“It’s such a shame.” That was Dixie’s voice. She’d been there.

“I know.” His daughter was here, too. “Dad’s going to be so upset.”

He was going to be sick. The fog was all around him and he had to fight his way out of it. Lila. What had happened to her?

He couldn’t have lost her. They’d been so close. They’d come so close to making it out and having the future he’d dreamed about.

“Lila.” The word was mumbled.

“Dad?”

He felt someone touch his hand. Noelle. He opened his eyes and her face came into focus. “Where’s Lila?”

“Dad, are you okay? Dixie?”

“I’ll be back.” She rushed out of the room.

Noelle squeezed his hand. “Dad, you’ve been in surgery. You had a bullet in your shoulder and another one in your gut. You need to stay still.”

He couldn’t. Not until he’d found Lila. She should be here. She should be with them. It was where she belonged, and he’d screwed everything up. He hadn’t even told her he loved her. He started to try to push himself up.

“Oh, you are a stubborn man. Lie back down, Sheriff.” Lila’s pretty face loomed over him. “If you pull your stitches and have to go back to the OR, I’ll be very upset.”

Her voice was husky but that seemed to be the only side effect. She looked gorgeous, like the best present the universe could have given him.

She took his wrist in her hand and felt for his pulse. “You’re in the hospital. You took two bullets, one to your left shoulder. It didn’t hit your scapula, so you’ll heal fairly quickly from that. The bullet to your abdomen was worse. The doctor managed to save your spleen, but it was a close thing. You need to rest for a couple of days.”

“Love you.” He wasn’t going to waste another moment.

She stilled over him and finally looked down. “I love you, too. But, Armie . . .”

He knew what she would say. She would give him all the reasons they didn’t work. He’d done that to her because the truth of the matter was they worked beautifully together. “Love you. Want to marry you.”

“Noelle, could I have a minute?”

Noelle looked up at Lila. “Okay, but don’t forget what I told you.”

Lila nodded and Noelle wheeled herself out. She turned back to him. “Armie, you’ve been through something traumatic.”

She was going that way, was she? His faculties were coming back to him and it was easier to focus. He turned his hand over, catching hers. “Yes, and the whole time all I cared about was getting you back in my arms. I was wrong. I was scared of things changing. You are the best thing to happen to me and Noelle.”