“That doesn’t mean shit,” Jed said. “We don’t know that he’s been taken into the fold. I doubt they’re telling all the men in their ranks to be on the lookout for her. If he knows there’s a connection, he might think she’s here to spy on him.”
I started to protest, but headlights pulled into the driveway from the road, and Jed instantly threw himself between the car and me.
“Go inside, Rose.”
“But—”
He reached back and grabbed my arm, pushing me backward as he stood facing the car.
“It’s Joe,” Neely Kate said in relief.
I pushed out a breath and nearly doubled over my legs.
“You can’t tell Joe any of this,” Jed said, spinning to face me.
“Of course I can’t tell Joe. He’s already put himself in enough danger for me.”
“Listen to me, Rose.” He sounded anxious, which perked up my attention. “Don’t confirm or deny that Joe’s the father. I’m not sure the best way to play this, so keep bein’ elusive.”
“Okay.” I was in full agreement with him there. If James was really worried about losing face, he might decide to go after Joe instead of me. I couldn’t let that happen.
“And don’t worry about Wendy,” he said. “Neely Kate and I will talk to her in the mornin’, and I’ll give you a report after you face the grand jury.”
How had I already forgotten about Wendy? “Thanks.”
Joe got out of his car, watching us with suspicion. “Did something happen while I was gone?”
“No,” Jed called out, “but I’m not takin’ any chances. In fact, I’m planning to stay the night.”
Joe walked to the bottom of the steps and put his hands on his hips as he scanned the field next to the house. “Do you want the first or second shift?”
“First.”
Neely Kate linked her arm with mine. “Looks like we’re havin’ a slumber party.”
I wasn’t complaining.
VIOLET WAS asleep when I checked on her, and her skin was cool to the touch, although it was much too early for her to come down with anything yet. Muffy kept her post on the chair in the corner.
When I walked out, Neely Kate stood in the doorway to the bedroom across from Vi’s, the room where the kids usually slept when they stayed over.
“How’s she doin’?” she whispered.
“She’s asleep.”
Neely Kate crossed over to me, gave me a big squeeze, then about-faced into the bedroom.
I headed to my own room, but I knew sleep was still far off. My head buzzed with thoughts and worries as I sat on the bed. A soft knock rapped on my door.
“Rose?” Joe called out softly.
“It’s open.”
He entered the room and shut the door behind him. “I know you must be tired, but do you have a moment?”
“Yeah.”
He pulled over a chair from the corner, then sat down in front of me, leaning his forearms on his legs and clasping his hands together. “I need you to hear me out before you say anything, okay?”
I wasn’t sure how many more shocks my system could take, but I nodded. “Okay.”
He gave me a grateful smile, then took a long, slow breath as though settling his own nerves. “I got a few more inquiries about the baby tonight.”
“When you took the kids home?” I asked in surprise. “Who?”
“Mike, for one,” he said. “And then I went to the Stop and Go to fill up with gas and two people there mentioned it.”
“Joe, I’m so sorry,” I said in a rush.
“I’m not.”
I frowned. “What are you talkin’ about?”
“Everyone in this town thinks this baby is mine, Rose.” He paused, then took another audible breath. “What if we told everyone they’re right?”
“You mean until this all dies down?”
“No. For real. Permanently.” He ran a hand over his head, then sat up straighter. “I want to be your baby’s father.”
I slumped back, feeling light-headed. “But James…”
“Doesn’t want it. He made that very clear. You do. That hasn’t changed, has it?”
Instinctively, I put my hand on my belly. “No. I’m more sure than ever that I want it.”
“I’ve given this a lot of thought, Rose, so I don’t want you to think this is rash, but I’ve already lost two babies, and we both know that I have terrible taste in women, present company excluded.”
I couldn’t help my grin.
