A Daddy For Her Daughter
Tina Beckett
A family to heal them…After losing his little girl five years ago, Dr Kaleb McBride has kept himself to himself. He can’t face losing anyone ever again. Then beautiful Madeleine Grimes enters his world…Maddy’s priority is her young daughter. So she’s just as determined to ignore her burning attraction to Kaleb! But when stolen kisses turn into something more, Maddy wonders if she and Chloe could heal Kaleb’s heart…and make the perfect family!
A family to heal them...
After losing his little girl five years ago, Dr. Kaleb McBride has kept himself to himself. He can’t face losing anyone ever again. Then beautiful Madeleine Grimes enters his world...
Maddy’s priority is her young daughter. So she’s just as determined to ignore her burning attraction to Kaleb! But when stolen kisses turn into something more, Maddy wonders if she and Chloe can heal Kaleb’s heart...and make the perfect family!
Praise for Tina Beckett (#ulink_047a55ab-450a-594d-abe2-a456794e3956)
‘Tina Beckett has the ability to take me on a journey of romance so strong and so mind-blowing it feels like I am floating on cloud nine for weeks afterwards. This time she has certainly done it again!’
—Contemporary Romance Reviews on How to Find a Man in Five Dates
He was going to kiss her. Right here in the middle of the park.
And she wanted him to. Desperately.
Half-afraid she might be daydreaming the whole thing and that she would snap back to attention, she curled her hand around his nape and murmured his name.
And then he was bending closer, his warm breath stirring the fine hairs on her temple.
The first touch of his lips against hers set off a chain reaction she was powerless to ignore. His elbows landed on either side of her shoulders and he lifted his head to look at her, as if trying to gauge her reaction. When he moved in again, the pressure was firmer, more insistent. Nothing like the light, exploratory touch a second ago. No, his head had shifted a quarter turn to the left, his mouth fitting perfectly over hers.
Settling in.
And she was okay with that. The fingers at his nape wandered to one of his shoulders, where the muscles bunched deliciously under her skin. All thoughts of kites and laughter were long gone. This was deadly serious—the stuff pillow talk was made of. Only, Maddy didn’t feel like talking. And she hoped Kaleb didn’t, either.
Dear Reader (#ulink_30b8abae-36ec-59e2-9fa3-3829fa6ccb09),
Have you ever felt responsible for a death you could have done nothing to prevent? A death that brought your whole world crashing down around you? Kaleb McBride finds himself in just such a position when he loses his only child to a terrible disease. His marriage unravels soon afterwards, and he finds himself totally alone. He shuts himself off, vowing never to have more children. And then he comes to the aid of a woman at a party who is in the middle of an asthma attack. Their attraction is immediate and explosive. Except Madeleine Grimes has a child. And a troubled past. In spite of both of those things, Kaleb soon finds himself in over his head.
Thank you for joining Kaleb and Maddy as they each struggle to let go of crushing grief and learn to enjoy life again. And maybe, just maybe, they’ll discover that love is not as far out of reach as they’d thought. I hope you enjoy reading their story as much as I loved writing it!
Love,
Tina Beckett
Three-times Golden Heart® finalist TINA BECKETT learned to pack her suitcases almost before she learned to read. Born to a military family, she has lived in the United States, Puerto Rico, Portugal and Brazil. In addition to travelling, Tina loves to cuddle with her pug, Alex, spend time with her family, and hit the trails on her horse. Learn more about Tina from her website, or ‘friend’ her on Facebook.
After completing a degree in journalism, then working in advertising and mothering her kids, ROBIN GIANNA had what she calls her ‘awakening’. She decided she wanted to write the romance novels she’d loved since her teens, and now enjoys pushing her characters towards their own happily-ever-afters. When she’s not writing, Robin’s life is filled with a happily messy kitchen, a needy garden, a wonderful husband, three great kids, a drooling bulldog and one grouchy Siamese cat.
A Daddy for Her Daughter
Tina Beckett
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To my husband, for putting up with my weird, writerly ways!
Contents
Cover (#u79010ca7-95c5-5e47-8585-8aebbddfa2e6)
Back Cover Text (#uedcf07b3-a6e4-5163-98f9-3648c4643df7)
Praise for Tina Beckett (#ulink_73546f85-1375-5bc4-a560-da207625815d)
Introduction (#u243a83d6-846e-5b2a-b21b-8d32009559c6)
Dear Reader (#ulink_506679d0-10ae-5efd-a17c-5df6c61f607b)
About the Author (#uc8778076-04f1-58d5-b4f6-771f2b61d2d9)
Title Page (#ud5415c51-046b-55d9-bdd8-c4943ae05014)
Dedication (#u530c9905-e242-5c51-b991-5b80cfd0a914)
CHAPTER ONE (#u57efc9b5-56dc-59ed-8202-bc15cd5d926a)
CHAPTER TWO (#u78871263-0dbb-5488-908e-28e509df5850)
CHAPTER THREE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#ulink_d98fc307-2192-5ce8-9529-66d3dc85194e)
KALEB MCBRIDE HATED TUXEDOS.
It was safe to say that he and tuxes were no longer on speaking terms. He wore them only when it was required of him. Like tonight.
Sprinting down the steps of the Seattle Consortium Hotel, he made it a point to avoid eye contact with anyone as he dashed by. Because everywhere he looked, all he saw were costumes. Except this wasn’t Halloween and the myriad assortment of outfits or lack thereof was enough to make his head swim. From Elizabethan gowns to fairy-tale characters to flappers loaded with fringe, it was the only thing like it he’d ever seen. He even skirted a lone vampire who emitted a low hiss as he strode past.
If the hospital hadn’t made an agreement to provide concierge medical care to guests at the hotel, he probably wouldn’t even be here tonight.
A costume designers’ masquerade party. Who on earth even thought up something like that?
A suited doorman nodded to him and motioned him through yet another velvet-lined hallway. “She’s in the reception lobby.”
His patient, he assumed, and the reason he’d left the hospital’s swanky yearly fund-raiser—which was still trudging along without him in the hotel ballroom. Thank goodness for medical emergencies.
He burst into the lobby.
There.
Sure enough, sprawled on the floor next to a cluster of fancy potted plants was a woman dressed all in black. Shiny black.
Evidently the hospital hadn’t realized they’d booked their event on the same day as this. Both were dress-up affairs, but where one was as serious as it was upscale, this one looked...well, surreal. And a whole lot more fun.
Jacques, the hotel manager, was kneeling beside the downed woman, who was lying on her stomach. What he’d decided must be a long black leotard ended in sky-high boots of the same color. Had she fallen off them? A tail was attached to a cute little tush. Something he had no business noticing.
Jacques looked up as Kaleb reached him, the relief in his eyes evident. “I think she’s hyperventilating.”
