But for the look on his face, the backdrop of the flames behind him, and the way Colt jumped up in defense, she might have simply blinked it away.

Woken up at home, hours later, with nothing but a splitting headache.

She didn’t know how it happened—her brain was sloshy and gray around the edges—but she did remember hot words exchanged, and then snapshots of a between-brothers brawl that had everyone backing up.

Real bones being broken, real blood being shed, real pain as Ranger tried to get in the middle.

And then the cops. Teenagers scattering as Dodge was tackled to the ground. Cuffed. His face bloody, his eyes reddened. He might have even been crying.

She stood in the circle of light, watching, her hands over her face as she sobbed.

“Echo, wake up, you’re having a nightmare.”

Dodge’s voice peeled through the layers, brought her into the light.

Back to the vet’s office, where the sunrise broke through the window of the waiting room. The light skirted across the wood floor to the closed door that led to the back.

She pushed herself up.

So, it was true—she had fallen asleep with her head on Dodge’s leg. Nice. Please let her not have drooled.

He appeared not to have slept, his eyes tired, his hair ruffled. He wore it shorter than he had in his teenage years, but still longer than a high and tight in-the-military cut, his curls turning over behind his ears.

“Sorry.”

He drew in a breath. “It’s okay. It’s been a long night.”

She sat up, pulled her hair out of the messy holder, then reworked it. “How’s Holly?”

“She’s out of surgery, but that’s all I know. You were asleep, and they said you couldn’t see her yet, so I didn’t wake you.”

But he’d stayed. In the daylight, he didn’t look nearly as formidable as he had last night. More of a tired warrior with the dark scrape of whiskers, fatigue in his blue eyes. He’d taken off his jacket but wore a fleece under it.

“You must be exhausted.”

“I slept.”

“Sitting up?”

“You get used to it.”

It took her a second. “In the military.” Which is where he’d gone without saying a word to her after that fateful fight. Not even goodbye.

His mouth pinched and he gave a nod.

The door opened and she turned away from the words that wanted to spill out. Like, When did you get back? And, Why didn’t you call me?

Maybe she didn’t want to know the answers.