“Doesn’t make it untrue.”
“Doesn’t make it true either.”
They scowled at each other for a second, only turning away when an angry voice echoed from the hallway.
“Damn it, I want to see Agent Crawford.”
Jamie’s heart skipped a beat as she recognized the voice.
“I told you” came Dr. Bennett’s muffled voice. “You can’t just storm in here making demands. You are not allowed to go back there. You aren’t— Mr. Donovan! You can’t go back there!”
The thump of heavy footsteps sounded from the corridor and then Cole burst through the doorway, his dark eyes immediately seeking out Jamie’s.
“Are you all right?” he demanded.
The anxiety flashing across his face made her heart do another flip. She tried to ignore the rush of warmth that flooded her body. “I’m fine. Just a little scraped up.”
Slowly, Cole entered the room. He looked like he wanted to take her into his arms, then thought better of it and stopped, leaning one broad shoulder against the wall. “I heard about the accident and came right over.”
That earned him a hard glare from the sheriff. “And how exactly did you hear about it, Donovan? It surely wasn’t on the news.”
Cole glared right back. “I was getting takeout from the diner and saw Jamie’s car being towed in. I went outside, noticed your Jeep parked in front of the clinic, and figured she was here.”
Discomfort roiled in Jamie’s stomach as the two men studied each other like two wary animals making a territorial stand. Their mutual dislike was hard to miss, and she decided to diffuse the situation before one challenged the other to duel or something.
“I wasn’t in the car when it crashed,” she assured Cole. “I jumped out just in time.”
He looked appalled. “You jumped out? Are you crazy?”
“Watch your tone,” Finn snapped, despite the fact that he’d been lecturing her about the same thing less than five minutes ago.
Cole swiveled his head at the other man. “Did someone tamper with the car?”
“Looks like it. The brake lines were cut.” Finn offered a mocking smile. “How good are you with cars, Donovan?”
“Are you implying I’m to blame for this?”
“I’m not implying a damn thing.”
“Like hell you aren’t.”
“Hey,” Jamie interceded. “Both of you, just calm down.” She glanced at Cole. “We’re not sure what happened yet. The mechanic is going to take a closer look.”
Cole didn’t seem appeased as he turned to Finn once more. “What if the person who killed Teresa has Jamie in his sights now?”
When Finn snorted, Cole’s jaw tensed. “That person wasn’t me, damn it! No matter what you think of me, I don’t want Jamie hurt.”
“Neither do I,” Finn relented.
“Then find out who cut those brakes, Finnegan.”
“Don’t tell me how to do my job.”
Jamie sighed loudly. “Can you two please stop? Stop bickering so we can figure out who did this.”
“That’s the sheriff’s job,” Cole retorted. His lips tightened. “And while he does that job, I’m going to make sure you’re protected.”
She had to laugh. “I don’t need you to protect me. I’m a federal agent.”
“Tough,” he said, sounding like the consummate alpha male. “You’ve got my protection whether you like it or not.”
She laughed again.
“I’m serious, Jamie.”
“Okay, and how do you propose to protect me?” she had to ask.
“I think you should stay with me until the sheriff catches whoever tried to kill you.”
A deafening silence pounced on the room. Jamie tried to hide her shock, but it was difficult. A couple of hours ago he was telling her they couldn’t get involved, and now he wanted her to stay at his house?
After a long moment, Finn cleared his throat. Shooting her a strange look, he said, “Jamie, can I speak to you alone?”
A breath shuddered out of her mouth. “Cole, will you excuse us for a second?”
With a nod, Cole stepped out the door, which Finn made a quick move toward so he could close it. He walked back to the gurney, stood a foot away from her and said, “What the hell is going on with you and Donovan?”
She gulped. “Nothing’s going on.”
“Then why is he suddenly your biggest protector?” Finn cursed. “And why the hell is he demanding you stay at his house?”
“I guess he’s just trying to be nice.” She winced at the feeble tremble to her voice.
“Nice?” Finn roared. “Look, I don’t care if you got Gideon to back up his alibi! I don’t trust the guy, and there’s no way in hell I’m allowing you to have a slumber party with him!”
She clenched her teeth. “You’re not allowing me to do anything. I make my own decisions, Finn. And you’ve got to admit, he’s got a good point. His house might be the safest place in town.”