Sergeant O’ (Wounded Heroes #2)

Prologue

Sergeant O’

Wounded Heroes

Jade

The fluorescent lights over the nurses’ station gave off a low hum as I went through Dr. Weaver’s instructions for the three patients still in the ER at the start of my seven p.m. shift.

Cade Freeman, standout quarterback for Haven Springs High, was in Room One with his family, pending the MRI results after he’d taken a helmet-to-helmet hit at summer practice.

Nancy Ryland was in Room Two with an inflamed gallbladder, waiting on a surgical consult, and Mabel Carroway’s oxygen levels were being monitored in Room Three after a steroid treatment for a COPD flare-up.

It was a nice, slow night.

I squeezed my eyes shut tight the second the thought crossed my mind. I knew better than to tempt fate like that; that was a surefire way of asking for trouble.

And five minutes later, as if right on cue, in walked six-feet, two inches of Trouble with a capital T, wearing a Haven Springs police uniform with sergeant’s stripes and a cocky-as-hell grin as he escorted a man in handcuffs to Room Five.

Brian O’Shaughnessy.

The guy every girl in my high school had crushed on—myself included. Fortunately, I went off to college and grew up before returning to Haven Springs. Unfortunately, while I was gone, I’d had to learn the hard way that guys like Brian O’Shaughnessy were fun to look at but were not to be touched.

Under any circumstances.

Even if they flashed their panty-melting smile my way.

After blowing out a cleansing breath, I grabbed my tablet and headed toward Room Five. The police department had decided to commandeer that particular room—something about “five-oh”—so we left it empty unless we were at capacity, which had only happened once in my five years working the ER.

The Third of July Incident, as it was now known, was a textbook example of why fireworks and men full of testosterone and alcohol should not mix.

Enough said about that.

I walked in the room to find a man with road rash on his arms, hands, and knees, handcuffed to the bed, and announced my presence with what I hoped sounded like a professional tone. “Good evening, gentlemen. What”—I made a show of looking the handcuffed man over from head-to-toe—“do we have here?”

Brian answered, nodding toward the man. “Hiya, Sunshine. Tommy had a painful lesson in why it’s a bad idea to run from the popo. The jail won’t take him until he’s been medically cleared.”

“I see. And what is your chief complaint, Mister—?”

Tommy finally spoke. “Smith.”

Brian snorted. “Dude, I already took your fingerprints, remember? I know who you are. Plus, I went to school with your sister, dumbass. You look just like her.”

I studied the man for a minute, then saw what Brian was talking about.

“Tommy Mahon. I know your sister, Darcy, too. She was in my grade.”

“Fucking small towns,” Tommy muttered in disgust.

Brian snarked, “If you’re going to continue your life of crime, you should probably consider moving to the city. Once you get out of prison, that is.”

Tommy’s eyes got big. “Prison?”

“Do you think they send people who steal cars to summer camp?”

“I didn’t steal it. I borrowed it without permission.”

“I think your definition of ‘borrow’ is slightly different than mine. But you should try that defense in court; see what the judge thinks.”

Tommy just hung his head, and I stepped in a little closer.

“Can you tell me where it hurts?”

“Here.” He presented his uncuffed, skinned-up arm and displayed his palms, which still had bits of gravel embedded in them.

“We can get that cleaned up for you.”

His hand instinctively went to the hole in his jeans where his bloody knee was exposed when he continued, “And here.”

I examined his knee, then asked, “Anywhere else?”

He shook his head, and that seemed to piss Brian off.

“What the hell, dude? You told the nurse at the jail you thought your shoulder was dislocated. That’s why they sent us here.

“Oh yeah.” Tommy pretended to wince as he rolled his left shoulder. “I probably should get my shoulder x-rayed.”

Brian pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, like he was praying for patience. “You said it was your right one, genius.”

Tommy didn’t miss a beat. “I guess the pain has just spread, so I’m not sure anymore.”

Brian narrowed his brown eyes at the man, deepening the crinkle lines on his stupidly handsome face.

