"It's been a month. I'm as up as I'm going to get. The rest depends on everyone accepting how I want to do things." He'd have made time for his mother. He was about to say as much when Ella returned.

One look at her pale face and Mike shot to his feet. "What's wrong?" he asked, placing a bracing arm around her shoulder.

Kim came around her other side. "Mom?"

"Sam's been in an accident."

Heart pounding hard in his chest, Mike eased his mother into the nearest chair. "What happened?"

"That was Cara," she said. Sam's partner. "His car crashed into a tree. He's at University Hospital now."

"Cara was with him?" Mike knew for a fact they weren't on duty today, but it wasn't surprising they were together. Those two made a mockery of the notion that men and women couldn't be just friends.

It was Mike who couldn't just be Cara's friend, not after an explosive one-night stand three months ago that he'd yet to get out of his head. "Are they both okay?"

"Cara sounded fine. Sam's being assessed," his mother said, still trembling.

Mike swallowed hard. His mother's fear wasn't an easy thing to deal with, not when she was usually so strong. But she'd been hit with too many things at once lately.

"I need to go to your brother but I can't leave your father. I don't want to drag him out there and put him under all that stress, around sick people and germs..."

This was something he could do to help. "I'll head over to the hospital," Mike said, glancing at his sister.

She nodded. "And I'll stay here with you and Dad."

"No." Ella shook her head. "You go with your brother. You two should be together when you get news on Sam."

Mike immediately thought of a solution. "I'll tell you what. I'll call Aunt Louisa to come over," he said. His mother's sister also lived in Serendipity, a few streets away. "That way you and dad won't be alone."

"I don't want to be a bother to her."

But Kim had already reached for the phone and begun dialing over their mother's objections.

A few minutes later, their aunt was on her way over while Mike and Kim headed for the hospital.

Officer Cara Hartley paced outside the emergency room, waiting for news on her partner. And waiting for his family to arrive. She didn't know which members would come given Sam's father's condition, but her gut told her his brother, Michael, would be one of them. Usually as laid back as he appeared, when it came to doing his job or caring for his family, the man was as take-charge alpha as they came.

He also liked control in the bedroom, something Cara knew only too well. She shivered at the memory of one incredible night a few months ago when Mike had been home for the weekend to visit his father. He and Sam had shown up at Joe's Bar. Mike had flirted with Cara. He'd bought her drinks, walked her to her car, and the next thing she'd known, she'd agreed to let him follow her home and take her not just to bed but wherever he damn well pleased. He'd been a demanding, aggressive lover and he'd ignited a hunger that fueled many fantasies about that hot night they'd spent together.

"Dr. Nussbaum, please call extension fifty-three. Dr. Nussbaum, extension fifty-three." The voice over the hospital loudspeaker broke into Cara's heated thoughts.

Although those provocative memories had been a welcome distraction from worrying about Sam, the last thing she wanted to be thinking about was the man who was now her boss. He'd completely rocked her world months ago, but he hadn't mentioned it since his return. Granted, she hadn't brought up the subject, either, but his complete refusal to acknowledge her as more than one of his officers grated. Even the few times they were alone, Mike had been abrupt and all business.

When he arrived she had no doubt he'd want to talk about what she and Sam were doing on Route 80, heading back to Serendipity from the outskirts of town. Though it wasn't unusual for her and Sam to be together, they hadn't been on the normal local roads. Though they'd been looking into a sanctioned investigation while off duty, the implications of their findings involved Mike and Sam's family-and it wasn't something she'd share without Sam's permission. Not even with her boss.

She shivered at the idea of lying to the man who appeared to see through her with one searing glance. But if she had good news about Sam, maybe he wouldn't care where they'd been or why. That information was up to Sam to share with his brother when he was ready.

Suddenly the street doors swung wide and Cara caught sight of Mike, his dark hair longer than regulation for a cop, his leather jacket giving him a dangerous edge. He barreled through the lobby and headed straight for her, his sister right behind him.

"How's Sam?" Kim asked.

"What the hell happened?" Mike barked at Cara.

She straightened to her full height, which at five foot three wasn't much compared to his nearly six feet. "We were in an accident, Chief."

"Any news on Sam?" Kim asked.

Cara shook her head. "Not yet, but he was conscious when the ambulance brought him in."

"I didn't have you two on the schedule today." Mike pinned her with a steady stare.

Cara looked into his chocolate-brown eyes, wondering how they could have been so sexy all those months ago and so cold and forbidding now. "And if you'll notice, I'm not in uniform. Your brother and I were out for a ride. It's a gorgeous day," she said, hating the lie as it too effortlessly fell from her lips.

"Ease up," Kim said, punching Mike in the arm. "She's not on duty and she's as worried about Sam as we are. And lay off the formalities. Cara's like family," Kim said, pulling her into an embrace. "I'm glad you're okay."

Cara managed a nod, and hugged Kim back. "It was scary," she said, allowing herself to admit her fear for the first time. She stepped away from Kim and wished she was wearing a heavier jacket.

