Other than filling in some blanks for her, Arlo didn’t really talk about his past. He had told her a lot about his father—their father—and what he’d pieced together about his relationship with Della’s mother, and he’d talked a bit about his own mother, who she hadn’t met yet. But he hadn’t really talked about his life in broader terms.

Had the responsibility of her been such a burden he’d turned into some RoboCop?

“What?” Tucker frowned. “No. He just…grew up. We all did. He became a cop, became the one that people look to for law and order, and learned early in his career that flouting rules and going against orders could get you hurt.”

“His leg?”

“Yeah. If he’d followed orders that day, he’d still be walking around on two legs. He’d probably be some big-ass detective by now.”

“But the woman in the car would be dead.”

“No, actually…” Tucker shook his head. “The police investigation found she’d have probably been fine. If anything, he put her life more at risk by rescuing her than by sitting tight as he’d been ordered. But she was panicked, and he never could bear a damsel in distress.”

Della had always assumed the rescue had been a matter of life and death, and her heart ached for her brother. She knew Arlo didn’t want anyone sitting around feeling sorry for him, but he’d paid a big price for his impulsiveness. It certainly helped explain why he was so rigid today.

“For which I am forever thankful,” she murmured. His weakness for distressed damsels had saved her life.

Although she didn’t think for a moment that Arlo was alone there. Tucker had ridden in on his white charger earlier this evening to save her pride, after all.

Tucker nodded slowly as silence settled between them. He was still wearing his hat, and he looked big and burly and every inch the cowboy silhouetted by the moonlight coming from behind. Her hands tingled with the urge to trace his granite-like outline. Run her fingers through the scruff at his jaw. Smooth her palm up his abs.

Her heart pounded in her chest at the daring it would take to do that. A daring she just didn’t possess. Trust your instincts, Selena had said, but…there was too much to screw up between them, and hell, what if he rejected her? She’d enjoyed their date so much, she’d be stupid to mess it up with some clumsy seduction attempt. Even if he had looked like he’d wanted to lick carbonara sauce off her mouth only a couple of hours ago.