“That’s not how it works.”

My gaze fell to his lips and suddenly I wondered if he was as good a kisser as Jenny Murphy said he was in high school.

“Sympathy pains!” I blurted out, trying to dislodge the thought of Brian O’Shaughnessy’s lips from my head. “It happens.”

Brian looked at me in disbelief. “If he has a dislocated shoulder, Sunshine, I’ll wash your car every day for a month.”

I agreed, Tommy Mahon didn’t have a dislocated shoulder. Still, I teased, “Every day is overkill, don’t you think? Maybe you could switch it up and vacuum or dust my house on the days you’re not washing my car.”

His mocha-colored eyes twinkled with mischief. “I could always make you dinner and rub your feet.”

My heart beat faster at the idea, then my brain kicked in and overrode my hormones.

Nope. Not happenin’.

There were at least six solid reasons I wasn’t getting involved with Brian O'Shaughnessy.

He was the biggest flirt I’d ever met. Case in point, he had a nickname for everybody. Mine happened to be Sunshine.

The town gossip would go into overdrive, and the eligible women in Haven Springs would probably send me death threats.

He was good friends with my sister, Lainey.

He and I were going to be my nephew Conor’s godparents.

His family expected him to marry a good, Irish Catholic girl. I was of French descent and a non-practicing Protestant.

He worked even more than I did.

“No, just the car wash and vacuuming will be fine.”

His flirty grin fell at the same time Tommy’s face morphed into a wide smirk.

“Oooh, rejected.”

Brian scoffed. “You better hope you’re rejected where you’re headed. Although, I think the boys in prison are going to love you.”

Tommy’s smile disappeared, and Brian’s was back—more smug than flirty now.

Either way, I liked it too much and I needed to shut that thought right down. I’d learned my lesson in college about what a flirty workaholic with a handsome face could do to my heart.

“I’m going to get some supplies to clean your scrapes before I send you to x-ray.”

Tommy laid down on the bed, crossed his ankles, and put his free hand behind his head like there was no place he’d rather be. “Sounds good. Take your time.”

Brian growled, “Enjoy yourself while you can.”

I needed to put some space between me and the sergeant before I started imagining ways I would enjoy myself in his presence.

****

Brian

I seriously thought about dislocating Tommy’s shoulder just so I would owe Jade a daily car wash or vacuum. And I didn’t care what she said, I’d talk her into letting me make her dinner and rub her feet.

She’d been my secret crush ever since she came back to Haven Springs five years ago, after she’d finished college.

Even though she’d been a year behind me, I’d always thought she was cute in high school, in a nerdy girl kind of way. But damn, she’d bloomed into a beautiful woman while she’d been gone. And it was funny, now that I was ten years older and wiser, I thought her nerdiness only made her hotter.

But I never acted on my attraction. Getting involved with women out of my league hadn’t ended well for me in the past.

Jade was the type of woman you married, not had a roll in the hay with for a night. Which seemed like the only thing I had time for these days. Although, preferably when I was out of town. Lord knows I didn’t need my one-night stand gossip hanging over me, or worse, getting back to my mother.

Or my dad, who was also the chief of police, and as such, my boss.

When he hired me the day after I turned twenty-one, he’d been sure to remind me that I now had a higher standard to live up to.

It didn’t matter if I was wearing a uniform or not, people were going to judge and have an opinion on what they deemed acceptable for one of Haven Springs’ finest.

Taking someone home after a night of drinking at Hannigan’s and not calling her again would probably be considered unacceptable. Not to mention my mother would no doubt know about it before I even got home.

So yeah—I kept it clean. Polite. Professional, even when I was off duty.

Except maybe where Jade was concerned.

Whenever she was around, I shamelessly flirted with her like it was my job, but I knew nothing could come of it right now, even if it was her face I pictured when I thought about my future wife and mother of my children.

Or when I jacked off in the shower.

I just hoped she didn’t find someone before I got my shit together.