She was here to write. To discover…who she was. She loved her parents, they were amazing, but as an only child, she’d known if she stayed in Washington, she would have lost herself in not ever hurting their feelings.
She’d needed a break, some independence. But she’d also needed some built-in friends so she didn’t fully immerse herself in hermithood. Something that was far too easy for her to do.
As much as she’d enjoyed living with the Young sisters, Franny also liked being on her own. She liked solitude. Sometimes too much. Sometimes so much her life narrowed down to nothing but fictional worlds. It wasn’t good for her.
But neither was trying to constantly please people. So moving out here had been her first step toward meeting her personalgoals, and now living on her own without falling into bad habits would be the next step.
It was good. It wasright.
And she held on to that assertion as she watched Bent County pass by on her way to Hope Town.
“I’M SO PROUDof you!”
Royal Campbell stood on the porch of his sister’s ranch house and grimaced as his sister squeezed him tight. He figured he owed her, more or less, though he didn’t like to admit it out loud. Especially in the presence of her husband.
Zeke Daniels was an irritating SOB, but he loved Brooke, so Royal figured it gave him enough of a pass, but that didn’t mean he was ever going to air any of his feelings in front of his brother-in-law.
Royal detangled himself from his sister gently. Because the whole baby bump thing she had going on freaked him out. Shouldn’t she be lying down or something? But she was always moving around, that bump getting bigger every week that went by.
“Don’t sound so surprised I made it off field training, Chick,” he said, easing away. He was wearing agunsince he was in uniform and on his way into work. She shouldn’t be that close.
“Why not?” Zeke muttered. Brooke gave him a little slap to the chest with no heat behind it.
“I’m not surprised at all. I am proud and happy.” She beamed at him.
She deserved to be happy. And if him getting his life together made her happy, Royal figured that was reason enough to do it.
But somewhere along the line he’d figured out he wanted to get his life together for a lot of reasons. For Brooke. To spite their father who’d been a high-level member of a horrible bikergang. And strangest of all, at least to him, was the desire to get it figured out for himself.
He’d spent his entire life reacting to the bad hand he’d been dealt. Now he wanted to turn that hand into something. Stop reacting, stop running, stopfightingevery damn thing stacked against him and build something of his own.
“I’ve got to get to work. Just wanted to drop by and tell you.” He took a step down from the porch so she couldn’t hug him again.
“Come to dinner on your next day off.”
“You’re supposed to be taking it easy,” Zeke reminded her. “No big meals.”
“It won’t be a big meal. Just an extra seat at the table.” She beamed at Royal. “What day?”
Royal looked from Brooke to Zeke. He didn’t relish getting in the middle of any marital arguments, but if he did, he’d be on Brooke’s side. Except when it came to taking care of herself. “Thursday. I’ll bring pizza.”
She frowned a little, but when Zeke’s arm came around her shoulders she sighed. “All right. Bring pizza.”
He offered a wave then strode back to his Bent County Sheriff’s Department cruiser. He got in the car, and once again reveled in having it to himself. He’d had a good field training officer, but part of why he’d applied for Bent County after the police academy had been that there was a certain amount of autonomy once you were off field training.
And now he was. He glanced at the clock. And he needed to get into the station for roll call.
It was a surprise, even to him, that he liked it. That he seemed to fit. Taking orders and following rules had never been his style. A little difficult to learn respect for authority when you grew up in a dangerous biker gang.
It wasn’teasyto suddenlyyes, sireverybody. It wasn’teasyto be the rookie, knowing he got treated a little less for it, especially considering he was older than every single other rookie, and even some of the guys with a few years under their belts. More often than not, it put his back up and had those old rebellious tendencies kicking up a fuss.
But he pushed them down.
He tried to look at it as every rule followed, every pointless-feelingyes, sirallowed him to help someone who needed it.
And he knew the depths of needing help that some people faced. He knew the desperate lengths a person could go to in order tohelp. So any time he was tempted to tell a superior to go to hell, he remembered what he’d done in the name of justice as a boy—and how different his life might have been if there’d been someone bigger and stronger to help.
He’d be the bigger and stronger for somebody now. This time, on the right side of the law.
