The Lawman's Convenient Bride

by Christine Rimmer

  “Ahem.” She slid a glance toward the kitchen, scoping out the location of her boss, no doubt. “I...thought you knew, that’s all.”

  “Knew what?”

  “Well, I mean that the baby Jody’s having...” The sentence wandered off into nowhere.

  “Go on.”

  “Well, Seth. It’s, um, Nick’s baby.”

  Nick’s baby.

  Seth heard a strange roaring in his ears, as though the ocean were right outside the window, giant waves beating on that pretty shaded patio. “Did you just say that Jody Bravo is having Nick’s baby?”

  Monique’s curly knot of hair bobbed frantically with her nod. She leaned close and whispered, “I can’t believe you haven’t heard. I mean, I know he was your stepbrother, but you two were closer than most blood-related brothers. And it’s not as if Jody’s been keeping it a secret. Everybody knows that baby is Nick’s, that it’s a girl, due at the end of May.”

  The roaring of the invisible ocean got louder.

  ...it’s a girl. Everybody knows...

  Everybody but him.

  Come to think of it, Nicky’d had a crush on that Bravo woman, hadn’t he?

  That was back in the late summer and fall, not long before Nick died. Nick had told Seth he had a thing for Jody, but that Jody didn’t feel the same, so they were “just friends.”

  Just friends. That had pissed Seth off. He’d wondered if that Bravo woman was leading his little brother on. After all, she had to be, what, eight or nine years older than Nick?

  And Nicky had always been too easy, too tender and open, his big heart just begging for someone to break it. Maybe Jody Bravo had some idea that Nick wasn’t good enough for her because he was a simple guy, happy to work the family ranch for a living, a guy who hadn’t been to some fancy college.

  If so, she was a fool. There was no man better than Nick.

  And wait a minute. She came to the funeral, didn’t she? Walked right up and shook Seth’s hand, said how sorry she was.

  But she didn’t say a single word about any baby.

  “Oh, look,” Monique piped up nervously. “One of my other customers needs more coffee. Good to see you, Seth. Have a great day...” She was already bouncing away.

  Seth let her go. He needed more information, but he knew better than to seek it from Monique. The invisible ocean still roaring inside his head, he rose, pushed his chair back under the table and headed for the door.

  Once back in his cruiser, he started the engine and got out of there, turning back onto the highway going east, away from town. For a while, he just drove, tuning out the chatter on the scanner, willing his blood to stop thundering through his veins.

  Had he planned to go home? Kind of. But he didn’t. He blew right by the turnoff to the Bar-Y.

  Maybe it wasn’t even true. Monique was hardly a reliable source, after all; she could so easily be wrong about everything, or even lying.

  But what if it was true?

  Was that Bravo woman ever planning to tell him?

  Halfway to I-25, at the small town of Lyons, he did turn the cruiser around. He went back the way he’d come. But he didn’t take the turnoff to the Bar-Y then, either. He drove on past it and straight into town, where he found a parking place right on Central a few doors down from Jody Bravo’s flower shop.

  At twenty past six, he stood between the tubs of bright flowers and thick greenery that flanked the shop’s glass door. His pulse thundering louder than ever, he went in. A little bell tinkled overhead, and Jody Bravo, behind the counter across the room, glanced his way.

  Even with the counter masking her body from the waist down, he could see she was pregnant. And pretty far along, too. That belly looked ready to pop.

  He let his gaze track upward to her face. Did she pale at the sight of him? He couldn’t be sure. But she definitely looked wary, her soft mouth drawn tight, a certain watchfulness in her eyes.

  “Sheriff,” she said coolly. “I’ll be right with you.” And she turned a friendly smile to the older man she was waiting on. “Roses and lilies.” She passed him a paper-wrapped cone full of flowers. “Excellent choice. I know she’ll love them...”

  Seth hovered near the door, not sure what to do with himself. Another customer came in, and he moved to the side to clear the entrance. And then he just stood there, surrounded by greenery, breathing that moist, sweet smell created by so many flowers and growing things pressing in close.

  “Seth?” asked the Bravo woman as the second customer went out the door.

  He realized he was staring blankly at a hanging basket full of cascading purple flowers. “Right here,” he answered, though she was standing directly behind him and no doubt looking straight at him. He turned around and met those wary eyes. “We need to talk.”

  Resigned. She looked resigned. His certainty increased that Monique had not lied; that giant belly cradled his brother’s child.

  Nicky’s baby. He didn’t know what he felt. Joy, maybe. And something else, something angry and ready for a fight.

  She said, “It’s time to close. I need to bring in the stock from out in front and deal with the register.”

  “I’ll help.”

  “No, it’s fine. I can—”

  “I said, I’ll help.” It came out as a growl.

  She stiffened, but then she answered calmly, “Well. All right, then. If you’ll bring in the flowers.” She gestured at a section of bare floor space not far from the door. “Just put them there for now.”

  “For now?”

  “I’ll take them to the cooler in back later.”

  “As long as I’m bringing them in, I can take them where you want them to go.” He put out a hand toward the glass-doored refrigerator full of fancy arrangements that took up much of one wall. “You want them in there?”

