Page 22 of Lone Star Country Protector
“He did,” her sister said. “Except that Greg said he had to be the one to deal with customers to ensure they had a good experience, or they’d take their business elsewhere.” Bethany sank into the sofa. “It’s probably my fault too. I mean, I kept asking for a bigger house and nicer cars.” She tapped her wrist, which held several expensive bracelets. “I loved when he gave me presents.” She gasped. “I think I started loving the gifts more than Greg.” Another deep breath. “What if I walked him straight into the arms of someone else who would put less pressure on him?”
“You didn’t.”
“We don’t know that,” she said, shaking her head for emphasis. “It could be my fault too.”
“First of all, I don’t like hearing you blame yourself,” Blakely said calmly. Relationships were complicated, and she didn’t have a leg to stand on personally. But she’d witnessed the deterioration of many once-blissful unions. At least from the outside, the couples seemed happy. “You aren’t the one who violated your marriage. Don’t let Greg off the hook so easily. He could have talked to you first. Told you how he was feeling. Brought you into the workplace more. I’m sure you would have rolled up your sleeves and pitched in.”
“What if I told him that I was too tired when Chase was a baby, so he never asked me again?”
“Again, not exactly your fault,” Blakely pointed out. “When Chase had colic, you didn’t sleep for what felt like months. You could barely keep your eyes open while we were in the middle of a conversation.”
“Funny how Father Time steals your memories,” she said.
Some memories stuck with you forever, etched in the scars on your body as much as the ones in your mind.
“Don’t tell me you forgot,” Blakely teased.
“Honestly, that whole time was a blur,” Bethany admitted. “If I didn’t have pictures and videos, I wouldn’t even remember Chase as an infant.”
“Even that fresh-from-the-bath smell?”
“I could never forget that,” Bethany said with a rare smile.
“Don’t make any decisions about your life or your marriage while you’re this tired, okay?”
“That’s probably good advice.” Bethany bit down on her bottom lip like she used to when they were teenagers and she couldn’t decide what to do next. “It’s just that I never see going back home and pretending nothing happened.”
“I’m not telling you what to do, so don’t take this the wrong way,” Blakely said. She wasn’t sticking up for Greg so much as making sure her sister played this smart. “But couples do work through infidelity.”
“I never thought we were just like other couples, though.”
If something like this could happen to Bethany and Greg, no one would be immune.
The crack of a bullet split the air. For a half second, she worried Chase had gotten hold of Dalton’s gun.Impossible.Dalton would not be that careless.
Blakely shoved her sister to the floor and followed, crouching low. She risked a glance. The family room window leading out to the backyard was cracked and had a bullet hole dangerously close to where Blakely’s head had been while seated on the couch. Wild shot?
Not a chance.
Blood pressure through the roof, she didn’t hear Daltonuntil the lock snicked in the front door and then again when he locked it after leaving.
The thought of anything happening to him caused her chest to squeeze as she reached for her cell to call 911.
Blood on her arm sent waves of panic through her as she checked her body to see where she’d been shot.
But it wasn’t her.
Bethany.
“Oh no,” Blakely said as her sister’s body went limp. “Bethany. Stay with me. You’re going to be okay.” She could scarcely get out the words through blinding tears and the frog in her throat. “Wake up.Please.”
Chapter Nine
Dalton couldn’t get out of the house fast enough after the gunshot that shocked the hell out of him.“Hide in the closet until I come back for you,”he’d said to Chase, tucking him deep into the walk-in. Older homes in Texas were known for their closet space. The fact came in handy when Dalton convinced the boy to find a spot in the very back where no one would find him.
Dalton dismissed the fear that he would be shot and the kid would starve to death before anyone found him. Besides, Blakely knew Chase was upstairs. She would give her life before anything happened to that child.
Right now, Dalton needed to focus all his energy and attention on capturing the shooter. He ran toward the neighbor’s house on the left to circle around and, hopefully, not be seen by the perp. Whoever it was, he was determined. Striking again this soon was a sign of his desperation. Bringing the fight to her doorstep sent a strong message…I can get to you anywhere you are. No place is safe. Not even your home in your gated community.
