“How is Ms.Shepherd?You know I think she was always sweet on you in high school.”
“Stop.”
“Alright, you can tell me later tonight when we see you for dinner.”
“Yes, ma’am.”There was no sense in arguing with the woman.She wasn’t only his grandmother, but ever since his parents died she’d been the closest thing he and his brothers had to a parent.She’d helped him raise his brothers, and he owed her a lot.If she wanted to see him, then he would be there.
“Let me know if you need anything from town, and I’ll find out about the roads.”
“You’re a good boy, Wesley.We’ll see you later.”
Before he could get a status report from the makeshift crew clearing the roads, which were really the trash collectors and city workers, his phone went off again.
Hey, I’m not sure you’d care but Shelby Shepherd just arrived at the hospital with her grandfather, and she’s pretty upset,a text from Dalton read.
He was a little surprised his brother would think to text him, while at the same time his stomach twisted in knots.He’d been pissed he didn’t get to say goodbye to Shelby properly that morning, not that he knew exactly what that would have looked like.After only really knowing her a few days and spending several hours kissing every inch of her body the situation was tricky.
Instead of texting Dalton back he just called him.
“Is she injured?”
“No, but she brought her grandfather in, then her brother showed up and now we’ve got the makings of a domestic disturbance.So I think it might help if you or another deputy swung by.”
“On my way.”He grabbed his keys and his coat and let the desk sergeant know he’d be at the hospital.His blood was pumping, and he couldn’t remember the last time he felt so worried on his way to a scene—even though he knew his brother, a former SEAL, was more than capable of keeping Shelby safe.The fact that he was feeling so compelled to protect her was an unwanted development.
As soon as he walked in he could hear raised voices and Nurse Nora, who manned the front-intake desk, pointed him toward the nurses’ lounge.“They’ve been arguing for ten minutes.”
He found Dalton standing in the doorway with his arms crossed as he watched Shelby face off with her older brother, Samuel.Her cheeks were flushed, and she had her finger pointed as she stepped closer to her much taller brother, but she was careful not to touch the man as he scowled at her.
“His hand was broken, he wasn’t taking his medication, and there wasn’t any food in his fridge.You call that looking after him?”Shelby accused.
“There was a blizzard, in case you forgot.But I was there today to check on him, just in time to catch you trying to schmooze the old man and take over.”
Shelby’s hands dropped to her sides in defeat, and Wes realized she was dressed in dirty winter overalls, old snow boots, and a proper high-end men’s winter coat.
“Unlike you, I don’t need to schmooze Pops for anything.He’s my grandfather.He called and asked me to come see him, so here I am.”
“Oh right, you don’t come home for years and now we’re supposed to believe you’re just here to visit with our grandfather.The same man who happens to be worth millions and is getting ready to name his successor?”
“Screw you, Samuel, you don’t care about him.All you care about is your inheritance.I don’t need a dime from the Shepherd estate.I’ve never made any claims on Pops’s business—I don’t know a thing about it.”
Samuel took a step closer to her and Wesley’s instinct to protect her fired up, causing him to step inside the room.
“Do we have a problem here?”he said, making his presence known.
Shelby’s head whipped over to see him and her wide brown eyes held a pain he couldn’t place, but he didn’t like it.
Samuel Shepherd was close to Wesley’s height, and his eyes squinted at him.“Oh isn’t this convenient—the man you shacked up with just happens to show up to help you convince Pops he’s being neglected.”
“His hand is broken, his home is dirty, and he’s lost too much weight.He is being neglected.But you know what?I’ll leave that for the medical staff here to decide.They’re required to report any suspected elder mistreatment.”
Samuel spun to face Shelby again and this time his pointed hand touched her, and Wesley saw red.Before Sam could say a word, Wesley had Samuel’s hand in a wrist lock and the man cursed.
“There is no need to put your hands on your sister, and you should really know better than to do that in front of me.Last time you put your hands on a woman that cost you more than a pretty penny and a few nights in jail.Remember that, Sam?”
“Get your hands off me.”
“Are you going to stop threatening your sister?”Wes said through gritted teeth.
