Page 25 of Rescuing Baylee

“No problem,” Morgan said, smiling slightly. He turned to Landon. “I have a call in to a friend of mine, and if I hear back from him, I’ll let you know.”

“Roger that,” he said. “Keep an eye out,” he warned as he opened the door for him to leave.

Morgan gave him a jaunty salute. “Always, boss man!”

Landon closed the door behind his partner and slid home all the locks. Baylee watched him go through the process and felt like she was going to suffocate in the closed off brown room.

Do something with yourself. Turning, she grabbed the bags. It was a little early, but she would start making some dinner.

CHAPTER NINE

Landon sat on the not-so-fresh smelling couch and listened to Baylee move around in the kitchen. He did not know what she was doing, but he hoped she was making them something to eat. It had been a while since he’d eaten anything, and there had been nothing in the fridge to snack on.

He could have cooked them something, but he’d seen her face light up as she looked down into the plastic bags. Being staked out was hard to do, and she’d certainly never been trained for it. At least he was used to being bored when he needed to be.

His eyes drifted shut and he kicked his heels out a little further on the carpet, then folded his hands over his stomach. Hearing the little clinks and sounds in the kitchen was kind of relaxing.

Landon wasn’t sure at first what woke him, but he took a deep breath and stretched. Oh, man, it had to have been the smell. Garlic and herbs, and crusty bread. Following his nose, he pushed up from the couch and wandered to the kitchen doorway.

Baylee stood leaning over a pan of garlic bread in the open oven. A few tendrils of hair curled near her cheeks from thesteam, and there was a satisfied look on her face. Landon smiled despite himself.

“Okay,” he rumbled. “That smells amazing.”

Moving into the kitchen, he leaned to look over her shoulder. “Is that fettucine? With chicken breasts?”

A broad smile on her face, Baylee nodded. “Blackened chicken breasts. And broccoli. And garlic bread.”

“Oh, man,” he groaned, resting a hand on her shoulder to lean even deeper over the steaming pan of creamy noodles. “That looks and smells amazing.”

Baylee had stiffened under his touch, then seemed to relax. “Well, if you grab a plate, we can eat some of it. I waited a little while because you seemed to be sleeping so well, but I was hungry.”

Landon looked at her, surprised. “You delayed dinner for me to sleep?”

She shrugged lightly and pulled away from his hand, going to a cupboard to retrieve a couple of plates. “It was no big deal. I just made the brownies first.”

Landon looked around. “You made brownies,” he asked, scanning the counter.

Baylee laughed at his search. “Yes. We’ll have those after.”

Landon helped her retrieve plates and insisted she go first. Baylee made a plate and set it on the table, then retrieved two glasses. “What would you like to drink? We have water or water.”

Landon snorted. “Guess I’ll have water, then. Thank you.”

He piled food onto his own plate, then grabbed a couple of pieces of garlic bread. His mouth was literally watering as he sat down in the chair across from her. The tiny table was more apartment size than house size, but it would hold his food long enough to eat.

Twirling noodles around the tines of his fork, he blew for just a second before taking a huge, slurping bite. She shoved a papertowel at him, laughing as Alfredo sauce dripped down his chin. Landon grinned and took the towel, happy that he could make her laugh. “This is amazing,” he mumbled around the mouthful of food.

“I think you’re just hungry,” Baylee said, golden brow cocked.

Landon shook his head. “No, it’s good.”

He plowed through the first plate, then filled his plate again. Her eyes widened as she watched him methodically demolish the food.

“You don’t understand,” he said, wiping his tattered napkin over his face when he was done. “Cops have to make do with anything we can get. Some of us can cook if we have to, but usually we don’t have time. When I was out on the road, it never failed that you would stop at some fast-food joint, order your food, and you’d get a call. You can tell dispatch you’re going on lunch or break or whatever, but Austin never rests. You would have to try to inhale your food before you get to the call.”

“I get it,” she nodded. “Nurses are the same sometimes. Some days, the floor is quiet. Other days, it’s like someone is testing you or something and every emergency you can imagine happens. And with the nurse shortage the past few years, it’s been even worse.”

“How long have you been in pediatrics?”