Eva awoke the next morning with a sore throat, but the incessant coughing seemed to have disappeared. The room wasn’t at all familiar, and then she realized that she was in a hotel near Finn’s home.
Cocoa was curled up beside her on the bed. The poor puppy had been so afraid to be separated from her, she’d given in and allowed the puppy to sleep with her.
Cocoa sensed her movements and jumped up excitedly. Eva took the animal outside, then cleaned up after him. Although it was early, she found herself wondering what time Finn might show up.
She hadn’t expected to fall asleep after everything that had transpired. But somehow the memory of Finn’s kiss and his declaration of love had brought a sense of comfort. Knowing the bad guys had been arrested had helped provide another layer of security.
God had certainly watched over them last night.
Two minutes after she returned to her room, there was a knock at her door. When she opened it, Finn stood there, looking amazingly handsome.
“Hey!” He bent to give her a quick kiss, then flashed a distracted smile. “Ready to go? I’m making breakfast at my place before we pick up Abernathy.”
“Um, sure. I guess.” She glanced around the hotel room, found her purse, then saw the cans of wet dog food. She hadn’t had a can opener with her so she decided to take it along to Finn’s. Last, she picked up Cocoa. “Okay, we’re ready.”
“Great.” Finn ushered her outside and drove them the short distance to his place. When they entered the kitchen, which was surprisingly spotlessly clean, he began pulling out pots and pans.
“Do you need anything? I’m not completely helpless in the kitchen.”
“Never said you were,” Finn responded. “Have a seat—this won’t take long. As soon as we’re finished, I’d like to get over to the vet.”
She understood his need to see Abernathy. “Okay. What happened last night? Anything you can tell me that won’t jeopardize your case?”
He quirked an eyebrow. “How many cops have you dated?”
“Huh?” Had she missed something? “None. Why?”
“It’s amazing that you seem to understand what a cop’s life entails, that we can’t always talk about our cases. I noticed from the moment we first met how you seemed to think like a cop.”
She hesitated, then confessed, “I had an uncle who was a cop. My mom’s brother. Uncle Jerry. He was my favorite uncle and my mother used to tease me about how much I loved hearing his stories, even the ones I’d listened to over and over. He passed away two years ago, and I still miss him.”
“I knew you had to have had some exposure to police,” he joked. “Where are your parents?”
“They moved to Arizona. I usually see them a few times a year.”
“Hopefully in the winter, right?”
“Right.” Her smile faded. “At first I thought of becoming a cop, then decided I was more interested in healing people, so I studied nursing. When Malina was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, the same way our mother had been, I instinctively knew I would have it, too. So I dropped out of nursing school and began training guide dogs. I was diagnosed four months ago.”
Finn’s expression turned serious. “Eva, I know how difficult it must be for you, but please know that I love you no matter what diagnosis you have. Either one of us could come down with some sort of illness. Cancer, diabetes, heart disease. You name it, it’s out there.”
She knew he was right, but still believed he was glossing over the reality of her future. “Yes, but being blind is a big deal. It will make having a family impossible.”
“Impossible? Not hardly.” Finn came over to sit beside her. He took her hands in his. “Challenging? Maybe. But not impossible. The Eva Kendall I know won’t let anything stand in the way of what she wants.”
That made her chuckle even though she knew he was still taking it all too lightly. “Right now she wants breakfast, so hurry it up, will you? I need to feed Cocoa.”
Finn stole another quick kiss and then returned to his frying pan. She opened the can of food the vet had provided and spooned it into a bowl for Cocoa. Reassured by the way the chocolate Lab ate with enthusiasm, she knew the puppy would be fine.
When Finn had their eggs and toast ready, he set the platter on the table, then reached for her hand. “Dear Lord, we thank You for this food we are about to eat. We also thank You for keeping us safe in Your care and healing our wounds. We ask that You continue to guide us on Your chosen path as we get married, have children and live happily ever after. Amen.”
“Amen,” she answered automatically, then jerked her head up to look at him. “Wait, what? Are you crazy?”
“Crazy in love,” he assured her. “And if you’re not ready to accept my proposal yet, that’s fine. I’ll ask every day until you say yes.”
“Every day?” She laughed, which then turned into a coughing fit. “Did you get any sleep last night? I think your brain cells have gone on the fritz.”
“Four hours, and my brain cells are firing just fine.” He squeezed her hand gently, then let go so they could eat. As if he hadn’t just proposed, he went on. “After we pick up Abernathy, I’d like to drop by Pete’s house to let him know he and Mikey are safe. Oh, and there’s an award ceremony next week that I hope you’ll attend with me. The brass is giving Abernathy a medal of honor for being wounded in the line of duty.”
“So soon?”
“I guess. I thought they’d wait until the K-9 graduation ceremony, but that won’t be for six months.” He shrugged. “Guess they didn’t want to wait that long.”
