Patience, Allred.
“Good morning, Mrs. Gatewood, ladies,” he greeted them. “What can I do for you?”
“Is there some place we could speak in private, Lieutenant Allred?” Betty Gatewood’s posture and tone were far from friendly.
Jake kept his smile in place. “Sure. Please come back to my office, ladies. It might be a little cramped, but we’ll make do.” He held the door and allowed them to precede him before easing past their combined bulk and gesturing them to the chairs. “Please, sit.”
All three ladies sat as one just as if they were obeying the direction of the preacher from the pulpit. All three perched on the edge of their chairs, hands gripping their purses as though bent on choking the evil demons from them.
“Lieutenant Allred,” Betty Gatewood began.
“Just call me Jake, ma’am. After all, you’ve known me most of my life,” he added with a grin that faded when none of the three women responded.
“We’re here to speak about your current living situation…and to find out what you intend to do about it.”
Jake decided to be obtuse. No way was he sharing the fact part of Holly’s presence was a matter of protection. “Well you know, I bought that big Victorian house over on Maple, right next door to Evan Richardson, and I’m very happy there, so I don’t believe I’ll be moving anytime soon.”
Mrs. Gatewood huffed, “That is not what we’re referring to.”
“Oh?” He wasn’t going to make this any easier for them.
“You have that young woman living with you, the single woman who just had a baby.”
As if he couldn’t figure that one out. Jake’s good humor faded. “You’re referring to Holly Morgan and Noelle. I also have Miss Morgan’s younger brother, Tyler, living with me. You forgot him.”
Her companions shifted, but not Mrs. Gatewood. “You are still young and might not have given much thought to it, but there are certain expectations about the way our top law enforcement officers should behave. Living with a woman of low moral fiber is not acceptable.”
Jake leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk and loosely clasping his hands to keep from flipping all three ladies the bird or punching Betty Gatewood in her sanctimonious face. “Let me clear up a few things for you, Mrs. Gatewood,” he began. “First, I am not living with Holly Morgan as you mean it. In return for room and board, Holly agreed to cook, clean, and wash laundry for me. Second, I took her, Noelle, and Tyler in because Doc Owens asked me. The old Crawley place was too isolated and unsafe for the baby. Third, Holly’s here with her brother to escape an abusive ex-fiancé.
“Accusing her of low morals without knowing the first thing about her says more about you than her. And finally, Mrs. Gatewood,” Jake snapped, patience be damned, “were you a man, I would already have punched you in the nose for insulting Holly. As it is, I’ll just ask you to leave.”
The woman’s eyes glowed with spite. “My husband is on the town council, Lieutenant, and I will be sure to pass on to him how you threatened me in front of witnesses.”
“You do that, ma’am. Now if y’all will excuse me, I have work to do. You ladies have a Merry Christmas. You remember that holiday don’t you, Mrs. Gatewood, when a young woman gave birth to a son out of wedlock?”
All three ladies gasped as if the devil himself had popped up and yelled “boo” before they fled the Mountain Meadow police station faster than Franklin County moonshiners running from the revenuers. Jake pursed his lips.
There was nothing like holier-than-thou hypocrites to push a guy right into a marriage proposal. And damn it, he didn’t care if they had known each other for just days, he was asking Holly Morgan to marry him. All he’d needed was someone criticizing her for him to realize he wanted her, her baby, and her brother. Jake’s feelings were already way past friendship. He knew it and so did she. They were a family. Jake pushed out of his chair, heading for the front of the station.
“Ernie?”
“Yeah.” The older man eyed him.
“I need to run to the bank for a few minutes. Won’t take me long.”
Ernie tilted his head. “Cashing it in and leaving town?”
“Nope.”
“Well if anybody could drive a man to it, Betty Gatewood could.”
Jake shrugged on his jacket. “Gonna get my grandma’s ring out of the safety deposit box.”
Ernie’s bushy brows met his receding hairline. “That’s a might fast, isn’t it? You and Holly haven’t even been on a date yet, have you?”