“I want to be a dad. I think I’ll be a good one. While I don’t trust myself to choose the right woman, I do know you’ll be the best mother. But you’ll be raising this baby alone, and we both know you and the baby might not be safe if word gets out that Malcolm’s the father.” He leaned forward again, holding my gaze with an intensity that caught me by surprise. “I want to be a father. I want to be your baby’s father.”
“You want us to get back together?” I asked in shock.
His eyes flew wide as he abruptly sat up. “No. I’m sorry if I gave you that impression.”
“No. You didn’t. I just had to be sure.”
“I have no idea how this would work,” he said in a rush. “How we’d handle weekends and holidays. As far as I’m concerned, we could spend them together. Both of us had shitty childhoods. I think together we could give your baby the family we’ve both always wanted,” he said, holding my gaze.
The intensity in his eyes told me that he really had thought this through. He’d come to me with his heart on his sleeve, although this time it wasn’t his feelings for me that had put it there.
When I didn’t say anything, he took my silence as encouragement. “Maybe I could build an apartment in the loft in the barn so I could be close but have my own place. That way I won’t be crowding your personal space, but I’ll be close. I want to be involved, Rose. I’d want to help with diapers and sleepless nights, and bottles. I don’t know how it would all work, but I want to be part of it.”
“Joe,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief. “You need to give this more thought. This is a huge decision.”
“I have given it thought. This feels right to me, Rose. This baby feels like the one good thing in this sea of shit we’ve been swimming in. But this is a bigger decision for you than it is for me. I hesitated to bring it up at all now, but Gary said they might ask you about your pregnancy when you’re questioned by the grand jury. So if they ask about the father, feel free to tell them I’m the daddy, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s not perjury. It’s the truth.”
Tears filled my eyes. “Joe.”
“Don’t cry, Rose. Please don’t cry. Just give it some thought. That’s all I ask.”
I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.
He got up and moved next to me, wrapping an arm around my back. I rested my head on his shoulder, wiping my tears.
“You may decide to do this alone,” he said, his voice clear. “And I have no doubt in my mind that you can. If you want to name me as the baby’s father, birth certificate and all, yet want me to have no part in its life…” He paused, his voice cracking. “I’ll agree to that too.”
I turned to look at him. “Joe.”
“And if you want to name me as the baby’s father and sort out the rest later, then that’s what we’ll do. I’m makin’ the offer, Rose. It’s up to you to figure out how involved you want me to be.” He kissed my forehead and stood to leave. “Try to get some sleep.” He looked back once before leaving, a wry grin making his eyes twinkle in a way that reminded me of Joe McAllister, the man who’d moved in next door. “I know, easier said than done.”
CHAPTER 27
I didn’t sleep well, not that I was surprised. I had a lot to mull over. Aside from Joe’s proposal, I couldn’t wrap my head around the thought of James betraying me, but I intended to follow through on my promise to not incriminate anyone. Myself included. And somehow I’d do it without lying under oath.
Gary came over midmorning to prepare me for my testimony. When he heard I planned to keep what I knew to myself, he pursed his lips and said, “Then I hope to God you’ve had a recent head wound to blame on your memory loss.”
“I was nearly strangled to death in August,” I said. “I lost consciousness.”
His eyes lit up. “Do you have a hospital report to prove it?”
“I can do one better,” I said, sounding more enthusiastic with the plan than I felt. “I’ve got a sheriff’s report sayin’ Joe found me unconscious on the ground with my hands bound.”
A hint of a smile crossed his face. “That’ll do.”
He ran me through a practice testimony, and I was so exhausted after answering all of his questions that I declared the need to take a nap.
Gary tapped his chin with the tip of his ink pen. “Maybe we really should use your pregnancy when you’re testifying.”
I pressed my lips together. “Seems like I’d be openin’ a whole new can of worms. Especially since I’m not declarin’ who the father is yet.”
“Tell them you’re not sure.”
I snorted. “Henryetta’s not that liberal. If I say that, I’ll become the town trollop.”
