by Geri Krotow
“Yes, right now.” Patience’s grit impressed him.
“Well, I’ll let you two get to it. Nash, I need a quick word with you.”
“Yes, sir.” He looked at Patience. “Go ahead and wait for me at my desk.”
“No problem.”
Nash walked to Chief Colton’s office, but his mind remained on the woman he left alone. Patience did that to him, made him unable to focus on anything, anyone but her. It should concern him, as his job required his full attention. But it didn’t. Patience, and the feelings she stoked in him, felt damned good.
* * *
When Nash came back to his desk Patience saw the strain in his face.
“What did Finn want?”
“We lost the victim. As you suspected, she was dead before she hit the water.”
“Do we know how he did it?”
“Yes. He gave her a lethal injection of fentanyl.”
She didn’t have a reply as she stared at his chiseled features and berated herself for noticing the shadow of his beard, wondering how the scruff would feel against the skin of her thighs. Either the pregnancy hormones were kicking her libido into overdrive or sex was a way to escape the gravity of their situation.
Or you have feelings for Nash. Nope. She wasn’t going there.
He sat in his chair and they worked on getting her report filed.
Patience saw the tightness in Nash’s jaw as she gave him her description of the suspect. She knew she was the reason he clenched his teeth. The sexual tension between them should seem ridiculous in the midst of their work. He’d just told her the woman at the lake had been murdered before Patience saw her body being dumped. And yet the sexual awareness only intensified the longer she and Nash were together. She wondered if he was afraid she was going to try to get him to meet up with her again.
If she weren’t pregnant, facing such a life-changing event, she’d do it. She’d meet him again and let him work her body into a frenzy with those magic hands of his. Hands whose fingers now flew over a laptop keyboard as he entered the pertinent details of what she’d witnessed, up until he and Greta had shown up.
“You said you thought his hair was blond?”
“Or gray—it was hard to tell in the moonlight. Don’t forget his eyes. They were a very particular shade of icy blue.” She had the shivers again. Nash’s fingers paused, his gorgeous eyes focused on her.
“Take my jacket—over there, on the back of the door.”
“Thanks.” She stood and retrieved the navy blue RRPD cold-weather jacket from the hook, not caring that it swamped her. It was warm, cozy and—damn it—smelled of Nash. As if being in the same room with him wasn’t enough to remind her of how completely open she’d been to him that night, the night they’d conceived the baby. Her child. Their child.
No, her baby. She was going to raise him or her on her own. It would only prove disappointing later if she started to think Nash would want to be a fully invested father. He’d already had four kids to care for before he was thirty years old.
“What exactly did he say to you in the clinic?”
Nash’s question brought her back, and she spent the next hour going over every painstaking detail of the night. Finally, Nash pushed back from his desk. “You look exhausted, Patience. Let’s go to your place and get you settled for some rest.” She noted he was careful not to mention getting her into bed. Smart man.
“I’m perfectly capable of driving myself home, Nash. I’ll need a ride back to the clinic to get my car.”
“Sorry, no can do. Greta and I are taking you home and, well...” He scratched the back of his head and his sandy hair reflected the overhead light.
“What are you saying, Nash?”
“I’m going to stay with you.”
“That is absolutely not necessary. I have a weapon.” She’d locked it back in its safe in her office, but she could get it and take it home.
“On you? All the time?” She damned his inscrutable professional bearing.
“Well, no, but I’m not usually worried about running into a murderer. Look, I’ll pick up my weapon when you take me back to the clinic to get my car. And don’t you have four brothers and sisters to take care of?”
“Four, ages twelve to seventeen. And they’re fine. Our neighbor Mrs. Schaefer stayed with them last night. I phone her whenever I have a middle-of-the-night call.” His emotional investment in his family impressed her. “They can be on their own as needed, since the oldest, Paige, can watch the younger ones. It’s her schedule as a high school senior that is the deal breaker. She’s off to marching band practice by six, three mornings a week. And while the rest can get themselves dressed and fed, it can get a little chaotic with all those teenagers under one roof.”
Patience couldn’t help but laugh. “I can’t imagine. I know I think I’m busy at the vet clinic when we get a spike in patients, but I have a team helping me. And they’re animals, not teens with the ability to get away with whatever they pretty much want.”
“They’re all good kids. I’m lucky. So far.” He stood. “What I was starting to tell you is that I’d originally planned to take you to my place until we catch the killer. It’d be easier, for sure. But we have to assume you’re being followed by the suspect until we know you’re not. We can’t lead the murderer to a house full of innocent kids. It’s best for me to stay with you. Before you argue, the chief has ordered it. Think of it as not me being your bodyguard—you know cops don’t do that. I’m hanging with you in the hopes of catching the bad guy.”
“I love being mouse bait.”
“You’re not bait as far as the RRPD is concerned. You know that, though.” He looked frustrated. “We have to keep you safe, Patience. Greta and I get the job.”
