“As long as there’s no progression of the symptoms,” Wendy said, her eyes still solemn and riveted on Tory, “we’ll induce labor at thirty-seven weeks if conditions are optimal.”

“So let me get this straight,” Reese said, hoping her voice didn’t shake. “As long as nothing changes, we just wait until the baby is big enough to be delivered, right?”

Tory smiled and reached for Reese’s hand. “Right.”

“And if the other things develop,” Reese persisted. “The…protein in the urine, or headaches, or visual disturbances or abnormal blood tests…then Tory is admitted to the hospital until the baby can be delivered?”

“That’s possible, yes,” Wendy said. She looked at Tory again. “Weekly visits. No excuses. Take your blood pressure every four hours and twice weekly blood screening.”

“Done.”

“Good,” Wendy said briskly. “I’ll see you next week.”

On the plane ride back, Reese sat in the window seat with Tory leaning quietly against her shoulder. They held hands, but they didn’t speak. When they landed at the small air strip at Race Point, it was still early afternoon.

“How about I drive over to the beach, and we take a look at the ocean?” Reese asked as they walked through the tiny terminal.

“I’d like that.”

A few moments later, Reese parked in front of the ranger’s station and helped Tory climb from the Blazer. “Do you want to walk down to the beach, or to the lighthouse?”

“The lighthouse, I think.”

They held hands and took their time walking down the winding sand path between low scrubs to the lighthouse that stood at the curve of the tip of Cape Cod as it stretched out into the Atlantic Ocean.

Reese smoothed the sand free of pebbles and needles at the base of the stone structure and asked, “Is this okay?”

Tory eased down with a sigh. “Perfect.”

Reese settled beside her and slid her arm behind Tory’s shoulder. For a few moments, they were silent, basking in the June sun and watching the sailboats and larger crafts track across the ocean in front of them.

“Tell me how worried I should be about what’s happening,” Reese said at length.

“For now, not too,” Tory replied quietly, resting her cheek against Reese’s shoulder. She turned slightly so she could thread her arm around Reese’s waist, drawing her knee gently over Reese’s thigh until she was reclining in her arms. “Everything has been stable except for the blood pressure, and that hasn’t really changed very much.”

“How long until the baby has a good chance?”

“God, you always go right for the heart of things, don’t you, Sheriff?”

Reese tightened her hold on her lover. “I don’t know the things you know. But I need to understand, because I want to be prepared.”

“Like Wendy said, thirty-seven weeks is usually the point when labor is induced in situations like this. But many times a few weeks earlier and the baby will do fine.”

“So we need at least another eight or nine, right?”

“That would be good.”

“I don’t want you to train anymore,” Reese said quietly.

Tory was still for a moment, and then she tilted her chin and kissed the underside of Reese’s jaw. “Okay.”

“And you’ll do half shifts at the clinic?”

“Yep.”

“Do know how much I love you?” Reese asked, looking into Tory’s eyes.

“I do.” Tory kissed her, slow and deep and thoroughly. When she drew her head back, she smiled, knowing from the way Reese’s eyes had darkened that the kiss had had its intended effect. “Do you know how much I love you? “

“I can make a pretty good guess,” Reese murmured softly, running her free hand up and down Tory’s arm.

“Make sure you get home on time from work tonight, and you won’t have to guess.”

“Anything new on the firebug?” Nelson asked.

“No,” Reese said, frowning. “We’ve got his description out to all the departments on the Cape.”

“Any reason to think he’s still around here?”

“Not that I can figure out,” Reese said. “If there’s something keeping him around here, I don’t know what it is.”

“You know, it’s often some trivial detail that you never find out until you catch the guy,” Nelson observed. “It could be something as simple as he used to vacation here every summer. Who the hell knows? The guy is nuts.”

“Yeah.”

“Bri graduates, formally, in a couple of weeks,” Nelson said, squaring the papers on his desk into neat piles.

Reese looked up from her own paperwork and studied him. “I know.”

He met her eyes and grinned sheepishly. “I put in for her to be assigned here permanently.”

Reese grinned back. “Good. I was going to suggest it, if you didn’t. She’s a good officer, Nelson, and this is her home. She’s good with the people, and she’s happy here.”

“Caroline’s going to be here the end of this week,” Nelson remarked.

“Then I’d say that might be the only thing Bri needs to be really okay.”

“Jesus,” he said softly. “I hope so.”

When the door to Bri’s room opened a little after seven on Friday night, Tory looked up from the couch where she sat reading a magazine.

“Nervous?” Tory asked kindly.

“Jesus, yes,” Bri said in a tight, clipped voice. “Dumb, huh?”

“No.” Tory shook her head. “I don’t think so. I think it’s pretty sweet.”

Bri blushed furiously. Then, softly, she asked, “Do I…uh…look okay?”

Giving the question due respect, Tory took in the new black jeans, the polished black boots, and the crisp white shirt. Bri looked like Bri always looked, lean and sleek and slightly dangerous. “You look great. I’m sure the only thing that’s going to matter to Caroline is that you’re there to see her.”

“It feels pretty weird visiting her at my dad’s,” Bri said. “At my own house, where we used to sleep in my bedroom together.”

“Things have changed now, Bri. You were kids then, and you’re not any longer.”

Bri settled a hip on the arm of the sofa and regarded Tory solemnly. “If you were Caroline, what would you want from me now?”

“Trust is a terribly fragile thing,” Tory said gently. “You know that, right?”

Bri nodded. She had become very still and every ounce of her attention was riveted on Tory’s face.

“The first step is to tell her what you feel, everything that you feel, as honestly as you can. If you’re scared, or not sure of how you feel, or even if you’re not sure if you love her…”

“No,” Bri said vehemently. “I am sure.”

