“No problem. I know how you feel. I went through the same thing with a woman a while back. I just couldn’t let go and she couldn’t either. Then I got shot and she dumped my butt. No doting girlfriend there. She wasn’t the caregiver type.”
“Probably not me either.” Sierra didn’t know why she even said it. He wasn’t looking for a girlfriend. And if his new partner was available, he could have a built-in partner/girlfriend. “But that is horrible.” She guessed she should have said that first! “Did you tell Josh about your new partner?” She could just imagine him laughing. If the woman was the right age and available.
“No. I was concentrating on finding you.”
She smiled. “Richard wouldn’t have bothered, even if he knew I had come and gone.”
“He’s an ass.”
She let out her breath, glad Adam agreed with her, though she hadn’t planned to waste her breath talking about Richard when Adam was so nice to have tracked her down and called to check on her. “Yeah, he is. And thanks. Tell my brother I’m fine. I’ll turn on my phone. I’m sorry for wasting your time.”
“Are you kidding? You’re a valuable member of our pack and with our police bureau and my favorite art teacher. Enjoy your vacation. Oh, I sent the postcard from DM to fingerprint analysis. I’ll let you know if I get anything back on it. If you need anyone to talk to, you can cry on my shoulder, and I’ll tell you all about my ex-girlfriend.”
She laughed, feeling much better. “Thanks. You never know. I might take you up on it.”
“Good. No sense in feeling bad alone when we can swap stories and commiserate. I’ll let you go now and get back to your vacation.”
She was thinking about his offer to go boating with him and her family and how much fun she’d always had with her parents and brother when she’d still lived at home and they’d had a boat. “Um, hey, uh, do you still have room on your boat for one more person?”
“Yeah. I’ve been saving the spot just for you.”
She smiled. “Okay, good. ’Night, Adam. See you when my vacation is done.”
“’Night, Sierra.”
As soon as they ended the call, she retrieved her phone and turned it on. When she did, the ringtone jingled a tune. The caller ID revealed it was her brother. She sighed and answered it.
“Do you want me to come there and punch him out?” her brother asked before she could say anything to him about wasting Adam’s time searching for her when he was so busy with real criminal cases.
She smiled. Brother to the rescue. “No. I don’t want you locked up.”
“Did Adam tell you he would beat me to it?”
She couldn’t believe Adam had told her brother that and hadn’t even let on he had! “No, he didn’t say anything about that.”
“Well, he would. I hope you’re not going to see the louse anymore.”
“That’s a given. And sorry, Brad, for worrying you. I only turned off my phone because Jethro kept calling me. I didn’t ever think he would end up calling you.”
“I gave him hell to pass along to his brother. Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Thanks. It’s just beautiful here. I’m going to enjoy the sunny days.”
“Okay, I’ll let you go then. I’ll pick you up from the airport when you return.”
“I can take an Uber.”
“No way. We need to talk. Enjoy yourself.”
She sighed. She should have figured he would want to know everything that was going on between her and Richard. “Good night.” She was taking an Uber when she returned.
“’Night, Sis.”
She ended the call and stared at the TV, no longer interested in watching the movie. As much as she thought she would enjoy her time here, she suspected she would be bored if she stayed longer than a week by herself. With a friend, she would have had a blast staying for the two weeks.
She turned off the TV and her bedside lamp and settled down to sleep. She wondered what Adam’s new partner looked like and if she was mated or courting someone already, like Sierra had been.
Sierra hadn’t a clue why she wanted to know those particulars about the new woman, who undoubtedly would soon be a member of their pack, if she wasn’t already. Sierra wasn’t dating again until she was ready. And if the wolf’s job always took a priority over her, she… Well, she couldn’t fault the person if he was someone like Adam who was always on call when he had cases he was investigating. Richard should have told her to cancel her flight, but she suspected that was an oversight on his part. Which meant he hadn’t really been looking forward to her visit, or he wouldn’t have forgotten she was coming!
* * *
Adam closed his eyes that night, and all he could think of was the pretty redhead and her brilliant blue eyes, envisioning her lounging on a sunny Texas beach. Man, did he wish he could be there with her, making her forget all about the ass she’d been dating. Being in paradise for two whole weeks by herself might be what she needed, but as he heard the rain hitting the bedroom windows, he wished he could be there to enjoy the time with her. Not as a boyfriend but as a friend, a fellow pack member. He could use the break too.
It seemed as though he had only closed his eyes when he got the call the next morning that there was another home invasion and now a homicide.
He hurried out of bed, again wishing he was far away from the wet Portland weather, on a beach enjoying the sunshine with Sierra.
When he arrived at the crime scene, the rain was finally letting up and Tori was already there taking notes. He was glad to see her there, making him reminisce about how dedicated he and Josh had been to the job—at the office early, usually having cups of coffee and working over cases, trying to shed new light on them with each other.
“Did you get ahold of Sierra?” Tori asked.
“I did. She’s enjoying herself on South Padre Island, Texas. Safe and sound.” He crouched down to see the muddy footprints on the tile kitchen floor.
“I’m glad she’s fine. I bet you wish you could join her.”
Wondering if Tori had the wrong impression about his checking on Sierra, Adam glanced up at her to see her expression.
Tori smiled and began taking more notes. “Oh sure, you were checking on her because her brother called you and asked you to and because you’re a police detective and can get the work done. But”—she pointed her pen at him—“there’s more to it than that.”
She’s a wolf, he wanted to say, a pack member. And wolves looked out for their own and other wolves in need. He wasn’t about to admit he had been thinking the very same thing about being with Sierra.