Chapter 3
Pax had refused to check until the day was over to see if his ad for a lost dog was answered. He also had to hire more people. He headed to the exit to make sure the everything was locked up. Once there, he saw people standing in front of the door. He drew it open. “Can I help you?”
The man held out his hand. “Hello, Pax. I’m Caleb Shepherd, Jackson Kane’s brother-in-law. And this my wife Gemma.”
“Now I remember.” Pax stepped aside and allowed them in. “You helped paint this place. And I called you when we found Harlan Ford.”
“Yes.”
“How is he?”
Both their faces beamed. Caleb said, “He’s doing really well. He’s taking art classes and working in town at a gallery.”
Gemma added, "He lives with us, now.”
He transferred his gaze to her. “I’m glad to hear he’s doing well.”
“I work at Pathways so I know about the clinic. And I know Jackson very well.”
“Did you come down here to see me?”
“Yes.”
He motioned to the table. “We can sit over there.”
“No,” Caleb said. “I’d like to show Gemma around.”
“Would you like a tour?”
“Sure.”
When they got to the exam rooms, Caleb grinned. “I did these, babe.”
“That was nice of you to volunteer.” She faced Pax. “Which is why we’re here.”
“To volunteer?”
“Yes. To help you get ready for the opening and afterward.”
“I’ll welcome that. I’m not sure what volunteers we’ll need yet.”
“We’re available now if you can think of anything that needs to be done.”
“As a matter fact, I can. The furniture will be delivered in the next few days. We can use some heavy lifters.”
“Harlan has Fridays off,” Caleb told him. “He wants to help too.”
Gemma asked, “I’d like to do something other than heavy lifting.”
“Come along with them. There’s still a lot of things that need to be done.”
“Thanks.”
“No, thank you .”
* * *
Pax was riding high all the way home. The clinic was all set up, he already had three volunteers, and he still had Mutt. He brought in two of the bags Stephanie had purchased. She’d bought double of most things, one for the clinic and one for home. He attached the second leash and took the dog around back to do its business.
Afterward, he unpacked Mutt’s new bowl and poured some food into it. “Here, boy.”
While the dog ate, he went to his laptop. He told himself he wanted there to be a lead on Mutt’s owner, but way down deep, he hoped there wasn’t. Shit, things better change soon or he’d be keeping the animal. Who already made him happy.
Emails came up. Pax scanned them. There was one from Noreen Shannon, which he skipped. He answered the one from his sister in L.A. But there were no emails with LOST DOG in the header.
He leaned back into his chair and breathed a sigh of relief. He scanned the rest. The confirmations from each vendor for delivery of the furniture were in his feed. Now that would be fun. And all the stock for the exam rooms would come a day early.
Pax himself ate a heart-healthy pre-made dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. By then he realized he was exhausted. He managed to shower and went to check on the dog one last time. Mutt was wide awake. He let him out on the leash again and when they came back in, Mutt stared up at him. “Aw, come on. You can sleep with me. Its only temporary, until we find your owner.”
Damn it, if the dog didn’t scowl. But they went together down the hall.
The blare of his cell awakened him from a deep sleep. The dog awoke, too, and began to bark. He checked the time. 3 a.m.
“Pax Barry,” he said calmly.
“Dr. Barry. This is Chief Thomas from the WPD.”
Uh-oh. This was going to be a problem.
* * *
The phone awakened Steph. She reached for it and said sleepily, “Giordano.”
“Steph, it’s Pax.”
His voice sounded husky. From sleep?
“Sorry to wake you but the police notified me that somebody broke into the clinic.”
“My God. How much damage did they do?”
“Some of the rooms have paint thrown on the walls. Luckily, my office was locked, so there was no paper scattered around. I’m leaving now.”
“I’ll meet your there.”
“That’s why I called you. I was hoping you’d come with me to talk with the police about more security in the place.”
“I’m so sorry. See you soon.”
Steph leaped out of bed and threw on some sweats. Poked her feet in sneakers. Grabbed her keys. And was out the door minutes after Pax’s call. His car was out front along with two squad cars still with flashing lights on. She parked down the road and raced to the clinic. She found Pax inside, talking to the police. They were taking notes.
