Elizabeth searched Carson's face, looking for good news. "Well? What do the x-rays say?"

Carson held them up. "I really should wait a few more minutes, just to build the suspense."

"Carson!"

He laughed, spreading them out so that she could see them. "It wasn't a bad fracture at all, and it's already healing very nicely. You've done a good job staying off of it."

"I wanted to be back on my own two feet as soon as possible."

"I know. And it looks like you will be able to. You'll be in the boot for about a month, but after that you should be able to resume normal activities again." He smiled. "I'm guessing it's driving you crazy that you can't hike, swim, or bike."

Elizabeth nodded emphatically. "That's an understatement."

"Well, at least you'll be able to walk again," Carson said. "You can walk normally and as much as you'd like, but I would like you to take time each day to rest and put your leg up. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Elizabeth saluted.

"Good. I'll go get the boot."

Carson closed the door behind him. Elizabeth's phone buzzed, indicating she had a text message. Picking it up absently, she glanced at it. It was from Faith.

Can you make some chocolate chip cookies for the cafe?

Her afternoon was free. She typed back, Of course! When do you want them?

ASAP was the immediate reply.

Elizabeth laughed. Okay, I'll get on it as soon as I'm done with my appt. I'm getting a boot. No more crutches!

You're the best! And yay for no crutches!

Carson came back in the room, and Elizabeth tucked her phone into her purse. An idea started forming in her mind as Carson strapped the boot on her leg.

Nathan said his favorite cookies were chocolate chip. Maybe she could bake an extra dozen and take them over to his house. It would be a nice surprise. She smiled to herself, nodding.

Once Carson was done, Elizabeth walked out in the boot, feeling happy to be on her feet again. She sat in a chair in the lobby and pulled out her phone once more. She sent a quick text to Rosemary. Want to bring some cookies to Nathan. Can I have his address?

Rosemary sent lots of smiley face emojis along with Nathan's address. Elizabeth laughed, imagining what must be going through her friend's head. No doubt she was congratulating herself on a successful match. Elizabeth almost texted back telling Rosie not to get ahead of herself, but decided against it. Rosemary was going to believe what she wanted to believe, regardless of anything Elizabeth said.

Elizabeth shook her head with a smile, then got up to go to her car. Mid-step, she changed her mind. She wanted to see her babies. Carson might have put her on vacation, but that didn't mean she couldn't visit.

A few minutes later, she walked into the neonatal unit. Florence, her coworker, looked up in surprise. "Elizabeth! We didn't expect to see you until next week."

"I'm just visiting, Flo," Elizabeth replied. "But I wanted to see these precious angels." She walked to an incubator holding a tiny baby. Little Angela was six weeks premature, but she was a fighter. Carson thought she would be able to go home within two weeks.

"Hi, baby girl," Elizabeth cooed. "I've missed you." Angela blinked up at her, her little mouth in an "o" shape. Elizabeth smiled. "I'm so glad she's getting stronger every day."

Florence came up beside her. "Her parents were able to hold her for the first time yesterday. The looks on their faces were priceless."

"I'll bet." Elizabeth laid a hand on the incubator. "This is why we do what we do."

Florence nodded. "It certainly is. Would you like to meet our latest arrival?"

"Sure." Elizabeth followed her to an incubator at the end of the room. A teeny child lay in it, no bigger than a shoe. "Oh!" Elizabeth gasped, staring in wonder. "He's so little! I don't think I've ever seen a baby this small."

"He was born yesterday at only twenty-eight weeks gestation," Florence said. "It's amazing, really. Besides being underweight, he's perfectly healthy. He'll need to stay here for about a month or so to get him to a healthy weight, but he has no health problems. Carson is calling him our miracle baby."

"Wow," Elizabeth said in awe. "That is truly amazing! What's his name?"

"Andrew."

"Hi, Andrew," Elizabeth said softly. "I can't wait to get to know you better. This is a great place to be if you have to spend your first few weeks in a hospital. We're going to take great care of you." She paused and looked at another incubator, walking to it slowly. The little boy inside was pale and restless, prone to frequent crying. "Florence, how is Michael doing?"

Florence's face shadowed. "Not as well as we were hoping. He doesn't seem to be responding to treatments."

Elizabeth felt her throat constrict. Though they had mostly success stories with their preemies, every so often there was one that didn't make it. All the nurses in the unit were worried about little Michael. He was not doing well.

