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He spends most of the year elsewhere, she'd said. Not we. That much was
encouraging. Claire then noticed the gold-and-diamond ring on Brianna's left
hand. Her heart gave a sudden, painful lurch. Surely she couldn't be Tyce's wife?
"You're married?" croaked Claire.
"Very," she replied with a grin. "If you stay here for a while, you'll probably
meet my husband, Jake, and our daughter. We live a few miles up the river."
The relief was almost painful. Brianna was happily married to someone else.
Why in heaven's name should that matter? But it did, she realized. It mattered too
much. "I'd love to meet your family," Claire replied with much more warmth than
she'd shown earlier. A sudden worry occurred to her. "But I wouldn't want to
endanger them, or you. I mean, if someone is targeting me…"
"Tyce will find them, whoever they are," stated a mellow-rich feminine voice
from the doorway. Dressed in a navy blazer, slacks and a white blouse, a
handsome woman with smooth, dark brown skin strolled into the room. The
stethoscope around her neck, the blood-pressure kit in her hand, and an air of
unmistakable authority proclaimed her profession. "I'm Dr. Myers, and I can
promise you one thing. If anyone can keep you safe and hunt down the bad guys,
it's Tyce Walker. Now hold up your arm so I can check your blood pressure."
Claire did as she was told, worrying even more about Tyce. She'd known he
was protecting her, of course, but hadn't expected him to actively "hunt down the
bad guys." The danger he'd be putting himself in made her feel sick with anxiety.
"Tyce said you're traveling incognito. I'm not sure whether to call you Ms.
Jones or Ms. Richmond. Which would you prefer?" Dr. Myers raised her brows
questioningly as she pumped up a band that grew taut around Claire's arm and
monitored the results.
"I'd rather you call me Claire."
The doctor removed the pressure band. "Then I'd rather you call me Noreen."
Claire felt truly honored. She didn't think many people who weren't personal
friends would be granted the right to address this woman as anything other than
"Doctor."
"Put your mind at ease, Claire. You hired the right man." Noreen sat on the edge
of the bed and flashed a small light into her eyes. "When things seem their worst,
Tyce Walker has a way of setting them right. That's how I met him, you know. I
hired him to clear my son's name."
"Your son?"
Noreen clicked off her little penlight. "He'd run off to New York City to make a
name for himself with his music. Only nineteen, not even out of college yet, and
thinking he had a chance to break into the big time. He broke into the big time, all
right. The 'big house.' New York State Penitentiary." Her voice lowered. "They
said he robbed a store at gunpoint. He was convicted of armed robbery."
Claire's heart went out to her. Though her tone was still light, her lips had
tightened and her eyes dulled with bleak remembrances.
"I'm a widow, a single mother. I had to leave my practice here—my only
income—and travel to New York. I spent two years and every dime of my savings
hiring defense lawyers. The police had no evidence against him. The store owner
himself didn't even identify him beyond a doubt. All they had was hearsay—from
the local street gang that terrorized the neighborhood. But it was enough."
Noreen's pained gaze focused on Claire. "My boy's not like that. He doesn't steal
or rob, and he doesn't hold with any kind of violence. He didn't deserve to be
locked away in prison with the scum of the earth who—" Her voice wavered and
broke off. She looked away, sucked in a sharp breath. After a moment, she forced
a tight smile. "I heard about Tyce from another mother who'd come to visit her
son at the prison. By that time I had no money. Not even credit left to my name.
But I was desperate, so I called him." She shook her head, as if she still couldn't
believe it. "He investigated the case. Rounded up the so-called witnesses,
interviewed the store owner, dug up evidence the police had overlooked. Then he
put up his own money for a high-priced attorney to reopen the case." A fine sheen
coated her eyes, and her nostrils flared. "He got my boy off. Brought him home to
me."
No one said a word. Claire's chest was too tight for her to speak. It hurt to think
that injustices like that happened. It made her glad, fiercely glad, that Tyce had
cared enough to set things right.
"He investigated a case for my husband, too," Brianna quietly informed her
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