A Baby for the Sheriff

by Mary Leo

  “From what you told me, I’m not so sure.”

  “Then come with us and tell them for yourself, or are you too busy with Russ to think about Lily’s needs, and all you want to do is pile everything on me?”

  Jet knew what he’d just said was mean, but he hadn’t been able to stop himself.

  “That’s not fair. I’m only reminding you of her needs. You can do anything you want with the information.”

  This was going no place fast. “Is everything together? Because your driver is waiting and I’m already late. The sooner I get this over with the better for all of us.”

  “Except maybe for Lily,” Coco spit out. Her irritation matched his.

  He grabbed the handle on the car seat and swung Lily over to his side. When he went for the bag, Coco held on to it. “I’ll carry this down the stairs. They’re a little steep and I certainly don’t want you falling while you’re carrying Lily,” she said.

  “I won’t fall.” He reached for the bag, but she held it away from him, only adding to his impatience with the entire situation. “She’s only an unfortunate outcome of someone’s irresponsible behavior.”

  “You don’t know that. How can you possibly know what went on with her mom? For all you know, maybe someone forced her to give up her baby, or maybe she’s destitute, or maybe, just maybe, she had no other recourse.”

  “Or maybe Lily just didn’t fit into her plans with her new boyfriend.”

  They stared at each other, their ire palpable between them.

  “What is all of this?” Coco demanded. “Why all the anger? Did you learn something about Lily today that you’re not sharing? Do you know who the mother is?”

  A million reasons why he should walk out Coco’s door with Lily, deliver her to the authorities and not think twice about her or Coco ever again flooded his thoughts. But through it all, he remembered that Coco was the first woman he’d ever been completely honest with in his entire adult life. She’d been kind, compassionate and understanding, just as he’d been to her. They’d shared a moment, a time of complete honesty.

  Was he willing to throw it all away on principle?

  “Yes, but...I have to go.”

  He turned to leave.

  “You can’t do this. You can’t leave and not tell me the truth about Lily. I deserve that much. It’s only fair after everything we shared with her in the last twenty-four hours.”

  “That doesn’t give you any rights, Doctor Grant.” He couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth. If he did then it would be real, and he didn’t know if he was ready for reality.

  “So now I’m Doctor Grant again?” She folded her arms across her chest. “Is that how you want to end this? Maybe you should give me a citation for harboring a baby. After all, I’m not legally equipped to keep a child. I’m more the llama type.”

  That brought about a smile. “You don’t give up, do you?”

  “I can be quite scrappy. And you’ll have to contend with Punky, as well.”

  He hadn’t noticed it before, but Punky stood in front of the door, his teeth bared, looking as if he wanted to take a chunk out of the sheriff...a tiny chunk, but a chunk nonetheless.

  “I can have you arrested for this, you know. Your dog is hindering my departure.”

  “He’s only protecting Lily’s best interests.”

  As crazy as this was, Jet refused to back down.

  He went for the doorknob and Punky bit into his trousers, pulling on them with all his might. His small feet slid on the wooden floor—he’d lose traction and have to start all over again. Jet looked down at the dog, then up at Coco. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Punky is a force to be reckoned with.”

  “Fine,” Jet said, finally giving in to the absurdity of the situation. “I’ll tell you, but call off your attack dog before he pulls out a tooth.”

  She gave Punky a command to sit and stay, and he followed her orders to the letter. Then Jet gently placed a still-sleeping Lily on the table, went over to the sofa and sat down.

  “Do you have any more of that scotch?”

  “I do,” she told him.

  “Then I think you should pour us both a glass.”

  “I have a feeling this is going to take a while. Maybe I should call Russ and tell him I’m going to be late.”

  “That’s up to you.”

  “Before I do that, can you give me a hint as to what this is all about?”

  “Lily might be my daughter,” Jet said as Coco poured the scotch into two glasses. She drank hers down in one go and then picked up her phone.

