LITMIR.BIZ

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at him. “You should go. To your hotel or back to the hospital. I’ll be fine.”

      Like hell he’d leave her to handle this alone. “Sure, I’ll go. Is there a neighbor you’d like to come over to wait with you?” he asked innocently.

      “Just go.” Temper flared in her eyes. “I’m a big girl, Derek.” She paused to clear her throat. “This isn’t the first bad day I’ve had.”

      He’d bet good money it was among the worst she’d had in a long time. At least he hoped days like this weren’t the norm. He moved her tote aside and tugged her down to sit on the steps with him.

      “You might not have heard, but I’m coming off a pretty bad day myself,” he said, keeping his voice light. “The experts promised that my worst nightmare isn’t going to strike this time. Which gives me time to help you out.”

      “What’s your worst nightmare?” she asked, pressing her hands together between her knees.

      “Being alone.” It wasn’t a fear he’d ever confessed or tackled head-on. When had he come to trust Grace Ann so much? “I don’t dwell on it,” he added. He lived his life, managed his career and kept himself distracted with hobbies.

      “Ah.”

      “Ah?” he echoed. “Meaning?”

      She exhaled, her breath fluffing her bangs away from her forehead. “You know I’m second of five kids,” she reminded him. “An army brat. My family seems to grow a little more every year through military connections alone. I’m not sure I have a grasp of the kind of loneliness you’re afraid of.”

      Her answer painted a clear picture of how little he knew about her and filled him with a strange urgency to learn more. “Do you have a roommate?”

      “No. I enjoy living by myself.” A wry smile curved her lips. “Of course there’s always a sibling or friend I can call, to vent or lean on when needed.”

      He supposed that’s where he fit into her life. Someone she called when she needed a break from solitude or work. “Why don’t you call your family now?”

      “I should.” Elbows propped on her knees, she rested her head on her hands. “I will once the police are done. No sense worrying everyone until we have more facts.”

      “You’ll tell them about the attack in the stairwell, too?”

      She rubbed her temples. “I hate to worry the family but I will tell them all of it,” she muttered.

      “What else are you dealing with?” He smoothed a hand across the bunched muscles of her shoulders.

      “Stupidity.” She picked up her cell phone, turning it around in her hands, lips pursed. “I got suspended today,” she said. “Someone reported me for misuse of Defense Department supplies and my security clearance is suspended while they investigate.”

      Whoa. Work was everything for Grace Ann. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

      She picked at the knees of her scrubs. “Some guy was strangling me.”

      “Your family can help with this, right?” She was the daughter of a highly decorated general. Surely he still had connections.

      “They shouldn’t.”

      He draped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her close. “You have to tell them.”

      “I will.” She leaned into him. “Again, better to have all the facts,” she said.

      “Do you need an attorney?” He didn’t have the right legal expertise, but he had friends in all areas of law practice.

      She frowned. “I didn’t think you took private clients.”

      “I can help you find someone,” he replied. He didn’t even have to think about it, though it meant calling in a favor with a friend or two with more experience in military law.

      She pushed up from the stairs, arms folded over her middle as she paced the width of the garage. “You’re too generous,” she said.

      It didn’t sound like a compliment. “You’d change your mind if I sent you a bill.”

      In the glare of the overhead light, he saw that her rusty laugh didn’t quite reach her eyes. He really should have a ready solution—other than sex—to help ease her distress.

      What began on a whim at his first family picnic with Kevin’s unit could have been a sturdy foundation. In that soft evening light, away from the noise of so many happy, reunited families, he’d found contentment. Her wide, accepting smile and her doe eyes framed by long dark eyelashes drew things out of him too easily. With her, on that secluded path, all of his wishes and dreams were possible.

      That one kiss had led to...nothing. Not right away. They’d exchanged numbers and after some careful planning, they’d spent a weekend hiking the gorgeous trails in the Shenandoah National Park. There, they’d developed a no-strings, friends-with-benefits arrangement that was the best of both worlds.

      Now he felt as if they’d shortchanged all that early potential.

      “I appreciate the offer,” she was saying. “The accusation is bogus and the investigation will bear that out soon enough. I won’t be out of work long.”

      He heard the faintly hopeful note in her statement and kept his opinion to himself. Waiting out bogus accusations was one thing, but adding in the attack at work and now the vandalism to her home, his uneasiness cranked up. “You think these are all just unrelated, unfortunate incidents?”

      “Yes.”

      Her fierce, whispered reply wasn’t convincing. He couldn’t challenge her or ask for more details because the police cruiser pulled up, parking on the street.

      “You can leave,” she said as the officers approached. “I’ll be fine.”

      “In a minute.” He stood with her, not close enough to touch, unless she reached out. As much as he wanted to console her, it would be better if it was her idea.

      The two officers introduced themselves as Willet and Radcliff. Willet, hair going gray at the temples, carried a bit more weight than the wiry, youthful Radcliff. Together they patiently listened to Grace Ann’s account of finding the broken window, Willet taking notes. They asked about her security system and nodded in resigned acceptance as she explained there was only a motion-detecting floodlight at the back corner of the garage.

      “Not much help in daylight,” Officer Willet remarked.

      “Any signs of trouble inside?” Radcliff queried.

      “We haven’t gone in yet.” Grace Ann tugged at the high collar of her jacket. “It seemed prudent to wait for you.”

      “The door doesn’t show any sign of damage,” Derek said.

      “I never lock this one,” she admitted glumly.

      “Understandable,” Willet said. “It’s the same at my house. Radcliff will take a look around outside to check for any evidence or concerns.” With a nod, the younger man strolled off. “Once I clear the house, the three of us can walk through.”

      “I appreciate your time,” Grace Ann said.

      Officer Willet examined the doorjamb closely before entering the house, one hand on his holstered gun. “Just give me a few minutes,” he said.

      They stepped back to wait in the center of the garage. Officer Radcliff returned before Willet. He reported that other than a small, narrow footprint, there wasn’t any other evidence to be found.

      “Do you think the tree limb broke the window?” she asked.

      “Not to my eye,” Radcliff said. “I called for a crime scene tech to come out and gather whatever they can find.”

      She pressed her fingertips to

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