by Mary Winter
“Of course.” She fell into step behind the deputies, and found Bull talking to Caid and Logan. She glanced at the fence. “The hot wire should be enough.”
“Shelby, you know Jenny won’t let me come home until your fence is fully repaired. Don’t worry. I brought more than enough. This is a simple fix.” He clamped his hand on her shoulder, and she caught the warning glance Bull gave him. “I’m glad the situation is worked out. Jenny worried.”
“Me too.” Except she didn’t think things were over. Not by a long shot.
Chapter 7
Shelby sat on the couch, her legs stretched out on an ottoman and her laptop balanced on a small bamboo table. “I don’t like this,” she told Bull, who was cooking bacon and eggs in the kitchen. They’d returned from the station an hour ago and after she’d showered and changed, she’d forced Bull to sit still long enough for her to put some peroxide on his scratch. It didn’t even need a bandage, but it made her feel better.
“What don’t you like?” Bull slid the bacon onto a plate lined with paper towels. When he said he’d make them something to eat, she hadn’t anticipated breakfast for supper, but it worked for her.
“I’m seeing a long list of charges for the Kordeen family when I looked them up. Turns out both parents have been in jail for drugs, mostly meth. The obvious reason why the boys would be taking the cattle would be for food. But they’re too skinny, and I don’t see either one of them being able to butcher the cow alone. So did they sell them? Who would buy a branded cow from two kids? None of this is adding up very well.”
She set the table with her laptop aside and went to the dining room. She quickly set the table, just in time for Bull to bring the bacon over and set it down. He returned to the kitchen and in a few moments had four eggs fried, two for each of them. He added them to the plate, grabbed the toast that had just popped up, and then sat down.
“This looks great.” Shelby added a few slices of crispy bacon. She usually didn’t cook breakfast since she could eat it at the café, but Bull had brought some food with him, and apparently he loved his bacon. She dove in, the eggs perfectly cooked, with the yolks runny enough to be mopped up with some buttered toast.
“I agree with you.” He took a bite of a piece of toast with an egg and some slices of bacon on it. He polished it off, then wiped his lips.
For a moment she thought about leaning across the table and kissing the delicious goodness off his lips. Instead, the moment passed and she lost her opportunity.
“The kids couldn’t have thought of this on their own. I’m going to go back to the station and watch the questioning of Kordyn as soon as I’m done eating. You’re welcome to come with.”
She nodded. “I’d like that. Do we know what’s going to happen to Kaden? Is he going to go back to his parents?”
Bull shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably depends on what the situation is with all of them.”
She agreed, though she didn’t like the answer. Poor kid needed a meal and someone to care for him. A part of her wished she could be that person.
Bull sat behind the one-way mirror, watching the interrogation, wishing like hell Shelby wasn’t here to witness it. When Kaden’s parents marched in, yelling about keeping their children and harassment, she winced. When the mother, whose name he gathered was Trinity, came in and saw Kaden he thought there was going to be one of those sweet maternal moments. Instead, her eyes widened.
“Kaden Costner Kordeen, what in the hell are you doing getting your brother into trouble? Telling these nice men stories about not having supper last night.” She shook with anger and had they not been in the police station, he fully expected her to hit him. He stiffened. Memories of another mother, a younger brother looking at him with pleading eyes, threatened to swamp him. Damn it, he’d enlisted to get away from that life.
Shelby reached over and cupped his hand. He squeezed her fingers like the lifeline they were. The boy’s suddenly cowed manner and the way he flinched when his mom reached for him were hallmarks of an abused kid. Damn it, they had to do something to get Kaden out of there. Kordyn most likely was already lost, though perhaps someone in a program somewhere could reach him. He didn’t know, but if the kid was pulling knives at his age…well, that was going to take a special kind of help.
He willed the deputy to do something. They were good men. They’d had training. Surely they read the signs as well as he could. Instead, the man led mother and son from the room, then opened the door to where they sat.
“We’ve called CPS,” he said, as if anticipating a question. “That’s all we can do in a case like this. They have to follow up. You sure you don’t want to charge the young man with anything?”
Shelby shook her head. “Unless he’s a good actor, then no, he didn’t want to go along with his brother. I don’t think a criminal record, even if it does get expunged when he’s eighteen, is going to help him at all right now.”
The officer nodded. “I’d agree with that. Okay. We’re going to bring Kordyn in now.”
Bull nodded. A few moments later the older boy entered the room, a clearly different picture from his younger brother. Defiant and angry, he kept his head lifted, his eyes looking at the officers with a “you wouldn’t dare” look. When he was handcuffed to the table he flinched, but then a harried-looking woman in a suit entered—the public defender. He scowled at her.
The officer sat down. “Are we ready to proceed?”
Kordyn opened his mouth, but the public defender touched his arm and shook her head. “We are, sir. My client will be cooperative.” He saw the woman glance at the boy as if to dare him to not cooperate, and Bull wondered if some sort of plea deal had been reached. As the questions turned more toward who had purchased the cattle and where they’d gone, it became clear that the thefts weren’t to put food on the table, at least not in the traditional way of butchering cattle and sticking them in the freezer. Instead, Kordyn had transferred the cattle to another man. He only knew the name “Big Dog” and that the guy met him at his house with a trailer. He never kept the animal more than an hour or two before turning it over.
