Officer Daddy

by Jacqueline Diamond

  Actually, he hadn’t done her wrong. Or, if he had, she wished he’d do the same wrong again a few dozen times before she had to enlighten him about the consequences.

  Great, Nora. You’re being totally mature about this. Besides, she’d already resigned herself to giving him up, hadn’t she?

  As Eleanor had instructed, Nora shut down the computer, turned off the lights and locked the door. The annex lacked an alarm system, which reminded her of Leo’s concerns about safety. For the most part, Safe Harbor lived up to its name, so she wasn’t too worried about interlopers, but angry boyfriends and ex-husbands of clients were another matter.

  Nora appreciated the sight of Ted lingering outside. Beyond him, the parking lot looked almost empty. “Did she get off okay?”

  He fell into step beside Nora as she headed for the main building to leave the key. “Yeah, but there’s a lot of stuff piled in her car. I hope she isn’t sleeping in it.”

  That possibility hadn’t occurred to Nora. “She refused to let me contact a social worker.” Another concern struck her. “I’m not even sure she’s of age. You don’t suppose she’s a runaway, do you?”

  From his pocket, Ted extracted a slip of paper. “I wrote down her license-plate number. Figured you might be able to get an address and check on her.”

  “You’re terrific. You’re wonderful to help out at the center this way.” Gratefully, Nora accepted the paper.

  “Hey, it’s fun. See you around.” He sauntered away.

  After dropping off the key, Nora sat in her car, studying the plate number and wondering if Leo was still at the police station directly across Civic Center Drive. This was the perfect excuse to stop by.

  Her stomach churned, and she dug a small packet of crackers out of her purse. At the moment, she couldn’t tell the difference between morning sickness and nerves. Did she have to tell Leo today?

  Quit dawdling. She should get this over with.

  Nora didn’t kid herself that Leo was going to get on one knee and offer marriage. He wouldn’t dance a jig around the police department, either. But talking to him there might at least keep both their tempers on an even keel.

  She didn’t need his money, and these days a single mom’s reputation wouldn’t suffer. In fact, she’d be willing to let him off the hook entirely, as long as he signed away his paternal rights. But what a shame for her baby not to know his or her father. And what a shame for a loving uncle like Leo to miss out on being part of his own child’s life.

  Nora had no idea how she was going to broach the subject. She’d simply have to play it by ear. At the same time, she also had to make sure Violet wasn’t a scared kid living in her car.

  Chapter Six

  Filling out paperwork was the least fun part of this job, Leo thought as he transferred his notes about the hardware-store burglary into the computer. Every crime had to be documented in detail, both for the sake of the investigating officer and so it would stand up in court. In the hands of a wily defense attorney, any discrepancy or omission could be used to free a criminal.

  Of course, proper recording also protected the falsely accused. Leo didn’t see a lot of that, but he knew it happened. In theory, anyway.

  Alone in the report room, he scarcely noticed the routine noises of the police station: the dispatchers answering calls and directing patrol cars; the watch commander and the desk sergeant discussing the Lakers’ chances of making the NBA finals; someone cursing at a recalcitrant vending machine in the break room.

  Nearby, the creak of leather shoes made him look up. Mike Aaron had come in, which seemed odd, since detectives had their own desks.

  “That the hardware-store break-in?” He indicated Leo’s screen.

  Puzzled, Leo nodded. Crimes Against Persons handled murders, robberies, sex crimes and assaults. Since the victim hadn’t been present during the burglary, this was a property crime, and therefore not Mike’s territory. “What’s on your mind?”

  The detective folded his arms. His reserved manner had long ago earned Leo’s respect, but he never hung out with the guy.

  “You put Patty’s idea in your write-up?” Mike asked.

  “Excuse me?”

  “That it might be a current employee setting up the guy who got fired?”

  What the hell? “First of all, I don’t speculate in my reports,” he told Mike. “Second, that was my idea, which she dismissed. Third, when did this become your damn business?”

  Mike’s jaw worked. He’d overstepped; even he had to see that. “You have a point.”

