Page 166 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs
She went to rub her hand through her hair, realized the wig was there, so she touched it instead. “You’re probably thinking I’m nuts for getting so upset.”
“No, not at all.”
“Really?” The kindness in his eyes caused a lump to form in her throat.
“After what you’ve been through, it’s understandable that you’re upset.”
She hugged her arms to ward off a shiver. “I’ve been trying to take your advice, to feed the right wolf …” she paused “… but it’s hard.” She let out a nervous laugh. “That other wolf’s not going down quietly, I can tell you that.” Wallace’s analogy had given her hope that she could change, could vanquish the old fears and start fresh. But now she wondered if it was only a pipe dream.
“Be patient with yourself. It takes time to reshape your thoughts. But with persistence, patience, and a whole lot of prayer, it’ll happen.”
More tears. Ugh! She felt like such a crybaby. “I dunno.” She looked away, unable to face his probing gaze.
“Delaney.”
She was surprised that he’d called her Delaney. “Yes?”
“Corbin cares about you and you care about him. Don’t let fear keep you apart from him.”
“I can’t be with a man who can’t control his anger.”
Wallace laughed. “Then you’re out of luck.”
“What?” Not the answer she was expecting.
“All men experience anger, frustration. It’s how we’re wired. Men have to be warriors to take care of their families.” He looked her in the eye. “The thing you fear most about Corbin is also what makes him great … what draws you to him.”
She grumbled out a laugh. “Tell me about it. I’ve always been attracted to the wrong sort of man.”
He arched an eyebrow. “If you’re including Corbin in that list, then I’m afraid I’m going to have to disagree with you.”
She just looked at him, at a loss for words.
“Sure Corbin’s impetuous, even reckless at times, but he has a heart of gold.” His eyes went moist. “Which is why this thing with his grandmother’s tearing him up inside.” He gave hera perceptive look. “It’s why whatever happened to him in the military still haunts him.”
The words burned into Delaney’s breast with a conviction that surprised her. Corbin was good in all the areas that counted.
“Corbin has a temper. He’ll get mad and beat some inanimate object to a pulp, but he would never hurt you.” His eyes held hers. “In fact, his burning desire to keep you safe may be the thing that does you both in.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“I hope I’m not speaking out of turn here, but I think Corbin’s making a big mistake.”
She leaned forward waiting for him to expound. “What do you mean?” she asked when he remained silent.
He cocked his head like he was gathering his thoughts. “The best way I can describe it is to tell you what happened to me once. I was with a group of fellow hunters, tracking a grizzly bear that had mauled a hiker. We tracked the bear for twenty or so miles through the forest before we caught a glimpse of him. One of my buddies shot him several times. The grizzly kept going, but we knew he’d been hit because of the trail of blood spots.”
“It was getting dark. Half the men wanted to go after the bear and put an end to the chase. But the other half was tired, wanted to set up camp and wait until daylight to track him. After a few rounds of arguments, the latter group won. We found a place by a stream and set up camp for the night. About two in the morning, when everyone was asleep, the enraged grizzly charged into the camp. As we were scrambling for cover and to get our rifles, the bear killed three men and injured several others before we could put it down.” He paused. “Had we gone after the bear, lives would’ve been saved.” Intensity burned in Wallace’s eyes. “No matter how long you run, Hugh Allen’s going to eventually find you.”
A shiver slithered down Delaney’s spine. Wallace was right. There was no way they could evade Hugh forever.
“You can’t change that,” Wallace continued, “but what you can change is how and when he comes.”
Horror trickled over her as she caught the meaning of his words. “Are you saying we should lure him here?” The thought of doing so had her quaking.
Wallace’s jaw tightened. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Bring him to our territory where we’ll be waiting. That’s the only hope you have of outsmarting him.”
“Have you told this to Corbin?”
