Four

“What the devil is going on here?” A deep voice cut through my slumber. I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar room, wondering for a moment where I was. Daniel stood over me, cleaned up considerably since I saw him last, with a plaster over the cut on his head, and now wearing his police uniform.

“Daniel, you’re back,” I said as memory returned. “Thank the good Lord.”

“And come back to find a strange man in my bed?” he demanded.

I shifted my gaze to see Ryan’s dark hair peeking from under the counterpane, on the other side of Liam’s remarkably similar dark curls.

“Darling, that’s not a strange man. It’s Ryan.”

At the commotion Ryan woke up and raised bleary eyes to us.

“Captain Sullivan. You’ve returned. Thank God for that. Molly was so worried. She was afraid to be alone so I said I’d keep watch for her.”

“A fine job you were doing at keeping watch,” Daniel said, his expression softening a little.

“I was only snoozing. If danger had arisen, trust me I’d have been on my feet and ready to defend her in an instant,” Ryan said, getting out of bed and looking somewhat sheepish. “Well, now that you’re back safe and sound, I’ll just toddle off to my own abode and leave you to it. And get some decent shut-eye. That child of yours kicks like a mule.”

“Ryan,” I called after him as he made for the door. “Thank you so much, for everything. I don’t think I could have made it through the evening without you.”

He turned back and blew me a kiss. “Call upon me anytime. I’m always at your service, you know that.”

“You might have been a little more gracious,” I said as the door closed behind Ryan. “He was so kind, Daniel. He brought me down his own pajamas and robe. He forced me to eat and drink something, then he sat on the bed beside me until I fell asleep. He also made me laugh. I was in a terrible state when you left. I’d never have slept a wink otherwise.”

“I’m sorry,” Daniel said gruffly. “But how do you think I felt coming here after being out all night and the first thing I see is another man’s head next to my wife.”

“Daniel Sullivan, sometimes you are absurd,” I snapped. “Let me give you a little hint—if I was ever going to go looking for a little excitement, it wouldn’t be the night after my family was nearly killed by a bomb. And I wouldn’t invite him to share a bed with my young son either.”

“Oh, Molly.” Daniel sank onto the bed beside me. He wrapped his arms around me in a fierce embrace. “I’ve had a hell of a night. And I don’t think there’s one part of me that doesn’t hurt.”

“I’m sorry, my darling,” I said, stroking back his unruly mop of curls. “Have you had your injuries seen to by a doctor?”