“I have a feeling Sinclair Moody just ransacked my house.”
Crystal’s mouth slackened in shock, and she blinked several times, then swallowed hard. “He’s after you now?”
“I have no idea what he’s after, but I find the coincidence a little too large for comfort.”
“It’s not you,” she whispered, leaning closer. “It’s Katherine. He wants Katherine!”
“What makes you say that?” Mike snapped. “What does he want with a little girl?”
“Sinclair Moody is her father.”
Mike stared at his cousin, the information slowly sinking in. It made sense. If Crystal had been Sinclair’s girlfriend, it would explain how he’d managed to pull her into his crime ring so quickly. She’d always been around drug addicts and criminals, so another thug was no difference. If he’d fathered a child, then let his girlfriend be the fall guy for a botched robbery, he might want the child back.
“You didn’t ever put that on her papers, though,” Mike said. “You said the father was unknown.”
“I’m not stupid,” she snapped. “But, Mike, you have to keep him away from her. He’s a monster!”
“Yeah, I know.” He sighed. “How far away do you want her?”
“How far can you get her?” she asked, blinking back tears.
“I want to have her adopted by another family out of state. It would be a closed adoption until she’s eighteen, and that would give her fifteen years with another family to put her life together before she found out where she came from. She’d be as far from Sinclair as we could get her.”
Crystal nodded. “Do it.”
“We wouldn’t see her again, Crystal.”
“Do I look like the kind of mother she needs?” Crystal asked, shaking her head. “I’m in prison for second-degree murder. I’m a mess. All I want is some meth, and I can’t get it in here, not without more money than I’ve got. They detoxed me, but I still want it. I’ve got to get myself together, and letting her know that this is her mother—” she gestured toward her jumpsuit “—isn’t good for her. Let her have a better start.” She grabbed Mike’s sleeve in a scratching grip. “Can you get me anything? Just to get me through. Just to take the edge off...”
“Crystal, I’m a sheriff!” He pulled his arm free. “No, I can’t get you any drugs.”
She sank back into the chair, hunching forward. “You turned out good, Mike.” Tears filled her eyes. “Don’t know how you got away from this cursed family, but you turned out good.”
It didn’t matter how much he loved Katy or how hard it would be to give her to another dad to raise, he had to protect her. Sinclair Moody had probably figured out where his daughter was and he was coming for her. The safest place for Katy was as far away from the Cruise clan as possible. His first instincts had been right on target.
“Time’s up,” a guard said, opening the door, and Mike rose to his feet.
“You get her away from him!” Crystal called after him as the guard ushered him out of the room. “You hear me? Anything happens to her, and I’ll kill you myself!”
Mike didn’t doubt it for a minute.
* * *
MALORY WAS AMAZED at the number of people who arrived to help clean up the house that afternoon. Young couples, older people, even some teenagers, came by with cleaning supplies and toolboxes, then set to work with cheerful chatter. Katy was thrilled to have so much company, and Malory was run off her feet trying to keep her a safe distance from power tools and chemicals. However, in a matter of hours, the house was put back together, as close to normal as possible. By the time everyone left to go get a beer at the local pub, the only things remaining that revealed what had happened were some irreparable shelves that leaned against the outside of the house and the vacant spot on the wall that used to hold a television.
“I can’t believe how quickly everyone cleaned this up,” Malory said.
Tuck shrugged and stroked his hand over his bristly mustache. “He’s done the same for us. That’s what you do. You help each other. How else are folks supposed to get through?”
Malory sucked in a breath and rubbed a hand across her belly. For the past few minutes, she’d been feeling twinges, and they were getting more painful. Tuck frowned and looked her over.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I think so. Just a bit sore.”
“You’d better sit,” he said.
Malory didn’t need any more coaxing. She moved over to the couch and eased down onto a cushion. She sucked in again as one of the twinges turned more insistent. Katy came into the living room from the kitchen, her bear clutched in her arms, and she froze, her big blue eyes fixed on her nanny.
