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"He’s in with the wife and son of the ive an, but Logan didn’t reply She heard a dial tone and realized he’d already hung up

Jih glazed eyes when Sloan came and sat by his bed

"My dad is dead," he htened "He was such a jerk He was a bully He beatthat, though Once he figured I could be a football star Then he started telling , er a jerk I became, the better he liked me" He paused and tears welled up in his eyes "I knoas a jerk, but he was my dad"

"Yes, he was your dad and you should mourn him, Jimmy," Sloan said quietly He waited a minute and then leaned forward "Jimmy, who attacked you and yourready to leave I was going to help Heidi out at the stables And my one with her and she gets toshe gets to kind of be herself She watches all the stuff the actors do, she shops at all the vendors’ boothsshe has a beer at the saloon She doesn’t drink--that’s her big thing A beer at the saloon during Silverfest" Tears welled in his eyes again

Sloan put a hand on Jimmy’s and squeezed it "Can you tell me what happened today? If I can find the people who attacked you, I can find the people who killed your dad"

Ji I didn’t see anything at all Mothe door to leave and when I did a sheet caht like crazy But whoever it was" He stopped for a minute "There were two of theed e, le but they knockedI knew, I opened my eyes and I s It was horrible I couldn’tand I couldn’t ed to reach over and turn the car offand then I passed out again"

"Jirunted a few times," Jimmy said There was a touch of pride in his voice when he added, "I got him in the ribs He see I’uy had it all over h"

"What is it, Jimmy?"

"The other one was a woman, I think"

"What hter, too And I think she hurt the wouy when they were leaving Sounded like, ‘Bitch hurt me I’m not in on crap like this anymore’"

Sloan stood and set his card on the table next to Ji else, callto make it, isn’t she?" he asked

"Yeah, I think so You saved her life You saved both your lives when you nition"

At the door, Sloan found himself called back one uy My dad thought you were a puffed-up dick who’d spent too much time in Houston to be an Arizona lawht to say I had to be locked up And I’m lucky that you didn’t killto be fine, Ji to be just fine," Sloan assured him

He left Jih’s room She hadn’t co easily and all her vital signs were good

Sloan stepped in, anyway Zoe Hough was a pretty, blonde woman Her hair was always impeccable, her nails always yh would have expected his wife to be perfectly put together at all times

As he stood there, her eyes opened She blinked, and he kneas taking her a minute to realize where she was

"Sloan?" she said His naet you so her a cup from the plastic dispenser "Take it easy You’ve been out of it They’re feeding you fluids through that IV, but your mouth must be dry" He helped her take a sip of the water She lay back, gasping, eyes fluttering closed Then they opened again Her eyes were blue, usually a pretty color; tonight, they had a dullness about the to rise

"Jiht down the hall," Sloan told her "He’s a good kid, Zoe He got the car turned off Saved your lives"

"What about Caleb?" she asked

He took a deep breath, wondering how much she could handle at the hter, she’d always seeile woman

"Caleb was killed in the old mine shaft off the trail today," Sloan said

She didn’t act shocked Nor did tears spring to her eyes She stared at the ceiling, and then her gaze slid toto think I’m horrible, Sloan I just feelnu, he was confident He seemed to rule the world Then my life slowly became endless days of fear Fear that he wouldn’t like dinner, fear the house wouldn’t be clean enough, fear he wouldn’t like the clothes I’d bought for Jirow up so I could leave, you know? And then I was praying I’d have the nerve to get out of there"