Unexpected Protector

by Justine Davis

  “He’s not old enough to be yours.” Ashley came up beside Hazel and draped her arm around her shoulders. “Besides, hot is hot at any age.”

  Although Hazel absolutely loved having Ashley working with her at the clinic as a vet tech, they were going to have to set some ground rules about conversations getting too personal here at work. Especially around the rest of the staff, who might not be familiar with her daughters Ashley and Polly’s lifelong quest to play matchmaker for their single mother ever since she divorced their father after he went to prison to serve a fifteen-year sentence.

  Ashley and Polly had been children then, ages six and four. If only they knew the whole reason for that divorce—and why an eight-year sentence had been extended to fifteen. They’d already been traumatized enough, and Hazel had done everything in her power to protect them. There were some secrets that no child needed to know about her father.

  Hazel turned and pressed a kiss to Ashley’s cheek. “Just for that remark, you get to finish cleaning up in here. I believe Mrs. Stinson’s corgis are waiting for me in room one.”

  “That’s not all that’s waiting out there.”

  A soft knock at the exam room door mercifully ended the conversation. Before Hazel could reach it, the door swung open and Jedediah Burke filled the door frame.

  “Hey, Dr. Coop.” His low-pitched drawl skittered across her eardrums and made various nerve endings prick to attention throughout her body. He removed his black KCPD ball cap in a politely deferential gesture that spoke to long-ignored feminine appreciations inside her. “One of your receptionists out front said you were still back here. That it was all right to come in.”

  Good grief, Ashley was right. He did have a square jaw, dusted by an intriguing mix of dark brown stubble salted with silver, which echoed the military-short cut that framed his handsome face.

  Why had Ashley put these thoughts in her head? Not that a normal, healthy woman of any age wouldn’t notice that Jedediah Burke was an attractive man. But she’d never allowed herself to react to the masculinity oozing from every pore and that air of natural authority he carried on those broad shoulders. And now she was...reacting. Former Army sergeant turned veteran KCPD cop Jedediah Burke was...Burke. A longtime acquaintance. A colleague. A friend.

  He wasn’t potential dating material any more than the author of those sickly personal letters she’d been receiving was.

  Remembering the disturbing notes effectively put the kibosh on these uncomfortable feelings that had surfaced, allowing her to once again bury her attraction to Burke under a friendly facade. “That’s fine.” She could even get past the staring and offer him a genuine smile. “Did you forget something?”

  “Two things. I think I left Gunny’s chew toy in the exam room. That dog is all about play. If I lose his favorite toy, he won’t work for me.”

  Ashley picked it up from beneath a chair and handed it to him. “Here.”

  “Thanks.” He smiled and nodded before turning those whiskey-brown eyes back to Hazel. “Plus, I forgot to tell you that I’ll be in training sessions with a couple of new recruits all morning tomorrow. The rest of my team and their dogs are coming in to have lunch before you run the monthly checkups on the canine crew. Ed’s Barbecue is catering the meal as a thank-you for Pike Taylor and K-9 Hans stopping those teenagers who tried to rob him last month. You’re welcome to join us.”

  “Ed’s Barbecue?” She didn’t need to fake her enthusiasm at the mention of her favorite hole-in-the-wall barbecue joint. “Are you getting the scalloped barbecue potatoes?”

  Burke grinned. “Can’t have the pulled pork without the potatoes.”

  “I can’t pass those up.” She’d walk an extra mile to keep the carbs from settling on her already round hips for a chance to indulge in Ed’s creamy, yummy potato dish. “I’ll get there are soon as I can tomorrow. Make sure you save me some.”

  “Will do. See you tomorrow.” He put his hat back on and tipped the brim of it to her and then to Ashley. “Dr. Coop. Ash.”

  “Burke.” Ashley’s squee of excitement burst from her lips the moment the door closed behind him. She threw her arms around Hazel and hugged her. “See? That’s flirting. He asked you out to lunch.”

