Billy held out his hand for Holly to sniff. “I’ve heard of dogs like that for soldiers but hadn’t considered using them for our law enforcement. Novel idea.” Holly dipped her head for him to stroke. “Atta girl, good girl. I wonder if that’s the real reason why fire stations started keeping a dog.”
Lacey smiled. No wonder this man charmed people far and wide.
“Could be,” AJ acknowledged.
Holly dropped to her belly and shoved her nose into the snow. Pedaling her back legs, she burrowed forward, butt in the air. The cluster of people burst out laughing, and Lacey had to admit, Holly was funny, even if she was far from acting well trained.
Billy tapped the cameraman. “Be sure to get that. She’s cute as a bug. A mighty big bug.”
Lacey scooped up Trooper’s leash. “Holly’s a work in progress. I doubt she’ll be jumping through rings of fire or dancing in a hula skirt at the competition. Only a month ago, she’d lived her entire life as a breeder dog on a chain. We’re teaching her to play.”
Now that was spin.
Billy laughed, one of those deep, throaty laughs that filled wide-open spaces. “She’ll be in a category all her own.” He looked around the rescue yard, scratching just under his Stetson. “And your other entry?”
“An army veteran and his son are working together with a Cairn Terrier.” That wounded family tore at her heart. They’d been through so much so young. “We needed a smaller dog for them due to the soldier’s war injuries.”
Billy swept his hat off again, turning it round and round in his hands. “That must bring up a lot of memories for you. No one would blame you from wanting to stay away from reminders of the military.”
“I do this in honor of Allen.” He had been her high school sweetheart. Her first love. Her first lover. She missed him every day.
He held the hat against his heart. “Ma’am, you have my deepest condolences.”
“I appreciate that,” she said, his sincerity real and touching. His eyes broadcasted that the sympathy was more than just token words. “If Allen were here, he would invite you to share a beer while he told you all about our zoo.”
“I would have liked to meet him.”
“He would want you to know he’s grateful for all you’re doing here today. Thank you for all your support in making the event a success. Even for those of us who don’t win, the exposure for our organization and the animals is priceless.”
He plunked his hat back on his head. “Well, ma’am, I have the kind of time and money to do projects that interest me.” His eyes lingered for an instant with that Cowboy Romeo appeal he was so famous for. “I’m not a slave to the concert tour and publicity hounds any longer. Animal rescue is close to my heart. My daddy was a vet tech in a poor county shelter. I saw a lot following him around at work. You’re making a real difference here.”
Lacey’s cheeks felt hot in spite of the winter weather. She looked to the others, but they were all occupied playing with the dogs. “All of the shelters and rescues participating can’t thank you enough.”
“You’re the driving force behind this. That’s clear to see.”
She appreciated the thought but had to be fair. “Dahlia at the county shelter has worked with me every step of the way. She has an amazing eye for screening possible service dogs. A win for one shelter or rescue is a win for all.”
“I like you, Miz McDaniel.” Those deep brown eyes of his melted over her like warm chocolate.
Staring back, she couldn’t deny her bruised, menopausal ego soaked up the light flirting that meant nothing in the big scheme of things but made her feel attractive. She allowed herself to savor the sensation because honestly, it hurt no one and was going nowhere.
She barely registered the sound of footsteps crackling through the snow until Wyatt’s arm went around her shoulder. “Hello there, Mr. Brock. I’m Wyatt Parker, Lacey’s fiancé.”
* * *
WYATT COULD STILL see steam coming out of Lacey’s ears even two hours after the interview. He probably should be grateful she hadn’t cut him off at the knees when he made the impulsive announcement. But he’d been so pissed and jealous watching her light up for the famous musician. Not that he expected her to suddenly dump him for Billy Brock. Except the glimmer in her eyes reminded him too much of the way she used to look at that veterinarian Ray Vega.
A look she’d never once turned his way.
Lacey closed her office door, sealing the two of them inside and alone for the first time since he’d claimed her as his, on film no less, for the whole world to know.
She locked the door and turned to face him, fists on her hips. “I can’t believe you did that.”
He couldn’t help but snap back, “I can’t believe you’ve ignored my marriage proposal for weeks.”
“Damn it, Wyatt, my daughter is in the hospital with critically high blood pressure, fighting for her baby’s life. I can’t think about the future right now. Why can’t you understand that?”
“Because you were making excuses before she went in the hospital.” He leaned back against her desk, arms over his chest.
She paced, shaking her head. “It’s just bad timing. I need to think.”
“If you have to think this hard, then I believe your answer is already mighty damn clear.” Frustration gnawed at his insides. He’d done everything right, been the romantic gentleman, and it hadn’t gotten him jack shit.
She continued to walk restless circles in her small office, her hair shaking loose from that ridiculous hair band. “You’re rushing me.”
“You told me you fell for your husband right away.” And yeah, that stung.
“I was a teenager,” she cried, throwing up her hands. “What did I know about love?”
“It lasted for two decades. Sounds like you knew a lot.”
Her restless feet slowed. “People fall in love in different ways,” she explained as if talking to a junior high sex-ed class. “That doesn’t make one better or greater than another. I was enjoying what we had.”
