Snowfall on Haven Point(33)

“Point taken.”

“I know you don’t like accepting help and I completely understand that, believe me. We all like to think we have the strength to handle whatever life throws at us by ourselves. It’s not about strength or fortitude or independence. Maybe this is simply my way of giving back to Wyn for all she has done for me and my children, by helping her grouchy wounded bear of a brother while he’s going through a rough few days.”

He gave a rough-sounding laugh. “Wounded bear? Is that what I am?”

“Close enough. You want to hunker down in your cave by yourself and lick your wounds. I get it. But my particular cubs want to make that cave a little more cheerful and I can’t think that’s a bad thing. I want to teach them the same lesson Louise is trying to teach her grandson. Decent human beings help each other when they can.”

He paused, looking uncomfortable. “I am grateful for that, even when I don’t always act like it and when I’m lousy at admitting it.”

She had to smile again. “Don’t worry. It gets easier.”

“I doubt we’ll get to that point. It’s only a matter of time before everything is back to normal.”

He had a few miles to go before then, but she didn’t bother mentioning it. “You probably need to sit down, don’t you?”

“I’m supposed to be moving around. It actually feels good to be on my feet. Or foot, anyway.”

She shouldn’t be noticing the way his shrug rippled the loose T-shirt he wore or how his hands looked big and capable on the crutches.

She swallowed and gestured to the Christmas tree. “I should probably set this up and check the lights. Wyn told me it was only a year old so should work fine, but I would rather be sure of that before Will and Chloe hang all their decorations. It’s easier to do earlier, rather than later.”

“I’m sorry I can’t help you.”

“Zero-sum, remember?” She carried the tree into the den, aware of him hobbling down the hall behind her.

As she worked to pull the pieces of the tree out of the bag and set them in the correct order, he stood beside the sofa flexing his toe. How was it possible that he could look so virile and manly when his face was still scraped and battered and he wore something that wouldn’t look out of place at the gym?

She thought of that wounded bear comparison. Marshall Bailey was more like a big, gorgeous mountain lion, sleek and strong and muscular.

Something else she probably shouldn’t notice.

“How is the leg feeling today?” she asked to distract herself.

“Fine. Like the rest of me. More than ready to go back to work.”

“When do you think that will happen?”

His features twisted with annoyance. “Technically I’m supposed to take sick leave until after the New Year.”

“That’s only a few weeks, at least.”

It was obvious by his expression that seemed like a lifetime to him. Something told her Marsh was not a man who liked being on the sidelines very much.

“I’ve still got a few investigations spinning and I can work a few angles at home. I’m also going to dig into some of the county’s cold cases from before my time.”

He was obviously very dedicated to his job. That should be all the reminder she needed to ignore her growing attraction to him.

She refused to be involved with another law enforcement officer. It was as simple as that.

Some women had the fortitude to be married to LEOs or men in the military. They could handle the long shifts, the dark moods that could steal over them after a horrible day, the constant awareness of the danger they willingly walked into.

Since Jason’s death, Andie had come to accept that she did not possess that necessary gene. If she ever married again—which was a very big and nebulous if, since she apparently couldn’t bring herself to even think about the dating world—she wanted a man who was safe, stable, steady.

She could never let herself care about someone willing to risk his life and his future and all those he loved for a stranger who might not even want to be helped.

Not that Marshall Bailey was asking her to care about him, she reminded herself. This particular mountain lion apparently was a solitary beast.

“I’m also following a few leads into whoever did this to me,” Marshall said, interrupting her thoughts.

She pulled the last segment of the tree out of the bag and set it into place. “You said Deputy Morales is working on the case for you?”

“Yeah, as far as that goes. He’s not making much progress.”

“That must be terribly frustrating.”

“You could say that. It’s like the perp disappeared into thin air. Or jumped into Lake Haven.”