“The doctor won’t release him to go back to work, and it’s doubtful any doctor will. Too much stress on his heart.”

Trex frowned. “Go. Don’t wait for me.”

“Okay,” I said, touching his cheek. “Thanks for waking up, mister.”

“Yep,” he said, groaning when he tried to adjust.

“Need something for the pain?” I asked. “I can get a nurse.”

He shook his head. “I’m going to hold Maddie the second they wheel me out of here. I need to be alert.”

I kissed his cheek. “See you soon. I’ve got a flight to catch.”

In the cab, on the way to the Dallas airport, I texted Zeke that I’d be home in a few hours. I’d be landing in Denver and connecting to Colorado Springs, then I could go straight home. Watts had taken Zeke to my house, and he was waiting for me there.

He typed, Ready to see you.

T-minus five hours. How are you feeling? I tapped out.

This is the 20th time you’ve asked me.

So tell me, and I’ll stop asking.

Still trying to wrap my head around it all. Still tired. Still pissed. We need to talk about a few things. Trying not to stress about it.

About what?

It took him a full minute to respond, and then the three dots appeared, alerting me that he was finally typing.

About you being with a dude with a bad ticker.

Shut up. Don’t stress. I’ll be home soon.

Soon felt like an eternity. The cab smelled like old Thai food and armpits. The plane was delayed just long enough that I might have missed my connecting flight, but I ignored my exhaustion and ran to the gate, making it just in time. The plane took longer to taxi to the runway than the flight itself, and when I walked out of baggage claim, Watts was waiting for me with a smile and snow in his hair.

“You’re really going above and beyond in the friend department,” I said.

Watts walked next to me to his truck. “Zeke isn’t my friend. He’s my brother. Besides, I’m going for points here. I’m hoping you’ll talk Kansas into coming back. It would be weird if I went to her.”

I shrugged. “She’s called me a couple of times. She hasn’t asked about you.”

He frowned. “Really?”

I smiled. “No.”

He playfully shoved me, and I tripped him, laughing when he ended up slipping on the snowy sidewalk a few times to regain his balance.

“Brutal,” he said, finally righting himself. “Have you thought about working for the forestry department? We’ve got a few badass chicks on the ground crew. They’re just waiting for a spot to open.”

“Do I get to hold a gun?”

He made a face. “A gun? To fight fires?”

“Then no.”