Something had drawn him there, that’s why. Not just Kade asking Hunter and him to stop by to help with a couple of abused mares. No, all day he’d felt drawn to the place, like he’d needed to be there.
One second, he was walking with Hunter past the door to the courtyard where he noted an imminent collision about to happen, then the next thing he knew, he was in front of Isla, pulling her close just before the crazy dog wrapped his leash around their ankles and tripped them.
Sinjin had fallen like a ton of bricks and suspected he would never recover. But he refused to acknowledge it or do anything about it.
Luckily, Hunter hadn’t said a word, and after checking to make sure Isla and the dog were okay, Sinjin insisted he was fine and excused himself to go to the stables. It wasn’t until later, while working with one of the mares, that he realized his arm was bruised.
Not a big deal, and the light workload that week had given his body ample chance to heal.
“Counting the minutes until you can leave?” Hunter asked, dropping into a chair to his right as he sat in the shade and watched his friends play volleyball in the sheriff’s backyard.
Sheriff Gabe Bryson was a former SEAL and military buddy that he and the others had completed joint missions with while on active duty. Although they’d always had one another’s six and would’ve taken a bullet for each other, they didn’t exactly see eye to eye.
A smile twitched his lips. “That obvious?”
“No.” Hunter chuckled. “I just remember being in your shoes last year.”
He glanced at his friend who gazed at Christa, laughing with her young son across the yard. The two were Hunter’s family now. He’d never seen his buddy so settled. So happy.
“You seem to have adjusted well,” he said.
“I had a lot of incentive.” Hunter motioned with his head toward Isla, who sat rolling a ball to the young boy. “You can, too.”
His chest tightened.
“No, I’m good.” He wouldn’t allow his thoughts to go there.
It was the reason he had avoided his pretty neighbor all week. Not an easy task, especially when he saw her outside with her new dog, clearly at a loss as to how to handle the spirited juvenile. The Shepard was friendly, smart, and possessed a great temperament, but he was only about nine months old and was loaded with energy. Sinjin had to hold back and fight the urge to go outside and help during the evening when the dog tookherfor a walk.
More like adrag.
“Listen, Sinjin, there’s no reason to feel like you’re dwelling in the shadows. They’re behind you. Behind us,” Hunter said quietly. “We work for Mac now.”
He nodded, guilt tightening his gut. His friend didn’t know he still worked for the colonel and those shadows weren’t far away.
As a matter of fact, he’d talked to the man that morning, having called to get a SITREP on the sanction for Ackerman. It was still in the works, so he was told to hang tight.
Not what he’d wanted to hear. He wanted the green light so he could complete his mission and get the hell out of Texas before he did something stupid like fall for his beautiful neighbor with a big heart and kind eyes.
“Head’s up!” Carter’s warning filtered through his brain and gained his attention.
Sinjin turned and raised his hands in time to catch the runaway volleyball before it could hit the side of his face.
“Oh, snap!” Carter laughed. “That ball didn’t stand a chance.”
He tossed it to his grinning friend, who lofted it to Mac near the net.
“You guys can have at it, I’m sitting this one out,” Carter told the others, before snagging a beer from a nearby cooler and taking a seat next to Hunter. “The two of you have the right idea. It’s nice and cool right here.”
The other guests must’ve all come to the same conclusion because within minutes, everyone had grabbed drinks and a chair and joined them in the shade. Men, women, children, they all converged on the side lawn, and it wasn’t lost on him that Emily occupied the chair Isla brought over, which left the vacant one on his left for her to use.
She gave him a slight nod and he noted the apologetic gleam in her eyes as she sat down. He immediately recognized that she knew he’d been avoiding her that week. Guilt and something unfamiliar ricocheted through him, squeezing his chest.
The last thing he wanted was to hurt the sweet woman. It was the reason for his avoidance.
“So, Sinjin,” Gabe said, seated across from him. “How do you like life here in Harland County?”
A smile creased the man’s face, but the tightness of his upper lip told Sinjin this wasn’t just a friendly inquiry.
