Daddy Protector. Jacqueline Diamond

neither of which he’d touched. “Do I smell baked goods?” Astonishing how rapidly his appetite returned.

      “Enjoy your treat, folks.” With a wave, Andie sauntered out.

      Connie waited a couple of beats, then asked, “That was about the fire, correct?”

      She sounded jealous. Unbelievable, yet gratifying, too. “She put me on the rack. I’m dying for sustenance.”

      “I’m glad you’re not dying for real,” she admitted.

      “Really? You were worried?”

      “That was brave of you.” From the bag, Connie removed an array of the little snack cakes for which Sandie’s had won local fame. “I couldn’t bear it if something happened to Skip.”

      “The little guy behaved like a trooper.” When Hale attempted to reach for a pastry, his body throbbed like crazy. Sinking against the pillow, he pressed a button to increase his dose of painkiller and waited for the misery to pass.

      The bed dipped as Connie eased onto the mattress. When a soft hand stroked his temple, he felt like purring.

      Man, what was wrong with him? Hale wondered. Another minute and he’d let her feed those pastries directly into his mouth. Must be the effect of the medication.

      “Taste this. It’ll distract you.” She pressed a small portion of cake to his lips.

      Vanilla. Too good to spit out. And never mind the crumbs. He suddenly decided he liked crumbs in bed. Tonight, he’d be happy to roll in crumbs. “Fantastic.”

      “Try some more.” Another taste of heaven.

      If the guys saw him like this, he’d be the laughingstock of the force. So what? Connie’d been worried. She’d brought him food. Which meant that maybe she found him as attractive as he found her.

      It occurred to Hale that when he got home, he ought to act on the chemistry between him and his neighbor. Surely there was a statute of limitations after which a buddy’s ex-wife became available to a guy.

      But right now, he felt too good to worry about that.