A tear slipped down Elizabeth's cheek. No matter how long she'd been doing this, it always tore her heart when a baby struggled. "Keep fighting, Michael," she whispered. "You've got to keep fighting." The little boy gave a soft cry in response. The lump grew in Elizabeth's throat. She placed her hand in the gloves on the incubator, reaching inside to put a gentle hand on Michael's stomach, hoping he could feel her warmth through the gloves. "We're all praying you make it, little one." She stood there for several minutes, just letting him feel contact with another human being. After awhile she pulled away reluctantly. Florence gave her a sympathetic smile.

"It's hard to leave, I know," she said. "We'll take good care of him."

"I know," Elizabeth said. "We have the best team ever. You and Molly are the best coworkers, and I know we all care for these babies to the best of our ability."

"Yes we do," Florence said, nodding emphatically. She guided Elizabeth to the door. "Now, scoot. Go do something that makes you happy. We'll see you back here once your vacation time is over." She glanced down the hall. "And make sure Carson doesn't see you in here. He told us not to grant you admission."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, laughing. "He can hardly fault me for wanting to visit my babies. I'm sure it would be fine."

"Nevertheless, we'll see you next week!"

"Thanks, Florence!" Elizabeth called. Florence waved in response, vanishing back into the nursery.

Elizabeth walked to her car, thinking about little Michael. She sent up a heartfelt prayer for him to get strong. She leaned her head against her hand, trying to give him to God. Sometimes that was all she could do. Let go and trust. It was easier said than done, but she knew it was the only thing to be done in this case.

She got behind the wheel of her car, taking a deep breath. Shifting her focus, she went through the ingredients she needed to buy for the chocolate chip cookies. Putting her car into drive, she headed for the grocery store.


"Grant! Coulter! My office, now!"

"Uh oh. What did we do this time?" Lee asked as Nathan came around the corner. "The chief doesn't sound pleased."

"When does Bill ever sound pleased?" Nathan chuckled. "He's always grumpy."

"True, but he sounds grumpier than usual," Lee said, looking warily toward Bill's office. "Do you think he's upset about our lack of progress on the robbery case?"

"I guess we'll find out."

Lee was right.

"Why don't we have any leads on the robbery cases?" Bill barked as soon as they walked into his office.

"Good afternoon to you too, Bill," Nathan said rather dryly, crossing his arms. He wasn't supposed to be working today, but Bill had asked him an hour ago to come into the office to work on the case. Nathan figured if he was working on what was supposed to be a day off, Bill could be a little more gracious about the fact.

Bill mellowed slightly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to holler. But seriously, boys, why don't we have much on this case?"

"It's certainly not for lack of trying," Nathan said calmly. "We're going over everything we've got, but this guy is elusive. All we've got is a vague description that could apply to hundreds of men on the island."

"Is that from the witness?"

"Yes."

Bill nodded. "Bring her in again. Maybe we can get a sketch from her."

"But sir…" Nathan started to protest.

Bill shot him a look. "Do it, Grant! ASAP." He waved a hand. "You're both dismissed."

Nathan ran his hands through his hair once they left Bill's office. "Why does he want us to bring Elizabeth in again? I just asked her to stay away from this case, and now I have to bring it up again." He let out a breath. "I don't want to put her in any danger."

Lee raised his brows. "Nathan, bringing Elizabeth in as a witness is hardly going to put her in danger. She'll be fine."

"So we think," Nathan said. "I guess I just get paranoid sometimes. Especially when it's someone I…" He stopped himself, but Lee smiled sagely.

"Someone you care about?" he said, supplying the rest of Nathan's thought.

Nathan simply nodded, staring out the window at the ocean.

Lee put a hand on Nathan's shoulder. "Nathan, you care deeply. There's nothing wrong with that. You have a protective streak the side of Texas, but I don't think you have to worry too much about Elizabeth. She's a smart woman. She'll be okay."

"I thought you said she likes to stick her nose in an unsolved mystery. And we've got an unsolved mystery on our hands."

"True," Lee admitted. "But didn't you say she promised to stay out of it?"

"Kind of," Nathan said. "She said she would still try to figure it out, but that she wouldn't get involved."

Lee had a blank look on his face. "What exactly does that mean?"

"I have no idea," Nathan said. "But now I am going to be bringing her in and involving her again." He sighed. "Well, might as well get this done. Lee, can you give me Elizabeth's number please?"


Elizabeth felt nervous walking up the driveway to Nathan's door. She wasn't sure why. Maybe it was showing up unannounced at his doorstep without warning. Rosemary had said Nathan was off today, so after dropping off the cookies at the cafe, she'd come to his house. She glanced at the paper one more time to make sure she had the right address. Running a hand down the fabric of her skirt, she walked up to the door and knocked. Holding tightly to the tin of cookies, she waited for Nathan to answer the door.

