The Trouble With Love (8 page)

"How long were you married?" Cole asked gently hoping not to make her more emotional than she already was.

"Five years...
Kenny and I
got married when he an
d Gabe got out of the army
, and I graduated from college
."

"I'm so sorry, darlin', that's so sad...you must've gone through hell."  Cole didn't want to think that she was still pining over her dead husband.  The thought that she
still
loved someone else that much, ate at him.

"Are you and Gabe close? He sure as hell hoped not, because he didn't plan on being around that ass another second.
..regardless of why he was that way.

She shook her head and told him, "
I blamed
him
for getting Kenny killed, and haven't talked to hi
m since the day of the funeral."  Tears filled her eyes then she admitted
hesitantly
, "Truthfully, Kenny wasn't anymore careful than Gabe...they
both
took t
heir mortality for granted.  Kenny came
close to getting killed a couple o
f times before he ac
tually did
, because he took too many chances
.
"

She wiped at the tears gathered in the corner of her eye then chuckled and said with a wobbly smile, "
But I loved that wildness in him...
he was exciting and fun...an adrenaline
junky.
  It was like I got an endless ride on an amusement park ride for five years.
 
We did a lot of edgy things...skydiving, mountain climbing, black diamond skiing
.
..Gabe didn't like it, but Kenny just laughed at him.
"

Cole flinched
knowing he'd never live up to that kind of wildness.
  What she'd done with her dead husband were things that held no interest for Cole. 
He liked a little edge, but his idea of edge wasn't skydiving or black diamond skiing.
  T
hat was tempting fate, in his opinion.
  "So you liked all that?"

"It was thrilling to a twenty-three year old who'd been on a farm most of her life...I stopped going with him after a while
...
I had a bad spill skiing.  Traction isn't a fun experience
,
"
she said with a watery chuckle.

Sabrina sober
ed
, then as
if the thought just occurred to her,
she told
Cole,
""
In the end, that's what got him killed...not Gabe.
  If he'd have just shut up
, instead of pushing the envelope to try and fool them,
they might not have shot him.
"

"Or they might have killed Gabe instead?" Cole suggested because he had a feeling that's exactly what would have happened.  Kenny probably did it to give Gabe a chance to get away, covered his back like he always had according to Sabrina.

Her gaze snapped up to his and she gasped then said, "You're probably right.
  Gabe doesn't talk about it, so I'll probably never know...but either way he'd feel guilty.
"

"Is Gabe still like
him
...a wildcard
?"
Cole
asked
curious
ly, hoping he didn't have
someone that unpredictable
and
unstable
in
his town.
  God only knew the havoc that could cause if they did get a visit from the people after him.

"
Worse...
I don't think he cares
if he lives or dies
anymore. I think he's taking these cases that put him in extreme danger, because he feels guilty
about Kenny
and maybe wants to d-die," she said then the tears she'd been damming back burst and flowed down her face.  "Cole, he's all that I have left
,
"
she whispered with a sob.

"I know, baby...come here." He grabbed her and pulled her into his arms then
scooted
on the bed to lean
against
the headboard and hold her.
  Cole kissed the top of her head and said what he did not want to say, "I'll help you, darlin'...we'll figure out how to make things right."

How the hell he was going to that, Cole didn't know, but he did know he would do all that he could to make sure her bastard brother didn't get himself killed.

CHAPTER FIVE

Cole made a point to have deputies travel by the Double B at least a couple of times a day to check on things.  He stopped by in the evenings to make sure Sabrina was doing okay and not working too hard.  It seemed to him that she was trying to bury her grief and worry in as much work as she could squeeze into a day.  She'd even bathed the damned horses yesterday...all twelve of them.
 
He also noticed that she
had taken to wearing her weapon all the time too.  For a week, he hadn't seen her without it on.
  Cole hated that she was living with that fear.  She was supposed to be on vacation...supposed to be enjoying her time off. 
Yet, h
ere she was working herself to death, and worrying more than she did at work.

It was Friday and she needed a break.  He was going to make sure she got one, whether she wanted to leave her brother or not.  Let the bastard take care of himself for a few hours, he was taking her out dancing.
  Cole had gone home
to shower and change
befor
e he headed out to the Double B
, so he was ready to go...all he needed was to get her to agree
to go
now.