“Okay.” Her head was spinning with all the plans Finn was making. Had she imagined his proposal? During a prayer, no less? Goofy man.
They finished their breakfast in under twenty minutes. Finn filled two cups of coffee in to-go mugs and led the way outside to his K-9 SUV. She kept Cocoa with her as she slid in beside Finn.
The trip to the vet didn’t take long. When they walked in, she thought for sure she could hear Abernathy barking.
“Calm down,” the assistant said, bringing Abernathy out from the back. The poor yellow Lab was wearing the cone of shame and obviously didn’t like it. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” Finn took Abernathy’s leash and dropped to one knee, giving the animal a good rub. “Sorry about the cone, but hopefully those sutures will heal up fast. We’ll get rid of that thing as soon as possible, okay?”
Abernathy stared up at him with mournful brown eyes, as if to ask, Why not now?
“You’re a brave boy.” Eva scratched him behind the ears. “I bet Mikey will be happy to see you. And Cocoa, too.”
“Next stop, Pete’s,” Finn agreed.
Eva couldn’t deny feeling a bit apprehensive about seeing her brother-in-law again. So much had happened in the short time since she’d left him and Mikey. Logically she knew that Pete didn’t hold a grudge against her for Mikey being in danger; at the same time, she knew their relationship might be strained for a while.
Still, she adored Mikey and knew Pete would need help, more so now that Malina was gone.
She prayed that Pete would find solace in God.
Finn parked in Pete’s driveway, then went around to the back to let Abernathy out. The K-9 still looked unhappy about the cone, but he didn’t try to get it off. Eva carried Cocoa. As they approached the front door, she heard voices from the backyard.
“Pete? Mikey?” she called as she leaned over to the fence. There was a door with a latch on it leading to the backyard. “It’s Eva and Finn. We have Abernathy and Cocoa.”
“Cocoa?” Mikey’s excited voice made her grin. “I wanna see Cocoa!”
“Come on in,” Pete called.
Eva lifted the latch and opened the gate. They went into the small backyard to find Pete and Mikey sitting near the turtle-shaped sandbox.
“Cocoa!” Mikey was excited to see the puppy. “You found him!”
“Sure did.” She met Pete’s gaze and gave a brief nod. “Cocoa is safe now. And so are we.”
“We locked all the bad guys in jail,” Finn added.
“What happened to Abernathy?” Pete’s gaze was troubled.
“Grazed, and then kicked, but he’ll be okay.” She was glad Finn didn’t go into details with Mr. Big Ears listening. “I wanted to let you know personally that you’re safe.”
“The package?” Pete asked.
Eva glanced at Finn, who shrugged. “We may never know what happened to it. But the guys in jail know that we don’t have it, so I don’t think there’s a reason to worry. The rest of the operation is going down as we speak.”
Pete’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t say anything.
Cocoa jumped into the sandbox with Mikey, making the little boy giggle. “I love Cocoa,” he announced.
The puppy began digging in the corner of the sandbox farthest from the house. Curious, Eva went over to see what Cocoa had found. When she saw a hint of plastic, she knew.
The package.
“Finn! Come quick!”
Finn was beside her in an instant. “What in the world?” He knelt down, easing Cocoa aside to finish uncovering the package.
“Is that—” She didn’t finish.
“Cocaine,” Finn said grimly. He looked at her, then shifted his gaze to Pete. “It was here all along.”
Eva let out a low groan. “I never thought to look out here.”
“Me, either.” Finn hefted the package in his hand. “Looks and weighs about as much as a ten-pound bag of sugar. This is worth a lot of money to those guys.”
“Fifty grand,” she whispered. “That’s what Greer claimed.”
“Not worth dying over,” Pete said, a faint note of bitterness lacing his tone.
“No, it’s not,” Finn agreed. “I’m sorry.”
Pete blew out a heavy breath. “Not your fault. Just...do me a favor and get it out of here, okay? I can’t stand knowing that Malina died because of those drugs.”
“Sure.” Finn carried the newfound evidence to his SUV, leaving Pete and Eva and Mikey alone in the backyard.
“I’m sorry, too, Pete,” she said, breaking the silence. “I hope you’ll let me know when you need me to watch Mikey.”
He hesitated, shrugged, then nodded. “I appreciate that, Eva. I’ve been sitting here, berating myself for going to that stupid conference in Atlanta. I hate to admit it, but at the time, I was anxious to get away from it all. But the thought of losing Mikey scared me to death. I need to spend more time with him, and even more so, we need grief counseling. We have to learn how to cope with losing Malina. I’ve been granted an official leave of absence for two weeks and can use my vacation time to extend it if needed. I’ll let you know when I return to work.”
“I’m so glad to hear that, Pete. You and Mikey are going to be fine.” She bent over and gave Mikey a hug and a kiss. “See you later, alligator,” she teased.
“After a while, crocodile!” Mikey shouted back.