Even as the man said the words, a muffled sound came from his patient, a rasping roar that was much too labored for his liking.
“Let’s turn her over.”
A black mask that looked like a patchwork of glossy black latex bound together with white stitching covered the woman’s whole head, leaving only her eyes and bright red lips exposed. Cat ears were perched on top.
The woman was dressed as a cat. A very sexy cat at that.
A quick glance could find no zipper, and the wheezing was getting steadily louder. Panicked green eyes looked up at him, one hand going to her chest as it continued to rise and fall in staccato heaves.
“We need to cut this mask off her. Now.”
The roaring paused for a second before starting up again. “No.” Wheeze, wheeze, wheeze. Cough. “...sister...kill me.”
Sister? To hell with her sister. A question surged to the forefront of his mind. “Do you have asthma?”
“Yes.” The rattling sound grew worse. “Albuterol. In my purse. Left at desk.”
Desk?
Jacques spoke up. “Some of the guests checked their briefcases and purses in at the concierge rather than carrying them around all night.” He glanced down. “Do you know your ticket number?”
The woman shook her head, gasping again. Her fingers fumbled at the wide belt encircling her waist. Kaleb spotted an opening in the side. Brushing her hands away, he felt inside and came out with a slip of paper. “Here.”
Jacques grabbed it and leaped up, heading to the desk a few feet away. In less than a minute, he came back with a black purse.
Without waiting to ask, Kaleb reached into the dark recesses of the bag and encountered a familiar-shaped object. “Got it.” He pulled the canister free, giving it a couple of hard shakes to mix the contents.
Wheeze. Cough.
Feeling vaguely obscene, he pushed the inhaler against those red lips, his skin brushing the delicate point of her chin as her mouth wrapped around the canister.
Even as he pumped off a couple of shots of medication, it hit him how warm the lobby was. Maybe because it was packed with people. Beads of perspiration lined his own neck and face.
Between the elaborately designed costumes and the crowded conditions in the room, he was surprised he hadn’t been called to treat any of the attendees before now.
Still holding the inhaler, he listened for her breathing. It immediately began to settle down, the hollow wheeze changing to a deep pull of air accompanied by a much easier exhalation.
“It’s working.” Her voice came out in a whisper.
She reached up and took the inhaler from him, those bright eyes glancing at his face and then skipping away just as quickly. Something sparked to life in his chest.
He couldn’t know her.
Swearing to himself that he only had her best interest at heart, he cleared his throat. “We still need to get the headpiece off so you can breathe easier.”
She gave a hum that he took as assent.
“Zipper?”
“Adhesive fastener. At the back.” She paused, the inhaler still in her hand. “I’m sorry. I just couldn’t make it to the counter to get my purse or I could have done it myself.”
He could well imagine. With those heels and trying to navigate through the crowd, it would have been quite a feat under normal circumstances much less during an asthma attack.
Now that the medical crisis was easing, he was aware that a few costumed characters had gathered around them. Probably waiting for the great unveiling.
A tiny glimmer of anticipation sizzled through his own system.
Not the time, Kaleb.
He helped her sit upright before reaching behind her head, finding the seam and prizing apart the edges, the sharp rip of the fastener tape as it gave way filling the air around them.
He carefully peeled the stretchy fabric forward, easing it away from her face. The second he tugged it free, he stopped dead, his inner warning system going on high alert.
His own breath sluiced from his lungs in a rush he was helpless to prevent.
It couldn’t be. And yet it sure as hell looked like her. So unless she had a doppelgänger...
“Madeleine?”
From the shiny red curls—only slightly flattened by the tight mask—to the flashing warning in her eyes, there was no mistaking who she was.
One of the doctors from the hospital. His hospital.
But there was no way the Madeleine Grimes he knew would have been caught dead in an outfit like this.
Before he could even cobble together a sentence, she nodded. “It’s a very long story.”
“I’ll bet.”
“Exactly.”
He blinked. “I’m sorry?”
“Nothing. My sister thought my coming here would be a good idea. She kind of dared me to... Well, she set me up on a—” her eyes went to the floor and stayed there “—blind date.”
Blind date?
He just wasn’t seeing it.
The glare she sent him dared him to say one word. Not likely.
How in the hell would she even be able to tell what her date looked like? Or maybe that was the point—she could be caught up in some kind of weird role-playing fetish.
Only the Madeleine Grimes he knew tended toward uptight and aloof, rather than...
Than what?
He had no idea how her sister could have talked her into climbing into that sexy costume and prowling around the lobby looking for her date. Or why Madeleine would even agree to it.
But suddenly he wanted to find out.
Wanted to understand the thought processes that had led her here. But he would only get that if...
If he got her out of here.
Before he could think better of it, he said, “And this blind date. Do you know his name?”
“Yes, it’s Max Hayward.” Her eyes slid away from his again. “But when I asked at the reception desk, he hadn’t arrived. I think he stood me up. Not that I wasn’t tempted to do the same thing.”
She gave a quick lift of a shoulder. “I’m going to take everything that’s happened tonight as a sign. I’ll leave a note at the desk, telling him I had to leave unexpectedly, just in case.”
“That’s probably a good idea.”
“I think so too.” Taking a deep breath and blowing it out, Madeleine tilted her head back, revealing the long line of her throat. No hint of the asthma attack she’d had moments earlier. “Man, I can’t wait to get out of this costume.”
She reached for her elbow and peeled a long black glove down her arm, revealing pale creamy skin as she went. She did the same with the other glove. The process was...agonizing.
His muscles tightened. Knock it off, Kaleb. It isn’t like she’s going to strip herself naked in front of all these people. Although he’d had some pretty crazy thoughts when he’d slid off that mask and seen who was sitting there. The contrast between the Madeleine he thought he knew and the one in this room was a little unsettling.
Taking a hurried breath of his own, he struggled to come up with a coherent thought. “Your sister. Does she work at the hospital as well?”
“No.” She gave a quick laugh, scooping her inhaler from her lap and dropping it in her purse. “She faints at the sight of blood. She’s a costume designer, which is another reason I agreed to come. I was supposed to be a living advertisement for her work.”
“Work. There’s actually a market for...?” He gestured toward her outfit, not sure what he was asking.
“Look around you. From theater, to film, to school plays, there’s always a demand for well-made and innovative costumes.” She scrubbed a hand through her hair, ruffling it into an unruly mass that he found oddly appealing. Then she took one of the shiny gloves and held it up. “This is Roxy’s realm, not mine.”
Roxy. A fitting name for the creature in whose suit Madeleine had found herself.
And from the word dare she’d used earlier, Kaleb had to assume that this was not a place Roxy’s sister would have chosen on her own.
“So you’re here under duress?”