  “Down, girl.” Hazel patted her daughter’s arm before pulling away. “The men and women on his team and all their dogs will be there, too. Nothing says romance like routine checkups on slobbery canines and updating vaccinations.”

  Ashley rolled her green eyes toward the ceiling in a dramatic gesture. “You’re killin’ me here, Mom. Burke’s a stud. And a nice guy. You two share interests and don’t have any trouble communicating with each other. Isn’t that what you want in a relationship?” Hazel returned to the computer to finish her updates. Ashley followed, her tone sounding more mature, less giddy. “You are an attractive, intelligent, funny, desirable woman who shouldn’t be alone as much as you are. Dad hasn’t been a part of our lives for sixteen years now. Yes, he’s been out of prison for a few months—but we’ve made it abundantly clear that we don’t need his kind of trouble in our lives anymore. Polly and I are grown-up now. You don’t have to be the stalwart single mom who provides for us and protects us 24-7. It’s okay to move on and fall in love again.” She shrugged as though any kind of protest would be a nonstarter. “Polly and I agree—Jedediah Burke is a prime candidate for you to date. Or have a fling with.”

  “You dragged your sister into discussing my love life?” Two years younger than Ashley, and a junior in nursing at Saint Luke’s, Polly Cooper might be the quieter of her two daughters, but there was no denying that she could be just as stubborn about a cause as the outgoing Ashley. “Of course you have.” With a weary sigh, she faced the younger version of herself. “First of all, I’m your mother and I love you both, and I will never not want to protect you in any way I can. Secondly, I know it’s in good fun, but this matchmaking has to stop. If Burke gets wind of this conversation, it might embarrass him. Not to mention embarrass me if anyone else overhears this grand design you have for us.”

  There was another soft knock at the door, and for a split second Hazel held her breath, half expecting, perhaps half hoping, that Burke had come back for some reason.

  Instead, Todd Mizner, another of the three vet techs who worked for her, stepped into the room, reminding her of just how busy the clinic could get this time of the afternoon. Todd was a few years older than Ashley and was attractive in a nerdy-professor kind of way, with his dark-rimmed glasses and longish hair that he pulled back into a ponytail. The young man was driven to achieve, commuting twice a week to Manhattan, Kansas, to pursue his DVM degree while holding down this job, and he had a real knack for handling animals. Her daughter could do worse than a hardworking cutie like Todd.

  Hazel turned to give Ashley a meaningful glance. “Speaking of grand designs...”

  But her daughter shook her blond ponytail down her back, dismissing the matchmaking role reversal, and left the room.

  Right. Much to Hazel’s chagrin, Todd Mizner wasn’t bad boy enough to suit Ashley’s adventurous taste in men. Although Ashley had thankfully left her wild-child teenage years behind her, it was another lingering by-product in how the Cooper women dealt with the rest of the world after those long years of uncertainty surrounding Aaron Cooper’s betrayal and the subsequent divorce, trial and incarceration.

  “It’s not so comfortable when the shoe’s on the other foot, is it?” she called after Ashley before the door closed.

  Todd joined Hazel at the counter while she printed off the notes for Gunny’s file. “What was that about?”

  “Nothing. Some girl talk.”

  He reached around her to click the computer mouse. “I’ve got the X-rays ready on that poodle with the herniated disk. Looks like there is a fracture in the pelvis.”

  “Oh, damn.” That could mean surgery instead of the laser therapy she’d been planning
on using to reduce the inflammation making the dog drag its right hind leg. She took her reading glasses from her chest pocket and waited for him to pull the film up on the screen.

  Todd muttered a curse against her ear, reminding Hazel that he was standing right behind her. “This computer is doing its own thing again. I can’t get the pictures I took to load.”

  Whether it was a problem with the software or the compatibility of the hardware, Hazel didn’t know. And with patients waiting, she didn’t have time to figure it out, either. “All right. I’ll go look at the film in the X-ray room. You go on to exam three and sit with Maggie’s owner. I know she’s stressing about the accident. Make sure there’s a box of tissues in the room and see if you can pull up the X-rays on the computer screen in there. I’ll want to show her pictures to explain what’s going on.”

