Chapter 10

Sally’s Diner

Monday 11:45 a.m.

Emma tossed the last bite of her grilled cheese onto her plate with disgust. She was annoyed her favorite comfort foods hadn’t provided the much-needed solace she’d hoped.

“Everything okay?” Peyton asked, setting a fresh cup of hot chocolate on the table.

“It’s fine.” Emma smiled at the girl, knowing it probably didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Just been one of those days, you know?”

“Oh, I get that,” Peyton grimaced. “I have a biology test and an English lit paper tomorrow and I’m here … working. Isn’t that just awful?”

“Awful,” Emma agreed, tongue-in-cheek, but she was sure that went right over the girl’s head. “Have you started?”

“Have I started?” Peyton’s eyes almost bugged out, “You mean my paper?”

“Well, yeah.”

“No,” Peyton stretched out the vowel.

Maybe you should have …. Emma couldn’t help but think and finally settled on. “Good luck.”

“Thanks. Anything else?”

Emma glanced at the hot chocolate and thought about asking for it to go, but then changed her mind. “No, I’m good.”

“Okay, well,” Peyton laid the check on the table. “I’ll get that when you’re ready.”

“Thanks.” Emma watched her bounce across the room and wanted to laugh at the girl’s woes. Would she want to be eighteen or nineteen again? She didn’t think so, but she might exchange her morning with Peyton … at least temporarily.

She’d been pulled from bed for an early morning emergency that hadn’t ended well. And from there had gone out on a home visit which had also been disappointing. Her hope had been that an early lunch at Sally’s would make her feel better. But since it hadn’t helped as she’d hoped, she’d take a few minutes to recenter herself.

Emma leaned back in the booth and closed her eyes. A deep breath in, a deep breath out. The conversation around her faded. Another deep breath in ….

“Killian was there.”

The mention of the man’s name she’d been exchanging witty texts with all weekend had her heart rate speeding up.

“Rusty was with him.” the same voice continued, causing Emma’s radar to ping. It was the same person she’d overheard at the cookie exchange.

Could she look?

No, they’ll know you’re listening.

“I called them to rescue Audrey.”

When the woman’s voice grew softer, Emma pressed her head against the back of the booth, focusing on just the two voices.

“Audrey had been yelling for help for several hours.” Voice one continued.

“She lives next door to you, right?” the other voice questioned.

“Yes,” Voice one replied. “Apparently, Audrey and Leroy were playing sex games and Leroy was hurt.”

Emma’s breath caught. Leroy? Her Leroy? How was she going to be able to look at him and keep her brain from going down a path she really didn’t want it to go?

“I hadn’t seen Killian since before the holidays,” Voice one spoke a bit louder, “but he barely even looked at me. He even removed my hand from his arm and stepped away.”

Voice two gasped. “Has Killian been dating anyone since that situation with Belle?”

“I don’t know.” Voice one answered. “I was going to ask you the same thing.”

They sat there in silence for several seconds, and Emma relaxed enough to take a sip of her hot chocolate. It was cold, which meant; she needed to leave ….

“Oh, he just walked in.” Voice one whispered excitedly. “How do I look?

A zip of electricity shot up Emma’s spine. Killian just walked in? What should she do? What should she say?

There was a part of her that had to fight to keep from turning around. But the other part of her panicked, thinking, I must look awful!

Self-consciously, Emma slid a little lower in the seat. Her feelings about seeing him weren’t the same as before New York … before the weekend. They’d exchanged numerous texts, and she found him to be funny and sweet with the way he was trying to impress her. But she had on no makeup, her clothes were wrinkled, and her ponytail was droopy.

Vain, Emma? That’s not you.

Her phone buzzed, and before she ever glanced at it, she knew it was him.

Killian: Are the Felis catus still creating chaos in your clinic?

Emma: Did google help with that or did you remember on your own?

Killian didn’t want to sound cheeky, but neither did he want to scare her. He’d typed out a few words, but before he hit send, she’d sent another message.

Emma: I’m sorry. That was rude.

Her response unsettled him, not because of what she’d said, but because of the way she made him feel. And much of those feelings were ones he didn’t know how to handle.

Plus, she makes you nervous.

Killian: Rough Day?