“Let’s just say that Roxy said I needed to loosen up. She bet I wouldn’t last two minutes at one of these conventions.”
“And did you?”
“Yes. I would have been here an hour if something from the costume hadn’t set off an attack.”
He smiled and stood, offering her a hand, which she accepted, gracefully rising to her feet and adjusting the belt at her waist. “How long did you agree to stay?”
“Until the party died down. But surely she won’t accuse me of cheating under the circumstances.”
He tensed, hand tightening slightly on hers at the word cheating. Maybe because that was exactly what his ex-wife had done. He, more than anyone, understood her particular circumstances, but he’d still felt like the biggest fool on the planet when he’d discovered what she’d been doing. Hiding her grief behind a mask just as surely as Madeleine had hidden her identity behind hers.
“Do you want to run by the hospital and get checked out before finishing your night?” Releasing her hand, he braced himself to tell her goodbye. Something he should have done ten minutes ago.
“I think I’m done for the evening.” This time, it was Madeleine who smiled, and the flash of white teeth was something he wasn’t used to from her. The woman was always so serious. Then again, this whole night had been like something out of one of those strange dreams. The ones where nothing made sense.
Like this surreal encounter? He glanced around again, really taking in his surroundings this time. Standing in his tuxedo in a roomful of costumed adults, Kaleb felt out of sorts. And definitely out of place. Especially when there was what looked like a deflated cat’s head on the ground beside a beautiful woman.
Even as the thought went through his mind, she reached down and scooped up the mask, letting it sit in the crook of her left arm. “Thank you again. I probably would have been better off going to the hospital’s fund-raiser instead. But I don’t do stuffy...”
The words cut off abruptly, and her teeth sank deep into her lower lip. Rich color swept all the way to her hairline.
Kaleb allowed one side of his mouth to curve up. “You don’t ‘do stuffy’—” he gestured around the room “—but you’ll do this.”
She laughed. And the sound cut straight to his gut. It was rich, melodic and made things tighten in awkward places. Her palms floated up and down, as if weighing her options. “Stuffed shirts or make-believe. I can’t decide.”
Suddenly, he wanted to hear that laugh again. He bent closer. “I would offer to take you upstairs and show you what you’re missing...” When her eyes widened, he realized how the suggestion sounded. “Upstairs, as in the party going on in the fifteenth-floor ballroom.”
“Oh.”
Was there a tiny bit of disappointment in that single word?
Of course not. It’s all in your imagination, bud.
“How about a cup of coffee instead? I want to make sure that asthma attack is all the way under control.”
“Coffee sounds wonderful, but I can’t go anywhere dressed like this. I need to go home and change.” She hesitated. “I have coffee there.”
He gave another half smile. “You do? Is that an invitation?”
“Well, I...I mean if you want to join me, that would be okay. And no one’s there at the moment.” She shook her head. “Well, I mean my cat is there, and my sister is...”
Her voice trailed away.
“Your sister is there? With the cat?”
“No.”
There went those white teeth nibbling at her lower lip again. “But the coffee is there. With the cat. Right?”
“Yes. Why don’t you stop by for a cup? It’s the least I can do to say thank you.”
“No thanks necessary, but I would love to. Especially if you won’t agree to run by the hospital for a quick checkup.”
Something told Kaleb he should be heading in the opposite direction, back toward the elevators...back up to the safety of the fifteenth floor, where his obligations lay. But something about seeing Madeleine in that suit made him want to find out if there were other things about her he didn’t know. Not that he knew her at all. But he wanted to. If only to satisfy his curiosity. So one cup of coffee it was. And then he would be on his way back to his own life. In his own high-rise apartment.
* * *
Maddy squirmed on the beige leather seat of Dr. Kaleb McBride’s luxury car. What had started out as a halfhearted invitation—one she had not expected him to accept—had somehow ended up with her riding beside him.
She could not believe she was bringing him—a man—to her place. It had been ages since she’d had a guy over. Well, Kaleb wasn’t a guy, exactly. He was a...a colleague. She had always been tongue-tied around the resident bad boy of West Seattle Hospital, so she’d learned the hard way to keep that tongue firmly planted on the bottom of her mouth. She’d allowed one man to reduce her to a stuttering mess. Never again.
Still, she couldn’t resist a quick sideways glance at the figure in the driver’s seat. Then she slouched lower into the smooth upholstery. There was a reason the nurses at West Seattle whispered about Kaleb long after he strode down their hallways.
Inky dark hair curled over the collar of the man’s equally black tux, and warm brown eyes had flirted with her as easily as he flirted with every other woman at the hospital. Only Maddy had usually been immune, switching on her anti-charm force field and aiming it at any man who ventured into her personal space. So far, it had worked. Up until now. When she’d forgotten to hit that internal panic button. Thanks to her asthma. The feel of Kaleb’s fingers cupping her chin as he’d administered her medication hadn’t helped any.
Okay, she could explain away all of that. She’d been oxygen deprived. But what she didn’t understand was why she hadn’t told the man the reason Roxy wasn’t at her apartment: it was because she’d gone on a girls’ night out, with the person Maddy loved more than anything on this earth. Her daughter.
None of that was any of his business, right? He was coming to her house to have a quick cup of coffee. To make sure her asthma attack really was over—just as he’d said. There was no need to tell him about Chloe. It wasn’t as if her daughter were a deep dark secret. Her friends at the hospital all knew about her.
But not the circumstances surrounding her birth.
She shook off the thought. That was behind her. A year had gone by since she’d moved to this city, and she loved it here. It was huge, compared to what she was used to. She could actually get lost here. Well, not lost, but she could blend in. No one knew anything about her. Not like in the tiny town of Gamble Point, Nebraska, where you “couldn’t belch without the whole county knowing about it,” according to her father. She still missed him.
She needed to call her mom to let her know she was still okay. Still out of reach. She had Roxy to thank for that. Her sister had given her a precious gift: a new beginning in a brand-new city. She owed her big-time. And if putting on a slinky cat costume could help cover a little of that debt, Maddy would do it a hundred times over.
“Are you cool enough?”
“Wh—what?” She glanced over to find Kaleb fiddling with the climate-control buttons. “Oh, yes. I’m fine, thank you.”
This was a stupid idea. She should just have him drop her off at the nearest corner. She could catch a cab back to her place.
But it was too late, and if she tried to explain now she’d only wind up blurting out something that would make her look like a foolish child. As if she hadn’t already looked like one when he’d come across her splayed on the ground in her costume.
Debt or no debt, Roxy was going to pay for that for sure. Although watching Chloe’s eyes light up when she’d seen her dressed up as a sexy cat had made the whole fiasco of an evening a little less humiliating.
