Page 84 of Winter Vows

One who was concentrating on his job, he retorted mentally.

Kelsey James was a single mom whose boy was missing, not a potential pickup in some bar, he scolded himself as he went through her refrigerator, collecting eggs, bacon and butter. He found a pitcher of fresh orange juice and took that out, as well. By the time Kelsey joined him, he had breakfast on the table and his libido firmly in check.

That didn’t mean he didn’t cast a surreptitious gaze over her—just to make sure she was handling things okay, he assured himself. There were shadows under her eyes and her complexion was pale, but beyond that she appeared to be in control.

“Sorry about losing it for a minute upstairs,” she said.

“Don’t apologize. You’re entitled to lose it every once in a while.”

She glanced toward the phone, her expression forlorn. “Why doesn’t he call back?”

“He will.”

“The waiting is the worst. I’m used to being in charge, to being decisive. I make things better. I don’t just sit around waiting.”

“Always?” Dylan asked skeptically. “Aren’t there times when even you can’t control the rate at which a patient responds to treatment? Haven’t you ever told a parent they just need to sit tight and wait?”

She frowned. “Okay, yes. I guess the difference is that I know how long it’s likely to take for a medicine to kick in. I expect the delays. With this...” She shrugged, her expression helpless. “I don’t know anything.”

“What would you tell the parent of a sick child?”

“To be patient. To have faith. Pray.”

“Don’t you think maybe the same thing applies now?” he suggested.

Her expression brightened ever so slightly. “Yes. I suppose you’re right. Patience and faith,” she reiterated, as if he’d just given her a new mantra to recite. “Patience and faith.”

She gazed at him then. “Thanks.”

“Kelsey, let’s establish a couple of ground rules. No more thanks. No more apologies. Deal?”

She nodded, started to say something, then cut herself off. “Sorry. Force of habit.”

He grinned. “Caught yourself, huh? That’s a start.”

“How do you stand it?” she asked then.

Dylan wasn’t sure what she was asking. “What?”

“Searching for a missing kid?”

He hesitated. He didn’t want to lie to her, but for some reason he also didn’t want her to lose confidence in him. Funny, when a few hours ago he would have given anything not to be involved in this case.

“I don’t do it often,” he said, choosing his words with care. “I usually prefer to turn this sort of case over to another private investigator.”

“Why?”

“It’s not my area of specialty, that’s all.”

She seemed shaken by that, just as he’d feared. “Then why did you agree to help?”

“Because I was here and it’s best to get started immediately in a situation like this. There wasn’t time to get another private eye in here.” He leveled a look straight into her eyes, regretting the doubts that he had put there. “I won’t let you down, Kelsey.”

She kept her eyes locked with his, then nodded. “I know. Is that why you seemed so—I don’t know—reluctantlast night?”

So she had noticed that, had she? He’d have to remember that she was good at reading people. She probably had to do that a lot with kids who couldn’t—or wouldn’t—describe what was going on with them. He realized now that he wouldn’t be able to hide anything from her.

Because he didn’t want to get into the other reason for his reluctance, he took the easy way out and said, “Yes, that’s exactly why.” He rocked back in his chair. “But I’m in this now, Kelsey. We’re going to find Bobby and bring him home.”

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