Page 99 of Billionaire Protector

Even now, he continued to watch over her. So she said good-bye without saying all the other things she wanted to say and watched the man she loved walk away. Yet a thousand questions swirled: What did he have to do that was so important? What did he have planned?

Would it change her life?

When the fire marshal dropped him off at the station, Cole didn’t waste time going home before continuing to hisdestination. It didn’t matter – the man he sought wouldn’t notice how he looked, much less realize the untimely hour. The sun was just making its bright debut as he knocked sharply on the rickety door.

“What is it?” The man opened the door, his eyes bloodshot, his teeth yellow, his breath smelling, of course, like alcohol. “What are you doing here?” Alfred Tanning sneered.

Cole steeled himself. If it were just him, he’d walk away, leave the man to the consequences of his decisions. But he had a woman to think about now, and he was going to do right by her. “Your daughter almost died today.”

For once, the man’s eyes focused, in a face devoid of color. “Sarah?” he whispered. “Is she all right?”

“Yes, no thanks to you. She almost died in a fire fighting to save her name. The same name you trashed again and again when you let her take the fall for you.”

The man sagged against the doorframe. “Thank goodness. If something happened to my baby…” His eyes turned watery. “There’d be nothing good left in my world.”

Cole stared, silent at the startling confession. So the man loved his daughter after all.

“I never meant for this to happen.” Alfred’s eyes lost their focus, as his tone turned quieter. “I was going to admit the truth the first time, when I stole that stupid pack of cigarettes, but Sarah begged me not to. She said they would take her away, and I couldn’t bear that. Sheriff Carter – your dad – said he would take care of everything, and I promised to never do it again. Only I got drunk, and it happened again. And then again and again, and suddenly so much time had passed, there was no going back. And now there’s no point.”

“No point?” Fury raged, at what the man had done, at what he was still doing. “Your legacy follows Sarah every single day. She’s the sheriff, a job she got despite you, and you’re showingup drunk all over town. She doesn’t make a whole lot of money, and half of it goes to clean up your mess.”

Alfred hung his head. “I know,” he whispered. “Don’t you think I’d change if I could?”

Cole speared him with a harsh gaze. “Actually, you can, and I’m going to give you one last chance. I’m going to tell you something I haven’t even told Sarah. I love your daughter. I love her with all my heart, and I’m going to marry her. She said there’s an excellent rehab, a place where you can beat your addiction, or at least give you a fighting chance. I’ll pay for it if you’re willing to do the time. If you agree, someone will be here in an hour to get you cleaned up and start the process. It has to be your decision, your choice to fix your life. What do you say?”

Alfred took a deep breath, then stood taller. His eyes sharpened, filled with something akin tohope. “Yes.”

With a curt nod, Cole pivoted and strode from the house. The older man’s destiny was now his own. Alfred Tanning had made the decision to fight for his future.

Time to do the same.

“Son?” Jack Carter stared at Cole. “Are you all right?”

Cole couldn’t fault his father’s reaction, as he dusted down his sooty clothes and wiped ashes from his eyes. He looked like a chimney after a four-alarm fire. “I’m fine, Dad. Filthy and exhausted. but not hurt.”

A gasp sounded in the background. His mother ran up and grasped him by the shoulders, pulling him into an embrace of dust, dirt and ash. “Does anything hurt? Tell me.”

“I’m all right.” Cole held up both hands but couldn’t stop a smile. While his dad always treated him like a man, his mother hadn’t quite gotten around to believing he’d grown up. “Actually, it’s good news. We caught the arsonist. It wasn’t Sarah.”

“Never thought it was.” His father moved aside so Cole could enter. Cole walked in but remained standing. His mother wouldn’t appreciate a blackened sofa. “Who did it?”

“Scott Easton.”

His father whistled low. “Can’t say I’m surprised. Something always seemed off about that boy, like he was a little too perfect.”

Cole grimaced. “I wish I’d figured that out sooner.” The past flashed back, the times he’d let him get away with far too much. Scott’s actions had been a harbinger, but Cole couldn’t blame himself. He’d fooled everyone. “I also wish I’d made some different decisions back in the day. Now I’m just happy everything was resolved before anyone got hurt.” The time for regrets was over. Now it was time to move forward. “Are you planning on attending the council meeting today? They’re doing something special for Sarah.”

His parents gave identical nods. “We wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Jack studied him, and suddenly Cole was a teenager all over again. “Son, as glad as I am to see you, you didn’t rush here dressed in smoke to tell us about a council meeting or even the arrest. What’s going on?”

Cole took a deep breath, looked down. Why had he thought he could keep something from his father? “I’m here to ask for help.”

Jack didn’t hesitate. “Anything, son.”

Cole tightened and flexed his muscles. He’d faced so much when his troops – his friends – died. How could a few words to two of the most important people in his life be so difficult? “I need to deal with what happened in the service. I tried to handle it on my own, but it’s not enough. I need help to get past it.”

His father’s gaze held only respect, and not a trace of pity. “It takes a strong man to admit that. Very few people could’ve made it through the hell you faced without some scars. You’re far from alone.”

Cole exhaled. Admitting he couldn’t deal on his own was terrifying, but so were the nightmares. He’d almost lost his life because of it. “I’ve seen what happens when people run from their demons, and how it affects the people they love. I don’t want that.” He straightened. “You said you know someone who deals with stuff like this, who’s been through it before and now helps others.”

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