Jake chuckled, knowing he was blushing, but feeling he had to explain. “Nope, but I guess helping a woman bring her baby into the world, you kinda skip a few things.”
“I s’pose.”
Jake whistled as he shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and headed across the square. No, they hadn’t dated in the traditional sense, but they had shared some pretty steamy kisses. Add the intimacy of living under the same roof, and they’d already established a relationship. He just hoped Holly felt the same.
* * * *
Holly was in the basement doing laundry. Just watching her work around the house exhausted Evan. He’d never seen anyone with as much energy—well, maybe Jake—but especially someone who’d just had a baby a few days ago. Wasn’t she supposed to need everyone waiting on her? All she’d asked him to do was keep an ear out for Noelle.
“If she wakes, it’s because her diaper’s wet or she’s hungry,” Holly explained. “If you’ll just change her diaper and bring her down, I’ll take care of the hungry part. Okay?”
Evan kept his eyes anywhere but on Holly’s chest as he nodded and hoped like hell the baby would stay asleep. Still, he hovered near the bottom of the stairs to make sure he would hear her move.
His phone rang and he checked the caller ID. His office. “Richardson here.”
“Oh, Mr. Richardson,” Wanda Sue, one of his clerks, gushed. “We all hope you’re feeling better, sir.”
Evan’s mouth twisted. “Right. And I should also believe you just mailed your wish lists to Santa too, I suppose.”
“Mr. Richardson.”
“Just cut to the chase, Wanda Sue.”
“Your daddy called looking for you, said he couldn’t reach you at home. We told him you were in court like you said to…”
Evan heard a soft mewl from upstairs, and his eyes widened.
“Whatever… That’s fine. I have to go. The baby’s crying.”
“Baby? What baby?”
Evan started to punch End and stopped. “Say, Wanda Sue…don’t you have a couple kids?”
“Yes, sir. One seven and one three.”
“Think you could talk me through changing a diaper?” Dead silence met his request. “Well?”
“Of…of course, sir.”
“Great. Hang on.”
He dashed up the stairs two at a time. Cradling the phone against one shoulder, he picked the now squalling Noelle up, balancing her on his other shoulder. “Okay. There’s a table here with diapers, some of those wipe things, some lotion, and some powder. Where do I start?”
“The first thing you do is lay the baby on the changing table and unfasten the dirty diaper.”
Evan squeezed the phone between his ear and his shoulder. “Do I hear laughter in the background?”
“No, sir,” she assured him in a voice that sounded just a bit choked.
By the time he ended the call, Evan had a lot more respect for Wanda Sue. He couldn’t care less what his office thought of him at that moment. Noelle watched him with her big, gorgeous eyes, her little lips pursed, and he was lost. He smiled as he cradled her in the crook of his arm and headed downstairs. He had just reached the last step when he heard the knocker tap a couple of times. This place was busier than his office.
Jake needed to put in a peephole. Evan eased the door open until he saw Jenny’s blond hair and then pulled it the rest of the way.
* * * *
<
br /> Jenny turned, the smile on her face fading into a short gasp at the sight of Evan smiling into the face of a newborn. Her medical bag dropped out of nerveless fingers. For just a moment, their eyes met and held, then she blinked and swallowed. Jenny jerked her gaze away, bending down to grab her bag.
“I…I came to check you and Holly.” Her voice was strained.
“Come in,” Evan said, looking almost as rattled as she felt. Just then Noelle’s alert little face, with her waving arms and kicking legs, crumpled into a howl. “Shh,” Evan cooed and began rocking her back and forth. Who was this man—an alien straight from Men in Black?
“She might need her diaper changed.”
“No,” Evan assured her. “Already did that. She must be hungry. I’ll take her to Holly. Come on in.”
Jenny raised her hand. “Whoa. Back up just a minute. Did I just hear you say you changed her diaper?”
Evan coughed. “Yes. Well I had help.”
“Help?”
“Wanda Sue, one of my clerks, talked me through it over the phone.”
