Page 28 of Risk of a Lifetime
She’d been a wreck.
He’d followed his career choice on a test basis, and she’d fallen apart. From what he saw, she’d never be able to handle it. Something changed between them that day. That was the first night he’d slept on the couch of his own accord. She’d kicked him out a couple days later.
After downing the dregs of his coffee, JB crushed the paper cup and tossed it in the trash. He should have known coming back to Crayton would only be a rehash of old conversations. Maybe deep inside he’d started to hope she had missed him as much as he missed her. That being apart had been enough for her to face her fear of danger. Of death. Of anything to do with being a lawman.
Evidently not. He was a fool to have imagined different.
She walked into the kitchen dressed in jeans, a sweater, and her back-off attitude. Leaning against the counter, she challenged him with her stare. The woman who’d snuggled against his side last night and kissed the scar on his chest was nowhere in sight. Evidently, she’d run from her feelings again. Hidden herself behind her stronger-than-strong female attitude once more. She’d quickly forgotten how she ran her fingers over his body last night when she thought he was asleep. Pretended she was sleeping, too.
Okay. There’d be no more time spent in the same bed. But he’d be damned if he let her blame everything that happened in the past few days on him. If she wanted a challenge, she’d get one. “So, you think the bank robbery, the shooting, and the explosion all followed me to Crayton?”
“I’m saying there was nothing going on in this little town until you arrived. Ergo, common sense says to look at what’s different.” She tilted her head to the side the way she always did when analyzing something. “You. You came back to town, and all hell broke loose.”
He stepped in front her, a couple feet away. If this was going to be the talk, then they’d hold it eye-to-eye. He hooked his thumbs in his side, jean pockets. “You’ve got all your psychology and analyzing to feed your thoughts. How about using a little common sense for my world?”
“Such as?”
“You want to know why I never came back after you kicked me out?”
She didn’t look away, just slid her palms into her back pockets. “Okay. Why?”
“No man likes to have his wife tell him he’s not good enough for her.”
“I never said that.”
“Might not have been those exact words, but you let me know every time I ended up hurt on the job that you couldn’t stand to be around a man who couldn’t protect himself.” He reined himself in, walked to the door. No need to bring up how she’d told him he didn’t love her, that he’d never put her through all that pain if he did. He’d been ready to give up the law just to prove his love. She’d made that unnecessary with the suitcase on the front porch.
His strength, stamina, and will to live had never been a doubt in his mind. But from the moment his dad had taken custody of him, picking him up at the bus station and telling him he wasn’t worth the price of the ticket, he’d doubted his worth. He’d been twelve years old. Twelve years old, and no one wanted him. Too damn bad. He’d decided then and there no one was ever gonna keep him down. But the doubts dug in for the long haul.
The next six years had been hell on earth what with trying to stay out of the way of his old man’s punches, work enough to keep food on the table, and go to school. Sports, school, and thoughts of the future were what kept him on the straight-and-narrow. That plus Sheriff Davis, who’d become like a dad to him. Of course, once his old man had found out about his mentor, he’d pounded JB even more.
The day he’d finally stood up to his dad and gave him punch for punch back hadn’t squashed the doubt. That was the last time either one of them had laid a hand on the other. Even as his old man had lain on the floor and spit the blood from his mouth at JB’s feet, he’d mumbled that JB still wasn’t worth the price of a ticket. Then, he’d told him to bring home a pint of whiskey after school.
That was then, and this was now.
“You were always coming home injured. How do you think that made me feel?” She’d folded her arms across her chest. To her, she’d made her point, and the conversation was over.
Not this time. This time he would stand up for himself…even to Marcy.
“So you’re saying because I was hurt, you were in pain. Well, let me tell you about pain.” He grabbed his coat from the hook and stepped onto the porch, glancing back over his shoulder. “Pain is being shot and your wife going to the other room to sleep.”
“You needed your rest.”
“When you finally came back to our bed, you turned away every time I reached for you. Was that also because I needed my rest?”
She bit the side of her lip. Tightened her crossed arms.
“Your games aren’t going to work with me, Marcy. Not then. Not now.” He held his tone even, calm. “I got a Criminal Justice degree to be a lawman. I plan to be one the rest of my life. Being punched, kicked, spit on, or even shot are hazards of the job. If you can’t handle that, then you’re right, I need to leave. Is that what you really want? Because I won’t come back again.”
She didn’t answer. Didn’t move.
“Okay. Once these cases are settled, I promise I’ll go.” He closed the door behind him and stepped off the porch.
The door opened, and she padded softly across the porch planks. “Where are you going?”
“Now or later?”
“Now.”