Thomas looked over at her when she came inside. “Nice to see you again, Steph.”
“And you, too, chief.”
“Steph’s the security guard I hired for the hours we’re going to be open.”
“Good idea.”
She noted the pretty sage green walls had been defaced with yellow paint. Spots of still-wet paint dotted the entire space. She hoped they didn’t get the kiddy room.
One of the policemen asked, “Can you tell us why you don’t have a security system in place?”
“There’s nothing here and there’s a big sign on the front door saying our opening is November 1. That said, the security system is scheduled to be installed Saturday. But apparently that wasn’t soon enough.”
“More than likely, whoever broke in thought there were drugs here.”
“As I said, medicines are coming Friday. And I have a big built-in safe inside a closet. It’s nearly impenetrable. Again, they wouldn’t have been able to get in there.”
Chief Mick Thomas said, “You have a lot of cleaning up to do.”
Steph asked, “What about the rest of the place?”
“There’s minor vandalism back there. Mostly things were thrown around.”
“They probably never got the time to do more. Or maybe they were frustrated that they couldn’t get into the office and the locked doors where drugs will be kept.”
“Who called you, Chief?” Steph asked.
“Two patrol guys drove by and saw the lights on. The culprits went out the back way. The cops chased them out but they disappeared in the night.” To Pax, he said, “I think we got all the information. I’ll oversee this investigation personally.” Pax nodded and Thomas added, “You should expect robberies down here.”
“It’s a conundrum. The clinic has to be in a downtown location because this is where the customers are. But because it’s here, we’re a target.”
When the cops left, Pax dropped down at the table. His expression was dark. “I should’ve known this was too good to be true.”
She folded her arms over her chest and watched him. “Surely you’re not going to give up on the place.”
“No, no, of course not. I thought maybe we could brainstorm about the security.” He added, “I wonder if Jackson would want to be in on those talks.”
“Jackson Kane?” Steph’s brow furrowed. “Why?”
“I thought you knew. He’s funding this place.”
* * *
Later that day, Jackson was in a meeting when they showed up at his office. Pax had called at first light and was told to come over in the early afternoon. So they sat at a conference table and sipped coffee Harry, his assistant, had provided for them.
Steph stared out the window. Today, she was out of her suit and instead wore jeans and a sweater. “I’ve always been in awe of what Jackson does here.”
“Me, too. He’s a good man.”
“Who’s a good man?” Jackson asked as he came through the door.
Pax smiled. “Why you, of course.”
Jackson chuckled and sat; his face sobered. “I’m aware that the clinic was broken into. Bad luck, even before we open.”
“That’s why we’re here. We want to talk security.”
“Steph?”
“Apparently I’m not enough.”
“Understandable,” Pax put in. “You can’t be there 24 hours a day.”
Jackson said, “Maybe night guards?”
“Yeah, like the guys at the gate at Pathways.”
“Two are women.” He smiled briefly. Then, “What else? A security system?”
“Coming Friday. I should have scheduled it much sooner.”
“Hindsight’s always 20-20.” They batted around a few more ideas.
After an hour, Jackson said, “I’ll show all this to my head security guy.”
“Will Kirkland?”
“He sent me,” Steph said.
Jackson continued, “I’m using his services at Pathways and replacing the guards whenever one leaves. Attrition is high.”
“Okay.” Pax and Steph stood. Jackson said, “Hold on for a sec Pax, if you don’t mind.”
Steph nodded. “I’ll wait outside for you.”
When she left, Jackson sat again to be eye-level with Pax.
“We’re having a barbeque Saturday for the guys that painted your place. I sent you two emails about it, but you never answered.”
“Sorry about that.”
“Did you get the invitation?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been skimming emails lately.” He rolled his eyes. “I rescued a dog who’d come to my door and I fed. Needless to say, he wouldn’t leave. I put in an ad for a lost dog, but I’m running around in circles trying to get him settled. I checked email for DOG in subject line.”
Jackson arched a brow. “I’ll remember to put dog at the top for next time.”
They laughed.
“So, can I plan on you?”
“Yeah, I guess. I should be there to thank everybody.”
“Come by around five. Dinner is at 6:30. And bring a date if you want.”
He immediately thought of Steph.