When she didn’t immediately return a response, Killian weighed his options. Chloe and Morgan were sitting in the booth behind Emma and were watching him. He knew what they were expecting ... but he had no intention of being that man again. So how was he to behave around women he’d dated?

Before he’d answered his question, Emma laid money on the table in front of her. And even though she hadn’t responded, he quickly typed out another message. That he typed it, deleted and typed it again was a sign of just how much was at stake.

Killian: Want some company?

Waiting for her response was almost worse than staring down the barrel of a gun. Both situations had the power to hurt him.

The three little dots appeared ….

She’s responding.

His palms started to sweat.

She’s responding.

His heart raced; his hands shook ….

Emma: Sure. I have a little time.

Killian sagged against the counter and worked to control his breathing.

You can do it.

You can do it, he repeated several times before making his way across the diner toward her booth.

“Was it good?” He nodded at the remains of her lunch.

You’ve wanted to talk to her for ages and that’s the best you could come up with?

Emma smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes, “Sally’s has the best grilled cheese and chicken soup.”

Killian slid into the seat across from her and studied her for several seconds. “What brings you to town this early in the day?”

“I had a home visit,” she shrugged, “decided to have lunch before going back to the clinic.”

“No,” he leaned on the table, and lowered his voice, “there’s more.”

Her eyes dropped, and her hands were busy folding and unfolding her napkin. He thought about laying his hand on top of them, but a quick movement over Emma’s shoulder reminded him of Chloe and Morgan.

“You done here?” He tapped her plate.

Emma’s eyes met his again, and her shoulders visibly relaxed, “Yes.”

“Walk with me?”

Her lips twitched, as if she already knew the answer, “Don’t you need to wait for your lunch?”

“No.” He could feel the heat climbing, but admitted, “I didn’t come in for lunch.”

Emma’s brow arched, and her lips curled into a half smile, catching him with his proverbial pants down. “No?”

“Should I apologize?”

She surprised him by sliding from the booth. “No. I’m ready.”

Killian grinned and lightly guided her through the diner with his hand on her elbow. But once they were outside, he forced himself to put some space between them. “Feels like snow.” He flipped up his collar and tucked his hands into his pockets.

“Think so?” Emma glanced at the sky. “I hope not.”

They walked along in companionable silence for several minutes with Killian coming up and discarding several topic ideas.

“You were right.” Emma suddenly stopped and turned toward him.

Killian frowned, feeling as if he needed to run to catch up, “Right about what?”

“About my having a rough day,” she sighed. “Today has just been one of those days, you know?”

“I’ve had those,” he acknowledged. “I’ve been told sharing your burdens helps.”

Emma smiled in such a way her eyes crinkled at the corners, “You’re not one who usually asks for help?”

“Not normally.” He hesitated several seconds, trying to decide how much he should say, “But the last few months, I’ve asked for it a several times.”

He didn’t like admitting he’d needed help, as it embarrassed him. But Emma was here, and that was what mattered.

“I get that,” she murmured. “It’s no big secret. I was up early trying to save another dog who’d been hit by a car, and then I had to check on Rene’s horse.”

“And those didn’t end well?” he prompted, thinking about what Rusty had told him about his wife’s horse.

Emma shook her head and a pensive look crossed her beautiful face. “I couldn’t save the dog and,” her lower lip trembled slightly, “the news on Rene’s horse could have been better.”

Killian unconsciously caressed her arm. “Rene knows you’re doing your best.”

“I know.” Emma gave him a crooked smile. “I just wish I could do more.” Then suddenly, she frowned, as if a puzzle piece had clicked into place. “You know, that’s the fourth dog I’ve treated that was a victim of a hit and run since I’ve been back.”

Her comment had Killian’s investigative radar pinging, “Wait, what did you just say?”

Emma gnawed on her bottom lip for several seconds, “I’ve seen four dogs, who were hit by a vehicle, and the driver left the scene in the past three weeks. The first was Bo Peep, there were two stray dogs, and the one this morning that belonged to Shawn.”

“Shawn?”

“My mechanic,” Emma explained.

Killian bit back a response about Shawn tuning Emma’s car, to ask, “And no idea who’s responsible?”

A teasing grin crossed her face. “I just try to save them. Aren’t you,” she pointed at him, “the one who investigates?”

