The Pregnant Colton Witness

“Well, look at that. Still pregnant.” She giggled at her own joke, but her laughter turned to sobs as the enormity of her circumstances hit her. She was going to have a child and had no clue how to handle a baby. A puppy or kitten, sure, she could do that blindfolded. But a human child, her child?

Her father had been absent at best, throwing himself into his work and accumulation of wealth her entire life. Patience had never known anything but the selfish man Fenwick Colton was. Yet she’d never given up on him, or broken contact with her full and half siblings. Family was important to her.

A baby.

She was going to have a baby. Her profuse tears had to be from the hormones, since she usually prided herself on her self-control.

Loud guffaws sounded from the boarding area and she sniffed, unable to keep the grin from breaking through her tears. Mrs. Bellamy’s scarlet macaw was hungry. Patience’s stomach grumbled in response, and she wiped her cheeks with a tissue.

“Coming, Gabby!”

The brilliantly hued bird tilted her head in welcome and made kissing noises with her smooth white beak as Patience walked into the huge room and opened the birdcage door.

“How are you doing, sweetie?”

Gabby climbed out of her cage and onto the playpen atop her dwelling as Patience gathered some mixed veggies from the freezer and heated them in the microwave. The parrot let out a loud shriek that was half laugh, half scream.

“Stop it, silly. You still have plenty of pellets and nuts in your bowl, beautiful bird.”

After Gabby was busy with her warm supper, Patience checked on her other charges. Most of the post-op animals were resting, the effects of anesthesia and their bodies’ ordeals exhausting them. But Fred, the labradoodle gunshot victim, had his big brown eyes open and managed to wag his tail the tiniest bit when she approached.

“It’s okay, Fred. You’re doing great.” The poor dog had done nothing to deserve the hit from a bird hunter’s gun. It had been a legitimate mistake, as Fred had escaped his owner’s yard via a broken fence post, and the hunter wasn’t in a residential area. With his caramel coat, Fred had blended in perfectly with the South Dakota hills and underbrush. Fred and the hunter had been after the same duck. Fred had inadvertently saved the duck’s life.

“What am I going to tell Nash, Fred? How will I tell him? He needs to know, so there’s no sense trying to be all trauma drama and play ‘I’ve got a secret’ about this.”

The dog’s eyebrows moved as if he understood her dilemma. A part of her brain knew that Fred was a dog, and he was in the midst of serious recuperation, but as she looked around the room full of animals, he was her best bet.

She leaned in closer and opened the kennel door to stroke his sweet, fluffy head. “Let’s pretend you’re Nash and I go up to you. Should I go over to the RRPD? Or call him? No, can’t do this over the phone. This is a serious matter. I’m having his puppy! I mean, his baby. My baby. Our child.”

Gabby’s shriek of laughter rent the room and Patience jumped. “Jeez Louise, Gabby, you scared me! But you’re right.” She gently closed Fred’s crate door and went back to the macaw, who’d polished off her veggies and was scraping her beak clean on the cage bars. “Come here, sweet birdie.”

Gabby promptly got on Patience’s forearm and leaned close to her face. “Give me a kissy.” Gabby’s voice perfectly mimicked his elderly owner’s and Patience laughed. As shocking and emotional as her day had started, this was the best therapy anywhere. Being with her animals. Of course, they belonged to their various owners, the K9s to their handlers at the RRPD, but while they were under her care, they were her responsibility. It was a sacred commitment.

Right now, Gabby needed some human touch and affection. And Patience needed to calm down before she faced Nash again, most likely in the morning, to tell him the news. They were having a baby. Well, she was. She in no way expected anything from him.

“Okay, Gabby girl, come here and I’ll have you and Fred help me practice telling Nash.”

The parrot stepped daintily onto the T-stick Patience used to handle the exotic bird to prevent a bite. She’d learned the method during her avian course in vet school. As much as Gabby wanted to be on her shoulder, Patience never allowed it. Just as she exuded an alpha energy around the K9s and other dogs, she kept birds from thinking she was a tree and her shoulder a branch by using the perching tool.

She walked with Gabby the few steps to Fred’s kennel, which was at eye level.