“Had?”
“You’re just picking a fight.” She crossed her arms over her chest, her stubborn stance mirroring his own. “If you have changed your mind, then say so.”
This was getting him nowhere. In fact, it threatened to derail the progress he’d made. He should have held his peace and kept quiet until all the company left and she started freaking out over her emptying nest.
“Lacey, babe, I’m sorry.” He pulled her toward him. Her feet held and he tugged harder until she relented and stood in his arms, her chest to his. She wasn’t relaxing against him, but she didn’t pull away.
He kissed the top of her head and reminded himself to be patient. Letting his impulsive side show was a mistake. He had too much at stake here with her and at work to be anything but cool-headed. He would win in the end through persistence.
Losing her was not an option.
* * *
WITH THE MOON just beginning to climb in the sky, Mary Hannah walked Trooper back to the McDaniel house, her body still humming from making love to AJ. After the interview, they’d returned to his cabin, and the next thing she knew, her back was flat against the door. AJ was wooing her with a corny country accent, singing country songs and teasing her about falling for Billy Brock’s line of bull.
She hadn’t seen that lighthearted side of AJ often, and it surprised her. But something had happened between them when they ventured into deeper waters, building that goofy little snowman while talking about serious subjects. Was it possible she could trust him with her darkest secrets after all? Could his work actually help him understand rather than lead him to judge her? A tempting notion that stirred hope. And wasn’t that a scary thought? It had been so long since she dared dream of a future with a man.
Trooper tugged at the leash as they neared the McDaniels’ rambling farmhouse. She let
go, and he raced to the front porch. Lacey sat in a rocking chair, wrapped in a blanket with a thermos in her hands.
Mary Hannah climbed the front-porch steps, gripping the rail. “What’s wrong?”
“Why do you assume something’s the matter? This is an amazing day.” She lifted her thermos in a toast. “Our rescue will be in a news feature. Cause for celebration.”
“It is. Yet you’re still clearly upset.” She sat in the rocker next to Lacey, realizing that somewhere along the way Lacey had become her friend as well. The connection they shared wasn’t just because of Sierra or the rescue.
“I’m just . . . tired.”
Mary Hannah simply sat, rocking back and forth. She didn’t speak. People felt the need to fill a silence. That was often a counselor’s greatest tool, more valuable than the sagest of advice.
“Wyatt’s announcement that we’re engaged was not true,” she said softly into the night. “I hadn’t turned him down, but I definitely hadn’t agreed.”
“That must have been terribly uncomfortable for you.”
“Understatement of the year.” Rolling her eyes, she sipped from the thermos, the scent of hot cocoa steaming out. “I’m not pregnant, by the way, so the pressure should be off. But then he announced to the world we’re getting married. I need everything to slow down.”
Through damn good training, Mary Hannah schooled her features not to show emotion until she got her own under control. “How are you going to handle it?”
“Hell if I know.” She sipped her cocoa. “Want some?”
“No thank you.”
“It’s spiked with Kahlúa and peppermint schnapps.”
“Maybe a sip.”
Lacey poured the hot cocoa into the thermos cup and passed it to Mary Hannah. “Wyatt’s been so patient. He actually proposed back at Christmas.” She sipped straight from the thermos. “I kept telling myself I was holding back because I was pregnant when Allen and I married.”
“I didn’t know.” Mary Hannah cradled her cup and inhaled the scent, intoxicating all on its own.
Lacey glanced over, her smile bittersweet. “Allen and I were in love, absolutely, no question on that. Being pregnant with Sierra just pushed up the wedding date.”
“But that’s not an issue here now.” Mary Hannah brought the cup to her mouth and tasted—yum—her new favorite drink. “Do you want to marry Wyatt? Maybe later, not rushing?”
“This is difficult to say . . . to admit.” Lacey’s head fell back to rest against the rocker before she blurted out, “Wyatt was my gap guy.”
“Gap guy?”
“After Allen died,” she said slowly, as if prying the words free. “It took me a long time to date again. I had offers before Wyatt, but I wasn’t ready.”
“Like the veterinarian, Dr. Vega.” Ray Vega had made no secret of his attraction to Lacey even though he was ten years younger. The fact that age didn’t matter to him only made him all the more attractive to the local women.
“Ray left.” Lacey set aside the thermos. “He didn’t come back.”
Realization lit up like the stars popping through the night sky. “You were waiting for him.”
“Ray said he didn’t want to be my gap guy. Or something like that.” Lacey pulled her legs up under the blanket and rested her chin on her knees. “He didn’t want to be the fling I had in order to move on. It sounded so beautiful when he said it. He said he would be back in a year.”
And roughly six months ago she’d started dating Wyatt. “Did Dr. Vega contact you while he was gone on his mission trip? Is he still there now?”
“I don’t know because I haven’t heard anything from him. Not a single word.” Hurt and anger coated each word. “So I moved on. I decided I should have a gap relationship after all. Except apparently I’m not very good at that. Allen was the first man I was with. So I was over forty years old, trying to figure out how to have a fling.”
Mary Hannah reached to squeeze Lacey’s hand. “You know I’m here to help however I can. I’m your friend as well as Sierra’s.”