  “Can’t Ashley do that?”

  “She’s doing the prelim intake on Cassie and Reggie.” Mrs. Stinson’s corgis would have to wait until Hazel assessed the poodle’s injuries and started treatment. “With the dog’s age, Mrs. Miller may be thinking there’s nothing we can do for Maggie. I don’t want her alone in there.” She tipped her chin up to Todd and smiled. “Go use some of that Mizner charm on her to keep her distracted until I can get there.”

  “But you promised I could scrub in on the next surgery. I want to be a part of the process from initial consult to seeing that dog walk again. Or fitting her for a wheelchair if therapy and surgery don’t work.”

  Todd hadn’t budged an inch from behind her, and when Hazel inhaled, her shoulder brushed against his chest. Squashing down an instant imprint of eeuw at the contact, Hazel stepped to the side, so she had room to turn and face him. She hadn’t batted an eye when, as Ashley had pointed out, Burke had bumped into her. But even this accidental contact with the younger man felt somehow inappropriate. Maybe it was the stress of the long day. Or that awkward conversation with Ashley. Or maybe it was something else entirely that made her anxious to get on with her work. “We’ll discuss it later. The priority is the patient’s care right now—and that includes the owner as well as the pet.”

  “The more experience I get, the better. One of these days soon, I’ll be finishing my classwork and interning...” Todd rested his hand on the counter beside her, his arm nearly circling around her as he winked. “Then you and I can be full partners.”

  The message in that letter burned through her pocket and seared her skin. That was what bothered her about Todd’s tendency to be overly familiar with her. She gently pushed Todd back a step. “Personal space, Todd. We’ve had this discussion, remember?”

  Maybe not such a great catch for her daughter, after all. Todd might be good with animals, but his people skills could use a little work.

  He stepped back even farther, putting his hands up in mock surrender. “I don’t mean anything by it, Dr. Coop. You know I’m harmless. You’re jumpy today for some reason.”

  No. He was behaving in a way that she didn’t appreciate. Not as a boss with her employee. Not as a woman with a man young enough to be her son. Not as someone who’d been receiving anonymous letters that spoke to a disturbing desire for a relationship. She pointed to the door, reminding him that she was the boss here. She didn’t have to explain anything to a vet tech who worked for her. “Exam room three.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Whatever you need.” While Todd headed across the lobby to the exam room on the opposite side, Hazel pushed through the swinging door leading into the restricted area where she performed surgery, stored meds and housed specialized equipment. She went straight to the X-ray room to see how poor little Maggie had fared after her fall down a flight of steps.

  What she needed was time alone in the darkened room to clear her head. She pulled her glasses from her pocket to study the film. But the moment they touched the bridge of her nose, she thought of the letter and tugged them right back off.

  She didn’t need to pull out the letter to read it again. She knew every word by heart.

  I’ve been watching you, Hazel.

  Your bright green eyes are so intelligent, so pretty. Even when you wear your reading glasses, they shine and entice me. No man deserves you.

  I want to be a part of your life. I want us to share everything.

  I want you.

  I want you.

  I want you.

  Hazel might not recognize flirting anymore—or maybe she subconsciously chose to ignore it. Her relationship skills might be rusty since her divorce and bankruptcy and the threats and humiliation that had filled her life during her husband Aaron’s trial and for several years afterward.

  But she’d been a different person then. Now she knew when something wasn’t right. A man who wrote I want you a dozen times on a letter, and then refused to sign it or even include a return address, did not have her best interests at heart.

  This letter, and eight more she had like it at home, told her she’d become someone’s obsession.

  The feeling of being watched, of being stalked, of feeling terrorized in the places she was supposed to feel safe felt a lot like...

  She gasped at the knock outside the open door. “Todd, I said...”