"You're shaking." Kim said, breaking into her thoughts.

"Were you checked out?" Mike asked, his tone deep and gravelly, sending shivers through her that had nothing to do with the earlier accident.

"The paramedics cleared me at the scene. It's just a delayed reaction, I guess."

Mike's frown deepened. "Let's sit." Without waiting for her to agree, he grasped her elbow and led her to a chair.

Because Cara's legs were truly unsteady, she let him have his way. Kim picked a chair across the aisle, while Mike chose the chair beside Cara. He sat so close to her that the musky scent of his aftershave warmed her in ways she couldn't think about now.

"What happened?" Kim asked softly.

In a weird way it was a relief to go back in her mind to the accident and share the experience. "Sam was driving. He was fine one minute and the next he doubled over in pain. I reached for the wheel but I had no leverage and the car hit a tree."

She blew out a stream of air and steadied herself before continuing. "My airbag deployed. His didn't. Sam's head hit the steering wheel..." She winced as she recalled the awful sound. "And his side of the car took the brunt of the impact. I was able to call for an ambulance, and here we are." She clenched her fists until her nails bit into her flesh.

"Easy," Mike said as his big, strong hand covered hers and he gently pried her fingernails away from her skin.

Her entire body reacted to his touch, awareness jolting through her like a sudden burst of electricity. Startled, she met his gaze and in that moment she knew he was as stunned as she.

Until he jerked his hand back and rose to his feet. "Where is a damned doctor with some news?"

Kim rose and put a hand on her brother's shoulder. "I'm sure we'll hear something soon." No sooner had she spoken than a familiar voice called out Cara's name.

"Alexa!" Relieved, Cara jumped up and turned to Dr. Alexa Collins, a beautiful blonde who was not only one of Cara's closest friends but also the doctor on call.

"How is he?" Sam's siblings asked at the same time.

"He's stable. He had an appendicitis attack while he was driving." She glanced at Cara. "Did he mention any pain during the day?"

She thought back and shook her head.

Alexa frowned. "Then he must have covered and ignored it. Appendicitis pain typically increases over a period of time. Stubborn man," she muttered, knowing Sam as well as Cara did. "Okay, well, he's in surgery to take care of the appendix and, barring any complications, he should be fine. He's also got a concussion from impact with the steering wheel but again, barring complications, nothing life threatening." She smiled at Kim, Michael, and Cara to put them at ease. "I'm going to go back in. As soon as he's in recovery, I'll let you know. You can see him later."

"Thank you." Kim breathed out in relief. "I'll go let Mom and Dad know." She rushed outside, probably to a place she could use her cell phone.

"Thanks, Alexa," Cara said.

The other woman smiled. "I can honestly say it's my pleasure. It'll also be my pleasure to kick his ass for ignoring pain. And trust me, he had to have felt something earlier."

"I'll help you," Mike muttered. "Thanks for everything."

Alexa nodded. "I'll be back soon with news." She too took off, leaving Cara and Mike alone.

Most of Cara's earlier shakiness had subsided, leaving her exhausted. "I'm going to get some coffee. Want some?" she asked the hulking, silent man beside her.

"No, thanks."

She shrugged. "Suit yourself," she said, more uncomfortable now that the mood between them had shifted from connected to awkward. But awkward was they way things had been between them since his return. She turned and headed for the door.

"Cara."

Surprised, she pivoted back toward him. "Yes?"

"Thank you. For calling 911 and making sure Sam got here quickly."

It was as much of an apology for his earlier rudeness as she was likely to get. If she hadn't been in the room with him that night three months ago-under him, over him, him deep inside her-his recent behavior would have convinced Cara that the most spectacular evening of her life had never happened. But it had, she thought, shivering as her body recalled the intimate connection. And that brief time together, along with the flare of heat in his eyes today, proved she wasn't crazy. He'd been affected by her whether he showed it or not.

It was his choice not to show it that proved he wanted nothing to do with her. Heck, he clearly didn't even want a repeat performance, which merely backed up Sam's point. As Sam had informed Cara before she'd left the bar with his brother, Michael viewed everything and everyone in life as temporary. At the time, Cara had been okay with that. She didn't expect him to stick around, and she was a small-town girl at heart, with small-town aspirations. She'd happily remain in Serendipity long after the big-city detective left his temporary job as chief of police behind. She had no doubt if she got involved with Mike again, she'd end up with a broken heart.

But he wasn't asking her for anything. Yet if he pressed, she'd be tempted. And what did that say about her? She shook her head to dislodge thoughts of a man who clearly wasn't interested. Cara wouldn't chase after a man any more than she'd let one take advantage of her. Her mother and father's unbalanced, unhealthy relationship set an example Cara refused to follow.

With that reality firmly in mind, she went for coffee.

Berkley titles by Carly Phillips.

SERENDIPITY..

DESTINY.

KARMA.