It swung open. A pretty woman opened the door and smiled at Elizabeth. "Hello. Can I help you?"

Elizabeth blinked. "Oh, I'm sorry. I must have the wrong house. I'm looking for Nathan Grant." She glanced at the paper again. "I thought I had the right address."

The woman nodded. "You have the right house. Nathan had to go into work unexpectedly. He's not here."

"Oh." Elizabeth felt at a loss for words. The woman tucked some hair behind her ear, and Elizabeth saw her wedding band glint in the sun. Her face blanched. Was Nathan married? No, no, there had to be some explanation...

"Mom!" A girl of about eleven came running to the door. "Opal and Emily asked if I could go to the beach with them. Can I? Please?"

Mom? Does that mean…

"Sure, Allie, go ahead."

Allie's eyes turned to Elizabeth. "Hello! Who are you?"

Elizabeth put out her hand automatically. "Elizabeth Thatcher. I brought cookies." She handed them to the girl, whose eyes lit up. "Cool! Thanks!" She smiled at Elizabeth. "I'm Allie."

"Nice to meet you, Allie."

The woman held out her hand next. "And I'm Colleen. Colleen Grant."

The blood drained from Elizabeth's face. She shook Colleen's hand woodenly, suddenly eager to make an escape. Colleen glanced at the cookies, a smile on her face. "Chocolate chip is Nathan's favorite, and Allie's too. Thanks for bringing those over."

"Of course," Elizabeth said, backing up slightly. She gave what she hoped was a realistic looking smile. "It was very nice to meet both of you, but I have to be going."

"Bye!" Allie called out.

"Nice to meet you, Elizabeth!" Colleen said as Elizabeth headed down the steps. Elizabeth gave them both a wave, then got into her car, suddenly very thankful for her tinted windows. Her face felt like it was on fire.

How could Nathan not tell her that he was married? And Lee and Rosemary! Was it possible they didn't know about his wife and daughter? They must not, or they never would have set her up with Nathan. Elizabeth could feel her anger rising. How dare he! How dare he act so very unmarried when he clearly had a wife and child at home!

Her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. It was an unknown number, but she decided to answer anyways. Maybe it would take her mind off her roiling emotions. "Hello?"

"Hi, Elizabeth." Her heart tripped at the sound of Nathan's voice. She didn't dare say anything else. She knew if she did she would yell at him.

"Hello?" he said again. "Elizabeth, are you there?"

"Yes."

He paused. She thought he must be wondering what was going on. Well, let him wonder. She certainly had nothing to say to him.

A certain business-like tone entered his voice. "We need you to come down to the station today. Chief Avery wants us to get more information from you."

"Fine," Elizabeth said, her tone clipped. "I'll be there in ten minutes." She hung up and threw her phone in her purse.

Great.

Now she had to go face the last person in the world she wanted to see.


Nathan stared at his phone for a long moment after Elizabeth abruptly hung up. What in the world? He had never heard that inscrutable tone from her before. If he didn't know better, he would think she was upset with him. Scratching his head, he put the phone on his desk. Maybe he would ask her about it when she got to the station.

Exactly ten minutes later, Lee ushered Elizabeth to Nathan's desk. "She's here," he said, giving Nathan a wary look. One look at Elizabeth told Nathan why. She looked madder than a wet hen. What had happened?

Standing, he reached a hand to her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

She jerked back from his touch, folding her arms over her chest. "Just peachy, thanks." His brows rose at the sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Um, okay," he said, backing up. "Why don't we go to the witness room." He motioned for her to go in front of him, and she marched to the room, chin up and eyes flashing.

"What did you do?" Lee muttered under his breath as Nathan watched Elizabeth, flummoxed.

"I have no idea!" Nathan said, shaking his head. He had a feeling he was headed for a minefield. Taking a fortifying breath, he followed Elizabeth and pushed the door open for her to enter. She did, plunking down in the chair. Nathan sat across from her.

She glared at him, arms still folded. "What do you need from me?"

Nathan put on his detective persona, knowing he had to do the job at hand before he could figure out why Elizabeth seemed so mad at him. A knock sounded at the door. Nathan felt relief fill him when he saw it was the sketch artist. He beckoned him in, then turned to Elizabeth.

"We were hoping that you could describe the man who knocked you down outside Coffee and Books," Nathan said in his best detective voice. "Jimmy here is going to give us a sketch of your description."

