Montana SEAL (Brotherhood Protectors #1)(17)
Sadie glanced in her rearview mirror, a frown settling between her brows. She’d noticed Hank’s limp, but until he’d stepped off the curb and nearly fallen in front of her, she’d assumed his limp was a twisted ankle or a blister from wearing his combat boots. She hadn’t wanted to consider he might have been injured in a battle. All these years, she’d tried not to think of the danger he faced on a daily basis.
It made her little incident seem minor in comparison. Except Hank’s father had taken a bullet for her. Nothing had happened since the first attempt, making Sadie rethink the scenario. Maybe it really had been a kid getting stupid with a gun. With the sheriff looking for him, he might be running scared. In which case, hiring a bodyguard might be overkill.
Sadie shot a glance in the mirror at the SUV following closely behind her. She pulled into a parking space in front of the convenience store and shut off her engine, admitting she was happy Hank had been there to add additional support in getting rid of the overzealous photographer. If Sadie wasn’t mistaken, the intruder was Tim Wallis, the man who’d stalked her for the past few months, showing up at every public event, and even finding his way into her backyard to snap pictures of her. He’d cut his hair and shaved his beard, or she’d have recognized him immediately.
Sadie needed to notify the sheriff that she had a restraining order against the man. In a small town like Eagle Rock, it wouldn’t take the sheriff’s deputies long to find Mr. Wallis and remind him to keep his distance. After shopping, she’d pay a visit to the local law enforcement.
Inside the store, she grabbed a small cart and pushed it up and down the few aisles. When she reached the pantry staples, she ran into her brother’s wife, Carla. Sadie gave the woman a friendly smile. “There you are. You’re an early riser.”
Carla frowned. “If you needed anything, all you had to do was ask. I would have bought it for you while I was in town.”
“Thank you, Carla. I figured since I was coming into Eagle Rock anyway, I’d stop by and get a few things.”
“The pantry’s pretty full. We might not have room to store more items. I’ve been after Fin to remodel the kitchen. It’s too small. I want to gut it and start over. It’s way too dated.”
Sadie’s heart clenched. Their mother had remodeled the kitchen a couple of years before she’d died. She’d loved everything retro. From the black and white tiles on the floor to the bright red chairs around the small table nestled in the alcove with the view of the Crazy Mountains out the window. Jeanie McClain had loved her house in Montana, and never tired of the view.
Sadie swallowed her natural inclination to tell Carla she couldn’t touch a thing. But then she tried to think of how Carla must have felt to be a young bride, brought to live in a house decorated by her dead mother-in-law. If she couldn’t change the decorations, how would she make the house her home?
Carla’s gaze shifted to glance over Sadie’s shoulder. “Hank? Hank Patterson?” Her eyes widened. “I didn’t know you were back in town.”
A warm rush of awareness washed over Sadie. Hank hadn’t taken long to catch up with her. She hated to admit to the certain sense of satisfaction filling her. He’d always been able to find her when he went looking, as if she was his homing beacon.
“Got in today,” he said.
Carla stared at him, her cheeks flushing pink. “You look amazing.” She blinked and glanced down at her near-empty shopping cart. “I mean, I’m sorry to hear about your father. I hope he’s doing better.”
“He appears to be on the mend.”
Carla pouted. “Does that mean you’ll be going back to your unit soon?”
Hank shook his head. “No. I’m on leave for four weeks. I plan on spending it here.”
“I’m surprised.” Carla tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
If Sadie wasn’t mistaken, her sister-in-law was flirting with Hank.
“Oh?” Hank’s lips twitched. “Why?”
“You haven’t been back for any length of time since you left.”
Hank glanced at Sadie. “Haven’t had a reason to come back. Until now.”
Carla’s gaze followed Hank’s.
Sadie’s cheeks heated. Hank had made it sound like she was the reason he’d come home. But she knew she wasn’t. However, she might be the reason he stayed, rather than returning to active duty. Lloyd Patterson hadn’t been all that happy to see him, or that interested in him helping out at the Bear Creek Ranch. If Sadie hadn’t hired him to be her bodyguard, he might already be on his way back to Virginia.
Her pulse quickened. And she hadn’t had to twist his arm all that much for him to agree to watch out for her.
Carla’s eyes narrowed. “You two were a thing back in high school. I remember. No other girl could get the great Hank Patterson’s attention when Sadie was around. Whatever happened? One minute you were a thing, the next you were going opposite directions.”
Sadie didn’t respond. The memory of Hank’s proposal and her response made her stomach hurt like it had back then.
Hank slid an arm around Sadie’s waist. “We made a conscious decision to go our separate ways. Didn’t we, Sadie?”
Sadie swallowed hard and nodded, afraid her voice would crack if she answered. She’d hurt him back then. He’d been devastated, and so had she. More than anything, she’d wanted to be with him. But his relationship with his father had always been edgy. He’d needed to get out of Eagle Rock, and realize his dreams of joining the Navy and becoming a SEAL. That would never have happened if she’d accepted his offer. She’d wanted to, so very badly.