  “Three points.”

  “If you say so.” Mike’s chin jutted out. “Patty’s a smart girl, smarter than people give her credit for. Part of the reason is that she’s always deferring to you. I don’t like seeing her taken advantage of.”

  Leo had an uncomfortable idea where this was going. “You trying to date her?”

  Mike’s eyes narrowed. “Of course not.”

  “Well, if there’s anyone underestimating Patty in this room, it’s you,” Leo fired back. “My partner doesn’t need protecting. She’s one tough cookie. So back off.”

  It wasn’t the most diplomatic way to talk to a man who might influence the higher-ups. Still, Leo had no intention of letting some interfering or jealous or simply misguided colleague push him around.

  “I’m just saying.” Mike let the enigmatic remark hang in the air.

  “Saying what?”

  With a tight shake of the head, the detective turned away. The guy was leaving in a month, and he’d never showed any particular interest in Patty’s situation until now, as far as Leo knew. What was his agenda?

  No sense getting into any further argument. But Leo didn’t like the way this rivalry for promotion was shaping up. The last thing he wanted was to end up estranged from Patty, whether due to gossip or because Mike managed to persuade her Leo really had stolen her ideas.

  Irritably, he pushed a key to send his report to the patrol sergeant. Near the door, he heard Mike scuff to a halt, and glanced up.

  No question what had startled the detective. Stunning blonde, tight jeans, loose deep pink sweater that failed to disguise the swell of her breasts. Leo’s body got hot, and he decided that if Mike went after Nora, he would call the guy the out.

  “Hi. Can you tell me where to find…” Her green eyes widened as they met Leo’s. “Oh, there you are.”

  “Hey.” He hoped his grin didn’t look as goofy as it felt.

  She radiated a smile back at him that lit up the entire police station.

  “Friend of yours?” Mike’s eyebrow lifted. Although he could easily have passed Nora and exited, he didn’t.

  With introductions unavoidable, Leo went formal. “Detective Aaron, this is Dr. Kendall.”

  “There’s no medical emergency, I hope?” Mike asked.

  “Just a question regarding the counseling center.” Nora stopped, clearly uncertain how freely to speak.

  “I’d be glad to help,” the detective said. “Leo’s not much of an expert on counseling.”

  “He’s better than you think,” Nora replied.

  Good one. Now beat it, Mike.

  “Really?” The guy was not taking hints today.

  “Really.” Nora folded her arms, looking every inch the lofty physician. A very feminine lofty physician.

  Mike swallowed hard. “If you’re sure…”

  “Yes, but thanks for the offer.”

  “Anytime.” With a sigh of unmistakable regret, Mike finally got going.

  “I didn’t mean to interfere with anything,” Nora said when they were alone.

  “You aren’t.” Leo couldn’t resist asking, “How’d you get back here? Usually the desk officer runs a tight ship.” Visitors were supposed to remain in the lobby unless personally escorted.

  “He was very friendly,” Nora said.

  I’ll bet. “What can I do for you?” Leo pulled out a chair beside his station.

  She glided into the seat. “That girl who
arrived as you were leaving, Violet Nguyen. From the amount of stuff in her car, it looks like she might be living in it, and we don’t have much information about her. She seems so young. I’m concerned she might be a runaway.”

  If that were the case, Nora had a legitimate concern. “I’ll check for reports. You didn’t happen to see her driver’s license, did you?”

  “Ted Chong, our computer guy, copied down her plate number.” She handed him a slip of paper.

  A quick check of the DMV database informed Leo that the car was registered to a Rose Nguyen of Safe Harbor. A little more probing turned up the information that the owner had a business license for a flower shop called Rose’s Posies here in town. There was no report of a runaway daughter or missing car.

  “Looks like she’s driving Mom’s wheels. Florists tend to cart around a lot of supplies, which might account for the clutter in the car.” Reluctant to dismiss Nora’s concern, he added, “If you have any reason to think the girl might be in danger…”

  She shook her head, a movement that loosened a curtain of hair. Leo remembered all too well its silky texture between his fingers and how, spread across a pillow, it caught the morning light.

