Free The Ties That Bind by Liliana Hart

Chapter One
     
     
    Marriage changed a man.
    Cooper MacKenzie’s stomach knotted as he reached the top of the hill that looked down over Surrender, Montana. He put his black Tahoe in park, teetering on the edge of the point of no return, and ran his hand through his thick length of black hair that was long overdue for a trim.
    Nothing had changed in the sleepy town of Surrender for the past three days. It was still tucked safely in the hollow of rolling green hills and calm blue lakes. A narrow row of shops and businesses lined each side of the bricked street. It was postcard perfect, with wooden sidewalks, matching black awnings, and antique light posts already flickering with a yellow glow. Hand painted signs sat in the windows and little pots of bright flowers were arranged neatly by the doors.
    Three thousand people—give or take a few—relied on him to keep them and their livestock safe. Depending on who was doing the talking, the livestock were often more important than the people. Ranching was a way of life, and most of his time was spent looking for bobcats, bears, and wolves searching for food. The rest of his time was spent dealing with drunk and disorderlies and the occasional domestic dispute. Long winters and blizzards made people do some awfully strange things.
    Fall was hanging on by a thread—the air filled with a biting chill and the smell of the first snow on the horizon—but the orange and red leaves still clung to the trees with perseverance.
    It was past four in the afternoon, and with the change of season came an early darkness. The clouds were full and gray and it wouldn’t surprise him if those first flakes of snow came within the next day or so.
    His hands rested on the wheel and his foot hovered over the gas, but something kept him from moving forward.
    “Shit,” he breathed out, disgusted with himself. And then he put the Tahoe in drive.
    He’d only been gone three days, but thoughts of Claire had taken his mind off the mission and invaded his dreams at night. The lack of focus could’ve gotten him killed. Almost had.
    It didn’t take a psychologist to tell him he felt guilty for lying to her. Or at least lying by omission.
    But he’d taken his marriage vows seriously. He’d promised to love and protect her. And sometimes protecting her meant keeping the darker side of his life to himself. He had military skills that went unutilized as sheriff, but the DEA had found plenty of use for him. He was helping to cripple one of the most dangerous drug rings in the country. At least a small arm of it. He was the good guy. So there was no reason he should feel so guilty.
    Except for Claire.
    He’d spent his adult life never having to explain himself to anyone or account for his actions. Not even the voters who’d appointed him Sheriff had the privilege of knowing what he did on his own time or outside the office. That wasn’t to say they weren’t curious. But most of them were polite enough to keep the thoughts to themselves. He was a damned good sheriff. No one could argue that.
    But his life had changed the moment Claire had slipped the simple gold band around his finger. He felt the weight of it there and the significance of what it meant. And he began to realize that coming home to Claire was a hell of a lot more important than taking reckless chances because he’d been bored for the past six years.
    He beeped his horn and waved as he passed Charlie’s Automotive. His sister-in-law owned the place, a blue metal building with white awnings and big bays for the cars she and her mechanics worked on. The bays were open, and it looked as if things were still busy close to the end of the day.
    Cooper turned down his police scanner—not that much was coming through anyway—so he could hear the rough crunch on brick beneath his tires. Something about the sound reminded him of his childhood. It was good to be home.
    He noticed the little shops were closing up for the night. Lights dimmed and