by Kadie Scott
“She was a good friend.” Her only friend, really.
He tipped his head. “When we first got married, I got the impression you weren’t friends anymore.”
A bubble of odd hilarity, maybe panic, filled her chest and she had to hold in the inappropriate giggle that wanted to escape. She damn well couldn’t tell him the rift between her and Georgia had been because of him.
Holly shrugged. “We had a huge fight that summer, and then I went off to school. It…took a while to fix things.”
“What was the fight about?”
Holly bit her lip. “I was angry about how she’d gotten pregnant. For a lot of reasons. And she did something to me that I wasn’t sure I could forgive.”
“But you did?” He trained his blue eyes on her with what appeared to be sincere interest.
She gave a soft smile. “Yes. When she brought Sophia out to College Station. Who could stay mad when the results were that precious baby?” Holly thought about that moment. Georgia standing, eyes wide and wary and hopeful, with Sophia in her arms gurgling happily away. “Besides, Georgia was one of only a handful of people who really loved me.”
Cash grinned at that. “I always thought you were an odd pair. You’re so different, personality-wise.”
Holly chuckled. “We understood each other.” She gave a reminiscent smile. “Initially, I guess we clicked because we both lost our parents fairly young. I don’t make friends easily. And I can count on one hand the number of people who’ve loved me like Georgia did. I think, even when I left so angry, I still knew I’d forgive her eventually. She made a mistake. You don’t walk away from special relationships like that.”
He was silent for a long moment. “I get that.”
“If you ever want to talk about Georgia—”
He turned sharply to face her. “I don’t.”
Holly’s eyes widened at his abrupt tone.
Cash stared at her for a good long while. Finally, he blew out a long breath and pushed his fingers through his hair, spiking it up. A lock flopped back onto his forehead.
Holly ignored the urge to brush it back for him.
“I don’t like to talk about Georgia.” His jaw worked as if he couldn’t decide if he was too angry or too devastated to talk.
As much time as she’d spent talking to Georgia, she honestly hadn’t witnessed much of her friend and Cash together. Not enough to really know them as a couple. Another regret for the records. Unfortunately, now that meant she couldn’t tell if Cash’s refusal to speak about Georgia was from a grief so deep he had to close it off, or if it was from something else.
If it was anger, then he either knew part of or all she had to tell him concerning Marcus. That might almost be easier. She hated the idea of stomping all over his vision of what Georgia had been if he didn’t know.
“I—” He ran his hands through his already spiky hair again. “I’d better go.”
Holly dropped her gaze and willed her sinking heart to get over it fast. She had no idea what was driving this reaction. Better to just let him go. “Of course. It’s late.”
She walked to the door, and he followed, silent and brooding.
He opened the door and she followed him outside, where he turned abruptly to face her. “I’m so—”
She stopped him by going up on her tiptoes and placing her lips softly over his. Shock at her own behavior zipped through her, even as her lips tingled from the touch. She’d meant for the gesture to be comforting. Perhaps part of her realized that after she talked to him about Marcus tomorrow, she might not get another chance. Besides, it was a good way to shut him up. She didn’t want his apologies.
She savored the sensation of his warm lips under hers. Let her own linger against his for a long moment before she pulled back. “Don’t apologize. Please. I really do understand.”
Then, before he could say or do anything else, she went inside without a backward glance, locking the door behind her.
Chapter Eight
The La Colina County Sheriff’s office was located on the edge of town. They had a lovely, and obviously new, building—all modern lines and white Texas limestone facing that hadn’t blackened with age yet. Out front, multiple sheriff’s vehicles, all painted silver, lined up. Holly’d never been to a sheriff’s office, or police department, in her life. Despite the fact she’d done nothing wrong, being there still felt a little off.
Or maybe it was the conversation she was about to have.
Parking in a spot marked “visitors,” Holly walked into the building through the wide glass front doors and across the tiled floor decorated with the Texas state seal.
A deputy manned the glassed-in front desk. “May I help you?” he asked through the speaker.
“I’m here to see Sheriff Hill. My name’s Holly Jensen.”
“The new vet?” the young officer asked, curious.
Small towns. Holly hid her amusement behind a discreet cough. “Yes.”
Picking up a phone, he punched some numbers. “Boss, Holly Jensen’s here to see you.” He listened. “Yes, sir.”
He hung up the phone. “I’ll buzz you through the door. Go down that hall and to the right.”
“Thanks.”
Holly followed his instructions and found herself on the other side of a door with Cash’s name on the outside. She raised her hand to knock but paused.
She wasn’t looking forward to this. In fact, she still hadn’t decided what to tell him and what to hold on to. Everything would depend on what he already knew.
“Come on in, Holly,” Cash’s deep voice called out, making her jump.
Forgetting her agitation, she chuckled.
She let herself in, closing the door behind her. She put her hands on her hips. “How did you know I was there?”
His lips kicked up in a small smile. “I heard you coming down the hall.”
Holly’s eyebrows shot up. She glanced down at the flip-flops on her feet then back up at him. “Must be those cop instincts, I guess.”
