Sheri WhiteFeather - Protecting Their Baby

“Yes, the baby’s room.” She said it softly.

A moment later, she informed him that her house had been built in the 1940s. He wondered how that was relevant, until she said, “It only has one bathroom.”

One head? His place had two full baths, but his condo was only a few years old. “How’s the plumbing?”

“It’s fine. Unless you flush the toilet while someone is in the shower. But we won’t be doing that.”

“I take long showers.”

“In the morning or evening?”

“Morning.”

“Then we shouldn’t have a problem sharing. I bathe at night.”

“With bubble bath and scented candles, I’ll bet.” He suspected that she had fancy bottles everywhere.

“Soaking in the tub relaxes me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s actually kind of sexy.”

“Oh.” Lisa angled her head, making her perfectly coiffed bob tilt to one side. “Then thank you, I guess.”

“Sure.”

Neither of them said anything after that, and the room seemed to shrink even more. He could actually feel them breathing the same air. She was almost close enough to kiss.

But he didn’t dare imagine it. His mind was already filled with images of the night he’d stripped her bare.

Apparently so was hers. “Have you been with anyone since you were with me?” she asked, her voice cracking a little.

Rex shook his head. “I don’t mess around that much.” He glanced at the single bed. He had a king-size at home. “Sometimes I do,” he amended. “Sometimes I’m a player.”

“I could tell that you were. But I wanted to do something wild that night.”

“For your birthday?”

“Yes.”

Lisa crossed her arms over her chest, but it didn’t strike Rex as a defensive pose. He thought it exhibited a cautious form of shyness.

But she couldn’t hide from him. He was right in front of her. Every blood-pumping part of him.

“When I first found out that I was pregnant, I kept debating if I should tell you,” she said. “But I figured that when the baby got older, it would ask about its father. And then there I’d be all those years later having to explain.”

This way, she’d been honest from the start. He respected that. But it also made him more aware of how emotionally ill-equipped he was to become a parent. He liked being a player.

She dropped her hands and clutched her stomach. “Now all I want is for this baby to be safe.”

He was tempted to touch her, to comfort her, but he kept his hands to himself. “I won’t let anything happen.” Not to her and not to the child she carried. “But you have to cooperate with my investigation.”

“I already am. I gave you that list, didn’t I?”

Of people she was close to, he thought, some of whom she loved. He knew that couldn’t be easy. “I’m sorry about what you’ve been through today.” Was it any wonder her skin was still unnaturally pale?

“I hope I don’t have nightmares.”

“Maybe you can take something to help you sleep.”

“Like those PM pills? I’d have to check with my doctor to see if it’s okay. But I’d rather keep drugs out of my system.”

“You were right about being a good mom. You’re going to do the kid proud.”

She loosened the clenching hold on her stomach. “So are you, Rex. Look how protective you are already. Offering to keep us safe.”

Because he didn’t know how to respond, he said, “I plan on being up late.” He gestured to his laptop case. “Running background checks.”

“Just with people’s names?”

“The system I use only requires first and last names. But it helps to have dates of birth and Social Security numbers, if they’re available. I’ve also got some license plate numbers to check on.”

“Yes, I saw you writing them down. Lucky for me my baby’s daddy is a P.I.”

There she went, complimenting him again.

None of this seemed lucky, but he went ahead and faked a smile. “Oh, sure. You hit the jackpot.”

She smiled, too. Only hers seemed genuine. “You even carry a gun.”

He nodded, and they both turned serious. A 9mm was clipped to his belt.

“Maybe I should learn to shoot.” She’d gone edgy again. A lioness protecting her cub. “You could teach me.”

Rex didn’t want her jumping the gun, no pun intended. “We’ll see, okay? For now, you just need to relax. Panicking won’t solve anything.”

“I’m not panicking.”

Wasn’t she? He doubted that she’d ever considered a firearm before. But being put in harm’s way changed a person.

“What happened with Daniel and Allie?” she asked suddenly. “Was Allie’s stalker caught?”

“Yes, she was.”

“She?”

“It was a young woman who had schizophrenic delusions about Daniel. She was taken to a psychiatric facility. She wasn’t stable enough to stand trial.”

“How is that related to the Warrior Society?”

“Daniel recovered a medicine bundle for her family. That’s how she knew him, from one of his missions.”

Lisa made a thought-provoking face. “Maybe there’s a girl out there with delusions about you.”

“Maybe, but I doubt it.” He’d already explained earlier how the timing was off, how someone associated with him probably wouldn’t have known about the baby so soon. Not unless that same someone was connected to Lisa, too. “But I’ll check into it.”

She searched his gaze, as if looking for answers in his eyes. “Am I going to meet Daniel and Allie? And the close-quarter combat trainer and his pregnant wife?”

“If you want to.”

“I do, and your family, too.”

“I’m an only child, and my parents live in North Carolina.” Eventually he would have to tell them about the baby, but for now, he preferred to keep it to himself. In spite of their own rotten marriage, they would probably bug him about proposing to Lisa and offering their grandchild a legitimate name.

“Is that where you’re originally from?”

“Yes. The Qualla Boundary. The Eastern Band Cherokee Indian Reservation,” he explained when she gave him a curious look.

“So you’re Cherokee?”

“I’m half, from my dad’s side. My mom is white.” But she was just as traditional as his old man.

“You’ll have to teach me about your heritage. For the baby,” she added.

“Stuff like that is going to take time.” For now, all he could focus on was who had threatened her. “This case takes priority.”

She hiccupped, then tapped her chest, trying to still the jumping motion. “I’m never going to look at dolls in the same way again.”

“Someday you might have to. If we have a girl, she’ll want to play with them.”

“Maybe she’ll be a tomboy.”

“Are you kidding? A daughter of yours?” He tried to lighten her mood. “Little Miss Sugar and Spice. She’s going to be a girlie girl.”

Lisa hiccupped again. “I keep seeing it in my head. Its broken body, its chest.”

Apparently his teasing hadn’t helped. “Try to block the image. Try to clear your mind.”

“That’s easier said than done.” Another hiccup erupted.

“I know. I’m sorry.” Was it true that hiccups went away if you scared someone? He wasn’t about to try it and find out.

Lisa was already on the verge of nightmares.

Lisa made it through the night. No nightmares. But that was because she’d barely slept. You couldn’t dream if you were awake.

She curled up in bed, dawn seeping through the sheers. As usual, she was nauseous. Mornings were no longer kind to her.

Fighting her baby-on-board queasiness, she reached for the crackers she kept on the nightstand. She ate slowly, munching on one saltine at a time.