Broken Trust by Leigh Bale Read Free Book Online

Scout and you love
animals. All kinds. And when you were just a boy, you found an orphaned
mountain lion cub and hid it in your mother’s laundry basket so you could heal
its injured leg. When your mom found it there, it scared years off her life.
She didn’t care that you wanted to practice being a doctor. She made you take
it to the Fish and Game office.”
    He threw back his head and laughed.
“Touché. Do you think there’s anything we don’t know about each other?”
    “Not much. And yet, there’s so much
I still don’t understand. Eric claimed that was what made love so special.”
    He caught the edge of sadness in
her tone. Mentioning Eric reminded Mac that his best friend was gone and
wouldn’t be coming home. All of a sudden, they both became very quiet, lost in
their own thoughts.
    Mac’s heart felt heavy with words
he longed to say. If only he could get her out of his heart, he’d be the
happiest man on earth.
    She frowned. “Why don’t we talk
about something else?”
    “Okay. How’s Cara?” he asked,
thinking of Eric and Toni’s fourteen year-old sister.
    Toni pursed her lips. “As
rebellious as ever. Every time we talk, we end up fighting. She hasn’t been the
same since Mom and Dad died. I had such hopes of us being a close family again.
Once we got married, I thought—”
    She turned away, seeming
embarrassed that she’d confided so much to him. She stared at the small desk
sitting nearby. A clutter of papers littered the top. Earlier, Mac had been
working on the bills while Mom prepared supper. When they’d heard the gunshots,
he and Dad had taken off to see what was amiss on their mountain. Later
tonight, he’d finish up the accounts and take the bills into Clarkston with him
tomorrow morning to mail them at the post office. But first, he’d notify the
sheriff of Toni’s attack.
    Bending at the waist, Toni peered
at a picture resting on the desk. Dad had taken it of Mac and Eric when they’d
first enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps six years earlier. Dressed in full
military uniform, their expressions looked happy, young and determined.
    Naive to the tragedy awaiting them.
    Toni’s gaze turned wistful and she
reached out to run her bandaged fingertips over the glass before stepping back
to the fireplace.
    Memories swamped Mac of when he and
Eric had joined the corps. They’d both thrived on the excitement and drama.
While Mac excelled as a medic, Eric had advanced in intelligence work. Being in
the special forces was a dream come true for both of them. Neither of them
believed one of them would actually get killed.
    “So, what did you want to talk
about?” His throat felt raw, like sandpaper.
    She scuffed the toe of her slipper
against the homemade rag rug covering the floorboards. A view of her slim
ankles drew his attention before he lifted his gaze to her delicate face. As
she sat, he caught her scent. Something floral and sweet. A soft wisp of hair
hung over her eyes and she brushed it back. A myriad of angry scratches
glistened with some kind of ointment Mom had rubbed on them. They didn’t seem
to bother Toni as she crossed her ankles like a regal lady. Only her blue eyes
betrayed her nervousness.
    Ah, what a beauty. The way she
tilted her head reminded Mac of the picture he still kept in his locker on
base. He loved that photo.
    “I received a letter from Eric
yesterday in the mail. That’s why I came to see you.” Her gaze locked with his.
    “I see. It upset you because
he’s…?” He couldn’t say the word. He still couldn’t believe Eric was gone.
    “Yes, but the postmark on the
envelope shows he mailed it the day of your last mission.”
    Mac shrugged. “That’s not unusual.
It often takes five weeks to receive a letter from Afghanistan. The military
combines U.S. mail service with military airlift. It all depends on when a
plane comes by for the marines to send and receive mail.”
    “But this letter isn’t the norm,
Mac. I think you’d better read