Page 34 of Hideaway Reunion

Roni shook Cav’s outstretched hand. “Veronica. This is Brayden. Welcome to the Hideaway.”

Cav tipped his head to the injured man. “That’s Brian. Heard you met Bobby already.”

“They told us a couple of sisters ran this place, not a husband-wife deal.” Bobby’s gaze tangled with Brayden’s as Roni started assessing Brian.

Husband-wife deal? Yeah, he’d get on board with that. He didn’t dare look Roni’s way. “Three sisters own and operate the Hideaway. I’m part of their new security team thanks to a persistent nuisance next door.” He studied all three men. “Which one of you likes to hang out in the trees and watch this place?”

“What? That ain’t us.” Brian sucked in a breath and cursed as Roni tried to roll up his pants leg. Her hands came away bloody.

“On it,” Brayden said without being asked.

Roni had the man’s boot unlaced as she palpated his ankle. “Sorry,” she muttered when he cursed again. “We need to know what’s going on.”

“That’s easy. Brian’s a weenie about blood and pain,” Bobby joked. A clear attempt to cheer up his pal. But his shoulders shuddered. “That lightning strike brought the limb down and knocked us around some. Brian got the worst of it.” Bobby glanced at Cav. “Took some effort to get him out.”

“It did,” Cav agreed. “Those trailers are as helpful as a soda can in this kind of weather.”

Brayden cut away the pants leg, revealing the wound and swelling. With a nod, Roni popped to her feet and went to the sink. “Get that boot and sock off, please.”

He did as she asked. Brian looked away while his pal distracted him.

“So, if it’s not one of you, who would’ve been hanging out in the scrub, eyes trained on the house?”

“One of the lawyer’s guys probably,” Cav volunteered.

Bobby agreed. “Yeah, it was one of his guys that told me to help him with the survey equipment.”

“How many times do you need to measure to fake a plat map?” Roni snapped as she returned with wound wash and a bowl of clean water.

Bobby grunted. “We’re here to build condos. It’s a job. We aren’t calling the shots.”

“So, you didn’t disable your ECMs?” Brayden asked while he and Roni cleaned Brian’s wound.

“Does it need stitches?” Brian asked, voice thin.

Roni elbowed Brayden. “Get a blanket and some water for all three of them?”

“Sure.” He’d noticed Brian’s reactions too. The questions could wait. It wasn’t as if these guys would be running off anytime soon.

When he returned, Cav and Bobby were helping Brian out of his soaked layers. They tossed the vest to one side, the shirts to another. Brayden draped the blanket over the man’s shoulders, pulling it snug. “You hold this, we’ll be done in a minute. Y’all should drink up,” he said, passing out the water bottles.

“You think I’m going into shock?” Brian asked.

“Your body’s in flight mode, that’s all,” Roni soothed. “Plus, the AC can give you a chill when you’re soaked through.” She paused to smile up at him. “Once this is cleaned up, I can cover it and you can get a hot shower.”

Brayden was sure that meant a shower in the suite, since the other bathrooms were upstairs and this guy was in no condition to make that journey right now.

“He’s not big on needles,” Bobby murmured.

Roni nodded and kept cleaning the man’s leg. “I can relate.”

Brayden knew it was a lie. Roni could face anything with a calm, stoic reserve. She bandaged up Brian, then cleaned his foot and wrapped his ankle. “Bad sprain here. You’ll want to get that checked out in the morning.” She wagged a finger between Cav and Bobby. “Y’all get him to the couch so he can elevate and ice that ankle before his shower. Robes are upstairs. Be right back.”

She dashed off while the men maneuvered Brian into the front room. Tall and wiry, he was heavier than he looked and woozy. But they got him out of his soaked clothing, into a robe, and settled on the couch.

Roni delivered ice packs and ibuprofen, handing Brian the television remote. “Just rest.”

“Thanks, Ms. Hargrave.”