Shadow Bones by Colleen Rhoads

to see they’d been at the coffee shop over an hour and a half. “Baxter.”
    â€œJake, you’d better get to the hospital.” Becca’s voice sounded strained. “Someone attacked Wynne out at the site.”
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    Skye drove at breakneck speed to town. She’d had a funny feeling about leaving Wynne at the site by herself. She should have listened to her intuition. This was all her fault. When would she learn not to involve other people in her problems?
    â€œI’m sorry, Jake,” she said. “I shouldn’t have dragged you away from the site.”
    â€œDon’t blame yourself,” he said. “I knew better than to leave her alone. I shouldn’t have left until some help got there. Your cousin found her. If we’d just waited a little while, this wouldn’t have happened. I was all set on playing the hero and didn’t use good sense.”
    He sounded grim. Skye bit her lip. “Did Becca say how badly Wynne was hurt?”
    â€œA broken leg for sure. She’s still with the doctor.”
    Skye winced. “She won’t be much help on the dig. Would you let me take her place? You’re going to need someone.”
    â€œI’m not sure I want you anywhere around,” he said. “You might be bad luck. Everywhere you go, trouble seems to follow.”
    Skye didn’t blame him, but his words still stung. Her eyes burned, and she stared straight ahead.
    â€œHey, I was just joking.” Jake touched her arm. “You can help if you have time. I’d be glad for the company at least.”
    He obviously didn’t think her much help and was trying to placate her. She didn’t reply. Maybe his joke was closer to the truth than he knew. Could God be tryingto tell her not to pursue any friendship with Jake? Sparks seemed to fly whenever the two of them met and someone got hurt. That couldn’t be good.
    â€œIt could have been Tallulah,” she said. “Maybe we made her mad today. We were gone for over an hour and a half. That’s plenty of time for her to have attacked Wynne.”
    Jake shook his head. “I’m more inclined to believe it’s Cameron.”
    She pulled into the hospital parking lot and parked in the outpatient section. Jake was out of the truck almost before she had it stopped. He took off at a dead run toward the emergency room entrance.
    Skye ran after him. She’d been praying for Wynne the whole time she’d been driving. If Wynne was seriously injured, Skye would never forgive herself.
    The Baxter family was gathered in the waiting room. Becca stood in the circle of her husband Max’s arms. Gram sat on a love seat, and Jake’s cousin Tate paced the floor. Skye didn’t see Molly, Max’s young daughter.
    â€œJake!” Becca flew into her brother’s embrace.
    He soothed her and led her to a sofa beside their grandmother. “What happened?”
    Becca was still sobbing softly, so Max answered. “She was working when someone jumped her from above. Her leg broke from the guy’s weight.”
    â€œDid she get a look at him?”
    Max shrugged, his anxious gaze on his wife. “The guy had a nylon stocking over his face. She said it happened too fast to get more than an impression that it was a man. Once her leg broke, she passed out from the pain.”
    â€œAny other injuries?” Skye put in. When everyone’s gaze turned to her, she wished she’d kept her mouth shut. Maybe they all blamed her.
    â€œCuts and bruises. But the break is a bad one. They’ve taken her to surgery,” Gram said. She leaned over from her place on the love seat. “Sit here by me, Skye dear. You look distraught.”
    Skye allowed the older woman to pull her down onto the love seat. “I like Wynne,” she said. “I shouldn’t have involved Jake in my problems.”
    â€œNonsense,” Gram said. “Jake is a good one to turn to