Detection Mission (Texas K-9 Unit) Page 15

  Lee’s gaze leisurely trekked down her frame, then drifted back up to her face. He whistled. “Yep, she is right. You’ll turn every man’s head tonight in that getup.”

  Heidi glanced at her dress—with small lilac and purple flowers on a white background. The close-fitting bodice and full skirt fell to just above her knees. “I’m not sure this is what I would have bought if it hadn’t been for Valerie.”

  “Rest assured, you’ll attract plenty of interest tonight.”

  Heat scored her cheeks. “That’s not my intention.” I’m only interested in your attention. Her eyes widened at that thought. She’d been trying not to think of Lee in a romantic way, but when he’d surprised her with Abbey yesterday, she couldn’t stop her feelings from snowballing toward full-fledged love. No matter how much she told herself she couldn’t fall in love with him until she got her life straightened out, she couldn’t deny it any longer.

  “What can I do to help you?” He closed the space between them, his fresh, lime-scented aftershave swirling around Heidi.

  And roping her to him as though his arms had caged her against him. “Help me to remember everyone’s names. There are a lot of people coming. I know Mark, Valerie, Slade, Harry and Gail. That’s it.”

  “That’s a great start. Don’t worry if you don’t remember everyone. They won’t expect it since you’re new.” As the bell chimed, Lee skirted around her and headed toward the door. “I have a feeling you’ll be a natural.”

  Heidi scurried after him. “Are the dogs okay out back?”

  “The last time I peeked, Eliza was on one side of Kip and Abbey on the other. Man, he’s got it made.”

  “You could always change his name to Romeo.”

  “No. That love story ended tragically.” Lee swung the front door open wide.

  Harry and Gail stood in the entrance. The nurse Heidi had become friends with in the hospital grinned and embraced Heidi. “You’re recovering nicely.”

  “Thanks,” Heidi said warmly. “It’s nice to see you again.”

  For the next half hour, she and Lee stayed near the front door to welcome a steady stream of guests inside. It felt like an eternity until Heidi finally turned from letting the last couple into the party to scan the crowd milling between the living room in Molly’s apartment, the common dining room and kitchen, and the large foyer. She leaned back against the door with a weary sigh. “Is the whole department here?”

  “Not quite but almost all the dog trainers, the support staff and a good number of the police are here. How are you on the names so far?”

  “That beautiful tall blonde over there is Eva Billows, soon to be Eva Black. The guy next to her is Austin, her fiancé and the partner to Justice, a bloodhound. They’re the ones with the little boy, Brady, who was kidnapped last month.” Her lips quirked. “I don’t think I’ll forget them since I stumbled into the middle of their search for Brady and then wound up in the hospital.”

  “Good point...” Lee nodded toward a man dressed in nice jeans with a white dress shirt and brown boots. “And who’s the guy over there by Molly?”

  “That’s Jackson Worth, your friend who owns the ranch where we went to ride, and the woman between Molly and Jackson is Lorna Danfield. I’m glad to finally meet the lady who helped me get my job at the library. I’ve talked with her on the phone, but I wouldn’t have imagined her with short curly blond hair.”

  “What did you imagine her looking like?” Lee asked with a chuckle.

  “Medium, stocky, muscular like a pit bull. Molly described her as tough and a go-getter.”

  “That she is, but she loves dogs and will do anything for a friend. How about—?”

  A knock on the door startled Heidi. She jumped away and whirled. “I thought everyone was here.”

  When she let the couple into the house, Lee stiffened next to her. Heidi slanted a look toward him. A fierce scowl lined his face.

  “Hi, I’m Heidi. I’m helping Molly with the party.” She offered her hand.

  The man with dark hair and eyes shook it. “I’m Dan Harwood and this is my wife, Alexa.”

  Ah, now Heidi understood Lee’s reaction to the pair.

