The firefighter hurried away, and Shelby put a hand to her temple, fingering the lump that still oozed blood.
“It doesn’t even hurt,” she said, shivering as she looked at her bloodied fingers.
“Shock will do that to you. Here.” Ryder shrugged out of his jacket and draped it around her shoulders, his knuckles brushing the silky flesh beneath her jaw as he adjusted the collar.
She stilled, something flashed in the depth of her eyes. Fear? Anxiety? It was there and gone too quickly for him to read.
“Thanks. I’ve never been so cold in my life. I guess that’s another thing sho—” Her voice trailed off, her eyes widening as she caught sight of his side holster. “That’s a gun.”
“Right.”
“You’re carrying a weapon.”
“Right.”
“But…why?”
“I’m in the security business. I protect people and property.”
“You’re a bodyguard?”
“A security contractor.”
“Which is the same as a bodyguard.”
“If you want.”
“What I want is to go back to last night and insist that Maureen spend it at my place.”
“It would be nice if life had a do-over button, Shelby Ann, but it doesn’t.”
“I know. I just wish that I’d had a chance to save her.” She swayed, her face colorless. He slid an arm around her waist, motioning to the EMT who was making his way toward them.
“Ma’am, why don’t you sit down and let me have a look at your head?”
“I’m all right.”
“You’re bleeding, and you may have a concussion.” The EMT used gloved fingers to probe Shelby’s wound, and she stiffened.
“Ow!”
“Looks like you’re going to need a few stitches. The doctor may want to do a CAT scan to rule out any fractures or brain bleeds. Let’s get you transported to the hospital and see what’s what.”
“I really don’t need to go to the hospital,” Shelby protested.
“You really do,” Ryder responded, urging her onto a stretcher that had been wheeled over by two other EMTs.
“But—”
“Just relax, ma’am, and let us do all the work.” They rolled her away as she continued to protest.
Ryder figured he’d have a chat with the fire marshal and then find a place to buy some coffee, eat one of the protein bars that he kept in his glove compartment and get on with his day.
He scanned the mass of people fighting the blaze, searching for the one who might be in charge. A dog yapped from the bushes at the edge of the yard, but he ignored it, focusing on the task, determined to follow through on his plan.
“Wait! Stop!” Shelby’s cry sent adrenaline pumping through him, and he turned.
She hung over the side of the stretcher as she whistled and called to something. If she leaned any farther, she’d fall on her head. The EMTs seemed helpless to stop her.
Ryder was not.
He covered the ground between them quickly, grabbing her arm and hauling her up. “Are you nuts? You’re going to break your neck!”
“That’s Mazy. I’m sure of it.” She pointed to the edge of the yard.
“Mazy who?”
“Mazy. Maureen’s dog. She’s probably scared to death. Come here, Mazy. Here, girl,” she called, leaning over the side of the stretcher again.
“Cut it out before you kill yourself!” He grabbed her arm again. Hauled her up again.
“But—”
“I’ll go look for the dog. You stay put.” Disgusted, he tramped across the yard, following the sound of yapping dog until he found a little white puffball cowering in the bushes. It looked more like a piece of fluff than a dog, but he picked it up anyway, ignoring its rumbling growl.
“This her?” He held the puffball out for Shelby to see, and she teared up.
“Yes. Poor thing. She must be so scared and confused.”
“I’ll take her to the shelter. She’ll get good—”
“No! The other dogs will eat her alive.”
She had a point. To a bigger dog, Mazy would probably look like a tasty morsel. “I can leave her here. Maybe Maureen had family or friends who will come and get her.”
“You can’t leave her here. She’ll be—”
“Scared and confused?”
“Yes.” She offered a half smile. “Listen, I hate to ask, but could you bring her to the hospital? I’ll have someone meet us there and bring her to my place. That way, she won’t run off while she’s waiting for rescue.”
Bring the dog to the hospital?
He frowned at the little beast, and he was pretty sure it frowned back, but Shelby was waiting, her eyes big and dark with concern, and no refused to make its way past his lips.
“Okay, but if she chews the upholstery in my truck, she’s toast.”
“Mazy has good manners. She’ll behave.” Shelby smiled the same sweet smile she greeted him with every time he walked into her bakery, and his pulse jumped, his blood warming.
He’d dated plenty of beautiful women during his time in the navy. After his injury and recovery, he’d been more selective, dating just a few women before he’d found Danielle. Gorgeous, driven and strong in her faith, she’d been the kind of woman he’d thought he could make a good life with, but after two years of dating, the relationship had felt hollow, Danielle’s clawing, grasping need to get ahead putting a wedge between them.
He’d wanted a cozy home in the suburbs of New York City, a few kids, maybe a dog. She’d wanted a high-rise apartment in Manhattan, no kids, no pets. Nothing but work and money.
In the end, they hadn’t found a way to make their goals mesh.
When he’d broken up with her, he hadn’t bothered looking for another relationship. Ryder had had plenty of opportunity to find The One. But he hadn’t, and he figured she wasn’t out there.
But Shelby appealed to him, everything about her soft and warm and inviting. No matter how much he’d tried to ignore her, he couldn’t. Four months of visiting her bakery, and he was no closer to understanding
