grandchildren before the good Lord calls me home and you want to deny me the simple pleasure of knowing if there is any hope at all?"
"Her name is Katie and there will be no grandchildren."
"Katie? Hmmm… seems to me I know a Katie. Is it Eleanor's daughter? No, that's Kathy. Oh! I got it! Your nurse in the hospital, her name was Katie."
How the hell did his mother do it?
"Yes, it was."
"So, is it her? Is the nurse part of your case?"
He heard the bathroom door open behind him. "I have to go, Ma. I'll call you later."
"You better!" she called into the phone as he turned it off and placed it back on the nightstand.
"Was that your mother?" Katie asked.
"How did you know?"
"She made you crazy, just like she did when you were in the hospital."
Kaiden chuckled. "Yeah, it was my mother. She likes to know what's going on in my life."
"And you told her about me?"
"She's smart, she figured it out. Heard your voice in the background when you knocked on the bathroom door. My mother keeps hoping one of us will give her grandchildren before she dies."
"You and your wife don't want children?"
"Why would you think I was married?"
She flushed a deep crimson. "I don't know. I mean, why wouldn't you be?"
He stepped forward, positioning himself so close to Katie, he could feel the beat of her heart. Or maybe he heard his own heart, pounding against his chest wall. He thought she would step back but she remained in place. "Trust me when I say I am not married and haven't been for a long time."
She surprised him with her response. "I guess that makes sense. No one but your mom and brothers visited you in the hospital. I made sure to keep track."
"You were interested in my visitors?"
"Well, yeah. I mean—"
"So, I didn’t imagine it."
"Imagine what?" He could tell she knew exactly what he was talking about but he answered anyway.
"The—chemistry—between us."
"No. You didn't imagine it. But, I was your nurse. There are rules about that stuff."
"I'm not your patient now."
"No, but I'm your case."
"That's a tough new development but it won’t be forever." Kaiden frowned as something else occurred to him. "But Nathan… you were engaged?"
"I was. And you left the hospital. I never thought I would see you again, anyway."
"I had no idea. I would have driven across the state every day if I had known you wanted me to do so." He reached for her then, without thinking about his job, and crushed his lips to hers. He was a starving man. Katie was his first meal in ages. She resisted his kiss at first, as though she were unsure of what they were doing. Soon enough she gave in, wrapping her arms around his neck bringing him in closer. When she opened her lips to the gentle probe of his tongue, he thought he might lose himself right then and there. As he began to explore some of the treasures she held, a loud knock sounded on the hotel room door.
"James! You in there? Come on, James, open the door!"
Kaiden groaned. "It's my boss."
"If you don't answer will he think you left?" she whispered.
Kaiden wrapped his arms around her and pressed one last kiss to her lips before reluctantly letting her go. "I'm afraid not."
The knocking became more insistent. "Wake up, James! Let me in! I know you're in there!"
Katie sighed and looked at him with a longing that mirrored his own. "Well, then you better let him in. I'm going in the bathroom to get dressed."
"Hang on, Hunter! I'll be right there!" he called to his boss as he watched Katie disappear back into the bathroom.
In two long strides he reached the door and pulled it open. "What the hell is so important you couldn't pick up the phone and call?"
Hunter walked past him and into the room. "Check your messages. I called three times and texted at least five."
"Oh. Well, we didn't get to bed until four."
His boss spun around. " We? "
"Yes, the witness, Katie McCoy? The whole reason I'm here."
Hunter eyed the unmade beds. "You slept alone?"
"Of course! I am a
"Her name is Katie and there will be no grandchildren."
"Katie? Hmmm… seems to me I know a Katie. Is it Eleanor's daughter? No, that's Kathy. Oh! I got it! Your nurse in the hospital, her name was Katie."
How the hell did his mother do it?
"Yes, it was."
"So, is it her? Is the nurse part of your case?"
He heard the bathroom door open behind him. "I have to go, Ma. I'll call you later."
"You better!" she called into the phone as he turned it off and placed it back on the nightstand.
"Was that your mother?" Katie asked.
"How did you know?"
"She made you crazy, just like she did when you were in the hospital."
Kaiden chuckled. "Yeah, it was my mother. She likes to know what's going on in my life."
"And you told her about me?"
"She's smart, she figured it out. Heard your voice in the background when you knocked on the bathroom door. My mother keeps hoping one of us will give her grandchildren before she dies."
"You and your wife don't want children?"
"Why would you think I was married?"
She flushed a deep crimson. "I don't know. I mean, why wouldn't you be?"
He stepped forward, positioning himself so close to Katie, he could feel the beat of her heart. Or maybe he heard his own heart, pounding against his chest wall. He thought she would step back but she remained in place. "Trust me when I say I am not married and haven't been for a long time."
She surprised him with her response. "I guess that makes sense. No one but your mom and brothers visited you in the hospital. I made sure to keep track."
"You were interested in my visitors?"
"Well, yeah. I mean—"
"So, I didn’t imagine it."
"Imagine what?" He could tell she knew exactly what he was talking about but he answered anyway.
"The—chemistry—between us."
"No. You didn't imagine it. But, I was your nurse. There are rules about that stuff."
"I'm not your patient now."
"No, but I'm your case."
"That's a tough new development but it won’t be forever." Kaiden frowned as something else occurred to him. "But Nathan… you were engaged?"
"I was. And you left the hospital. I never thought I would see you again, anyway."
"I had no idea. I would have driven across the state every day if I had known you wanted me to do so." He reached for her then, without thinking about his job, and crushed his lips to hers. He was a starving man. Katie was his first meal in ages. She resisted his kiss at first, as though she were unsure of what they were doing. Soon enough she gave in, wrapping her arms around his neck bringing him in closer. When she opened her lips to the gentle probe of his tongue, he thought he might lose himself right then and there. As he began to explore some of the treasures she held, a loud knock sounded on the hotel room door.
"James! You in there? Come on, James, open the door!"
Kaiden groaned. "It's my boss."
"If you don't answer will he think you left?" she whispered.
Kaiden wrapped his arms around her and pressed one last kiss to her lips before reluctantly letting her go. "I'm afraid not."
The knocking became more insistent. "Wake up, James! Let me in! I know you're in there!"
Katie sighed and looked at him with a longing that mirrored his own. "Well, then you better let him in. I'm going in the bathroom to get dressed."
"Hang on, Hunter! I'll be right there!" he called to his boss as he watched Katie disappear back into the bathroom.
In two long strides he reached the door and pulled it open. "What the hell is so important you couldn't pick up the phone and call?"
Hunter walked past him and into the room. "Check your messages. I called three times and texted at least five."
"Oh. Well, we didn't get to bed until four."
His boss spun around. " We? "
"Yes, the witness, Katie McCoy? The whole reason I'm here."
Hunter eyed the unmade beds. "You slept alone?"
"Of course! I am a
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