Page 126 of Surly Sheriff
The familiar regret of keeping the two apart returned in a rush, and she willed the emotion back. “Thanks for the coffee,” Rae whispered, lifting the mug to her lips.
She refused to flinch under his pensive stare, forcing herself to take a small sip of the brew.
“Fifteen minutes till breakfast,” he finally said and left the room.
She wasted five minutes staring at the doorway, calling herself a fool. Once the trial was behind her, she needed to look for another house. Living in such close proximity to Beau was tearing her apart.
A child’s shriek snapped her from her recollection, and Rae blinked against the sunlight glinting off the rippling water. She looked at the source of the noise. Jack and Beau were in the chest-deep swimming hole formed by a bend in the creek. “Again, Dad! Again!” Jack yelled. Beau laughed and tossed Jack into the air, catching him beneath his armpits before they both disappeared beneath the water for a split second before shooting up.
“You were deep in thought,” Sunny murmured, sinking into the canvas chair beside her.
Over the weeks, she and Sunny had become friends. Although their stories were vastly different, they both shared a common goal of doing whatever was needed to protect the people they loved.
“Just castigating myself for clinging to hope,” Rae admitted.
“He’ll come around,”
Rae dropped her chin. “Not so sure about that.”
“When I first arrived in Clearbrook, Beau and I clashed. But once he got over his misgivings about me, he became an ally and a friend. He’s a good man. Solid and dependable. Give him time, Rae.”
“I hurt him. Terribly so.”
“You had a damned good reason.”
“But if—”
Sunny grabbed her hand. “Don’t second-guess yourself. Me not taking threats seriously almost cost my daughters their lives.You acted on instinct borne out ofyourreality, Rae. Nobody has the right to criticize your actions because they never lived your life.”
Rae took a moment to absorb Sunny’s words.
Instinct drove her behavior before.
Instinct based on her knowledge of Vasily.
Ithadbeen the right thing to do.
And she was done with the self-flagellation.
“You’re right,” Rae whispered. “If Vasily had tracked me down here after his pardon, the fallout would’ve been horrific. The only way to ensure everyone remained safe was to erase Clearbrook from my life.”
Sunny merely squeezed her hand.
Jack shrieked with laughter again, drawing Rae’s attention back to the water.
“Thank you again for suggesting this for Jack’s birthday. And for your encouragement.” Rae reached across the armrest and hugged the woman, her heart filled with gratitude.
“You’re welcome,” Sunny replied. “And don’t let go of that hope.”
*
“You wereshot?” Beau growled, closing the bedroom door behind him with a solid thud.
Their day at the Armstrongs had ended with a planning session for their upcoming trip. During the meeting, Oliver shared information he’d obtained from his FBI contact.
And Beau’s mood had taken a dive.
Thankfully, Jack was too exhausted from his exciting day to notice the cloud of gloom hanging over his dad and fell asleep on the drive home.
