Wild Girl (Wild Men Texas #3) - Melissa Belle

Chapter One

Logan

Buzzing.

Voices.

So many loud voices around me. I can’t make out who is who.

I’m drifting again.

Swirling.

I’m being lifted. Carried.

I try to open my eyes. My eyelids are too heavy. My thoughts are jumbling together.

Where’s Macey?

I need to see her.

And then I do see her.

At the ranch—just her and me in the barn. Macey turns toward me, and she’s so young. She’s a teenager. Her dark ponytail is high on her head, and she smiles at me with the most beautiful smile in the world.

The light is so bright. It burns my eyes and I fight to keep looking at her.

Macey beckons me closer to where she sits on top of a hay bale. Her whiskey eyes dance with pride as I hold up the painting I did of the two of us.

“This is for you,” I tell her.

She shakes her head. “It’s for you, Logan.”

I step closer to her so I can kiss her.

“Hey!” The word is slurred as my father yells from outside the barn. “Are you in here, Logan?”

“Quick!” I tell Macey. “Hide!”

The second she’s out of sight, my dad storms in.

And he’s angry. And drunk. Which means he’s going to be violent.

I try to hide the painting, but I’m not quick enough.

The pain from his strike—all I see is red.

Can’t be like him…can never be like him.

Have to find Macey…

Macey

I sit next to Luke and Brayden in silence as Luke drives us to the hospital. The three of us are in the front seat of Luke’s truck, and no one’s said a word since we watched Logan get carried into the back of the ambulance.

He never regained consciousness after he fell off Prince. I tried to get close to him, but the EMTs said they had to move quickly.

“This is the exit for the hospital,” I say as I point to the sign.

Luke puts on his signal, and we leave the highway.

“You okay?” Brayden asks me.

“I will be when Logan wakes up and he’s fine,” I say in a strained tone.

“He will,” Luke says, his voice rough. “Be fine.”

“I know.” I cross my arms over my chest.

He has to be.

Chapter Two

The hospital waiting room is chaos.

Logan’s parents arrive the same time we do, and Luke and Brayden go down the hall with them to find a doctor.

Logan’s brothers arrive five minutes after. All three of them are normally so laid-back, but today, their faces are creased with worry.

Blake rushes in right after them. His eyes find mine, and he crosses the room and wraps me up in a hug.

“He’ll be awake in no time,” he murmurs.

I relax into his warm embrace, allowing myself a few moments to breathe. I pull back at the sound of a familiar shriek.

Gigi’s just arrived with her parents. She and her mother are both hysterical.

“Oh, Macey!” Gigi grabs my hand. “Has Logan ever had an accident before?”

“Not like this,” I say honestly. “But his cousin, Luke, was a professional bronc rider, and he’s trying to talk to the doctor now.” I look into Gigi’s blue eyes and see genuine concern there. “Logan’s going to be fine, Gigi. I swear.”

I’m trying to convince myself as much as her.

Luke comes over to tell me Logan’s still unconscious. “They’re running all sorts of tests,” he says.

Mr. Wild has his arm around Logan’s mom, who’s crying.

“Your son is the toughest person I’ve ever known,” I say as I approach them. “He’s going to wake up.”

I take a deep breath and look toward the closed double doors leading to where Logan is.

Please wake up.

I go take a seat by myself in a corner seat.

And I wait.

Ginny and Dave race into the waiting room. Ginny hugs me tightly and says she dropped off my gun at The Cowherd. Mama calls me, asking for an update. She says she and Daddy are praying right now, and they’ll keep praying until Logan wakes up. Ben shows up with Riley and Freedom. They brought coffees and snacks for everyone.

I can’t touch any of it.

All I can do is sit in the corner of the waiting room and pray. For my best friend who I can’t imagine not being by my side.

A single tear slides down my cheek, and I wipe it away angrily.

I will not cry over Logan. Because Logan is going to be fine. He’s going to wake up.

Ginny sits down next to me and squeezes my hand. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through, Mace. But I do know this—being strong for Logan is the best thing you can do