“We need her to join in the fight, Marlo, and she’s not doing it.”

They had moved Fala out into the waiting room in the last of the sun, trying to get her motivated to do something, anything. Anything but lie there.

Marlo nodded, agreeing. “Is she deteriorating?”

Jeff’s arm circled her shoulder. “Well, she’s not improving. I want more from her.”

Marlo wanted more from her, too. Much more. Years more.

The numb feeling that existed since she’d found Fala earlier that day hadn’t thawed. Watching the dog, she willed the next deep inhalation, too scared to look away in case her gaze inspired each breath.

Something scratched at the clinic door. She ignored that and the person who called out, “Wait, you’ll wreck the paint.” The voice was accented, and, while she was still questioning the sound, her body had this autonomous response and the thaw began. As the numbness left her, that heat remained, and it was right about then the door opened. In seconds she was knocked flat to the floor and covered with kisses and saliva and…that breath.

She pushed herself up, and the dog that had flattened her jumped off and ran to Fala, skidding on the linoleum floor and bumping into her dog bed. He lowered his head and gently nuzzled her mouth.

Fala moved for the first time in an hour, lifting herself to lick at the dog’s muzzle. Justice’s muzzle.

“Justice!” Marlo opened her arms.

The skinny red-and-white dog threw himself at her again in a whirlwind of paws and mouth and tail and tongue, trying to climb right into her arms. Dog rules were ignored as she allowed Justice to burn the wild pleasure out of his system.

Finally, he slowed, and at that moment Marlo had to deal with the other guy who had entered the building. The one leaning against the wall with his feet casually crossed as he aimed a big broad grin at her. The kind of grin that stuttered her heart. She froze and watched him, because the chaos inside her threatened to break her if she tried to move.

She tested a smile. Just a small one that wouldn’t lower the drawbridge to her emotions, because she’d spent the time since he’d left keeping the castle contents safe. And she wasn’t jeopardizing that.

He matched hers with his megawatt smile that illuminated her and made her glow. He pushed off the wall and stepped toward her, and she thought she may never breathe again, because most of her didn’t seem to be working anymore.

His hands took her shoulders, steadying her. “Hello,” he said.

“Hey,” she managed and stole a look upwards, and yeah, those eyes were still fathomless. “Uh…you are here?”

“Yes, I’m here,” he replied, and she could see the control it took for him to restrain a laugh.

“And Justice is here?”

“Uh-huh, right here, lying on our feet.”

They both looked down. Justice grinned back and bashed his tail on the floor a couple of times.

“So am I dreaming?”

Adam sucked in a breath. “God, I hope not.” His gaze darted from her eyes to her mouth as if trying to read every confused cue. His mouth was tentative.

The fact that he needed a bit more air, that she witnessed the little tremor of uncertainty…that was what Marlo needed to see. He wasn’t holding this together much better than she was.

She heard a car engine start and glanced to the window, remembering that this is how it had all began…a leaving car, Adam, and a dog he’d just helped deliver. Was this how it would begin again?

Vince drove from the parking lot. So typical of him to slip away when he thought he was no longer needed.

When she turned back, she realized that Jeff had also left the room. Now there was her and Adam and the panting dog that didn’t want to move from her feet.

“I need to sit down.” She took the couple of steps to the waiting room bench seat and sat on its padded vinyl cushion.

Fala came over and pushed her nose into Marlo’s hand.

“Fala’s up.” She swiped her hand over her eyes and stood and called for Jeff. “Fala’s up, walking.”

He entered the waiting room and paused, looking as bewildered as she felt. “I’m not sure where to start,” he said.

Marlo nodded. I’m not, either.

“That’s great about Fala. She’s probably had a bit of a rush from seeing Justice. I’m happy for you to take her home this evening, and I’ll tell you some things to watch out for. If you see any of them, you phone me, even if it’s the middle of the night. Otherwise bring her back in the morning, so I can check her again. Oh, and Sally said that she’ll drop one of her witch’s brews at your house for Fala on her way back from town. It’s probably there already.”

“I think Sally prefers it if you refer to her potions as homeopathic remedies.” Marlo watched Fala, who now lay at Adam’s feet, renewing her status in the fan-club-of-one. That was an image she would happily get used to.

Jeff rolled his eyes. “Sure, got it. Mustn’t upset Spooky Sally or she’ll cast a spell on me. Now, what about Justice? I’d better check ultra-marathon dog out.”

Marlo flicked Adam a do you mind? look. “Can you wait?”

“I’ve got all the time in the world.” He smiled.

* * *

Adam poured them each a glass of wine as Marlo fixed dinner for the dogs. Justice had checked out fine. He did appear to have had an altercation with a vehicle at some stage in his journey, but his wounds were scrapes and well-healed. The pads of his paws were worn and had minor lacerations. Mainly, he was hungry.

Even Fala ate a little food before she went to her basket, where Justice soon joined her.

“So…us.” Adam had stepped up behind her as she cleaned the dog dishes.

Marlo turned and leaned against the bench and concentrated on each breath. This close to him, she could feel her body on high alert, little parts of her soliciting his touch. Settle. “Us. Tell me…”

He took her hand and led her through to the sitting room, steering her to the sofa. “Sit with me.”

She sat. Adam joined her, pulling her right in until she was tight with him.

“This is sitting with me.” His arm had draped around her shoulder, but his hand clasped her firmly. “Tense.” His word was hot in her ear.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I’m confused. I don’t know why you’re here, and I can’t get on another adrenaline fun ride with you, only to have you leave again.”

