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.“I’ve got to go see her.She’s all I’ve got, Miller.I’m so sorry.” Cambrie grabbed her purse and bolted for the door with Miller on her heels.“I know you came all this way and—”He cut her off on the porch when she locked her door.“And we can pick up where we left off once we know that Aunt Annabelle is okay.Let’s walk and talk, darling.The sooner we get you to her, the sooner we can get that horrified look out of your eyes.I don’t like seeing you upset.” His fingers latched onto her elbow and hurried with her to the driveway.“Pity the person who ever intentionally hurts you, baby.”“Why’s that?” she asked, appreciating his protectiveness.“You don’t want to know.” He piled into the passenger seat.But his large frame didn’t fit well in her small, practical car.“Sorry the car’s small,” she said, her fingers shaking as she inserted the key into the ignition.“Not to worry.Being six five makes most things small for me.Now drive.”Chapter SevenSilence filled the car while Cambrie drew slow breaths to calm her nerves.Being wound up from Miller’s kiss was one thing.Add her worry about Aunt Annabelle to that, and she might be a candidate for a heart attack.“Tell me about Aunt Annabelle.” Miller’s soft command was welcomed as she merged through traffic.“She’s the only family I have left.She raised me since I was a little girl.”“What happened to your parents?”She swallowed hard, harsh memories working their way back into her mind after years of being buried.She just couldn’t allow them to resurface.“I’d rather not talk about it.I’m sorry.Please don’t be mad.Just some things are better left in the past.”Miller stared straight ahead.“Agreed.So why is Aunt Annabelle in a nursing home?”Phew.He hadn’t been offended that she brushed off his question.She liked how easy he was to talk with.“Um.Well, she’s been there since she had a heart attack.Then they found breast cancer, but they caught it in time thanks to the heart attack.”“Lucky.If you can be at all with either illness.”“That’s how I looked at it.Oh, I hope she’s all right.It’s just ahead.”“You’re very close to her, aren’t you?” Miller asked, his voice soft, soothing.Cambrie pulled into a parking spot.“Yes.”“And what do you feel right now?”“Scared shitless.”Offering her a smile when she glanced at him, he spoke with assurance.“Well, besides that.Your gut.Trust it.”She jumped from the car and they rushed toward the building.She looked at him.“I feel like she’s fine.”Miller held the door open.“Then I bet she is.”And he was right.Aunt Annabelle was giving the home’s staff hell when Cambrie bolted into her room.“Oh, thank God, Cambrie, you came,” Aunt Annabelle screeched, holding her arms up and sitting forward in her bed.Cambrie rushed over to the bed and accepted the hug.“What happened? You scared me half to death.”“All I wanted was to go down to the lounge, and they said no.They just want to keep me locked up in here like a prisoner.”Cambrie straightened and faced the nurse who spoke with her hands on her hips.“Now, Miss Annabelle, you know that is the furthest from the truth.Really.I can’t believe you, of all people, fibbing like that.”Aunt Annabelle’s cheeks reddened and she pursed her lips shut, refusing to look at the nurse.Cambrie bit back a laugh.Aunt Annabelle would be just fine if she still had attitude swirling within her.“Miss Cambrie,” the nurse said, “we just needed her to wait until after meal time.Then we would dispense meds and we could’ve had her go down to the lounge.It’s the same routine every night.But, oh no.This woman needed to have her own way.She’s awfully lucky to only have a bruise on that stubborn butt of hers.Hmmpff.”When the nurse stalked out of the room, Aunt Annabelle’s mouth dropped.“Well, I say.I’ve never been spoken to like that.How dare she? I’ll see that she’s fired right away.And you, Cambrie, didn’t stand up for me one bit.”Cambrie sat on the edge of the bed and straightened the sheets.“Now that’s not true and you know it.And you’ll not be getting Nella fired.You know she’s been real good to you here.You were wrong to get out of bed by yourself.You’ve been warned so many times.”Aunt Annabelle shook her head, the perfectly styled short gray and white hair didn’t move.“Well, I’m sorry if being cooped up in here all day makes me lose my manners.Any sane person would go nuts here.” She looked past Cambrie’s shoulder.“Who is that handsome young man?” Her tone had changed from bitchy to curious.Cambrie’s eyes widened and she jumped up, having totally forgotten Miller had accompanied her to the nursing home.This wasn’t exactly how she wanted him to meet her aunt.“Oh, I’m sorry.Forgive my manners.Aunt Annabelle, this is Lt.Miller Daly.He’s the pen pal I told you about that I’m working with to win a grant for the library.” And keep my job.Miller stepped into the room, instantly stealing all free space with his width and height.Taking his place beside Cambrie, he stood like a majestic statue.“Pleasure really is all mine, Aunt Annabelle.And I must say that you have a lovely niece.” He glanced at Cambrie before turning back to the older woman.“It’s obvious where she gets not only her looks but her smarts as well.I don’t blame you for standing up for yourself in here.”Cambrie wanted to slug him.He didn’t know that he was encouraging a monster when Auntie set herself to doing something.Aunt Annabelle sat straighter in the bed and primped her hair, an automatic gesture Cambrie had witnessed from her any time she received a compliment.“Thank you, Mr.Daly.It’s nice to see Cambrie associating with such a fine gentleman.”“Thank you, ma’am.And please just call me Miller.” When he took Aunt Annabelle’s hand and kissed the knuckles, well, Cambrie thought she’d seen it all.With a few words and proper attention, Miller had calmed Aunt Annabelle’s temper and won her over.The old woman beamed and appeared twenty years younger now that her scowl had disappeared.Aunt Annabelle grabbed his arm and studied his tattoo on his upper arm.It peaked out just enough from under his sleeve for the edge to be viewed.“Who is this woman?”Cambrie noticed the tattoo for the first time.It had been too hard to see on the picture he had sent.And she had been too busy being stunned at his arrival earlier to even notice.Her heart sank.Did he love the woman?Miller looked at the tattoo and at Cambrie.“It’s your niece I believe.”Cambrie gasped.“That can’t be true,” she said through gritted teeth.“You had that tattoo in the picture you sent.The picture was a year old.Way before I ever emailed you.”He faced her.“Yes, I know.I’ll explain when we have time [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]