He was on medical leave until cleared for return—at least four to six weeks, he’d been told. To add insult to injury—literally—he’d also been reprimanded for violating his negotiator training by taking down the subject before exhausting every peaceful option first. There was no way to explain how he’d known for certain Sara would anticipate his action and duck. No way to justify his actions.
All of which left him stuck with too much time on his hands to think about that night. He was going stir-crazy sitting around the apartment, and he was miserable with the attention when he stepped out. For the first time in a long time, he missed his place by the lake and the privacy and serenity it offered. Missed the smell of Lake Ontario, where he’d grown up and spent hours with his father and siblings and cousins, learning to swim, playing ball and often doing nothing but annoying the crap out of each other. The very thing he’d moved away from was the thing he needed now.
Maybe it was getting knifed and facing his mortality. Maybe it was the stifling feeling created by the Bachelor Blog, but Rafe needed to get away. It was summertime, and he craved fresh air and sunshine. The house he owned on Lake Ontario beckoned to him.
His parents would be thrilled if he came home for a while. They’d left the city once he’d been discharged from the hospital, but his mother called a few times a day to make sure he was eating, resting and taking care of himself. She’d feel much better knowing he was close by while he recuperated, but in truth he needed it for himself.
Decision made, Rafe thought. The Bachelor Blogger would just have to make do without him.
CHAPTER THREE
SARA TESTED HER WEIGHT on her leg, the same way she’d done every morning for the last two weeks. Once again, pain shot through her knee. She groaned and waited for it to subside. The neoprene brace she’d been given in the emergency room provided support but did nothing for the throbbing, aching discomfort she lived with constantly. She was still icing the swelling and taking anti-inflammatory medication. And still hoping her medical leave would be temporary, not the end of her career.
She glanced at the painkillers on the kitchen counter and shook her head. Being woozy wasn’t her thing. She’d suffer through.
It was only nine-thirty in the morning, and she’d been up for hours. The rest of the day loomed long before her, so a knock at her door was a welcome distraction.
She hobbled over to the door, leaving the crutches behind. The doctor had said weight-bearing was tolerated, and she needed to tolerate more and more.
She glanced through the peephole. “Coop!” she said, opening the door for her friend.
“Is this a good time?”
She nodded. “It’s a perfect time. I’m sick and tired of sitting around feeling sorry for myself, so come in and take my mind off my problems.”
Coop followed her inside, shutting the door behind him.
“Why aren’t you at work?” she asked. He was usually out the door early and back home late at night.
“I took the day off. How are you feeling?” he asked, glancing at her knee. “And the truth this time.”
Sara frowned. Though she’d been avoiding answering anyone’s questions about her injury, pretending she was fine, she couldn’t lie to her friend.
She wasn’t okay. And it wasn’t just her leg that hurt. If the knee didn’t heal properly, her days at the NYPD were over.
“I’m scared it won’t heal enough for me to return to active duty. It’s all I can think about or focus on.”
He looped an arm around her shoulder.
As an only child, Sara thought of Coop as the brother she’d never had. He was dark-haired, good-looking, charming, smart, and she’d never slept with him. Never wanted to. Together they made a lie of the claim that men and women couldn’t be just friends, and she was grateful to have him in her life.
“I won’t tell you not to worry, but I am going to suggest you do something to keep busy and not think about it all the time.”
“Easier said than done when I’d rather be active than sitting around staring at the four walls.”
“How about reading the paper, then?” he asked, gesturing to the Daily Post on the table, still wrapped in delivery plastic.
She glanced at the dreaded paper and shuddered. Ever since Rafe had been named the newest bachelor, she’d stopped reading that particular newspaper. She still had it delivered for Coop’s byline, nothing more. Of course ignoring the paper didn’t mean she wasn’t thinking…and dreaming about Rafe. She hadn’t been this obsessed when they were partnered together, because back then he’d been off-limits. He’d belonged to someone else. A free Rafe, one who’d admitted he noticed her as a woman, was dangerous to her peace of mind.
Coop cleared his throat. Obviously he had something to tell her.
“This isn’t just a social visit, is it?” she asked warily.
He shook his head. “Not entirely.”
“Let me have it.” She gestured for him to talk.
“You know that low profile you’re still supposed to keep?” He tapped on the newspaper with one hand.
Sara stiffened. “Don’t tell me. The blog’s writing about me again?”
“See for yourself.”
He remained silent while she opened the newspaper and paged through to the correct section.
THE DAILY POST
THE BACHELOR BLOG
Our newest bachelor hasn’t been spotted around town in over a week. Looks like he made a clean getaway. In the past, this would pose a challenge to yours truly, but no longer. Beginning next week, the Bachelor Blog will be in syndication, appearing in select newspapers around the country. So if Rafe Mancuso is spotted, hopefully we’ll know it. In the meantime, keep your eyes on his lady friend, Sara Rios. She might hold the clues to our bachelor’s whereabouts. And if not, she’s certainly a single, beautiful bachelorette.
“That’s just freaking fantastic. Turn the city’s attention on me now,” she muttered. “This blog is just…wrong.”
“Maybe it’s right.”
She whipped her head around to face him. “Excuse me? Aren’t you the man who was inundated with women’s underwear thanks to the blog?”
“I did meet Lexie.” He raised an eyebrow, as if daring her to argue.
“You met Lexie thanks to being featured on the TV news after you stopped a robbery. The blog had nothing to do with it.”
He shrugged. “Whatever. The point is, I met Lexie. And that’s another reason I’m here today. I have something to tell you.” The beginnings of smile pulled at his lips.