Page 47 of The Cowboy Comes Home

He didn’t answer verbally. He didn’t have to—she could see the answer in his expression, in his very posture as he sat there. So she chose her words very carefully.

“I won’t lie, Tucker. It can happen. Police officers have to deal with some ugly stuff anyway, and often things that require full and total attention. Most of the time we can compartmentalize enough, but contrary to some opinions, we’re human. We care. And we take our jobs very seriously, from watching out for kids—” she nodded toward Jeremy, who had apparently decided a full swim was called for, still dressed or not “—to taking down a bad guy, to being as gentle as possible when we have to deliver bad news.”

He looked at her then. “Bad news? Like when they arrived at our door to tell us Dad was dead?”

She nodded. Hesitated, but he’d sounded level enough that she went on. “Death notifications are a dreaded task. We Last Stand cops are luckier than most. The chief, being who he is, most of the time takes the onerous duty upon himself unless circumstances warrant otherwise.”

“But you’ve had to do it?”

“Twice. Not had to, but volunteered. Once on a fatal traffic accident, because I knew one of the victim’s family members. And once…” She had to stop to swallow because her throat had tightened. She didn’t talk about this, but somehow felt compelled to now, because he’d shard with her. “Once I was a witness to a suicide, arriving on the scene a couple of seconds before the subject pulled the trigger on the revolver he had to his temple.” She swallowed again. “I got there just in time to hear his last words. That was what I wanted to deliver, intact and not blurred by time and filters, to his wife.”

He was silent for a long moment before saying, sounding like his throat had been as tight as her own, “That was good of you. But you’re a good person, aren’t you.”

She liked that he didn’t say that like it was a question, but rather an observation of a fact.

“I try.”

“You succeed.” He nodded toward the water again, and his nephew by choice. “Jeremy has every reason not to like cops, because they delivered the news about his mother. But he liked you, right off.”

“That,” she said with a smile, “is most likely because of my four-footed partner there.”

For the first time since this discussion had started she saw a very slight smile lift one corner of his mouth. “Maybe.”

They lapsed into silence then, and Emily wondered if he was exhausted from all the emotional outpouring. Wondered if he would have told her any of this at all, if Lily hadn’t opened some of those long-locked doors. All she knew for sure was that she felt a strange combination of moved and proud that he’d trusted her with these further peeks into the heart of him. She didn’t know what that feeling meant, but she couldn’t deny it was there.

But before she could dwell on it, which was probably just as well, they had a wet child and two very wet dogs to deal with. But all three were so happy it wasn’t a chore but a delight. She rubbed the towel Tucker had tossed to her over the black dog while Jeremy tended to Maverick and Tucker ran another towel over the boy’s wet hair.

“Thank you, Mr. Thorpe and Mr. Maverick, for showing Lobo such a good time,” she said, making the boy laugh. Both doggie tails were wagging madly, and she was grateful the shepherd hadn’t forgotten how to play. Or maybe had relearned, once he’d been safe with Chance Rafferty.

Tucker gave the boy one last swipe with the towel before asking teasingly, “You going to change clothes when we get back, or just run around until you dry off in this heat?”

“I’m keepin’ the wet stuff on,” Jeremy announced. “It’s cooler.”

“Excellent point,” Emily said, and the boy grinned at her officious tone.

Tucker gave her a quick look and another one of those smiles that made her pulse kick. “Let’s load up and get back, then. Before all the food’s gone.”

Jeremy’s eyes widened. “Yeah! I’m hungry.”

And as they did just that, Emily wondered where the strange feeling she was having was coming from. It had to be that she was with a man she liked, admired, and was attracted to, a boy she was quickly coming to adore in the back seat, along with a couple of wonderful dogs.

As they headed back toward the party, she realized what she was feeling was what it would be like to have a family of her own.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Isee Logan’shere,” Emily said as they pulled in behind the barn atThorpe’s Therapy Horses.

Tucker looked over to see the tall, powerful blacksmith who already felt like family to him because of the change he’d wrought in Tris, as powerful and obvious as what he could do with glowing metal. He was standing next to Emily’s boss, the revered—rightfully—Shane Highwater.

“How long have you known Logan?” he asked as Jeremy scrambled out of the car, followed immediately by Maverick. But Lobo, he noticed, stayed put and looked at Emily. She made a hand gesture toward the open car door, and only then did the shepherd follow the other two. Then she looked at him and smiled.

“I first met him when he helped me round up a terrified horse after a traffic accident broke open a horse trailer. I’ve never seen anything like the way he calmed that mare down so fast.”

Tucker nodded. “I’ve seen him work his magic.”

“And on Tris Carhart as well.”

He couldn’t stop the wide smile that always seemed to overtake him when he thought of the change that man had made in his best friend’s sister.

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