  “Whoa.” Jedediah Burke filled her doorway again. His hands raised in apology did nothing to lessen the impact of his size dwarfing the tiny room. “Sorry about that. You were really concentrating. Everything okay?”

  When Hazel realized she was clutching her hand over her racing heart, she immediately reached for her glasses again and put them on. With his eyes narrowed on her, she doubted she was fooling him. He’d startled her, and he knew it. Avoiding Burke’s probing gaze, she studied the troubling results of the X-ray. “You can’t seem to leave.”

  After a moment he nodded. “I forgot to tell you what time lunch was tomorrow. I know I could have texted, but I was already here.” He stepped into the room, stopping beside her chair to glance at the X-ray. Unlike when Todd had invaded her personal space, she knew the strongest urge to turn and lean into him—especially when his hand settled gently on her shoulder. “Did something happen? Lose a patient?”

  Damn it. The man smelled good, too. An enticing combination of spicy soap and the subtle musk of the early-October afternoon clinging to his skin that only intensified in the small confines of the X-ray room.

  Hazel considered brushing off his concern and sending him on his way. Then her peripheral gaze landed on the brass KCPD badge clipped onto his belt. Burke represented help and safety in more ways than one. She’d known him for five years now. She could trust him with this. She tucked her glasses back into her jacket pocket and tilted her gaze up to his. “Could I ask you something? As a police officer?”

  “Of course.” He pulled away, the moment of compassion masked by his wary alertness.

  She pulled the note from her pocket and spared a few moments to smooth it open against the tabletop before handing it to him. “Would you read this?” He’d probably think she was being paranoid. Or maybe he’d be angry that she hadn’t reported the letters sooner. His chiseled expression grew grimmer with every line he skimmed.

  “Is that normal?” she asked.

  “Who’s it from?”

  She hesitated a beat before answering. “I don’t know.”

  “Then no, it’s not.” He leaned against the door frame, facing her again. “Got a jilted boyfriend I need to worry about?”

  The friend she knew might be teasing her to help her feel a little less worried, but the cop was waiting for an answer.

  She’d asked for his opinion. She owed it to him to give him a clearer understanding as to why an innocuous note could rattle her this much. “At first, I thought my ex-husband, Aaron, was writing me again. You probably remember him from the news a few years back.” Burke nodded but waited for her to continue. “He used to send me flowery garbage like that when we were dating. I told him I wasn’t impressed,
and he stopped. He always said he liked my directness—until he went to trial. Then he wasn’t real keen on me telling the truth. The letters he used to write from prison were straight-out blame for testifying against him. Those were angry tirades. I stopped opening his mail and then had a judge stop them altogether. I asked him not to have any contact with me or the girls. There were too many threats back when the trial...back when Aaron was arrested. He ruined a lot of lives when he raided those retirement funds. I didn’t need his vile messages on top of the threats we were getting from other victims.”

  “Other victims?” Oh, hell. He’d picked up on that rare slip of the tongue. “Were you a victim, too?”

  She shook her head instead of answering the question. “I just meant I thought the obsessive language meant they were from my ex.”

  “You said they?” Burke repeated, holding up the letter. “You thought they were from your ex.”

  Damn. He didn’t miss a trick. No sense avoiding the full truth with this veteran cop. “That’s the ninth one I’ve gotten since the first one came on my birthday, August 5.”

  “Nine letters in nine weeks?”

  “The first ones were pretty innocuous. But...he seems to get angrier or more frustrated with each letter.”

  Burke turned the paper over, inspecting it for identifying clues she knew he wouldn’t find. “Did the envelope have a post office stamp?”

  “Kansas City. But no return address.”

  “Is Aaron still in prison?”

  Hazel shook her head. “He got out on parole the end of last year. The restraining order should prevent him from having contact with me or the girls. But then these started arriving. They’re not exactly a threat, but they’re...unsettling.”

  “Do you know where he is now?”

  She stood when he handed back the letter. “Our lives have been a lot more peaceful without him. I didn’t want to jinx anything by reaching out to him. Even through a third party.”