Bear of Interest (14 page)

Chapter Thirteen

Sam looked at her ring. It looked so much prettier now that it had been cleaned of all evidence that it had entered her throat and upper digestive tract. Her choking on it would certainly be a story to tell their children and grandchildren. A lucky thing that her fiancé was a doctor. She was getting married. She was going to be a doctor’s wife. She was going to be a bear’s mate. She’d been so busy looking at the ring that she hadn’t seen a fellow detective walk into her office.

“You’ll never guess what? We just got an anonymous tip. Some lady was drinking with this guy in one of the breweries in town and he was bragging that he’d been the guy who killed this woman he’d knocked up and dumped her out near Flathead Lake.”

“Margo Henderson?” asked Sam.

“Sounds like it to me.”

“Anything else she say?”

“That he’s been renting a cabin in the RV park close to Glacier.”

“I think we should go have a chat with him don’t you?”

“I definitely do.”

Arresting the killer would be some good news, finding him, knowing that she could get some closure for Margo’s parents. She grabbed her purse and headed out of the department. If this was the guy she couldn’t wait to tell Cole either. If it hadn’t been for him, Margo could have laid there decomposing and may never have been found. And yes, on the more personal side, she wouldn’t have met her mate.

****

“How are you feeling?” Cole asked Mia. He took vial of blood and set it in the tray and prepared to get another one.

“I’ve only had the one mating cycle since you started my treatment and it was shorter than I ever remember them being. My mark disappeared after a day.”

“That’s not a bad thing. It shows the formula is at least working on bringing back some of your fertility.” Cole put the vial on the counter. He’d run the tests as soon as possible to see if Mia had gotten pregnant during the first round of shots.

“There’s no mark on me now so I guess that means no baby, right?”

“Not necessarily.” Cole took hold of her hand. Mia was the first shifter he’d tested his new fertility drugs on. She was one of the oldest surviving females and if it worked on her, he knew it could work for the younger ones too. His pioneering treatment was the main reason he’d returned to work at the clinic.

“How come the shifters who mate with humans have no trouble getting pregnant?” asked Mia.

“Maybe it’s human DNA that’s the key,” said Cole.

“So are you and Sam hoping to have babies?”

Cole smiled. That was one thing he was looking forward to once they were married. They’d both said they wanted four. Sam wanted to make up for her own lost childhood. He wanted a sense of family and belonging. Together they’d make the happiest family on the block.

“Oh yeah, lots of them.”

A tear slipped down Mia’s face. “We had the chance to take in an orphaned wolf shifter but we chose not to because we thought we’d have our own one day. I guess I was a bit of a snob with her being a wolf and not a cougar. Look where that got me.”

Cole wrapped his arm around her. “You’re going to be a mother. One way or another you’re going to have a child.”

She tapped him on the nose. “Does your fiancé know how lucky she is to have captured your heart?”

“I think I’m the lucky one,” said Cole.

****

Sam signaled that she’d go around back to make sure the suspect didn’t run out of the back door when he realized the police were here to talk to him. It was starting to rain and mud was starting to form in the RV park. Glacier was just a mile up the road and would close up for the season in another six weeks, but maybe she and Cole should squeeze in one last weekend getaway before the wedding. Maybe they could even hold a winter wedding in one of the lodges.

Sam Hardy, get your mind back on the job at hand. You know that’s rule number one.

She flattened her back against the wood frame by the door, hearing her partner shouting the man’s name and banging on the cabin door.

The rain fell heavier and she couldn’t hear anything until a gunshot rang out. Her heartbeat picked up and her legs went weak. She heard movement at the front of the cabin and gradually made her way around to check it out.
 
She saw her partner lying on the ground. She raised her gun and checked the area but the suspect had obviously shot him and made a fast getaway.

“Officer, down, need emergency assistance,” Sam called into her radio.

She walked over to him but had to look the other way. The suspect had hit him clean in the head. Bob had probably not even known what hit him, which was a blessing. He had a wife and two little boys. She bit her lip to stop herself from bursting into tears. She didn’t know how long an ambulance would take but in the meantime he was going to get soaked. Even in death he deserved to be warm. She took off her raincoat and was about to place it over him when she felt a sharp pain in her back. She fell forward, landing on top of Bob. She couldn’t move as rain beat down on top of her. She wasn’t sure what had happened but when she saw blood and rain mixing and seeping into the ground beside her, she knew the suspect hadn’t fled like she’d assumed, but had been watching and had shot her too.

Cole, would she ever see Cole again? Would he know just how much she loved him?

