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“I’ve never actually hunted elk, I’ve never actually pulled a trigger and killed an elk And yet I scouted them for Gramps And the cosmic force above ht in Canada Boom! It was all over for the elk—and for me”

This was a peculiar rage she’d never heard froed Second…

“You told me that accident was not nearly as bad as the pictures in the papers and on the ‘net made it out to be A broken wrist, a cracked knee-cap Bu in”

“You would’ve been co in from New Zealand, Ciara”

“And you said that you’d be out of the hospital by the tiot to Canada You lied, didn’t you?”

He paced Shoved his hand through his hair

“How bad was it?” she implored “Because even your mother assured me it wasn’t horrific She said you told her not to visit as well You didn’t want anyone to visit, did you? Not because you’d ‘be out of town by then’ and onto your next game, but because you didn’t want anyone to kno bad it was Aht?”

“Of course you’re fucking right”

“Scout!” She threw off the blanket and“That’s a really crappy thing to do to people who care about you”

“That’s not exactly how I saw it I didn’t want anyone freaking out or worrying when I didn’t know for sure ere dealing with It was a head injury, Ciara The first twenty-four hours, I couldn’t see because of all the swelling I was assured that would change and I’d get ht back once the inflammation was under control But for twenty-four hours I was just—”

She gasped “You were blind?”

&nb

sp; He dragged a hand down his face He’d actually gone a bit pale “Yeah And it was scary as hell”

“Scout” Tears sprang to her eyes “Jesus That is precisely why I should have been there Why your family should have been there with you”

“You don’t get it, sweetheart” He stepped around her Resu “I’ve pretty much been on my own since I was a kid I deal with shit on my own as best as I can That’s who I am”