“Thanks. I mean it.” She squeezed back before picking up her thermos again. “I can’t let this distract me from the competition. I need to make this place a success so I can support my family. I have a son heading to college and a father-in-law with dementia. I don’t have time for flings.”
Mary Hannah asked the unspoken question that had been hanging in the air, waiting to be addressed. “Are you still waiting for Ray Vega to return?”
“That’s a moot point. He hasn’t contacted me.” She drew a long gulp from the thermos.
Oh, poor Lacey. Mary Hannah’s heart hurt for her. “You still didn’t answer my question, and that should tell you all you need to know.”
Lacey pressed her hands to her eyes, a single tear sneaking free anyway. Mary Hannah started to rise to hug her. The cell phone by the thermos chimed, stopping her. Lacey sniffed twice as she snapped up the phone.
“Hello? Mike?” Lacey listened, her face growing paler by the second.
A dark sense of premonition filled Mary Hannah like clouds covering the stars. She listened to the one-sided conversation, but there wasn’t much to go on.
Lacey kept nodding, her throat moving in a slow swallow. “I’ll be right over. I’m praying for all three of you.”
She disconnected the call, her hand shaking so hard the cell phone dropped into her lap.
“Lacey? Please, what’s happened?”
Her eyes shimmering with tears, Lacey said, “Sierra’s blood pressure spiked. The doctors said they can’t wait any longer without risking her . . . risking her life. They just took her in for an emergency C-section.”
Twenty
Sometimes you have to push for alliances. Even the ones that seem most unlikely.
—HOLLY, ON SURVIVOR
AJ HADN’T REALIZED how attached he’d become to this family until tonight. He was a part of a unit. Wyatt had called to tell him about Sierra’s premature delivery. Mary Hannah had already driven Lacey over. They were at the hospital. Wyatt couldn’t get out of his night shift for another hour, so he’d asked AJ to check on the family.
The family.
He found Mary Hannah sitting alone in the waiting area, her eyes swollen from crying. His stomach plummeted.
“Mary Hannah? How’s Sierra? The baby?” He sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. God, she was cold and trembling. She was always so in control that he wasn’t quite sure what to do for her.
She held a wad of tissues in her hand and scrubbed at her already raw eyes. “The baby’s in the neonatal ICU in an incubator. He needs help breathing. Mike’s with him. Sierra’s in recovery. She hasn’t woken yet, but Lacey is sitting with her. They say her blood pressure was so high they lost her once”—her voice cracked before she regained control—“and they had to bring her back.”
He held her tighter, tucking her head against his chest. “I’m so sorry.” He felt so damn helpless. “I wish I’d been here sooner.”
“You couldn’t have done anything. As it is, I’ve been wishing I could help somehow, but I’ve just been sitting here, scared out of my mind for Sierra and her baby.”
“All the more reason I should have been with you. You shouldn’t have to go through this alone.” He stroked a hand over her hair. “Are you okay?”
She glanced up at him, her expression shifting. “Are you asking me if I’m at risk for relapsing, searching for a hit from the nearest medicine cabinet?”
Hell, he hadn’t even considered that, but the fact that she had made him wonder now. “Are you?”
Shrugging his arm aside, she leaned back, her hands pressed to her eyes. “I’m always going to be the recovering addict, and I know to call my sponsor if I’m in crisis.”
“That’s good.”
Her hands fell to her lap, and pa
in blazed in her eyes. “But I’ve done things so much worse than take illegal drugs. So much worse.” She paused, waiting, then continued, “Aren’t you going to ask me what I did?”
His cop instincts tingled, sensing that need to confess. He could tell something was eating her up inside.
“That’s your decision whether to trust me or not.”
“Maybe you would rather not know.”
Did she have a point? He didn’t much like the light that would put him in, though. “I’ve seen the worst the world has to offer. I imagine at times you hear the worst from your patients.”
“It’s hard to stay clean.” Her chin trembled. “So hard.”
He stroked her hair back, tucking it behind her ear. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She twisted the hem of her sweater, her eyes darting around the waiting area before finally landing on him again. “My ex and I always planned to have children.”
“Is your biological clock ticking?” He worked to keep his voice level, even though thoughts of little Aubrey were filling his head and clenching his gut. “I can see how that would make it difficult when your friends are starting their families.”
A smile flickered across her face as she straightened. “You don’t have to look so horrified. I’m not asking you to knock me up.”
“That isn’t what I thought.” Okay, maybe it was. But he would sound like a jackass if he said as much.
She drew in a deep breath, her back bracing. “I got pregnant about six months after we married. It wasn’t planned. But I wanted my baby very much. So much that I checked myself into a rehab center right away.”
Holy hell. He hadn’t expected this and didn’t know what to say. He’d seen so many junkie babies during his time on the force, but he couldn’t reconcile that image with Mary Hannah. Black and white suddenly became very gray.
“Yes, I got pregnant while using,” she said starkly. “And I was almost all the way through the program. I thought I was going to be lucky after all. My baby would be okay.” She snorted a dark laugh, slightly hysterical, and swiped the tissues under her nose.
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