“Now, you two tell me what sounds better. First choice—Nash, I’m pregnant and keeping your baby. I don’t need you to do anything. You’ve done quite enough already.” She looked from Fred to Gabby, surprised to find that they were both staring intently at her. Gabby was used to touring the dog kennel with other members of the staff for a break in the monotony of her cage. Fred wasn’t reacting to the parrot as he had to the duck earlier. Of course, he was heavily sedated.

Since both animals didn’t react, she tried again.

“Too serious? Well, having any man’s baby is serious business, but I get your point. How about this... Hey, Nash, how have you been since we hooked up after the K9 training session? In case you were wondering, your sperm is viable. I’m pregnant! Congratulations!”

Fred’s tail gave a firmer thump than earlier and Gabby nuzzled her huge white beak into her brightly feathered chest, inviting touch. Patience gently scratched the back of the bird’s nape, marveling at the silky soft skin under her feathers. Gabby made lovey-dovey noises, indicating her enjoyment of the contact.

“Okay, you both seem to like option two. I think it’s going to need more work, though. I’ll think about it and we’ll practice again after dinner.” She walked Gabby back to her cage and put her inside. The bird went obligingly but Patience had to coax one claw off the T-stick. “Sorry, hon. I know you’d rather be out, but your cage is the safest bet until I come back.”

Back in the staff area, she heated up the leftovers from last night’s dinner—or was it two nights ago?—and streamed two episodes of her favorite sitcom on her laptop as she ate. She had to make a concerted effort to eat as nutritiously as possible, especially now.

She was going to be a mother. Have her own family. Thinking of it, the prospect was at once terrifying and thrilling. She had shared a bumpy relationship with her father since she’d gone to college and vet school on her own, scraping and saving to pay back every cent of her loans. Fenwick had watched in exasperation, trying to convince her that she didn’t have to make things so hard on herself. She had her own trust fund.

But Patience had to know that her degree and career were hers. It wasn’t another freebie from being born into a rich family.

Her phone lit up with a call from Layla. Patience considered ignoring it; she wasn’t about to tell anyone she was pregnant until she told Nash. And even then she wanted to keep this to herself for a bit. As the phone vibrated, she put it on speaker.

“Hi, Layla. What’s up?”

“Where are you? I need a drink. I want you to meet me downtown.” Layla sounded just like their father. Her harsh countenance grated at times, same as Fenwick’s. But unlike him, she was soft and kind underneath her hard corporate exterior.

“I’m on duty.” Thank goodness. Patience wasn’t ready to face her half sister yet. Layla always seemed to sense what was going on with her, as different as they were. “I’m tied to the clinic all night.” Not completely true, as she could call on a volunteer to watch the patients at any time. She was still miffed at Layla for getting engaged to Hamlin Harrington. No business, even Colton Energy, was worth a marriage of convenience. Screw the millions Hamlin promised Fenwick he’d pour into the utilities company.

“We had a labradoodle come in with birdshot and I need to make sure he stays comfortable through the night.”

“Oh, that’s awful! Who would do such a cruel thing?” More proof that Layla had a kind heart. She loved animals as much as Patience did.

“It was an accident, truly. Trust me, if I thought it was foul play I’d have called the RRPD.” Animal welfare was a safe topic with Layla, who was otherwise too preoccupied with her corporate role as Colton Energy VP for Patience’s liking.

“Make sure you report it if you change your mind.” Layla never seemed to realize that Patience had her DVM and was fully capable of deciding when and why on the calls into the RRPD. Not to mention her K9 certification.

“What are you up to now, Layla?” She heard the hard edge in her voice but it couldn’t be helped. It rarely could with Layla.

“Since my sister can’t meet me for a drink at the only decent bar in town, I think I’ll spend more time here in the office. There’s always more to do, and I’ll need to have things in order for when we have our cash flow back in the black.”

Patience gritted her teeth. Layla was goading her. When it came to the subject of Layla’s secret engagement with the smarmy Hamlin, silence was the best approach.

“Patience?”

“I’m here.” She rolled her eyes and popped a grape into her mouth. Good thing they were on speakerphone and not doing their usual video call.

“You know your judgment is stinking over the line, don’t you?” Layla’s tone was pure corporate executive with a dollop of big sister.

