by Terri Reed
Though the words were muffled by the ringing in her ears, she said to Henry, “This is not your fault. You did your job.”
Slowing, Kaitlyn approached the downed man, kicking the gun that had fallen from his hand to the side before squatting to check for a pulse. There was none.
The sound of pounding feet bounced off the wall. She looked up to see Alex and Daniel running toward her.
“Kaitlyn?” Alex skidded to a halt and put his hand on her shoulder. “Are you hit?”
“No.” She rose and shook her head. “He’s gone. But there was another one. He has on a lab coat with an access badge.” She explained what had happened and gave a detailed description of the attacker.
“We have to find the other gunman before he leaves the hospital.” Addressing Henry, Alex said, “Go to the video monitoring room. See if you can locate him on the security feed. Then radio me, but stay put.”
Henry shook himself and seemed to come out of the stunned stupor he had retreated to. “Yes, sir.” He took off, talking into his radio.
A moment later a Code Silver announcement came over the PA system, the code to alert the hospital staff to an active shooter.
To Daniel, Alex said, “Do a room-by-room search. And be careful.”
Daniel nodded and started the arduous job of hunting for the second gunman.
“Should I go with him?” Kaitlyn asked, itching to find the man who’d burst into the room and threatened them all.
“No,” Alex said. “I need you here, protecting our victim.”
“Yes, sir.” Kaitlyn hurried back to Lexi’s now quiet room. A nurse checked the comatose woman’s vitals. But it was Rosie and Nick who had Kaitlyn gaping. The little girl had fallen asleep in Nick’s arms.
“You saved our lives,” Nick said, his deep voice tinged with awe.
Uncomfortable with his praise, she said, “You saved mine. If you hadn’t pushed me when you did, I’d be dead.”
His dark-eyed gaze held hers. “I did what anyone would do. But you were the brave one.”
Her chest tightened. She’d been scared. A fact she didn’t want to dwell on, so she focused on the infant. “I’m surprised she’s sleeping.”
With a quiet chuckle, Nick said, “Me, too. She has to be exhausted. I know I am.”
The sheriff returned a few moments later. “The guy’s nowhere to be found. Daniel and Chase, when he arrives from the crash site, will provide security for Lexi.”
“What about the baby?” Nick asked.
Alex sighed. “I called the state child protective services. They can’t send someone until early next week, so we’ll have to find somewhere safe for the child in the meantime.”
Kaitlyn mentally filtered through the various people in town she thought might take the baby and keep her safe. She kept coming back to her own parents.
They loved children. Her mom had been hinting they wanted grandchildren. Not something that would happen anytime soon in Kaitlyn’s future. Having children would require having a relationship, and she couldn’t go there. After her experience in college with a narcissistic ex-boyfriend who’d cost her not only a job she loved but her peace of mind, as well, she wasn’t sure she could allow anyone close again. She wasn’t willing to put her trust or her heart at risk. The last time had left her feeling helpless and unsure of herself. And she’d vowed never again.
But she was strong, powerful now, and she would not let the past define her. She didn’t need to live up to anyone else’s expectations. Only her own.
“I’m sure my parents would take her in, and I can stay with them to provide protection,” she said.
“She’ll stay with me, of course,” Nick said at the same time.
Kaitlyn’s gaze jumped to him.
“I am going to take care of this baby. I promised Lexi,” he insisted.
What was going through his mind? “You don’t have to do this. Just because the woman sought you out does not make her or her child your responsibility.” Unless he was the baby’s daddy. What did Kaitlyn really know about Nick Delaney?
He looked her in the eye. “I made a promise.”
The determination etched on his handsome face was confusing and yet stirred something uncomfortable inside of her that she didn’t want to examine. She doubted Nick knew anything about children, let alone possessed the knowledge of how to care full-time for a three-month-old baby. “You’ll be in way over your head. It’s better if we seek help elsewhere.”
Rosie began to fuss in Nick’s arms. A fleeting look of panic entered his eyes. Kaitlyn arched an eyebrow. He rocked the child, and soon the fussing turned to gurgling hiccups as she settled back to sleep.
The sight of Nick holding the baby did funny things to Kaitlyn’s insides. What was that about?
She was not going soft on this man.
Nick looked at her with defiance in his eyes. “See? I know what to do. She needs some love and care.” He turned to Alex. “Besides, the estate is a fortress. Anyone would be foolish to think they could breach our security.”
Though Kaitlyn agreed the Delaney estate had the most elaborate security system she’d ever encountered, she still had her doubts. “What happens when the baby cries through the night? Or when she needs to eat or have her diaper changed? Are you really up for the task of parenting this baby, even for a short time?”
His dark eyes hardened. “I know you don’t believe in me, Kaitlyn. But I can do this. I will do this.”
Before she could come up with an appropriate response, Alex interjected. “Nick, thank you for the offer. We’ll take you up on it. For tonight, at the very least.”
Kaitlyn stared at her boss. “Are you sure?”
“We don’t know who is after them or why the baby and her mother are in danger. Their protection is our priority. The Delaney estate is the best choice. And you will stay with them, Kaitlyn.”
