by Debbie Mason
Nate put his hands on his hips and looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “A little? The kid never stops crying.”
“She’s not crying now.” She caught the concern in Mallory’s eyes and wanted to shoot Nate.
Logically, Sadie knew she wasn’t doing anything that contributed to Michaela’s fits of temper and tears. Her daughter had colic. Sadie had tried warm water bottles on Michaela’s tummy and giving her a baby massage. Everything her doctor in Charlotte had suggested, she’d tried. It didn’t matter. She still felt like a failure.
Mallory was anything but a failure. She was a natural mother. Gabe’s sons—her stepsons—adored her. A doctor who was a few months into her hospital residency, Mallory would know exactly how to make her own baby girl feel better.
“Sadie, you should have told us. We wouldn’t have let you brush off our offers to help. You must be exhausted,” Mallory said.
“No wonder you’re depressed,” Abby added.
Sadie’s cheeks warmed. “I’m not depressed. Who said I was depressed?”
At Abby and Mallory’s shared glance, Sadie huffed an irritated breath. “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”
“No.” Mallory grimaced when Sadie crossed her arms. “Okay, it might have played into our decision to drop by. But we’re allowed to worry about you. That’s what friends do. You’d do the same for us.”
“You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Yes, we do. Having a colicky baby isn’t easy, especially when you’re dealing with that baby all by yourself,” Mallory said.
“Not anymore, she isn’t.” Nate slung a companionable arm across Sadie’s shoulders. “Her boyfriend moved in with her yesterday. The kid loves him. No accounting for taste, I guess.”
Sadie figured Nate’s light squeeze of her shoulder was to ensure she didn’t deviate from the script.
Abby and Mallory looked from Nate to Sadie, their eyes wide. She smiled. “It was the best sleep I’ve had in months.” Her smile fell. She probably shouldn’t have said that, especially with Nate around.
“Okay, well that just surprises me,” Nate said. “After all the PDA I witnessed before I kicked the two of you out of here at closing, I expected to hear you didn’t sleep a wink. I gotta have a talk with Mikey.”
“Wait a minute. You’re supposed to be my bachelorette. You can’t be my bachelorette if you have a boyfriend, especially a boyfriend who is living with you,” Abby said.
So maybe Chase’s fake-relationship idea wasn’t a bad one after all. Sadie attempted to infuse her voice with disappointment. “I’m sorry.”
Nate snorted and then glanced over his shoulder. “I better go check on Agnes. She told me she’d be down fifteen minutes ago.”
“I’m confused,” Mallory said when Nate went in search of her grandmother. “I didn’t know you were even seeing anyone.”
“Sadie has post-baby brain, or maybe it’s exhausted brain, and you have pregnant brain, Mal. I called you right after I met Michael, remember? The guy who helped deliver Michaela. The guy she’s named after.”
“Oh, the baby whisperer. Now I remember.”
“Obviously we know where your mind is at. I also said he was right up there with Gabe and Hunter in the looks department.” Abby sighed. “So I guess the bachelorette event is out. We need to come up with something else. Any suggestions?”
Mallory cleared her throat and nodded. At what, Sadie didn’t know.
Apparently, Abby did. “Unicorns. I’m thinking something with unicorns.”
“Did that just pop into your head because you’re standing in a unicorn store, or did you guys hear the news that my brother has practically bankrupted my grandmother?”
Abby’s eyes went wide. “Your brother? We didn’t know Elijah was involved. All we heard is that Agnes is months away from losing the store and her home, which, I might add, we didn’t hear from you.”
“I’m sorry. I would have told you guys but things kept piling on, and I was overwhelmed.”
“That’s when most people call their friends,” Abby said, sounding a little hurt.
But most people weren’t getting shot at in the woods or finding out their knight in shining armor was really an FBI agent hunting their brother.
“I get it. I’ve done the same thing myself. So have you, Abby. It’s easier to give help than it is to receive it. But it doesn’t make you weak to lean on people who love you.” Mallory smiled. “I’m glad you let Michael in. It can’t have been easy after Drew.”