“Your testimony before the grand jury won’t be a matter of public record.”
I snorted again. “Like that’s gonna keep it quiet.”
He pushed out a groan and got to his feet. “I hate small towns. That means everything you tell them might be leaked.”
“Yep.”
He glanced down at his page full of notes and rubbed his forehead. “We’ll table the whole pregnancy issue for now, although it might come up during your questioning. If push comes to shove, tell them Joe’s the father. He’s fully prepared to claim the baby. He already told me so.”
That raised my ire. “He shouldn’t have told you so. I haven’t decided what to do about that yet.”
Gary stuffed his legal pad in his leather case. “He’s worried about you, Rose. Rightly so. We’re movin’ at light speed on something that usually takes weeks to put together.”
He was right. I hadn’t spoken to Joe since our talk the night before. He was already gone by the time I got up. But he’d sent a text telling me he would pick me up at one fifteen so I’d be plenty early for my two o’clock appearance.
I headed to my room for a nap and set an alarm, hoping a half hour would help me feel refreshed enough to handle the afternoon ahead. But when my alarm went off, my head felt heavy and it took me a good five minutes to feel halfway human.
Nevertheless, I was dressed and ready when Joe walked through the front door wearing a freshly pressed uniform.
Gary had told me to dress professionally but not to look too worldly. If it all went to hell in a handbasket, he was going to paint me as a naive soul too thick to understand what was going on around me, a plan that set my nerves on end but that might keep me out of jail.
My baby was more important than my pride.
I wore a soft pink A-line dress with a white Peter Pan collar and two-inch ivory slingback heels, both borrowed from Violet’s wardrobe. My hair was long and loose, with a little bit of curl on the ends and natural-looking makeup.
Joe took in my appearance and stopped in his tracks.
My heart leapt into my throat. “Gary told me to go for professional but innocent.” I put my hand on my belly. “Is it too much considering…?”
“No, Rose,” he said with a soft smile. “You’re beautiful.”
I sucked in a breath. “I wasn’t goin’ for beautiful.”
Releasing a chuckle, he walked closer and put his hands on my upper arms. “Rose, you’d be beautiful if you were wearin’ a gunnysack.”
I was too nervous to scoff. “But do I look okay for a grand jury testimony?”
“You look fine. Great. If Gary wants professional-meets-innocence, you’ve achieved it.” His eyes twinkled. “You’ve always looked great in pink. You’re practically glowing.”
“Oh,” I said as I realized what he meant. “Do I want to look pregnant?” I smoothed my hand over my belly, but it felt flat. “Gary was undecided.”
“I say go with your gut,” he said. “It’s served you well up to now.” He watched me as I picked up my purse off the coffee table. “Have you eaten anything?”
“I was too nervous to eat.”
“You have to eat somethin’, Rose.”
“I’m afraid I’ll barf it up.”
He walked past me into the kitchen and came out about a half minute later with a package of saltines and a bottle of water. “You’re bound to be nervous during your testimony. You don’t want your blood sugar to get too low. Can’t have you faintin’ on the stand.”
As he ushered me out the door, I couldn’t help thinking about the way I’d passed out in the jury box during Bruce Wayne’s trial. Mason’s face was the first thing I’d seen when I’d come to. I definitely didn’t want a repeat of that performance.
Joe led me to the back of a sheriff’s patrol car and held the door open. I was surprised to see Randy Miller sitting in the driver’s seat.
“I thought you were takin’ me,” I said, hesitating at the open door.
“Randy’s drivin’. I’m ridin’ shotgun.”
“Why?”
He patted the gun at his hip. “Just in case.”
I almost asked him if he thought there would be trouble, but it struck me that I’d be more likely to know than he would. So I gave Randy a tight smile and climbed inside.
We were silent as Randy headed for the county road. When he took the turn, a sheriff’s patrol car parked on the shoulder pulled out behind us.
