The muscles bunched in David’s broad shoulders as he shifted his weight to one arm and leaned closer, reaching into the open cabinet under the kitchen sink.
A high-pitched scream split the air and several bottles of household cleaners tumbled out onto the scuffed linoleum floor.
David sat back on his knees with a muttered curse. “He bit me,” he said, examining the back of his hand where a semicircle of angry red teeth marks was clearly visible.
“Same thing happened to me,” Cole Bennett whispered. Cole had been waiting at Jenna McCay’s cramped apartment, clearing out the other officers when David and Erin arrived. “I didn’t want to force him out because I was worried he’d get hurt banging his head on the pipes if he struggled.”
The two men, both so strong, looked absolutely baffled at how to lure the young boy from his hiding spot. Erin glanced around the apartment and suppressed a shudder. On every surface, abandoned beer bottles and red plastic cups competed for space with fast-food wrappers and empty chip bags. It looked like a college fraternity house the morning after a huge party. The colorful drawings stuck to the front of the refrigerator were the only hint that a kindergartner lived here.
One of the crayoned pieces of art gave Erin an idea. She moved toward the narrow hallway, stepping over trash until she got to a half-open bedroom door. The space was neat and clean, untouched by the mess in the rest of the apartment. Toys lined one wall and the small bed was covered with a football-themed comforter. She grabbed the stuffed blue dog sitting on top of the pillow and hurried back to the kitchen.
David was once again on all fours in front of the cabinet, speaking so softly she couldn’t make out his words, only the rough yet surprisingly gentle timbre of his voice.
She crouched low next to him and tilted her head until she could see Rhett’s eyes, wide and still terrified. “Rhett,” she said, “It’s Ms. MacDonald. I found your stuffed dog and wanted to let you know he’s okay.”
A faint whimper came from the cabinet. “Ruffie,” the boy whispered.
“Ruffie is safe,” Erin said, using the same tone she would when soothing a child scared of letting go of his mother’s leg on the first day of school. “You’re safe, too. Your uncle David is going to take care of you. But we need you to come out now.”
The boy wedged himself farther into the corner, as if he could make himself invisible. God, Erin did not want this child to feel like he needed to be invisible. David’s large hand settled on the small of her back, and the steady pressure and warmth of his skin were more of a comfort than she would have guessed.
“Ruffie needs you.” She placed the small dog in front of her, just on the edge of the cabinet. “He’s scared and needs a hug. Can you do that for him?”
She held her breath for what felt like an eternity, then released it as the boy slowly unfolded his body and climbed out. Her fingers remained wrapped around the stuffed animal’s back leg to make sure Rhett wouldn’t try to grab it and retreat again.
Once he was in the light, she could see the smudge of dirt on his chin and the tearstains on his ruddy cheeks. Her heart broke for what this young boy had already seen in his life. David made a sound low in his throat and scooped up his nephew and the raggedy blue dog. It was as if a dam broke in Rhett and his whole body began to shake as he burrowed into David’s embrace.
She straightened and stepped away, closer to the sheriff. Somehow it felt wrong to bear witness to the moment between David and Rhett, both tender and raw. It was obvious David was trying to keep his emotions hidden, but pain and guilt were bright on his handsome features, like a stoplight in the dark.
“Nice work,” Cole Bennett said and put a hand on her elbow to lead her to the apartment door. “You’re like a kindergartner whisperer.” She started to turn but stopped at the sound of David’s voice.
“Stay.”
One word, but the intensity of it rocked her to her core.
She glanced up at Cole, who arched a brow.
“I’ll stay,” she told him.
He nodded. “Someone from Social Services will be here soon. I can let them in. They’ll want to talk to David and the boy.”
“We’ll be ready,” she said with more confidence than she felt.
She turned back and followed David to the couch, quickly cleaning off the coffee table and dumping everything into the trash before lowering herself next to him.
Rhett still clung to him, chubby fingers holding fistfuls of flannel shirt in a death grip. “Where’s Mommy?” he asked in a tiny voice.
“She’s...” David paused and his gaze slammed into hers. The pain in his eyes made her want to wrap her arms around both him and Rhett and make this whole night go away. “She’s safe. Sheriff Bennett is taking care of her.”
Erin wondered exactly how Jenna McCay was being cared for, and she hoped that whatever was happening Jenna was coherent enough to feel horrible about the situation she’d created for her son.
“It was loud,” Rhett said. “Mommy’s friends woke me up. I came out to tell her, but there were so many grown-ups and I couldn’t find her. Then everyone started yelling and I got scared and hid under the sink.”
“That was real smart of you,” David told the boy, his hand smoothing Rhett’s sleep-tousled hair.
After a moment Rhett tipped up his head to look at David. “When is Mommy coming home?”
“I’m not sure, buddy. But I’ll stay with you until she does, okay?”
Rhett chewed on his bottom lip for a few seconds, then nodded. After a knock at the door, Cole let in a gray-haired woman who appeared to be in her midfifties. She wore a plain white button-down shirt and dark pants and looked about as no-nonsense as they came.
The woman spoke to Cole in hushed tones for a few minutes, then they both approached.
“This is Becky Cramer from the county Human Services department,” Cole said.
Becky gave David a small nod, then bent to look at Rhett. “You’ve had quite a night,” she said gently.
“It was loud,” Rhett said, turning in David’s lap but not releasing his shirtfront.
“I’m David McCay.” David offered the woman his hand. “Rhett’s uncle. He’ll stay with me while we sort out things with Jenna.”
Becky shook his hand, then glanced at Erin.
“I’m Rhett’s kindergarten teacher, Erin MacDonald.” She saw a flash of surprise pass over Becky’s sharp features.
Right. How was she supposed to explain why she’d ended up on the couch with David and Rhett, caught up in the middle of family drama that had started long past regular school hours?
“Erin is a friend of mine,” David answered. Becky seemed to have no issue with that response, whereas Erin had trouble keeping her jaw from hitting the floor. Friends with David McCay? In what lifetime?
Men like David didn’t have boring kindergarten teachers as friends. Before he came to Crimson, he’d been a major-league baseball pitcher. He must be used to drop-dead gorgeous women who were exciting and sexy.
Erin knew she was boring. And ordinary. Not at all David’s type. She’d had a boyfriend last year—an accountant at a firm in town. He was quiet, average and exactly her type. Greg had broken up with her to date someone who was better than average, but that didn’t mean Erin could change the person she was on the inside. No matter how much she wanted to try.
David had been her unrequited crush since the moment she’d first seen him. It was a harmless fantasy with no chance of rejection. Never had she expected to get to know him, let alone be part of his life in this kind