Read Online Love Inspired Suspense September 2015 #1 by Alison Stone, Lisa Phillips, Margaret Daley - Free Book Online Page A

schooled her features into a neutral expression—at least she hoped, because light streamed from the open door.
    â€œI’ll need to come by early. We’ll finish up at the bistro hopefully tomorrow and what remains will be for the crime scene techs to handle.”
    â€œEveryone was accounted for?”
    â€œYes, finally. But Brutus is a bomb detector, and we’re making sure we have all the pieces left. Any evidence we can gather will help us find this guy.”
    â€œI’ll be up early. I’ll take Kate to school, then I’m going to the animal hospital.”
    â€œI thought the doctor told you to take it easy.”
    She chuckled. “You know me. When have I ever done that? I’m not staying long, but I want to check on the dog I operated on the day of the bombing. I know a lot of the staff want to see me, too. I promised Bree I would wait to go back full-time until next week.”
    â€œOkay. I’ll be here by seven thirty. I’ll wait to leave until you and Brutus are inside.”
    She strolled toward the door and glanced back. “Thank you.” Maybe they could be friends again. She hoped so.
    Then Jesse said, “I became a police officer to protect others. Stay, Brutus.”
    In other words, he was only doing his job. Jesse had a way of reminding her their time together as a couple was over. She knew that in her mind, but her heart was struggling with it.
    In the living room, she watched him drive away, then switched off the lights and went into the kitchen to make sure there was water in a bowl for Brutus. In the garage she had an old cushion that she would use as a bed for Brutus. After he was settled in the hallway, she finally sank onto her bed. Jesse’s parting words ran over and over through her mind. She couldn’t blame him. She deserved them. She was a victim in one of his cases, and that was all.
    * * *
    After Jesse picked up Brutus, Lydia dropped off Kate at school, and then she drove to the animal hospital and parked in the lot on the side of the building. As she walked toward the front entrance, she stared at the bomb site where the bistro had been. She noticed Jesse’s SUV near it. When he came to get Brutus, she’d invited him to have breakfast, but he’d declined. She wished he hadn’t because she and Kate had argued about having the Rottweiler back that night.
    Lydia hadn’t slept much the night before, not because she was scared but because of Jesse. She hoped she could forget about him long enough to take a long nap.
    As she entered the reception area, she came to a stop. Streamers and balloons hung from the ceiling with a large banner over the check-in counter. She’d mentioned to Dr. Matt Muller she was coming but wouldn’t be staying. He and her dad had been good friends, but she never imagined Matt would do something like this.
    When she looked behind the counter, the receptionist stood and started clapping. Others came from the back and joined in. Heat flamed Lydia’s cheeks. She waved her arms. “Thanks. I’d planned on sneaking in, but this beats that idea.”
    Matt opened the door to the hallway that led to the exam rooms and entered the reception area. “That’s what I figured. We couldn’t let you do that without letting you know how happy we are that you survived.”
    Her assistant, JoAnn, followed him. “We all pitched in and brought goodies. The Lord was watching out for you. That’s something to celebrate.”
    â€œHear! Hear!” someone shouted.
    There was a time when Lydia hadn’t thought God cared what happened to her, especially in those dark days when she’d lost her baby and realized Aaron wasn’t really there for her, either. She went through the motions of worshipping the Lord, but she’d decided years ago He was too busy to listen to her prayers.
    â€œThank you. I’m not going to say you shouldn’t have done this