“I haven’t said a thing!” Either the grape had been sour or she was reacting to Layla’s tone, for her stomach began to roil. She’d felt fine for the most part, until she realized she was pregnant. And thought back to how shaky her stomach had been the last couple months. Another reason to put off meeting Layla. Her sister would connect the dots in an instant if Patience turned her nose up at food and, of course, alcohol. Gourmet meals paired with fine wine were the one luxury Patience indulged in, and only with Layla, on occasion.

“You don’t have to say anything, dear sister. I do think Hamlin cares about me, by the way. Dad’s putting pressure on us to make it legal ASAP, but with the Groom Killer around, Hamlin’s rightfully nervous. I know you don’t approve of us or how we’re handling our engagement. But it is what it is, little sis. I’m doing what you always say you believe in and putting family first.”

“By keeping it secret?” Stung by Layla’s accurate assessment, she couldn’t help but to strike back.

“From the public. There’s a serial killer on the loose, or have you forgotten?”

Patience remembered she was alone in the K9 clinic, and saw the darkening October sky through her office window. The early sunset was a sign of the winter to come, not a harbinger of more killings. Her body thought otherwise as shivers ran down her spine.

“Of course I haven’t forgotten. But Hamlin’s just like our father. His priority is always business and that means Colton Energy. Above all else, Layla, even your marriage.” She almost choked on the word marriage, and yet guilt tugged at her. How could she judge anyone, even Hamlin, for postponing the nuptials? A psycho intent on killing grooms remained at large. Even if Hamlin had the resources to provide himself with the best security on the planet. And she had to admit, if only to herself, that she was a hypocrite. She’d been relieved that the wedding was called off for now. The thought of Layla on Hamlin’s arm made her sick, and it had nothing to do with baby hormones.

“Tell that to Bo Gage, Michael Hayden, Jack Parkowski, Joey McBurn or Thad Randall.” Layla’s sharp reply sounded as if she was a woman sure of her place in life, but Patience saw through her sister’s smoke screen. Red Ridge wasn’t a tiny town, but it was small enough that they’d both known all five victims, at least as acquaintances. “And the RRPD still hasn’t caught our cousin Demi—if she’s the killer, of course.”

Layla referred to Demi Colton, a bounty hunter whose relation to the murders was circumstantial at best. Patience didn’t know Demi well as they hadn’t spent a lot of time together growing up, or now as adults. But she didn’t believe the gossip one bit, not since Demi brought in an injured dog to the clinic shortly before she’d fled. Demi cared. Killers didn’t.

“She’s not. She’s only a suspect.”

Demi had left town right after Bo Gage, the first victim, had been found. Because Demi and Bo Gage had been engaged for a week, until he’d dumped her for Haley Patton, there was circumstantial evidence, as well as motive, for Demi’s guilt. It made no sense to Patience, though, because Demi had zero relationship to the other victims. But community opinion named Demi as the killer. Fortunately, the RRPD worked with facts, as did Patience.

Patience had to stand up for the truth, even if they flew in direct opposition to popular opinion. She put her trust in the RRPD’s investigative capabilities over fear-fueled town scuttlebutt.

Layla’s silence grew long and Patience wondered for the umpteenth time if her sister needed her to talk her out of the Hamlin Harrington agreement.

“Layla, you know I admire your loyalty to Colton Energy and our father, even though he doesn’t deserve it. And we haven’t talked about it since the fund-raiser, for obvious reasons, but are you sure you still want to marry Hamlin?”

“Of course I do.” Her prompt reply was too quick, too reactionary. “Look, I’m not the one who went off the Colton straight and narrow. I’m holding up my part of the family business.” Nice dig at Patience, who’d eschewed accepting the family legacy of becoming a financial wizard, like her father and sister. Finances had never appealed to her; serving others had.

“That doesn’t mean you have to marry a man you don’t love.”

“Who says I don’t love him?” Didn’t Layla hear the lack of conviction in her own reply?

“Please. We can agree to disagree about your engagement, but we need to drop the pretense that you care for Hamlin if we’re going to remain sisters.” Patience would never have been so direct even a day ago. Was the baby giving her some kind of relationship superpower? Where she was realizing the preciousness of life and wanted to protect her bond with her sister?