Jenny’s lip twitched. She couldn’t help it. She reached for the baby. “I’ll take her.”
Evan pulled back. “I have her. Holly told me to look after her.”
“Well, offer the tip of your pinkie to her to suck on for a minute until she can get the real thing. It might stop her crying.” Jenny followed him as he bounced the baby on his arm and led the way down the hall to the basement stairs. “Evan, are you telling me everyone in your office now knows you changed a diaper?”
“Hmm. I suppose.”
Jenny examined his broad shoulders and his well-cut dark hair and began to chuckle. As Evan continued down the steps, she had to stop and sit. She was laughing so hard she had to wipe her eyes.
Holly appeared and studied the two of them as she reached for Noelle. “What’s up?”
Jenny waved her hands as she continued to laugh. Evan scowled at her and spoke to Holly. “One of my clerks called me and while I was on the phone, Noelle began crying, so Wanda Sue talked me through changing her diaper.”
Holly smiled. “Well that was mighty nice of her. You must have some excellent employees. I hope you appreciate them.”
Evan’s mouth opened and shut like a fish gasping for breath, or as if the idea of appreciating his employees had never occurred to him before. “I do now.”
Holly started up the stairs with Noelle. “Well, I’m done here. I’ll make Tyler carry everything later.”
“I’ll do it,” Evan offered, which made Jenny laugh harder. Things had gotten a lot merrier since Holly and Noelle arrived.
* * * *
Tyler came home from school Friday with a huge grin. Evan let him in. “Hey, kid, how was school?”
“I aced my spelling test, but I got a B on my math quiz.”
“Hmm. I’m not much help with math. You need Holly or Jenny.”
Tyler grinned. “One more week and we’re out for Christmas break.”
Evan stared out the door, noticing for the first time all of the decorations sparkling on houses and lawns up and down the street. There were two weeks until Christmas? He recalled Holly mentioning it, but it hadn’t sunk in at the time. “We need decorations and a tree.”
Tyler grinned. “You are so right. I was beginning to wonder when anyone around here besides me would notice.”
“Notice what?” Holly asked as she walked down the hallway from the kitchen. She was in the middle of cooking Evan’s going-away dinner. Jenny had stopped by earlier and told him she’d take the stitches out in a few more days, but didn’t see any reason why he couldn’t go back home. Holly smiled as she sat nearby cuddling Noelle. Jenny kept coming by on the pretext of seeing the baby, but Holly was positive there was more going on. Something had passed between Evan and Jenny, easing the hostilities. In fact, Jenny had agreed to return for dinner after she finished evening rounds.
Holly touched Noelle’s cheek. Yes, everyone deserved a little holiday magic. Noelle opened her eyes and Holly could almost swear the baby winked.
“It’s two weeks till Christmas, Holly. We don’t have any decorations. Neither does Evan. I’m tight with the two biggest scrooges in town.”
Evan laughed. “But we have Christmas decorations. We have Holly and Noelle.”
Tyler rolled his eyes and Holly sighed. “Like I haven’t heard those jokes my entire life, Evan. Changing diapers has blunted your wit. Where is that rapier-edged tongue I first met?”
Evan placed his hand over his heart. “I have fallen in love with your squirming bundle of blankets, and it’s changed my life. I’m a reformed cynic, a recovering curmudgeon, a…”
“Seriously sentimental softy who we all love?” Holly finished.
Evan blinked. “You do?”
Holly smacked him with her towel. “Not like that, silly. You just can’t compete with Jake as far as I’m concerned, but you’re one of the best friends I’ve ever had.”
“Thanks, Holly. It’s mutual.” Evan’s natural austerity vanished.
“Eww!” Tyler groaned. “This is gettin’ all gooey. Is that what adults are like all the time? ’Cause if it is, I do not want to grow up. Oh! I have an idea. Since we’re celebrating Evan going home—not that we don’t want you here—why don’t we go get Christmas decorations and trees? Then we won’t look like we belong on another planet.”
“How about after dinner?” Holly suggested, a sparkle lighting her green eyes. “All of us. Like a big party.”
