by Geri Krotow
“It’s fine. We got to use the Bunsen burners in science lab today.”
“That’s fun.” Nash put his arm around his brother as they walked into the house.
Maeve was predictably at the family calendar, adding the washi tape she was fond of to the next week.
“Hey, Maeve.”
“Hi, Nash!” She gave him a quick hug before turning back to the monthly schedule. “I just filled in the activities for next week for Aunt Clara and Uncle Jim. I thought you’d still be gone.”
“I probably will be. I’m working a tough case and I can’t take time away until we solve it.”
Maeve’s eyes lit up. “Is it about the Lake Dumper?”
“The what?”
“Hashtag Lake Dumper. It’s all over social media. It was in the digital paper yesterday. It says he’s tied to a major drug ring, that he disappears into thin air and that he is also a serial killer.”
Nash shook his head. He hadn’t had time to even think about the press, much less scroll through community posts about the case. “You know you can’t believe everything on there, right?”
Maeve looked at him as if he was the teenager. “No, but where there’s a hashtag, there’s a story.” Maeve wasn’t yet sure what she wanted to do if she went into the navy, but he’d place his wager on Intelligence or JAG Corps. She was as stellar a writer as a negotiator.
“Keep it under your hat that I’m on it, okay?”
“Of course.”
Aunt Clara walked into the room. “There’s the puppy snatcher.”
“Aunt Clara, thank you so much for helping me out here. I really appreciate it.” He hugged and kissed her. “What the heck are you talking about, ‘puppy snatcher’?”
“Noel Larson’s mother was down at the café, spouting off about how her son’s dogs were stolen. She doesn’t know me from Adam, or rather Eve, but I paid attention in case it’s something you could use. I know those Larson boys are up to no good. They’ve never had a good reputation. Neither did their grandfather.”
“I appreciate you trying to help, but like I just told Maeve, you can’t believe everything you hear.” One thing about a small town was that word traveled fast, but it could often be misleading. “Where’s Uncle Jim?”
“He went to check on our house and get us some more clothes. The nights have been cold and I wanted my flannel pj’s.”
“Is the woodstove working okay?” He walked over to the stove in the middle of the large living room.
“It’s fine, but you know we don’t like to leave it burning overnight. We’ve gotten used to our gas heat, let me tell you.”
Gas heat was something Nash wanted to add to the house, but until the girls got situated with college and he knew how much it would be out-of-pocket for him, he was holding off. If Maeve’s appointment to the Academy came through, he’d have more than enough for both boys’ educations and to upgrade the house.
“There are down blankets in each of the bedroom closets.” The last thing he wanted was for his relatives to be the least bit uncomfortable. They were sacrificing so much to help him out and always had. “I don’t know what I’d do without you and Uncle Jim to help me. I wouldn’t be able to keep my position as a K9 officer without you.”
“We’re family. It’s what we do. Speaking of K9, where’s Greta? You didn’t leave her in the car, did you?”
“No, she’s back at the clinic. Dr. Colton is keeping an eye on her. She got a minor injury this morning and needs a little TLC.”
“Greta’s okay, right?” Jon walked into the room, grabbed an apple off the counter and bit into it, all while quizzing Nash. “I miss her the most. Not that we don’t miss you.”
“Gee, thanks, bud. Come over here and let me wrestle you.”
Jon, thirteen, had started to eat like a horse and had grown four inches this past summer. He got close enough to Nash to lean in for a brief hug. Something in Nash’s heart twinged with regret. As tough as the last five years had been, they had also passed in the blink of an eye. The kids were getting older and didn’t need his constant care. Sure, the teenage years meant he had to stay present and vigilant, but it was nothing compared to the first crazy years of meal after meal, helping with homework, the chauffeuring. Paige had picked up a lot of the slack with the driving lately, and soon Maeve would be able to, too.
“I miss you guys.”
“Miss you, too.”
“But?”
“We love having Aunt Clara and Uncle Jim here. She made us cookies last night.”
“That’s what they really like about me.” Aunt Clara laughed from the kitchen, where she was making herself a cup of tea. “Can I get you a coffee?”
“No, I have to get back.”
“Are you staying at the station overnight?” Jon lifted the lid on the cookie jar and grabbed a handful of the cookies Aunt Clara had baked.
“Whoa on all those sweets—how about leaving some for your brother and sisters? And no, I’m not staying at the station. I’m staying with Dr. Colton, actually.”
“Patience?” Maeve’s eyebrow rose in query.
“Yes.” He waited for the firing squad.
“She’s a fox!” Trey exclaimed, his face reddening.
“She’s so nice. She let me help train the dogs the last family day.” Maeve’s thoughtful expression warmed his heart.
“Way to go, Nash.” Jon held up his hand, waiting for his to fist-bump.
“Hold it right there. I’m staying with her as part of my job. There’s a big case going on with the clinic, and besides adding some extra protection, I’m gathering evidence.” A twist of the truth, but he had to keep his siblings off the trail they always focused on: finding him a girlfriend. Or, worse, a wife. He chalked it up to wanting a more permanent mother figure in their lives, but as Paige and Maeve matured, they seemed genuinely interested in his well-being. Sweet, but unwarranted. He was a bachelor.