  “Russ, hi,” she said in a strong, no-nonsense voice. “Something important has come up, and I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to cancel our date tonight.”

  Then she disconnected, poured herself another scotch, walked over to the sofa and sat down next to Jet, tucking her feet under her bottom.

  “So start at the beginning. I’ve got all night.”

  Chapter Six

  “I keep causing you to break your dates with Russ,” Jet told Coco as he sat next to her on the sofa, his legs stretched out in front of him. Boots, coat and hat all had been placed near the front door.

  “No worries,” Coco told him, now much more comfortable in checkered red-and-gray tights and a bright red oversize sweatshirt. They shared a plate of assorted cheese, sliced pears, apples and chunks of French bread that Coco had put together for a light dinner. “Russ understands. Heaven knows he’s broken his share of dates with me.”

  She thought about last Saturday night when she’d raced home from a ranch almost thirty miles outside town so she could meet him at Belly Up, only to be told he’d forgotten about a fund-raiser in Jackson Hole that he needed to attend. When she questioned him on it, he’d blamed the mix-up on his assistant, who he always seemed to use as an excuse. Sometimes it made her wonder if there was something else going on.

  “Not to be nosey, but how close are you and Russ? I mean, this is the second night you’ve canceled because of me. If we were dating, I’d be concerned.”

  She didn’t know how honest she wanted to be about Russ, but she also knew Jet wouldn’t go spreading the truth around town. Coco liked the fact that everyone seemed to be thinking they were more serious than they actually were.

  “We’re just getting to know each other, in the early stages of dating. No real commitments, yet.”

  She wanted him to know that the potential was still there, even if they hadn’t taken that next step, which was none of his business, anyway.

  “Ah, now it makes sense.”

  “What makes sense?”

  She took a little offense. Did he know more than he was letting on?

  Jet fidgeted, as if something was bothering him. “Nothing. I just thought you two were in a serious relationship. You know how this town likes to talk.”

  “I do, and this whole thing with you and Lily could rip through our town like wildfire on dry grass. So, tell me, since we’re talking relationships, are you still in love with or have feelings for Lily’s mother? I mean, maybe the two of you should try to work this out. For Lily’s sake.”

  An important fact, considering her earlier thoughts about the sheriff...not that she was actually pondering having any kind of committed relationship with Sheriff Wilson. Still, she wanted to know where he stood, emotionally.

  He shook his head. “Not possible. That ended a long time ago.”

  “You don’t have to tell me who she is, but is it someone I’m going to bump into around town?”

  The thought of running into the woman who gave up Lily made her pause.

  “It’s Dani Century, and as you probably know, she moved away months ago. I have no intention of working anything out with her. Besides, according to her note, she’s with somebo
dy else. Thing is, I don’t see how any of this is possible. We always used protection.”

  Dani Century had breezed back into Briggs for about three months, then left one afternoon in a hurry. If memory served Coco right, she’d taken off with a cowboy who was busy learning the rodeo circuit and wanted Coco’s brother, Carson, to teach him how to ride a bronc. Carson knew right off he wasn’t serious and told him so up front. They both departed shortly after that.

  “You know there’s always a slight chance...” She didn’t feel comfortable finishing the thought. “Well, sometimes there’s a fault in the... I’m only saying.”

  With all her veterinary training, and all the foals and calves and kids she’d delivered, talking about sex still made her uncomfortable.

  “Yeah, but come on...that’s so rare.”

  “Apparently not rare enough,” she chided. “But if you feel as though she’s lying, you and Lily can always take a DNA test, just to be certain. The results can be had in a few days. That way you’ll know for certain.”

  “That’s true, but what do I do while I’m waiting? And, if I could help it, I really don’t want anyone to know about this.” He raked his hand through his hair and she noticed how his upper arm bulged under his shirt. The thought of his ripped chest sent her mind racing with sinful thoughts and she had to force herself to reel her mind back to the present problem.