He pressed a light kiss to the top of her head. “I’m here. So long as your government will have me, I’m here. That’s not to say there won’t be a few more adrenaline rides. You need them—you’re a shock junkie.”

“Thank you. I think.”

“CRAR offered me a job…”

Marlo pushed herself up. “What? Really? How come I didn’t know?”

“I asked them not to tell you.”

Spores of disappointment settled and clung like a late summer blight. This sounded familiar.

“I know, you’d think I would learn.”

It seemed he still read minds.

“Listen, hon, I tried to settle at home. I resigned from the police and went back to the farm and did my best farmer impersonation. And that’s what it was, an impersonation. I was so unhappy. When I was down at the cottage, all I could think of was having you there, sharing the place with you, watching sunsets together, teaching you to surf. Then came the news that although there would be no funding from any organizations back home for the Flying Squad, CRAR were going to take up the idea. James Mansell phoned and offered me the job.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I would have, but I wanted to be certain that everything would come together. Despite Mansell’s call, the position could quite easily have fallen through, or I could have been refused a work visa…so much potential for stuff going wrong.

“And hell, it really did go wrong. At my farewell dinner my father had a heart attack, which blew apart any notion I had of leaving the farm.”

“Oh, Adam, I’m so sorry. How is he?”

“He needs to take things easy for some time, but he’s going to be okay. Can you see now how it would have been if you’d been told I was coming back, only to have me pull out?”

He had protected her for the right reasons.

“I’ve made promises to you before, and I’ve let you down. I don’t ever want to do that again. The only way I could honestly and with certainty say to you that I was coming back was when I drove up to your door.”

“And now you’re here.” Inside of her was a little tremble, a flutter like the heart pace of a small bird. She tested a smile a couple of times, a small lift at the corner of her mouth, like a tic.

“Now I’m here.” He reached an arm behind her knees and swung her so that she draped over his lap. “I need you closer,” he whispered, and, as his thigh muscles flexed, she allowed herself to find the first ripple of pleasure.

“Marlo, I know in the past I’ve had moments when I’ve made decisions on your behalf, and pretty much all of them backfired. I saw you as fragile and vulnerable, but what I hadn’t seen was your bravery and your ability to step up and take care of yourself. And the dogs. And the people around you. When I was in New Zealand, I was so lost, missing a vital piece of me, and I thought you were probably here getting along fine.”

“Except I wasn’t.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“I’ve become stronger because of you, Adam. I always thought that doing things alone would make me stronger, help me through my fears, but you let me see that by asking for help, by partnering up with someone to walk with you through the difficult bits, that’s what makes you stronger.”

He reached up to cup her cheek, and she saw the flash of hurt cross his eyes as she pulled away.

“Stop.”

His hand fell to her lap. “Sure, hon, stopping right now.”

She sat up. “Show me your hands.”

“You going to punish me?”

“Hands.”

“Okay.” He stretched his hands out toward her, and she gripped his fingertips, staring at them. Gradually, she stretched a finger down and rubbed the tip over the indentation on the ring finger of his left hand. Up and down, she moved her finger, unable to stop herself touching the empty spot. When at last she could form the words, she asked, “Did you lose it?”

She waited as he drew a slow, deep breath. “I buried it.”

“Oh…oh, heck. Are you okay with that?”

His eyes gleamed.

“Totally okay. Liberated. You are the person I wanted when I was at home, and, in fairness to you, I had to be certain of that. I am now. I wasn’t going to come back unless I honestly believed in us.”

“So you’re staying?” Her voice pitched higher with each question.

“If you’ll have me.”

She leaned back in to him. “You can take that kiss now.”

They met halfway, their lips touching, recognizing, and a little hesitant.

“God, I’ve missed you,” he spoke against her mouth.

“Right with you on that one,” she replied, as she swept the tip of her tongue along his bottom lip.

He caught it with his own tongue and moved in and took control of the kiss, deepening it, asking for everything she had, and the answer she gave him was exactly right. Pleasure and emotion collided and washed through him as he took possession of her, laying her back on the cushions.

He saw movement in his periphery and he broke off the kiss, sighed, and sat up. Fala was beside them.

“Fala needs to go out.” Marlo went to stand, and Adam grabbed her wrist, catching her to him. “First, there’s something I want to say. I’ve said it to myself. I’ve told my parents, and my brother, Clive. Even Emma knows.”

“Emma?”

“Yeah, I know, weird, huh?”

He took hold of her chin and tipped her face towards him. The brilliant blue of his eyes were so bright they startled the breath from her.

“I love you, Marlo. You’re woven through my entire heart so that I’m only complete when I’m with you. I hope that there’s space in your heart, alongside the pieces the dogs have, for some love for me, because I can’t possibly ever leave you again.”

Marlo’s chest pounded because this was more than she could ever have dreamed for. She drew gulps of air as something that mixed joy with tears cascaded through her. “We almost lost each other. I can’t believe you’re back. I love you too, Adam, but it frightens me. I’ve never had this feeling for another person, and I’ve been empty since you left.” She thumped his chest with a balled up fist. “Don’t ever leave me again.”

He caught her fist and kissed it. As he drew it back to her side, Justice reached up with a paw and tapped at their hands.

Adam shook his head, laughing as he turned and saw Fala and Justice eagerly watching them. “It looks like Fala and Justice need to go out, now.” He swung himself from the sofa. “Stay there, I’ll take them. It’s probably my turn.”

Marlo gave a soft laugh. “Welcome home.”

* * *

Vince and Lulah’s (and Calliope) story follows next in Soul Scars.