  “Thanks for checking.” Nora startled as footsteps passed in the hallway. “Busy place, huh?”

  “Quite a change from the clinic. I don’t like the idea of you working there alone. And don’t tell me having a computer guy on the premises constitutes security.”

  She gave a light cough. “It was my first day counseling. I’ll admit, Suzy’s boyfriend caught me off guard. Thanks for offering to talk to him.”

  “Sure. Why not?” Leo was pleased that she showed no signs of hurrying away. Was it possible she’d changed her mind about yesterday’s brush-off? Leo was now off duty, and he’d like nothing better than to spend a Saturday night with her.

  Yeah, he could imagine what Patty would say about him being a pushover for sexy blondes. But Nora wasn’t like other women he’d dated. He enjoyed just sitting and talking to her.

  Among other things.

  Leo jerked out of his reverie as Trent Horner, blond hair parted to reveal the pink of his scalp, poked his nose into the room. “I heard there was a problem at the counseling center.”

  Damn gossip. “Don’t you have something useful to do, like help the sergeant shuffle papers?” Leo snapped.

  “Liaising with the other departments is an important responsibility,” Trent returned indignantly.

  So that’s what Hough had assigned him. True, coordinating investigations with traffic and patrol was an important management function. On the other hand, Leo doubted Trent was doing much more than glorified clerical work.

  Or so he hoped. He’d feel better if he could come up with a strategy to distinguish himself from his competitors.

  Meanwhile, Trent was busy introducing himself to Nora and making solicitous inquiries. “Thanks, but there’s no problem at the counseling center that Leo can’t handle,” she said, to which Leo responded with a silent cheer.

  Trent lingered. “You’re a doctor? Or is that a Ph.D., like a psychologist?”

  “She’s an ob-gyn. Since you aren’t married or involved, the only way you’d need her services is if you’re contemplating a sex change. Are you?” Leo shot back.

  Nora laughed, then clapped a hand over her mouth. Just when Leo was hoping Trent would catch on and let them have a private conversation, he spotted Captain Reed.

  Usually, the higher-ups had better things to do on the weekend than hang around the station. But with the lieutenant on leave, Leo supposed the captain was putting in extra hours.

  Reed gave Nora a friendly nod and introduced himself. “I couldn’t help overhearing. Is something wrong at the counseling center?”

  Nora shook the captain’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Wow, I’m surprised there’s so much interest in the center.”

  “Dr. Kendall and I were discussing the situation,” Trent began.

  “Didn’t I hear the sergeant ask you to hurry up with something?” the captain said.

  “Oh, uh. Yes, sir.” And off, finally, he went.

  Reed fixed his attention back on Nora. “It’s not often a distinguished member of the medical community pays us a visit. What can we do to help?”

  What a crock. He was flirting with her. Oh, great, Leo thought. Divorced and in his late forties, the captain was certainly eligible, but with one son in the army and another in college, he probably wasn’t eager to become a dad again.

  Not Nora’s type. Of course, Leo reminded himself, neither was he.

  “Officer Franco did us a big favor today,” Nora was saying. “He noticed how secluded the facility is, so he came through on foot and defused a touchy situation with a client’s boyfriend.”

  “Oh?” Reed raised an eyebrow, perhaps because there’d been no report of a disturbance.

  “One look at the uniform and the guy backed down fast,” Leo said.

  “You came over here to thank him?” the captain asked Nora.

  “Actually, I had a request,” she replied. “He volunteered to come in next Saturday to counsel the young man, and I wanted to ask if he would also prepare some suggestions for us on security.”

  Was that why she’d lingered? Leo had hoped she had more personal matters in mind.

  “I didn’t realize he was qualified as a counselor.” Beneath the captain’s conversational tone, Leo felt him probing.