  “I’m glad you could come. Molly has a buffet-style spread in the dining room. She wanted people to eat whenever they were hungry.” As she explained the setup, Heidi kept her attention directed at the man, but she felt the pierce of the woman’s sharp gaze. When she shifted her focus to Alexa Harwood, Lee’s ex-fiancée’s full lips pinched together. “It’s nice to meet you. I hear you recently had a baby.”

  Before Heidi could congratulate her, Alexa said, “I bet you did.” She swiveled her piercing look at Lee, then clasped her husband’s arm and practically dragged him away.

  “Okay, that was a little awkward.” The sudden tension evaporated the farther the pair distanced themselves from her and Lee.

  “Molly didn’t think they were coming.”

  “So you weren’t prepared?”

  “No,” he bit out, the tension returning. “Excuse me. I want to check on the dogs and make sure they’re still playing nice.”

  From Lee’s reaction, she didn’t think he was over Alexa. Suddenly the prospects of the party dimmed for Heidi.

  Alone, she panned the foyer, and when she found Valerie, she made her way to her. “I thought you were going to bring Bethany.”

  “I was until my neighbor volunteered to watch her.”

  “Any clue who the woman was that left the murder scene?”

  “No and I wish I could figure out why she seems familiar.” The redhead sighed with frustration. “I’ve racked my brain, but I can’t remember. If this is the way you feel all the time, I don’t know how you do it.”

  “I’ve been trying not to force the memories anymore and get on with my life as it is now. Usually when I try to think of something, I end up getting stressed and nothing happens.”

  “Right. That’s exactly how I feel right now,” Valerie lamented.

  “No doubt you’ll think of where you saw her. Maybe when you least expected it.”

  “Where did Lee go? He didn’t look too happy.”

  Heidi released a long breath. “He wasn’t. You saw who came tonight. He didn’t think Alexa and her husband were actually coming. I think he still cares about her.”

  Valerie tilted her head and scrutinized her. “You like him.”

  “Does it show?”

  “A little. You’re like me—an open book.”

  “I’m discovering that. But I wish I wasn’t. I don’t want Lee to know how I feel. My life right now isn’t really my own.” Even surrounded by all these police officers, Heidi couldn’t quite feel safe like she should. In her mind, she heard the ticking of an imaginary bomb that was about to explode. No matter how much Lee tried to reassure her she was all right now, she didn’t totally believe that. And she didn’t understand why.

  “I could say that for a different reason. I never counted on being a mother anytime soon and certainly not like it happened. Bethany has to be my focus for the time being. Well, that and keeping myself and her safe. Good thing I have Lexi. Her specialty is apprehending and protecting. I may need that.”

  “I miss having her around. Did you hear I have a dog now?”

  The rookie cop grinned. “Harry said something about it.”

  “Abbey’s out back with Kip and Eliza. I’ll show her to you.”

  Heidi and Valerie started for the kitchen when a cell phone rang. Everyone looked toward Captain Slade McNeal. He answered it, turned away for a few minutes and talked in a low voice. When he hung up and faced the partygoers, a smile as big as Texas greeted everyone.

  “That was the hospital. Dad has come out of his coma. The doctor told me he is groggy but making sense. I hate to leave this wonderful celebration, but—”

  “Slade McNeal, if you didn’t leave right away, I would think something was the matter with you.” Molly marched to the front door and opened it. “Tell your dad hi from all of us and le
t us know when it’s a good time to start pestering your father with visitors.”

  * * *

  Lee stuffed his hands into his front jean pockets and stared out into the night. Kip, the reason he told Heidi he was coming outside, lay sound asleep with both females next to him. He hoped Kip fared better than he had with the opposite sex and having a long-term relationship. Why had Alexa come tonight? This was where he lived. She should have stayed away.

  The sound of the back door opening and closing drew his attention to the person coming outside. He stiffened at the sight of Alexa. He looked away, but there was no place to go. The stoop was only six by six feet.

  Alexa crossed her arms and blocked his escape into the house. “How many times do I have to tell you I’m sorry? I was wrong.”