“Maybe you want to ask Steph.”
He cleared his throat. “Maybe.”
“BTW, I got a phone call from Noreen Shannon. She’s a doctor.”
“Yeah?”
She’s interested in the part-time job but said you didn’t hire her. I told her the clinic was yours and all that’s up to you. But out of curiosity, why did you reject her?”
“She’s from my old life. I don’t need to be reminded of it every day.”
“Is there more to this?”
“I’d rather not say anything else.” He sighed. “I don’t want her at the clinic but no other doctor has applied.”
“Whatever you decide.”
When he left Jackson, he found Steph at the car. “I guess that’s it for now.”
She reached out and squeezed his forearm. He felt the touch zing through him. “This is a setback.”
“Yeah. I hate to think of the clinic being prone to break- ins.”
He watched her. He’d been thinking a lot about her lately. So he blurted out, “Jackson’s invited me to a barbeque with guys who painted the clinic. Would you like to go with me?”
Her brows raised. “Um…I guess that would be fun.” She was silent for a few seconds. Then, “Why Pax?”
He gave a casual shrug. “I don’t know exactly.”
She stared hard at him. Then said, “It doesn’t matter. I’d like to go. You’ve got my address.”
On the drive home, he wondered if they both just committed to a date.
* * *
The next day, Pax knew he needed to finalize the staff. He’d hired a nurse and a receptionist but no other doctor had applied. So he made a leap of faith and called Noreen Shannon.
“Hello,” she answered.
“Noreen?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t answer as Dr. Shannon.”
“I’m more than that now, Paxton.”
“I called because no other doctor applied to work at the clinic. Are you still interested in the job?”
“I am. And remember I’m volunteering so no extra funds will be needed to hire me.”
“All right. I’m having a meeting with the rest of the staff later today at four. Can you be there?”
“Waited till the last minute, didn’t you?”
“I guess I did.”
“Don’t worry, Paxton. Working together will be fine.”
He wasn’t so sure. “See you then.” And he disconnected. A chill went through him, a foreboding of some kind. He hoped it wasn’t a mistake hiring Noreen.
Steph was the first to arrive for the staff meeting that afternoon. She wore a light brown suit which made her eyes stand out. And her curves. He said, “Hi, there.”
“Hi. I’m anxious to meet the rest of the staff. Did you get a doctor?”
“Nobody but Noreen Shannon applied. I had to hire her.”
“Couldn’t Jackson find someone else?”
“He might’ve been able to but I’d rather be independent of him as much as possible.”
A man walked into the clinic unexpectedly. “Dr. Barry?”
“Jonathan Baker. Welcome.” They shook hands then he turned to Steph. “This is our security guard, Stephanie Giordano.”
“Ms. Giordano. Call me Jon.”
“And I’m Steph.”
Another person came through the door.
“Alice Carson, hi.”
“Steph and Jon, this is our nurse.”
They greeted each other. Pax checked his watch. “We’re waiting on one more person. We have a few minutes.”
Not long after, Noreen showed up. “Hello, everyone.” She gave an easy smile to Pax. “Dr. Barry.”
“Noreen Shannon, our second doctor.”
The others introduced themselves.
“In an effort to get to know each other, let’s sit at the table. Anyone want water or coffee?”
No takers. “Steph, would mind giving a bit about yourself including why you accepted the position.”
“Not at all.” She gave some background and a few personal details.
“Alice?”
The ordinary woman was sturdy of build, wore her brown hair pulled off her face. “I’m an LPN working slowly to get my RN. But I have two kids so it’s hard as I’m recently divorced. I needed a job to make more money.” She smiled at Pax. “Besides, I live down here and am grateful you started this clinic.”
Jonathan, tall and lanky, was working his way through college and needed a part-time job. He was single, no kids.
“Noreen, you’re last.”
“Hi, I’m a medical doctor, recently retired. I know I’m young to do that, but I have a second career, writing books.”
“You seem familiar,” Alice said. “What do you write?”
“Medical thrillers.”
“Ah. You’re on the book jacket. I’ve read your last book. It was wonderful. Tell me you’re writing another.”
“I am. And thanks for the compliments.”
Pax noticed Stephanie was watching Noreen. Doubt was written across her pretty face.
