Page 47 of Protecting the White Bear

“We had a good reason for breaking in.” Andy sounded a little worried that they shouldn’t have been in there. “We can check here later. We’ll keep calling him periodically.”

“That sounds good. Let’s go to your place so we can sleep. I’m ready to take some of that medicine the doctor prescribed and crash.”

They relocked Pierre’s back door and returned to Andy’s SUV. “I’m ready for it.”

She laughed. “Absolutely. Do you have a phone charger that works with my phone at your place? Mine was in my car. Maybe whoever grabbed the stuff from my SUV put it in my bag.”

She searched for it and pulled it out, dangling it. She plugged in her phone just as he pulled into his driveway.

“We can charge it in the house.”

“Sure.” She put her charger back in her bag. When they walked into the home, she felt warm and welcome at once.

He removed her coat and hung it in a coat closet near the front door, and then he did the same with his. He also took herhat and his and hung them on a hat rack. He put their gloves on top of a chest. Both removed their boots.

Large windows covered one wall, and a fireplace was featured on an adjacent wall. A high pine paneled ceiling met the off-white walls, the floor covered in a lighter pine that reminded her of a Scandinavian home. Really pretty, light and airy. A bookcase was framed by two windows and filled with children’s books. She smiled. “I like your reading material.”

He chuckled. “Edward and Robyn’s older kids, Garrett and Bryan, are six so when I’m off if Robyn needs a break I have them over. Edward and Robyn also have twin boys, Lucas and Sawyer, who are seven months old.”

“Do you take care of the babies too?” She raised her brows. She would really be surprised if he did.

Smiling, he shook his head. “Grandma, my mother, takes care of them every chance she gets. And my dad too. Rob and Alicia’s children are nearly two, a girl and a boy, Jenny and Daniel. I’ve sat for them for a few hours, any little thing to help when I’m off.”

“That’s so sweet of you.”

“The kids are fun to be around.”

“You do have two bedrooms, right?”

Andy laughed. “I have four bedrooms. You can sleep in any one of them. One is the kids’ room, if you don’t mind sleeping on a bunk bed. The triple bunk bed combines three twin beds arranged with one up top against the wall and the two down below coming out from the wall with drawers in between.”

“For the boys? You keep them overnight also?”

“Yeah, I’m a pushover. But the older they get, the more fun they are.”

“I’ll have to see which of the beds makes my back feel the best.”

“Like inThe Three Bears.”

She chuckled. The house smelled of cinnamon and cloves, and she breathed deeply. “Wow, it smells so nice in here.”

“I’d made wassail the night before I had to rescue victims from all the accidents during the snowstorm.”

“Hmm, do you still have some?”

“I sure do.” He pulled a container from the fridge, poured some wassail into two polar bear mugs, and then placed them in the microwave. Once warmed up, he took them into the living room.

She pulled a glass out of the cabinet. “I’m going to take some of the medicine the doctor prescribed me right now so it takes effect by the time I lie down.”

“That’s a good idea.” He hooked up her phone to a charger station. “Your phone will be charged up in just a little while.”

“Great, and thanks.” She sat on the soft gray sofa, and he took off her boots and set them next to the door leading out to the garage.

“So none of this is making any sense.” Andy pulled off his boots and left them beside hers.

“What?”

Andy sighed. “You knew the guy who received the ransom demands. The men who took the money from him went to his house to get it from him, but they didn’t hand over Helen—though we know why that is, but did Pierre? And your car brakes were mysteriously tampered with.”

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