“Touché.” Killian met her grin with one of his own. “I’ll look into it.”

“Good. I’ve got to run.” Emma took several steps before turning back, “Oh, and thanks.”

“For?”

“Taking on some of my,” she made quotation marks with her fingers, “burdens.”

“Anytime, Doc.” Killian’s grin grew bigger. “Anytime.”

Veterinarian Clinic, Thursday 3:00 p.m.

Emma stood at the window of her clinic watching the white flakes as they rapidly covered the ground. “Sadie,” she glanced back at her friend, “you should go home. It’s looking pretty bad out there.”

Sadie barely looked up from the computer screen she was studying, “Oh, poo, that’s nothing. Besides, Gray’s picking me up in his work truck. And, “she winked, “you know how big that is.”

Emma snickered, “Men and the size of their …”

“Now, now, Emma. In this case, it’s—“

“La la la,” Emma sang, “TMI, my friend.”

“Someday,” Sadie teased.

An image of Killian smiling down at her floated through Emma’s mind. But she wasn’t ready to go there yet and turned her attention back to the snow.

When her phone buzzed, she knew who the text was from before she even pulled it from her pocket.

Killian: You’re home safe, right? We’ve already had several accidents because of this weather.

Having someone, especially someone of the male species concerned about her was a new experience. But … in a way, she had to admit, it was kind of nice.

Emma: I hope no one was hurt too badly. And yes, I’m home.

Killian: Nothing major … yet. Any more dog incidents?

Emma: No more dogs. Haven’t solved the mystery yet?

Killian: Not yet. Stay warm.

She shoved the phone back into her pocket, a smile threatening to break free.

“So?”

Emma could feel Sadie’s curious gaze without even turning her head.

“What?”

“Come on, Emma,” Sadie coaxed, “spill the details about you and Killian.”

“There is no me and Killian,” Emma responded hurriedly.

Sadie grinned. “Me thinks you protest too much. Come on,” she linked her arm through Emma’s, and directed them into the all-purpose room, “have a seat and tell Aunty Sadie.”

Emma studied Sadie for several seconds, shocked to realize she wanted to talk about what had transpired. “If I tell you,” Emma’s green eyes clashed with Sadie’s, “you can’t tell anyone.”

Sadie made a small X over her heart, and then raised her hand as if making a pledge, “I promise. Now give me the details.”

“Well,” Emma began, “when I was in New York, I attended a masquerade ball on New Year’s Eve with my friend Elsa and guess who was there?”

“Killian?” Sadie squealed, practically bouncing up and down in the chair.

“Yes,” Emma confirmed. “It was very weird, but my friend Elsa and Killian’s brother, Liam, are interested in each other.”

“But if it was a masquerade ball, how did you know it was Killian?”

Emma thought back on that night, “I think it had something to do with the way he walked.”

“The way he walked?” Sadie tilted her head in thought, “I could see that. But wasn’t his face covered?”

“Yeah,” Emma’s heart raced with the memory of seeing the way he strolled across the room toward her. “He had on a black tux, a white shirt, a black bow tie, and a cummerbund. And around his head, he’d tied a black scarf. He reminded me of the Lone Ranger.”

“Is that what you called him?”

“No,” Emma giggled. “Liam introduced him as Zorro.”

“Zorro?” Sadie nodded. “I can see that. Was it as romantic as it sounds?”

“It was nice,“ Emma admitted quietly. “And since I’ve been back, well …”

Sheriff’s Department, Wednesday 2:00 p.m.

It had been over a week since he’d learned about the mystery surrounding the dogs. But after a whiteout lasting three days and another two of digging out, there had been no time to look into the situation. However, after an uninterrupted night’s rest and barring no further disasters, he was moving it to the top of his daily agenda.

Emma’s text,

Emma: Sadie’s mother’s dog is the latest in the hit-and-run mystery. That makes five.

left him unsettled. And just as he’d done with the first four incidences, he grabbed a piece of paper and added the new information. He then pulled the file he’d started the week before and spread the papers on his desk. With five of them, maybe he’d see a pattern.

“What’s captured your attention?”