If they only knew. “No, it wasn’t. But he’s nothing like Drew, and he’s wonderful with Michaela.” She glanced at her daughter, who’d been suspiciously quiet. She was sound asleep with her thumb in her mouth. Sadie reached for her phone to take a picture. It was gone. She looked under and around the carrier. It wasn’t there.
“What’s wrong?” Abby asked.
“I can’t find my phone. I was sure I put it beside the carrier.” As she was about to go down on her hands and knees to check under the counter, the door chimed, and Zia Maria walked in with a takeaway bag in one hand and Finn, Nessa McNab’s golden retriever, on a leash in the other hand.
“I know, I know,” the older woman said. “We’ll say he’s a support dog if someone makes a fuss.” She caught sight of Michaela and made a beeline for her. “Oh, look at her. Such a bella bambina.” She put the bag on the counter and let go of Finn’s leash, making grabby motions with her fingers as she leaned toward Michaela. Knowing the woman’s cheek-pinching tendency, Sadie said, “She just went to sleep. I promise, I’ll bring her in to see you this week.”
Zia Maria squinched up her face and then raised her hands and backed away from the counter. “Okay, you do that. You and Michael. The food, it’s for you and him. He’s such a good boy, and so handsome too. Did you like what I sent home for you last night?”
Even though most of the dinner was sitting neatly wrapped in her refrigerator, Sadie said, “I loved everything. You’re going to make me fat.”
“You need some meat on your bones. The depression, it’s making you too skinny. Men like something to grab on to.” She patted her own backside and then waved at Mallory and Abby. “Good, you take care of your friend, girls. And don’t let her tell you she’s fine. She’s not fine. Too much to deal with on her own.” She patted Sadie’s cheek. “But don’t you worry. We’re all gonna help. Abby, the mayor says you have a plan.”
Abby gave Sadie a sorry, not sorry glance. “I do. I just have to iron out a few details before I unveil it.”
“Good. That’s good. But I have some news that’s not so good. Nessa, she had a bad fall and broke her hip. She’s gonna be in the hospital a long time.”
“Oh no, what happened?” Sadie asked.
“I like Michael, but it’s his fault. He told Nessa she have to put Finn on a leash, and the leash, it wrapped around her feet when they were going for a walk. Finn, he chases the squirrel, and whoosh.” She lifted her hand and brought it down. “Nessa, she fall. So now, Finn needs a home.” She retrieved the dog’s leash and handed it to Sadie.
“Oh no, not me. I can’t take Finn, Maria. I wish I could but I have too much on my plate as it is.”
“I know. It’s okay, you’ll feel better soon.” She tapped a piece of paper stapled to the bag with her finger. “It’s a list we make for you. To deal with the depression.”
“But I’m not depressed. I’m just…Wait, you forgot Finn,” she said when Maria turned to walk away.
“No, I no forget. Michael, he’ll take him. He likes Finn, and Finn, he like him. It’s a good match, you’ll see. Michael, he saved him. You know the saying. If you save a life, you’re responsible for it. Finn, he’s Michael’s responsibility now. All good.”
“No, no it’s not. Michael moved in with me.” She grimaced, preparing for a lecture from Maria. She was old-school.
“Eh, what’s a matter with you? Look at Abby, she lives with Hunter a year. Is she married? No. I don’t know what�
�s wrong with you girls. Mallory, you talk some sense into these two for Zia Maria.” With that, she was out the door.
Sadie turned to her friends. “You guys have to help me out here. Abby, you love dogs.”
“Yes, and I have two. Plus you know how territorial Bella is.”
“Mal?”
“I wish I could but we have five boys, a dog, and a baby on the way. Plus, there’s Finn’s reputation. It would put Gabe in an awkward position.”
Sadie frowned, looking at the dog sitting at her feet. “What reputation? He seems perfectly sweet.”
“Oh, he’s charming all right, until he robs you blind,” Abby said. “He’s a kleptomaniac.”
