In the Enemy's Arms (Silhouette Special Edition #1610) by Pamela Toth

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In The Enemy's Arms

Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.

Chapter One

As Mari Bingham peeled off her gloves, she glared at the detective staring back at her through the glass divider. It seemed to Mari as though every time she turned around, even here at the midwifery clinic where she was the director, she noticed Bryce Collins watching her. If not for his gold shield, she would have filed a stalking complaint against him.

"He's been waiting to talk to you." The receptionist lowered her voice, her expression concerned.

"Is everything okay, Dr. Bingham?"

"Of course, Heather. Everything's fine." Mari dredged up a smile. She'd been called in to the clinic at 2:00 a.m. and it was now midmorning. Even though she was the director, she still saw patients. Mari considered the joy of bringing a healthy baby into the world well worth a few hours of lost sleep, but this delivery had been a long one and the last few weeks had been difficult for her.

Mari had been meaning to confront Detective Collins, but not here, not now, and certainly not without a shot of caffeine to hone her senses.

In her search for decent coffee, she had come straight from the birthing room without bothering to freshen up first. She must look awful - her face pale and shiny, her hair falling from its hasty bun and her light green scrubs stained and wrinkled.

From previous experience, she knew all too well that neither a carefully made-up face nor a freshly laundered outfit would have lessened the defensiveness she always felt around the man advancing on her now with the determination of a cougar stalking a deer. He had been after her for weeks.

Despite the rumors and speculation surrounding Mari, she refused to cooperate and play the role of prey. She just wanted the investigation to be over, the real criminals caught and her reputation cleared.

"Please show the detective to my office," she told Heather as Bryce narrowly avoided tripping over a toddler pushing a tiny grocery cart across the waiting room. "I'll be there in a minute."

Mari didn't care how long he'd been cooling his heels. He should know from his last attempt at interrogating her here that the Foster Midwifery Clinic was a busy place. Besides, she desperately needed some coffee and a bagel, if there were any left over from the morning break. Except for a few of the tiny breath mints she always carried with her, she hadn't eaten a thing since dinner last night.

Let Heather deal with Bryce's intimidation tactics for the moment. It would be good practice for the girl.

As Mari made her escape, she swallowed a yawn. It was no surprise that she hadn't been sleeping well, even on the few nights that one of her patients didn't go into labor at 2:00 a.m. Worrying about who might be evil enough to steal drugs from the clinic and then let someone else - her - take the blame was wearing Mari down. The last thing she needed today was another visit from Bryce Collins.

She knew he had stopped loving her a long time ago, but was it possible that he still resented her enough to send her to prison - even if it was for something she hadn't done?

Detective Collins had been studying Mari through the glass divider. He watched the receptionist with the eye-popping blue hair give Mari the no doubt unwelcome news of his presence. As he got to his feet, Mari's gaze collided with his. Even with her spine stiffened, she looked tired.

Was her obvious fatigue merely a by-product of her chosen profession? Becoming a doctor, an obstetrician, had been a goal he hadn't been willing to support. In fact, when they were younger, Bryce had done everything in his power to dissuade her from pursuing a career in medicine. Judging from her current wilted appearance, it appeared that her job was taking its toll.

Grudgingly Bryce supposed the investigation - his investigation - might also be partly to blame. Was a guilty conscience keeping her awake at night? Did she feel sorry for the victims of the switched pain medication or was it merely the fear of getting caught supplying drugs to the black market that dimmed her normal sparkle?

His determination to find answers was the reason he'd spent the last hour waiting to see her. He'd been surrounded by chattering mommies, fussing babies and whiny toddlers. One of the latter had just wiped a mashed-up cookie on the knee of Bryce's slacks.

Given a choice, he would rather be chasing a suspect through a dark alley full of pit bulls.

Instead of waiting for him, Mari walked away. He nearly ran down two little kids when he chased after her, swearing under his breath.

With her clipboard clutched to her chest, the blue-haired receptionist headed him off while Mari disappeared around a corner. Biting back his impatience, Bryce glanced at the girl's name tag.

"Heather, I told you that I need to speak to Dr. Bingham," he said, doing his best to soften his request with a smile.

"She asked that you wait in her office. I'll take you there right now and the doctor will be with you in just a little while."

So far, he had nothing to show for the morning that was rapidly slipping away except for the dried cookie on his knee. "Great," he replied, his annoyance oozing out. "It's not as if I've got anything better to do with my time."

Below the silver hoop that pierced Heather's brow, her black-rimmed eyes widened. With a huff of annoyance, she spun on her heel, leaving him no choice but to follow.

The case was getting a fair amount of publicity and he had grown up in Merlyn County, so people recognized him. Today he ignored the curious glances of the patients and the disapproving stares from some of the clinic staff as he focused on getting his interview with his number-one person of interest.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from In The Enemy's Arms by Pamela Toth Copyright © 2004 by Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.. Excerpted by permission.
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