Page 11 of The Outpost (Jamison Valley 4)
He sighed. “It’s a long story.”
“Don’t we have a while until we get to the outpost?”
“All right.” He nodded. “I’ll give you the gist. Coby’s dad was a doctor at the hospital where Maisy was a nurse. They started dating; she got pregnant. He didn’t want to be a father so they broke up. Turns out he was a crazy fucker who was skimming prescription pills from the hospital and selling them to high-school kids in town. He kidnapped Jess’s wife, Gigi, and Maisy and almost killed them.”
“Wait. That was your sister?” I stared at him, my jaw flapping open.
“Yeah, that was Maze. The doc tried to kill her because she wouldn’t have an abortion. He wanted to kill Gigi because he thought she’d figured out he was dealing. In the end, they were able to escape but only because Maisy stabbed him in the throat with a scalpel.”
“Oh my god. I remember reading about that. It was so crazy it even hit the Seattle news. My paper wrote an article on it and everything.” The article had said that she’d been forced to kill him but it hadn’t gone into that much detail. “Wow.”
“Yeah. Wow,” he muttered.
And I thought I had problems. At least I hadn’t been forced to take another human’s life.
I’d only met her briefly but Maisy had been sweet and gentle. Her personality was a testament to her strength. A traumatic event like that could ruin a person, leaving them bitter and cold, but she spread warmth and happiness to those around her.
“I’m glad that everything turned out okay for her.”
“Yeah. It took a while but she’s worked through her bad days. Now we’re all just focused on making sure Coby grows up with men in his life, that he doesn’t feel like he’s missed out because his father is gone. I mean, it isn’t his fault his biological father was deranged. He’s an amazing kid and deserves the best life we can give him.”
Coby was a lucky little boy to have such a dedicated uncle. The pride and joy in Beau’s voice was unmistakable. On top of everything he was doing for me, the love he had for his nephew endeared me to him even more. He wasn’t just absurdly handsome.
He was also a good man.
Which meant if he showed even the slightest interest in me, I was screwed. Could someone like him ever want someone like me? We were from two different worlds. But what if—
I refused to go down that “what if” road. The one I was on was bumpy enough.
“It’s wonderful that you and your family are there to support your sister. Has she dated anyone since Coby’s dad?”
He growled. Actually growled, like a jungle cat.
Who did that? I struggled to choke back my laughter. “Did you just growl at me?”
“Maisy has enough going on without a man in her life. She runs the motel and she has Coby. If she needs anything, she’s got her family and good friends. She doesn’t need a guy coming in and messing any of that up.”
“I’m not saying she needs a man. I’m a firm believer that women are fully capable of taking care of themselves. I’m just asking if she’s dated. She might not need a companion but maybe someday she’ll want one. Have you ever thought of that?”
He growled again, and this time, I couldn’t keep my laughter at bay—though I quickly learned to try harder. My ribs and bottom lip screamed in protest.
“No more growling,” I said. “It makes me laugh, which hurts. You promise to use your words from now on and I’ll promise to never bring up Maisy’s dating life.”
“Agreed,” he rumbled.
I grinned and turned my eyes back to the road. Beau’s protectiveness of Maisy was another appealing quality. He was the defensive big brother and no one would ever be good enough for his little sister. My older brothers had tried to give me that. What would my life be like had I let them in?
I’d never know. I doubted I’d ever be close with my family again.
As Beau maneuvered the truck through a series of sharp twists and bends in the road, I sat silently, staring out into the darkness. The events from the day were catching up with me. My body’s aches and pains were becoming insistent and my head was fuzzy with exhaustion.
With Boone’s warmth at my side and Beau’s comforting smell filling the air, I started to drift off. I fought it for as long as I could but the gentle swaying of the truck lulled my weary body to sleep.
“Sabrina.” Beau’s voice echoed in my dream.
His thick fingers brushed my hair back and trailed across my shoulder. I hummed as his touch sent tingles down my arm. If only I could feel those fingers against my bare skin. I willed Dream Beau to pull back the cotton of my shirt and trace my collarbone.
“Sabrina, we’re here,” Dream Beau said again.