Killian glanced up as Dylan strolled into his office, “Something Emma mentioned to me—“

“Emma?” Dylan interrupted, “you’re finally talking to Emma?”

“That’s such a girl thing to say,” Killian grumbled. “I saw her at Sally’s last week.”

“And?”

“And nothing.” Killian pasted on his best neutral expression. “Anyway,” he steered the conversation back to the problem, “it seems there’s been a rash of hit and run incidences, involving dogs.”

“Dogs?” Dylan frowned, “Well, I guess I could understand someone not wanting to let on that it was them, but multiple. How many are we talking about?”

“Five this month. Anything like this happened before?”

“Never,” Dylan alleged. “What have you found out?”

Killian spread out the papers he’d been studying and grabbed a map of Swan Harbor. “So far, this is what I have.” He opened the map and marked several points showing where Bo Peep and the dogs belonging to Shawn and Anita had been hit. “Two of the dogs were strays that I’ll need to ask Emma about.”

“So basically no one area has been targeted, right?”

“Right.” Killian frowned, annoyed the pattern he’d wanted wasn’t there. “So, either it’s just a coincidence, or it’s several people, or they’ve been drinking too much, or …”

“We have someone deliberately targeting dogs in our little town.”

“Bloody hell,” Killian snapped. “How evil do you have to be to target helpless dogs?”

“Pretty evil,” Dylan sighed. “Damn, a serial dog killer. Told you we had some crazy cases in Swan Harbor.”

“You were right about that.”

“Okay,” Dylan grunted. “Get the word out and maybe it will make our killer have second thoughts. Keep me posted.”

“Will do.”

Killian wrote some notes and was getting ready to call Emma with a few questions when his cell phone buzzed with an incoming text. The message had him quickly dialing Emma.

“Killian?”

“You busy, Doc?”

“Not currently,” she replied hesitantly. “Why?”

“Because, I need you.”

“What?” she squeaked.

“I’m sorry, Doc,” Killian chuckled. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, but …”

“Oh, you didn’t,” she denied, making him question if he’d heard what he’d thought. “You just surprised me. Did you find out who’s hitting the dogs and driving off?”

“No, not yet.” Killian winced, wishing he could give her good news, “I need your help with something else.”

“Do I want to hear this?”

“I’m sorry,” he apologized again. “I’m mucking this up, aren’t I?”

“Killian,” she broke in breathlessly, “just ask.”

“It’s a rescue mission. Are you game?”

“Uh, Uh a rescue mission?”

A zip of excitement ran up Killian’s spine with the slight stutter of Emma’s words. Could she have thought he was going to ask her out?

“It’s not another dog that was hit-and-run, is it?” she asked, her voice, ‘dare he say,’ disappointed.

“No hurt dog, Doc,” he assured her, “that I know of, anyway.”

“Well, okay. If you’re sure.” Emma conceded. “Where should I meet you?”

“I’ll pick you up in one of the station’s trucks,” he offered, thinking there was no way he was going to allow her to drive alone. “The roads are better but where we’re going the bigger tires might be necessary. I’m on the way.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Calm down.

Stop acting like a schoolboy.

But the entire time he was shutting down his computer and storing the file, he had to keep repeating the words. Finally, after months of hope … he was going to be spending time with Emma.

“Leaving already? “Rusty asked, entering just as Killian exited.

“It’s just a rescue mission.” Killian offered, hoping his partner wouldn’t turn into a busybody.

“Need some help?” Rusty asked hopefully. “It would get me out of writing this report.”

“I’m ah … I’m taking Emma with me,” Killian finally got out. “This type of rescue is right up her alley.”

“I see.” A knowing look crossed Rusty’s face. “Lothario turning into Galahad?”

“Something like that.” Killian tugged on his ear, back to feeling much like the schoolboy.

“Well, if you’re sure,” Rusty stretched out his torture.

The thought he’d never been more sure floated through Killian’s head. “I’m sure. See you tomorrow.”

He’d gotten half-way down the steps when Rusty called out to him, “Oh, and Killian.”

“Aye?”

“Good luck.”

For a split second, Killian wasn’t sure what exactly Rusty was trying to say. Then he got a good look at his partner’s face and he couldn’t stop the smile from blooming on his own. “Thanks.” His grin grew even larger. “Thanks a lot.”