  “Well, if there’s even a remote chance she’s yours, you can’t turn her over to Child Protective Services. There’s no telling what would happen if you did. I’m sorry, but it seems like you’re going to have to keep her until you can get the results of the test.”

  Coco felt as though she was making perfect sense, even for the stubborn, by-the-book sheriff.

  “That’s the problem. Actually, it’s a twofold problem. I don’t have anywhere to live. I’ve been sleeping at the jail while my landlord fixes a broken water pipe, which was supposed to have been taken care of early this week. With all this snow, who knows when it’ll get fixed? The pipe is under the house.

  “Plus, with my schedule, how the heck am I supposed to take care of an infant? She requires constant care and most of my day is spent out of the office. This will never work.”

  Coco thought for a moment, desperately wanting to help Jet and baby Lily, who she’d fallen completely in love with.

  “My parents always taught me that all problems have solutions, you just have to dig deep enough to find them.”

  He drank down his scotch, then looked over at her. His deep brown eyes appeared almost completely black in the low lighting of her apartment.

  “I can appreciate the sentiment, but my upbringing serves as the perfect example of how that theory doesn’t work.”

  “On the contrary, it’s the perfect example of how it did work. Maybe not for your ideal way of thinking, but you weren’t homeless or starving. The solution was to put you in foster care.”

  “So, after all that I’ve told you, you believe I should still turn Lily over? Is that what you’re saying? I thought you were opposed to that.”

  “I am. We’re not digging deep enough, but I may have a temporary solution, at least until your apartment is livable again and you can learn the truth about Lily. You and Lily can stay here!”

  He smirked and looked down at the floor for a moment, obviously contemplating what she’d just suggested.

  “As much as I appreciate the generous offer, this sofa is by far one of the most uncomfortable pieces of furniture I’ve ever sat on, much less tried to sleep on. And, even though we haven’t discussed it, I can’t keep sleeping with you. Besides, I don’t think Russ would like it.”

  The thought of waking up every morning lying next to Jet Wilson was more than she wanted to contemplate.

  She immediately told him her idea. “Obviously neither of those will work. However, I have a spare bedroom that I use for some storage and for my office, but you could buy one of those super air mattresses—they’re exactly the size of a queen-size bed—and I can move my laptop anywhere. Lily can continue to sleep with me. I love having her share my room, so that’s not a problem.”

  “Do you understand all the ramifications of that arrangement? It’s one thing for me to have a scandal, but if Lily and I move in for a few days, that scandal will grow to epic proportions. Are you ready to take that on?”

  She knew it was risky, but it seemed like the best idea for everyone involved. Russ was a tolerant man. She felt certain he’d understand. Besides, it gave her more time with Lily, and that alone made her happy.

  “Let them talk. It gives them something to do other than focus on the weather.”

  “It could hurt your relationship with Russ.”

  “I can take care of Russ. He’s an open-minded man. He’ll understand.”

  Jet looked skeptical. “There are a lot of words I would use to describe Russ Knightly, but open-minded isn’t on the list.”

  “You don’t know him like I do,” she said, defending Russ. She truly believed that tolerance was one of his best qualities. Jet simply had the wrong opinion of him.

  “If you say so, but let’s not forget that Lily wakes up a lot during the night. I don’t care about my sleep, but it’s not fair to you.”

  “I don’t mind. I’m used to it with all the emergency calls I get. Some of the animals are sick and require medication in the middle of the night. Besides, you and I can take turns feeding Lily.”

  His face began to soften, and she could see that his entire body was beginning to relax.

  “Okay, I can see how this might work, for a while, but we both have outdoor day jobs. What do we do with Lily while we’re running around the valley?”

  “I can take her with me when I know my day won’t be too intense. She’s not a burden. And if I can’t, I know Drew would love to babysit her. And maybe Nash can take on more of the outdoor problems, and you can take Lily with you to the jail for a few hours.”