  Her body language screamed the opposite of what she’d said. Lee gritted his teeth to keep his response inside.

  “We need to work this out. You work with my husband.”

  Anger shot to the surface. “Maybe you and Dan should have thought about that before you got together. The least you could have done was break off our engagement before sleeping with him.” He’d held his tongue for months, avoiding the pair as much as possible.

  “I have no defense to that.” She unfolded her arms and dropped them to her sides. Tears glistened in her eyes. “I hurt you. There’s no way I can change that now. But I hope one day you’ll forgive me.”

  She whirled around and hurried into the house at the same time Heidi and Valerie were coming out back. Alexa mumbled something Lee couldn’t hear and pushed past the women. His gaze linked with Heidi’s and an inscrutable look covered her usually expressive face. What had Alexa said to them?

  “I wanted to show Abbey to Valerie,” Heidi said in a strained voice, and descended the steps with Valerie.

  As the two crossed to the dogs, Lee watched them without really seeing them. His mind swirled with emotions he needed to deal with because Alexa was right. He would see her from time to time. The situation as it was at the moment wasn’t tolerable.

  Why can’t I forgive her, Lord? Why am I holding on to my anger?

  Heidi and Valerie returned to the stoop with Abbey following the pair. Heidi petted her dog. “She’s already protective. She sleeps at the side of my bed between me and the door. I think last night I slept the best I have since I woke up from the coma.”

  “She’s cute.” Valerie glanced from Heidi to Lee. “I’ll leave you two. I have to call my neighbor to check on Bethany. I’m not used to this mom stuff yet.”

  “You’ll get the hang of it in no time.” Heidi stayed back while Valerie left.

  Lee felt like he should say something, but what? “How’s the party for you so far?” Lame, but what was his relationship with Heidi? Friends? More than friends? He knew one thing. He cared about Heidi...was attracted to her.

  “Enlightening.”

  “How?” he asked curiously.

  “First of all, the people you work with are great and incredibly supportive. They are all making me feel right at home. Which I appreciate since I don’t know where my home is.”

  “Did you think they wouldn’t be?”

  “No, but I’ve been letting my feelings for you grow when I shouldn’t.”

  He opened his mouth to ask why, but she held up her hand to stop his words.

  “I realized after seeing you with Alexa that you still have issues with her that need to be resolved. I’ve been thinking lately that what we have between us is going somewhere. But I guess I forgot more than my past. I forgot what it meant to become involved with a man who is on the rebound. You’re still in love with Alexa and need to deal with those feelings before you can move on.” She choked back a sob. “I have enough to cope with. I don’t need to end up hurt, developing feelings for you that you don’t return.”

  “Heidi, I don’t...” His voice faded into the quiet. Maybe it was for the better that they gave each other distance. Why can’t I forgive Alexa? Why did I lash out at her? Until he could answer those questions, he needed to keep away from Heidi—at least as much as he could, living in the same house.

  She stared at him for a long moment, a sheen to her eyes. The look she sent him twisted his heart into a tangle of emotions. She pivoted and hurried into the house.

  Leaving him with questions he couldn’t answer. Leaving him with the knowledge he had hurt Heidi and hadn’t intended to.

  ELEVEN

  “Well, what did you think of the church service and Pastor Eaton?” Molly asked as she steered Heidi toward the fellowship hall Sunday morning.

  “Very inspiring. He gave me things I need to think about.”

  “We all need reminding about forgiving others. Holding grudges or anger only poisons the person keeping the grip on it.”

  All last night she’d wrestled with her covers, unable to sleep more than a couple of hours. She couldn’t shake Lee’s confrontation with Alexa Friday night—or his reaction to her presence when his fiancée left. She’d thought they were developing something special between them. She’d been wrong. At best he looked at her as a friend. Nothing more.

  Then what did those kisses mean?

  She didn’t know. Maybe he was trying to use her to forget Alexa. Obviously, it didn’t work. Now she needed to move on. Forget Lee as anyone other than someone who had helped her when she needed it.