Pulling the SUV up in front of the house, he killed the engine and looked toward the barn.  He saw S
abrina hefting a wheelbarrow full of manure out to the pile in the corner of the field.  She looked hot, sweaty and tired.  His hopes that she'd feel like going out faded, as he opened the door and got out.
  

When she saw him, she smiled then he thought he heard a whoop, which made him chuckle.  She ran to the fence and hopped right over running across the driveway, until she was standing before him with her hands on her hips.
  She pushed her straw hat back on her head and moved her
blue
eyes over him from the toes of his snakeskin boots all the way to
the crown of his black Stetson, then whistled, "You going out tonight?"

"Yeah..." he told her with a grin.

Her smile faded then she said, "Thanks for stopping by, we're fine.  Have fun
.
"

S
he went to push past him to go into the house
, but Cole grabbed her arm, and said,

"Hang on, sunshine...."

She didn't turn back around to face him, so he put his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him.  He was surprised to see her lower lip trembling and her eyes filling up with tears.  Sabrina jerked her shoulders away from him then told him over her shoulder a
s
she flew up the steps, "Just go, Cole...have a good time."

"Wait a damn minute, would you?" He shouted to her back, but she went inside and shut the door behind her.  Cole hustled up the steps then tried the
knob,
but
it was locked of course.  "Sabrina, open the damned door!" he yelled through the heavy door.

Cole banged his fist against the door, when she didn't come back to open it.  "Open the door, Sabrina!"

He saw a shadow on the frosty glass panes, then the door was flung inward and her brother stood there with his hands on his hips. "What the fuck do you want, hayseed?"

Cole didn't respond to the rumpled, rough looking man that was Sabrina's brother.  He looked like he'd started his drinking early.  He pushed past him into the foyer and yelled Sabrina's name again. 

When Gabe Kelley put his hand on his shoulder and pushed him against the hall table, a plate that had been displayed there fell off and crashed on the hardwood floor.  Cole came up swinging and connected with his jaw, sending him back into the other wall.
  "That's fucking assault on a police officer, jackass.  You're under arrest."

"And I didn't invite you in, so you're trespassing, jackass," Gabe Kelley spat back at him then pushed off the wall and swung at him.

"You don't own this fucking house
asshole
, so you can't press charges for trespassing," Cole said dodging the blow
then throwing one of his own toward the guys stomach.  He moved to the side and Cole missed, then he pushed him from behind sending Cole belly-flopping on the hardwood floor.  Pain shot through him as all of his weight landed on his still sore ribcage, and he groaned then gasped for breath.

Sabrina ran down the stairs then into the foyer and ran over to him, "Oh, god, Cole...are you okay...your ribs," she said running her fingers along his ribcage.
  She rolled him over and he saw her shoot Gabe Kelley a lethal glare,
before
she opened his shirt to look at the bandage he still wore.

Cole gritted his teeth and pushed her hands away.  "I'm fine," he told her and got up to his feet.  "Bastard pushed me from behind," he said then took a menacing step toward Gabe his fist drawn back.

Sabrina grabbed his arm and shouted so loud he was tempted to put his fingers in his ears, "Stop it! Now!"

"He's under fucking arrest, turn around and spread 'em.
 
I'm sure you know the routine," Cole told him and pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his back pocket.

A sob tore out of Sabrina and she grabbed Cole's arm and begged, "Please don't arrest him, Cole...they'll find him."

Cole took a deep breath trying to calm down, because he knew if he didn't calm down he was either going to arrest this moron or beat the crap out of him. Neither would be doing himself any favors.  Either Sabrina would hate him forever, or he'd wind up in jail himself.
  He could just see Elmer coming out here to arrest him, like he'd done to Luke.

Huffing out the breath he'd been holding,
he told her through gritted teeth
, "I came out here to ask you to go dancin
'
with me...but I think I've changed my mind."
he told her and spun on his heel to grab the doorknob.

"Cole, wait!" she said and ran up behind him to put her arms around his waist.
  He didn't turn around, he just stood there, his shoulders stiff, his hand still on the knob. "I'm sorry...if you still want to go, give me a few minutes to get ready."

"I can't stay in th
is house with him," Cole grated, "I might forget I'm the Sheriff and beat the shit out of him."

He heard Gabe snort then s
ay
snidely
, "You can give it your best shot,
Sheriff
."

Cole felt the anger he'd tried hard to suppress surge through his veins like molten lava
.  He
spun on his heel to face Gabe Kelley
, and glared at him then said,
"Your best bet to get along in this town is to lose that fucking chip on your shoulder
, bud
.
 
