one-night stand three months ago that he’d yet to get out of his head. “Are they both okay?”
“Cara sounded fine. Sam’s being assessed,” his mother said, still trembling.
Mike swallowed hard. His mother’s fear wasn’t an easy thing to deal with, not when she was usually so strong. But she’d been hit with too many things at once lately.
“I need to go to your brother, but I can’t leave your father. I don’t want to drag him out there and put him under all that stress, around sick people and germs…”
This was something he could do to help. “I’ll head over to the hospital,” Mike said, glancing at his sister.
She nodded. “And I’ll stay here with you and Dad.”
“No.” Ella shook her head. “You go with your brother. You two should be together when you get news on Sam.”
Mike immediately thought of a solution. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll call Aunt Louisa to come over,” he said of his mother’s sister who also lived in Serendipity a few streets away. “That way you and Dad won’t be alone.”
“I don’t want to be a bother to her.”
But Erin had already reached for the phone and begun dialing over their mother’s objections.
A few minutes later, their aunt was on her way over while Mike and Erin headed for the hospital.
Officer Cara Hartley paced outside the emergency room, hoping for news on her partner and waiting for his family to arrive. She didn’t know which members would come, given Sam’s father’s condition, but her gut told her his brother, Michael, would be one of them. As laid-back as he appeared, when it came to doing his job or caring for his family, the man was as take-charge alpha as they came.
He also liked control in the bedroom, something Cara knew only too well. She shivered at the reminder of one incredible night a few months ago when Mike had been home for the weekend visiting his father. He and Sam had shown up at Joe’s Bar, they’d flirted, he’d bought her drinks, he’d walked her to her car, and the next thing she knew, she’d agreed to let him follow her home and take her—not just to bed but wherever he damn well pleased. He’d been phenomenal, bringing her to heights she’d only dreamed of and igniting a hunger that had fueled many fantasies in the months since.
“Dr. Nussbaum, please call extension fifty-three. Dr. Nussbaum, extension fifty-three.” The voice over the hospital loudspeaker broke into Cara’s heated thoughts.
Although those sensual memories had been a welcome distraction from worrying about Sam, the last thing she wanted to be thinking about was the man who was now her boss. He’d completely rocked her world, but he hadn’t mentioned it since his return. Granted, she hadn’t brought up the subject either, but his complete refusal to acknowledge her as more than one of his officers grated her female pride. Even the few times they were alone, Mike had been abrupt and all business.
When he arrived, she had no doubt he’d want to talk about what she and Sam were doing on Route 80, heading back to Serendipity from the outskirts of town. They’d been looking into a cold case Mike had assigned to them and were just beginning to realize that the implications of their findings might affect Mike personally. She wouldn’t share anything without Sam’s permission. Not even with her boss. Hopefully he wouldn’t push for information. If she had good news about Sam, maybe he wouldn’t delve too deeply into where they’d been or why.
Suddenly the street doors swung wide and Cara caught sight of Mike, his dark hair longer than regulation for a cop, his leather jacket giving him a dangerous edge. During the week, he wore suits and ties when he had scheduled meetings, but Cara knew he preferred his beat-up leather and jeans to the stuffy boss clothing the job demanded.
Mike barreled through the lobby and headed straight for her, his sister right behind him.
“How’s Sam?” Erin asked.
“What the hell happened?” Mike barked at Cara.
She straightened to her full height, which at five foot three wasn’t much compared to his almost six feet. “We were in an accident, Chief.”
“Any news on Sam?” Erin asked.
Cara shook her head. “Not yet, but he was conscious when the ambulance brought him in.”
“I didn’t have you two on the schedule today.” Mike pinned her with a steady stare.
Cara looked into his chocolate brown eyes, wondering how they could have been so sexy all those months ago