“Me?” A deep panic reared inside of her. Alex was sending her, alone, with Nick and the baby? No. No, no, no. “Couldn’t Daniel...?”
Alex held up his hand, his expression hardening. “Kaitlyn, I need you to do this.”
She’d never heard Alex use such a firm tone or seen him so fierce. It was a bit intimidating. But he would need to be fierce to be the sheriff of Bristle Township. He had big shoes to fill. So she resolved that she would do as her new boss asked, no matter how unsettled she was by the idea of being in close proximity to Nick for any length of time. “Yes, sir.”
Alex nodded his thanks. “In the morning we can deal with making other arrangements if necessary. I’ll need you to write up your incident report and then take Nick and the baby home.”
Expecting to see a smirk on Nick’s face for getting his way, she was unnerved by the tenderness in his eyes as he strapped Rosie into the carrier. Kaitlyn hated to admit to the kernels of respect and admiration for his determination to protect the little girl germinating inside of her.
He was too handsome and charming for her to take him seriously. Yet he seemed sincere. She wondered how long it would last. Not long, she told herself. He was just another rich man who could do as he pleased, and eventually, he’d tire of Rosie. And Kaitlyn would be there to make sure that the child was taken care of when he decided it was too much work.
And though she would be disappointed when he did, she would not be surprised.
* * *
Nick opted to sit in the back passenger compartment next to Rosie. Better than sitting next to Kaitlyn, who apparently thought so very little of him. Her lack of faith hurt more than he cared to admit.
So what if he’d never taken care of a child? How hard could it be? People did it all the time. And hopefully one of the staff members at the estate would know what to do. He was counting on it. But he certainly wasn’t going to reveal that tidbit to Kaitlyn for her to use against him.
They’d made a quic
k stop at Kaitlyn’s house for her to pack a bag of clothing. As they headed back through town, he said, “We should swing by the general store. We don’t have any of the paraphernalia that babies require at the estate.”
Kaitlyn met his gaze in the rearview mirror. “As much as I hate the idea of stopping, Rosie will need things. But at the first sign of trouble, we leave and make do with what you have at the house.”
Acknowledging Kaitlyn’s directive with a nod, he stroked Rosie’s cheek with his finger. So soft, like a rose petal. Her little hands reached up and her tiny fingers wrapped around his index finger. A completely unfamiliar melting sensation in his midsection caught him by surprise and burned the backs of his eyes. Was this what it felt like when one became a parent?
But he wasn’t a parent. Just a guardian, for now. Until Kaitlyn found somebody else better suited.
The bitter turn of his thoughts soured his stomach. It was hard to realize that the one person in Bristle Township he wanted to think highly of him didn’t. He mentally shrugged and put up the mental wall of indifference that had served him well throughout his life.
For now, it was enough that Lexi had thought enough of him to entrust him with her child. And he didn’t take that responsibility lightly, despite what Kaitlyn might believe.
Kaitlyn pulled into the parking lot of the fully stocked local general store that could rival any well-known branded superstore and parked next to the entrance.
“Stay put,” she instructed before she got out and came around to the other side of the vehicle and opened the back passenger door.
Nick climbed out with Rosie safe in the car seat. Kaitlyn hustled them to the entrance. As they entered through the sliding glass doors, the bright lights assaulted him. He pushed the shopping cart with the baby carrier cradled between the handle and the back of the metal seat. The baby’s eyes were wide, and her little mouth puckered around the pacifier.
He let out a low whistle. “There’s everything you could want here.”
Kaitlyn glanced at him before her gaze scanned the store. “You’ve never been in here, have you?”
“Collin does all the shopping.” His father’s valet ran the house along with his wife, the housekeeper.
Kaitlyn’s mouth twisted with what could only be called derision.
He sighed. Another reason for her to think badly of him. But it wasn’t his fault his family had money and he’d never had to shop for groceries.
“Come on,” she said, hustling them forward. “Let’s get this over with. I don’t like being exposed. There are too many places our bad guy could hide.”
Tension tightened his shoulder and neck muscles. They turned down an aisle filled with candy. He grabbed a bag of peppermint patties, his favorite, and tossed them in the basket. “Do you know where the baby stuff is?”
She paused, looked up at the signs hanging from the rafters, then pointed to her right. “This way.”
He suppressed a grin, liking that she wasn’t as familiar with the store as she’d wanted him to believe. Kaitlyn kept him and Rosie within arm’s reach, which he appreciated, though he wished the reason wasn’t because she worried the blond man would try to harm them. But, so far, they’d encountered very few people on this snowy night.
They found their way to the baby aisle. There was so much paraphernalia lining the shelves, he grew dizzy. There were so many choices. Blankets, bottles, formula, diapers, clothing and accessories galore. “How do we decide what we need?”
Kaitlyn grabbed a package of diapers and tossed them into the basket. “We definitely need these.”
He looked at the package that read stage four, twenty-two to thirty-seven pounds. “I think those will be a wee bit too big.”
She made a distinctly growling noise in her throat, grabbed the package and stuck it back on the shelf.
“They come in sizes by weight. Interesting,” she said, as if speaking to herself and not him.
