chuckled as she turned away. ‘I’ll have them bring breakfast to your room.’
‘Wait.’ Swinging her legs off the bed Miranda stood up to fold her in a grateful hug. ‘You know I love you, right? I don’t say it enough.’
Having been—what had he called it, treated to a hug-fest?—she wanted more hugs in her life. When Tyler was gone she would need them.
‘You don’t have to say it. You’re the daughter I never had.’ Grace leaned back and winked. ‘Now make me proud and go give that handsome devil hell for what he did to you.’
‘I will.’
The thought lifted her spirits a little and by the time she’d showered, had breakfast and was feeling more human she’d made a decision. There was no point dwelling over how little time they had left. If all they had was a few more weeks she was going to make the most of them. He did care—if she’d been thinking sensibly she’d have known that without him saying it. She had to accept that was enough, even if she struggled with it. But she didn’t want a marriage proposal or a drawer at his apartment or even to keep a toothbrush in his bathroom. All she wanted was to continue seeing him. Maybe she should tell him that?
If it didn’t feel like the biggest step she’d ever taken with the most massive gaping cavern for her to fall into if he didn’t feel the same way, she might consider it.
She checked her watch and frowned. Grace was late with the itinerary. It wasn’t like her. Lifting her things, she decided to meet her at her desk, the sight of someone she hadn’t expected making her footsteps falter when she got there. ‘Lewis. I didn’t think you were working today.’
‘I wasn’t.’
Miranda’s gaze shifted when Grace appeared from her father’s office, the grim expression on her face creating a sense of foreboding. ‘What’s going on?’
‘We don’t know much yet,’ she replied in a low voice. ‘But it’s all over the news. Apparently Detective Brannigan was on some kind of drugs raid last night and—’
‘No.’ The word parted her lips on a tortured whisper.
Grace reached out a hand and squeezed her arm. ‘He’s all right. Your father has asked me to find out what hospital he’s in so we can send a gift.’
‘What happened?’
It earned another squeeze—one that didn’t loosen—which suggested she knew Miranda would need the support.
‘He was shot.’
Grace had been right; she did need the support. Her body swayed, a wave of nausea rising in her throat. It was her worst nightmare. She couldn’t bear the thought of him lying bleeding somewhere while she’d been sleeping. But falling apart wasn’t going to help.
The only thing that would was seeing him.
Making a conscious effort to prick the bubble of shock surrounding her body, she summoned strength she didn’t know she possessed and took charge. ‘Lewis, bring the car to the door and use your connections in the department to find out what hospital he’s in. You’ll find out quicker than Grace.’
He nodded as he left.
‘I need you to reorganize today’s itinerary,’ she told Grace. ‘Most of the morning involves listening to speeches so they can do without me but there’s a scheduled visit to a veterans’ association before lunch. Give them a call and see if we can move it back a couple of hours. If we can’t extend my apologies and see if we can reschedule for later in the week—tell them I’m sick if you need to.’
‘I’ll see to it. What do you want me to tell your father if he asks where you are?’
‘Tell him the truth. If he has a problem he can discuss it with me later.’
‘I’ll call you with an update.’
Between several calls, a check on the internet for what little news there was and with Lewis driving with the lights flashing on the front grill of the SUV, they reached their destination in relatively good time.
Standing at a nurse’s station, she announced, ‘I’m looking for Detective Brannigan’s room. I was told it’s on the fifth floor.’
‘Are you family?’
‘He’s my bodyguard.’ She lifted her chin. ‘I’m Miranda Kravitz. My father is the mayor.’
Meaning if the woman got in her way she would have a fight on her hands...
‘Do you think you can get him to stay in bed?’
The question made her sag with relief. If they were having difficulty keeping him in bed it was a good sign. ‘Point me in the right direction and I’ll give it a try.’
‘Third