Protector's Instinct. Janie Crouch

and carefully kept his fists unclenched. “Does she come in here a lot?”

      Damn it. Zane wished he could cut off his own tongue. Why was he asking about her? But no one seemed to make anything of his interest.

      “Not as much as we would like,” Wade said. “I know Kimmie, her partner, invites her all the time.”

      “Kimmie’s her partner? How long?”

      “Awhile now,” Captain Harris answered this time. “I talked it over with the hospital staff and we thought Kimmie would be a good professional fit for Caroline.”

      “What sort of professional fit?” Maybe Kimmie had some sort of specialized training Caroline didn’t have. But she looked awfully young for that to be the case.

      Harris fidgeted just a little in his seat before looking away.

      “What?” Zane asked. “Did Caroline need help? This Kimmie have training or something Caroline doesn’t?”

      Captain Harris shook his head. “No. Kimmie was pretty much brand-new. Anything she’s learned outside schooling, Caroline has taught her.”

      That didn’t surprise Zane. Caroline was stellar at her job as a paramedic. Could spot potential problems or injuries others would miss. Kept her head in a crisis. Had a way about her that kept people calm.

      “So what was it about Kimmie that was a good fit for Caroline?”

      Wade and Raymond glanced over at the captain, who was looking away. Then it hit Zane.

      “Oh, Kimmie’s a woman. That’s why she was a good fit for Caroline. I guess nobody could blame her for asking for a female partner.”

      Now all three men refused to look at Zane.

      Not all his detective skills had left him. “But she didn’t ask for a female partner, did she? You just assigned her one.”

      Captain Harris pointed toward where Caroline and Kimmie sat, obviously easy and friendly with each other. “I’ve known Caro since she was born. Her parents are some of my best friends. So I did what I thought was right for her. She and Kimmie are a good team. It wasn’t the wrong choice.”

      But it hadn’t been Caroline’s choice. And he would bet she hadn’t liked it, no matter how chummy she and her new partner looked now. If Zane had been there, he would definitely have spoken up, at least told Captain Harris to talk to Caroline about it.

      But he hadn’t been there, had he? Zane grimaced.

      “I’m glad they get along,” he muttered.

      He saw Caroline glance over at them before quickly looking away and taking a casual sip of the beer the waitress had brought. She was just as aware of him as he was of her, although he doubted her awareness of him stemmed from attraction. Disgust at best, possibly even hatred.

      So they both ignored each other, which everyone in the entire bar seemed completely aware of.

      “I’m glad Caroline is finally going on a vacation,” Wade said, trying to break some of the obvious tension. “She deserves it.”

      That was good news. “Where is she going?” Corpus Christi was a beach town and she’d always loved it. Did she still after what had happened? She used to live near the beach but had moved after the attack. Nobody in their right mind blamed her after someone had broken through her front door and viciously attacked her. Zane didn’t know if she still even liked the beach at all.

      Wade looked like he didn’t want to answer. “How hard a question is it, Wade?” he asked the younger man, smiling. “A cruise? Tropical island? The mountains?”

      Oh, hell, maybe she was going with another man. Maybe that was what Wade didn’t want to answer.

      “Who is she going with?” Zane could feel his jaw clench but couldn’t seem to stop it.

      He knew he had absolutely no right to be upset if she was going with another man somewhere. It was good—healthy—for Caroline to have other relationships. Someone important enough for her to move on with, to go on vacation with.

      That was why he’d stayed out of her life for so long, right? So she would have a chance to move on, to put the past—including him and his part in her nightmare—behind her?

      But damned if his hands didn’t clench into fists as he waited for Wade’s answer. As he prepared himself to hear the news that she really had moved on. That he had officially missed his chance.

      “Just say it, Wade.”

      “She’s not going with anybody, Zane. That’s her whole deal. She said she wants time to be alone. Get away from the frantic pace for a week.”

      Zane refused to acknowledge the relief that poured through him at the knowledge Caroline hadn’t found a man she was comfortable enough to vacation with.

      He turned to Wade, rolling his eyes. “Why are you jerking my chain? I don’t blame her for wanting peace and quiet. I guess that means she’s not going to visit her family in Dallas. It’s never peaceful around them.”

      Wade shrugged. “Nah, she’s going hiking at Big Bend. She’ll get plenty of quiet there.”

      Zane set the glass of beer that was halfway to his mouth back down on the bar. “She’s going hiking in Big Bend Ranch State Park?” One of the largest parks in Texas, covering over three hundred square miles. Breathtaking views, multiple types of terrain. A hiker’s dream.

      Wade nodded. “Yeah.”

      “Alone?”

      “Yeah, but she’s been planning it for months. She’s got a GPS that will let the park rangers know where she is at all times and has a course all planned out. She’s super excited about it.”

      Wade continued to talk about how prepared Caroline was, how thrilled, but Zane tuned him out. He stood up. “Excuse me.”

      He turned and strode toward Caroline’s table with definite purpose. There was no way in hell she was going on a weeklong camping trip by herself. Obviously none of her colleagues or friends were willing to tell her how stupid an idea this was.

      Zane had no such problem.

       Chapter Three

      Her body was aware of Zane. She’d been conscious of him the entire time they’d been here, ignoring each other while totally mindful of each other’s every move. They’d always been like that. Whether they’d been about to kill each other or fall into each other’s arms, they’d always been attuned to one another.

      She was attuned to him now. Aware of how damn virile and sexy he was. Not working for the Corpus Christi Police Department hadn’t turned him soft or dimmed the edge of danger that had always surrounded him.

      It drew her, just like it always had.

      Damn him. Because the only thing that matched her passion for Zane Wales was her fury toward him. She’d like him to come over so she could slap him across his perfectly chiseled cheek.

      And as if he could hear her and was going to call her bluff, he stood up and began walking toward her table.

      “Holy cow, who is that?” Kimmie asked. “The guy that was talking to Captain Harris.”

      Caroline didn’t say anything. But Kimmie’s friend Bridget, sitting across from them in the booth, spun her head to the side so she could get a look at the eye candy.

      “Ohhh.” Bridget’s eyes flew to Caroline. “That’s Zane Wales. He’s Caroline’s.”

      Kimmie’s face swung around to look at Caroline, shock evident in the wide circles of her eyes. “What?”

      Caroline shook her head, her own eyes rolling at Bridget’s remark. “He’s not