“Yes, they do.” He stepped next to her, breathing in the heat of her skin as he tapped the stage two, twelve-to-sixteen-pounds package. “I’d say she weighs about twelve pounds.”
Kaitlyn grabbed three packages. “We’re going to need to feed her. I should call my mother.”
“I know what to do.” He took out the phone from the breast pocket of his overcoat and quickly did an online search for what was needed to care for a three-month-old baby. A list popped up. “Here we go. Formula.”
They moved down the aisle.
“Do you think she has a sensitive stomach?”
Kaitlyn gave him a droll look. “How would I know?”
“Let’s just believe she does. I’d rather be as gentle with her as possible,” Nick said.
A little V appeared between Kaitlyn’s eyebrows as she gave him a look he couldn’t quite interpret. “Okay.” She found a formula that met their criteria and read the instructions. “It says it just needs warm water in a bottle.”
They walked over to the bottles. Once again, the choices were overwhelming. Plastic, glass, little plastic bags inside a plastic or glass container and then all the nipples. “Why is this so complicated?”
“I don’t know,” Kaitlyn said. “What does your phone say?”
“It just says bottles. Not which one, specifically.”
“Then we’ll get one of each and see which one she likes best.”
“Now, that is a brilliant idea, Kaitlyn,” he said. “Sounds like something I would’ve come up with.”
Her hand stilled around a glass bottle. “They are only bottles, Nick. It’s not like we’re bonding.”
Bonding. The word ricocheted through his mind. She’d made it clear she didn’t like him. And he was tired of the challenge to make her like him. So bonding with Kaitlyn was not going to happen.
However, bonding with Rosie was another matter entirely. The little one had already tugged at his heart, and he didn’t want to think about how much it would wreck him when he had to let her go. Until then, though, he was going to give her everything he had to give.
He filled the cart with toys, a monitor and bedding. He grabbed a tiny hat, tiny mittens and a warm-looking one-piece snowsuit for Rosie.
Nick stopped a salesclerk. “Do you have beds for babies?”
The woman’s eyebrows rose. “You mean a crib?”
“Hi, Patty,” Kaitlyn said. “I think that is what he means.”
“Let me check the stockroom.” Patty hurried away.
“She’s only going to be with you for the night,” Kaitlyn said.
He shrugged. “Whoever ends up with her will need this stuff.” Though he couldn’t imagine letting Rosie go.
A few moments later, Patty came back dragging a large box behind her. “Here you are.”
“Thank you so much.” Nick secured the box on the lower rack of the cart.
Shaking her head, Kaitlyn muttered, “We need a sign that says Wide Load.”
He laughed. “Good one.”
She pressed her lips together, but he could see the grin trying to escape, and it saddened him that she couldn’t even let herself share a smile with him.
Resolved not to let her poor opinion of him derail his efforts to be the best guardian to baby Rosie he could be, he consulted the list on his phone. “It says we need onesies. What are onesies?”
“How would I know?” Kaitlyn muttered as she marched over to the baby clothing section. “Here you go.” She pulled off a package that had the word Onesies written in big letters.
“Did you check the size?” Nick wasn’t sure why he was poking at her. But he found it immensely satisfying when she made a face and put the package back, then rummaged through the selection until she found the correct size for a three-month-old.
“There.” She tossed several in the basket along with another pink blanket. “Are we done yet?”
“
Are you always an impatient shopper?” He was finding the experience fascinating.
“It’s not my favorite activity,” she said. “I’d rather be with my horse.”
Of course she would. No surprise there. She rode in the county’s mounted patrol and also grew up on a horse ranch. “You like horses more than you like people.”
One corner of her mouth lifted. “Only more than some people.”
Meaning him. Ignoring the sting of hurt, he pushed the cart toward the front of the store.
Kaitlyn led the way to the checkout counter. He was content to watch her walk with such purpose in her stride. Her gaze swung back and forth as if searching for a threat, while one hand rested on her utility belt and the other hovered over the butt of her sidearm. He had no doubt she’d face danger head-on, as she had in the hospital. She was a force to be reckoned with and a woman worth admiring. The man who captured her heart would be a blessed man, indeed.
He sighed and averted his gaze. But it wouldn’t be him.
FOUR
Kaitlyn brought the department-issued vehicle to a halt at the foot of the steps to the Delaney’s palatial home, which was lit up by large wall sconces that illuminated not only the entrance but the stone walls, as well. She turned off the engine and attempted to quell the nervous butterflies flopping around her tummy. Not an easy feat with Nick in the passenger seat next to her.
Why on earth was she nervous? This was an assignment. She’d been tasked with protecting Nick and Rosie. It wasn’t like they were going to be alone for some sort of romantic evening.
The massive wooden front door opened, and an older man and woman hurried out. The estate’s staff. Nick had called them on the drive up the mountain, alerting them to the situation.
Nick climbed out of the vehicle and went to the back, taking out the car seat holding the baby. Before he closed the rear passenger door, he said, “Pop open the back hatch, please.”
Lips twisting at his instructions—like she didn’t know to do that?—she shook her head. This was going to be a long night.