want him thinking that he’d been harnessed with an idiot, there only because of her connections.
“Barker said the MO was like the home invasion you were already working on. No sign of a break-in, family bound in duct tape and held prisoner while two men dressed in black, wearing ski masks, systematically robbed the place. And when they were finished, they chloroformed the people so that they would be long gone before either of the victims could get loose and call the police.”
Accelerating to pass a truck and take the off-ramp, Sam nodded. “Does sound like the other home invasion,” he observed.
The bit about the chloroform had been left out of thedescription they had released to the public. That was inside information only the victims and the thieves knew about.
“How far along are you on that case?” she asked.
He’d reached a dead end, which was why the lieutenant had assigned him to the case he’d just taken back today. “Would you like that in inches or centimeters?”
“That far, huh?”
Frustrated, he said, “Yeah, but now that you’re here, we’ll just whip right through the case and find the bad guys.”
She silently counted to ten then said in a calm, neutral voice, “I don’t think that sarcasm is the best way to go if you want my help.”
Taking the off-ramp, Wyatt followed the winding path and found himself stuck at a red light. “You won’t help me work the home invasion cases if your feelings are hurt?”
“I was talking about you needing my help with Lisa after we’re off the clock.”
He’d actually forgotten this newest development in his life for a second.
“Oh, right.” He blew out a breath. “McIntyre, if I can’t remember from one minute to the next that I’m supposed to be a father, how am I going to be one 24/7?”
She put herself in his place. This must have knocked him for a loop.
“First of all, you’re new at it. Give yourself time to get used to the situation. Second, you’re not ‘supposed to be’ a father. You are a father whether you like it or not. Your little ‘play’ time created a human being. Since you were the guy involved, that makes you the father.The sooner you get used to it, Wyatt, the faster things’ll start falling into place for you.”
“What if I don’t?” he asked.
He’d lost her. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t get used to it?” He paused for a second, then said what was really on his mind. “What if I don’t want to be the dad?”
She tried to shift her body toward him but the seat belt held her tightly in place. “Are you talking about walking away?”
“I can do that?” he asked. Then, before she could form an answer that didn’t have a slew of less-than-flattering names attached to it, Wyatt shot down his own question with a resigned sigh. “I can’t do that. It’s not her fault that she’s here.”
“I’d take the word ‘fault’ out of the conversation if I were you,” she strongly advised. “Using it might undermine Lisa’s worth in her own eyes if she happens to overhear you. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t go there at all.”
“There?” he echoed, puzzled.
“The past,” she explained. “How Lisa came to be, all that stuff. Get a paternity test if you want to. Then, if she turns out to be yours, accept the fact and go from there.”
He didn’t need a paternity test. As he’d told McIntyre earlier, there was no reason for Andrea to lie and the little girl’s age gibed with when they were together. Lisa was his. He glanced at his partner. “You charge by the hour for this golden advice?”
He hid vulnerability behind sarcasm. She could identify with that. Her answer was as flippant as his question. “Since you’re my partner, the first hundred hours are free.”
Sam didn’t completely suppress his groan as he contemplated hearing McIntyre’s voice go on and on for the next one hundred hours. “I’d better start keeping track then.”
The corners of her mouth curved.
“Barker said the MO was like the home invasion you were already working on. No sign of a break-in, family bound in duct tape and held prisoner while two men dressed in black, wearing ski masks, systematically robbed the place. And when they were finished, they chloroformed the people so that they would be long gone before either of the victims could get loose and call the police.”
Accelerating to pass a truck and take the off-ramp, Sam nodded. “Does sound like the other home invasion,” he observed.
The bit about the chloroform had been left out of thedescription they had released to the public. That was inside information only the victims and the thieves knew about.
“How far along are you on that case?” she asked.
He’d reached a dead end, which was why the lieutenant had assigned him to the case he’d just taken back today. “Would you like that in inches or centimeters?”
“That far, huh?”
Frustrated, he said, “Yeah, but now that you’re here, we’ll just whip right through the case and find the bad guys.”
She silently counted to ten then said in a calm, neutral voice, “I don’t think that sarcasm is the best way to go if you want my help.”
Taking the off-ramp, Wyatt followed the winding path and found himself stuck at a red light. “You won’t help me work the home invasion cases if your feelings are hurt?”
“I was talking about you needing my help with Lisa after we’re off the clock.”
He’d actually forgotten this newest development in his life for a second.
“Oh, right.” He blew out a breath. “McIntyre, if I can’t remember from one minute to the next that I’m supposed to be a father, how am I going to be one 24/7?”
She put herself in his place. This must have knocked him for a loop.
“First of all, you’re new at it. Give yourself time to get used to the situation. Second, you’re not ‘supposed to be’ a father. You are a father whether you like it or not. Your little ‘play’ time created a human being. Since you were the guy involved, that makes you the father.The sooner you get used to it, Wyatt, the faster things’ll start falling into place for you.”
“What if I don’t?” he asked.
He’d lost her. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t get used to it?” He paused for a second, then said what was really on his mind. “What if I don’t want to be the dad?”
She tried to shift her body toward him but the seat belt held her tightly in place. “Are you talking about walking away?”
“I can do that?” he asked. Then, before she could form an answer that didn’t have a slew of less-than-flattering names attached to it, Wyatt shot down his own question with a resigned sigh. “I can’t do that. It’s not her fault that she’s here.”
“I’d take the word ‘fault’ out of the conversation if I were you,” she strongly advised. “Using it might undermine Lisa’s worth in her own eyes if she happens to overhear you. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t go there at all.”
“There?” he echoed, puzzled.
“The past,” she explained. “How Lisa came to be, all that stuff. Get a paternity test if you want to. Then, if she turns out to be yours, accept the fact and go from there.”
He didn’t need a paternity test. As he’d told McIntyre earlier, there was no reason for Andrea to lie and the little girl’s age gibed with when they were together. Lisa was his. He glanced at his partner. “You charge by the hour for this golden advice?”
He hid vulnerability behind sarcasm. She could identify with that. Her answer was as flippant as his question. “Since you’re my partner, the first hundred hours are free.”
Sam didn’t completely suppress his groan as he contemplated hearing McIntyre’s voice go on and on for the next one hundred hours. “I’d better start keeping track then.”
The corners of her mouth curved.
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