Page 52

He dropped his arms and stepped away from Cath. Three schoolgirls in black-and-white saddle oxfords and plaid skirts whispered together on the corner.
He lifted his chin to acknowledge them. Cath buttoned her coat, and he lowered his head. “Did I overstep your line?”
A groove burrowed between her brows. “I’m not sure.”
That made two of them, but he had to watch himself. For Cath’s good.
A cell phone chimed, and she plucked the instrument from her purse. “This could be Les.” She glanced at the screen, shook her head. “Not Les.”
“Thank you,” she said after a few moments. “Yes, I’ll take care of it right away.”
“That was the security company for my office alarm.” She swiped through her contacts and hit one. “Hi. Yeah. I just got a call… Right, they did. Do you know why?”
Cath twisted her mouth. “No, I don’t expect you to do anything, but could you keep an eye on it until I get down there? I’m coming now. Maybe fifteen minutes.”
She disconnected and ran to his truck. Mitch clicked to open the locks. “Where are we going?”
“To my office. Someone smashed my door.”
Chapter 10
Another day, another hospital visit. Cath thanked the billing department clerk and strode to the exam room where Mitch’s Aunt Edi was being seen. His aunt had only become dehydrated, nothing more serious, and Cath had used the opportunity to run an errand for Bea.
Thankfully, she wouldn’t need to replace her smashed office door right away. She and Mitch had driven back downtown yesterday and found the reinforced glass still intact, which he’d helped her tape.
Mitch. A man of many talents. One of them kissing.
Down the hall, he leaned in the entrance of the exam room, his new tan windbreaker stretching across his strong back, his dark head tilted down, listening to someone. That hair, short and clinging to his head for dear life, had fascinated her for days. Yesterday, she’d had a chance to slip her fingers through the springy strands. She could sure get used to his arms around her and the reassuring beat of his heart under her ear, but she couldn’t throw herself into his arms with every frustration.
He’d never respect her, never treat her as an equal partner… Whoa.
Since when were they talking partners? They weren’t even talking about the very real kiss they shared.
She couldn’t even tell if he thought he’d made a mistake. For her part, she planned to reserve judgment, though she leaned toward the abstinence end of the scale. Kissing this man could definitely become addictive.
A nurse hooked up a second bottle of saline solution to Aunt Edi’s IV, and the doctor studied her chart. The elderly woman had been dizzy and disoriented at breakfast. Since Kurt and Jack hadn’t been home, Cath and Mitch had driven her here in Hal’s SUV.
Mitch raised his brows, the energy in his brown eyes rippling across the space between them. “You get Bea’s bill straightened out?”
“Yup.” She and Mitch had driven her office manager home last night, but Bea had questioned some of the charges.
“You got dehydrated,” the ER doctor repeated, stuffing his stethoscope in a pocket. “Take it easy for a few days and drink plenty of fluids.” Mitch followed him out and returned moments later.
“The doc says we can go home once this bottle finishes dripping.” He rested a hand on his aunt’s arm. “You have to stay hydrated. That way you won’t pass out again.”
“Just drink more water? That’s all?” his aunt asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry we had to come all this way to find that out.” She plucked at the blanket covering her legs. “You should be out doing your job.”
The job of arresting her brother. Aunt Edi made it sound as if Mitch did something as tame as trade stocks. Mitch patted her hand. “Don’t worry. We’re fine.”
This must be Mitch reassuring his aunt because they’d reached a dead end in the search for Les. They’d sat at the breakfast table across from each other, and every time she looked up from her plate, he’d been watching her, rubbing a thumb across his lower lip. Lips that were smooth and hot and firm. How could every detail of the kiss they’d shared still stand front and center in her mind eighteen hours later?
The nurse finally returned with the discharge papers, and Mitch brought the car around. Hal had offered his SUV so their aunt could get in and out more easily, and Aunt Edi eased into the passenger seat. “All I want is to go home. Have a nice, hot cup of tea and rest.”
“We’ll be there soon.” Cath climbed in the back.