“I wish I could tell you more, Patience, but you’re going to have to trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

“I’m here if you need me, Layla. Let’s meet sometime next week, after I get through this weekend.”

Layla’s sigh sounded over the phone’s speaker, and Patience felt sorry for her sister—almost. It was her decision to become involved with Hamlin, a man their father’s age and just as disagreeable and greedy when it came to business. They weren’t wealthy by accident. Although Fenwick’s recent investment blunders were bleeding the company funds to near bankruptcy. From a pure economic standpoint, Colton Energy was desperate for what Hamlin Harrington offered.

Gabby’s screech reached through the walls. Layla gasped. “What was that?”

“Our resident parrot. She’s ready to come out of her cage again and stretch her wings. I’ll give you a call later tomorrow, when I’m off duty, okay?”

“Maybe we can meet for a meal, then? With a nice bottle of red. My treat.” Layla’s infectious optimism made Patience laugh. It’d be soda water for her from here on out, but Layla didn’t need to know that yet.

“We’ll see.”

Chapter 2

Patience managed to get all the animals taken care of by eleven o’clock that night. Her legs thanked her as she lay down and stretched out on the folding bed assigned specifically to the overnight watch. She rotated the duty with another local veterinarian, who worked for the clinic on a contract basis, and the vet assistants. She’d thought that finding out she wasn’t just bloated or had gained a few pounds, but was in fact pregnant, would keep her up all night. What did she know about being a mother? And what was she going to say to Nash? How was she going to tell him? How could she make sure he completely understood that she wanted nothing from him, needed nothing?

Snuggling into the rose-printed down comforter she’d brought from home, she promised herself she’d worry about it later. She had a few hours before the next rounds. She fell into a sound slumber that lasted until the alarm on her watch pinged at 2:00 a.m.

She blinked in the stillness, her mind blank for a brief second until reality seeped back in. Her entire life had changed only hours earlier with the positive sign on the pregnancy test’s pee stick. Stretching her arms and legs, she chuckled in the inky dark. Who was she kidding? Her life had changed almost three months ago after the K9 training seminar with Nash. They’d made this baby while the summer sun was still shining, before autumn was more than a thought. And now the fall was passing quickly, the cold arctic winds beginning to dip down into the mountains.

Anxiety mounted at the task ahead of her and she sat up. Her job at the moment remained to care for her animals—the clinic’s caseload.

Patience mentally ran through the patients that needed to be checked and, in particular, walked. Fred was the only canine needing a walk, unless some of the other dogs asked to go. Moving through the familiar steps she’d done countless times when she’d had night duty gave her comfort in the midst of the chaotic change a baby added to her life. But it didn’t erase her exhaustion. No wonder she’d been dragging the last month or so. It wasn’t the change of season or heavy workload—she was pregnant!

As an extra bribe to herself to get up and get going, she planned to take a look at the trees surrounding Black Hills Lake in hopes of spotting a great horned owl. There was a family of the majestic birds that roosted in the nearby fir trees, but the nocturnal animals were difficult to spot most nights and impossible in daylight hours. Tonight, with the full moon and predicted clear skies, she hoped to see one of the creatures’ unique silhouettes.

Patience loved the squeaks her sneakered feet made on the floors when the clinic was closed and she had it all to herself. It was just her, the animals she loved so much and the sense of purpose being a K9 veterinarian gave her.

The motion-detector lights came on as she walked through the corridor that ran along the back of the building. No sounds came out of the kennel. A good sign. This time of night it was usually silent, but if an animal were really ill, this could be the worst time for them, too. She let out a breath of gratitude as she saw that all the animals were quiet and resting peacefully in their respective kennels. The usually feisty Gabby had her head tucked firmly under a wing, one eye peering at Patience as if to say “Don’t bug me.”

“Hi, sweetie girl,” she whispered to the parrot as she walked by.

Fred was her main concern. The labradoodle needed to get an easy walk in, not so much to relieve himself as to help with the healing and to prevent his muscles from freezing up. He acknowledged her with half-open eyes, a tiny wag of his fluffy, untrimmed tail. She smiled at his sweet face. “Come on, boy. Let’s go for a little stroll.”

