Chapter 39

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Dare dropped into his favorite armchair and stretched his leg. The muscle felt tight, the old scar tissue hard and unyielding. He dug his fingertips into the muscle, massaging the tissue, and winced as pain shot down his leg.

“Are you okay?”

Dare snapped his head toward Ainsley where she stood in the doorway and forced a smile. “I’m fine. Just sore.”

Her brows dipped together in concern. “Do you need medicine? Maybe an ice pack?”

“I’m okay.” He shook his head. “Nothing to worry about, just an old injury acting up.”

Ainsley moved closer and settled on the edge of the couch, her gaze sweeping over his leg. “I didn’t know you were hurt. What happened?”

It was a long story, and guilt clutched at his throat just thinking about it. He hesitated a moment too long, and Ainsley’s expression shuttered as she stood. “I’m sorry, it’s none of my business. You don’t have to?—”

“Ainsley.” He reached over, grasping her hand and tugging her to a stop before she could run away from him again. “You can ask me anything. You know that.”

She bit her lip. “I just don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” He gave her hand a little squeeze, gently pulling her back down to the couch. “You grew up here, didn’t you?”

She nodded, and he continued, “You ever hear of the Cottrell boys?”

Her gaze moved to the ceiling in thought even as she shook her head. “I think so, but I don’t know them personally.”

“They’re several years older than you. I graduated with Wade. His brother, Beau, was a few years ahead of us in school. Anyway, as far back as I can remember, they loved to stir up trouble. They were always getting into one scrape or another and it only got worse as they got older.”

Their old man, Cy, had served time for a number of things, and the apples didn’t fall from the tree. The Cottrell boys were known for picking fights and stealing anything not nailed down.

“I enlisted after graduation, but I always knew I’d come back. When I did, I joined the sheriff’s office. One night, about a year in, I was on patrol.” He sighed as the memory of that night filtered back to him.

“It started as a routine traffic stop. I ended up behind this old junk truck, noticed it had a busted taillight. I figured it would be quick, just a warning and he’d be on his way.”

Dare ran a hand through his hair. “I recognized Beau right off. He was nervous, jittery... I knew that look. I asked him to step out of the vehicle, but he knew he was done for. Before I could call for backup, Beau panicked and took off. I went after him, yelled for him to stop.”

He briefly closed his eyes, remembering the flash of metal as Beau had turned toward him. “He pulled a gun. I barely had time to react before he fired. The bullet hit me in the thigh, and I went down hard.”

Ainsley gasped softly, her fingers tightening around his. “Dare…”

He gave her a small smile, but his chest ached. “It hurt like hell, but I managed to get off a couple shots. Hit him twice. Once in the stomach, the other in the heart. He went down, and I called for an ambulance. They took him to the hospital, but it was too late. He died on the way.”

A heavy silence fell over the room. Ainsley squeezed his hand, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “I’m so sorry, Dare. That must have been awful.”

Dare’s throat constricted, and he swallowed down the emotion threatening to choke him. “I still think about it sometimes, wonder if there was something I could have done differently.”

“If there’s anything I’ve learned…” Ainsley’s gaze dropped to their joined hands. “It’s that hindsight is 20/20. You did what you thought was right in the moment. I can’t begin to imagine what you went through, but you did what you had to do. You saved yourself.”

Everyone had told him the same thing, and logically he knew it was true. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, grimacing as the old wound throbbed. “Anyway, the bullet did a lot of muscle damage. I was in the hospital for a while, then months of physical therapy. I healed up, but it still gives me trouble from time to time.”

The injury had taken him off patrol, which irritated him to no end. He’d been moved to desk duty and done more paperwork than he ever cared to see again in his lifetime. But he’d excelled at it and had been promoted several times, earning his coworkers’ respect. Eventually, he’d run for Sheriff.

Those giant blue eyes turned up to him, seeming to burn straight to his soul. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

Dare squeezed her fingers. “Thanks, Ains.”

She smiled a little at the nickname, and Dare gave her hand a little tug. With a curious smile, Ainsley stood and moved toward him. He wrapped one hand around the back of her neck and pulled her to him, covering her mouth with his own.

Ainsley melted into the kiss, and he allowed himself to forget all about the pain in his leg, the case, and everything else but the woman in his arms.