She thought of trying to get him to change his mind, but Finn had ordered it. And truth be told, if she needed protection, there was no one else she trusted more. She’d heard the thug calling for her, knew his intent. Her life was on the line. What Nash didn’t know yet was that along with her life, so was the baby’s. She could use the backup, at least for the next few hours while she tried to get some rest.
But how was she supposed to sleep with the sexy Nash Maddox in the vicinity?
“I’m so sorry for the inconvenience to you and your family, Nash. Your brothers and sisters must hate your job at times.”
“Like I said, it’s all taken care of on my part. I have an aunt and uncle on their way into town, to help out for as long as I need. Aunt Clara was my mother’s sister, and she asks to see the kids whenever it’s convenient. She and Uncle Jim live in Sioux Falls and regularly make the trip. They’ll stay for the duration of the case.”
“What do you mean by ‘duration’?”
“As long as it takes to ensure you’re no longer a target.”
He stood in front of her, but left a respectable distance between them. She was grateful because the combination of the long night, being with him in such close proximity for the better part of the last hour, and his overwhelming masculinity were making her feel as though she’d do whatever he asked her to. He wanted to move into her house? No problem. She could have the guest room ready in minutes. Or even better—her room. Shoot. She needed room to breathe before she did something stupid in her hyped-up-by-pregnancy hormonal state.
Your attraction to Nash has nothing to do with the baby.
“Nash, I appreciate the concern, but really, I’m okay. I’ll sleep better knowing I’m not a burden to anyone.” As he kept looking at her, the heat of desire unfurled low in her belly and she glanced away. “I suppose you’re right. Just for the rest of today, though. After that I’ll manage on my own.”
“We’ll worry about tomorrow later. And as for being a burden? You’ve got that wrong. It’s my job, Patience.”
Nash’s dedication to duty, one of many things that attracted her to him, sud
denly took on a different facet, as she was painfully aware of wanting to be more than just another case. Maybe it was finding out she was pregnant with his child, or the resulting hormones, but whatever it was, Patience couldn’t deny it.
She wanted to be more than a case detail to Nash.
* * *
“I’m surprised you don’t have any pets of your own.” Nash sat on her sofa, where she’d laid out sheets, a blanket and pillow. He’d forgone the guest room, as it was too far removed from the rest of her house. He needed to be right near the front door and kitchen entrance, both within twenty feet of one another. Patience hadn’t argued, which clued him in as to how exhausted she was.
She sipped at a spicy-smelling tea she’d made for herself, and assessed him from the kitchen island. Her open-concept house made it welcoming and easy to converse, but he wasn’t thrilled with the lack of walls. Fewer obstructions for the murderer to break through, less resistance to a bullet.
“I get my fill of animals at the clinic. I’d love to have my own dog and a few cats, but for now, this is easier. I spend the majority of my time at work these days, so it’s like having my own pets.”
“Yeah, it’s been a busy year for Red Ridge.” He was too tired to mentally review all the criminal activity, but there had been plenty. Record breaking, in fact. The Groom Killer was still out there, and now the Lake Killer.
“You sure you’ll be comfortable out here? I promise, the guest room bed is practically brand-new. Only one of my sisters slept there.”
“Layla, Gemma or Bea?”
“Layla.” She didn’t elaborate. In a place like Red Ridge, with Fenwick Colton as the energy mogul, everyone knew the entire Colton clan. Nash had had to revisit his prejudices against the wealthy family when he’d first started working with Patience. She was the exact opposite of having a sense of entitlement.
“Answer me one thing, Patience.”
“Okay.”
“Why did a rich girl like you want to be a veterinarian? Have you always like animals?”
“I’m going to ignore your ‘rich’ comment. Why should my family’s financial history have anything to do with my vocation? Or with me choosing what I want to do?”
“Jeez, I’m sorry. I was honestly curious. It seems to me you could have become whatever you wanted to. I’m impressed that you went through vet school and were hired to run the K9 clinic.”
The wall she’d erected over her expression fell, revealing the Patience he’d made love to for several hours just a little under three months ago. She made her way to the sofa, where she sat on the end opposite him. He tried like heck to not mentally revisit that night, at least not while she was so close.
“I’ve never been interested in finances or being an entrepreneur. Science and math were my mainstays through school. My counselors suggested med school, dental school, even joining the military to become a physician. But I knew how much I loved horses and dogs, and it was natural for me to pick vet school.”
“Your parents supported it?”
“I’m sure my mother would have. She’s been gone a long while, as I’m sure you know. My father, he’s a tough bastard. I love him unconditionally, but he’s always made it clear what matters to him.”
“Money.”
“Right. The bottom line. That’s just not who I am.”
Nash watched, incredulously, as tears filled her eyes, making their normally brown hue a rich, dark amber. They matched the highlights in her hair. Holy hell in a handbasket, what was he doing, noticing her hair color? He was reacting like his twelve-year-old brother. Jeez.
“Patience—”
She held up her hand. “I know a lot of people probably think I got the clinic position because of my father’s endowment in my mother’s name. But I competed fairly against applicants from all over the country, and even some overseas. I won my job fair and square.”
“Of course you did. It’s obvious in how well you do it. I’m sorry, Patience, I didn’t mean to come across so tough.”