“Then tell her all those things.” Tory waited a beat, and then continued softly, “I have faith in you. Both of you.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Bri parked her motorcycle in the narrow driveway and walked up the steps to the front porch. The door opened and she was face to face with her father.

“Hi,” she said quickly.

“Hey, Bri.” Nelson made a motion with his head toward the interior of the house. “You want to come in?”

“Yeah, sure,” Bri said, following him into the living room. She rocked uneasily from foot to foot. It had been almost two months since she’d seen Carre.

“Hi, Bri,” a soft voice said from somewhere quite close by.

Bri jumped, startled, and looked toward the stairs from the second floor. Carre stood halfway down, dressed in a scoop-neck black Lycra top and hip-hugger bluejeans. A thin silver belt of interlocking links was looped around her waist. The end trailed down one thigh.

Bri’s mouth was suddenly dry. “Hi, ba…Carre.”

Nelson cleared his throat. “So, you two doing anything interesting?”

“Uh,” Bri said, her eyes devouring Carre even as she stood rooted to the spot, “I was wondering if you’d like to go to the movies? They’re showing Bound again at the Cinema Arts, and I know you’ve seen it, but—”

“I’d love to go,” Caroline said quickly, coming down the stairs and crossing the small room to Bri’s side.

“Uh-huh.” Bri lifted a hand, automatically reaching for Carre’s, and then stopped. Softly, she said, “We should go.”

“Okay,” Carre replied, her eyes holding Bri’s.

Nelson coughed, then said heartily, “Well, you two have fun. And be careful.”

Once outside, they walked to the motorcycle and climbed on. When Carre wrapped her arms around Bri’s waist from behind, automatically sliding warm palms over Bri’s stomach, Bri shivered and dropped the keys. When Carre tightened her hold and rested her cheek against the back of Bri’s leather-jacketed shoulder, Bri spoke without turning around. “You look beautiful.”

“You look great, too.”

Bri’s entire body twitched as she felt Carre’s hot breath against the back of her neck. Then she put one leg down and leaned over, groping on the ground for her keys. When she found them and managed to get them into the ignition with shaking hands, she said, “Hold on.”

She couldn’t hear Carre’s reply as she started the engine.

“Oh, don’t worry, I will.”

After the movie, Carre asked, “Do you want to walk on the beach?”

“Okay.”

A few minutes later they reached the water’s edge, not far from the tumbled-down pier where Bri had sat that night with Ashley. It was Carre who broke the silence. “How’s work?”

“Good,” Bri said quickly. The nights were cold by the water, even in summer, and Bri removed her jacket and draped it around Carre’s shoulders. “I like it.”

Carre turned, snuggling into the jacket, luxuriating in the heat left behind by her lover’s body. “So you’re glad about the decision that you made?” Carre’s voice trembled slightly with the question.

“I’m glad that I went to the academy when I did.” Cautiously, Bri placed her fingertips very lightly on either side of Carre’s waist beneath the bottom of the jacket. “I’m not happy about leaving you, though. I’m sorry for screwing up.”

“Have you been seeing anyone since you’ve been here?” Carre spoke quietly, so quietly that her words were nearly carried away on the night wind.

“No. Not once,” Bri replied vehemently. “I love you, Carre. I won’t ever hurt you again. I promise.”

“I’ve missed you so much, Bri,” Carre said softly.

“I love you, babe. Do you believe me?”

“I’ve always believed you.”

“Is it enough?” Bri was holding her breath.

Carre turned her face and pressed her lips to the spot where she could feel Bri’s heart pounding beneath her cheek. “I always thought it would be…before. I’m not sure now. But we’ll find out.”

Tory had just awakened from a nap on the couch when Reese walked in. Smiling, Reese leaned down and kissed her softly on the mouth. “Hi, love. How are you doing?”

“Other than feeling like a narcotized whale, I’m doing just fine.”

“You don’t look like a whale,” Reese commented as she lifted Tory’s feet, sat down, and settled her lover’s legs into her lap. She began to massage Tory’s feet.

“Are you trying to seduce me?”

“Do I have to try?”

“No.” Tory nudged her heel between Reese’s thighs, eliciting a groan from her. “To tell you the truth,” Tory said somewhat irritably, “I feel like sex, but I’m not sure my body is up to it.”

“Whatever you want, whenever you want. You’re the boss.” Reese leaned sideways until she was reclining next to Tory, taking care to support herself on one arm so that she didn’t put her weight on her lover’s body. “This is enough for me.” As she spoke, Reese ran her fingers over the swell of Tory’s belly, and then brushed lightly over the curve of one full breast. “You get more beautiful every day. And when I feel the baby move, it’s just about the most thrilling thing I’ve ever experienced.”

“This is heaven,” Tory murmured. “But once in a while, Sheriff, I miss the wild sex.”

Reese laughed out loud. “I need to shower. Then what do you say we get in bed and see what happens?”

“See? I knew you were trying to seduce me.”

When Reese emerged from the shower, she crossed to the bed and reached for the bedside light.

“Just turn it down low, but leave it on,” Tory murmured. “I want to see your face.”

“Okay,” Reese said softly and slid beneath the sheets.

“You know what I love about sex with you?” Tory said pensively.

“What?” Reese asked, her eyes fixed on her lover’s. Tory’s expression was both whimsical and tender.

“You don’t hold anything back.”

“I love you with everything I am,” Reese whispered, gently resting her palm on the arch of Tory’s hip. “You own me.”

“Mmm. I love that about you, too.” Tory nestled her cheek in the bend of her arm and ran her other hand over Reese’s abdomen. “I want to watch you come,” Tory said steadily, running her fingertip between Reese’s breasts, then fleetingly over her nipples. She gave a murmur of satisfaction as they hardened to her touch.