She braced her core muscles as she gently half lifted the eighty-pound dog onto a portable ramp and onto the clinic floor. How had she not noticed the way her stomach was beginning to bulge out? She’d had strong abs all through vet school, as it was essential to being able to do her job well. And while the strength was still there, she was going to have to start modifying her routine soon. Heat crawled up her neck. Had her coworkers noticed her changing shape and simply remained quiet out of pure professionalism?

No, her sister would have noticed if she looked heavier or larger in her belly area. Layla was all about keeping up appearances. If it wasn’t such an ungodly hour Patience might be tempted to call Layla and share her situation. But then their father would find out, since Layla worked so closely with him and it’d be almost impossible for her to keep her mouth shut. Patience loved her sister and they shared a close bond, but it was probably best to keep this news to herself for the time being. She’d tell all her siblings—Layla, Bea, Blake and Gemma—when she was ready. She ignored the obvious: Nash Maddox needed to be told first.

Snapping a collar and leash onto Fred, she waited for him to steady his legs before they walked to the exit. “Here you go.” She wrapped a dog jacket made from space blanket material around him, being careful not to touch his suture area. Normally a large dog like Fred wouldn’t need a coat, but right after surgery it was her clinic’s protocol, and the night temperatures were dropping precipitously as autumn faded and winter hustled in. She’d had what—three, four winters in her clinic so far?

Her clinic. She’d worked so hard through vet school, hoping to work with K9s, never dreaming she’d land such a plum job. It was a plus to be able to live and work near her family, even when they demonstrated a multitude of reasons she might want to consider a job elsewhere.

And now she was expanding the Colton family by one.

Yes, the everyday physicality of her job was going to need some modification as her pregnancy progressed. Lifting heavy dogs was going to have to take a back seat to her baby’s safety. That was what the other staff members and volunteers were for. She’d get through it.

She shoved gloves on and zipped up her ski jacket, bracing for the cold mountain air. South Dakota in October was not only desolate but could be bone-chilling. Thank goodness it hadn’t stormed today, and there was bare, dry ground for Fred to relieve himself on. Having to take care of his needs on sticky mud or frozen snow would have been tough on her patient.

“Here we go, buddy. Get ready for some cold.” She draped the binoculars they kept on a hook near the door around her neck. Still no sign of clouds, so she might see a great horned owl, after all. Ever since she’d been a little girl she’d loved searching trees for birds. Identifying them played second fiddle to enjoying their unselfconscious way of living. And who didn’t want to watch a feathered creature fly?

The air didn’t disappoint—it was freezing—as she and Fred stepped into the fenced yard area where the dogs could run free, whether they were boarders or healing from treatment. It was atop a hill, on the way to the mountains, and overlooked Black Hills Lake. The yard sloped down to where the RRPD had installed a small concrete pier for training purposes. The insides of Patience’s nose stung from the harsh temperature, but the beauty of the view was worth it.

“How are you doing, Fred?”

Fred didn’t respond to her verbal inquiry, but sniffed the ground and in short order lifted his leg against a small bush. A burst of relief filled her, warming her from the inside out. Nothing was more satisfying than to see a patient recover quickly and return to normal. As Fred resumed sniffing the frosty ground, she looked up at the stars that speckled the dark sky, the full moon their only competition. She and her canine companion could stay out a few minutes more before the cold became a concern for Fred’s healing body.

A creaking sound floated through the air and she turned her attention to the lake. It was beginning to freeze over with a thin crust of sparkling ice, but was too deep to solidify in just one cold night. A movement caught her eye and she noticed a small boat in the middle of the lake, approximately two hundred yards from shore, dead center from where she and Fred stood. Patience blinked, hoping she was imagining the warning signals from her tightening gut. It was too early for ice fishing and too late, as well as too cold, for anything else recreational.

Something very wrong was happening on Black Hills Lake.

She raised the binoculars with shaky hands and focused on the boat. What she saw seemed out of a nightmare. A tall figure, masculine in stature, was holding the limp body of a woman in his arms, her slim limbs hanging lifeless. At least Patience believed it to be a woman, as the figure had long hair. The pale gold strands hung over the man’s arms and reflected the moonlight. Her gut tightened painfully and Patience held her breath, waiting for the woman to wake up. Wake up!