“I hope they don’t have high expectations for my testimony,” I said, glancing out the back window at a deputy I didn’t recognize. “I’m not sure I’m worth all the county’s resources.”
“You just do your best,” Joe said, keeping his eyes on the road, but he sounded tense. “Don’t be worryin’ about disappointin’ anyone.”
Would the county and state be pissed after my testimony?
My mind wandered to James. He’d been adamant that I needed to tell the truth. He’d claimed it was the only way he could protect me. What would happen when I didn’t admit to everything? Was I digging myself in deeper? Would I hurt whatever deal he’d worked out?
His only deal is with Hardshaw, I reminded myself.
Yet that didn’t ring true to me. Even if Jed believed it, I couldn’t. James wouldn’t betray Neely Kate like that. Or Jed. Or me. Or himself. There was no way he was willingly working with them. I’d find a way to prove it to Jed before the criminals in the county lost their fool heads.
The ringing phone in my purse broke my reverie. I dug it out and checked the screen.
“Who is it?” Joe asked, glancing over his shoulder.
I almost told him it was none of his business, but then I realized it would be wrong.
“Uh,” I said, starting to panic at the sight of Dallas, TX, on the readout until I realized it was the number for Stewart from Sonder Tech, the business I’d pitched to a couple of days ago. I’d forgotten to put the name and number into my contacts.
“Hello, Stewart,” I said, forcing cheerfulness into my voice. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you until the end of the week.”
“Well,” he said in a friendly tone. “When you know what you want, you go for it.”
“So I take it that’s a yes?”
“Definitely.”
“That’s great to hear,” I said. “I can come by tomorrow to discuss any changes you want to make to the plans, if you like.”
“No need,” he said. “Unless you want to pick up the signed contract and the deposit. Otherwise, I can just put it in the mail.”
“No changes?” I asked in surprise. I’d put in more embellishments than they actually needed, expecting them to trim back. “That’s great.”
“Good. So when can you fit us into your schedule?”
I rubbed my foreh
ead, trying to mentally switch gears. “Last time I checked, the middle of next week was lookin’ good, but let me check with my partner and call you back.”
“Sounds good,” Stewart said. “I look forward to doin’ business with you, Rose.”
“Me too.” I ended the call and held the phone in my lap. My life had been so crazy I’d completely forgotten I was waiting for his call.
“Everything okay?” Joe asked.
“Yeah,” I said, coming to my senses and pulling up Bruce Wayne’s number. “We got that big job I pitched the other day.”
“That’s great,” Joe said. “Bruce Wayne’s handlin’ the install, right?”
“It’s a big job and I don’t have many consults for the next two weeks,” I said as I typed a text to Bruce Wayne. “I might lend a hand.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“I’m pregnant, not ill.”
“Still…”
I pushed out a sigh and lifted my gaze. “I’ll ask Dr. Newton when I go see her.”
“I still wish you’d go see someone else,” he said. “I don’t trust her staff.”
He had a point, but I couldn’t deal with finding a new doctor right now. Besides, Dr. Newton wasn’t the problem.
“Congrats to you both,” Randy said, clearly unsure if it was the right thing to say. I sympathized with him—saying nothing probably didn’t seem like an option.
“Thanks,” I said. “I’m sure you’ve caught an earful about it.”
“Sorry,” he said, keeping his eyes on the road. “It’s just that Dena’s been tellin’—”
“That’s enough, Deputy Miller,” Joe said. “This is none of her business.”
“Yes, sir,” Randy murmured, his ears turning pink. His gaze lifted to the rearview mirror. “Margi said she toured your barn and corral yesterday and it looks like a great place to board her rescue horses.”
Joe’s eyebrows shot up and he gave me a questioning look.
My phone vibrated with a text from Bruce Wayne, congratulating me on getting the job and confirming our schedule was clear.
Come Rain or Shine: Rose Gardner Investigations #5 (Rose Gardner Investigatons) Page 26