The questioning wound down; Bull realized the kid really had no idea, and they’d have to go after this “Big Dog”. He thought he’d check and see what Hank knew about the guy.
Kordyn was led away. To where, Bull didn’t know, but he intended to find out—for Shelby’s sake. A few moments later the deputy opened the door to their small room. “We probably have enough to get a warrant for Big Dog’s place. I’m pretty sure we know who this kid is talking about. He fancies himself a player, but doesn’t want to get his hands dirty. He’s not in our county, so we’ll have to pass this one along, but I think it’s safe to say your cattle issues are resolved.”
“I think so too,” Bull replied.
Shelby nodded, and Bull could tell she was still thinking about the younger boy. They left, stopped by the café, and had a meal. He supposed his work was done now. He’d check in with Hank later. The idea of leaving didn’t sit well with him. He felt as if he’d barely scratched the surface of this woman, wanted to know more about her. She remained quiet through the meal and the drive home. “I’m going to go rest.” Reaching up, she brushed her fingers along his jaw, then turned and went to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. The pull to follow drove him to take a few steps forward before he realized he didn’t have that kind of sway in her life. If she wanted to be left alone, he’d honor the lady’s wishes. Besides, he had phone calls to make.
Shelby’s gut twisted in a mess of helplessness over Kaden’s situation and remorse at Bull’s leaving. The one man she wanted to get to know better, the one man she’d let in her life since what happened to her, and the issue of her cattle thefts was over. He’d be moving on. She’d heard him on the phone and though she tried not to eavesdrop, it sounded as if he were talking to Hank.
She didn’t want him to leave.
Since her ordeal, he was the first man she’d wanted close to her
. Not that she felt unsafe with Caid or Logan, but they were occasional visitors. They left with Jenny and Ericka. She could handle that. Just like she handled the cook at work, her boss, and the few other men she had in her life, even if on a very limited basis.
Bull, Greer, was different. In his arms, she’d found a peace and a safety she hadn’t known in a good long while. Frankly, she didn’t want it to end, and yet she wasn’t sure what to say to make him stay. He’d have other assignments, other places that the Brotherhood Protectors would send him. Though when they were over, he’d come back to her…if he stayed.
She rubbed the bridge of her nose. Suddenly she couldn’t rest. Not with these thoughts racing through her mind. Her body ached for his touch. If he were going to leave, the last thing she wanted to do was spend their remaining time together holed up pouting in her bedroom. Not when she could be loving him just one more time.
She stepped out of her room and saw him sitting at the dining room table, his laptop open in front of him, his cell held to his ear. She ducked into the bathroom, freshened up, and then went to him.
He set the phone down, sighed, and closed the lid of his laptop.
“Everything okay?” She rested her hands on his shoulders.
He jumped, and belatedly she realized that not only had she startled him, but also he may have had some aftereffects from his time deployed.
“Crap. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” She lifted her hands.
He reached up and caught a wrist, bringing her palm back to his broad shoulder. “Nah, I’m the one who’s sorry. I startle easily.”
“I think we both do. I get it.” She kissed the top of his head, a tender gesture that rocked her to her core. “What’s going to happen now?”
“I’ve spoken with Hank. He’d like me to stay a bit longer. Apparently Kordyn is out on probation or something and though Hank couldn’t get much from the local authorities, he thinks that he might try to come back.”
The air whooshed from Shelby’s lungs. The prospect of the teen returning didn’t scare her; the potential encounter and struggle did. He’d drawn a knife on Bull once. What if he came back with a gun? Or worse? “I admit that I really wasn’t quite ready for you to leave yet. I do wish it were under better circumstances.”
He shifted, turning his chair so he faced her. After wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her into his lap. “So you want me to stay?” He leaned forward, then captured her lips in a kiss that left her heartstrings tugged and her body aroused.
“Maybe,” she replied, bantering in response to his teasing grin. “I could think of a few things that you could help me with.” She leaned forward, brushing her breasts against his chest, and tangled her fingers in his hair. “Like get things down off the top shelf,” she whispered in his ear. “Or open jar lids.” She licked his earlobe.
He shuddered, but didn’t make a sound.
She drew the lobe between her teeth and sucked. His fingers skimmed her ribs, brushing the sides of her breasts. She rocked against him, then nibbled along his jaw line, until she pressed a hard kiss to his lips.
When she pulled back, she noticed both of them were breathing heavily. “I have to admit this is all kind of new and scary.”
He nodded. “In my line of work we jump and hope we hit the landing.” He kissed her forehead. “This kind of feels like that too.”
Her heartbeat sped. She didn’t like the sound of that. Even before, she’d liked things orderly, planned out, down to the last detail. Nothing except a need to help people took her with her degrees into DHS. What she’d experienced there only reinforced her need. “I don’t think that’s good, is it?”
Bull stiffened. “What do you mean? Isn’t love supposed to be like that? Out of control? Wild? Crazy? I’ve never been in love before, so I don’t know, but this sure feels like that.”