The air between them shifted and he felt the intimacy of that special night return, at about the same time he noticed trepidation in her eyes.
“Nash, I have to tell you something.” He’d heard that tone before—when a woman meant business. Usually the breaking-up kind, not that he’d had anyone to break up with these last several years.
“Save it, Patience. I know what you’re going to say. And I get it. Please don’t mistake my professional concern for personal interest. Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask you to go out again. We made a deal that night—and I understand you don’t want to break it.”
Her eyes not only filled with tears, but he saw one, two, three spill over her long dark lashes and track down her creamy cheek. “Aw, Patience, I didn’t mean for that to come out so rough.”
“You don’t get it, Nash. This isn’t about us getting together again, but it is about that night.”
He felt a kind of tingly awareness in his gut that had nothing to do with his attraction to her. His inner prescient warning system, the talent that helped him as he and Greta sought out evidence or conducted rescues, was going full-bore. What was she trying to tell him?
“What is, Patience?”
“I didn’t want to tell you like this.” She wiped at her cheeks.
“Tell me what, like how?” Was she going through an adrenaline comedown? He felt low after a hard call, but never wept.
“Like this—at eight o’clock in the morning after we’ve been up all night, after I saw a murder, or at least the last part of it, and Greta had to dive to find the body—”
“Spit it out, Patience.” He heard the growl in his voice and it was like when frigid lake water hit his face. He stood up and paced away from the sofa, giving them both needed space.
Greta remained unruffled, lying on her side and only thumping her tail when Nash walked by. She’d also had a long night.
“I’m trying to.” Patience wiped at her eyes with the sleeves of the fuzzy sweater she’d donned over her pajamas the minute they’d arrived.
“I hate this, Patience. It’s as if you’re afraid of telling me because of my reaction. As long as we’ve worked together, have you ever known me to overreact to anything?”
Clear brown eyes met his. “I’m pregnant, Nash. The baby’s yours. I mean, you fathered the baby. But it’s my baby. I’m going to raise it on my own. I completely understand that you have four siblings to raise and your kid calendar is booked for the next half-dozen years. But you should know it’s your baby, and again, you’re free to not worry about it.”
Nash heard nothing more after Patience said, “I’m pregnant.” Of course, he knew in his gut it was his kid. Unless Patience was more social than she’d let on, she’d been on her own and single for quite some time. If he could trust her, he’d been her first in a long while, and he doubted she’d been with anyone since. Not just because he hadn’t, but because he knew how busy the K9 unit had been, which spelled extra hours for the clinic.
Looking around her great room, he decided her sparse furnishings and stacks of magazines and unopened mail on the kitchen counter validated her assertions and his assumptions. She was a loner in every sense of the word, except for their foray into unbridled passion three months ago.
“I believe you. I know it’s my baby.” Only then did it hit him, really register. He was about to become father to a child.
Chapter 5
Patience wanted to grab the words and shove them back down her throat the second she’d said them, right before Nash’s features froze and his eyes glazed over. Relief soothed her upset stomach, though, indicating she’d done the right thing. Of course, she had—she and Nash were adults, and they’d both made the decisions that led to now. To a baby.
“This was a terrible time to tell you. I’m so sorry.” She wasn’t sure if he felt the constant pressure
she had since she’d witnessed the murder, if he felt like someone was continually watching them.
“There’s never a great time to drop news, is there? How long have you known?” He stood there, hands on hips, clearly processing.
“Since this morning. I mean, yesterday.” Had it been only twenty-four hours ago? “I thought I’d skipped my period from stress, like I used to during college and vet school. I should have known better. I’m a vet, for heaven’s sake. But I never thought to do a pregnancy test until the last few days. The stomach bug I thought I couldn’t get rid of, the exhaustion, the bloating—it’s been the baby all along.”
“I’m not blaming you for not telling me sooner.” He sounded sincere, looked...calm. Too calm.
“I didn’t know sooner! Look, I told you, you don’t have to worry about me coming after you for support of any kind—financial or otherwise. You know I’m able to support this child with my job.” She refused to mention her trust fund—that wasn’t on the table. Patience prided herself on being able to fully support her life, and now the life of her future child. Without any of her family money, other than her reserve for an extreme emergency, or to maybe pay for her child’s college.
“Of course, you can support a child.” He looked stymied, speaking in the most general terms. “This isn’t about finances, though, is it? We both have good jobs. And security, more than if we were running our own businesses.”
“And I’m planning to work right up until the baby comes, take some maternity leave, then go right back to working at the clinic.” She realized that while she hadn’t consciously thought it all out, some part of her had been sifting through her options since yesterday morning.
“You’re keeping the baby? For sure?” He looked at Greta as he spoke. The dog had perked up, her ears alert. As if she expected them to have a fight about it.
“Yes. Yes, I am. Have you heard anything I’ve said?” Hadn’t he listened? Anger flooded her as she watched him, finding his attention was clearly not on her words. He was totally focused on Greta now, and the dog was issuing a long, low growl.