  She shored up her belief that she would eventually remember her past. Then she could put her life back together and take up her old life where she left off—wherever that was.

  “Heidi?” Molly moved into her personal space. “Are you all right?”

  She blinked, stepping back a foot. “Yes. Why?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve been asking you the same question for a minute. No response.” Her landlady clasped her arm and tugged her away from the crowd pouring through the double doors into the fellowship hall. “Something is wrong. It has been since the party Friday night. You holed yourself up in your apartment yesterday except when you needed to take Abbey outside. What gives?”

  “Just trying to figure out who I am.”

  Molly smiled at her. “You’re a delightful young woman with a kind heart. That’s who you are.”

  “There are times I feel like I’m being watched. That I need to always be aware of my surroundings.”

  “Everybody should be. That’s being smart. Give yourself time to adjust after all that’s happened to you. You wake up from being in a coma to find someone wants you dead and comes after you. But Zoller, West and Garry have been taken care of.”

  “I guess that’s it.” But she didn’t hear much conviction behind her words. Surely in a couple of days she’ll begin to feel more comfortable and secure.

  “I’m so glad to have Patrick McNeal awake,” Molly said. “I know how worried Slade was about his dad.”

  “I’m glad he doesn’t have amnesia. There are times I feel like I’m in a large dark room trying to find my way around it.”

  “You’ll find your way out of the darkness,” Molly proclaimed softly. “The good Lord will see to it.”

  “I sure hope so.” She scanned the people milling about, talking with each other or standing in line for the snacks and drinks served. Her gaze fell onto Lee, and she frowned. “I didn’t see him come into the church.” Why didn’t he sit by them like he had last week? Because he was protecting you then. Now he doesn’t have to.

  Molly followed the direction Heidi was staring, then blocked her line of vision. “What happened at the party? I never saw Lee the last half. I know people were spread out all through my downstairs, but...”

  “I think he left after he talked with Alexa.”

  “Oh.”

  “That’s right. Oh. The conversation didn’t go well.”

  Molly’s eyes narrowed. “Is that why he went into work when yesterday was his day off?”

  “I guess. I didn’t see him yesterday. The only time I’ve seen him since the party is now—standing on the far side of th
e room with a ton of people between us.”

  Molly peered at Lee until his gaze connected with hers, then she waved him to her.

  “Molly, why did you do that?”

  “To get to the bottom of this. Alexa has done enough damage to him. It shouldn’t continue.”

  Heidi leaned close to her landlady so no one else would hear and whispered, “It’s simple. He still cares about her. He isn’t over her. That doesn’t leave any room for—others in his life. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think the garden is particularly beautiful at this time of year.”

  As Heidi rushed away, she heard Molly say, “But it’s winter. Most things are dead.”

  Just as her feelings for Lee were going to be when she convinced her heart he wasn’t the one for her.

  * * *

  “Where is Heidi going?” Lee asked as he approached Molly in the fellowship hall.

  “Do you care?”

  “Of course I care,” he retorted. “She’s a friend. I feel responsible for her.”

  “Why? She isn’t in any danger now that West is behind bars and Garry is dead.”

  “What kind of person would I be if I didn’t care after all she has gone through? She doesn’t know who she is or where she lived before this.” And that was part of the problem. He’d started to have deeper feelings for her, and then he was reminded of the mistake he’d made with Alexa, a woman he’d known for years.

  “What’s going on with you and Alexa?”

  He shifted uncomfortably. “What do you mean? What’s that got to do with Heidi?”

  “I heard about your conversation with Alexa Friday night. You haven’t finished grieving for that loss.”

  Lee pulled her to the side. “Hold on there. I know it’s over between us, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

  “Then why are you so angry with her? Why haven’t you forgiven her? Do you think you can truly move on without doing that?”

  Lee looked around him. “Shh. Not so loud. I don’t want the whole church to know my business.”