Shelby leaned away from him, taken aback by his words. “You’re in love with me?” She scurried off his lap. “We didn’t talk about that, Bull. We didn’t mention—”
He stood and followed her with a few large steps, the motion halting her speech. “I don’t know. I can tell you that I spoke with Hank about my next assignment, something closer to home. I don’t want to jet across the country or around the world if it means being away from you. I wanted you from the very moment I stepped into the café and saw you.”
“Wanting isn’t love, Greer.” She licked her lips and tried to think of a way to explain this to him. “I don’t want you to leave either. I like you. A lot. But we’ve known each other a short amount of time. It’s way too soon to call it love.”
He shook his head. “Sometimes you know,” he replied, then turned. “I’ll clean up and then I think I’ll patrol for a while.”
Chapter 8
With Bull patrolling, the house seemed emptier than usual. Shelby tried to tell herself she was just being foolish; she’d lived alone for years in this house. Until tonight, until his absence, she hadn’t felt lonely. Instead, she’d been peaceful. Serene. Happy to be away from the hustle and bustle of town. Even Eagle Rock, which wasn’t a big city by far, seemed like too many people in too close of a space when she went into town from groceries or to run errands.
Her past roared back to life, haunting her with the fact that even now, years after the incident, she believed if she’d planned more, if she had made more calculations, perhaps—
Tears long denied spilled from her eyes. She’d talked to a therapist. She’d done everything her department and protocols demanded, so why in the hell was she still hurt by this so many years later? The tears turned into sobs, which became wails. Rolling into her side, she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Would her failings be the reason that Bull left? Would she lose one of the damn good chances she’d had in a long time at love because she was still broken?
She hiccupped and struggled to breathe. Still the tears came. With Bull in the fields, she didn’t need to worry about him coming back and finding her like this. Instead of shoving the tears away as she’d done before, she let them fall. Maybe this was what she needed. Maybe this would be the thing that finally healed her.
When she awakened, the quilt that usually rested on the back of the couch was pulled up over her shoulders, a fresh box of tissues, a bottle of aspirin, and a big glass of water sat on the coffee table. She blinked, realizing it was barely light. How long had she slept? She automatically reached for her phone to see what time it is, but she’d left it in her bedroom.
“Hey,” Bull’s soft voice drifted to her and when she looked up, she saw him sitting in the chair next to the couch. “You okay?”
She licked her dry lips and reached for the glass of water. Thinking better, she grabbed the bottle of aspirin and downed two of them with a large gulp of water. She blew her nose, took several deep breaths, and nodded. “Yeah. How long you been there? What time is it?”
Bull pulled his cell from its holster. “A bit before five am. A few hours. I got back after midnight, found you there. I would have taken you to your bed, but you were sleeping pretty hard. I won’t ask if everything is okay, so I’ll ask if you want to talk about it.”
She nibbled on her lip, asking herself that question. Did she want to talk about it? She drew a shuddering breath. Yeah, she did. Because she had the feeling if she didn’t voice the emotions bubbling deep inside her, she’d lose him.
Before she could open her mouth someone pounded on the door—hard.
“I’ll—” Shelby started to rise.
“Let me get it.” Bull was already crossing the living room. He paused, shoulder to the door, though there was no way he could have been seen by anyone, and peered through the window. “It’s Kaden.”
She nodded, thinking whatever had driven the young man here, it had to be bad.
He cracked open the door.
“Is the lady here, sir?”
Bull glanced to Shelby. She nodded.
“Yes.”
“Yo
u got to leave. She’s in danger. Kordyn said she fuc—pardon me, sir—ruined everything and he was going to take care of it. I think he’s coming here to kill her.” His voice rose.
Bull glanced at her and she motioned for him to bring to the boy inside.
“Come in if you want. I think you have some things to tell us.”
“If he finds me here,” Kaden audibly gulped, “I’m dead!”
“You’re safe here. Come in if you want.” He moved out of the way enough for Kaden to enter.
As soon as he saw Shelby, his tears intensified. “I’m so sorry. So sorry. I didn’t know. I didn’t think he’d do anything like this. I…” Whatever else he was going to say was muffled by the loud blowing of his nose into a dirty handkerchief he pulled from his pocket.
“Come here.” Shelby motioned for the spot next to her on the couch. She offered him the box of tissues, and he took several. “Would you mind getting him a glass of water? As well as topping off my own? I think this may take a while.” She held up her own, and he took it for a refill. A few moments later, he returned, set the glasses of water down before them, and took his seat in the chair.
Kaden grabbed the glass and took a big drink, then blew his nose again. “Kordyn came home. I don’t know where he was. Honest. He said Big Dog was pissed. I’m sorry, ma’am, that’s what he said.”
Shelby smiled. “It’s okay.”
“He said that Big Dog was coming here personally to take care of things and it had to happen tonight, before the cops took any more of his profit.” Kaden breathed deeply for several moments. “He said--” His voice broke. “He said that once they finished with you, then it’d be my turn.”
While he’d been talking, Shelby noticed a darker shade along his jaw. At first, she thought it might be dirt, but the more he spoke, and now with this information, she realized they were bruises. “Did he hit you?”