“Do you need a doctor?” Tuck asked.
Malory shook her head. “Let’s see if resting helps at all first.”
Tuck nodded but didn’t look completely convinced. He set about getting her a hot cup of mint tea, and by the time he returned with it, the pain was already subsiding. Katy crawled up onto the couch next to Malory and snuggled close, her bear still clasped in her hands. Malory smoothed some blond curls away from Katy’s eyes.
“Thanks for staying with us today,” Malory said. “You don’t even know us, but you’ve been so kind.”
“Hey, I know Mike well enough,” Tuck replied, batting aside her thanks with some discomfort. “Not that I wouldn’t help otherwise. My wife and I have four kids, so I understand this part of things. It’s not easy.”
“No,” she agreed, closing her eyes. “It’s not.”
She hated admitting how difficult this was right now. Those pains had scared her, and now that they were back to being twinges again, she fully intended to keep them at bay. If she could. The hardest part about pregnancy was how little control she seemed to have over her body.
“So you must know Mike pretty well,” Malory said, opening her eyes.
“I’ve known him since high school,” Tuck replied. “So yeah, better than most. He’s a solid guy.”
“He’s been telling me a little bit about his childhood.”
Tuck’s eyebrows went up. “Has he, now? You should feel special, then, because he’s not much of a talker.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“It was bad back then. His dad was a mess. Drinking and fighting, getting into trouble. My parents hated me spending time with Mike because of his father, but it wasn’t Mike’s fault. The best thing that ever happened was his old man walking out on him and leaving him by himself. It was easier for Mike alone. When his dad was there, Mike had to take care of both of them. Without his father, he only had to take care of himself.”
“And he doesn’t talk about it?” Malory asked.
Tuck shook his head. “He likes to leave it in the past. That was a hard time. Bad memories.” Tuck leaned back in the chair. Then a smile quirked his lips. “Actually, I can’t begin to tell you how many women have complained to me that he just won’t open up. And what could I tell them? That’s Mike.”
Malory was silent. She didn’t find Mike reticent. He had told her quite a bit about his childhood and his difficulties with his father. For some reason, he seemed to trust her, and that left a warm glow inside her at the realization. She looked down at Katy, whose eyes were drooping with fatigue. She brushed a fingertip down Katy’s nose and her lids blinked shut.
“Everyone seems to really love Mike,” she said.
“He’s a solid guy and a good officer. I’ve known him to sit on a stoop with a raging veteran until he calmed down, instead of just hauling him into the station. He’s the guy who shovels an elderly neighbor’s driveway in winter or takes some time with a troubled teen he picks up for shoplifting. He’s helped every one of us some way or other.”
“What about you?” Malory asked.
“He introduced me to my wife,” Tuck replied with a grin. “Never can repay a debt that big!”
Malory chuckled. “You seem very happily married.”
“You bet.”
She felt a rush of movement from within, and she was relieved. The baby was still active—that was a good sign, right? And the twinges had stopped altogether now. Tuck’s cell phone rang and he took the call.
“Hey, sweetheart...yeah, yeah...”
Malory snuggled Katy closer. After the past couple of days, she didn’t feel comfortable carrying her upstairs to sleep just yet. While things felt a lot safer now that the house was back in order, she still couldn’t put aside her fear. The state of affairs had left her and the little girl in need of protection. Katy required more than a grown-up to look out for her. She needed a parent—someone to love her absolutely and to protect her for a lifetime. Sometimes, when she thought about Katy going off to a different home, she wished she could be her mom and give her the love that she craved. But she couldn’t. Malory wouldn’t be in a position to adopt as a single mother already struggling.
Tuck switched the phone to his other ear. “Okay, put the phone down beside him.” There was a pause. “Hey, buddy.” His tone grew gentle. “You having trouble sleeping?”