Right then, Mutt came out of the office. This time, he crossed to Steph and she petted him. “Hello, Mutt.”
The others greeted him, as Pax had made clear that the dog would spend his days at the clinic. He took in his staff and felt buoyed by having gotten good people to help out here.
* * *
Two days later, a group of friends gathered in the backyard of Jackson Kane’s house. It was a beautiful Indian Summer day. Steph wore a one-piece denim outfit with cowboy boots. Pax had on jeans and a light sweater the color of his eyes. He looked…nice. Really nice. Steph felt the pull of attraction in her belly.
She sipped her drink, which their hostess had made with either a shot of Kentucky bourbon or without one. Chicken sizzled on the grill, making Steph’s stomach growl.
“Hungry?” Maisy asked.
“Yeah. I skipped lunch.”
“Go get a few appetizers. Sausage is on the second grill. And there’s cold food on the table over there, too.”
“Thanks.” She wandered over to the grill.
Jackson turned the meat and smiled over at her. He sported a Pathways sweatshirt and a chef’s hat. He was talking to Gemma Kendrick.
Steph said, “Hi, you two.”
Jackson grasped her hand. “Hi, Steph. Do you know Gemma?”
“Yes.” She smiled. “You’re going to volunteer at the clinic.”
“I am. I’m a professional psychologist so I imagine people in the waiting area might need my help.”
“And Caleb’s volunteering, too, right?”
“Yes. But he wants to work with his hands. He and his sister, Jackson’s wife, remodeled his entire house. I think he’s building shelves at the clinic.”
“Did I hear my name?” Caleb Shepherd did not look like a minister. He was pretty damn attractive with his blue eyes and blond hair. With him was a tall, gangly boy.
“This is Harlan,” Gemma said to Steph. “Harlan, you know everyone but Stephanie Giordano, a security guard who’ll work at the clinic.”
“You’re the guard?”
“I am.”
“But you’re so…small.”
“I have strong muscles and I’m trained in self-defense. I could take you down, Harlan.”
The boy laughed. “I’m sure you could.” He turned to Caleb. “I’m going to go find Freddie. Come with?”
After Harlan and Caleb left, Gemma stayed with Steph.
“You said, us , Gemma. Are you…with Caleb?”
“We got married at the beginning of October. It took a lot to get there, so I’m glad we didn’t give up on each other.” She eyed Steph. “Is there a guy in your life?”
“Not currently. There was one a while ago. That turned out to be a sad story.” Which she didn’t want to think about. Don Ackley had been a big mistake in her life, and she was glad to be rid of him.
“I’m sorry.” Gemma didn’t pry. “Want me to introduce you to some single teachers at Pathways?”
“God, no. I have my hands full right now. But thanks, anyway.” Her gaze wandered. To Pax. He turned and caught her looking at him. He smiled and started toward her.
“Putting stuff behind you can be hard,” Gemma said. “If you ever want to talk…”
“I’m happy, Gemma. Honestly.”
“Hey, you trying to poach my security guard, Mrs. Shepherd?”
“You know my last name is still Kendrick. And no, not from her work with you. It was personal.”
His brows rose. Dark brown, they were nicely arched. “Want me to leave?”
“No, stay,” Gemma said. “I’ll go find Caleb and Harlan.”
When she was gone, Pax smiled at Steph. “Then let’s get some food and sit over there.”
“It smells wonderful. Let’s do it.”
* * *
On the way to a table, Pax couldn’t help but notice how cute Steph was in a one-piece denim thing that accented all her curves. She’d left her hair down and the strawberry blond shone in the waning October light. It was lovely. They sat at a round table in the yard.
“This is a great backyard,” he said. “They recently did the new addition and put in the pool.”
“It’s wonderful.” Steph grinned. “I love to swim.”
“Did you have a pool growing up?”
“Uh-huh. My brothers dunked me in it all the time.”
He laughed.
“Did you have one?”
Something else he didn’t want to remember. “No. We were poor and my mother barely could make ends meet.”
“How’d you get to college? And Med School?”
“A teacher inspired me and helped me apply for scholarships.”
“I’m glad you had her. Or him.”
“Let’s change the subject. What did you think of our little group yesterday?”
