Chapter One

Leah Culverton had officially now seen it all.

She was standing in a triage room of the emergency department at Chicago Memorial, witnessing her best friend in the world starting to yell.

Leah’s eyebrows hit their highest peak as she thought, Wow. Shannon never sounds off like this…. I am so proud of her right now…

In all fairness, it had been a very rough night.

It had started with Shannon’s tenth date with a man named Robert that she just wasn’t into - and wasn’t sure about how to let down gently - and ended with some sort of explosion.

“You need to tell him how you feel, Shannon,” she’d said when Shannon had confided in her, then cracked a joke about tagging in to try to get the shadows out of Shannon’s eyes.

Luckily, it worked, and they’d laughed together before Shannon left.

Leah had settled in with a bowl of popcorn and five as yet unseen recordings of her favorite crime show, and was merrily entertaining herself when her cell phone rang at almost ten p.m.

She’d paused her show and picked up her phone, noticing Shannon’s number flashing on the screen.

“Let me guess. He didn’t take it well, and I need to come and get you,” she’d said.

“Um…,” a man’s voice faltered on the other end. “I’m trying to reach a Leah Culverton?”

“This is she,” Leah had answered, frowning. “Who’s this, and why do you have Shannon’s phone?”

“Miss Culverton, my name’s Danny,” he’d told her. “I work at Chicago Memorial, at the intake desk. Your friend Shannon was involved in an… incident earlier, and she was brought here for treatment. She asked me to call you.”

“I’m on my way,” Leah babbled, then she’d hung up as she raced to put shoes on and grab her handbag.

She’d made it to the hospital in record time and barreled up to the information desk in the emergency room.

“You Danny?” she’d barked at the young man behind the counter.

“Yes.”

“I’m Leah Culverton. Hand over Shannon Rivers’ phone, and take me to her,” she’d commanded, and he gulped and obeyed.

“This way, please.”

***

Leah had been standing next to Shannon just long enough to realize her best friend’s hearing had been damaged, and she had pulled out her notebook and begun writing.

Shannon had started to explain what had landed her in the emergency room, then stopped, staring over Leah’s left shoulder at the doorway.

Leah had turned to see what she was looking at, and almost froze in place.

It was a man, tall, built, with light brown hair and stunning blue eyes, dressed in a very well-fitting suit the color of night sky.

Wow, he’s pretty, had been her first thought.

But her protectiveness had kicked in as he drew closer, and when he’d said, “Miss Rivers?” it sailed into overdrive.

“Her eardrums got screwed up, she can’t hear you,” Leah snarled as she’d stepped directly into his path to keep him from coming any closer to Shannon.

“And you are?” she’d challenged, hands on hips and hazel eyes blazing.

“Easy, Miss…”

“Culverton,” she snapped. “Leah Culverton.”

“Miss Culverton,” the man had said, and smiled, and Leah’s heart had thumped in double-time for a moment when she saw his dimples and the way his blue eyes sparkled.

And when he’d offered his credentials for review, Leah tried her best to ignore the rush of attraction she’d felt when her fingers brushed his palm.

Not now, she’d chastised herself. Focus.

***

Wow, she’s gorgeous, was Larry Fuller’s first thought as he looked at Leah, followed immediately by and, she thinks I’m here to hurt her friend.

As a result, he made certain that his every movement was deliberately benign. Her petite frame stood rigid, angry, ready to battle to protect her injured friend, and Larry found it endearing.

She can’t be more than five-foot-five at the most, he realized. But she’s fearless.

Leah Culverton had already captivated him, and they’d met not even two minutes before.

Larry watched as Leah took her time and carefully reviewed what she’d been handed. Since she was so focused on vetting that he was who he claimed to be, he seized the opportunity to stare openly at her.

The dark hair worn in a pixie cut flattered her slender neck, strong cheekbones and sparkling hazel eyes with naturally long lashes. White teeth chewed at the full bottom lip that he suddenly longed to nibble on himself. She was a good six inches shorter than him, and it brought to mind a vision of lifting her up off her feet and into his arms to be able to kiss her properly.

He found that while he was totally okay with that idea, he was shocked to be having those thoughts while working.

At last, she arched one eyebrow, then nodded, and he schooled his face back into nonchalance before she resumed eye contact and gave his badge and ID back to him.

Within two more minutes, he was unwittingly the direct cause of Shannon Rivers’ outburst.

***

“Letting you stay? For the moment?” Shannon said, and then veered out of orbit.

By the time Shannon was done, both Leah and Agent Fuller – and everyone occupying the two rooms on either side of them - were very well aware of her wish that Leah remain present.

Once she calmed down again, Shannon walked them both through the night’s events, and Fuller just stopped himself from putting an arm around each of them to comfort them when Shannon talked about the car exploding.

Fuller could see both women were shaken up and uncertain what to say or do next, so he jumped in and steered the conversation, asking Shannon questions that would help her focus.

At one point, Shannon asked him a very direct question – one he wasn’t quite prepared to answer yet. Leah swiveled her head to look at him, and he opened his mouth to deflect, but at that moment a tech came to take Shannon for an imaging procedure.

***

Leah stepped out into the hall to give them some space to work, and Fuller followed suit.

“I need to go get her some clothes,” Leah said. “Whatever wasn’t ruined from the blast they ruined here, cutting them off of her to treat her.”

“Happy to drive you,” Fuller said, and she cut a sideways glance at him, then shrugged.

“Fine, whatever,” she answered in what she hoped was a solid ‘I don’t care’ tone to combat the giddiness she felt when she saw him grin.

They walked to his car, and he held the door open for her before getting in behind the wheel.

“Where to?”

Leah gave him the address, and he pulled out of the visitor lot.