After enjoying an early dinner with them and having a few words with Paige when she came home from swim practice, Nash headed out. He still had one more stop before the cabin.
Chapter 12
After a long day that included Nash’s dive, Greta’s injury and the Larson twins, Patience enjoyed the peaceful respite of the cabin. She’d paid heed to Nash’s insistence that she take every precaution to make sure she wasn’t followed. She hated the constant feeling of being watched that had plagued her since the night of the crime.
As she walked Greta around the clearing, she remained alert to every sound coming from the forest. The familiar birdsong as the sun began to set, the dropping leaves and pine needles, the chatter of squirrels that were still out and about, busily harvesting cones and acorns until the temperatures dropped low enough to signal winter’s arrival. The thrum of an engine made Greta alert, her posture frozen as she faced the source of the sound.
It had to be Nash. He’d texted he was on his way, but Patience’s spine tingled and she struggled to draw a deep breath into her lungs. The tension of the last few days was getting to her.
When the familiar shape of his Jeep turned into the clearing, she let her shoulders relax. Greta’s happy bark confirmed that her handler, Nash, was driving.
“Come on, girl. Let’s go greet him.”
Nash got out of the Jeep and Patience let herself enjoy the warmth that rolled over her, as easy as his long strides as he walked to her.
“Hey, Greta.” He bent over and greeted his partner with unabashed affection. “How you feeling, girl?”
Greta wagged her tail, making her entire body wiggle.
“She’s doing great. I think we’ll get away without the cone of shame around her head. She hasn’t made any attempt to paw at her wound.”
“You’re a smart girl, aren’t you?” He straightened up and the light in his eyes had nothing to do with Greta’s cut or how it wa
s healing. The thrill that thrummed through Patience was undeniable. Nash was feeling the same attraction as she.
“I can’t thank you enough for taking care of Greta today.”
“I’m just glad you’re both okay. That was a very scary situation you were in.”
He nodded. “Yeah, it was. If the jerk had been any closer or stabbed Greta an inch or two deeper, it would have been a different outcome.”
“That’s not what I meant, Nash. You could have been killed.”
“As you could have been, Patience, if I hadn’t been there when the Larson twins stormed into the kennel, I’m not certain Noel wouldn’t have assaulted you to take those dogs.”
“Unlikely. I had the staff around, and he was on my turf.”
“It’s not about what either of us thinks, is it?” Nash stepped up next to her. “It’s what we’re feeling, why we’re both worried about each other so much.”
Was the great bachelor Nash Maddox going to admit he had feelings for her?
“It’s only natural, I suppose.” She didn’t want to share her feelings, not completely, not yet. It was still early and hard to know if she was experiencing baby hormones, lust or early signs of something deeper and more lasting.
He smiled. “A baby changes everything, doesn’t it? It’s clear to me we’re both worried whether or not the other is okay because we’re so focused on the child’s safety.”
Tears sprang into Patience’s eyes at the sting of his pronouncement. He’d been thinking about the pregnancy, and the baby’s safety, which meant her safety, too. Not about her as an individual or possible partner. Before he could see the tears pooling she stepped away and headed back for the house.
“Patience, wait.” He caught up to her on the porch. “What did I say?”
“Nothing, Nash. You said nothing. It’s not important.”
* * *
Nash couldn’t ignore the tangle of emotions roiling in his gut. But even more, he couldn’t brush off the obvious hurt and pain he saw his words had somehow caused Patience. He thought she wanted him to respect her need to be a single mom, and he’d just done that, hadn’t he? Her eyes moved away, to his Jeep, and he followed her gaze.
“What’s in the back of your car?”
“A few things I thought we’d need before long.” Pride warred with trepidation as he tried to decipher her. “I’ll bring them in later. We need to eat, and I’d like to make you one of my specialties.”
“Oh?” Her eyes didn’t look like she was about to break into sobs any longer, so that was a start.
“Pasta carbonara. The kids love it and it’s quick. Plus it’s really good with a bottle of cabernet. I know you can’t have alcohol now, so I brought some sparkling grape juice.”
“That’s thoughtful of you.”
“I’ve also got a few things to unload. Give me a bit of time and I’ll get dinner going.”
She didn’t say anything, but retreated into the cabin and, he suspected, to her laptop, where he knew she spent dedicated time each evening entering her notes on patients and general clinic work. He hurried to the car and started to unload.
When he entered the cabin with the first of his goods, Patience was nowhere to be seen. Just as well, since he wanted to surprise her with everything. As he brought in the last of his purchases, she wandered back into the great room, her phone at her ear.
Her eyes widened at the pile of gifts he’d come bearing.
“I have to go, Layla. I’ll call you back.” She disconnected from her sister and turned her stunned eyes to him.
“What the hell is this supposed to be, Nash?”
* * *
Patience stared at the Christmas-size pile of baby products in front of the cabin’s fireplace. She couldn’t help herself from going to it, passing close enough to Nash to feel his body heat, but ignoring her instant physical reaction.
“You bought all of this on your own?”
“Yes.”
