Page 125 of Don't Back Down

Their running shoes were tucked neatly beneath the kitchen table, and the jacket she’d worn outside to do morning chores was hanging from the back of a chair.

Ghost came bounding in behind them, making his run through the house to clear their path as Cameron put her down and closed the door.

Thank you, Lord, Rusty thought, and looked down at the gold band on her left finger, and then the matching one that he wore.

Their rings. A symbol of unbroken eternity, and she was counting on this and him for at least that long.

Cameron winked and gave her hand a soft tug.

“Rusty, darlin’, welcome home. It’s time to put a log on the fire and a dog in his bed.”

She raised up on her toes and kissed him. “Thank you for the welcome. I am happy to be here,” she said and followed him into the living room, watching as he went through their nightly routine before walking back into her arms. “You dance as beautifully as you make love. Can we do it again?”

He winked. “Resume the position.”

She put one hand on his shoulder and the other on his waist, laughing as he two-stepped her down the hall and straight into bed.

“First things first,” he said.

The lights went out and the clothes came off before they tumbled into bed.

Love came easy, because they’d been this way before.

Read on for an early look at

A thrilling new romance from Sharon Sala

Chapter 1

Shirley Wallace woke up on the kitchen floor with her son, Sean, hovering over her. He had a phone in one hand calling for an ambulance, while holding a kitchen towel pressed against the top of her head with the other.

The taste of blood was in her mouth.

Her body was one solid pain, and it hurt to breathe.

She could hear the frantic tone in his voice, but she couldn’t focus enough to respond.

“Yes, yes, she’s breathing and starting to regain consciousness, but she’s bloody as hell, and I don’t know where all the blood is coming from. Yes, I know who attacked her. Her husband, Clyde. No, I don’t know where he is. Just hurry.”

The 911 dispatcher’s voice was calm and quiet even as he was dispatching emergency vehicles to the address.

“Sean, stay on the line with me until help arrives,” he said.

“Call my brother,” Sean said. “His name is Aaron Wallace. He’s an officer with the Conway Police Department.”

That was the last thing Shirley heard before darkness claimed her.

The next time she woke up, she was in the ER.

“Shirley! Can you hear me? My name is Dr. Malone, and you’re in the ER”

“Where’s my son?” she mumbled.

“He’s just outside this room. You’re safe. He’s safe, and we’re going to make you better.”

***

Sean was frantically pacing outside the exam bay when he heard the sound of someone running up behind him. He turned to look, then breathed a sigh of relief. Aaron was here!

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