Page 8 of Tyler

“As he should have,” the sheriff stated. He was big and tall and handsome with startling blue eyes that looked somewhat familiar. “Jesus, Ty, are you okay? How’s your shoulder? Maybe you should have it x-rayed to make sure it didn’t fracture. And have Doc Harrison check your eye.”

Piper’s heart dropped to her stomach. She’d plowed down an injured man? His scar looked recent, but not that fresh.

“Relax. I’m fine,Mother Hen,” he muttered, rolling his eyes and his shoulder, garnering a few snickers from the crowd. “See? It doesn’t hurt. It’s all good.”

The concern in the sheriff’s eyes was palpable, and the name on his shirt made the reason clear.

Bryson.

Just like Ty.

Even if the name hadn’t been there or the informal way Ty addressed the man…the bone structure, startling blue eyes, and tilt to the head gave it away. They were brothers.

“But it—”

“I’m fine, Gabe,” Ty said, cutting the guy off as he set a hand on the sheriff’s broad shoulder. “Shouldn’t you be questioning the guy who almost ran Piper over? Taking statements? Watching feed?”

The sheriff narrowed his gaze, obviously unwilling to drop his push for Ty to seek medical attention, and Ty cocked his head and stared Gabe down, apparently equally determined to stand his ground.

“See what I had to deal with growing up?” Rylee sighed. “Neither of my big brothers are going to budge, so here’s what we’re going to do. Gabe, you go take your statements, and, Ty, you’re going to let Tanner check you out.” She pointed to one of the paramedics heading toward them, then turned her gaze on Piper. “And once he’s done with Ty, he’s going to check you out too. Then maybe we can go in and have our coffee.”

Completely in awe at how easily and confidently Rylee had handled the situation and the two obstinate men, Piper nodded. That was pure perfection.

Twenty-six minutes later, Piper was seated inside the ESI breakroom, coffee in one hand and a blueberry donut in the other as the five girls explained how each week, they took turns hosting these before work coffee gatherings. This was Rylee’s week.

“Well, that was one way to make a strong impression on a guy.” Mel grinned. The pint-sized redhead was married to Carter and owned the tattoo parlor in the strip mall. She had a big personality and told it like it was, and Piper appreciated her honesty.

“That’s for sure,” Christa agreed, cutting a glazed donut in half. She was married to the ESI guy named Hunter and worked for Mel as a tattoo artist.

Their paintings last night reflected their talent.

“I’d say you got his attention.” Stef smiled. The pretty brunette was married to Mac and owned the graphic arts store next to the tattoo parlor. Her painting last night was Piper’s favorite. The woman knew how to capture light.

“Yeah, I agree,” Abby said with a grin. The stunning blonde owned and operated the local hair salon. She was sweet and kind and the sister to one of the ESI guys, Carter, and married to another, Cooper.

It was interesting. Out of all the men, those two were the most easy-going of the bunch. She wondered if they were born with mischievous grins.

“You definitely left an impression,” the blonde added before lifting her cup to her lips.

Piper snickered. “Pretty sure the only impression I made was that I’m hazardous to his health.”

The women chuckled.

“Nah, I saw the way my brother looked at you when you shook hands.” Rylee grinned. “Trust me, you made an impact on him.”

Not knowing how to respond and because she was uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was headed, Piper changed the subject. “I got the impression from your other brother that Ty was recently injured. What happened to him?”

Rylee set her coffee down and sighed. “There was an explosion on base last October. He suffered a broken clavicle and an injury to his eye that ended his Navy career.”

“Yeah, he was a Top Gun like Cruise was in that movie,” Mel said, reaching for a donut. “It’s a shame.”

Piper’s heart squeezed. “Oh, I’m so sorry. That’s terrible.”

It explained the shadows in his eyes, and why she rarely saw him smile, and the reason he stood in his backyard and stared up at the sky…not that she noticed him much.

“Ty had always wanted to be a pilot.” Rylee sighed again. “When he was sixteen, he got a part-time job at an airfield and somehow managed to secure a special dispensation to take lessons and get his license, andthenhe talked my parents into allowing it.”

“You Brysons have always been resilient and driven,” Abby stated as if she’d known the family a long time.

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