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“What does that mean?”

“He’s at Watchdog. Sandra took him to get checked out, and apparently that turned into a bath and nail trim.”

Jodie blinked. “He’s getting a glow-up?”

From the corner, Kyle made a choking sound that might have been a laugh.

Mac’s grin turned into a full-fledged smile. “That’s what I was told.”

“Without me?”

“Yeah, no. You were unconscious.”

“That is no excuse.”

Ben stopped snoring long enough to mutter, “Dog smelled terrible,” and immediately started snoring again.

Jodie laughed. It hurt, but it was worth it.

Mac was still smiling when she looked at him again, but his eyes weren’t. The shadowed look had returned.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

His thumb stopped moving over the back of her hand, and his eyes shifted away from hers for half a second. He exhaled slowly and looked back at her.

“We got word from the sheriff’s office after you were brought in. The fire ran through Hank’s place.”

Jodie went cold beneath the hospital blankets. She swallowed against the raw ache in her throat. “How bad?”

“The barn’s gone and most of the outbuildings. House took some damage.” His voice stayed gentle, but he didn’t soften the truth. “Hank won’t know everything until they let him back in.”

Jodie closed her eyes. She pictured the sanctuary the way she knew it—the horses, the battered old buildings, the place Hank had built for animals and people who needed somewhere safe to land.

“But everybody got out? And the horses?”

“All safe.”

“I need to call him.”

“Not yet.” Mac lifted her hand and pressed his mouth to her knuckles. “You can call him when you’re better. He knows you’re here and he understands.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

Then she noticed a woman standing just outside the door, talking with Elias and Waylon. She wasn’t dressed like a doctor or nurse, so she didn’t think she was medical staff. She stopped talking and looked at Jodie, then held up her finger in a one-second gesture at the guys. She gave Jodie an anxious smile as she stepped inside the room.

“Ms. Jodie? I’m sorry to bother you. I’m Detective Kimberly Wyatt, one of the investigators working the incident. The doctor said I could speak with you briefly if you’re awake enough. Are you up for that?”

Mac’s hand tightened protectively around hers. She gave him a reassuring smile and turned back to the investigator.

“Yes. I’m up for it.”

Kyle and Ben were now fully awake, equally protective looks on their faces.

Wow. Down, boys.

“It’s okay,” she told them.

“We’re staying,” Kyle said, not a trace of a question in his tone.