Chapter Seventeen
Chase wiped the back of his hand across his sweaty brow while casting a nervous glance at the rustling ferns to the right of the forest trail. He was positive he’d heard a snake hiss. The six-foot-four, broad-shouldered man walking on the trail ahead of him didn’t seem to share his concerns.
But why would he? Less than an hour ago, Chase had watched Hunter Mackenzie coax a black bear out of a hysterical woman’s yard and back into the woods. Chase had never been so glad to see someone in his entire life, a life which he now felt he owed to Hunter.
Chase was positive he wouldn’t have made it out of the situation alive, and it might not have been the bear that killed him. The bystanders had turned on him when he’d drawn his gun as the bear lumbered his way. They were equally unimpressed, yelling at him to do his job, when Chase ran in the opposite direction after holstering his gun. Any hero status he might have built up by being there for Sadie on the night Michaela was born, he’d managed to obliterate with his ineptitude as a park ranger.
Hunter glanced over his shoulder. “You doing okay? You look like you’re overheated.” He stopped and turned, reaching in his pack to pull out a canteen. He tossed it to Chase.
“Thanks. I’m not used to a ten-mile hike in this heat.” He’d also forgotten his own pack in his car. So much for always being prepared. This case was chipping away at him. He gestured at Hunter’s head after taking a welcome drink of water. “The bun’s a good idea.”
“It’s a man bun, according to Abby, and also her idea. I usually just tie it back.”
“Ah, a ponytail—mantail,” he corrected, not wanting to offend Hunter. Although Chase had a feeling the other man wasn’t easily offended. Aside from Hunter being Tarzan of the woods, they shared some similarities. Both of them kept their own counsel, loners who didn’t really care about the opinions of others. It was a nice change from his partner.
He noticed the way Hunter was studying him and said, “You think Black would make a better park ranger than me and that I’d do a better job pulling off his gig at I Believe in Unicorns, don’t you?”
“I think your partner could convince anyone of anything.”
Something in the way Hunter stated the observation had Chase lowering the canteen from his mouth. “You don’t trust him.”
“No, I don’t.” He rubbed his bearded jaw. “Gabe told me what went down the other night. How much do you know about your partner?”
Chase hesitated, then decided to go with his gut. He trusted Hunter to keep the information to himself. “Former spec ops with enough experience that he should have been at the scene in time to warn Sadie and get her out of the line of fire—as well as grabbing Elijah.”
Hunter nodded. “I thought the same.”
“I can’t access anything about him between his time in the military and when he became an agent with NCSBI.”
“Have you spoken to his superior?”
“No, nor mine.” Chase briefly explained their off-book operation and how their partnership came about.
“Are you sure he’s still with the NCSBI? Did he offer you any proof?”
“Of course, I’m…” He trailed off, thinking back to their first meeting. Black had never shown him a badge, nor had Chase asked him to see one. Chase’s boss had set up the initial meet. He scrolled through his memory of his conversation with his boss back in February.
He hadn’t looked him in the eye. He’d stared down at some paperwork, tapping a pen in an irritated rhythm on his desk. Chase had assumed he’d been irritated with him, but maybe it hadn’t been about him after all. Maybe his boss was being forced to do something he didn’t want to do. He had mentioned Black by name, but now that Chase thought about it, he hadn’t come out and directly said he was an agent with NCSBI. He’d just mumbled something about the investigative bureau. Then, when Chase had asked for personal leave two weeks ago, his boss had simply held up his hand to silence his explanation and granted it with no questions asked.
“No, I’m not sure that he is. I can see now that I made the assumption based on my boss’s initial involvement.” He’d also made the assumption that his new boss was like his old one and wanted to get rid of him, which may actually have been the case. Only his new boss wasn’t just bending the damn law, he was breaking it. Now the question was why. “I need to make a call.” He reached for his phone.
“You won’t get cell service here.” Hunter lifted his chin. “We’ll have to go back to the road.”
