Page 38 of Drive Me Wilde

Zander whistles loudly to stop the action. Everyone looks up through swollen eyes and bleary gazes. "This is done. I suggest you carry this dead whale out of the bar. Maybe drop him in the ocean, so the sharks can finish him off."

Kettle is groaning and trying to sit up. His buddies help him to his feet and lead him out of the bar. Some of the patrons who stuck around, Indi and Kinsley included, step cautiously back inside. Zach is nursing a bloody lip. Indi grabs a napkin from the bar and hands it to him. I'm still pressing my arm against me. My shirt is warm from blood.

I walk over to Harry. He's got his elbows resting on the bar, and his face is in his hands. "Harry, hey, Harry. You send me the bill, right?" I say. "I'll take care of all of it, and get your electricity brought up to code, too. That old wiring is going to start a fire."

Harry looks up and stares at me. "Jameson? How are you going to pay for all this?" He shakes his head. "I've been thinking of selling, and maybe it's time."

"Send me the bill. I'll cover it all, and if you want to sell afterward, we'll talk."

I turn around and find Indi standing behind me. The color hasn't returned to her cheeks. Her gaze drops to the arm pressed against my black shirt. "Is that blood?" she asks weakly.

"Maybe you should sit down," I say.

"No, I'm fine. We need to get you to the emergency room." She glances around. "Zander, he needs a doctor."

Zander is picking up broken furniture and piling it in a corner. "Yep, I've got the truck. I'll meet you two out there."

Zach comes over, wincing as he presses the napkin against his cut lip. He's looking for more sympathy from the beautiful nurse.

"Zander can take me, Indi," I say. "It's fine. Probably just a few stitches."

"I'm coming with you," she says.

"James is right. Zander can take him. Did you see the way Zander took out that big wall of blubber? Classic. Let Zander take him," Zach repeats.

Indi shakes her head. "Nope. Go put some ice on that lip, Zach. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Zach's brows deepen into a scowl. He's pissed. "Yeah, all right." He stomps away.

Indi pushes a strand of hair off my forehead. She has no idea how much it stuns the hell out of me. "You took care of me the other night, so it's my turn to return the favor. I'll hold your hand through the whole thing," she teases. "I'm just going to be looking in the entirely opposite direction, like I do when I get blood drawn." She wraps her hands around my good arm andleads me toward the door. "By the way, thanks for coming to my rescue tonight."

"Anytime, Jones."

sixteen

. . .

Jameson

My head is throbbing from the blows to my face, and the harsh hospital lights aren't helping. In the end, we decided that Zander needed to drive the twins home. Colin took a hard hit to the chin and bit his tongue badly, and Ronan, well, he was still ready to fight anyone who looked at him wrong, so Zander gave him a few shots of whiskey to calm him down and then he drove them back to the ranch. Nate's band stayed to help clean up. Indi drove me to the ER in Zander's truck.

I must have taken more of a blow than I realized because I was sitting right next to Indiana Nash, the woman of my dreams, but I managed to doze off. My head is resting against her shoulder when they call my name.

"Jameson Wilde," the orderly calls. The waiting room is packed.

"Uh yeah, that's me." It takes me a second to get my bearings.

Indi stands too.

"It's all right," I tell her. "Not my first stitches rodeo."

She lifts her chin. "Nope, that cut is partially my fault. Besides, I owe you."

I look at her. We've had a helluva night, but she still looks like an angel that dropped from heaven to spread her magic on earth."You don't owe me, Jones. Just knowing you hate me a little less is all I need to hear and we're even."

Her bottom lip quivers. "I don't hate you, Jameson." She wraps her hand around my good arm, and we follow the orderly into the room.

"You were very brave." Indi looks over at me and winks. "Might have to buy you an ice cream tomorrow."

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