Free Murphy's Law by Jennifer Lowery

help.
    His mother and sisters had tried and he
wasn’t up for another female trying to fix him. Some things couldn’t be
forgiven and what he’d done in that cage could never be. He hadn’t told his mom
or sisters what he’d gone through, but they had seen the scars and tried to
erase them for him, not knowing he didn’t want to. The scars were a reminder of
his failure as a Ranger and as his father’s son. If his dad had lived to see
him now, he would be disappointed. His dad deserved better than what Murphy
offered.
    Dropping down onto the bed, he cradled
his head in his hands and closed his eyes against the cold hard reality of what
he’d lost in those nine months. His temples began to ache in the familiar way
they did when he was forced to face the events that led him to a solitary life
in the mountains.
    Until Sara and Abby Sheldon showed up.
    Waking up to Sara’s soft kiss had fired
his blood. It still smoldered. Tasting her innocence and hesitancy had been an
aphrodisiac like never before. Feeling her softness beneath him had almost
seduced him into showing her what she was missing, as she so honestly put it.
    Dammit, he wasn’t the man to find
herself with. She would regret it afterward and he had already hurt her enough.
He wouldn’t add sleeping with her to his list of wrong doings. She was
searching for something, but he wasn’t the one to help her find it. He had
located her daughter and gotten them out of the danger zone. When the road
cleared, he would buy and put on four tires and escort her out of town the back
way so no one would see her. Then he would wave her off and hope she found what
she was looking for. Afterward, he would return to his life of solitude and be
happy they were gone.
    And somehow try and forget how right she
felt in his arms.
    * * * *
    “Where are you going?” Sara shut the
door to the dryer and propped a plastic clothesbasket on her hip as she watched
Murphy shrug into a parka.
    He zipped it up without looking at her
or answering the question. They had been avoiding each other the past
twenty-four hours the best they could, given the close quarters. Neither spoke
about what happened in Murphy’s bedroom and she took care to cover her bruises
with turtlenecks. Although July, it felt more like fall most days so it wasn’t
unusual for her to be dressed this way. She didn’t want Abby to see the
bruising around her neck or Murphy to be reminded of that night, so she kept it
covered.
    “To check the road,” Murphy finally
answered.
    “But it’s only just stopped raining. Do
you think it’s open already?”
    “No.”
    “Then why bother?”
    Murphy turned to her. His eyes snagged
on her turtleneck sweater and narrowed before lifting to meet hers. Guilt
flashed before he masked it. She started to smooth it over, but he sent her a
warning look so she snapped her mouth shut.
    “I won’t be long,” he said.
    Sara nodded, hating the tension between
them. She wasn’t angry with him for what he’d done. Although she didn’t fully
understand it, she didn’t blame him. Murphy wouldn’t intentionally hurt her;
she didn’t want him berating himself over it. Where did he go in his tortured
dreams at night?
    Murphy reached out and tugged the collar
of her shirt down to reveal her bruises. His mouth thinned and a muscle jumped
along his jaw. Why did he torment himself like this? She started to pull away,
but his fingers on her skin stopped her. Tenderly, he traced the bruises,
leaving goose bumps in his wake.
    Mesmerized, she waited. His touch
caressed her skin and her breath hitched.
    “Dammit, Sara, you shouldn’t have gone
in,” he murmured.
    The torment in his voice shook her. She
knew Abby couldn’t see them from where she sat at the kitchen table having a
glass of milk and a peanut butter sandwich, so Sara reached up and touched
Murphy’s sleeve. Murphy hadn’t forgiven himself for hurting her. He may never
admit it but he was a noble man, maybe the first one she