She wanted to go to Sundance and apologize for putting him in a bad position after everything he’d done for her, but she couldn’t find the words to make it right. This was one of those things that ate at you like a flesh-devouring disease. It would sit between them, destroying the love that had sprung and flourished under the most adverse circumstances.
She dropped her face on to her hands, sobbing as reality hit her hard.
Chad Brown had taken so much from her, more than her body, or her dignity…he’d taken her soul mate.
Sundance tried to go about his day—he was damn sure busy enough with all the follow-up that came with the case—but Iris’s shadow followed him. Maybe what Mya had said had seeped into his brain but it was becoming more difficult to stay away. He told himself he was just honoring Iris’s wishes but that was a bunch of beaver crap and he was man enough to admit it.
He was staying away because he was afraid.
He was afraid of seeing Iris differently, of never being able to wash away the stain of that day from his mind. Of seeing her condemnation for not realizing the true menace had been right in front of him the whole time. That burned. He felt like a fool but worse, he felt like he’d let everyone down.
But after three weeks of dodging Iris at the clinic and pushing away any thought that drew him to her, he was finished with lying to himself. It simply wasn’t working. She was a part of him. At night, he reached for her in his sleep, awakening abruptly when he found himself alone in the bed; when he drove past her house, he strained to see if her Bronco was parked outside; he stared at his cell phone hoping she would call.
And frankly, he was over it. Like Mya said, he needed to handle this situation and either make a clean cut or make amends because he couldn’t live in this hellish limbo.
It was late and Iris was likely home in bed. He went straight there, not giving himself a chance to change his mind.
But as he pulled into her driveway, his heart contracted painfully when he saw the house dark and her Bronco gone.
Obviously, she’d made plans and they didn’t involve him—a fact that he hated. Throwing his Durango into Reverse, he decided to go home. Maybe things would look better in the morning. Hell, maybe he just needed some damn sleep.
But when he finally pulled into his own driveway he was stunned to see Iris’s Bronco in the pale moonlight. He bounded to the front door and let himself in. Saaski, asleep by the woodstove, perked up at the sound of someone entering but settled once again when he recognized Sundance’s scent.
The house was dark except for a small bedside lamp in his bedroom, that threw off weak light.
He found Iris curled in his bed and tears of relief sprung to his eyes. In that bed was the woman of his dreams and if she’d give him the chance he’d gladly spend the rest of his life showing her the depth of his love and affection. He ground the tears from his eyes and walked toward the bed, feeling as if he’d just been given the keys to the promised land after a long journey.
Iris had fallen asleep waiting for Sundance. She’d made the decision to go to him, to perhaps figure this thing out between them, to see if anything was salvageable but when he hadn’t come home, she’d simply drifted off with the soothing comfort of Sundance’s scent all around her.
She awoke to find Sundance coming toward her, pulling his shirt off as he went. They held each other’s gaze for a long moment, both drinking in the sight of one another.
“I went to your house looking for you,” he said, achingly broken.
“I came here looking for you,” she whispered. She realized, her heart spasming hard, that the shine in his eyes was from tears and she reached out to him. He didn’t hesitate and went straight into her arms. They held each other tightly as she rained soft kisses against his face. “I’m so sorry for what I said. Can you ever forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” he said roughly, pressing her against him, burying his nose in her neck. “It’s me who needs your forgiveness. I should’ve figured out that it was Chad. I should’ve seen the clues…I put you in danger—”
She shushed him with the urgent press of her mouth against his. “Stop that. You couldn’t have known. You did the best you could. Don’t take that on. You don’t deserve it. I was wrong to expect you to look the other way while Saaski killed the miserable SOB. I’m so sorry for putting you in that position. I wasn’t thinking straight and you were right. Watching him die would’ve stained my soul worse than anything he’d already done to me. Thank you for protecting me from myself during my worst hour. I love you for it and so much more.”