Chapter Fourteen

Cole read the results back from Mia’s blood test. She wasn’t pregnant but judging by the high level of her hormones, she was entering another mating cycle which was great news. She and her husband would have another shot at becoming parents. He was about to leave his office to tell her when Bear came in. He could see tears in his eyes. Had a shifter in their care suddenly died? They didn’t have many patients at the moment. Had something happened to Hannah?

“Cole, it’s Sam.”

At first he thought he was referring to his stepson Sam, but when he sat down and threw his arms around Cole’s neck, he knew it was his Sammy.

“I have some bad news for your buddy. I’m so sorry.”

Cole’s heartbeat went through the roof and he almost shifted.

“Tell me what’s happened?”

“She was shot,” said Bear.

Cole’s mouth opened but nothing came out. His mind couldn’t take in what Bear had just told him. He must be dreaming but he wasn’t.

“No, not Sammy,” sobbed Cole. “She’s my mate. Is she…”

He couldn’t get the word ‘dead’ out. He’d never accept it if she was.

“No, but she’s having emergency surgery and I’m going to drive you to the hospital, okay?”

Cole stood. “Get me there ASAP and I’ll pay for any speeding ticket you get. Then find me whoever did this and I’ll kill them.”

****

Liam and Lucy hugged him as Bear went and got them all drinks and sandwiches. It was great of him to think Cole needed food to keep his strength up, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to eat anything. Well, not until he was told his mate was going to be okay.

 
It had seemed like hours since they’d arrived. He’d learned her partner had been killed and the suspect was the man linked to Margo Henderson’s murder. If only she hadn’t been the detective on the case. But if that was true he would never have met her. Trent Burgress had arrived with a host of other police officers from the department and thirty minutes ago they’d announced the suspect was in custody.

Bear squeezed his shoulder. “She’s one of us now so it seemed only fitting that a group of shifters should track down the man who shot her. He was hiding out in a place the police would never have found him, but one wolf shifter and one cougar shifter went down into a ravine and pulled him out. I think he probably got the shock of his life.”

Cole squeezed his eyes closed. He loved his fellow shifters. Always there when things got tough. Always there to bring someone to justice.

“Can we go get you anything from home?” asked Lucy.

Cole squeezed her hand. “No, it’s okay.”

She laid her head down on his shoulder and Liam slapped the back of his hand.

“She’s going to be just fine. I sense it in my bones. You know we bears have a sixth sense that’s how I knew that night that…”

Liam didn’t finish his sentence. Cole knew he was going to say that Danny, his brother had been in an accident.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it…”

“I know what you meant and thank you for sharing it,” said Cole.

Cole looked up to see Aiden Renner and a bunch of other shifters in tow, and one in particular surprised him. It was Brady Walsh.

He put out his hand to Cole. “I came as soon as I heard. Please let’s put our past stupidity behind us and let me be here to comfort you at this horrible time. Come on buddy: up on your feet so I can hug you.”

Cole knew that Sammy had been right. She’d told him some event would bring the two of them together. He only wished it wasn’t because she was fighting for her life. He stood and Brady threw his arms around him. He heard his once nemesis sobbing in his ear.

“I’m here for you. Here for both of you. She’s going to be fine and I’ll see to it she gets the best treatment, the best of everything.”

He knew his once enemy meant it. He hugged him back. If anything happened to Sammy, if she didn’t pull through this, he was going to need all the friends he could get because living was going to be tough.

****

Sam had no idea where she was. Her whole body felt like she’d been beaten over and over again. She tried to focus but couldn’t. She remembered the pain in her back and then nothing. Her throat was parched and she was lightheaded, almost like she was floating.

“It’s okay honey, you’re finally back with us.”

She tried to speak but couldn’t.

“Don’t panic, don’t try and talk because you have a tube in your throat.”

Sam lashed out and obviously scratched whoever was talking to her.

“I’m one of the nurses in the ICU. You were shot and had surgery two days ago.”

Shot, two days, everything was a blur. How could forty-eight hours pass without her knowing it?

Cole, was he here, did he know? They were going to check out wedding venues two nights ago.

Her ring, she couldn’t feel her ring.

“Your fiancé is outside, would you like him to come in with you. He won’t be able to visit for long but seeing him might help you.”

Sam nodded.

“Okay, honey, I’ll just go get him.”

Sam felt a tear run down her cheek.

She tried to move but couldn’t. Had the bullet paralyzed her? If that was true how was she going to walk down the aisle to meet Cole on their wedding day?