I assure you if y
ou take another swing at me
,
you'll not only get your ass kicked, I
will
personally throw your ass in jail and I don't care who finds out.
"

Sabrina glared at Gabe too and told him, "Cool it, Gabe, or you can pack your crap and get out.  This isn't your house, don't forget it...I don't even know if Cassie would want you here.  I'm a guest here, and owe it to her to keep the peace."

Gabe Kelley's face was red and his fists were clenched, but he got the message.  He nodded shortly, then turned and went up the stairs.
  Sabrina bent down and started picking up the pieces of the shattered plate from the floor, pulling out the hem of her shirt to use to carry them
to the trash
.  Cole bent down beside her and helped. 

When they were done, they walked to the kitchen in silence, then Cole asked, "You still feel like going out?"
  He wasn't letting that asshole ruin his plans, if she agreed to them.

"Yeah, I could use some beers," she said in a
frustrated tone
.
"Just give me fifteen minutes...I need to shower."

"You got it, sweetheart," he said then pulled her to him and gave her a quick hug.

Sabrina pulled out of his arms and went upstairs, to get ready.
  Gabe was up there and she didn't want to see him, so she went into her room quickly and shut the door then locked it.  She grabbed her suitcase and put it up on the bed, and pulled out a jean skirt and red ruffled shirt that she'd bought in
Phoenix
for this trip.  It went perfectly with the
pair of red
boots she'd boug
ht at the western store...and the red hat that wound up in her bag too.

They were so pretty she hadn't been able to resist, even though boots weren't her typical style in
Arizona
.  She liked how she looked in country style clothes, so maybe she'd change her style there for her off time, and put her new boots to use dancing.  She smiled at the thought of actually getting out and doing something that didn't involve work, once she got home.

She grabbed a new lingerie set she'd bought, then ran to the bathroom and locked that door too.  Quickly she shucked her dirty work clothes and turned on the shower spray and adjusted the temperature, then grabbed her bath gel, shampoo and a wash cloth.  She knew she had to hurry, she
wanted
to hurry.  She
n
eeded this night out
, badly
.
 

Fifteen and a half minutes later,
she'd finished braiding her hair into loose pigtails since it was still wet
.  Then she slapped on her new hat and
ran down the stairs then across the wooden floor to the kitchen where she found Cole sitting in a kitchen chair waiting for her.
 

God, when she'd first seen him outside, she wanted to climb him like she had the old mesquite tree on her daddy's farm.  He looked that good in his tight Wranglers, and black western shirt
. And him in that damned hat had her fingers itching to pull it off to run her fingers through his thick dark blonde hair.
  And she'd been jealous that he was going out without her. 
That damned green monster on her shoulder had made her act like an idiot, and she owed him an apology.

"Hey," she said smiling at him.

He had been lightly dozing and opened his beautiful green eyes
.  When
they landed on her, he whistled then sat up straight and said, "Lordy, sugar.  You take my breath away."

Sabrina's grin widened and she walked over to kiss his cheek.  He wasn't having any of that and pulled her onto his lap and claimed her mouth
in
a heated kiss.  She slid her arms around his neck and tilted her head to deepen the kiss, licking her tongue over his lower lip then slipp
ed it
inside his mouth to tease his tongue into an erotic dance.

Someone clear
ed
their throat at the door
and they
pull
ed
apart like teenagers caught necking.  Sabrina stood up and smoothed her skirt down, and looked at her brother in the doorway.  His expression was neutral, a good thing after the way he'd acted earlier, but she was still afraid he was back to harass Cole.  "If you're back for more, Gab--"

"I'm not, Bri.  I came down to apologize...I did act like an ass earlier, and I'm sorry.  My head is so fucked up right now, I just lost it...and I'm sorry," he spoke to her, but was looking at Cole.

Her jaw flapped open and closed then she nodded.  Cole said, "Thanks, man," then grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

Gabe looked her up and down then grinned. "You look like a cowgirl, sis," he said then cleared his throat then finished, "It
's
a good look for you."

She smiled at him then walked across the kitchen and put her arms around his waist. "Thanks, Gabe...
I love you.
"
she said with emotion choking her
.  Hu
gging him felt so damned good...it had been too long.

H
is arms tighten
ed
around her
, then he
kissed the top of her hat and said, "Love you too, squirt.
..you guys go have fun.
"