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Alone In The Dark
By Marie Ferrarella Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.
Copyright © 2004 Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.
All right reserved. ISBN: 0-373-27397-5
Chapter One
"C'mon, say yes. You know you want to."
Patience Cavanaugh pushed her strawberry-blond hair out of her eyes and glanced up from the four-legged patient she was examining to the man who flirted with her.
Granted, there was a great deal to recommend him. Patrolman Josh Graham looked like every woman's dream come true. Handsome, blond, outgoing with a killer smile, Josh filled out his uniform quite well. The very sight of him by her side would undoubtedly guarantee her the envy of every woman within a five-mile radius.
If she were into that sort of thing, which she wasn't.
Besides, the uniform was the source of the problem and the reason why she was going to turn him down. Again.
Life for Patience was filled to overflowing with police personnel. From her brother, Patrick, to her two uncles right down to eight of her nine cousins. And even the ninth one, Janelle, was associated with law enforcement. Uncle Brian's daughter was currently an assistant district attorney with a very impressive track record.
Patience thought of her father. He'd been a policeman as well.
And he had died in the line of duty.
Unlike the rest of the family, Michael Cavanaugh's work had turned him into a bitter man. Looking back on her childhood, she couldhardly remember a day when there hadn't been some kind of unrest and turmoil within their small household. The job made him a hard man to live with. Night after night, she'd watch her mother hold her breath, waiting for her father to come through the door. Saw the tense interaction between her parents almost from the moment he walked in. Felt, along with her older brother who tried to take the brunt of it, the fallout of her father's mounting frustration. Frustration that encompassed what he saw on the job as well as his own performance, but that she was to learn about later. What she knew firsthand was that he didn't leave his work at the precinct. It gave him nightmares when he was asleep.
In a way, his work had haunted all of them.
Even before her father's sudden death fifteen years ago, she'd made a vow to herself that when she finally decided to get serious about someone, that someone would not be associated with the police department. The best way to stick to that silent promise was not to get involved with a cop in the first place. Socially.
Professionally was another matter. As a vet running her own animal clinic, she treated the whole of the Aurora Police Department's K-9 squad, making sure the force of five German shepherds was up on their shots as well as treating them for any injuries sustained on the job or off.
Which brought her back around to Josh Graham. He had started with the K-9 squad about eighteen months ago. He'd begun his campaign to get her to go out with him around the same time. She treated his persistent pursuit with the humor that was second nature to her as well as her shield. Josh took it all in stride, but he never quite gave up, either.
She went back to examining the dog's ears. "You know my rules about that, Josh."
"Right." Josh moved in a little closer to the examination table - and her. "Those would be your rules of engagement." She had delineated them with tact and force the one time when she perceived that he was seriously asking her out instead of merely flirting with her. He grinned broadly at her. "Haven't you heard? Rules are made to be broken."
With swift, sure movements, she worked her fingers around the animal's back and hind quarters, checking for any new lumps. Usually, they represented fatty deposits that eventually disappeared, but she liked staying on top of everything.
She spared Josh a look. "Funny philosophy, coming from a cop."
The grin never dimmed. "It's because I am a cop that I know just when they need to be adhered to and when they need to be broken." He moved as she did, slowly shadowing her path around the examination table. "Now, your rules are fine when it comes to other cops, like say Coltrane over there." Emphasizing his point, he nodded at the door as another patrolman, Braden Coltrane entered with his four-footed partner, King. "Word is that the reason he's partnered with one of the dogs is because no two-footed cop could put up with him." She was finished feeling her way around the dog's fur and Josh made it a point to be right in front of her again. "But me, well, your rule really shouldn't apply to me."
Humor curved her mouth. They both knew she wasn't going to say yes. And they both knew he was going to push, just a little. It was a game at this point, and diverting. "And why's that?"
"Because we're soul mates, Patience. I can feel it." He placed his hand over his heart.
Patience turned her attention to checking Gonzo's teeth and gums. The former were turning a bit yellow. She was going to have to step up the cleaning schedule, she thought. "Well, I can't."
He cocked his head appealingly. "You would if you went out with me."
She spared him a glance, suppressing the sigh. Another woman, she knew, would probably have been worn down by now. But another woman hadn't held her comatose father's hand in the hospital, praying that he wouldn't slip away; that there would still be a chance for them to find a better footing. To finally be a real father and daughter instead of what they'd been: two hollowed-out shells with appropriate labels affixed to them. She'd needed more from him, wanted more. Surly or not, he'd been her father and she hadn't wanted to lose him to a gunman's bullet.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Alone In The Dark by Marie Ferrarella Copyright © 2004 by Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.. Excerpted by permission.
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