“You go ahead, and I’ll catch up with you.” Chase turned to set off down the path. He didn’t want to delay the search for Elijah. He held up his phone, his eyes on the bars in hopes he’d get service sooner rather than later.
“Don’t move,” Hunter warned from behind him. “It won’t—”
Chase looked down. There was a snake—one big mother of a snake—coiled inches from his booted foot. Chase yelled and went for his gun. The snake lifted its head and reared back to strike.
Hunter shoved him out of the way, which Chase would have appreciated if he’d given him some warning. As it was, his legs weren’t exactly steady, and he lost his balance, going over on his ankle before landing hard on the ground. His gun went off, the shot taking out a tree branch and leaves.
Afraid that he’d become prey for the snake or anything else creeping around under the thick undergrowth, Chase jumped to his feet and nearly fell back to the ground. “Son of a…beehive,” he cried out, not because he was trying not to offend Hunter by swearing but because there was an actual beehive on the ground. And holy crap, his ankle hurt like a mother. Worse, he was beginning to sound like Black.
A muffled sound caught his attention. He looked over to see Hunter with his hand pressed to his face, his shoulders shaking.
“Could you maybe stop laughing long enough to tell me which way the snake went?” Chase looked around and shuddered.
Trying to appear like he hadn’t been laughing, Hunter pointed in the opposite direction, thank God. Chase gritted his teeth as he limped back onto the path.
Hunter cleared his throat but didn’t manage to completely clear the laughter from his voice. “You broke your leg.”
“No, I twisted it, that’s all.”
“No, you broke it. That’s our story, and we’re sticking to it. No offense, but I’m worried you’re going to get yourself or someone else killed. You’re not cut out to be a park ranger. This will give you an out. It will also give you more time to focus on keeping Sadie and the baby safe.”
It was a good point, especially if his hunch about Black was right. “I’m sure no one at park services will complain. After today, my boss is no doubt looking for an excuse to get rid of me.”
Hunter grinned as he bent down in front of him. “Hop on.”
“I’m not getting on your back. I weigh two hundred pounds.”
Hunter quirked an eyebrow as if his pack weighed more.
“I’d also look like an idiot, and I’ve already made enough of a fool of myself for one day.” As he’d discovered earlier, while he’d never cared what people thought about him before, he did care what Sadie thought of him.
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Hunter said as he walked off the path. He retrieved a walking stick and came back, handing it to Chase. “This’ll help keep the weight
off your foot. I’ll call a friend of mine and get one of those boot things for you. Don’t worry, you’ll just have to wear it when you’re in town.” He glanced at him as they set off down the path. “I’m assuming you’ll tell Sadie the truth.”
“Of course. Including about Black, if I find out he’s lied to me.”
“Good, that’s what I wanted to hear. You need her to trust you, and that’s not going to be easy. She’s been burned too many times.”
“You think she’s holding out on us about Elijah?”
Hunter shrugged. “He’s her baby brother. She’s always protected him, no matter how bad he screwed up.”
“Trafficking cocaine and killing a law enforcement officer isn’t on the same scale as running a pyramid scheme or hacking into the local high school’s computers to change a grade.” Offenses Elijah had been suspected of but not formally charged with.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Hunter said. “Sadie cut Elijah out of her life when she found out about the drugs, but now that he’s in danger, I can’t see her turning her back on him. It’s not who she is. She’ll have a hard time believing he’s capable of murder. To be honest, so do I.”
“At the moment, the evidence disagrees with you. You’re letting your connection to the Grays cloud your judgment. I hope Sadie doesn’t let her feelings for her brother cloud hers. Otherwise, she could be in a whole lot of trouble.”
“If you found out she was helping her brother, you’d arrest her?”
He nodded, ignoring the twisting in his gut. “I’d have no choice. At the time Agnes hid her grandson and Sadie met with him in the woods, they were unaware he was wanted in connection with Brodie’s murder. That’s no longer the case on Sadie’s end. What she does from now on—”