“Excuse me. I think something is wrong with your child.”

The girl held her finger up while she swallowed. “He’s my brother. I’m babysitting.”

I pointed. “Would you agree he’s not looking well?”

She peered past the guy next to her and wrinkled her nose. “I think he’s having a reaction to his allergies.”

“What?”

The teen dude glanced over as he popped a shrimp into his mouth.

“Well, he has a slight shellfish allergy, but I told him not to touch anything. He just breaks out in like a rash, no biggie.”

“What is wrong with you? It’s a seafood restaurant!”

She wrinkled her nose at the boy. “What should I do?”

I threw my hands in the air. “Uh, panic. Yes, now is the time to panic! Do you have an Epipen?”

“I don’t think so?—”

Daisy stood up. “You are the worst babysitter ever.”

She joined me and shook her head at the idiots as I flagged down the hostess.

“We need an Epipen! Do you have one?”

She dug through her little podium, held her hand in the air, and took off running toward me. I snatched it from her, sat by the boy, and used my medical expertise from Grey’s Anatomy. A quick breath before I stabbed the kid in the thigh, possibly saving his life.

Pride swelled inside me, well, until he slapped me across the face and screamed. I probably would’ve done the same if a stranger had just stabbed me in the thigh with a needle, but not even a thank you?

CHAPTER18

JAX

Four Hours Earlier

Iwalked out of the kitchen, chomping my omelet, searching for a way to get Madison alone for a minute before she and Daisy took off for their mani-pedis or whatever that shit was called.

Unless there was a she-shed freaking miracle, Madison would be on a plane in a few days, but I didn’t know how to let her go, and I sure as hell would do all I could to convince her to stay. I felt a beat of desperation that I wasn’t proud of creeping over me. Montana men don’t do desperate.

I looked inside the door, and the shoes she wore last night were lying on the floor. I reached in and grabbed them, whispering, “Grant, go say good morning to Firequacker. I’ll be there in a second.”

He spoke quietly, but his eyes were yelling at me. “But we need to get the she-shed donetodayto get her to stay.”

“I know?—”

“It’s our plan, Jax. We have to move speedy fast like Spiderman. It’s like the most important thing.”

I was feeling it too. “We’ll get it done. Just go check on the animals and I’ll be right there. I promise.”

“Okay.” Grant skipped to the barn. Mental note: teach the boy to stop skipping. You can’t help run a ranch and be skipping all over the place.

Once he was out of sight, I threw Madison’s shoes around the side of the house before sticking my head in the door.

“Madison, are your shoes out in the yard?”

“No, mine are by the door.” She walked over and popped her hands on those hips. “Weird.” She turned to Daisy. “I’ll be right back.”