Malory smiled wistfully, listening to the one-sided fatherly conversation with a small boy who couldn’t go to sleep. Tuck was a good dad, and his kids were lucky to have him. Her own son would probably never know his father.
After Tuck hung up the phone, he shrugged bashfully.
“That’s Nicholas. He’s like me, can’t sleep at night.”
“Do you talk to him every night when you work?” she asked.
“I’m always talking to one of them. Four kids keep you hopping.”
“I can only imagine.” She smiled.
“My wife stays home with the kids, but she can’t do it all. Sometimes it just takes a dad’s touch, you know?”
Malory nodded, and Tuck grimaced.
“Look, I’m sorry. I know you’ve got a special situation and all—”
“No, it’s fine,” she replied. “You’re a good father and you shouldn’t apologize for that. I’ll have a support network of my own, so no need to worry.”
Tuck nodded. He rose to his feet and looked at his watch. “I’m just going to take a quick look around the perimeter.”
Lying on the couch, Katy snuggled up in her arms, Malory realized that she missed Mike. Mike was more than police protection—he was comforting in a different way. He seemed like a part of this scene somehow, and snuggling up with Katy just wasn’t complete without him.
Is this what a family feels like?
She hardly dared to imagine it. Now was not the time to let herself get sentimental about something that wasn’t hers. It didn’t matter if she was falling for the big sheriff or not—it wasn’t realistic. It was better to embrace the family that she did have—the people who were rightfully hers. She would move back to her mother’s house in time to have the baby. Her son needed to come first.
She pulled out her cell phone and dialed her mother’s number. It rang twice before her mom picked up.
“How are you doing over there?” her mother asked.
How was she doing? She was in an emotional upheaval, her body was warning her to rest and she found herself missing the man she wasn’t supposed to be falling in love with. But she didn’t want to talk about those things, because they scared her the most. So instead, she said, “The house was broken into again.”
“And you immediately quit and bought a ticket home, right?”
“No,” Malory said. “I’m surrounded by deputies. Couldn’t be safer, I promise.”
If her mother could see Mike, with his broad shoulders and solid muscles, she’d stop worrying immediately. Malory wasn’t in danger from a thug—not with Mike looking out for her.
“Why don’t you just come back?” her mother insisted. Then there was a muffled voice in the background. “Ted agrees with me. He says he can have your room in order by tonight. Just get on a plane already.”
“No, no, I’ve got a job to do,” Malory replied. “And I need the health insurance, remember? Mike has it all under control.”
“Are you sure you’re safe?” her mother pressed.
She was safer here under the watchful eyes of the Hope Sheriff’s Department. If she walked away, who was to say what would happen to her? Something big was at work here, and she felt like a rabbit in the bush with a hawk circling overhead. Sometimes just hunkering low was the best option.
“I wouldn’t put my baby in danger, Mom. You can trust this.”
“Okay.” She was quiet for a moment. “Wait—weren’t you supposed to have your ultrasound today? Did you miss it?”
“No, I went.”
“And?” her mother prodded. “Did you find out?”
“It’s a boy.”
“A boy! That’s wonderful. A little boy... It’ll be fun. Now I know what color to buy—just hold me back at Walmart.”
“No room for error.” Malory closed her eyes. “But my instincts were off.”
“They will be.”
“What?” She opened her eyes.
Her mother chuckled. “Don’t tell your son until he’s grown-up with kids of his own, but of course you’ll get it wrong sometimes. All you can do is your best. Loving him will make up the difference.”
“Will it be enough, Mom?”
“It was for you. And I made plenty of mistakes,” her mother admitted. “Do you remember when I let you eat all your Halloween candy in one night and you spent the next day throwing up?”
“You told me you were letting me learn a lesson,” Malory said.
“That was a lie. I didn’t know it would make you sick.”
Malory laughed. “But I don’t know how to raise a boy, Mom.”
“I didn’t know how to raise a girl,” her mother pointed out. “I had little brothers, remember? We sorted it out together, you and I.”
