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One side of her mouth lifted into a real half smile. “I’m just going to rest a bit first.”
“Of course you are. You always do what you want to do.” He kissed her right there in front of everyone. “Don’t keep me waiting too long.” He pressed his forehead to hers for a moment and did the hardest thing he’d ever done and left her to go and sit in the waiting room.
Shelby showed up first, since his brothers were taking care of the horses they’d ridden today. “How is she? What have they said?”
“Nothing yet. I’m waiting for an update once they’ve done their scans and X-rays. I called her mom. She’s a mess. One daughter missing, another in the hospital. Iexpect her to arrive soon, though I don’t know that Cyn will be happy she’s here. You know anything about their relationship?”
“It’s complicated. Messy, from what I understand.”
“Okay. That’s not a lot of help.”
“Cyn needs you, Hunt. Someone who cares abouther. Do you get that?”
“Yes. I like her. I want to be with her.” He shot up from his seat and paced, then stopped in front of Shelby. “I can’t stand that she’s back there somewhere and I’m not with her. Do you have any idea how it hit me when I pulled her out of the water and practically her whole body was blue and she wasn’t breathing? She had no heartbeat. She was dead, Shelby.” He rubbed his hand over his neck.
Shelby stood and put her hands on his chest. “And you saved her. She’s alive. She’s going to be okay.”
“Not good enough.”
“What more do you want?”
“Her. With me. In perfect condition. Right here. Right now.”
Shelby smiled and patted his chest. “You really care about her.”
“Didn’t I say so?”
“Yes. I think you’ve made it perfectly clear. She knows it, too. I know people think she’s just out for a good time, but she’s just like everyone else. She wants someone to want her.”
“Everyone wants her. Max’s eyes popped out of his head when he saw her strip down. Chase wasn’t much better,” he grumbled.
“She’s a beautiful woman. And she has a beautifulheart she wants to share with someone who sees more than the package it’s wrapped in, Hunt. Don’t be the next guy who just wants her. Be the guy who lovesallof her.”
“I never said I was in love with her.”
Shelby took her seat again and stared up at him. “Your actions speak louder than anything.” She grinned at him. “Hunt, who can’t stand that she’s somewhere in this hospital without him by her side.”
He fell into the chair beside hers and kept his mouth shut.
Shelby leaned into his side. “She likes red wine. Mostly merlot. Pasta is her favorite. Any kind. Spaghetti, Alfredo, pesto, whatever. Pizza is a very close second. You can probably guess her favorite color.”
“Everyone would think purple because of her hair, but she loves to wear blue.” Most of her tattoos were blue butterflies.
Shelby bumped her shoulder into his. “You really have been paying attention. She loves to be outside.”
“I see her walking in town all the time.”
“She likes country music and classic rock the best. I’m pretty sure Aerosmith is her favorite band, though I’ve heard her singing Heart when she thinks she’s alone in her shop. She’s got a better than decent voice. But you know what I like best about her?”
“What?”
“That she knows how to have fun. I think a lot of people lose that as they get older. I think a lot of people in this town see her doing what she likes to do and are jealous that she goes about it with a carefree spirit they’ve lost. They can’t get out of their heads and stopworrying about what people might think and just cut loose once in a while like she can. I’d hate to see someone try to rein her in when they’d probably be better off themselves joining in.”
“Are you saying I don’t know how to have fun?”
“I think you’d do well to let yourself have some fun.” Shelby met his gaze. “I can’t imagine all the things you see on the job. Today was hard, being out there, looking for clues and searching for someone we all think is probably dead. I hated watching Cyn go into that water, knowing the risk she took, but also thinking that she might find her dead sister and niece in that car. It took guts to face that. I’m so glad she didn’t suffer that trauma, but that means you’ll still be out looking for them, along with facing everything else you deal with on the job. I think you need someone like Cyn who can bring happiness and fun into your life.”
“Part of what’s drawn me to her is her bright spirit. And I even like her snap-at-you-when-she’s-mad mouth, because she’s not mean. She’s spunky. And I just want to be with her. I want to know everything about what makes her so... her. I want to be the guy she likes. And wants.”
