. Del and Bull went to see Gage first.

When Del and Bull returned, everyone agreed that Tess should go next. "He'll want to see you before he wants to see any of us," Ryan said with amus.e.m.e.nt in his voice.

Heart beating a rapid rhythm, Tess went to Gage's hospital room. She walked up to the open door and stepped into the room that was lit by early morning sunlight pouring in through the window.

Her belly twisted when she saw Gage lying in the hospital bed, pale beneath his tan. He was sitting up in bed and she saw bandages peeking from beneath his hospital gown and his right arm in a sling.

"Hey, Tess." He shifted in his bed and grimaced as he pushed himself up straighter using his left hand.

She bit her lower lip before she said, "Are you all right?"

"Yep." He motioned for her to come closer. "I need something to make me feel better, though."

She reached his bedside. "What's that? Morphine?"

He grasped her arm and pulled her down closer to him. "A kiss from you."

She managed a smile. "You can't be too bad if you're angling for kisses."

He grinned before he moved his mouth to hers. His lips were firm, his kiss as demanding as always.

When she drew away he rubbed his hand up and down her arm. "Thanks for coming to see me."

She gave him a teasing look. "You're the boss after all."

"And don't you forget it." He moved his hand from her arm and linked his fingers with hers.

She grew serious. "What happened, Gage?"

He frowned. "Someone was robbing my house when I got home." Gage's expression grew more intense. "The last thing I remember was seeing a man holding a gun on me. All I can see in my mind is a face covered by shadows. That's it."

She swallowed, tears stinging the backs of her eyes. "I can't believe you were shot. You could have died."

"I'm all right, Tess." He held her gaze. "The doctors took care of everything. I won't be doing any dancing for a while, but otherwise I'm fine."

She let out a harsh breath. "You're sure you're going to be okay?" She looked at his shoulder and back to his pale features. "You look like h.e.l.l."

He laughed. "Well, you look beautiful, sweetheart. Good enough for the two of us."

"Humph." She sat in the chair close to the bed. "I guess I'm on my own for a while when it comes to learning the business."

"Give me a couple of days." He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. "I won't be out of commission long."

"I played around with the software on the laptop last night," she said. "I'm learning my way around it." She pushed hair out of her face, realizing that she was almost babbling about something that really didn't matter. It was starting to sink in just how scared she'd been when she'd heard Gage was in the hospital.

"You were worried about me." He gave her a mischievous grin as he spoke her thoughts aloud. "Admit it."

She tilted her chin up. "Maybe."

He tugged her hand toward him, pulling her down for another kiss. She went willingly, needing to feel the warmth of his lips against hers. It made her feel more like he was going to be all right.

When she drew away his smile softened. "Don't be worried, Tess. I'm fine."

She said out loud what else had been bothering her. "Is the guy still out there?"

Gage looked like he was holding back his own concern. "As far as I know, he is."

A shuddering breath rose up in her as it all threatened to overwhelm her-just how close Gage had come to death.

And just how much it would tear her apart if something did happen to him.

Chapter 28.

Sheriff Granger stopped by Gage's hospital room to interview him not long after Tess had left. The sheriff had a small notepad that he took notes in.

After Gage had told him what little he remembered, the sheriff said, "We didn't find any prints, other than yours, on any of the items that he was apparently attempting to steal. The good news is that we found blood at the scene that wasn't yours."

"He was hurt?" Gage's body went tense.

"We think he was injured, yes," the sheriff said. "Quite a bit of someone else's blood was at the scene. There apparently was a struggle and it looks like you put up a good fight."

"I can't remember a d.a.m.ned thing." Gage's good arm ached to hit something. "What about the DNA from the blood you found? Are you going to try to match it up?"

"Yes, but it won't come back right away and there's no guarantee he'll be in the system." Sheriff Granger shifted his stance. "We've checked local hospitals in case the man's injuries were bad enough that he needed medical attention."

"And no luck," Gage said for the sheriff.

"That's right." The sheriff hooked his thumbs in his front pockets, pushing aside his jacket, showing the badge on his belt. He studied Gage. "Do you have any enemies that you can think of?"

"Only about a dozen women." Gage gave a wry smile. "I don't think any of them hate me enough to rob or kill me."

"You never know." The sheriff looked amused, clearly knowing Gage's reputation, even if it wasn't exactly accurate.

Gage frowned. "You think this could be more than a robbery?"

Sheriff Granger shook his head. "Likely not, but I need to ask the question." He put his notebook in his back pocket. "If you think of anyone else, give me a call."

"I'll do that, Sheriff." Gage grimaced as he shifted in the bed. "I hope you don't mind if I don't walk you out."

"You get some rest." The sheriff pulled a pair of sungla.s.ses out of his shirt pocket. "We'll keep looking for the guy who did this."

Gage scowled. "I'd like a swing at him if you can find him."

The sheriff slipped his sungla.s.ses on. "You just get yourself better."

"Getting my hands on the b.a.s.t.a.r.d who shot me," Gage said, "would make me feel a whole lot better."

"I'm sure it would." Sheriff Granger adjusted his western hat. "But you just leave that up to us."

The sheriff turned and walked to the hospital room door. He looked over his shoulder and gave Gage a nod before he left.

As the sheriff disappeared through the doorway, Gage's thoughts turned back to Tess.

Now, more than ever, he realized what he had in her. She was a special woman who meant more to him than he could ever have imagined.

He could have died. Died without telling her how much he loved her.