Ten seconds to pull up my big girl pants and take care of my family.
One more deep breath before I stand up and straighten myself up. Nothing can be done about the beet-red face I’m surely sporting, but I think everyone’s focus will be elsewhere.
As I walk out of the door, I spot Arlo no more than twenty feet down the hallway, pacing and looking distressed. I stand up taller as I near him and continue to walk right past him.
It’s better for us to get back to hating each other.
Chapter 2
Arlo
I didn’t sign up for this shit when I came back here and took over the job as sheriff.
Nowhere in the job description does it say: set up a trap for a prolific torturer and then watch a family, who has already been through too much, fall apart because of it.
I know they’ll be okay because they’re always okay, but that doesn’t make this situation any easier. It certainly doesn’t excuse my epic lack of control by kissing Rina. I pound my head against the cement walls of the hospital, begging it to hurt. I deserve it. Hell, I deserve every cold shoulder that spitfire of a woman gives me. And as I watch her walk past me like I don’t exist, my heart shrivels up a little more inside my chest.
I’m shocked there’s anything left of the stupid organ.
I give myself two minutes to dwell on the fact that I kissed Rina again. The feel of her lips is something I’m not sure I even realized how much I missed.
For years, I’ve gone about my life acting like the events of fifteen years ago never happened. Pushing down every emotion I felt seeing Rina on a regular basis. But seeing her break down was too much. She’s a proud person, rarely showing anyone her emotions, so when I saw her starting to lose control of those carefully closed off feelings, I didn’t think. I justfollowed. She’s always so strong for everyone else. I wanted to be the one to help her feel comfortable enough to let it all go. To support her as she fell.
And then it started feeling like the old days, back when she was all I could see. Our future so vivid in my mind, I didn’t think anything could tear us apart. Kissing her felt so damn natural. Like more than a decade hasn’t passed since we connected.
But it has, and we’re no longer teenagers in love. No longer dreaming about a future that never happened—because of me.
Fuck,some days are torture. Being so close to her and not being able to do anything is a fate worse than death.
But this is the life I chose. This is what I thought would be best for Rina. Granted, I never planned on coming back here and making a life, but it doesn’t change my choices.
I look at my watch and see my two minutes are long gone. It’s time to do my damn job.
To be clear, I love my job. I love being the sheriff in the small town I was born and raised in. Wrangling all the nosy-ass residents comprises a bulk of tasks, but it was never what I was supposed to do. I was supposed to be a career military man. Become an officer in the Marines and see where it took me, retire after I did my time, and then figure out what was next when the time came.
Too bad that time came too soon and not voluntarily. I arch my back to stretch it out, even the memory causing it to ache.
I shake off the phantom pain and head toward Oakley’s room. I need to touch base with the U.S. Marshal Task Force that’s in charge of the case before I leave, so everyone is on the same page. It may not be my jurisdiction, but it happened in my town, so I’ll be damned ifI’m not in the know about what’s going on. After that, I’m going home. Too much happened today, and I need to decompress and process it all.
It's been three days since shit hit the fan and landed two of the best men I know in the hospital.
The only thing that’s happened is the damn media descending on Bluebell Falls, causing me one hell of a headache. The good news is those nosy-ass residents are doing a wonderful job of pissing every single reporter off, so I don’t think they’ll stick around long.
I’m walking back to my office, flipping my phone in my hand and contemplating something dangerous.
I can’t get my mind off of Rina,my Marina,and how fucking good it felt to be in her orbit again. Texting her would be so easy; I could pass it off as checking in on Lennox, even though I just talked to Ledger about him.
Flipping my phone once more, I decide to just go for it. What could it hurt? She decides she hates me and never talks to me again? I’m already living in that hell.
Me:
How are things over there? Any news on Lennox?
The ellipses show up almost immediately, and I almost run into the door to my small office.
Rina:
Seems like you already know, seeing as you just talked to Ledger.
