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Her eyes widened further. “And…was he actually sober?”
Gray snorted. “Yeah. I started pouring coffee down his throat when I’d arrest him. It’s no fun playing poker with a man who’s too drunk to hold the cards. He’s developed a bit of a taste for it. And he seems glad to be of some use.” He shrugged again. “I don’t think he’s kicked the habit entirely, but he seems to be tryin’. Maybe havin’ a purpose other than just bein’ the town drunk inspired him.”
Mercy gave him a soft smile that made his insides go all mushy and caressed his cheek. “You’re a good man, you know that?”
He mock-gasped. “You take that back. You’ll ruin my reputation.”
She laughed and blew him a kiss before turning to head across the street.
His eyes were glued to her. To that smile that made his head spin. To the sun glinting off her hair, highlighting the deeper shades of brown and even a few red that you couldn’t see normally. Those blue, blue eyes that would make the sky weep with jealousy.
He reached out and grabbed her hand, half turning her. He didn’t want to let her go just yet. She captivated him. Mesmerized him.
It was his only excuse. The only reason he didn’t see danger until it was too late.
The man had already pulled his gun. Gray’s eyes connected with his just as the shot rang out, echoing in Gray’s ears before he could even let go of Mercy to pull his own gun.
Blood sprayed across Gray’s chest and Mercy gasped, dropping to the ground at Gray’s feet. The man didn’t get a chance to shoot again. Gray’s bullet hit him square in the chest before he could even center his aim.
But what did it matter? It was already too late.
Gray yelled for help, his stomach dropping to his feet while his heart pounded so hard the world spun about him, making black spots dance at the sides of his vision. People came running from all directions, but Gray ignored them all, his entire being focused on Mercy who lay crumpled at his feet in a pool of blood.
Gray gathered her up and ran for Doc’s, who was already on his porch, his door wide, and he ushered them in and through to the back room. Gray laid her on the exam table, his chest heaving.
“I’m not that heavy, am I?” she asked, and Gray’s breath punched from his lungs in an explosion that was half relief and half surprise.
He brushed her hair back from her forehead, pressing a kiss to it while he struggled to calm the hell down. He’d never been so terrified in his life as when he’d looked down and seen her lying there in her own blood. Nor more relieved than to hear her voice. See her eyes teasing him.
And never felt more guilty knowing that what had just happened to her was all his fault.
He took a deep, shuddering breath and kissed her head again, then looked up at Doc, who had ripped away her sleeve and was studiously cleaning the wound in her upper arm.
Doc glanced up at him. “Just a graze. A deep one. But she’ll be okay.”
Gray closed his eyes and counted to five before he opened them again and gave Doc a jerky nod. “Thanks, Doc.”
Mercy took his hand and squeezed it. “I’m okay, Gray. It stings like hell,” she said, startling a shaky laugh out of him. “But I’ll be good.”
“Another one?” Doc asked him, glancing at him quickly before turning back to Mercy’s wound.
“Yeah.” Gray sucked in a breath, nearly choking on the rage that clawed at his throat. “He won’t be a problem again.”
Doc just nodded and started bandaging Mercy’s arm.
She squeezed his hand again. “You can go check on things. I’ll be fine here.”
He stared down at her, not wanting to leave her side but also wanting to make good and sure the man who’d done this to her didn’t have friends.
She nodded at him. “Go on. I’ll send our good doctor here over if I need you.”
He glanced at Doc, who nodded. He took another deep breath and leaned down to kiss her. “I’ll be right next door.”
She gave him a brave smile that shredded his heart into a million pieces. “I’ll be fine. Go.”
He squeezed her hand one more time and marched back out, trying to get a grip on his emotions before he had to deal with the dead man and what looked like most of the town gathering in front of the jailhouse. Because it wasn’t just rage that Mercy had been hurt burning through him. But terror as well. He could face his own death just fine. But not hers.
Frank, Jason, and Preacher had already wrapped the man in some burlap and loaded him into the back of Preacher’s wagon. The townspeople milled around, murmuring worriedly, but Gray didn’t have the patience to deal with them. He made eye contact with Mrs. DuVere, who gave him a subtle nod and then started rounding people up, inviting them all back to the tavern. God bless that woman.
