Truth And Consequences

She reluctantly held out her hands.

“You should have let the paramedic bandage these scratches.” He reached for her, taking her right hand in his so he could turn it over and look at her palm. In spite of being tough, she had delicate, graceful hands. “Hard to see your wounds in this light, but you need to wash these scratches and cuts with soap and water and make sure you flush all the embedded dirt and rock out. And if you don’t have some antibacterial ointment, you need to stop and get some.”

“Okay.” She pulled her hand away, wincing. “Okay, I’ll take care of it. I have soap and I have ointment.”

“And stay off that ankle. It might be a light sprain. You need to—”

“RICE,” she interrupted, impatient with him. “Rest, ice, compression and elevation. I know the drill, Doc.”

David tried to get her to open up. “I guess you’re used to slamming bad guys against the rocks, huh?”

“Not really,” she admitted. “Only in training up to now. But I got in a lot of quality experience today, I guess.”

“You were amazing.” He meant that. He was still in awe of her.

Her suspicious stare mellowed to a confused scowl. “Eddie Harmon—the officer you heard teasing me earlier—is totally harmless and probably doesn’t even realize he’s insulting me. He likes to pick on me since I’m one of the few female officers around here. And he’s not much help with an investigation. He’s been on the force for thirty years, and I think he’s not really into chasing anyone or solving anything. He hates even issuing tickets.”

Glad he’d distracted her, David nodded. That older officer was a fine one to talk. “Explains why he left the scene before the rest of you did. If anything had happened to you—”

She shook her head and gave him an aggravated glare. “He likes to get home in time to have dinner with his wife and kids. Your overly protective attitude is kind of chivalrous but I told you, I had it covered.”

“And I told you, I wasn’t about to leave you there.”

“Would you have left a male officer?”

David glanced at her, hoping to make her understand. But she had him on that one. “Okay, probably yes.” Then he shrugged. “But I would have called 911 regardless.”

“But because I’m a rookie and a woman, you felt the need to rush in and help me. Don’t do that again.”

Wow. She sure had a chip on her shoulder. Seemed she also had a lot to prove.

“It’s not in my nature to leave a woman alone when she could be in danger. I’m not sorry I stayed.”

“Well, cowboy, I do appreciate your assistance, but ideally, there won’t be another time for you to play the hero.”

“I didn’t do it to be a hero.” David didn’t normally get this involved in trying to defend himself. But normally, he could at least form a complete sentence. “Look, I arrived here still reeling from what I’d been through over in Afghanistan. I saw all of this happening in front of my eyes, and I was concerned. Drug runners don’t mess around.”

She still wasn’t happy with him. With a dark frown, she stopped the squad car near the curb and motioned to the Desert Rose. “Go in and get yourself a room. I might need to question you again when I go back over my report, but right now I have to go.”

She glanced to Hunter behind a wired screen in the backseat, habitually checking on her partner. “At least we got a good look at their faces.” Giving him another serious stare, she added, “I’ll be in touch. Take care.”

“You take care, too.” David saw a flicker of concern pass through her eyes. “Look, if you’re worried about those guys—”

“I’m not.” Another blue-eyed glare. “I’d like to haul them in, but to do that, I have to go back over everything, including your part in this.”

Did she think he was part of this? Surely not.

Her next words confirmed that she didn’t. “If they see you hanging around, you’ll be on their radar. So be careful.”

“Same to you. They saw you. Up close.” He couldn’t stop thinking about that. “What if they come after you?”

“Hunter lives with me. He’ll alert.”

“And you feel comfortable with that?”

“Yes, I do.” She sighed and brushed at the hair escaping her ponytail. “Look, I appreciate your warnings, but...this is my job. I’ve trained for this, and I worked hard to become a K9 officer. I’ll be okay. You watch your back, all right?”

“Always.” He got out but turned and leaned back into the vehicle. She obviously wasn’t ready to listen to reason. And in spite of his misgivings, he wasn’t quite ready to blurt out the truth to her. “Thanks for your help today. I’m sorry I overstepped my bounds.”

“Relax,” she said. “You just got back from what had to be a lot of trauma. It’s natural you’d overreact.” Then her expression softened. “You remind me of my brother. He was always protective of me.”

David’s heart did a little lurch. He wanted to tell her that he’d known her brother. But not yet. Not after such a bad start.

He swallowed and looked over at her while he tried to hold it all together. “He sounds like a good brother.”

“He was.” She looked up and right into David’s eyes. “He was army—in Afghanistan. He died over there last year.”

“I’m sorry.” David stood there, wanting to comfort her, understanding her brother’s need to take care of her. She was strong and tough, but David saw that essence of vulnerability in her pretty eyes and let go of his courage yet again. “We lost a lot of good soldiers. I’m sorry I couldn’t save all of them.”

I’m sorry I couldn’t save your brother.

Compassion filled her eyes. “I’m sure you tried. You’re one of the heroes, David. But you’re home now, so take care of yourself.”

David decided he had to tell her the truth soon. She’d be angry at him all over again, but he thought she was the kind of woman who’d respect the truth.

He took a deep breath. “Hey, listen, I—”

Whitney gave him a distracted, impatient stare. Then she blinked and stared at the clock on the console. “I’m sorry, but it’s late and I’ve gotta go.”

David shut the door and watched as she sped off along Desert Valley Drive. She couldn’t get away from him fast enough. Or maybe she couldn’t get away from the emotions he evoked in her. Too many bad memories. That was what he carried around, too.

How would she react when she found out he’d promised her brother he’d come here to see her? How could he keep her safe when she was so bent on taking care of herself?

It had to be done. He needed to let Whitney know that he’d tried to save Lucas. And that he’d promised Lucas he’d do this. Tomorrow, once he was settled and acclimated to his surroundings, he’d find her and talk to her.

He wasn’t going anywhere for a few weeks at least. She’d get used to having him around. And he’d find a way to tell her exactly why he was here.

FOUR (#ulink_32708d37-dbfb-5cb7-8794-ae39a3fddfe8)

David went inside the quaint inn, the chill of the dusk chasing him and the memory of Whitney cornered with a dangerous criminal still front and center in his mind.

“Well, you look plumb whipped,” the petite gray-haired woman behind the counter said with a smile, her plump hands splayed across the old wood. “I’m Rosa. How can I help you?”

David explained that he needed a room for an indefinite time. “And where can I rent a car?”

The woman laughed at that, her pink bifocals slipping down on her nose. “Not around here, dear. But...I have a loaner you can use. All I ask is that you gas her up and keep her running smoothly.”

David couldn’t argue with that. “Deal.”