To Love Someone (Baytown Boys #14) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,87

Joseph fed the kittens. When she walked through the back door into the kitchen with Frodo, Joseph leaned his hip against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “Babe? What purpose could someone have for taking a rabies vaccination?”

“Taking it?”

“Well, stealing it.”

She poured food into Frodo’s bowl, then twisted to look up at him in surprise. “There’s no real black market for rabies vaccinations. So, selling it would make no sense.”

“Even if it makes no sense, what could they use it for?”

She stood back, allowing Frodo to dive into his food, her gaze drifting to the side. He could see the wheels were turning behind her dark eyes when suddenly, her brow knit, and she shot her gaze back to his face. “To give to someone who either can’t afford them or doesn’t want a veterinarian to know.”

“Like someone who is illegally breeding animals?” As soon as the words left his lips he watched the blood drain from her face. His hand reached out as she rushed to him, her fingers clutching his arms, her eyes wide.

“Joseph, if you’re right, then someone on my staff is stealing! Someone on my staff is giving or selling the rabies vaccinations! Oh, my God! What do I do? Who do we call?”

“Take it easy, babe. All we have right now is just an idea… a speculation.”

She nodded, her head moving in ungainly jerks, and he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. “Shhh, it’s going to be fine.” After a moment, she nodded against his chest and leaned her head back to peer up at him.

“I just can’t think that it’s one of my staff. Joseph, that actually hurts my heart.”

He had no reply but held her close, enveloping her into his embrace, hoping it offered comfort.

Jerking again, she blurted, “It can’t be Brentley. He hasn’t been with me for all that long.” As soon as the words left her mouth, her brow crinkled again. “But then I can’t really say exactly when things started disappearing. And he has a lot of vetmed school debts.” Looking up, she sighed. “But Susan? Tonya? Annette? They’ve been with the clinic longer than I have!”

“Sweetheart, making yourself upset about this now won’t help. We don’t even know if our supposition is correct.”

“You’re right. I think I need to pull my list from the clinic and cross-reference dates to make sure I have my information correct.”

“Then we can go to Colt with our suspicions. Give him the information, let him know when this started, let him guide us in what we need to do.” She nodded again, and he gave another squeeze to maintain her attention. “But babe? Don’t do anything to give away your hand. We don’t want the person to know what you’re thinking.”

“You’re right. But it’s going to be hell working with everyone, wondering who might be a thief!”

Meows from below caused them both to look down, and Joseph smiled as Samantha let go of him and bent to scoop up Pip and Merry. He rubbed their heads with his large hand, then bent to kiss Samantha’s forehead. “Take the cats into the living room with Frodo and play with them for a little while. We’ve got leftovers I can heat up, and I’ll have dinner ready quickly.”

Glad that she didn’t argue, he watched her walk into the living room, a kitten in each hand, cooing and talking to the animals. True to his word, it didn’t take long for him to set leftover fried chicken, reheated macaroni and cheese, and salad onto the table. As they ate, he kept the conversation light even though he could see the stress in the slight lines on her face.

After dinner, he read while she channel-surfed. After she’d sighed for the hundredth time, he closed his book and tossed it onto the coffee table. Standing, he pulled her to her feet and said, “Let’s go, babe. You need your rest.”

By the time he’d checked the security of the house and finished in the bathroom, she was already in bed. Flipping off the lights, he slid underneath the covers and wrapped his body around her, pulling her back tightly to his front. Nuzzling her ear, he whispered, “Let all those thoughts out of your mind. Just relax and sleep.”

She twisted her head to the side so that their mouths were close. “I don’t think I can sleep, Joseph.”

Their hands were clasped in front of her, and he gave a little squeeze. “You got a cure