Porter sighed, his boot dragging over the dusty concrete.‘I was supposed to watch over my boss’s wife, instead she got kidnapped on my watch.’
‘No way.’Amara’s eyes widened.‘Is she okay?’
‘Not at the time, no.When Marcus found her, Wren was a mess.It took her months to recover, and I still can’t face her without feeling full of guilt.I was lucky Marcus didn’t fire me… Not my finest moment.’Dragging off his police cap, he raked a hand through his hair, then it put back on.
‘What did your boss do?Demote you?’
‘No.Marcus promoted me.’He chuckled.
‘He what?’Did she hear that right?
‘Marcus dropped me in the deep end and made me run the station for months while he went on an extended honeymoon.’
‘No other officer—’
‘No senior would bother to come out here.We’re only allocated a certain amount of resources, and then we’re mostly forgotten.It was only when I sat in Marcus’s chair, the responsibility of the job hit me, and I knew I was mucking it up.’
Which made Porter a lot smarter than she’d realised.Even if she’d tried to resist it, the respect was building for the slacker who had a knack for bending the rules.
‘So that’s why you did the detective’s exam and decided to work on this cold case.’She waved her hand at the empty shed on the deserted cattle station.While she was here to escape Finn and Porter.
‘I do it to give back to the community, and to help Marcus.We’re a team.Like you have with the Stock Squad.’
‘I dunno—’
He spun around and gently grabbed her arm.‘It’s there, Montrose.You just need to lighten up a bit.’
‘But…’
‘From what you’ve just told me, it sounds like you’ve been on the defensive for a long time.And I’m not judging,’ he said, holding up his open palms as if to keep the peace.‘I now get why.But you should let go and have some fun and find your wild side.’
She rolled her eyes.‘I don’t do fishing.’
‘Well, that’s a strike against you on my list.Must love fishing and huntingis number two.’
‘Number three should beknows how to iron uniforms.’She expected him to frown as she playfully flicked at his shirt.
Instead, he winked at her.
A wink.
But that wink made her feel warm on the inside, alive even, that it was a struggle to not smile.
‘No, Montrose, number three for my list is:anyone who can’t handle a little dust on their boots can hit the highway.’
She glared.‘Number four:can’t be too easygoing.That’s a red flag, buddy.If they’re too easygoing it means they’re unreliable.And that’s a biiig strike.’
He chuckled.Not the reaction she’d expected, but it somehow simmered her temper, swapping it for something else.Was it an attraction?To Porter.
No.That’s impossible.
She had to stop this.
And yet she just couldn’t help herself.‘Number five:no feral pig hunting.’
‘Hey, I keep the ecosystem balanced.And aren’t we working onmylist, Montrose?’
‘Well, excuse me when I thought you were working on a cold case, and I was…’ Here to tie up loose ends, but it only brought up more questions.