“Go down two more stoplights and then turn left. My building will be on the right.” In truth, she also didn’t want to have to call Roxy and admit that she hadn’t lasted even an hour. Barely even twenty minutes. Nor had she met her date. But none of that was her fault. Something in the costume had messed up her airways. But she had a feeling Roxy would think she’d simply wimped out on her.
Well, too bad. Maddy was a grown woman who could make her own decisions. And leaving her hometown with her daughter had been one of those decisions. Matthew hadn’t even tried to follow them. Then again, he’d be arrested if he came within a hundred yards of her, according to the courts. He wasn’t allowed to see Chloe. In fact, he hadn’t even asked to visit her. And if Maddy had her way, he’d never get the chance. Too much tainted water had passed under that particular bridge. Her ex had never wanted to have kids in the first place...had been disgusted when her birth control—because he couldn’t be bothered to think about those kinds of things—had failed. As her pregnant body had begun to change, his disgust had morphed into something sinister. Something...
She shook herself from her thoughts just as Kaleb pulled up to the entry of her modest apartment complex. “Is there a key code?”
“No, just push the button on the panel.”
He did and the single-levered barrier went up immediately. Kaleb slid into the dark parking garage, following the reflective arrows painted on the pavement. “Could someone get into the building itself through the garage?”
She frowned. “Yes, but we haven’t had any problems.” At least they hadn’t in the year that she’d lived there. And most of the people in the building knew each other. A stranger would be noticed.
Kind of like in her hometown? She shrugged off the thought. “There are also cameras in the garage and in the hallways.” She’d been shocked by the high cost of rent and by the security measures that came with living in a big city. But she’d come to love the anonymity afforded by a city with over six hundred thousand residents.
Sliding into one of the ten guest spots, he nodded. “Glad to hear it.”
Before she could twist around and reach into the backseat for the head to her sister’s costume, Kaleb had already retrieved it and was out of the car, heading around to her side. Just as he opened her door, something pinged from her purse.
Ugh. Her cell phone. And she had a pretty good idea who it would be. Roxy. The last person she wanted to text with right now. She could just ignore it until she got to the safety of her apartment.
What if something was wrong with Chloe, though? She climbed from the car and freed her phone from her purse, noting Kaleb’s frown as she glanced down at her screen.
“It’s Roxy.” She didn’t know why she was explaining.
We’re headed for that place with all the paraphernalia for Chloe’s doll. Having a blast. Hope you are too.
A blast? Not quite. But a few of her muscles relaxed. Chloe could spend hours in that particular shop, which meant they wouldn’t drop by the apartment anytime soon. She quickly typed Okay, have fun! and then dropped the phone back into her purse. She made no mention of the fact that she was arriving home with an attractive man in tow. A man whose name was most definitely not Max, nor was he from the masquerade party.
And if she had her way, Roxy would never know that Kaleb had been here. It would be her little secret. After all, that was one thing she’d learned she was good at. Hiding the ugly truth from everyone around her.
She glanced up at Kaleb. “I’m on the fifth floor.”
Modest by Seattle standards, her apartment had everything she and Chloe needed. It was only one bedroom, but she’d got around that by converting the tiny study into her daughter’s bedroom. There was a park right around the corner that Chloe loved to go to, so Maddy never really felt trapped. And she couldn’t afford anything bigger. Not yet. Once she’d been at the hospital a couple more years she’d be eligible for a pretty substantial raise. Maybe then they could move to a nicer place. When Chloe started elementary school, they would need something bigger. But for now, the apartment was just right.
They went into the lobby, and Maddy pressed the button on the elevator, hearing the creak as it broke free from whatever floor it was on and began to slowly descend to ground level.
“How’s your breathing?”
“Fine.” Even as she said it, she realized why he was asking. His proximity had caused her lungs to start working harder, wheezing a little—kind of like the elevator—as they pulled air into her lungs and then pushed it back out. To prove she was okay, she sucked in another breath and then let it rush back out. “You would never even know I’d had a problem.”
Kaleb made a noise. She wasn’t sure if it was a snort of doubt or if he was agreeing with her assessment. Whatever it was, she was ignoring it. Because she did not want to have to explain that having him behind her was doing a number on her organs. All of them, not just her lungs. Her swirling thoughts, jittery heartbeat and shaky legs were all warning signs.
She shouldn’t have brought him here. Her apartment was her one safe place. The spot she and Chloe could be totally themselves.
The elevator arrived, spitting out a puff of chilled air as she and Kaleb stepped through the doors. Kaleb moved to the opposite wall of the compartment, and she couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him carrying that cat’s mask. From where she was standing, she could see quite a few strands of her hair clinging to the stark black fabric of his tux. They must have got stuck in the mask when he’d pulled it off her. “I’ll have to loan you my lint roller before you leave.”
When his head tilted, she nodded at his trousers. “I evidently shed as bad as a cat does.”
Oh, Lord, she’d been trying to make a joke, but he probably thought she’d been eyeing his pants this whole time. “Not that I was staring. I mean...” Her words faded when she realized she was only making things worse.
His mouth cranked up on one side in a way that made his left eye narrow slightly, craggy lines webbing out from the corner of it. Her breathing went wonky all over again before she schooled it back to normal.
Dumb, dumb, dumb. This was one of her more stupid moves.
Thankfully the elevator decided not to prolong her misery and rolled to a halt. She was across the tiny foyer as soon as the doors opened, sliding her key into the lock of her apartment.
Once inside, she took the mask from him and waved to the front room. “Make yourself at home, and I’ll be right back.” She zoomed into the kitchen, only to stop when Jetta went tearing past her to check out the intruder.
Oh, no! Expecting to hear curses at any moment, she headed back the way she came. But when she reached the living room, she found Kaleb on his haunches, stroking long fingers over her cat’s black fur, rubbing one of his cheeks and murmuring in low tones. When she moved forward to pick the animal up, Kaleb again beat her to it, scooping up the young feline and tucking him into the crook of his arm. “I take it this is the cat in question?”
Her cat was not a fan of being sandwiched in someone’s arms, but right now he looked as if he was anything but unhappy. “Yes. His name is Jetta.”
“Jetta. It fits him.” He moved to a corner of the sofa and lowered himself into it, still stroking the cat. More shedding hair for his tux, but the man didn’t seem to mind a bit. Nor did Jetta, who was lapping up the attention. “Do you want any help? With the coffee?”
She was staring again.
“Oh. Um, no. I’ve got it.” She started back for the kitchen before turning toward her visitor. “How do you like it?”
“Hot and sweet.” That crazy tilted smile went off again. “My coffee, that is.”
Yikes. A shiver went through her.
“I understood what you meant.”
How lame could she get? Evidently very, judging from her answers so far. She picked up the pace, practically skidding around the corner into the kitchen, where she leaned against the wall and drew several deep breaths, hand over her heart.