  She bit her lip like she was about to argue with him. But then she said, “No, there’s a walk-in cooler in back.” She pointed at the café doors near the check-out counter. “Through there.”

  “All right, then. I’ll bring everything in.”

  They got to it. She turned off the Open sign and closed out the register while he carried in the tubs of flowers, trekking them through the inner door to the other fridge. Once all the tubs were in, she locked the shop door. There was an ironwork gate between her shop and the one next door, but it was shut, the shop on the other side dark and quiet.

  She must have seen him glance that way. “My half sister Elise owns Bravo Catering and Bakery through there. She closed at six.”

  And so they were alone, with no chance of interruption.

  He got to the point. “I heard a rumor that you’re having my brother’s baby.”

  He didn’t know what he’d expected. Denial? Nervousness? An apology for holding out on him?

  But all he got from her was the barest hint of a shrug, followed by a quietly spoken confirmation. “Yes. Nick was my baby’s father.”

  The soft words struck him like blows. All at once, his ears were burning. His stomach clenched, and he really wished he hadn’t eaten so much steak.

  Sucking in a long breath through his nose, he accused, “You were at the funeral.”

  “Yes.”

  “You stepped right up to me. You shook my hand. You had to know there was a baby then.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “But you said nothing.” He gave her a look meant to make her knees shake and waited for her to explain herself. When she only regarded him steadily, he demanded, “What is the matter with you? Why am I the last to know? My brother has been dead for almost six months, and until Monique Hightower shared the news today, I had no idea there was a baby involved.”

  That seemed to get through to her. Scowling now, she whipped up a hand, palm flat in his face. “Don’t yo
u get on me, Sheriff. I thought you knew—and didn’t care.”

  Didn’t care? That knocked him back. He took a moment to gather his composure. And then he said, deadly calm, “You thought wrong. Did Nick even know?”

  Slowly, she lowered her hand to her side. Her diamond-shaped face was all eyes at that moment, eyes of a blue so deep they looked black. Those eyes stared right through him. “He knew.”

  Seth couldn’t help but scoff when she said that. “Oh, no. Uh-uh.”

  “Why even ask if you’re not willing to accept my answer?”

  “I guess I had some crazy idea you might tell me the truth.”

  “That is the truth.”

  “How long did he know?”

  “I told him a few days after I found out myself. That was about six weeks before he died.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  Twin spots of color flamed high on her cheeks. “Keep calling me a liar, and I’m just going to have to ask you to leave.”

  Was he out of line? Probably. A little. But she should have told him that his dead brother had fathered a child. And that she’d told Nicky? He couldn’t see it. “Nick was a stand-up guy. If he’d known there was a baby, he would have wanted to marry you. That was who he was, a simple man with a big heart and high standards, a man whose own natural father deserted him and his mother. Nick wouldn’t do that. If he knew about that baby, you’d have a ring on your finger—and there is no way that he would have...” His throat locked up. He swallowed hard to loosen it and then tried again. “If Nick knew he was going to be a father, he would’ve told me.”

  Chapter Two

  Jody Bravo stared at the shiny badge pinned to the starched khaki dress shirt right above Seth Yancy’s heart and tried to decide what to say next.

  Unlike Nick, who’d been lean and wiry, of medium height, Seth was a tall man, imposing, built broad and tough. Not as handsome as Nick, but a good-looking man if you liked them strong-jawed and dripping testosterone. He was one of those guys who looked like a cop in or out of his uniform, as if he’d been born to protect and serve and would do so whether you wanted him to or not. He wore his brown hair clipped short and his posture was ramrod-straight.

  His anger with her? It came off him in waves.

  Yes, she should have told him about the baby earlier. She supposed. In hindsight. But she found him so...forbidding. At the funeral, when she’d offered her condolences, he’d narrowed his eyes at her and muttered a grudging thank you. She’d read his attitude loud and clear; he couldn’t wait for her to move on. So, yeah, she’d kept putting off telling him, kept asking herself why it even mattered if the step-uncle knew about Nick’s baby or not? At the same time, she’d had some vague plan to go see him, have a little talk with him, eventually, when the moment felt right.

  But the moment never felt right. Also, she really had wondered if he knew about the baby already and simply didn’t care. So, yeah, she’d been struggling with a powerful desire never to have to deal with the guy in any way, shape or form.

  But right now she just felt sorry for him. So what if he was acting like a first-class douche canoe with his judgmental attitude and insensitive accusations?

  The man missed his baby brother. And he was hurt that Nick hadn’t confided in him.

  As for the marriage question, she didn’t even want to get into that with him. But still. He was here and clearly he cared. She gave him the truth. “Nick did ask me to marry him. I turned him down.”

  “Why?”

  She did know what he meant by the curtly uttered question, but she was feeling just snarky enough to ask for clarification anyway. “Why did he ask me, you mean?”

  “Why did you turn him down?” He barked that one at her.

  Stay calm, she reminded herself. “Nick was a wonderful guy. He deserved a woman who loved him with all of her heart.”

  His lip curled in a sneer. “And you didn’t.”

