Page 74 of Rescuing Ryder

“Dr. Klein’s mother went hysterical and attempted to escape the private nurse he hired for her. The police found her three blocks away from her home babbling nonsense. He arrived at the office, incensed, his mother managed to escape the medical teamhe hired. I decided to interview Kilner myself while he dealt with his mother.”

“Do you work with the prosecution often as an expert witness?”

She shook her head. “No. I prefer to heal people. I worked on my doctorate, and Dr. Klein allowed me to rotate between different areas in my field. I went to psychiatric facilities, sat on boards, and worked with geriatric patients, veterans, and kids. I enjoyed the veterans and helped part-time with the teen unit when they became overwhelmed. Kassie and I met there.”

“Did Kilner threaten you when you met him the first time?”

“No. He ranted a lot.”

“Did he mention how he discovered you moved?” Ryder mulled over her answers, trying to discover a connection.

“No. I guess I’ll never know.” She sighed.

Ryder moved toward her desk and closed the file. She opened up the false bottom and tucked it safely inside.

“What did you do while I read? Why didn’t you barge in demanding I stop after the hour?” Claire asked.

“I lost track of time. My friend Tex called. He and his family decided to fly into Seattle this weekend for a visit. We started talking about where they might stay. I heard Kassie say something about a bed and breakfast around here. Do you know anything about it?”

“I stayed there for a bit. Let me check with Kassie. Sometimes, if the cabins remain empty, she allows visitors to stay there. She says the mountain can offer peace a soul needs even without experiencing trauma.”

“Thanks.” Ryder moved to the side as Claire exited the room. He followed her down the hall to the living room.

“What’s this?” She asked as she noticed a giant bowl of popcorn, lemon-lime soda, and a deck of cards on the floor.Pillows were stacked in piles before the fireplace, not enough to get overly hot but enough to enjoy the fire.

“I believe you accepted my challenge to play a game.”

Claire smiled as she dropped to the floor on top of the pillows. “Are we playing Go Fish? Nugget insists on playing it every time she comes to visit Kassie.”

“Who does Nugget belong to? I can’t recall a Nugget,” he asked, trying to remember the Serenity kids.

“She’s Bryanna and Saint’s daughter. Her name’s Miya, and we call her Nugget. Have you met Whiskey’s son, LJ?” she asked as she shuffled the cards.

“The one obsessed with helos?” he asked.

She laughed. “I see you met him.”

“The guys seem to take fatherhood seriously. They invited me to the facility the other night for PT. We finished and they went into the pool area. The kids splashed and played while all the moms sat in a circle. When we showed up, they left and the guys took over.”

Claire stopped shuffling to peer at him. “Why do people find it surprising when men care for their kids?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not criticizing. I’ve never seen many men who don’t gripe about babysitting their kids. They seem happy about it.”

“First of all, they aren’t babysitting. They’re taking their responsibilities seriously. It’s their kids. They also participate in school runs, drops, sick kids, and Whiskey helped with the school play. It allows the women a few minutes of girl time and a break from the babies. It’s healthy.”

“My dad never helped my mom out. I found it odd, but strangely, I enjoyed my time with the kids. Emma acts as the leader of the group. Melody barks orders like her dad. Miya’s a little sprite with an infectious smile. LJ and Caleb pretended they flew a helo theentirenight. Faith splashed in the water withMichael and then fell asleep even with all the kids screaming. Leo’s baby watched the entire time. Chase told me about Tori’s adoption. She and Emma resemble their mom.”

Claire smiled. “They’re great kids. They love to pitch in at the hospital, especially on movie nights. Now, what are we playing?”

Ryder’s face lit up as he grinned ruefully at her. “Strip poker.”

An hour later,Claire sat on the pillows staring over her cards at Ryder, who pretended innocence. The only clothes she wore consisted of one sock and her bra and panty set. Her mouth firmed in a straight line as she concentrated on her cards. With his chance to glimpse at her in lingerie, Claire guessed he allowed her to win the last couple of hands to enjoy the view.

However, Ryder sat in his boxers, a shirt, and socks. Determined to win, she threw him another glance before setting down the straight flush and smiled.

“Wow. It appears you’ve picked up a few tricks of the game,” Ryder complimented her as he laid down two pairs.”

“Yeah, I must have beginner’s luck,” she quipped as she picked up the cards and shuffled them thoroughly.

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