For twenty seconds she remained that way, eyes closed, wondering what it would be like for Kaleb to undress with those strands of her hair still attached to his clothing. Oh, Lord, she’d better get that image out of her head pronto. And she was still in her cat suit. Maybe she had time to run back to her bedroom and change. While she was there, she could call out to him in a seductive voice and ask him to—
“Madeleine? Are you okay?” Fingers touched her hair and her eyelids jerked apart.
Horrified that he’d found her daydreaming about him, she rattled around for a response before she noticed he had her purse in his hands. She’d left it in the entryway.
“I’m fine. Is something wrong?” Funny she should ask that question, because something was wrong. With this whole scene. She hadn’t been affected by a man in years, and this wasn’t the time to start.
“Your phone pinged. I thought it might be something important.”
Taking the purse from him with shaking fingers, she reached in and took her phone.
Chloe wants to run home to get her doll so she can try on the clothes. We’ll swing by and grab it and then head on our way. Hope you’re having fun at the party!
Her sister was coming here. Now. Oh, no! She was bound to get the wrong idea! And worse, Maddy didn’t want Chloe seeing her in their home with a strange man.
Kaleb must have seen something in her face, because he took a step closer. “What is it?”
“My sister is coming over. She’ll be here in about ten minutes.”
His brows went up. “And you’d rather she not find me here.”
“I know it sounds weird and crazy—”
“This whole evening has been an interesting mixture of weird and crazy. But I understand, and I’ll see myself out. Just one question.” Tilted smile came back for another visit. “What exactly does a person wear under a cat costume?”
Maddy laughed. Partly at the audacity of the question and partly at the irony of her answer. Not that he would see her in her black leotard. In another life, this might have ended differently. Parts of her were warming up, and she’d love nothing better than to explore a quick no-strings dalliance with a man who was too handsome for his own good. And for hers.
“They wear a catsuit. What else?”
“What else, indeed.” He twirled a strand of her hair one last time, before leaning in and kissing her cheek. “I’ll see myself out, Madeleine Grimes. But I would like a rain check for that coffee.”
“Okay.” She waited for what seemed like forever before she heard her front door click softly shut. And then she sank to the floor a shaking mass of fear, relief...and disappointment.
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_aafce3c1-949e-5755-bf97-c393312077c6)
WHAT WAS HE doing here?
He wasn’t sure. Respiratory Therapy was two floors above where his office was located. Part of his job was in the hospital itself, but he had to be ready to leave for the luxury hotel across the street at a second’s notice. Or one of its sister hotels, which were sprinkled around the city.
The hospital had partnered with the swanky investment group, and, honestly, it suited him perfectly. He’d never liked being trapped in the sterile confines of a hospital. Too many bad memories. When his life had taken a turn for the worse, Kaleb had had to endure the pitying glances of colleagues and nursing staff until the bitter end, when his wife—also a nurse—had had an affair with another doctor. It had been the final tragic straw in a marriage that had been spiraling downhill.
So why was he walking across the floor to see a woman who had caught his attention in the strangest of ways? Maybe because he didn’t quite believe the surreal experience had actually happened. And because the image of the woman lounging around in something akin to a slinky black wet suit had haunted his dreams for the past two nights. And then her mention of a catsuit. He’d had to look up what that was. And while he was pretty sure some of the images hadn’t been what Madeleine meant by the term, he would have loved to have been there when she stripped herself down to it.
He was here to assure himself that the Madeleine he was acquainted with was indeed the cool, aloof woman he’d known before that asthma attack. And to make sure she really was okay. She’d acted shaken the whole time he’d been in her apartment, and if her sister hadn’t been on her way home, he might have insisted she get checked out.
Arriving in front of the door of her office, he hesitated, wondering if he should turn around and head back to the safety of his own corner of the hospital. But he was here now. And if he left now, the nurse he’d asked about her whereabouts was bound to ask Madeleine if he’d found her.
And then she—and the other nurse—would wonder why he’d left without seeing her. Better to just go through with it.
He knocked.
“Yes? Come in.” The soft voice from two nights ago was now infused with a crispness that Kaleb definitely recognized from other chance meetings, where she’d given him a clipped “hello” that had been anything but friendly.
Even then, though, their interactions had intrigued him. She’d been indifferent to his presence, no sign of the half invitations he’d got from a few of the other single women in the hospital. Curiosity had had him trying to break through that reserve whenever he saw her. But he’d never glimpsed the slightest chink in her armor.
Until her asthma attack.
He opened the door and stepped through it. She wasn’t with a patient. Instead she sat at a desk with two simple chairs in front of it. The work surface was surprisingly devoid of any clutter, as was the room itself, giving off an almost austere vibe. Her fingers rested on the keyboard of a laptop, and a framed picture, its back turned to him, sat on the right-hand corner.
If he were smart, he’d toss a quick question about her health and leave. But he didn’t. And the slight widening of her eyes as she looked up told him that he was the last person she’d expected to see that morning.
They were even, then. Because she’d been the last person he’d expected to see beneath that cat costume at the convention.
“Did your sister make it to your place okay the other night?”
Her eyes shifted from his before coming back again. “Oh...um, yes, thank you. I appreciated your help at the hotel.”
“Just doing my job.”
And had he just been doing his job when he’d driven her home and installed himself on her couch with her cat? Hell, no. He’d wanted to be there.
He’d wanted to stay, actually. Which was crazy.
“Of course you were. But I’m still glad you happened to be there.”
Damn. He’d sounded like an ass without meaning to. “I came by to make sure you’re okay. No lasting problems from the asthma attack?”
“None.” She smiled, and a slight warmth infused it. “I’m a pulmonologist. I’ve given myself the all clear to return to work.”
He smiled back. “Is that why you went into pulmonary medicine? Your asthma?”
“No.” She hesitated. “That was because of my younger sister. She had cystic fibrosis. She died two years ago.”
His insides tightened at the sadness in her eyes.
Kaleb wasn’t the only one who’d known loss—who’d had someone special succumb to disease. No one ever expected it to happen to them, though. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. We miss her terribly, but we were so lucky to have had her with us as long as we did. Patricia was sweet and funny, and we loved her very much.” Her hands clasped on her desk. “Roxy and I were both tested to see if we’re carriers of the disease. Thank God we’re not.”
Carriers. Pain wrenched through his gut.
At least she and Roxy had lucked out.
Maddy reached for the picture and angled it a little more toward her. A photo of her dead sister?
Trying to erase the whole subject of genetic testing from his head, he threw out the first question that came to mind. “Are your parents still living?”
She motioned to one of the chairs. “My mom is. My dad died in a tractor accident on their farm in Nebraska a few years ago.”
“I’m sorry again. Is your mom still working the farm?”
