Page 43 of Survive the Night
The night shift had been hellish. Between a domestic call, a car accident, and a propane leak, Otto had been running at full speed for twelve hours. On the bright side, no one had been hurt, the cars ended up with only minor damage, and nothing exploded, but Otto was bone-tired—too tired to even curse the chief for stealing away so many officers.
Despite the busy night, Otto hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Sarah. She’d told him flat-out that she was leaving eventually. How could he expect her to stay? Monroe—especially in the winter—was dull and isolated. Just because he considered it home didn’t mean that the woman he was fascinated with would want to stay. He kept telling himself to enjoy the time he had with her and quit thinking about how empty he’d feel when she was gone.
Finally, his shift ended, and he hurried home, pushing his speed, even around the hairpin turns. As he hurried up the stairs, he imagined finding her in his room, in his bed, and the mental image made him rush even faster. As he moved through the doorway, his smile faded. No one was there. Returning to the hall, he glanced in the guest room and saw it was empty, as well. Nerves started to buzz deep in his gut as he quickly checked the house. All of her things were still there, so she hadn’t left yet—at least not voluntarily.
That thought had him tensing, adrenaline shooting through him as if preparing him to hunt down the person who’d snatched Sarah out of her bed and her new home. He rushed through the living room, peering through the windows to see if he could see her outside. It was still really early, but maybe she couldn’t sleep.
His gaze fell on the coat closet leading to the bunker, and his pulse slowed slightly. Hurrying into the closet, he opened the door in the back wall and then took the stairs four at a time. As soon as he spotted her, curled on one of the bunks, surrounded by his animals, all the air left him in a relieved rush.
Otto stared for a few moments before he started to smile. Sarah was curled up on her side, sleeping on one third of the cot, with Mort, Xena, and Bob taking up the other two-thirds. Mort and Bob opened their eyes briefly, saw it was Otto, and then closed them again. Xena, on the other hand, watched him warily from where she was curled up behind Sarah’s knees.
He had to admit that he was a little bothered that Xena had bonded so quickly to Sarah. It was a good thing she had, and Otto tried to brush off his slight jealousy, but it was hard when he thought about all those hours feeding the scared dog treats at Nan’s. Xena gave a slight huff, as if she could read his thoughts and was laughing at his pettiness.
Otto checked on Sarah, wondering if the dog had disturbed her, but she was still solidly sleeping, her breathing deep and even, and her hair falling across her face. He hated to wake her, but he wanted her to know he was home. The night, as busy as it had been, had also felt incredibly long, with a rerun of the previous afternoon replaying over and over in his head. He was antsy to talk to her, to see how she was. Maybe she’d offer to make breakfast again. Yesterday’s breakfast burritos had been incredible. Usually, when he was on night shift, he wasn’t motivated to cook when he got home. He’d just grab something, do animal chores, and then crash in front of the TV until he went to bed.
With Sarah there, though, he was hopped up on adrenaline. He couldn’t get their kisses out of his head, and he grinned every time he thought about her. The one good thing about being short-staffed at the station was that, if they’d been there, the other officers would’ve been mocking him relentlessly about his cheerfulness.
It wasn’t just the attraction. Having someone else at his house was unexpectedly nice. Otto hadn’t realized just how depressing coming home to an empty-except-for-animals house had been. It would be hard once she left. His stomach dropped at the thought, and he instantly chided himself. He couldn’t get attached—well, more attached. She wouldn’t be staying with him for long, and then he’d be alone again. That seemed to be the pattern of his life—people and animals stayed for a while, and then they left.
Shaking off his self-pity, Otto reached forward and closed his hand around the foot that was sticking out from under the quilt. Her long, fuzzy, yellow-and-orange-striped socks fit her sunny personality so well that he had to grin when he saw them. “Sarah,” he said quietly.
Her eyes popped open as soon as he touched her, coming awake and anxious in a fraction of a second. “What’s wrong?” She sat up abruptly, the movement pulling her foot free of his grip.
“Nothing.” Otto automatically used the calming voice that worked to soothe injured and frightened animals. “Unless you consider me having to cook my own eggs as wrong.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She got out of bed, swaying a little as she stood, and Otto hurried to catch her arm before she toppled over. “I’ll cook something.”
“No, I’m teasing,” he said as she blinked up at him, still looking dazed from sleep. He felt guilty for waking her just because he didn’t want to be alone. “You can go back to bed. I wanted to let you know I’m home, that’s all.”
To his surprise, she blushed. “Am I that obvious?”
“Obvious?”
“That I have a hard time sleeping when you’re gone?” She dropped her gaze, and Otto wondered if she would’ve blurted that out if she hadn’t just woken up.
He grimaced, torn by the need to stay home and take care of her and the responsibility he had to the police department. If only the chief hadn’t picked that week to send everyone to training. “Sorry. I’d take time off, but—”
“Oh no,” she interrupted, looking embarrassed. “I’m sorry I said that. I’m still half asleep, I think. Xena kept prodding me with her feet, and Mort has this way of half lying on me and jabbing me with his pointy… What is that joint? His elbow? His shoulder? Whatever it is, it’s like the bone equivalent of a poker.”
Otto groaned and laughed at the same time. “Yeah. I know what you mean. He does that to me, too.”
“I’m glad you woke me up,” she said, stretching, still rumpled with heavy-lidded eyes. He loved seeing her this way—although he loved seeing her any way. “You’re always welcome to wake me if I’m sleeping when you get home. We don’t get much time together, and I don’t want to miss a minute.”
His stomach warmed at her admission. “I will.”
They made their way up the stairs. Mort and Bob stretched and yawned before ambling after them, and Xena slunk along right behind Sarah. She was close enough that it looked like the dog would crash into her legs if Sarah were to stop abruptly.
“Did you still want to go job-hunting today?” Otto asked reluctantly, holding open the door. It was hard not to wrap Sarah in bubble wrap and keep her safe at home, but Otto didn’t want to turn into her jailer. She’d had too many of those.
“Yes!” Her face lit with excitement. “Can we go after breakfast?”
“Sure.” Her happiness made him feel churlish. To make up for it, he insisted on making breakfast. It was just simple veggie omelets and fruit, but she thanked him as if he’d served her a five-course meal.
“Just let me do chores, and then we can go.”
She tagged along, eager to help and surprisingly proficient with a manure fork.
“You’re not what I expected.” As soon as the words were out, he wished them back in, knowing what her immediate question would be.
