Page 12 of The Hunt

“I have known Chad Fields practically from the moment I was born. Our relationship is between the two of us.” Genny did not want to spend even five minutes right now with Doug Hodges. The man just seriously gave her the creeps. It was theway he watched her all the time. “I’m sure you’ve heard the news. My brother and his sister were involved in what happened at his parents’ ranch. Is there something I can help you with? I’m going back upstairs to be with my friends and family.”

“I didn’t mean to upset you. Can I buy you coffee? As friends.”

He’d asked her out four or five times already. Each time, she had told him no politely. He liked to sleep around. Genny most certainly did not. And he didn’t seem to be getting the message. “Thank you, but my brother already did before he went back upstairs. He’s waiting for me now.”

Maybe not, but what guy would bother a woman with a big brother built like Gene just a few floors up?

“That was your brother? I thought your brother was Dr. Hiller, from obstetrics.” There was an accusation in his tone she definitely didn’t appreciate.

Did he think she’d lied, for heaven’s sake? And it was rather obvious she and Gene were related. She’d been called Gene’s mini-me too many times to count. Of all of her siblings, she resembled Gene the strongest.

“Guthrie from obstetricsismy brother.Geneisalsomy brother. I have five big brothers, Dr. Hodges, including the mayor of this little town. Five very big brothers, actually. Fiveveryoverprotective big brothers. Guthrie’s one of the smaller ones. I live with three of them.” That should scare him off. Mentioning her brothers had worked on guys before. Genny played every card she could when needed. “They do like to keep a close eye on me and my sisters.”

“At least let me walk you back upstairs.”

It was a hospital. A public place. Not like she could say no.

But the entire exchange really sent her spidey sense tingling. “No, thank you. I want to walk up by myself. To clear my head.The last day or so has been very traumatic. But thanks for the offer.”

Genny left him staring at her, an inscrutable look on his face.

That man just seriously freaked her out a little.

Some of the doctors in this place could be a bit beyond weird sometimes.

And it seemed they somehow kept getting weirder and weirder.

Like Dr. Chad Fields, for example.

There must be something in the water.

11

The first thingChad did when he made it to the hospital the next morning was hunt down the woman he wanted. Genny usually had the ten-to-six shift in the ED. He worked from nine until six-thirty or so, one floor up in the pediatrics wing. He had five practicing pediatricians under his supervision. He was a busy man.

But not too busy to check on Genny. He’d had a lot of time the night before to think about Genny Hiller. To figure out what it was he wanted. Chad most certainly knew what he wanted from that woman now.

He found her in Chantal’s room. Chantal was awake, showered, dressed, and about to be discharged. He should have just checked in with Chantal first. He wrapped his sister, barely bigger than his tiny dictator of a mother, into his arms for a moment.

He was so damned thankful that he could.

He didn’t think he’d hugged his kid sister since their nephew’s funeral, almost six years ago.

No more. He was going to make sure his family knew he loved each and every one of them. From now on, he was huggingChantal every time he saw her. And his niece and his sister-in-law and his mother, while he was at it, too.

“Hey, kid. I thought you might get out today.”

“I’m ready to go home,” Chantal said in an irritated tone.

“She’s not going home,” a male voice said from behind Chad. He turned. Their older brother stood there in the doorway. He had on his TSP Major Crimes polo, signaling he was in work mode. “Whether she likes it or not.”

Mr. TSPhad arrived.

Charlie had put in his retirement papers three months ago. But after some really nasty things had happened to his teammates, Charlie had agreed to stay on a few more months. He and his wife were going to concentrate on expanding the rental property business she had started years ago—and Charlie was going to work as a private security consultant part-time for a friend’s extremely wealthy wife. Charlie said he wanted to spend time with his wife and infants, his grown daughter, and his siblings and parents now.

Chad suspected the realities of retirement would drive Charlie insane. “Where is she going?”

“I’ve arranged for her—and Gene—to stay at the Barratt for as long as needed. Mom and Dad, too. I’ve called in some favors to make it happen. Until we can catch the guys responsible for this.” Charlie leveled a look at Chantal. “I want to know you are safe so I can focus on finding them. Gene and Calvin will be in the suite right next door. Mom and Dad will be on the other side. Look at it as a vacation. Meanwhile, Chad and Charlotte are going to watch their own backs, and call me if anything out of the ordinary happens. As will the Hillers and everyone else out there.”