He stared into her eyes and she saw love shining back at her. “In your chest beats the heart of a warrior. It’s what I love about you. Never change. Your strength is beautiful to me.”
“As is yours to me,” she said, tears spilling from her eyes as they clutched one another, afraid to let go, hating the time they’d wasted. Her soul cried out to his and finally, lying chest to chest, sharing each other’s warmth, she felt an answering joy that washed over the ugliness they’d been through, painting everything in hues of light and happiness.
She was grateful for his intervention because he’d been right in that she wouldn’t have wanted Chad’s blood on her conscience. Now he would face a trial and she’d gladly testify to send him away to rot.
It was odd to hear the details unfold as more evidence piled up against Chad Brown. In addition to murdering Brett, every reservation he’d worked for under the auspices of the BIA had unsolved rape cases perpetrated by him. The man had cleverly inserted himself within positions of authority, all the while ingratiating himself to the tribes so no one ever suspected him of his crimes. Last she heard, Chad was trying to broker a deal for a more lenient sentence in exchange for previously unknown cases. So far the number of victims was in the high thirties. Privately, Iris drew comfort in the memory of Saaski taking Chad down. For all the pain that man had inflicted on others, losing an arm hardly seemed adequate compensation. But she’d take what she could get.
Iris settled into a contented drowsy state and before she drifted back to sleep, she sighed with happiness.
This was heaven—and she and Sundance had earned their place in it.
Epilogue
Iris sat, tense and holding her breath, gripping Sundance’s hand tightly enough to elicit a wince on his part, as the judge returned from her quarters to deliver her judgment on Saaski’s fate.
The judge, a woman in her late-sixties and something of a curmudgeon in judicial circles, glanced in the direction of Paul Brown and his high-price attorney and then in the direction of Iris and Sundance with their attorney before saying in a voice that brooked no argument, “In light of the overwhelming evidence, I dismiss this case on the grounds that the dog was on private property and reacting to a significant threat to Ms. Beaudoin.” She looked to the bailiff. “See to it that the dog is returned immediately to his owner.”
Paul Brown shot up, in spite of his attorney’s urging to remain silent and shouted, “That dog nearly killed my son. He tore his arm off. He’s a menace and a threat to society—”
“The only threat is your son,” the judge interrupted coolly, her eyes flashing. “The dog reacted appropriately. Case dismissed. Now get out of my courtroom. You’ve wasted my time with this case.”
Paul Brown’s fleshy lip trembled and in the weeks since Iris had seen him last, he looked like an old man. Iris felt sorry for him. He’d had no idea he’d raised a monster. But that was his problem.
She smiled up at Sundance, who shared her relief. “Shall we go liberate Saaski?” he asked, returning her smile.
“Yes,” she answered joyfully. “I can’t wait to see him again. It hasn’t been the same without him.”
They drove to the animal shelter where Saaski had been quarantined, and after Sundance handled the paperwork, the shelter attendant brought an exuberant Saaski from the kennels.
Iris teared up and she laughed with joy as her dog bounded stra
ight to her. She gathered the dog in her arms, giggling as he laved her face with doggy kisses and communicated how much he missed her during his incarceration. She fished in her pocket for a doggie treat and gleefully gave it to him. “What a good boy,” she crooned, rising with the leash in her hand.
She caught Sundance’s amusement sparkling in his eyes. “I think I’ve found my competition,” he teased. “I’m not sure there’s ever a way you’ll love me as much as you love Saaski.”
Iris laughed openly, hooking her arm through his as they went to the Durango. She peered up at him with adoration and love in her heart, knowing she’d never love anyone the way she loved Sundance. He owned a piece of her soul and that was the plain truth of it.
But it was good to keep a man on his toes.
“We’ll see.” She gave him a coy smile. “Let’s go home.”
Home. Together. As it should be.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0828-5
SWORN TO PROTECT
Copyright © 2011 by Kimberly Sheetz
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†Native Country
*Home in Emmett’s Mill
**Mama Jo’s Boys
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