Chapter Twenty-Six
Lochlan
T here aren’t many people in this world who have the privilege to touch the fur of an adult bear.
The dense black hairs that don’t feel real when smoothed under your hand, and the giant paws tipped with dangerously long claws.
My palm caresses the tan snout of this bear as if to comfort him.
He’s too far gone to save and too hurt to fight.
Three bullet holes ripped through his innocent body, doing more damage than any animal like this should ever experience in the wild.
All because he trusted me to keep him safe here.
The last few hours have been a blur; my memory of it is already slightly out of focus.
Her hands are on my chest, her frightened eyes pleading with me to stay with her.
“Run to the house, call the Sheriff.”
“But, Lochlan…”
I rake my fingers into her hair like I crave doing every moment I’m near her.
“Go, Jo,” I beg, wishing I could touch her like this without needing to push her away .
She takes off from the end of the footpath, crossing over the gravel lot to get to the house.
As soon as she hits the porch steps, I take off toward the gunshots.
“Lochlan,” Hayes’s voice snaps me out of my thoughts.
“I called the vet, he’ll be here in an hour.”
I rise, barely managing to move a few feet away before bracing my back against the trunk of a tree.
Hayes and Seiver watch me warily.
“The rest of them?”
“It took us a bit, but we got eyes on the other bears. There were no more injuries. The fucker who attacked us only left one victim.”
“I need to check on Jo.” I don’t explain further, and they don’t ask.
Headlights sweep past me as I drag my feet back to the house.
The Sheriff brought back up and now there are too many damn people here.
I should be more concerned that I’m walking up to a member of law enforcement with blood staining my hands, but all I can focus on is how close Jo’s standing at his side.
I chased down the truck shooting a shotgun into the bear enclosures without anyway to protect myself, hopped a fence to check on the wounded black bear who was minding his business until a selfish asshole decided to harm him, and slid my hands over the animal’s body checking for injuries before I knew if he would react aggressively.
But I’m hung up on the way Jo is shaking like a leaf.
And, seeking comfort from someone else when I wish it were me.
“I’m fine. I promise, I’m fine,” Jo assures the Sheriff as I approach them.
He’s looking at her so tenderly, it makes me hate the man who’s been nothing but fair to me.
He sees me, but has to tear his eyes from her to really look at me.
“Is that your blood?”
Jo gasps as she notices my hands.
“No.”
“A person’s?”
“No.”
“The bears?” Jo cries, covering her face with her hands, sinking down onto the porch steps.
The Sheriff looks at her again, and I can see his need to comfort her.
I feel the need too, but neither of us moves.
If he touches her, I might go to jail tonight.
“Lochlan, what are we going to do?” Jo asks me as the chaos continues around us.
Cops are combing the property for evidence, more than one is confirming there are no weapons here, just because there are felons in their presence.
Someone shot a gun at us.
This is way worse than all of the other harassment.
This was deadly.
Sheriff Malec excuses himself to speak to one of his deputies, and we both watch him walk away.
Actually, I watch her watching him.
The thorns of jealousy lick at my spine.
I can never offer her anything like that.
An upstanding citizen, a reputation of gold.
“What can I do?” She asks me again, but when her hand brushes my elbow, the noise in my head becomes too much, and I snap.
“I don’t know, Jo. Go ask the Sheriff!” I bark the words out, throwing my hands up in frustration, and her face drops .
The kind and eager woman who has bent over backwards for the greater good of this place stares at me in devastation before running back to the guesthouse.
The woman who gifted me the gentle touch of her hands earlier.
The woman who had faith in me before she ever met me…
I snuffed her light out, and it doesn’t matter that I regret it immediately.
The further she stays from me, the better.
The further she gets from this place, the better.
I drag myself up my porch, needing sleep, but even more, a drink.
Everything is imploding around me.
She didn’t deserve it, she never does, but whenever I attempt to voice my thoughts, my emotionally dense brain hijacks my words.
It’s not an excuse.
She shouldn’t have to put up with it.
She’s my damn guardian angel.
She saved my life by convincing her father to exonerate me, and I will spend the rest of it making it up to her.
I can’t offer her much, but a nonvolatile workplace should be a start, even though my skin itches to feel hers against mine, again.
Her soft hand against mine, her fingers gripping the shirt above my chest.
It was selfish to let her get so close, because having her close is dangerous.
This place is dangerous.
And, if I touch her again, I won’t want to let her go.
* * *
The rocking chair tips back and forth as the property finally quiets down.
The vet came and sedated the bear, taking away his pain until he passed.
The guys are back in the bunkhouse.
Sheriff Malec is the last to leave; he usually is, always staying until the dust settles.
I’ve always liked that about him, until recently.
He takes two steps up the porch and stops, leaning against the handrail.
I give him credit, he’s taking this seriously.
His trunk is full of evidence bags.
“You going to be able to get some sleep?” He eyes the glass of whiskey in my hand but doesn’t say anything about it.
“Probably not.” He follows my gaze to the guesthouse.
“I can try to keep extra patrols in the area, but you know how it is. My men can only cover so much ground.”
“I know.” This isn’t the Sheriff’s problem.
Whoever is doing this has made a personal vendetta against me, and I intend to handle it when the time comes.
“I told Jo it might be best to stay somewhere else, but she told me no.” He shrugs.
“Stay where? With you?” The words come out of my mouth like a whip, but I keep them hidden behind my glass.
“Sure, wherever. Natalie and Dec would love to have her.”
I met Natalie and her little brother last year when Dec hopped my fences to get away from some bad men.
I knew the Sheriff was involved with them, but the way he was towards Jo made me think twice about his relationship status.
He has a woman at home, so why the special attention on mine?
Not mine.
“Natalie is big on family. She wants to get to know her more, but I think it will take time.”
I know I haven’t slept, but I also haven’t even finished this drink, and this conversation should not be as confusing as it is.
“I’m not following.”
“Did Jo not tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
I see the moment he takes pity on my confusion and chuckles.
“Sorry, I assumed you knew. She’s my long-lost sister. Half sister,” he corrects.
The glass in my hand pauses midway to my mouth.
Fucking hell.
The Sheriff is her brother…
All the secret conversations.
The concern.
He wasn’t interested in her because she’s a beautiful woman.
He was watching out for her because she’s his sister.
I let my jealousy lash out unjustly, no matter all the other reasons she should stay the hell away from me, how I’ve treated her is even more despicable now.
“Your father is…”
“Old Governor Montgomery. I know,” he confirms the ridiculousness.
“No one knows, but I assumed she would have mentioned it since I’ve been out here so many times. And, tried to get her to leave multiple times.” He meets my eyes.
“Sorry, no offense.”
“None taken,” I answer honestly.
From an outside perspective, I wouldn’t want my sister living here either.
“We haven’t been able to spend much time getting to know each other yet, but she swore up and down it was safe here. But more so, that she was safe with you. I’ll take her word for it, but I wouldn’t mind hearing it from you, too.” He states seriously, waiting for me to confirm.
There aren’t enough words to express how safe that woman is with me.
Not words that I’m legally allowed to say in front of a member of law enforcement.
“This is no place for someone as good as Jo, but while she’s here, she’s safe. That’s a fuckin’ promise.”
I’m not letting her out of my sight.