“She has people who do that for her.” She turned around and retrieved a carafe on the credenza behind her desk. “I can finally offer you that cup of coffee, if you still want one?”
If she was offering, she must not be in too much of a hurry to get rid of him. He rounded one of the chairs and settled into it, not quite sure why he was in such a hurry to stay. “Only if you’re having a cup as well.”
“I am.” Standing, she poured coffee into two plain white mugs and handed him one. “It should still be hot. As for the sweet...” She pushed a sugar bowl across the desk.
So she remembered his words. He hadn’t been himself that night. Then again, he hadn’t been in a beautiful woman’s home in quite a while either. His encounters tended to happen at hotels or at his place. The leaving was too awkward otherwise. His instinct was to make his exit as soon as the act was over. And that didn’t pose as much of a problem when it was at his apartment. Maybe because it was his territory and there was no need to try to choose a time frame. He left that up to the woman. As long as she left. So far, it hadn’t been an issue. The women he chose to spend time with were just as anxious to keep things simple and fluid. It was easier that way for both of them.
He spooned a teaspoon of sugar into his cup and stirred it, ignoring the familiar pang that occurred whenever he thought too much about the past. About his part in the failure of his marriage.
“What about you?” she asked. “Any siblings?”
“Nope. I’m an only child.” He smiled. “And my parents are both alive and live here in Seattle.” No need to tell her about Grace. Or Janice. Or the divorce. Theirs had been a fairy-tale wedding—without the fairy-tale ending.
Madeleine touched the picture frame again. Maybe it was just a nervous habit. Or a way to ease the discomfort of having him in her office.
But why would it make her uncomfortable?
She hadn’t completely gone back to the stiff demeanor she’d adopted every time he’d seen her in the past. She still seemed incredibly warm, including the deep red curls, which were now very much loose and free around her head and neck. He remembered twining one around his finger two nights ago in her kitchen, just as his eyes had dropped to her lips. Thank goodness she’d read her text or he would have kissed her right then and there. To hell with knowing who she was. She’d been affected as well. He’d seen it in the dilation of her pupils as he’d stepped closer. If not for her sister, the night might have ended very differently.
Thank goodness for small miracles. He took a bracing sip of his coffee, watching her. “Are you going to the staff meeting?”
She glanced at her watch and then blinked. “I didn’t realize it was almost that time. Yes, I’m going. They’re discussing budgets and I want to make sure my department is covered.” She took a drink of her own brew. He noticed she took it black. The coffee was dark and strong, just how he liked it.
“Mind if I go down with you? My budget doesn’t work quite the same way as the other departments, but I still like to make sure I know what’s going on.”
“That’s right. You do concierge medicine.”
Surely she already knew that. Because he sure as hell had already known what department she worked in the second that cat head had come off.
Why would he think she knew anything about him? Was it a hit to his ego that someone might not know who he was? Maybe he should find out.
“Did you know it was me in that hotel lobby, Madeleine?” He took another deep pull on his coffee.
“It’s Maddy.” Her glance flitted away, her cheeks turning pink. “And, yes, of course I recognized you.”
Maddy. It fit her. Then again, so did her full name. It was as if she had more than one personality wrapped up in that cute little body. He sat back and crossed his foot over his knee. He also liked that she wanted him to use the shortened version of her name, although he had no idea why.
And why had she blushed? Maybe she hadn’t liked being caught in a vulnerable moment, like during her asthma attack. Who could blame her? He wouldn’t have cared for being in that position either. “Does Roxy have asthma as well?”
“No. She’s as strong as an ox. Healthwise, anyway.” Madeleine said it with a twist to her mouth that made him wonder. Did she consider herself lacking in that area?
There were still things about her that intrigued him.
Just then there was some kind of commotion in the hallway. A patient emergency?
He set his coffee down and started to get up when something hit the door to Maddy’s office, causing it to shudder.
“Hey, wait! You can’t go in there.”
Kaleb was on his feet in an instant, heading to the door. Someone—a man—stood right outside, looking behind him at whoever had yelled. Kaleb flipped the lock, just as the doorknob twisted from the outside. His senses went on high alert.
“I said stop!”
“What is it?” Maddy stood, gripping the wooden surface of her desk with both hands.
“Call Security. Now.”
Her face turned white, but she picked up her cell phone and pressed the keys.
Kaleb turned back to the door, just as the man planted a hand on either side of the small rectangular window. Something glinted in one of those hands.
Things moved in slow motion. Maddy’s voice asking someone to send help. The man staring into the office. Crazed eyes zeroing in on Kaleb and then something behind him. Kaleb’s head swiveled to look and found Maddy. The phone fell from her fingers onto the desk, her face filled with fear.
And recognition.
* * *
“Oh, my God! Matthew!”
Maddy couldn’t believe what she was seeing, even as her ex-husband’s mouth tightened into a straight line.
“Open this goddamn door, Madeleine!” The rage in his voice made her take a quick step back. Her calf caught the chair behind her and she stumbled, falling into the seat.
Matthew raised his hand, pointing something—oh, God, a gun!—and then she was hit with a force that felt like a truck, knocking her sideways out of the chair. Every bit of breath left her body as she slammed to the ground. The glass in Chloe’s picture frame shattered into a thousand pieces as it landed beside her.
Pressure against her chest made it hard to breathe and impossible to move. It took her a second to realize it wasn’t from taking a hit from a bullet, but from the man who was on top of her, his body over hers as he kept her pinned down behind her desk.
Matthew was here. In the hospital. And he had a gun.
Chloe! Where was Chloe?
She struggled against Kaleb’s weight, needing to get up.
Her phone! It was about ten feet away from the desk. She scrabbled for it, trying to turn sideways so she could drag herself toward it.
“Kaleb, oh, God, please, get off me!” The need to get to her daughter and make sure her ex-husband hadn’t somehow found her gave her almost superhuman strength.
“Wait. Just wait.” He pinned her wrists and held her down, even as she wrenched against him with all her strength.
A loud bang sounded and the glass in her office door sprayed everywhere, stinging her cheek, the noise a thousand times louder than the glass in the picture frame had been.
The muted shouts she’d heard earlier amplified, becoming horrifyingly real.
Matthew was trying to get into her office. Screaming obscenities, demanding she open the door.
A second or two later, a sharp report reverberated the air around her, the echo seeming to go on forever.
Kaleb stiffened.
Had he been hit?
Then it stopped. All of it. Matthew’s voice was silent, although she heard screaming and crying in the distance. She lay there, still struggling to breathe, a familiar band tightening across her lungs. She tried to say something to Kaleb, to ask him if he was okay, but the words came out as a strangled cough.
She tried again. Another hoarse cough.
Not now. Oh, please, not now.