He shrugged and indicated a chair in front of his desk. “How can I help you?”
Holly had carefully thought about how she’d lead into this. Sitting up tall, she folded her hands in her lap. “You asked about Marcus Jones last night. When I told you it was nothing, that wasn’t entirely true.”
Cash shifted forward in his chair, leaning his arms on his desk. “Is he bothering you?” He went all intense, gaze sharp, shoulders stiff. Protecting her again. Damn, that made this conversation harder.
She shook her head. “Pestering more than bothering.”
A frown lowered his eyebrows. “About what?”
Holly took a deep breath. “That’s the thing. It has something to do with Georgia…and you.”
The frown disappeared behind a stoic stare. “Oh?”
She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but, at a guess, he already wasn’t too happy. He’d told her he didn’t like talking about Georgia, but it couldn’t be helped.
“Before you two got together, she was going out with Marcus. Did you know?”
A sharp nod.
“Well…Marcus has it in his head that Sophia might be…”
“What?”
“His daughter,” she mumbled, hating every second of this.
“His daughter!” The words cracked in the air. Anger, deep and heavy, laced the syllables.
Holly gulped and gave a nod, suddenly glad she wasn’t a criminal.
“Why the hell would he think that?”
Another gulp. “Because they dated all that summer. They’d had a big fight. Georgia was mad at my plans to go to Cornell, and Marcus was leaving too for a year-long program in Colorado. He took my side. They broke things off. That’s when she ran into you at the bar…”
Cash stood, placing his balled-up fists on top of his desk. She could see his struggle. As much as she’d love to hug him or offer comfort somehow, she knew he wouldn’t appreciate help from her just then.
“So she slept wi
th me to get back at him? Is that what you’re saying?” Now his voice had gone dangerously soft. Double damn with two scoops of holy hell. This was so much worse than she’d imagined.
Holly grimaced. “I don’t really know. I mean, she knew about my crush on you—”
“She slept with me to get back at you?” he snapped.
Holly spread her hands wide. “I think she slept with you because she wanted you that night. I think she needed to feel wanted. Later, when we made up, she said she was feeling lost and abandoned. She said you were nice to her and you were already working for the sheriff’s office. She’d always liked you and thought maybe starting something with you would give her a future she could count on.”
Cash’s face remained as immovable as the marble statue of their town’s founder that sat by the courthouse. She’d made Georgia sound horrible. And, while her friend had made awful choices, destroying Cash’s image of his dead wife any more than what needed to be said regarding this issue seemed wrong.
Holly took a step closer, trying to get her point across. “You have to understand—her parents died when she was young and her grandparents who raised her never really wanted her. Hell, my grandmother did more raising of Georgia than they did. She practically lived at our house. But Grams had died. Her best friend and boyfriend were leaving her. She was feeling lost and abandoned, and you represented a possible future.”
The history there was a large part of the reason why Holly’d eventually forgiven her friend. She hated what Georgia did. But a small part of her got it. The part that felt just as alone most of the time.
Cash dropped his head and said nothing for a long time. Finally, he looked back up, eyes so hard she flinched. “So Marcus thinks the timing means there’s a possibility I’m not Sophia’s father.” His voice cracked on the last word, betraying emotions he wouldn’t show her.
Tears gathered at the back of her eyes, but she clenched her jaw, refusing to allow them to fall. “Yes.”
“Why are you telling me? Why isn’t Marcus here?” he ground out.
“He waited too long and the statute of limitations is up. Because his parents had a different girl in mind for him, Marcus and Georgia kept their relationship quiet. With Georgia dead—the only person who could verify the possibility of his fathering Sophia—his lawyer advised he needed more proof to request a paternity test. Marcus figured Georgia shared things with me that would help his case. I didn’t agree at first. Sophia is your daughter, Cash, and I wouldn’t hurt her or you if I could ever help it.”
“But you’re about to anyway.”
She shivered at the bitterness that laced his voice. “Marcus convinced me his intentions are honorable. He wants to be there for her. Can’t you see I’m caught between two horrible choices? Lying to save you and Sophia any pain or helping a man who wants to know if she is his daughter so he can do the right thing.”
“And what the hell is the right thing here, Holly? Taking Sophia away from me? From the only father and home she’s ever known?”
She desperately wanted to put her arms around him and tell him it would be all right. That everything would work out. But she couldn’t do that. “From what he’s said, he’d plan to work that out with you for whatever is in Sophia’s best interest. Whether that’s leaving her with you and helping financially or taking her himself is between you.”
She didn’t share her stipulation about being involved in Marcus’s side of those decisions. Cash likely wouldn’t believe her anyway, and if he did, he probably wouldn’t appreciate the interference.
“Must be nice to be able to wreck our lives and then dust your hands of the mess.”
Totally unfair. “If I could do more to help you, Cash, I would in a heartbeat. Georgia denied Marcus and you both the right to know for sure who Sophia’s father is.”