Evan rolled his eyes. “Please tell me this doesn’t mean we’ll be descending en masse on Walmart?”
Holly grinned. “Think how it would boost your image.” She held up a hand like she was reading from a banner. “Evan Richardson, commonwealth’s attorney, relates to the common man.”
“And I am accomplishing this by buying Christmas decorations at the local discount giant?”
“Well yes,” Holly deadpanned, “but we’ll help you and Jake’s image by buying trees at different places—one from the Presbyterian church’s Boy Scout Troop lot, and one from the Mission Outreach lot the Baptist church is sponsoring.”
Evan tilted his head and stared at Holly, “Are you sure you’re an accountant? Is there a minor in marketing in there somewhere?”
Holly laughed. “No, but I am catching on to how this small-town thing works.”
* * * *
Jenny closed her office door and laid her head against it. She had just explained to an elderly woman that her husband of more than fifty years was unlikely to recover. The stroke he’d suffered had left him in a vegetative state. Jenny had called the woman’s son and daughter so they could be with their mother and help her make the necessary decisions about their father. His living will requested nothing be done to prolong his life, so Jenny was sure they would ask that life support be removed.
She hated this part of her job. She’d pursued medicine to save lives, not end them. She clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut. Each loss was a reminder of her failure to heal herself. Oh physically, she was fine. Emotionally she’d never been the same after she lost her baby, then lost Evan.
She rubbed her temples with shaking hands.
When her office phone rang, Jenny slipped it from its cradle. “Dr. Owens.”
“Jenny, my dear,” the voice on the other end was as smooth and cool as a python wrapping around its victim, “you appear to need a reminder about our agreement.”
Jenny squeezed her eyes shut and her gut twisted. Hearing his voice was like being sucked back into hell. “Good evening, Senator Richardson.”
Several minutes later, Jenny disconnected the phone call and fought the urge to vomit. The urge to get in the shower and wash away the sleaze quickly followed. How could someone like Stoner Richardson be Evan’s father?
Stoner had made the warning clear enough. Stay away from his son or he would make sure Evan saw every one of the payments the senator had made to
her over the years. Jenny shuddered. When had life become so sordid? When had it changed? But she knew the answer. After all, she’d seen the video.
Stoner possessed a video of her being gang-raped by several members of the high school basketball team, but thanks to clever editing and the drugs her own father had given her, it didn’t look like a rape. She appeared to be a willing, if not very active, participant. Worst of all, Jenny still couldn’t remember the event, only what she’d been shown.
She sat in the dark for another quarter hour. She had told Holly she’d be there by six-thirty, but it was six-thirty now. Evan would be there, an Evan already changed from just a few days ago. This Evan snuggled babies against his chest and volunteered to change diapers. But she recognized this Evan. She had attended high school with him and fallen in love with him all those years ago.
Her hands clenched into fists.
Jenny wanted that Evan back, but could she risk everything to get him? Could she go through that pain again? Stoner would show him everything and make it look like she was not only a tramp, but a cold, calculating mercenary bitch. At the time, Evan had believed what they’d wanted him to believe. If she risked it all again, would the result be any different?
Jenny shrugged off her white coat and grabbed her wool overcoat and purse. She had returned to Mountain Meadow because it was home, but also to lay ghosts to rest once and for all. Screw Stoner Richardson. She would lay it on the line, and if Evan didn’t want her… Well, she’d figure something out.
Chapter 9
“Let’s wait a few more minutes,” Holly suggested. “Maybe a patient kept her late, and she hasn’t been able to call.” Evan knew she was trying to put a good light on it, but a bone-deep cynicism, planted twelve years ago, blossomed once more.
“Don’t, Evan,” Holly murmured. “Don’t be so hard on her, so hard on yourself. You have no idea how much you’ve both changed in just a few days.”
Jake stood right behind Holly. Evan saw her reach back to find his hand. He and Jenny weren’t the only ones who had changed.
Special Delivery (Mountain Meadow Homecoming 1) Page 14