Nash was raising his siblings, but they’d all been beyond baby and toddler stages when their parents had died. A high chair, baby swing, car seat. Diapers, baby wipes and a baby wipe warmer. A huge box with Baby Spa printed on it depicted a fancy tub complete with a shower faucet and jets. And there were other items she couldn’t see, on the far side of the pile. She looked at him.
Nash stood behind the sofa, framed by the fading daylight that streamed in through the picture window. His face was partially in shadow, so it was hard to tell what he thought, or to see any hint of his motive for buying out the single Red Ridge baby supply store.
“Why, Nash? You know, the baby’s not bigger than a peach right now.”
He stepped into the light, his hazel eyes bright with intent, but she still wasn’t sure. Why had Nash gone to this trouble?
“I’m a planner, Patience. It’s part of why I like working with the K9 unit so much. It’s about more than me or my skills. I have to train Greta every day and do the monthly training to keep us both at top form. I’ve kept my household running for the past five years, with all four siblings’ schedules and my workload. The only way I’ve done it is by having a plan for everything. A baby is no different. It needs routine. The other thing I’ve learned is that the right tool for the job is essential.” He paused to shake his head and chuckle. “When I was living on my own, before my parents’ accident, I had a few plates, one pot, and I was the master of microwave cooking. But kids need three solid meals a day and frozen meals weren’t going to cut it. I moved back into my parents’ house and found that the kitchen was like driving a Cadillac after using a bicycle.”
“But you don’t have to do this. I already told you, I’m prepared to raise the baby myself.”
“You haven’t heard me, Patience. I get it—there’s been a lot going on since the Lake Killer. We haven’t had time to be together and talk about our circumstance.”
“You’re calling my pregnancy a circumstance?”
“No, I’m referring to how we’re going to handle the baby. You know this. What are you afraid of?”
His words lanced her resistance to him. When he closed the distance between them, she willingly went into his arms. Tears pricked at her lids for the second time since he’d come home, and she let herself lean against him and he held her tight. “I’m all over the place. It’s the baby hormones, it’s knowing a killer wants me dead, it’s being confronted by Noel Larson. It’s seeing that poor woman dropped into the freezing lake. And yet the most important thing that’s happened is that I’m going to have a baby.”
“It scared the heck out of me when you were in the clinic and they were coming after you,” Nash murmured in response. “And when Noel Larson tried to bully you, it was all I could do to keep my cool.”
His palms moved in circles between her shoulder blades and she yielded to his touch, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her cheek against his chest. He was a full head taller than her and they fitted together perfectly. His breathing and heartbeat were steady, another reassurance.
“I never felt more frightened than when it came over the emergency response system that you’d suffered a diving casualty. If anything had happened to you, the baby would never know its father, Nash.”
She lifted her head to look at him at the same time he moved his hand to cup her jaw. The comforting vibe between them turned to sizzling heat in the blink of her tear-filled eyes, and a zing of awareness hit deep in her belly, pooling between her legs.
Nash must have seen the want in her eyes as he lightly kissed her lips. “Are we giving this a go, Patience?” His deep baritone stoked her need to a white-hot flash point.
“Oh, yes.” When his mouth covered hers she stopped thinking, stopped worrying about how they’d take care of the baby. Stopped revisiting the sheer terror that gripped her at the thought of anything happening to Nash. She embraced the moment, the very sex
y, delectable moment.
His tongue was hot and insistent as he probed the depths of her open, willing mouth. His hands, so very talented, stroked her from her shoulders to her ass, and when he moved one hand to cup her breast, she groaned. She let go of his shoulders and lifted her top over her head. Nash unhooked her bra and his hot mouth seared a path from her throat to her nipple, his tongue stroking it from hard to throbbing. She ground her hips against his erection and he pressed back, his need as demanding as hers.
“My bedroom, Nash. Please.”
* * *
Nash had never felt the need to please a woman the way he did Patience. Their first time together had lasted all night and he’d made sure she’d been satisfied, as he always did with his partners. The best lovemaking was two-way pleasure. Their lovemaking in the cabin the other day had been a release they’d both needed, and reassurance that their one-night stand hadn’t been a passionate fluke.
This was different, on a whole other plane. As if Patience’s physical response to him meant more than the fact they shared a smoking-hot chemistry.
Her room was pure Patience—feminine pale yellow walls, contemporary clean lines, the aroma of fresh flowers present but not overpowering. He shrugged out of his shirt as he stood facing her at the foot of the bed and unbuckled his belt. Patience grinned.
“Let me help you with that.” She slipped his belt out of its loops and unzipped his pants. As he shoved them down, she shimmied out of her scrubs, revealing a grape-colored thong with a lacy front panel that revealed dark curls with the same hint of red as the hair that framed her face. He got rid of his boxers, freeing his erection.
Her hands wrapped around him and he closed his eyes, tilted his head back. “Patience.” At this rate he was going to come before he had a chance to join with her, and that would be a pity. He needed to be one with her again.
Her hands shifted to his chest and he moaned in disappointment, until her hot mouth took him. She made him want to do everything he could possibly imagine with her, for her, to her. After he cried out a second time, she stood and gently pushed him onto the bed.