“I liked them all. I’ll bet you’re glad that the clinic is staffed now.”
“Yeah, it was a relief. I repainted the waiting area Thursday night after you all left and the furniture came today. It’s mostly in boxes.”
“First off, you shouldn’t be alone at the clinic. I could have stayed.”
“I wasn’t alone. A night guard was already in place and parked out front. There’s two of them and they split shifts.”
She cocked her head. “Do you want some help putting the furniture together?”
“I plan to do it tomorrow.”
“I’m free tomorrow.”
“You don’t have to babysit me.”
“I didn’t mean as a guard. I’m pretty good at putting things together. I even have my own tools.”
“You, young lady, are full surprises.”
Will approached them. With him was a lovely dark-haired, blue-eyed woman. Will asked, “Hey, you two, mind if we join you?”
“Not at all,” Steph answered.
Will said, “This is my wife, Katie. She’s a police officer so watch yourselves.”
They greeted each other, then Steph asked, “What do you do now that—” She pointed to her small baby bulge “-you can’t be in the field.”
“I’m training the younger officers. Believe it or not, it’s a full-time job.”
“That’s what happens in security, too,” Will put in. “And in the Secret Service.”
Steph’s expression was revealing as she asked about the pregnancy. He saw a longing there.
He swallowed back the disappointment. That should be enough to quell the attraction he felt building for a while. No matter how much he redeemed himself, kids were a dealbreaker.
* * *
Steph was quiet on the way home, thinking about Katie and Will. She envied them. And wondered why. Since her breakup with Don, she’d had a few relationships, but they didn’t go anywhere.
“What was the sigh for?” he asked.
“There were a lot of happy couples at Jackson’s tonight.”
“Is that what you want out of life, Steph?”
“Eventually. Not now though. I prefer concentrating on my career.”
“Hmmm.”
She studied him. His expression was neutral. “You said you didn’t want to get close to anybody. Attachments were dangerous.”
He only nodded. So she was quiet the rest of the way home. But his woodsy scent filled the car and she liked it. And it made her even more attracted to him.
When they reached her apartment, she directed him around to her side entrance. “Hey, thanks for asking me today. It was fun. And you relaxed.”
“I enjoyed it.” His voice came out husky.
On a lark, she leaned over the bench seat of his old truck and kissed him on the cheek. When she drew back, he grasped her around the waist and stared down at her with the same desire in his eyes that she felt. So she cupped his cheek.
After he turned off the engine, he pulled a lever and the seat went back. Then he drew her over his lap and took her mouth. He pressed his lips to hers as he eased her even closer. She opened for him. His tongue explored her. Her tongue explored him. His hands moved down the buttons on her jumpsuit and undid enough to be able to pull her bra down.
She let him.
He touched her breasts then lowered his head. She moaned and he groaned as he tugged at her nipples with his mouth. His beard abraded her. After she didn’t know how long, he set her back, did up her buttons and gently pushed her away. For a minute she was dazed.
“Get out of the car, Stephanie.” His voice was stone cold, so different from the heat she felt from him seconds ago.
Hurt, she moved off his lap with lightning speed then reached for the handle of the door. She bolted out. And jogged up to the entrance to her apartment. Once inside, she dropped down at the kitchen table. Dear God in heaven, what had she done?
* * *
He couldn’t shake the images of Steph as he entered his house. Hearing the noise of the door, Mutt whimpered in his bed. Pax had paid a neighbor boy to walk him twice while he was at work. He leashed the dog and headed outside. It was eight p.m. and totally dark. He’d worn no jacket and felt the chill. Mutt, undeterred by the weather bounded along his favorite path and Pax struggled to keep up with him. He began to jog and the dog fell into his pace.
He got back home at 9:30. After providing Mutt with clean water, he went down the hall and flopped on the bed. When he closed his eyes, there she was again, nearly naked on his lap. He relived cuddling into her, the scent of her bath splash filling his head.
Fuck! He was tired of keeping everybody at a distance. Steph, Will, Jackson made him want to feel again. He closed his eyes and sighed. Next thing he knew it was morning. He’d slept in his clothes and turned to find Mutt in his bed. He’d fallen asleep daydreaming about Steph. How could he ever face her today?