His Unexpected Family. Patricia Johns
for college.”
“He’s an accountant,” she replied. “He’s doing pretty well for himself. They live in Billings.”
That sounded like Steve. He’d always been the number-crunching sort, acing math classes and taking on the role of class treasurer. Greg would have guessed that he’d end up with a comfortable lifestyle, and Billings was a logical place to land. There had always been something about Steve that Greg hadn’t liked, though—a cockiness that rubbed him the wrong way.
Emily poured them each a glass of iced tea, and he took a sip of the sweet brew.
“Did you know Jessica?” she asked.
Greg shook his head. “I think I knew that Steve had a younger sister, but—” He paused. “No, I didn’t know her.”
“I’m not sure why she chose me.” A blush rose in Emily’s cheeks.
“You said you didn’t know she was pregnant. Did her brother know?” Greg’s gut told him that there was a lot more to this story, but just because a family’s story was deep and complicated didn’t mean that there was anything criminal going on. Heck, his family had pretty deep and complicated things going on, too.
Emily was silent for a moment, then shrugged. “Not that he said. This is all pretty strange.”
He nodded slowly. “So you’d lost touch, and all of a sudden there’s a baby in the picture?”
“Pretty much.” She let out a sigh. “It feels like a dream right now.”
“It’ll be an adjustment.” He heard the cop-sound in his own voice. It came out naturally, especially when he felt uncomfortable, and this beautiful kindergarten teacher definitely made him uncomfortable.
“So how long have you been in law enforcement?”
“I joined right out of high school. My dad was a cop, too.”
“I didn’t realize that. I don’t think I knew your dad.”
“He was before your time.” Greg shrugged. The story of his police-chief father wasn’t one he intended to tell.
“You’ve done well for yourself. You’re police chief here, you’re well respected—”
“Thanks. You’ve done well, too.” He looked around at the rancher.
“Oh, this wasn’t on a teacher’s salary.” She laughed softly. “My grandparents left me an inheritance, and my parents kicked in a graduation gift, which meant I could just afford the mortgage payments.”
“You’ve got family behind you, and that’s a good thing.”
“Everything is easier with family,” she agreed, taking a long sip of iced tea from her glass. “So what about you? Do you have a lot of family around here?”
“Not a lot. We moved out here for my dad’s job when I was young, so most of the family is back east.”
She nodded thoughtfully, but remained silent.
“Are you doing this alone?” he asked.
A little hiccup-y cry came from the bassinet, and she slid off the stool and went to pick up the baby. Cora wriggled in Emily’s arms for a few moments before settling against her neck. Glancing at her watch, Emily walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle, his question apparently forgotten.
“I think she’s hungry....” Her voice was soft and soothing, her tone different now that the baby was in her arms. After running the bottle under hot water, shaking it up and testing it, she popped the nipple into the baby’s mouth, who slurped at it hungrily.
“Yes, I’m doing this alone.” Her tone grew quiet as she fed the baby. “I’m single, so this is my chance. I’m not getting any younger, either. I always wanted children of my own, but—” She stopped and laughed self-consciously.
“You must like kids a lot, teaching kindergarten,” he said.
“I love kids.” She gave him a grin. “Do you?”
“Oh, definitely.” He chuckled. “I have a couple of nephews who come to visit me every spring break. We have a great time.”
Emily looked down into the infant’s face tenderly. She loved the baby already, he could tell. That was a good thing. A very good thing. The image of the crumpled car, the blood and the baby wailing from the backseat was still very fresh in his mind, and seeing her cuddled and loved was helping to dispel it.
“If you ever need anything, just let me know,” he said. “And I’m serious about that.”
“Thanks.” She looked up at him, her dark eyes meeting his warmly.
“The other officers, well...let’s just say that Cora stole quite a few hearts, and we all care about her.”
Tears misted Emily’s eyes at that, and she nodded. “That means a lot. It’ll mean a lot to Cora, too.”
Cora, who had been busily draining the bottle, slurped the last sip of the milk, and a little white trail dribbled down her chin. Emily lifted the baby onto her shoulder, patting her back gently.
“What about you?” she asked suddenly.
“What about me?” he asked.
“Did you get married? Have a family?”
“No.” He shook his head slowly. “Never did.”
“Why not?” Emily fixed him with a curious stare, her hand still rhythmically patting Cora’s back. She blushed and shook her head. “Sorry, that was blunt.” The baby lifted her head and wriggled her legs, then dropped her face back into Emily’s neck.
“Why didn’t you?” he countered, and she shot him a grin.
“Touché, but I have good reason.”
“Oh?” He looked over at her, his interest piqued. “What’s your reason?”
She blushed and waved it away with her hand. “It doesn’t matter. The fact remains, I’m on my own, but I do have a family behind me, so I’ll be all right.”
Just then, there was a burp, and Emily looked over at her shoulder, making a face.
“I should have seen that coming,” she said with a grimace. There was a nice little patch of baby spit-up on her shoulder, starting to drip. It didn’t look comfortable. And he was getting too comfortable. She had a way of making him want to talk, and he knew well enough that he shouldn’t be going down this path.
“I should go and let you get cleaned up,” he said, pushing himself to his feet.
“I guess so....” She gently laid the baby back into the bassinet and turned her attention back toward him. Despite the soiled shirt, her eyes met his with a cheerful sparkle. “But this was nice.”
“It was,” he admitted, lulled by that stunning smile of hers.
As Greg made his way back to the front door, he realized something a little disturbing. He’d been looking forward to seeing her and getting this case out of his system, and now he found himself wondering how he might be able to see her again. Instead of closing it, he’d just stuck his foot in the door.
Chapter Three
As Emily pulled up to the little cemetery just outside of town, she could see her extended family already milling about, talking in small groups. She parked her SUV behind her parents’ sedan and sat there for a moment. Cora was asleep in her car seat in the back, and Emily looked at the tiny form, her pink tongue sticking out of her mouth. She was adorable, and she’d never remember today—the day her mother was buried. Part of Emily felt guilt for all of this—for not being Jessica, for being the stand-in mother and not the real thing.
Emily smiled wanly