they had so far into severe jeopardy.
“Guess I don’t know anything at all about it,” he finally said.
Yeah, he did, but she’d let him have the lie if it made him feel better. This was something she wasn’t up to exploring right now. Not when her brain felt like warm Swiss cheese.
“Didn’t think so.”
Turning away from him, she started to get out.
He had a feeling if he let her out of the car on her own, she was going to fall flat on her face. Stifling a sigh, Hawk opened the door on his side, got out and rounded the hood. By the time she’d swung out her legs, he was there, waiting to take her arm.
“I’m not an invalid, Hawk.”
If she meant to make him back away, she was going to have to do better than that. He held on to her arm, choreographing her steps to the house. “You pushed me out of the way and got shot yourself, then refused to stay overnight in the hospital, signing out against the doctor’s orders. I think the I word we’re looking for here is idiot , not invalid .”
She was beginning to get a handle on him. He became gruffer whenever he did a good deed and seemed to be approaching decent human behavior. She held on to him a little more than she was happy about, trying to placate her self-disgust by reminding herself that she was still pumped full of medication, even if she didn’t feel it in a good way anymore.
“Good thing you didn’t become a doctor. Your bedside manner is really lousy.”
He brought her to the door, trusting that she would rather go inside on her own power. Besides, he had no desire to run into any of the other Cavanaughs and be detained for questioning. Relating what happened was up to her. He disengaged himself from her. “Then I’d better get going.”
But as he turned to walk away, she called after him. “Hawk?”
“What?” Impatience hummed around the single word.
“Thanks again.”
He paused, then nodded. If not for her quick action, their positions might have been reversed right now. He wasn’t about to forget that soon. “Yeah, me, too.”
Turning away, Teri smiled as she let herself into the house. With an annoyingly wobbly, uncertain gait, she headed straight for the stairs and to her room. Any excess strength she had faded the moment she saw her bed. Falling onto it, she was out within three minutes.
It didn’t even occur to her until later that day that she hadn’t seen her father’s white car parked in the driveway.
The last person he expected to see walking into the office the following morning came breezing in a few minutes before nine. Hawk put down the statements he’d taken from the victim late yesterday afternoon.Frowning, he was on his feet in less time than it took her to cross the threshold.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Ah, she thought, the dulcet sounds of harmonious camaraderie.
“I work here, remember?” Teri looked to the far end where her desk was butted up against his. “Or did you give my desk away already?”
Why did he expect normal behavior from someone who wasn’t normal? “You were shot. You’re supposed to take a few days off to rest.”
Masking the toll the effort took, she moved past Hawk at a good clip. Her side was hurting today worse than it had yesterday, but she needed to get her mind off the pain and do something other than watch television. Tomorrow, she promised herself, would be better. All she had to do was get past today.
“It’s a cinch you’ve never been to my house. You can’t rest when you have a fifty-five-year-old man fussing over you.” Reaching her desk, she deliberately didn’t sink down in her chair. She refused to display any signs of weakness in front of Hawk. He’d only use it against her. “This morning, he was coming up with alternate law enforcement careers that would keep me behind a desk.”
“What were they?”
He sounded far too interested and she knew he wasn’t thinking of himself. She waved away his question. “Never mind. I love
“Guess I don’t know anything at all about it,” he finally said.
Yeah, he did, but she’d let him have the lie if it made him feel better. This was something she wasn’t up to exploring right now. Not when her brain felt like warm Swiss cheese.
“Didn’t think so.”
Turning away from him, she started to get out.
He had a feeling if he let her out of the car on her own, she was going to fall flat on her face. Stifling a sigh, Hawk opened the door on his side, got out and rounded the hood. By the time she’d swung out her legs, he was there, waiting to take her arm.
“I’m not an invalid, Hawk.”
If she meant to make him back away, she was going to have to do better than that. He held on to her arm, choreographing her steps to the house. “You pushed me out of the way and got shot yourself, then refused to stay overnight in the hospital, signing out against the doctor’s orders. I think the I word we’re looking for here is idiot , not invalid .”
She was beginning to get a handle on him. He became gruffer whenever he did a good deed and seemed to be approaching decent human behavior. She held on to him a little more than she was happy about, trying to placate her self-disgust by reminding herself that she was still pumped full of medication, even if she didn’t feel it in a good way anymore.
“Good thing you didn’t become a doctor. Your bedside manner is really lousy.”
He brought her to the door, trusting that she would rather go inside on her own power. Besides, he had no desire to run into any of the other Cavanaughs and be detained for questioning. Relating what happened was up to her. He disengaged himself from her. “Then I’d better get going.”
But as he turned to walk away, she called after him. “Hawk?”
“What?” Impatience hummed around the single word.
“Thanks again.”
He paused, then nodded. If not for her quick action, their positions might have been reversed right now. He wasn’t about to forget that soon. “Yeah, me, too.”
Turning away, Teri smiled as she let herself into the house. With an annoyingly wobbly, uncertain gait, she headed straight for the stairs and to her room. Any excess strength she had faded the moment she saw her bed. Falling onto it, she was out within three minutes.
It didn’t even occur to her until later that day that she hadn’t seen her father’s white car parked in the driveway.
The last person he expected to see walking into the office the following morning came breezing in a few minutes before nine. Hawk put down the statements he’d taken from the victim late yesterday afternoon.Frowning, he was on his feet in less time than it took her to cross the threshold.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Ah, she thought, the dulcet sounds of harmonious camaraderie.
“I work here, remember?” Teri looked to the far end where her desk was butted up against his. “Or did you give my desk away already?”
Why did he expect normal behavior from someone who wasn’t normal? “You were shot. You’re supposed to take a few days off to rest.”
Masking the toll the effort took, she moved past Hawk at a good clip. Her side was hurting today worse than it had yesterday, but she needed to get her mind off the pain and do something other than watch television. Tomorrow, she promised herself, would be better. All she had to do was get past today.
“It’s a cinch you’ve never been to my house. You can’t rest when you have a fifty-five-year-old man fussing over you.” Reaching her desk, she deliberately didn’t sink down in her chair. She refused to display any signs of weakness in front of Hawk. He’d only use it against her. “This morning, he was coming up with alternate law enforcement careers that would keep me behind a desk.”
“What were they?”
He sounded far too interested and she knew he wasn’t thinking of himself. She waved away his question. “Never mind. I love
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