  “You should stop talking,” she said with excruciating sweetness. “Because I have to tell you, Seth. Every time you open your mouth, you give me a new reason not to be nice to you. I’m sorry Nick didn’t tell you. But I was only three months pregnant when he died. I’m sure he thought he had plenty of time.”

  “Plenty of time. My God. Plenty of...” Seth shook his head. His upper lip was sweating.

  Again, her exasperation with him faded.

  Nick had told her all about the big brother he admired so much. He’d said Seth was the kind of man you wanted at your back in a tough situation, always cool and even-tempered, a man who kept command of himself and his emotions no matter how bad things got.

  But right now, Seth Yancy was far from cool. He stared at a point somewhere beyond her left shoulder. It seemed to her he hovered on the brink of losing it completely.

  Jody stepped forward and wrapped her fingers around his rock-hard forearm. “Seth.”

  He flinched and blinked down at her hand. “What?”

  “It’s okay.”

  “I don’t...”

  “Shh. Come on.” She pulled him to a bentwood chair by the window, an old one she’d decorated by painting it with twining vines and little flowers. “Sit right here. Let me get you some water...” She gently pushed him down.

  He resisted. “No. No, I’m all right.”

  “Humor me?” she coaxed.

  Slowly, he sank into the chair. She let go of his arm—and he grabbed her hand. “Look. Honestly. I don’t know what my problem is. I shouldn’t have been so hard on you...”

  “It’s okay,” she soothed.

  “I apologize. I didn’t know you were having Nicky’s baby. I really didn’t know.”

  “It’s okay...”

  He blinked and frowned up at her. “You keep saying that.”

  “Because I have this feeling that you’re not hearing me.”

  He kept hold of her fingers with one hand and scrubbed the other one down his face. “I heard you.”

  Gently, she pulled free of his grip. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

  * * *

  Seth did what she asked of him. He sat there in that spindly chair until she returned with a bottled water. “Here you go. Drink.” She pressed it into his hand.

  He stared up at her, at her worried eyes and her serious mouth. “I’m not usually such a jackass.”

  Her mouth twitched in the beginnings of a smile she didn’t quite let happen. “I really do understand. I’m sure it’s a shock.”

  “I...”

  She tapped the sweating water bottle. “It’s nice and cold. Drink.”

  It wasn’t a bad suggestion, especially given that his mouth felt like he’d just swallowed a bucket of sand. So he unscrewed the lid and put the bottle to his lips. He drank it down in one go.

  “Better?” she asked.

  “Yeah. Thanks—and I am sorry. I don’t know what got into me.”

  “You’re forgiven.” She spoke softly. Her eyes were kind now.

  He had a thousand questions to ask her. He hardly knew where to start. But what he did know was that he would be a part of Nick’s baby’s life. “I want to help. Any way I can.”

  “Well, thank you...” The words were right. Her expression wasn’t. She bit the corner of her lip and fell back a step.

  He wanted to grab her arm and pull her in close again. “What’s wrong with my wanting to help?”

  “Nothing. Nothing at all. It’s very kind of you, and I appreciate the offer. Right now, though, there’s nothing to help me with. I’m all set.”

  “Set? How’s that?”

  “Honestly, there’s nothing more to do at this point. I’ve got everything handled. I have excellent insurance and I’m getting great prenatal care. I’m watching my diet, taking my vitamins. The baby and I are
both in good health. The baby’s room is ready. My sisters are all three helping out, planning to be with me through labor and delivery. I have full-time backup here at the store for those first weeks after the birth. My due date is a month and a half away, and I’m all ready to go.”

  “Well, great,” he replied, though to him it was anything but. He needed to help her, and how could he do that if she had everything under control?

  She added too brightly, “But I promise I’ll be in touch as soon as she’s born.”

  “It’s a she?” he parroted blankly, remembering that Monique had said the baby would be a girl.

  “Yes.” Jody did manage a smile then. “Her name is Marybeth.”

  Marybeth. Nicky’s little girl will be named Marybeth. “I still want to help.”

  “And you can.”

  “Tell me what to do.”

  A nervous laugh escaped her. “As I said, I can’t think of anything right now, but you never know...” The way she was looking at him? Not good. Like she wished he would leave, and the sooner the better.

  And he couldn’t blame her for wanting him gone. He’d jumped down her throat, done a first-class imitation of an overbearing ass, when he should have been gentle and coaxing and kind.

  He really ought to go. He should retreat and regroup—and do a better job of acting like a civilized human being the next time he talked to her.

  So all right. Next time would be better. He bent to set the water bottle on the floor, lifted the flap on his right breast pocket and pulled out one of the business cards the county provided for him. “Got a pen?”

  “Uh. Sure.” She zipped over to the counter with the register on it and came back with a Bic.

  He took it and jotted his private numbers on the back of the card. “Call me at the justice center anytime, for anything. And you can reach my cell and the phone at the ranch with the numbers on the back.”

  “I... Great. Thanks.” She accepted the card and the return of her pen and looked down at him expectantly, waiting for him to get up and get out.

  And he would. Soon. But first there were things he had to tell her, stuff she needed to know. “After we lost Nicky, I moved to the ranch.”