“We fell asleep in the stall, and when I woke up, you were burning up with a fever and unresponsive. I got you back here, and Mildred and I have been watching out for you. It wasn’t until Clayton called Gwen to explain what was going on that she told us what to do.”
My brows dipped, my thoughts twisting in turmoil. It was like he wasn’t making any sense.
“I don’t understand.”
“You remember the robber, right?” he asked.
I nodded.
“I didn’t know anything about your crystal until Gwen asked if you still had your necklace. When I checked, you didn’t. The robber took your crystal.” He pressed a tender kiss to my lips.
“I need my crystal. It helps keep my energy grounded.”
“That’s an understatement, child,” Mildred said from across the room. “We thought you’d been possessed when we got you here. There were mirrors breaking and glasses too. We didn’t know what the hell was going on.”
“If my tapped energy isn’t controlled, the vibration has been known to give me a fever and break things nearby.” It had only happened once before. Once I’d almost died. Once had been enough to learn that lesson.
“Your sister told me any crystal would help you, so that’s why you’ve got the crystal from the chandelier hanging from your neck. Sorry about the fishing line. It was all we had from when Nathan used to make his momma those sweet necklaces.”
I reached for the crystal and held it up. A smile split my lips. “I should start carrying more than one in the event that ever happens again.”
“I should say so,” Mildred answered as Nathan stared down at me.
I tried to sit up, and Nathan helped. “How long have I been out?”
“Two days.” He held the glass of water to my lips. “Clayton has been giving your sister updates. She threatened to bring all of your sisters here if you weren’t awake in the next six hours.”
“That’s a scary thought.”
He sat down on the bed beside me and leaned in to kiss me again. His gaze was soft, his hold strong.
“Let that girl breathe, Nathan.”
Nathan pulled away but held my gaze. “I made a police report. They’re looking for our robber, and I also had to call it into the FBI since he took the heist evidence. I’ll probably be reprimanded for that.”
“I’m sorry, Nathan,” I whispered. “Let me get dressed, and we’ll go search for him.”
“You aren’t going anywhere, child,” Mildred announced. “I’m going to make you a sandwich and some soup. When you can keep that down, and your fever is one hundred percent gone, then you can think about going out and about.”
“But…”
“She’s right,” Nathan added. “Regain your strength first.”
An hour later, I was sitting on the porch with Nathan’s grandfather and Clayton. He’d given a slight nod as I took a seat, as if to welcome me back to the land of the living without spending any precious words.
A late afternoon breeze caressed my face as Amanda ran out to the barn where her horse was corralled. The workers at the first oil rig were in the distance, taking a break and sitting in the shade while other machinery men had started to stabilize the digging equipment in another area on the property.
“That didn’t take long to get the equipment.”
“Feel free to tell me the lottery numbers or where diamonds are hidden,” Clayton said, jostling my arm. We slowly rocked on the swing as if this was exactly where we belonged.
“I’ll be sure to let you know.”
“So.” Clayton clapped his hands. “You didn’t have any luck with the money, and you were robbed, so when are we blowing this joint?”
I shrugged, unsure how to answer. I wasn’t in any hurry to go back, not with the niggling feeling that this wasn’t quite over. “You don’t have to stay and babysit me. I’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, like when I left you alone for a minute, and you not only got robbed but developed a life-threatening fever? You mean, fine like that?”