Kaleb lifted off her—very much alive—but she was too involved in her current struggle to breathe to let him know how glad she was.
“Stay here.”
No. She had to get to Chloe. As Kaleb went to the door, she crawled toward her phone, sucking down what little air she could as she went.
She turned the phone over. Broken. The cracked screen was dark and empty. Panicked tears formed, and she tried to get up, but she still couldn’t catch her breath.
Then Kaleb was back beside her. “Where’s your inhaler?”
She pointed at the bottom drawer of her desk. She couldn’t do this. Not now, when Matthew could be anywhere. She had to get to Chloe.
“Don’t move.” Keeping his eyes on her, Kaleb found her canister and handed it to her. She pumped the medicine into her mouth, pulling it into her aching lungs.
It took a few seconds for the bronchodilator to work its magic.
“Where...where is he? Is—is he gone?”
Oh, God, even now he could be heading to her daughter’s preschool. That gun—
Another knock at the door had Maddy tensing all over again.
“Dr. McBride? Are you and Dr. Grimes okay?”
Kaleb unlocked the door, letting the hospital security guard in. “We’re fine.” He glanced outside. “Oh, hell.”
Maddy forced her feet underneath her, but Kaleb held up a hand.
“Don’t come over here. Not yet.”
The guard glanced her way. “We have the hospital on lockdown, and the police are en route. Do you know the man who did this?”
“Yes. Is he still here?” Something about the look on his face...
An eerie premonition set in. She didn’t want to look. Didn’t want to go over there, but of course she had to. Had to see what had happened.
In the background, Maddy heard sirens. Glass crunched under her feet as she made her way toward the door. The window still held jagged fragments of glass, and blood stained the bottom section. There was more blood along the door as if Matthew had reached through and tried to find the lock.
Maddy shuddered.
With a swallow, she started for the hallway, feeling Kaleb’s hand on her shoulder as she came even with him. He gave a slight squeeze, stopping her from going any farther. It was then that she saw why.
Matthew lay sprawled on the ground, eyes staring upward at the ceiling. Only he wasn’t staring. The gaze was unfocused. Unknowing. A gun was clutched in his hand. A few medical staff were gathered around him, but they weren’t trying to resuscitate him or administer aid.
Because he was dead.
Bile rose to her throat. Even though it was useless, Maddy fell to her knees beside him. Forced herself to reach for his neck to see if there was a pulse, but there was too much blood and her fingers slipped off. The hole in his left temple told her all she needed to know.
Kaleb helped her to her feet. “He’s gone.”
The security guard repeated his question. “Do you know him?”
“He...he’s my husband.”
Kaleb visibly stiffened, and she realized what she’d said. “My ex-husband. He...he...” She stopped and tried to collect her thoughts. “He was in Nebraska. He wasn’t supposed to find out where I was.”
She glanced up at the guard. “Did anyone else get hurt?”
“No.” The older man looked as pale as she felt. “He shot himself just as I drew my weapon. I would have shot him. I had no choice.”
She took a step toward him, shock still muddying her thoughts. “It’s okay. I’m glad he didn’t hurt anyone else.”
Kaleb handed her a paper towel, and she wiped the blood from her hands. Her cheek still stung, but not as much as her heart.
Chloe’s father was dead. She still couldn’t believe what he’d done. He’d hurt her in the past, but he’d never pulled a knife or a gun. He’d always claimed to hate her—to be glad she and Chloe were out of his life. And yet here he was. Dead. A gun on the floor beside him.
The police appeared seconds later, saying something to the security guard. One of the officers shot her a look and came over. “This man is your ex-husband? Any chance he had someone else with him?”
Maddy shook her head. “I don’t think so. But I don’t know for sure.”
The man gave orders to the rest of the officers and they headed off in different directions. Two of the nurses standing to the side were holding each other, eyes red. One of them had a phone to her ear.
A phone!
“I have to call someone.” The words came out of her throat in a shrill rush.
“Who?” The officer, a big burly guy, narrowed his eyes at her.
Possibilities rolled through her head. She could call the school. No, she didn’t want to scare Chloe. Roxy. She should call her sister. Maddy was pretty sure the police were not going to let her or anyone else out of the hospital until they fully understood what had happened.
“My sister.”
He gave a curt nod. “I’ll be back to ask you some questions in a few minutes.”
Kaleb handed her his phone. Her fingers shook as she tried to remember her sister’s phone number. Everything was programmed into her cell phone, so she didn’t have to dial it under normal circumstances. She finally pulled a string of digits together, and hoping they were the right ones, she pressed the call button.
Pictures were being taken of her ex-husband’s body, although it seemed horrible for him to be immortalized that way. The sourness in her throat rose even higher.
Three rings and her sister answered. “Hello?”
“Roxy, it’s Maddy.”
“Hey, hon, what’s up?”
“Matthew was here.”
“What? Where?”
“At the hospital. He had a gun.” A wobble in her voice made her pause. “He’s dead. He killed himself.”
“Oh, God. Chloe?”
“I don’t know. They won’t let me leave.”
“I’m on my way to the school. I’m sure she’s fine. He wouldn’t know where to find her.”
Maddy closed her eyes, whispering, “I didn’t think he could find me either.”
“She’s okay. Someone would have called by now, otherwise. I’ll let you know as soon as I get there and see her with my own two eyes.”
“Thank you.”
She ended the call and glanced up to find Kaleb leaning against the wall, watching her. Was there suspicion in his eyes?
That was crazy. This was all Matthew’s doing.
Sarah, one of the nurses, came over and touched her arm. “Are you okay, Maddy?”
Okay? No, she was far from okay, although she nodded, wrapping her arms around her middle. “I’m so sorry for all of this.”
“It’s not your fault.”
Wasn’t it? Knowing this man had put all of their lives in danger.
Matthew. Who was now dead. Why? Why? He’d left her alone for over a year. Not a phone call. Not a letter in all that time. And suddenly he was here. With a gun. To what? Kill her? Kill Chloe?
Renewed panic filled her system. “I have to go.”
“We’re on lockdown, Maddy,” Kaleb reminded her. “They’re not letting anyone in or out of the hospital.”
Someone arrived with a long black bag, and two men lifted her ex-husband and laid him inside, zipping it closed.
A sob rose in her throat.
Taking hold of her arm, Kaleb eased her away from Sarah and everyone else, guiding her back into her office. His big body seemed to fill the space. She took a quick step back.
Kaleb frowned. “It’s okay.”
Okay? Why did everyone keep using that word? Right now she wasn’t sure anything would be okay ever again. She’d thought she’d got over her fear. Thought maybe she could finally have a normal life. Had even thought that she and Kaleb might be able to...
No. She did not need to get involved with a man.
Especially not after what had just happened. Right now all she needed was to know that her daughter was safe.