Eva carried Cocoa through the gate to where Finn and Abernathy waited near the SUV. She heard him on the phone, no doubt calling in about the drugs. When he saw her, he finished his call and slid the phone in his pocket.
“Everything okay?”
“It will be,” she said with confidence. “Pete’s strong enough to get through this. He’s a good father and will do what’s best for Mikey.”
“I need to drop this evidence at headquarters. Do you want me to drop you off at the hotel or my place for a bit?”
“Um.” His place? Was he serious? First an off-the-cuff proposal and now this?
She was tempted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. The future Finn offered was one she couldn’t have.
Or bear to lose.
Finn hid a smile at Eva’s poorly masked confusion. He hadn’t been joking when he’d asked her to marry him, and he silently promised to prove it by taking her ring shopping as soon as he wrapped this up.
Eva had requested to go to the hotel, but he wasn’t thrilled with that idea. Even though she was safe, he didn’t like having her out of his sight.
At headquarters, Finn quickly flagged down Zach Jameson. “We found it.”
“What?” Zach’s puzzled gaze cleared instantly. “The package? Are you kidding? Where?”
“Buried in Mikey’s sandbox.”
Zach let out a disgusted snort. “I should have had Eddie sniffing around back there. It makes sense now that you think about it. Of course she didn’t keep it inside the house. Buried in the sandbox was a perfect hiding place.”
“I know. Have they given us anything else?”
Zach nodded. “Names of other players. This is it, Finn. We broke the biggest drug ring in New York City.”
“I’m glad.”
“I heard Abernathy is getting a medal of honor next week.” Zach patted Abernathy’s head. “You’re going to take the cone off for pictures, right?”
“Right,” Finn agreed. “I’ll check in with you later, okay?”
“Sure thing.”
Finn was making his way through the maze of cubicles when one of his fellow cops, Gavin Sutherland, snagged his arm.
“Finn. Have a minute?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
Gavin’s expression was grim. “Remember the building that came down due to a boiler explosion a few months ago?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“I think it’s connected to my newest case. The newspaper reported the source of the explosion was the boiler, but I’ve recently learned the source was really a bomb. The place was blown up on purpose.”
Finn’s eyes widened. “That’s not good.”
“No, it isn’t.” Gavin glanced down at his K-9 partner. “Tommy is the best bomb-sniffing dog on the force, so we’re being pulled in to help. I may need backup.”
Tommy was a springer spaniel who specialized in finding bombs.
“Let me know and we’ll be there to help. You and Tommy need to be careful, Gavin.”
“We will.”
Finn left headquarters, returning to find Eva and Cocoa waiting outside headquarters in the shade. She was stunningly beautiful, but that wasn’t why he loved her.
He loved her spirit, her determination, her independence, her wit, her spunk. He loved everything about her. “Hey, sorry about that. It took longer than I thought.”
“Not a problem. Listen, let’s just sit at Griffin’s for a while. I don’t want to be stuck in my hotel room longer than I need to be.”
“Okay, I’m up for that,” Finn agreed. He gazed into her blue eyes for a long moment, then said, “Eva, I love you so much. I promise to be a good husband and a good father to our children. Will you please marry me?”
She stared at him. “You said you’d propose once a day, not once every couple of hours,” she accused.
“I lied.” He swept her close and kissed her, longer this time, trying to prove how much he cared. “I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to help myself. You better get used to it. These proposals keep popping up before I can stop them. I’ll ask until I wear you down.”
She laughed and shook her head. “You already have, Finn. Yes.”
His eyebrows levered up, hope shining in his eyes. “Yes—what?”
“Yes, I love you. Yes, I’ll marry you. Yes, I’ll have a family with you.”
“She said yes!” Finn scooped her up against him, with Cocoa sandwiched between them, and spun her in a circle. “Thank you for making me the happiest man in the world!”
She didn’t answer, but that might have been because he was kissing her again.
Finn had her right where he wanted her. And now that he had her in his arms, he knew he’d never let her go.
If you enjoyed Blind Trust, look for Gavin and Brianne’s story, Deep Undercover, coming up next and the rest of the True Blue K-9 Unit series from Love Inspired Suspense.
True Blue K-9 Unit:
These police officers fight for justice with the help of their brave canine partners.
Justice Mission
by Lynette Eason, April 2019
Act of Valor
by Dana Mentink, May 2019
Blind Trust
by Laura Scott, June 2019
Deep Undercover
by Lenora Worth, July 2019
Seeking the Truth
by Terri Reed, August 2019
Trail of Danger
by Valerie Hansen, September 2019
Courage under Fire
by Sharon Dunn, October 2019
Sworn to Protect
by Shirlee McCoy, November 2019
True Blue K-9 Unit Christmas
by Laura Scott and Maggie K. Black,
December 2019
Keep reading for an excerpt from Lone Witness by Shirlee McCoy.
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