Cash seemed to deflate at that. He let out a long breath as he dropped back in his chair. Looking away from her, outside the window, he ran his hands through his hair. “I can’t believe this.”
God, she hated doing this.
Suddenly, Cash turned narrowed eyes on her. “You’ve known this all along?”
Holly winced at the hardness in his voice, the anger in his eyes, all directed her way now. She nodded. “Georgia was my friend—”
“And friends stick together, even when it means deceiving others.”
“It wasn’t like that! As soon as Sophia was born, it was obvious she was yours. Her eyes…” She waved a hand, indicating Cash’s own dark blue eyes, which were currently narrowed at her.
“Which could have come from Marcus Jones, given there’s a Hill or two in his family tree,” he snapped.
“I only discovered that recently.” She slumped her shoulders miserably.
Silence stretched between them, like a ghost in the room.
Finally, Cash spoke. “I still don’t know why Marcus would bother you about this, instead of coming directly to me.”
“He will approach you soon, but, since I am involved, I asked to be the one to break the news to you. I wanted to own up to my small part in things to your face, and I wanted you to hear about all of this from a…”
“A what?” he asked sharply.
“A friend,” she muttered.
Cash picked up a pen, tapping it rapidly. “I’ll have to run a blood test,” he muttered, almost to himself.
She’d come to the same conclusion.
“Will it be legally admissible?” She’d researched it a little on the Internet.
“No. We would have to do it again, with Marcus included, and run it through the proper chain of custody. But I would know.”
For a brief moment, fear and vulnerability shone in his eyes. Again, all she wanted to do was hold him, but his body language screamed “stay away.” She closed her eyes against the defeat written in his slumped body and heavy expression.
“What if the test proves Sophia is his, though?” He said this more to himself than her, his worry coming out in the muttered words.
“It won’t. But if it does, you’re still more a father to her than Marcus, and you have a town full of witnesses to that fact. Like I said, I don’t think he’d just yank her away from you either, but there has to be something you can do.”
All that cold suspicion was suddenly directed her way. Holly shivered.
“How do I know you didn’t tell Marcus he could be the father? This coming up now, when you are back, rather than any time in the last five years looks damn suspicious.”
He must hate her to accuse her of that. “Because I would never do anything to hurt you or Sophia if I could help it. It’s why I haven’t told you about Georgia’s uncertainty before. It could only cause you pain.”
“Right. Well. Thanks for the warning. Finally. I’ll take it from here.”
Holly cringed as she stood. He stood as well and came round the desk to open the door for her. She didn’t say anything as she passed by him. What could she say?
“Holly.” His voice stopped her halfway down the hall.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d stay away from me, and my family, from now on.”
Pain shot through her heart at his words. She’d known Cash wouldn’t take this news well. Apparently, he was going to shoot the messenger in this case, not that she blamed him. With as much dignity as she could muster, Holly nodded again.
Without another word, she turned and walked down the hallway and away from Sheriff Cash Hill.
*
Cash parked his cruiser in the parking lot of Sophia’s day care but didn’t get out right away. From here he could see Sophia running around the playground. Recently the teachers had reported she’d been playing more, interacting with the kids more. She didn’t giggle, like the other kids did, as she ran flat out in a game of silly chase, but at least she was playing.
And shattering his heart.
What if she’s not mine?
That little girl had captured his whole heart the second she was born, all puffy-cheeked with
rosebud lips and blue eyes just like his. Every day he loved her more, and every day he thought loving her more wasn’t possible.
Sophia was the best thing he’d ever done. The best parts of him. Was he about to lose her? Would chance and Georgia’s lies rip her out of his life?
Damn them all.
Georgia for not being up front about her baby’s father from the beginning. And Marcus. No wonder that guy always hung around Georgia. Friends, she said. But his constantly showing up and remaining in the picture had doomed their marriage. And now Holly. While he was furious with Georgia, somehow Holly’s part in the thing made him physically sick.
When she’d confessed everything today, he’d wanted to throw up. Mostly because of the terror of losing Sophia, but also because of Holly.
After the dance, he’d thought maybe he could give her a chance. Like Will had suggested. Let go of his bitterness.
Now…
With a jerk, he flung the door open and got out, going through the steps of checking Sophia out and gathering her things before heading out to the playground to collect her.
“Daddy!” Sophia hurtled across the playground and threw herself into his arms.
Cash closed his eyes, savoring the feel of her tiny body in his arms, and had to swallow around the bile rising, sharp and sour, in his throat.
Sophia pulled back. “Can we go see Holly’s hawk? Please. Please. Please.” She bounced up and down like a jackrabbit hopped-up on sugar in her enthusiasm.
“Not today, sweetheart.” Not any day. He didn’t want Sophia near Holly.
“Please, Daddy!” Now cute turned to whining.
“No, Sophia.”
Maybe he’d been harsher than intended. The excitement dropped from her expression to be replaced by a combination of mulish determination and disappointment—a face only a child could make. “Holly promised.”
Thinking quickly to head off the brewing tantrum, Cash took her hand, heading to the car. “I don’t think Holly is there today.”