Montana SEAL (Brotherhood Protectors #1)(10)
Hank nodded. Complicated probably meant it was personal, and she didn’t want to share her reasons for coming home with him. There was nothing between them but a few old memories. Even if those memories were carved into his mind and had been what kept him going during his darkest days, whether in battle or in recovery from injuries.
“You look good,” Sadie said, a strained smile turning her lips upward on the corners.
“You look too thin,” he said, his tone flat, a frown pinching his forehead.
She’d lost the rounded corners of baby fat, her cheekbones and arms were more angular, toned and beautiful in a more mature, upscale fashion. This woman was now Hollywood royalty. She’d walked the red carpet with people way out of Hank’s league, gone to private parties with some of the most elegant and famous people of their time. She’d even had dinner with the president of the United States.
Hell, Hank worked for the president, yet he’d never actually met the man in person.
Sadie’s lips formed a crooked smile that had the added effect of turning his insides to mush. “I can always trust you to give it to me straight. No sugarcoated platitudes. Just the ugly truth.”
Hank shook his head and made the mistake of gripping her arm. Now there was no going back. Ever since he’d seen her in his father’s hospital room, he’d wanted to yank her up against him and kiss away all the years they’d wasted apart. As his fingers curled around her arms, he slowly, inexorably drew her toward him. “What I meant to say is you look incredible.” He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear like he used to do after horseback riding across the prairie grasses.
Her eyes widened and she tipped back her head. “It’s so very good to see you again, Hank,” she said, her voice breathy. Her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. “You look pretty good yourself.”
God, he wanted to kiss her.
A nurse pushed a cart down the hallway toward them. The front wheel wobbled, making a grating sound, reminding Hank they were in a hospital corridor, not alone. He leaned his forehead against hers and slid his hand down her arm to capture hers. “You want to tell me what happened?” As soon as he uttered the words, he realized there was deeper meaning in the words. He held his breath wishing Sadie would catch it.
She drew in a deep breath and let it out. Then she met his gaze. “You know the intersection with the stop sign right before you get to town?”
His lips curled in a smile. “We used to meet there when we wanted to get away from our respective homes.”
Her expression hardened. “Your dad seems to think someone might have been out hunting and mistook us for a deer. I might have gone along with that theory if that someone hadn’t fired two more rounds, narrowly missing me as I crawled across the ground to my car.”
Hank’s grip tightened on her hand. “You think whoever was shooting was trying to hit you and my father?”
She nodded.
Anger boiled up inside Hank. “Why?”
Sadie shrugged. “Could be someone with mental problems, for all I know. I’ve heard of nut cases nailing passersby for no reason other than they were practicing their shooting skills.”
“Do you suppose my father’s flawed personal skills pissed off someone? Hell, he’s probably pissed off everyone in the county at one time or another.”
“Why now? Everyone knows him and what he’s like. He’s cranky, but he’s hard working, and he’d help a neighbor in a heartbeat. Why would someone decide to hurt him, now?”
“And that doesn’t account for the shots fired in your direction.” Hank pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. But I’m glad you weren’t hit.”
“Thanks.” For a long moment, she leaned against him, her hand resting on his chest. Then Sadie glanced up at him. “I don’t know if this has anything to do with the shooting, but I had several incidents with a stalker, back in LA.”
“Stalker?” Hank pushed her to arm’s length. “What stalker?”
She shrugged. “I have the usual paparazzi ganging up on me, but one guy in particular has been following me, anticipating my every move. The obsessive, freaky way he shadowed me forced me to pull up stakes and head home.”
“I suppose overzealous fans are part of the life of a celebrity, but couldn’t you have him served with a restraining order?”
“He’d been pretty good about disappearing before I could get a name and address to have him served. But I got one just before I left LA. The guy’s name is Tim Wallis, if he happens to show up in Eagle Rock.” She squeezed Hank’s hand and let go. “Anyway, that’s what happened, and one possibility of who could have done it. Your father took a bullet, and I got away with nothing more than a skinned elbow.”
“In a town as small as Eagle Rock, it shouldn’t be hard to find the culprit.”
“I don’t know about that. There have been a lot of tourists in the area, coming to get in the last hike of the season back in the mountains. When they cleared out, the hunters moved in. And there’ve been geologists and oil speculators sniffing around, looking for the next big oil reserve. The Crazy Mountain Bed and Breakfast, which used to be Ruby’s, has been booked solid for the past couple of weeks, and the campground south of town has been full.”