"Do you need to be here for that?" Elizabeth asked sweetly. Too sweetly. Nathan pursed his lips.

"No, I can let you two figure it out together." He stood. "Jimmy, come get me when you're done, okay?"

"Sure thing, boss," Jimmy said with a thumbs up. Nathan left, shutting the door behind him a little harder than he intended. He winced, realizing he was letting his emotions get the better of him. He ran a hand through his hair, going back to his desk.

Lee chuckled when he saw him. "Man, you must have done something. I've known Elizabeth for years and have never seen her this angry about anything."

Nathan held his hands up in defense. "I can't think of a single thing that could have upset her!" he protested. "I haven't seen her since the game night, and we were getting along great. I literally have no idea what could have set her off."

"Maybe it's work related," Lee mused.

"She's still on vacation."

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that." Lee shrugged. "It's a mystery. But you love a good mystery. It's why you're an excellent detective. Looks like you need to investigate, my friend."

"Clearly," Nathan said, shaking his head. "I am so confused right now."

"Comes with the territory," Lee said, laughing. "If you get involved with a woman, be prepared for lots of confusion."

"I take it that's experience speaking," Nathan said dryly.

Lee nodded, still laughing. "But of course, it's worth every minute of it to have Rosie in my life."

"Sweet," Nathan chuckled. "Fine, I'll talk to Elizabeth."

Jimmy came to get him fifteen minutes later, handing him the sketch. It was rough, but Elizabeth had done a good job with her description, especially considering she had only seen him for a moment. Nathan walked back to the witness room, holding up the sketch when he saw Elizabeth.

"This is good," he said with a conciliatory smile.

She eyed him icily. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Not about the case," he said.

Elizabeth stood. "Good. Then I'll be on my way."

Nathan shut the door before she could leave. Elizabeth's mouth dropped, and she glared at him. "Open that door this minute, Detective Grant!"

"No, ma'am," Nathan replied firmly. "Not until you tell me why in the world you're so angry with me. I've been wracking my mind trying to figure out how I could have possibly offended you, and I can't come up with anything."

She huffed, hands on her hips. "Do the names Colleen and Allie mean anything to you?"

He frowned. "Yeah. So?"

"So?" she repeated. If possible, she looked even more offended. "What do you mean, so? Are you that uncaring?"

"Uhh…" Now he was really confused. "What do Colleen and Allie have to do with this?"

"Everything!" she yelled, throwing her hands up in frustration. Angry tears formed in her eyes. "How could you, Nathan? How could you act like you were interested in me while your poor wife and daughter sit at home thinking the best of you? Do they know that you are out cavorting with other women?"

Wife and daughter? Realization washed over Nathan. It suddenly made sense why she was so angry. He felt an urge to laugh, but figured that probably wouldn't be the smartest move right now. Suppressing a smile, he said, "And how exactly do you know about them?"

"I brought you cookies," Elizabeth said, the tears falling down her face. "I feel like such a fool!"

Nathan took a step forward, taking Elizabeth by the arms. She stiffened, glaring up at him again. He shook his head, looking into her eyes. "Elizabeth, I'm not married. I've never been married, and I don't have any children."

She blinked. "You...don't?"

He shook his head, his eyes never leaving hers. "No." He frowned. "Why did you assume that I did?"

"They were at your house! Colleen was wearing a wedding ring, and Allie called her mom. I assumed…" Her voice trailed off.

"You assumed wrong," Nathan said gently. "Colleen is my sister. Allie is my niece. They're living with me. Colleen's husband went missing a few months ago, and we don't know where he is. I'm trying to find out what happened to him."

"Oh," Elizabeth said faintly. "Oh! Poor Colleen!" The anger had faded from her eyes, but her cheeks were now turning crimson. "Nathan, I am so sorry! I assumed the worst of you without even asking if there was an explanation."

He chuckled softly, letting his hands fall back to his sides. "It's okay, Elizabeth. I probably would have assumed the same thing if I were in your shoes."

She smiled ruefully. "Like I said, I brought some cookies by the house. Maybe that will help make up for my mistaken assumption?"

Nathan grinned. "It'll help. But I think there's something else that would be even more effective."

Elizabeth raised a brow. "Really? What might that be?"

"Would you be interested in going out with me tomorrow night?"

Her eyes widened. "Go out? With you?"

Nathan laughed. "Yes to both. I'd like to take you on a date."

Elizabeth let a smile break free, all her anger and frustration gone. In its place was only joy. "I would love that, Nathan."