“I hope so.” A knot formed in Maren’s chest. What would he say when they talked? Would he be open to hearing how she felt? Would he feel the same?
“What’s your dog’s name?” Opal asked, her gaze on Haven, who sat patiently by Maren’s side.
“Haven.”
“She did good today. That was some pretty scary stuff.” Opal met her gaze. “You have a backbone of steel.”
“Not really,” Maren admitted. “Seeing you in danger and then knowing Colt got shot while saving us, it almost undid me.” For a brief moment, she’d thought she’d lost him. The terror of a future without him had frozen her blood. She never wanted to feel that but it was a part of their lives and something they’d both have to contend with. The danger of their jobs would always be present but that didn’t mean they couldn’t enjoy every moment they had together. She wanted all the moments with him. And her sister and the little one growing inside of Opal.
“It would have undone me,” Opal said. “You’ve always been the stronger of us.”
“I think we’re strong together. Promise me you won’t ever disappear like that again,” Maren said, her voice breaking. “When I thought you were dead…” She couldn’t even express the pain, the grief she’d felt.
Regret flashed in Opal’s eyes. “I’m sorry about that. I just thought it would be cleaner, and easier, for you.”
She was filled with sadness, knowing Opal would think that way. “It’s not. It never will be.”
Guilt darkened Opal’s eyes. “I thought, maybe, if you believed I’d drowned myself it would give you some closure. Unlike our parents’ death.”
Maren sucked in a breath. “No.” But she understood how her drive to solve her parents’ case had driven so much of their lives. That had to stop. “I’m working to let go of my need for closure. I must accept I won’t get it in this life. But God knows and He will serve the justice that’s deserved. I have to believe that. Because otherwise, I’ll destroy any chance I have at happiness.”
Opal held out her hand. Maren grasped it.
“I’m proud of you,” Opal said. “Sisters are forever friends,”
Letting the tears fall, Maren nodded and repeated the phrase, “Sisters are forever friends. And soon an addition to our family. I can’t wait to meet your child.”
The beaming smile on Opal’s face warmed Maren’s heart. “I’m going to love this little one for all I’m worth. She, or he, will be blessed to have you as an aunt.”
Pleased to be called aunt, Maren asked, “Have you thought of names?”
“Georgy if a boy or Georgina if a girl.” The light in her eyes dimmed slightly and tears slipped down her cheeks. “My Georgy wanted so badly to be a father.”
Maren squeezed her hand, her heart aching for her sister’s loss. “You’ll make sure your child knows they were loved by their daddy.” Another thought occurred to her. “Hey, were you ever approached by a doctor wanting to send you to a free clinic? The guy has thinning red hair, a beard and wears silver eyeglasses.”
Opal’s head tilted. “No. What’d he do?”
Not wanting to upset her sister, Maren kept her expression neutral. “Nothing for you to worry about.”
The curtain slid open, and the nurse stepped in, holding out a folded note. “Officer Anderson, this is for you.”
Maren unfolded the note to find Colt’s strong handwriting. The note read:I’m in the lobby. C
“Nurse, could you please send Agent Dawson back here?” Maren turned to Opal. “If you’re okay with that.”
Opal smiled despite the sadness lingering in her gaze. “Sure, since I have a feeling he’s going to become family, too.”
Hope spread through Maren’s chest. “From your lips to God’s ears.”
* * *
Colt and Rusk stood in the lobby of the emergency room with his SAC Leo Herman and the Colorado K-9 Unit task force leader, Emmett Dane. They’d just hammered out the fact that the Rocky Mountain DEA offices would need a new Deputy SAC, and Leo wanted Colt. Emmett had protested, wanting to keep him as part of the task force, but in the end, Colt made the tough decision.
As much as he wanted to stay partners with Maren on the task force, he wanted more to be her partner in life. He wasn’t sure doing both was in either of their best interests. Seeing her in danger had filled him with a kind of panicked fear he’d never experienced before. He’d been willing to do anything to protect her, even let Daniel go. Without a moment’s hesitation, he’d taken a bullet for her, which didn’t bode well if he wanted to stay alive while working with her. He’d get in her way with his need to protect and neither of them would be very effective at their jobs. Better to keep their professional careers separate from what he hoped would be a very close personal relationship.
Plus, the Rocky Mountain DEA office needed cleaning up. And he wanted to do it.
“As the DSAC,” Colt told Emmett, “I can still support the task force’s investigation.”
