Page 11 of Cold as Hell

I cross my arms. “People need to know what happened.”

“Yep, and we can handle that.”

“‘We’ meaning…?”

“Isabel and I will talk to the women. I might ask Yolanda, but I wanted your take on that. I don’t know her well enough.”

“Does anyone?”

“She likes you.”

I snort. “Yolanda tolerates me. She likes most people here—she’s just not obvious about it. Enlist her help. She’ll want that, and she’ll make damn sure everyone takes the threat seriously. But let me talk to her.” I lift my hand against protest. “Not to take on more work, but because I already need to speak to her. She was with Kendra last night.”

“Fine, I’ll grant you that. I’ll speak to Kenny about talking to the men. He’ll know who to enlist.”

“Have him speak to me first.” I raise my hand again. “He isn’t only warning men of possible attack, but almost certainly letting the attacker know just how seriously we’re taking this.”

“Okay. You can speak to Yolanda and Kenny. But that’s it.”

I arch my brows. “May I also speak to potential witnesses?”

“If you insist.” Nicole puts her hat back on. “So how are you doing? And don’t say fine. This is your chance to whine. Take it.”

“I miss my ankles.”

She lets out a choked laugh. “I remember that.”

“Also booze, coffee, and sex.”

Her brows rise. “You can still have forms of sex, Casey. Do I need to have the talk with you?”

I roll my eyes. “You know what I mean. The rest is fine and, at the risk of TMI, Eric is very attentive. I just miss the part that got me here in the first place.”

“Just wait until you’re in labor. I may have grabbed Jacob and told him if he brings that thing near me ever again, it better be wearing a rubber. Two, just to be safe.”

I laugh and shake my head.

She puts on her gloves. “I always wondered why people seem to have babies three years apart. I figured it was to get the first one past the bottles and diapers stage. It’s not. That’s about exactly how long it takes to forget the horrors of pregnancy and birth.”

“Does that mean another nephew or niece might be in our near future?”

Her cheeks color, just a little. “Not quite yet, but at the risk of jinxing it, efforts are being made.”

“Anytime you want us to look after Stephen to help those efforts…”

“Uh-uh. You’re focusing on that little one.” She points at my belly. “We’ve got this.”

“Glad to hear it,” I say, and accompany her out the door. “Now, you wouldn’t have seen Will around, would you?”

CHAPTER FOUR

I don’t even make it off the town hall steps before I see Anders beelining my way. When I start continuing down the stairs, he makes shooing motions with both hands, and Nicole laughs.

“He’s telling you to go back indoors,” she says. “Before your baby freezes… inside you.”

“Right?” I roll my eyes and try to keep descending, only to get more vigorous shooing.

“I need to talk to you,” I call to Anders as Nicole takes her leave.