“And never had a proper bedtime,” Malory said, “if I remember properly.”
“See? And you turned out fine.”
Her mother had done a good job with her, in spite of her mistakes. If Malory could just avoid her mother’s biggest error in judgment when it came to dating, she might be able to do this after all.
“You know, Malory, my neighbor has a single son—”
“Mom, no.” Malory shook her head. “That’s where I draw the line. Just leave my love life to me.”
“Oh.” Her mother sighed. “Maybe it’s just the hormones right now. After the baby’s born, there’s no reason why you can’t get back out there and meet someone. You’re so cautious when it comes to men. You don’t bounce back very easily...”
It wasn’t the hormones, but her mother was right—she didn’t bounce back and she didn’t expect her child to, either. She’d be a mother—100 percent—and she’d never make her son feel like second fiddle to some boyfriend passing through their lives. She’d do things differently than her mother had, and with any luck, her son would grow up without too many complaints. Would she be so lucky?
After a little more chitchat about her mother’s upcoming wedding plans, she said good-night and hung up.
This was the family she had, and this was the family she should cherish. The last thing she needed to do right now was to court unnecessary heartbreak.
Chapter Thirteen
The next morning, Mike stood in front of his house, scanning the yard. A squad car cruised past and flashed the lights at him in greeting, but besides the presence of law enforcement, the place seemed quiet. All he’d been thinking about for the entire long drive home was finding Malory to talk this whole thing out, but when he got back, she was asleep on the couch. After Tuck left, Mike hadn’t had the heart to wake her, so he locked up and carried Katy up to bed. Malory and Katy were both asleep still, even though it was nearly nine o’clock. The past few days had drained them, it seemed, and he felt an obligation to protect their rest.
Don’t get used to this.
He knew better than to start relying on Malory as the woman in his life. He knew that he was already blurring the lines with her,
and that was dangerous territory. She was his responsibility, but he wasn’t hers. That was the difference. It was his duty to protect her, but she owed him nothing more than the services of a nanny.
The breeze was cool and laden with the scent of lilacs. It was the kind of summer morning he usually enjoyed, sitting on his steps and looking up into that vast night sky. Today his mind was on his own responsibilities, and no amount of staring at the horizon was going to change what they were.
His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Checking it, he recognized the number from the adoption agency, and his heart sank. This was it.
Picking up the call, Mike sat down on the steps.
“This is Mike Cruise.”
“Hello, Mr. Cruise, this is Elizabeth Nelson from the adoption agency. How are you this morning?”
“Good,” he replied, keeping his voice low. “How are you?”
“I’m well. We have a family who is very interested in meeting Katy. They are Ned and Belinda Petersen, a doctor and a stay-at-home mom. They have two other children in high school, and when they saw the picture of Katy, they just melted.”
This was the news he’d been waiting for, but it didn’t make him feel the relief he thought he’d feel.
“That’s...uh...great.” He cleared his throat. “Where do they live?”
“Wyoming. Is that a problem?”
“No, that’s actually perfect.” Out of state. Exactly what they needed.
“They’d love to meet her, but there’s a hitch. They’ll be in the area tomorrow. Is that too soon for you?”
“No, that should be fine,” Mike replied, his tone wooden. “What time should we expect them?”
“About nine in the morning,” Ms. Nelson said. “Thank you, Mr. Cruise. I don’t want to make any promises, but I have a good feeling about this match.”
After hanging up, he stared at the face of the touch screen. So this was it—and if it wasn’t this family, it would be another one. Someone would come along and fall in love with that bright-eyed little girl and take her home to raise her.
He knew it was for the best. Katy needed safety and security. She needed to be away from the Cruises, and this was her chance at freedom. Yet for some reason, he still hesitated. This was exactly what she needed, but he didn’t want to let all of this go. His life had turned upside down with her arrival, and instead of being relieved at being able to go back to his familiar bachelor life, he felt an ache deep inside.
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