  “The center uses peer counselors,” Nora said. “Dr. Forrest usually gives them some training, but many of them already have experience working with patients. My nurse, Bailey, is one of our volunteers, for instance. And if a client has serious emotional issues, they’re referred to a professional. Don’t police officers learn conflict management and listening skills as part of their training?”

  “Yes. However, I gathered Leo’s partner was the one who mostly handled that area,” the captain said.

  “Well, judging by what I saw today, he’s good at it, too.”

  Leo was surprised to learn Reed gave Patty all the credit for resolving conflict on the job. She was good at defusing situations, but he held up his end of things.

  “I’ll be counseling on my own time,” Leo added.

  Reed gave him an amused smile. “Glad to see you’re willing to assist the good doctor.” He shook Nora’s hand again. “You’re welcome at the station anytime.”

  “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Okay, he was gone. Now, how was Leo going to persuade Nora to continue this discussion elsewhere?

  He no longer bought the idea that she wasn’t into him. Subtly but firmly, she’d risen to his defense in front of Mike, Trent and the captain. Leo didn’t think her concern about Violet justified all that. In fact, she didn’t have to come here today. She could have asked Dr. Forrest to pursue the question of whether the girl was a runaway.

  Usually, he had no trouble making his case with a woman. “I’ve got a couple of steaks we could barbecue….” That should do the trick. Unless the sight of his less-than-fancy house put her off, but he no longer took Nora for a snob.

  “Hey,” Leo began.

  “We should go somewhere private,” Nora said.

  He nearly choked. She’d beaten him to the punch. “Sure.”

  “You did say you were about to go off duty, right?”

  “Yes, indeed.”

  “I’m parked outside. I could follow you home.”

  At the rate this was going, she’d walk in his front door and start stripping. Leo was definitely into that. “Sounds perfect.”

  She gave another small cough. Was that nerves? “I’m not interfering with anything, am I? I mean, you probably had plans.”

  “Nothing I can’t get out of.” A couple of fellow patrolmen, Bill Sanchez and George Green, had mentioned a bring-your-own-beer-and-steak barbecue at their apartment complex. That hardly constituted a commitment.

  “We need to talk. About…things.”

  “A
lways glad to talk about things,” he said.

  “Well, then.” Did Nora have any idea what happened to that pink sweater when she took a deep breath?

  “Give me a minute to change into street clothes.” He decided against wearing his uniform home. Some women found the uniform a turn-on, but he didn’t want to push his luck by suggesting she might enjoy removing it herself. Besides, he disliked wearing it off duty. Didn’t want to set himself up as a target in case he ran into some troubled personality who had issues with authority figures.

  “I’ll wait right here.”

  Whoa—with an entourage of men, no doubt. “How about I meet you in the lobby?”

  “Done,” Nora said.

  If there’d been a speed limit in the hallway leading to the locker room, Leo would have received a ticket. And gladly paid it.

  Chapter Seven

  Nora hadn’t meant to give Leo the wrong idea. Judging from his reaction, he had high hopes for tonight. The problem was, she kept getting the wrong idea herself. Every time she looked at the guy, she wanted to rip off his shirt and run her hands over his hard chest.

  She had to bring up the pregnancy, present him with the facts, but she wasn’t eager to see his expression harden in response. Seriously, she didn’t intend to make any demands. She was fine on her own.

  Why did life have to be so complicated?

  As her compact sedan followed Leo’s red sports coupe along a series of side streets, she wished she were riding alongside him. That had felt good, practically sitting in his lap the night they drove to her condo. What had followed had felt even better….

  Which was exactly how she got into this predicament.

  Nora debated strategies. If she were Samantha Forrest, she’d walk into his house, face him and announce that she was pregnant.

  Okay. She’d do it.

  He lived on the east side of town, in a tidy neighborhood of small homes, many with charming touches such as rose arbors and striped awnings. No one would give Leo’s house the Fairy Tale Cottage of the Month Award, though, Nora mused as she surveyed the boxy one-story dwelling fronted by a morose-looking evergreen hedge and a cracked cement porch. Near ground level, mud spattered the tan paint and the streaked white shutters cried out for a touchup.