Break

When I woke up in that hospital bed, I knew my life would never be the same. Returning home broken and unable to do my job anymore, I was lost until she came back into my world.

Though I tried to deny what I was feeling, she made it impossible not to fall for her… and I fell, hard and fast. The problem? I wasn’t the only one who wanted her all to himself. So not only did I have to protect her from a man intent on doing her harm but I also had to tell my brother we were in love with the same woman.

CHAPTER 3

Molly

“Come on, Beau. You know you can just let me go, and I’ll never tell. I promise it’ll be our little secret.” I taunt Beau Bradford from my jail cell and see a smirk form on his handsome face. All the Bradford brothers are ridiculously handsome, and being around Beau makes me miss my best friend, Baker, even more. He’s been gone for months now, and although I talk to him periodically, I miss his stupid face.

Beau presses a few buttons on his computer and turns in his chair. “Molly, Ms. Theisen caught you trying to steal her cat.”

“I wasn’t trying to steal him. I was just trying to put flea medicine on him since she never takes that poor guy to the vet.”

“That poor guy is her property, and you can’t just take someone’s property and… and apply preventative care to them because you want to.”

I stomp my feet, my cowboy boots clicking on the concrete floor. “You think I want to do it? No? I’d rather she took care of her own pets, but since she doesn’t, then someone has to.”

“If you feel that strongly about it, then you need to either talk to her or file a complaint. Animal control can come and assess the situation.”

“Animal control ain’t comin’ in from the city to look at a neglected cat all the way out here. Give me a break. You know this is stupid.”

“What I know is, you trespassed, tampered with her property, and got caught. And Molls, this isn’t the first time. I can’t not arrest you because I’m friends with your brothers.”

I scoff at him and cross my arms, batting my eyelashes innocently. “Are you saying we’re not friends?”

He walks over to the bars and leans on them. I crane my neck back as he speaks. “I’m only your friend when you’re tryin’ to get out of a ticket.”

“Or jail.”

“Touché.” He sighs and loops his thumb into the pocket of his pants, his other hand resting casually at the gun on his waist. “I’d let you out if I could, but I need a signature from whoever’s comin’ to get you first.”

“You called Maverick, right?” My eldest brother is the one with the least tolerance and sense of humor, so I know he’s gonna be all pissy. But he’s also the one who’s the most protective of me, so I figured he’d be the best bet to bail me out.

Beau nods. “He should be here soon.”

“Did you at least tell him I didn’t get a chance to touch the cat since Ms. Theisen came out with a shotgun and pointed it at me?” Which is the only reason I didn’t get away… I don’t trust the lady and honestly believed she would shoot me.

“I didn’t get into the details with him.” He looks over at the door when it opens, his fingers twitching on the gun, probably out of habit. When he sees it’s Mav, he drops his arm and reaches for the keys.

“Don’t let her out yet,” my brother commands.

“Maverick!” I grip the bars and smush my face between them. “Don’t play games, come on. Get me outta here.”

My brother narrows his eyes at me, and I snap my mouth shut at the livid expression he shoots my way. “A word,” he says to Beau and walks back to the door, whipping it open.
Beau winks at me. “Don’t worry, he’ll come around, and you’ll be outta here soon.”

I plop down on the bench and pick at my nails while he goes outside to talk to my moody-ass brother, regretting that I chose to have him called. I should have had Beau call Wilder. He’s the most laid-back, so he probably wouldn’t even ask what I did, but when he found out why I got arrested, he’d drive me back to Ms. Theisen’s house and distract her while I gave Mr. Whiskers his flea medicine. Out of my three brothers, Wilder is the most sensitive and compassionate toward animals.

This is so stupid. People shouldn’t be allowed to have pets if they’re not going to take care of them. And honestly, Ms. Theisen should be thankful I spent my own money to make sure her cat doesn’t get fleas. I’ve been doing it for years now, and this is only the second time I’ve been caught. The first time, I managed to lie and tell her I found him wandering and was just bringing him back to her.

A few minutes later and I’m still stewing when Beau returns… alone. I stand on shaky legs. “Where’s Maverick?”

Beau rubs the back of his neck. “He, uh, went home.”

I wait for him to tell me he’s joking, but after several seconds of awkward silence, I ask, “Are you serious?”

He drags a chair over by me and sits down. “Sorry, kid. He said it was time you learned a lesson. He, your dad, and your brothers are worried you’re gonna mess with the wrong person and really get hurt next time. They want you to spend the night here and think about what you’ve done.”

I cannot believe them. My palms start to sweat, and I lean on the wall for support. “The night?” I croak.

“Yeah. I’ll get you a pillow and a blanket, and I’ll bring you some supper, but it looks like you’ve got a free room for the night, courtesy of Warrenville PD.”

“Can I make a phone call, please?”

He shakes his head, and my stomach starts to swirl with nerves. I’ve been in trouble before, and I’ve even been arrested, but I’ve never spent the entire night in a cell.
“Come on, Beau. Let me call my dad. I know he’ll come get me.”

“Mav said the decision was a unanimous one. Nobody’s comin’ to get you tonight, Molly.” He stands and kicks the chair away. “Sorry.”

“But… what if I have to pee?”

He looks over at the metal toilet in the corner. “I’ll step outside to give you privacy when you do. Just let me know.”

“This is a joke, right?”

“I’m sorry, Molly, it’s not. I’ve got some paperwork to do, and in a little while, I’ll go grab you something to eat, but until it’s been twenty-four hours, it looks like you’re stuck here for the night.”

I want to argue with him some more, maybe wear him down and finally get my way, but I have a feeling I’m not going to get anywhere with him right now. So… I wait. And I stew some more. I bite back tears, and then I get mad all over again. The other police officer on duty tonight comes in and looks right at me. “Hi, Molly.”

“Hi, Dick, you’re lookin’ awfully buff this evening. Have you been working out?”

“I have been.” He flexes his bicep, and I fight not to laugh at the lame attempt. Dick is well into his fifties and on the verge of retirement, he probably couldn’t lift as much weight as me.

“What do you say you bust me outta here, and we drive off into the sunset together?”

“Nobody’s letting you out tonight, Molls, so stop asking,” Beau grumbles, and Dick raises his shoulders as if to say, sorry.

I literally sit here and stare at the clock, counting the seconds as they tick by. Because I’m stubborn, I refuse to think of what I did to be in here like my family hoped for, and instead, think of ways to get back at them. A staticky noise comes over the radio, and Beau stands from his desk. He listens and replies then points at me. “I’ve gotta go out on a call, but I’ll be back with some food in a little while. Let Dick know if you need anything.”

I think it’s been a couple of hours when the doorknob finally turns, and a man walks in. I’m busy looking at the limp in his left leg, so I don’t see who it is right away. But when I glance up, my heart tumbles to the bottom of my stomach.

The hot guy who was and still is the brother of my best friend, who I had a huge crush on, who I had dreams and fantasies of marrying… who took my virginity, has turned into a gorgeous man. Tall and handsome and muscular and more than I thought he’d be, and I already thought he was the epitome of everything. His lips split into a huge grin. “Molly Rae Lynn Ryder.”

“You have got to be kidding me.” I bury my face in my hands and shake my head back and forth. It’s a dream. It’s got to be a dream. I’d rather have anyone else in the world see me in here aside from him… literally and figuratively, anyone else.

His footsteps halt as he gets close. “What on earth are you doin’ in there?”

“I’m not here. He’s not here… This is a dream. It’s not real.” I peek through my fingers to find Brody Bradford leaning on the cell, smirking. “Oh God, this is real.”

“I’m as real as they come, sweetness.”