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“You said you work with my mom sometimes.”
“I do. I was really surprised to see her when she first moved here. I thought she was in a care center in Portland.”
“It made sense to transfer her after Kelsey and her family moved back. My sister is great with her and her kids really love their grandmother.”
“It’s further away for you to visit from Portland, though.”
“There is that.”
“Plus it means if you want to see her, you have to return here to the Lake Haven area, which you always vowed you would never do.”
“You make it sound like I swore a written statement that I would never return. It wasn’t like that.”
“Wasn’t it?” she murmured, applying a thin layer of antibiotic ointment.
He supposed she wasn’t that far off. After everything that happened, leaving had felt less like a choice and more like survival.
He had been determined to become a cop, to make sure other families didn’t suffer what his had. The promise to himself to stay away had been real enough, even if it was born more from necessity and pain.
She attached a bandage, sealing around the edges with her finger, before she stepped away. “There you go. All done,” she said, her voice slightly husky.
She glanced up, meeting his eyes for the first time, and the air between them seemed to crackle with unspoken tension.
“Thanks,” he muttered, hastily pulling his shirt down.
“You’re welcome.”
“I should go.”
Something flashed across her lovely features. Was that regret? Longing? He couldn’t tell because she quickly masked it with a neutral expression.
“Right. Of course. Make sure you tell Stanley you’ve done your good deed for the day.”
He gestured to his stomach. “And now you have too.”
“Is that what it was?” she murmured.
“You didn’t stab me,” he pointed out. “You could have taken those first aid scissors and made a matching scar on the other side.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
She set the kit on the bathroom counter and walked out of the room. He followed her to the living room, where he found Kodiak lying on the floor, both of her cats nestled next to him.
“You were right. He is a sucker for cats.”
“Every time,” he answered. Just like Wes was a sucker for the lovely Hannah Goodwin.
“Thanks again for your help.”
“You’re welcome.”
He gave Kodi the command to come. The dog lumbered to his feet, emitting a small whimper.
“Oh, he’s hurting,” Hannah said, sympathy in her voice. “I’m so sorry.”
“He has it much worse than I do. Mine is mostly for show. Missed any vital organs. But vets are worried Kodiak won’t be able to regain full function in that leg ever because of the way the tendons were damaged. He obviously can’t be a police dog if he can’t chase after suspects.”
The worst part wasn’t his own injury. It was watching Kodi struggle with something as simple as standing up. The dog had been magnificent at his job, lived for the work, the partnership. Now he might spend the rest of his life as a pet instead of the working dog he was born to be, all because Wes had made the wrong call in a split second.
