A Case of the Heart Read Online Free

left in danger.
    She let out a ragged breath, looking to the ground. A flash of Tom Harris as he briefly lost consciousness popped into her mind. She felt Alex’s stare and told herself to pull it together.
    Alex took a couple steps away from her car, guiding her to him and spoke slowly. “Are you all right?” He touched his fingers to her face, looking for any sign of injury.
    She felt a rush of heat reddening her cheeks as he slid his fingers across her chin.
    Concern softened his gaze as he tried to read her face. She wanted to take her eyes away, not notice how he looked into hers. But she couldn’t. She waited for him to move his hand away, his eyes to falter.
    “I’m fine.” She turned toward her car to check on the boys and to keep Alex from seeing her fear. She was more afraid of her emotion toward him than of the altercation upstairs.
    The movement of her head sent the clip sliding from her hair and down her back. He caught and handed it to her, taking her hand.
    “You’re shaking. Liz, you can’t fool me. I know when you’re scared. I was scared.”
    “No you weren’t.” She chuckled, releasing some of the tension as she tried to imagine him scared.
    “Yeah, I was. I was scared for you. Scared I hadn’t kept you safe.”
    She tried to ignore that his concern was more for her than doing his job. “You did the right thing to stay back and question Pirelli.”
    Liz remembered Tom’s blank stare as he came toward her. “Harris caught me off guard. I didn’t think he had it in him.” She allowed the warmth from his hand to calm her nerves.
    “I shouldn’t have left you alone up there. It was my mistake.”
    Uncomfortable with all the gallant talk, she suppressed the emotions that his words brought and stepped back, taking her hand from his. “The daytime social workers don’t have cops to go on calls with them. So I’m not going to complain.”
    His tender look slowly dissipated. “Yeah, you don’t even need me on these calls,” he came back with one of his typical sarcastic lines. His dimpled smile returned.
    Liz was relieved to be back in the banter she was familiar with. “Maybe a couple, but most of the time you just flash your badge, waiting for us to get through so you can go eat donuts.”
    Alex tilted his chin down and narrowed his eyes. “Don’t make donut jokes, and ‘only a couple of times?’ You get into more trouble than any other ten social workers combined, maybe your whole department.”
    Her cynicism deflated as she faced the fact that he was right. “This was an unusually eventful call. Something I’ve been having a lot of lately. Maybe I need to put in for another district.” She wanted to see his reaction, wondering if that really might be a good idea.
    He was nodding profusely as his grin broadened. Then he seemed to think better of it. “No, then I’d get bored.”
    She gave him a soft slug. Alex squinted and winced, holding his arm for effect. He placed one boot over the other and crossed his arms over his chest, letting out a breath “So, what’s next?”
    “I’m ready to take the boys.”
    “Would you like a police escort?” He lifted his eyes to hers, waiting for her response.
    She poked her head through the window to check on the boys. They were playing games on her cell phone, thoroughly entertained. “Sure, why not?”
     

Chapter Four

    The minute she drove up to the quaint, little ranch home, the porch light went on. The door opened and Nancy Bowie stood waiting for them. Alex pulled up behind them and ended a conversation on his cell phone. As awkward as their last conversation was, Liz figured she’d stick to business while they were here.
    Nancy hugged herself against the wind as she stuffed a hanky up the sleeve of her wool sweater. She was five-foot-nothing and all smiles.
    “Hello, hello!” She greeted them and took a step back to look at the boys through her large framed glasses. “Who are these fine looking young men?”
    Scotty’s