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       Chapter 1

      The Red Ridge, South Dakota, autumn morning sky streaked pink and violet across Black Hills Lake. Dr. Patience Colton, DVM, took a moment to soak it all in. Nestled in the northwestern part of the state, Red Ridge—and more specifically, the town’s K9 clinic—were home to her. The only place her heart ever found peace. She committed the view of the mountains to memory, knowing there stood a good chance she’d never look at it, or anything, the same way again. It all depended upon the results of the simple test kit in the Red Ridge Drugstore bag that she clutched in her left hand.

      No one had seen her yet; none of the staff knew she was already at the K9 clinic, ready for another day of veterinary medicine. She could run—but to where? Her townhome? Her cabin in the mountains? Another state, where her veterinary license wouldn’t be valid? If the test proved positive, running wasn’t going to change it or the overwhelming implications. Running away might be an option for another person, but not her. Patience never backed down from a challenge, and what might be her toughest yet was no exception.

      She sucked in the crisp mountain air before she entered the building, hoping for a few minutes to herself to figure out if the signals from her body weren’t random.

      Fifteen minutes later, she wondered if maybe running away wasn’t such a bad idea.

      “No. Freaking. Way.” Patience’s hands shook as she spoke under her breath, staring at the test strip she’d used only minutes earlier to determine if she had skipped a period again for any reason other than stress. She stood in the restroom of the Red Ridge County K9 Clinic, her clinic, and struggled to get a grip. Locked in the staff bathroom, the weight of how her life was changing triggered a gush of tears. It had been a mistake to do this at work.

      She couldn’t be caught like this—crying over a pregnancy test result. “Calm down.” She gave herself the same advice she wished she could give her K9 patients when they were stressed.

      It hadn’t been uncommon for her to miss one or two cycles while in veterinary school and also working extra hours at a part-time job to help pay for her expenses. And the last few months had been incredibly stressful, not just for her but for all of Red Ridge. The modestly sized town was in the midst of a criminal crisis. Patience worked closely with the Red Ridge Police Department, as well as the K9 training center, the latter of which housed the clinic. So it was impossible to not be aware of the stress placed on the RRPD over the local serial killer, dubbed the Groom Killer. Red Ridge had erupted into all-out panic after the fifth and most recent groom-to-be had been murdered. With a population of thirty-five thousand, it made for a lot of fear in the air.

      She grabbed ahold of the sink counter, her fingers crushing the cardboard box that she’d pulled the test kit from. It had felt odd sneaking into the local drugstore and purchasing three magazines, a candy bar and a ginger ale along with the test, as if the cashier wouldn’t notice the box. As if she probably hadn’t told all of Red Ridge by now that Dr. Patience Colton, DVM, could be knocked up. That was the problem with being an heiress to the richest family in a small town in South Dakota. Everyone knew your business.

      As a K9 veterinarian, she prided herself on her steady hands and the ability to remain calm and focused under pressure. But her cool demeanor, practiced almost since birth, had shattered. All for one night of incredible sex with the sexiest bachelor in town.

      Nash Maddox. They’d seen each other plenty since their sexual healing rendezvous three months ago. Nash was a K9 police handler on the RRPD and they often trained the dogs together. The heat that had passed between them a few months ago was still there whenever their eyes met, and she’d been tempted to ask him if he’d consider breaking their promise that their night together be a one-time-only event. But just as she’d get her nerve up, another crisis would hit the community and they had to save lives. Nash and his K9 partner, Greta, saved humans, while Patience saved dogs and other animals.

      Maybe assigning blame for her predicament would help her anxiety. She tried to stir up some animosity toward the man who’d unwittingly gotten her pregnant, but couldn’t. They’d used protection, but it obviously wasn’t 100 percent. Nash wasn’t only the sexiest man she’d met in forever, but he was the consummate gentleman. He’d even agreed with her that their affair would be short-lived, with no emotional strings attached.

      A sharp rap on the restroom door snapped her out of her misery.

      “Dr. Colton? Are you there? We have an emergency surgery en route. Gunshot wound. Canine, civilian.” As though through her favorite jar of apple jelly, Patience heard her veterinary assistant’s voice, but couldn’t shake off the shock of finding out she was pregnant.

      Pregnant with Nash Maddox’s baby. Would it look like him? The tall, muscular blond officer had the most beautiful hazel eyes. They’d be perfect whether the baby was a boy or girl. Whether they had Nash’s sandy hair or her own brunette.

      More rapping, this time louder. “Patience?”

      “I’ll be right out, Grace.”

      As much as it was a total shock, she felt she needed to mark the occasion somehow. Patience quickly washed her hands and then pulled her phone out of her pocket. She made a note of the date and time, and was startled by the sudden flash of her future that her mind conjured up. Telling her child exactly when she’d found out he or she was on the way into the world, and how she’d felt about it.

      It was at this moment that she knew she was keeping the baby. Nash had a lot of his own family issues and she was certain having another child on top of raising his four orphaned half siblings wasn’t part of his plan. No matter. This was her life, and now it was going to have to revolve around a baby.

      Could she do this?

      The sound of doors slamming open, shouts of the arrival team, forced her back to the present. She sought her eyes in the mirror, used to saying a positive affirmation before jumping into a tough case. All she saw reflected back at her was the unanswerable question. Would she be able to be a better parent than either of hers had?

      Nash Maddox groaned at the sight of the large kitchen that was the heart of the home he’d inherited when his parents had been tragically killed in an auto accident five years ago. Drips of maple syrup dotted the table and floor, pancake mix powdered the countertops, and four dirty, sticky dishes were piled in the sink. He’d been so busy getting the kids out of the house in time to catch the school bus that he’d neglected to make sure they each picked up after themselves. He had to be at work in fifteen minutes, which gave him eight minutes to straighten up. Usually Paige, the oldest at seventeen and a busy high school senior, corralled her siblings into cleaning up. Her studies and social schedule were