The Protector by Donna Grant

Author:Donna Grant [Grant, Donna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

Cullen swallowed as he considered Mia’s suggestion. His mother’s murder had followed him from the small town of Hillsboro into the Marines and beyond.

He was treated like everyone else—until it came to his mother. Then most handled him with kid gloves. Others avoided the issue altogether.

Yet here Mia was, facing it head-on.

And daring him to, as well.

How could he pass up such a chance? He’d thought after so many years, being reunited with his brothers to search for Orrin might have dulled the pain enough for them to talk about the murder. Not so in this case.

It made the ache inside him grow. The same hurt that had begun the day of his mother’s death had only expanded, swelling within him until he felt he might burst because of it.

“Orrin never spoke of it,” Mia said into the silence. “I didn’t know about your mother until after working with him for a few years. Even then, I didn’t bring it up. I figured that he had all that time to tell me, and he chose not to for a reason.”

“No one in my family likes to talk about it,” he admitted. “I was seven when she died, and Dad only sat me down once to speak of it. He told me that someone had come into our house and hurt Mom. He tried to soften the blow of what had happened, but you can’t live on the ranch and not know about death. Then he swore to me that he wouldn’t rest until he’d found the person responsible.”

Her brows shot up. “That’s it? He didn’t ask if you needed to talk?”

“That was it. I didn’t think much of it at the time. I didn’t want to talk about it. But Dad’s grief was tremendous. After we buried Mom, he disappeared for weeks. When he returned, he was different, harder. As if whatever tenderness had been inside him withered with her death.”

“He loved her deeply.”

Cullen slowly nodded and swung his gaze to Mia. “I never saw her. The day she died. I know why Wyatt and Owen kept me away, but it pissed me off. It still angers me. She was my mother. I had a right to see her.”

“They were protecting their younger brother.”

“I know.” It didn’t make it any easier. “I read the police report years later. That comes from living in a small town and knowing everyone.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear. “What did it say?”

“There was a storm that day. We hurried to the house because we thought there might be a tornado. I’ll never forget that because there were some gusts that swept me off my feet. And the lightning. It was beautiful and terrifying. When we reached the house, something caught my brothers’ attention. Wyatt refused to let me in the house. He ran to the barn, and Owen took my hand and led me to a hiding spot at the side of the house.

“The rain was so heavy, we were soaked in seconds.

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