“Sammy, it’s Cole.”

He was standing over her and she hadn’t even seen him step into the room. He looked like he hadn’t slept. He had thick stubble on his chin and cheeks, and dark bags under his eyes.

“I’m so glad you’re finally awake. When you sleep in, you go all out,” he said.

She tried to laugh but it hurt like hell.

The nurse walked over to the bed. “The doctor will be with you shortly to remove that tube from your throat. You want your fiancé to be here with you for that?”

Sam nodded.

“Okay, won’t be long.”

Cole sat down and stroked her face. He flicked away a tear from her cheek.

“It’s going to be okay now, Sammy. You’re going to be fine.”

A tall dark haired man walked in.

“Hi Sam, I’m Dr. Roland. You probably don’t feel like getting up and dancing right now but you will in good time.”

Dancing…did that mean she wasn’t paralyzed?

“I’m going to pull the tube so I want you to take a deep breath and don’t try and talk yet okay?”

Sam nodded as Cole took her hand and squeezed it as Dr. Roland pulled out the tube, making her cough and choke and reminding her of when Cole had slipped the ring into her ice cream.

“There, that’s one hurdle out of the way,” said Dr. Roland.

Cole squeezed her hand again.

“I think you should let her get some sleep and we’ll transfer her out of ICU later today,” said Dr. Roland. “Once she’s in a regular room you can spend all the time you want with her.”

Sam liked the sound of that.

****

Cole would never be able to repay Brady enough. Sam had a private room fit for royalty. Most of the shifters who’d visited had brought flowers and candy and right now the whole place looked more like a gift store than a hospital room.

He held Sam’s hand as they made one of their twice daily strolls along the hospital corridor. He pulled the stand with the drip so she didn’t have to and he could see she was getting stronger. She’d been lucky. She’d lost lots of blood, but the bullet had passed out clean from her body missing any vital organs. She even had some color back in her cheeks. As a doctor, he knew it was going to be some time before she was one hundred percent again, but she’d get there.

“You think we should start practicing for our first dance as husband and wife?”

Sam laughed as he helped her back into bed.

“Did someone mention dancing?”

Brady looked into the room.

“Come in and sit down,” said Cole.

“Would you like some chocolates?” asked Sam.

“Oh, no I’m watching my weight to be ready for the wedding next weekend.”

“I’m sorry I’m going to miss it,” said Sam.

“No you’re not. You will be there because your fiancé’s going to be my best man.”

“I am?” asked Cole.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you but I knew you had other things to deal with here with Sam.”

“Sure, I’d be honored to,” said Cole.

“Good and if you need dancing lessons I’ll let you into a secret. I’ve been taking ballroom dancing—you know,
Dancing with the Stars
sort of thing, for over a year now.”

Cole and Sam looked at one another.

“You’re joking right?” asked Cole.

“Never been more serious in all my life. Only Jenna knows, but I thought I might as well tell everyone to prepare them for what they’ll see at the wedding. Anyway, I will leave you to get some rest, dear Sam, and if there’s anything I can do when you get home, you know where to reach me. Oh, and I’m still waiting on those bear paintings.” He waved goodbye and left.

“You were right about us becoming friends,” said Cole. “And I think you have to help me pick out a suit, and I’m betting you want the prettiest dress in town.”

“How am I going to attend a wedding when I can hardly walk down a hospital corridor without getting out of breath?”

“Haven’t you heard of a thing called a wheelchair?”

****

Cole knew he was being a sentimental bear but he teared up at the beautiful words Brady and Jenna had written for one another.

He glanced into the front row and saw Sammy sitting there holding baby Landon. She looked beautiful in the blue floral dress he’d picked out for her. She looked at him and he winked at her.

“I now pronounce that Brady and Jenna are husband and wife. Please say hello to the new Mr. and Mrs. Walsh,” said the judge who was conducting the wedding.

Cole clapped and everyone joined in as Brady and Jenna kissed. They headed down the aisle waving to everyone and Cole made his way to Sammy and took Landon from her.

“I think he needs a diaper change,” she said.

“Maybe it’s time he went back to his parents’ care,” said Cole.

As if they sensed Landon needed them, Brady and Jenna walked over and took him.

“It’s feeding and diaper changing time,” said Jenna. “See you at the reception.”

Cole helped Sammy to her feet.

“You feeling okay?” Cole asked her

“Yep, just a little tired.”

“Once we’ve eaten and I’ve given my speech we’ll head home.”

They slowly headed toward the tent where the reception was going to be held.