Page 27 of The Sheriff & the Nurse

“That’s wonderful.”

“Well, I won’t keep you two lovebirds.” Mama Miller grinned bigger. “Tell your mamas hello for me.”

“Will do,” Clint said.

She headed back into the house. He turned Lily with their hands still joined and they walked a bit more slowly. Drawing his thumb across the back of her hand, he was rewarded with another soft sigh from her pretty lips.

“I guess the word is out,” she said.

“It’s Coleville. There isn’t much else to talk about besides gossip.” If the Coleville ladies knew all that had happened at his family’s ranch, they’d have far too much to talk about. As it was, Jacey Oliver marrying Cade Miller had kept them busy for a while and then Jacey’s infamous sister Elizabeth ‘visiting’ and all the drama with their demented father.

The town ladies would be focused on him and Lily now.

“True.” She pulled her hand free and hugged herself. “It’s getting colder at night.”

Clint recognized the rejection for what it was. It hurt, even if it was for the best. Sheryl had rejected him and everybody in town had felt awful for him. Now he recognized that rejection had been more about his pride. Lily had the power to break his heart in two. His longing for and connection to her was a million times stronger than what he’d felt for Sheryl.

They talked about the weather and reached his house. As soon as they were inside, she excused herself to go to bed. It was downright depressing to have the woman he’d always longed for in his house and not be with her, not know if she wanted to bewith him. Better for his relationship with his brother and his own conscience, but horrible for his heart.

The next morning, they went on a six-mile trail run through the picturesque forest behind his house. They both relaxed and chatted about their families, though they both avoided mentioning Miles. She talked brightly about Walker. Did she want his handsome little brother, a top steer roper with a ‘slow, devastating smile that made women weak in the knees’? He’d heard that one a few times. Had she only named Clint as her fiancé because he could keep her safe from an authority figure while her heart longed for Walker? Dang. Clint had to honor his word and let Walker have a chance with her, but he’d started to delude himself into thinking she’d choose him. Dibs couldn’t factor in if she did choose him, right?

They both showered after their run and assembled acai bowls together, ate, and then headed for the ranch. The day was long doing branding, and he didn’t get to be as close to Lily as he’d like, but he enjoyed her dad, Bennett, Tyler, and Jack. The teenage boys were hilarious, and it was great to see how they’d flourished on the ranch and especially in Bennett and Rose’s care. Bennett had told him they had rough backgrounds and gangs pursuing them to join in Chicago before he was able to relocate them here. The boys were as much a part of the family as Lily was. He admired the Lillywhites for all the good they did for so many refugees or people needing a temporary home.

They headed home after a late dinner and both went to shower. Tomorrow they’d go to the hospital. He planned to sit outside during her twelve-hour shift and listen in to make sure she was safe and see if they could get any dirt on this Dr. Hampshire from a listening and recording device that Aiden had given him. If only he could follow her around on her shift but he knew it wouldn’t help flush out her pursuer.

After he got out of the shower, he pulled on some shorts and a T-shirt and walked out of his bedroom, hoping Lily wasn’t ready to call it a night. Her shower was still going. He walked down the stairs and into his office, checking emails and pondering Lily’s case. No word on the fingerprints yet. There was an email from Aiden’s people. He scanned it and disappointment churned in his gut. What would Lily think of this information? Or lack thereof?

Footsteps sounded in the loft. He walked to his office doorway and leaned against it, watching her walk down the stairs in a simple T-shirt and cotton shorts, her hair wet and brushed out, her face clean. His heartbeat picked up. Did she have any idea how beautiful she was?

“Oh … hey.” She paused in the entryway and looked at him. “I was just … getting a drink of water.”

“I’ll come with you.” He walked to her, trying to convey with his eyes what he couldn’t get out with his mouth. His heart was hers, if she wanted it.

She sadly didn’t respond but turned and walked in front of him. They proceeded silently into the main area and the kitchen, each grabbing a glass and filling it with ice water from the fridge. Their arms brushed as he turned from the fridge and his pulse skyrocketed. Every little touch felt like a fireworks show with her.

“What’s your plan tomorrow?” she asked, sipping her water and looking at him from beneath her long eyelashes.

“I’ll drive you to the hospital and wait outside in my truck.” He set his glass on the counter and thumped his closed fist against his outer thigh. It would be a long day, but he’d done surveillance before and he could deal with emails he’d ignored and other office type work while he hung out. “Unless there’s a waiting room for over-protective fiancés?”

She smiled at that. “Lots of waiting rooms, but mostly designated for patients or their families.”

“Dang. Put in a request for my room, will ya?”

She laughed and shook her head, then took a drink. “You don’t need to sit there all day.”

“I do.” Aiden’s people might not have found anything on Dr. Hampshire, but that didn’t mean Lily wasn’t in danger. Most of the people she associated with were at work, and he wanted to get a feel for the different men hitting on her. He set the glass down, leaned back against the counter, and folded his arms across his chest. “Would you be willing to wear a recording device for me?”

She also set her glass down, leaning her hip against the counter. She was two feet away. How to cross that distance?

“Is that legal? With HIPAA laws?”

He nodded. “I have the right when identifying a fugitive or apprehending a violent criminal.”

“I’ll wear one if you want me to.”

He wanted her to give that response when he asked her to never leave him.

“I do,” he said. He wanted to say those words when Pastor Heath asked if he’d take this woman to have and to hold. He swiped a hand over his face. “I want to know if there’s any danger and I want to hear what Dr. Hampshire says to you.” Along with any other male doctors, personnel, or patients. “If it’s anything incriminating, we’ll have it on record.”

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