Free Bucking Bronc Lodge 04 - Cowboy Cop by Rita Herron Page B

do everything possible to ensure that little boy was safe. Even if it meant opening up old wounds by confiding her past. “You asked me about the shooting. Maybe it wasn’t about Timmy but about me.”
    A tortured moment passed and Miles seemed to be considering her statement. “What are you talking about?” he asked tightly. “Why would someone want to hurt you?”
    Jordan took a deep breath. “Two years ago, my younger brother was gunned down by a gang member outside San Antonio.”
    Miles stilled, the air growing thick. “How old was he?”
    “Thirteen,” Jordan said, a knife twisting in her gut.
    “Was the shooter caught?”
    The teenager’s face flashed in her mind. He had the coldest eyes, a face hardened by the life he’d led on the streets. “Yes, but the police warned me that his gang might retaliate and come after me.”
    Miles cursed. “So you think one or more of these gang members might have followed you here?”
    “I don’t know,” Jordan said honestly. “But I just thought you should be aware that it’s a possibility.”
    “Does Brody know?”
    “Yes.” A chill skated up her spine at Miles’s condemning look. “He and I have both scrutinized the counselor and campers’ files and backgrounds and nothing suspicious has shown up.”
    “I can’t believe you’d come here and put others’ lives in jeopardy,” Miles said in a cutting tone.
    Her guilt deepened, but she stood her ground. “I discussed it with Brody at length. If you find evidence that it was this gang that shot at us, I’ll leave.”
    Perspiration beaded on Miles’s forehead, defeat and worry darkening his eyes. Then he glanced at the sky where the last remnants of daylight lingered. “I’m going to call one of the security guards to help me search for those bullets. I’ll get one of the others to stay with Timmy. Maybe you shouldn’t be around him until we figure out what’s going on.”
    A sound behind them erupted, and Jordan turned to see Timmy behind Miles. He looked stricken, panicked, more upset now than before. Then he ran toward Jordan and threw his arms around her legs, a sob escaping.
    * * *
    M ILES’S STOMACH CLENCHED . Timmy was looking up at him as if he was terrified of him.
    And he was obviously growing attached to Jordan.
    He could understand why. She was kind and gentle and probably reminded him of his mother.
    Except she was nothing like Marie.
    Marie had stayed at home with Timmy but not because she’d wanted to. When the bottom fell out of the real estate market, she’d lost her job. She’d been depressed about it and had had a short fuse with both Miles and their son.
    Jordan stooped down and pulled Timmy into her arms and stroked his back. “It’s okay, Timmy. Everything’s going to be fine, I promise.”
    Her gaze met his, and Miles felt sucker punched at the raw sensitivity in her eyes. Knowing she’d lost her brother somehow made him look at her differently. She wasn’t just a shrink; she was someone who’d experienced grief firsthand.
    And judging from the way her voice had warbled when she’d confided about her brother, she had her own guilt to deal with.
    He’d been hasty in telling her to stay away from Timmy. Obviously Timmy needed her.
    “I’m sorry,” he said, both to her and his son. He moved closer to Timmy and knelt beside him. “I shouldn’t have raised my voice.”
    Timmy loosened his arms around Jordan and looked up at him, his big eyes swimming with anguish.
    “Why don’t you walk Timmy to dinner and stay with him while I go look for those bullet casings?”
    Jordan frowned and patted Timmy one more time. “It might be faster if I went with you. Then I can show you exactly where we were.”
    She was right.
    “Okay, let’s both walk Timmy to the dining hall. He can stay with Brody.”
    “Timmy’s group is going to tell stories around the campfire after dinner,” Jordan said.
    He gave a quick nod. He would make sure one of the security guards was there to