  Shaking his head, he pushed himself up on the sofa. “I don’t like children in a police station, much less near a jail cell. You never know what might happen.”

  “Well, then, maybe you can work from here for a few hours a day. Transfer any phone calls to your personal phone instead of an answering service.”

  He folded his arms on his chest, showing his last bits of resistance to the idea.

  “I don’t know,” he said with a slight crack in his voice. “It’s a lot to put on you. Why would you do this?”

  “Because Lily deserves the best possible chance at life.”

  “And you think I can give it to her?”

  “I do,” she told him, looking straight into his eyes. “You’ll be a great father to Lily.”

  He looked away. “I’m the last person she needs as her father. Lily deserves two parents who love her, who can raise her together. She should have a father who doesn’t have a dangerous job, and a mom who won’t run out on her for another guy.”

  “She does, but for now, you’re all she has, and after that DNA test comes in, she may not even have you. But for the next few days I’m willing to give her all the love I have...if you are.”

  “Either way, this is a tough decision.”

  Lily started to fuss, with little groans and complaints.

  “It’s either my solution or you should be packing Lily up soon, because it’s a long drive with a screaming baby.”

  Lily began to wail, and they both jumped up to take care of her at the same time. Coco unfastened her from the seat and picked her up to love her.

  “I’ll make the bottle,” Jet said, a wide grin warming his face.

  “I’ll take care of her diaper,” Coco told him, satisfied she’d changed his mind.

  It was then that Coco realized that for the next several days, she, Lily and Sheriff Wilson would be playing family. She o
nly hoped she hadn’t just set herself up for a huge heartbreak...with Russ.

  * * *

  BRIGHT AND EARLY the next morning, after Jet had showered, dressed, changed and fed Lily, then left for the day, Coco cleared out the boxes in the spare bedroom. Lily slept as Coco stored what items she could in her walk-in closet, and the rest of the containers downstairs in the clinic. Though, as soon as the animals heard her rattling around, they all started clamoring for food and attention, which she gladly gave them. She let the kittens, the piglet and the puppy out of their respective cages for some much-needed playtime. They’d have to be adopted out soon, she realized. She didn’t have the heart to keep them penned up all day.

  Funny thing about baby animals, they all got along usually once they’d given each other a good sniff. Even the llamas enjoyed playing with the puppy that at once tried to show his dominance, only to be shot down by a couple strong nudges.

  Coco checked her messages and learned that her sister Kenzie, who managed the Grant family ranch, would be able to stop by this week to pick up the farm animals.

  Then she checked on her appointments. She had three, but was able to push them off until tomorrow, when she knew all the back roads would be cleared enough to navigate safely. Fortunately, she only had a couple of appointments in her clinic that afternoon, so keeping Lily with her wasn’t going to be a problem.

  She thought she’d spend part of the morning getting everything ready for Jet and then manage a late breakfast with Russ at Holy Rollers, the local bakery. Next to her mom’s cookies and cakes, the items in this place were her absolute favorite.

  Russ and Coco took a private table inside the bakery, which prided itself on offering almost any kind of baked good a patron could want.

  “How long did you say Lily and the sheriff would be staying at your apartment?” Russ asked for the second time.

  Coco sipped on a mocha latte while Russ drank a cup of iced black coffee. They shared a plain oatmeal muffin, not exactly Coco’s first choice, but Russ had ordered it before she’d had a say in the matter. She’d gone back and ordered a dozen assorted doughnuts to go, and had already stuffed the box in her SUV for later. She now knew Jet liked doughnuts, especially the custard-filled kind that she enjoyed, with thick chocolate frosting. They both liked chocolate frosting. The owner of Holy Rollers, Amanda Gump, who had generously donated the car seat to Lily, who always had a good word for everyone she knew, had offered up all this doughnut information without Coco having to tell her why she wanted to know.