Read Online The Man Behind the Badge by Sharon Archer - Free Book Online

months.’
    ‘Rough?’
    ‘Yes, it was at the time.’
    ‘Tell me his name. I have connections. I’ll have him busted to constable.’
    She laughed despite herself, grateful to him for lightening the moment so her incipient tears could recede. ‘Tempting, but not a good idea. Besides…I think his connections are better.’
    ‘Really?’
    ‘Mmm.’ She pursed her mouth then told him the rest. ‘He was marrying his boss’s daughter.’
    ‘His boss’s daughter?’ He sounded thoughtful. ‘Using my superior powers of deduction, I’ll take a stab and say your father’s in the police force.’
    ‘Impressive, Sherlock.’
    ‘I think I can do better. Morgan? That wouldn’t be Assistant Commissioner Christopher Morgan, would it?’
    ‘It would.’
    She held her breath, waiting for his reaction. Would he be overawed by her father’s rank, the way Keith had? Would he see her as a way to fast-track his career?
    Tom was silent for a long moment and then he laughed—a genuine sound. ‘Yeah, I guess his connections are better. Still, he must have blotted his copybook with your father when you broke it off.’
    ‘Not really.’ The support from such an unlikely source pierced straight to her heart. The truth was, far from Tom’s assumption, her father thought she was a feather-brained female by breaking it off with his rising star. Now Tom, a man she hardly knew, was standing in her corner. No questions asked.
    She’d been a convenience for Keith—one that had become inconvenient when she’d confided in him about her brother-in-law’s pass. Even in private, he hadn’t been able to be a rock in her time of need.
    ‘Your dad took his side?’
    ‘My father didn’t know the whole story behind the breakup.’
    ‘And you think that’s okay?’
    ‘Not okay.’ She shrugged. ‘But unless he knew all the facts, how could he make a decision about whose side to take?’
    ‘You’re his daughter, his family. His allegiance should be automatic.’
    Should it? It hadn’t ever worked that way in her family. She was silent for a long moment. ‘You are a nice man, Tom Jamieson.’
    He made a hissing sound of disgust through his teeth. ‘Nice?’ His mouth curved and his eyes glinted with humour. ‘Well, it’s a long way from charming but it’s a start.’
    A small snort of laughter escaped. She bit her lip to smother the unfamiliar sound.
    Looking pleased with himself, Tom stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed them at the ankles. She swallowed, all desire to laugh instantly subsiding.
    ‘What were your other two objections to me? Large and dominant?’ Tom asked. ‘I can’t do anything about large except to say I would never hurt you physically, Kayla. Never.’
    There was nothing but truth in his warm brown eyes. She ducked her head. ‘I believe you.’
    ‘Then that just leaves dominant. Is that such a problem? You’re pretty bossy yourself. You didn’t have any trouble telling me what to do at Andy’s accident. Or ignoring what I wanted you to do.’
    He was whittling away her objections, gently, thoroughly, leaving her naked, without protection.
    ‘You wouldn’t want a marshmallow man.’ He sat forward again, his voice pitched low and intimate. ‘You’d walk all over him.’
    She stood and walked to the kitchen set up to relight the billy. She had to do something with her hands and making a second cup of tea seemed as good as anything. ‘Did you want another cup of tea?’
    ‘No, but I would like you to stop avoiding me, Kayla.’
    She turned back to face him. ‘I’m not sure where you’re going with this. I’ve agreed that you’re nicer than I expected. I’ll even admit to the possibility that a warm, sparkling personality might lurk behind your rugged, law-enforcement-officer exterior. What more can I do?’
    ‘Come to my family’s barbecue tonight. We always get together on the Saturday night of the camp draft weekend.’
    She shook her head. ‘I can’t gatecrash a family