“I have to go.” She repeated the words, knowing she probably sounded foolish. But she couldn’t help it.
“You told the officer your ex was acting alone. Are you sure of that? Could he be part of some organization?”
Organization? It took her a minute to realize what that meant.
“He’s not a terrorist. He’s just a boy from a hick town who...” Her voice caught. When she tried to force out the rest of the sentence, it caught again.
Then Kaleb’s arms came around her, pressing her head into his shoulder as a second sob hit her throat. Then a third. And a fourth. She couldn’t believe any of this was happening. A man she’d once loved was dead. A man she’d slept with. Laughed with. Had a baby with.
A man who’d turned cruel beyond belief as time had gone on.
She had to call her mom and tell her before she heard it from somewhere else.
But first she had to get ahold of herself. She curled her hands into the soft fabric of Kaleb’s shirt, the comforting scent of his body washing over her. His fingers cupped the back of her head, moving in small soothing brushes that did what her mind couldn’t seem to do: returned her to the here and now. Edging back slightly, she tilted her head to look up at him. “I was so scared.”
He pressed his forehead to hers. “It’s okay. You’re allowed to be.”
Wet spots on the crisp blue of his shirt, along with twin black smudges from her mascara, made her eyes prickle all over again. She brushed at the moisture with one hand. “Your shirt. I’ll pay to have it cleaned.”
“It’s nothing. It’ll wash right out.”
Random thoughts spiraled through her head.
How did he know it would wash out? Had he held crying women often?
Or had he made them cry? Like her ex.
No. She might not know Kaleb very well, but he was nothing like Matthew. She would have heard something from Sarah or the other nurses. Hospital grapevines let nothing go by unnoticed.
Why hadn’t she heard back from Roxy yet? It had been fifteen minutes at least.
Matthew had hated Chloe. He’d had a jealous streak, even before they’d got married. Back then it had seemed innocent enough. But it had only got worse with time. Until it had no longer been amusing or flattering...but dangerous. And it had finally extended to the child she’d carried. That had been the last straw. She’d divorced him, but trying to live in the same town with his threats and middle-of-the-night phone calls had finally got to be too much. She’d filed for—and been granted—a restraining order. And then when Chloe had turned three, Maddy had decided to leave Gamble Point and move, giving in to Roxy’s pleas to get away from him once and for all.
Only it didn’t look as if that had worked.
She realized she was still standing far too close to Kaleb. She stepped to the side. “I had no idea he was capable...I’m sorry you got caught in the middle of this.”
What if Matthew had started shooting up the place? Kaleb, as well as others, could have been injured. Or killed. She shuddered again.
Instead, Matthew had taken his own life.
He shook his head. “I’m glad I was here.” His throat moved for a second. “It could have been much worse.”
Exactly what she’d been thinking.
His phone chirped, and her heart leaped to her throat as she watched him press the button.
“Yes, she’s right here.” He handed her the phone. “It’s your sister.”
“Roxy?”
“It’s okay. Chloe’s with me. She’s safe. He didn’t come here.”
“Thank God. Have you talked to Mom?” She closed her eyes, fingers tight on the phone. “I was so afraid he might...”
“I called her as soon as I got Chloe. She’s in shock. But she’s not hurt. We’re headed to your place now.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
There was a pause, and then her sister’s voice came back through. “How about you? Are you okay?”
Maddy glanced at Kaleb. “I’m shaken up, but I’m not hurt.”
“I still can’t believe it.”
“Me either.” In fact, it was hard to wrap her mind around what she’d seen today.
“Don’t worry about Chloe. I won’t let her out of my sight. See you when you get to the house, okay? Love you.”
“Love you too.”
She handed the phone back to Kaleb just as the police motioned for them to join them. It seemed as if questions were thrown at her for hours, but it couldn’t have been that long. At some point, Kaleb swabbed the cut on her cheek and pressed an adhesive bandage over it. Eventually, the lockdown was called off, glass was swept up, the floor was mopped clean, and patients were allowed back into the unit.
Through it all, a steady stream of staff members came over to hug her or offer kind words, including the hospital administrator, who was making the rounds and letting everyone know that a counselor would be made available to anyone who felt they needed it.
The same officer who’d let her make her phone call came over to say goodbye. “We’ll call you if we have more questions. And we’ll need you to come down in the next day or two and sign a statement.”
“I understand.”
The man paused, then looked her in the eye. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
The words were meant to be kind, but with them came a sense of relief. Because although she was sorry that Matthew had killed himself, she wasn’t sorry that the threat of what he might do was gone. He would never be able to reach out and hurt his daughter. She was glad that he’d aimed his fury at her and no one else.
Still, she thanked the officer and asked him to call her when they were ready for her to sign that statement. Then he strode toward the elevator.
Tomorrow there would still be talk, and maybe for a few weeks after that, but the horror of today would hopefully fade. Maybe once the glass in her office door was replaced.
But would her guilt? None of this would have happened if she had followed her head rather than her heart all those years ago. Her hands clenched at her sides.
“Don’t.” Kaleb’s voice came to her, reminding her he was still there. Still beside her.
She looked at him. “Don’t what?”
“Blame yourself for this. I can see the wheels turning.” He touched one of her hands.
She sucked down a deep breath, forcing her fingers to relax. “He was my ex-husband.”
“Did you tell him to come here and do what he did?”
“No, but—”
“No buts. This was all on him.” He gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “Seriously, are you okay?”
She shook her head. “No. But I will be. I have to be.”
“Do you want me to drive you home?”
“No. I have my car.”
His glance brushed over her face. “You’re sure?”
“I am. Thank you again.” She hesitated. “If you hadn’t locked that door when you had...”
She could be dead. Matthew hadn’t come to the hospital just to talk to her. Not with a gun. If Kaleb hadn’t secured the door, he could have charged right into the room and shot her. And then what would have happened to Chloe?
“It worked out.” He followed her into her office and glanced at the items that had fallen onto the floor when he’d sailed across her desk to get to her. “I’m sorry about your phone and laptop.” The screen had detached from the keyboard and was lying next to the wall. He picked up the pieces and put them on the desk, along with her ruined cell phone.
“It’s nothing.” And really it wasn’t, compared to everything that could have happened.
Then she picked up the framed picture of Chloe. Just a little while ago she’d been trying to hide it from Kaleb for reasons that weren’t entirely clear to her. Even when she was on the phone with Roxy, she hadn’t mentioned Chloe’s name. Why? Was she trying to protect her daughter? Or herself in the face of a handsome man?
Kaleb nodded at the frame, a frown between his brows. “Your sister?”
Sister? Oh, Patricia.
It would be so easy to say yes, that it was a picture of her late sister as a child. But she wouldn’t. Because none of it mattered anymore.
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