her, wet fur and all.
“They both are good dogs.” Officer Mike Georges stood next to him, his Belgian Malinois, Rocky, under a space blanket. Mike had been first on the scene and Rocky had dived for the woman with no luck. It was common knowledge that Greta was their best water dog, but Rocky was well trained, too, as were the several Belgian Malinois on the K9 team. Still, Nash couldn’t help the surge of pride at Greta’s job well-done.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get out here sooner.” Nash knew that it didn’t matter—they’d all been too late to save the woman. Still, he’d had an option and he’d chosen to rescue Patience from the intruder over heading for the lake. He’d do it again, even if dispatch hadn’t agreed.
“We both know it wouldn’t have made a difference, unfortunately. And we were here at least five minutes ahead of you, with no luck.” Mike’s face was grim, softening only when he looked at his K9. “Is Dr. Colton okay?”
“Yeah. She was armed for bear and ready to take out the jerk.”
Mike nodded. “She was a great study when we did our training last time. And her shot is perfect—as good as any officer’s.”
“I know.” And he did. Nash knew a lot about Patience Colton that would cause Mike to raise his bushy eyebrows. More than he should, in fact, for a woman he’d known only one night, no matter how incredible. He couldn’t help noticing her whenever she was in the vicinity, or listening extra carefully when one of the other police officers mentioned her name in passing.
“I’m going back to check on her. She can give Greta a quick look over, too.” He knew Greta was okay; the dog was bred for cold water activity. Newfoundlands excelled at pulling half-ton nets full of fish, as well as soaked men, aboard ships in the northern Atlantic. A quick dip into the bone-chilling lake in the middle of autumn was all in a day’s work for Greta. In fact, judging from the dog’s smile as she panted, she wouldn’t hesitate to jump back into the water. It was in her DNA.
Still, Patience insisted on looking over all the K9s after they’d performed any particularly demanding task, or had worked for an extended length of time. Another reason she was so respected by the RRPD. Dr. Patience Colton cared for her charges.
“You look like you need a rest, too, Nash.”
“I’m good.” He’d be better once he was with Patience again, saw that she was doing all right. She’d set off his internal warning radar as quick as any one of the kids. More so, in some respects.
“Okay, then, I’ll see you in there in a bit. Rocky’s going to do a sniff check around the clinic and then we’ll go see if we can figure out what direction our man in question headed. I’ll take Rocky into the clinic for his check after that.”
“Juliette and Sasha will be in on that, won’t they?” RRPD Officer Juliette Walsh was dating Patience’s brother, Blake, and was the K9 partner to their strongest sniffer, a beagle named Sasha.
“For sure, but we can help, too.” Mike nodded at the streaks in the eastern sky that heralded sunrise. “We may as well finish out the morning. See you back at the station.” They’d reached shore and Nash was relieved to see at least six patrol cars, lights blazing, parked alongside the clinic. He knew Patience was safe, but he still felt the tight band around his chest loosen as he drew closer. As if he was the one person who could keep her safe.
It was purely his concern for a colleague. And okay, he felt a sense of responsibility because they’d had that night together. Which underscored why he wasn’t in a place to get involved with anyone. If he was this connected to Patience after only one night of sex, along with working together, he’d be doomed if he seriously dated anyone.
Patience isn’t just anyone.
He shrugged off his annoying conscience and nodded at the RRPD officer guarding the clinic entrance, who let him pass.
Greta followed alongside him, down the long corridor to Patience’s office. But they didn’t have to go that far; he saw her in the kennel, through the portion of the glass wall that was still intact. She was talking to another officer, but when she saw Nash her expression softened and she gave him a half smile. Before he could acknowledge her silent greeting, however, the smile faded and creases appeared on her forehead. He remembered them in a different context, when she’d broken apart in his arms, her orgasm shaking both of them. But she wasn’t in his arms now, and this expression wasn’t that of a woman in the throes of passion. Patience looked worried. As if something about him made her anxious.
Patience stopped Maria midsentence.
“I’m sorry, but will you please excuse me? I’ve got to examine Greta.”
She walked up to Nash and Greta, waiting in the main corridor.
“Nash, wait.”
He turned around and she couldn’t read his expression.
“I—I should take a look at Greta. Please bring her into the exam room.”
She didn’t wait for him to answer, but shoved open the door to the large space. Within seconds she’d lowered the stainless steel table in the middle, and Nash led Greta to stand on it. He held her by the harness while Patience grasped the dog’s collar, then used the foot pedal to raise the examination table. Nash removed Greta’s harness and stepped back to allow Patience the space to care for the dog.
“She’s fine. Just wet,” he stated.
Nash’s bond with Greta gave Patience the first sense of normalcy since she’d seen the woman’s lifeless body slip into the lake. She mentally shook the image away.
“How long was Greta in the water?”
“Not more than twenty minutes tops. She dived four, five times before she found the victim.”
“It was a woman.” Patience wasn’t asking. She knew what she’d seen.
“Yes. And she was deceased. They tried to revive her, but...” He grew quiet. Hypothermia and longevity in cold water weren’t something he had to explain.
“But they couldn’t. To be honest, I thought she was dead as he held her. Nothing I can prove, of course, but that’s what my gut told me.”
“Gut instinct is there for a reason.” Their gazes met and it was as if Nash tried to communicate something else. Did he regret they’d only had one night together, too? Patience broke the eye contact and turned back to her examination.
“You did good work, Greta.” She spoke softly to the canine, pausing to shoot him a quick glance. “Has she shown any signs of distress?”
Patience felt along Greta’s abdomen, her flank. As she pressed her stethoscope to the dog’s rib cage, she was acutely aware of Nash being so near.
“No, she’s good. Another day of work for a Newfie, right, Greta?” He spoke with ease to his K9 partner, underscoring the tangible bond between them.
“She’s fine. Good to go. We can get her dried off in the grooming area.” Patience lowered the table and Greta promptly walked over to Nash, then plopped down. “And she’ll need to rest for the remainder of the day. It’s normal for her to be a little more tired—that water is frigid.”
“Yeah, I was worried when she had to dive down more than a few times. I’ll keep her harness off until she’s completely dry.” At the concern etched in his face, Patience realized with a start why she’d been attracted to him in the first place. The reason she’d given in to her desire and agreed to their night of passion. His dedication to duty, his ability to put others before himself. This was a man raising his four half siblings. How many men in their twenties would do that? Warm, tingling awareness lit up her insides.
“What?” He looked at her as if he’d heard her thoughts.
The result of her attraction and their shared night was so obvious to her as she stood in front of him, her belly on full view under