“And you ate them before dinner.” Drew gave his mother a significant look. He expected the rules to be bent by the teenage babysitters he hired sometimes, not his mother. Why had she let Becky go overboard today? He needed his daughter to be rested and in a good mood. Meeting Jane wasn’t going to be easy.
“What good is being a grandmother if you can’t break a few rules?” His mother shrugged. “Besides, you’re going to the park. She’ll run off that sugar.”
“You can have a cookie.” Becky held up a burned one. “I saved this for you.”
“No thanks, Sunshine.”
It took a few minutes to gather Becky’s things and a few more to get her buckled into the back seat of the cruiser. The park was nestled between the elementary and junior high schools. There were swings and a merry-go-round on the elementary school side of the park; trees, picnic tables, and barbecues in the middle; and a wide expanse of grass and benches near the junior high.
Jane sat on a swing, elbows hooked around the chains as if she needed the tenuous grounding.
He’d pushed her on that same swing when they were in high school. She’d always sat in it and gazed up at him, silently begging for a kiss before the ride began. He’d loved her then. He’d loved the way she hadn’t cared what other people thought of her. The motorcycle boots. The leather vest. The lace skirt. The heavy eye makeup one day, the bare face the next. She’d had talent, and she’d known it. Her talent had always been her shield. But now it looked as if her shield was gone.
Drew parked near the merry-go-round, which was Becky’s favorite, and took his time unbuckling her. Becky was nothing like her mother. She was kind and thoughtful. She put others first. She called everyone in her class friend.
“My stomach hurts,” Becky moaned.
“You ate too many cookies.”
“I ate too many cookies,” she agreed with a sigh. “I don’t wanna go to the park. I wanna go home.”
Drew paused. Here was his out. An excuse, so tempting to use.
But it would only postpone the inevitable and get him into trouble with Judge Harper.
“There’s someone here.” Drew tried to make his voice light.
“Is it Mia?” Her best friend in the whole wide world.
Drew cringed, ashamed that he’d wanted Becky to conform. “No.”
“Is it Ms. Williams?”
“No.” Why would she want to see Lola? Had she noticed the interest Drew tried so hard to hide?
Becky dropped her head back. “Then I wanna go home.”
He couldn’t leave without letting Jane meet her. Gary had checked up on Jane last night. She’d held up her end of the judge’s bargain and camped on the undug grounds of the cemetery. If Drew didn’t make an effort to comply, Jane would use it against him. “Come on. Let’s walk out and see this lady. The fresh air will make you feel better, and then we can go home.”
Becky scooted to the edge of the car seat before holding out her arms. Drew picked her up and kept her close.
Jane stopped swinging and stood. She looked like a good wind could blow her over and out of town. But she stood her ground, short blond hair blowing in the breeze. “Becky?”
Becky turned her head, keeping it resting on Drew’s shoulder. “Hi.”
Drew’s heart swelled with pride. He’d taught his daughter good manners. He’d raised her right. Judge Harper would have to see that unemployed, drifting Jane wasn’t fit for custody.
“Becky, honey.” Jane came closer. “I’m so happy to meet you. I’m your—”
“Biggest fan.” Drew cut Jane off. She was just going to blurt out who she was without any warning? “She heard you were going to star in a play.”
“I’m Athena,” Becky said in a shy voice that was totally unlike her normal boisterous tone. “Goddess of war.”
“And wisdom,” Drew added, thinking of Lola, who would never walk away from her child.
There was a crease between Jane’s blond brows.
“I wanna go home.” Becky buried her face in Drew’s neck.
“She needs to know,” Jane said with the same steel in her voice she’d used the day she’d left him. “Judge Harper said I could visit.”
“He said no more than an hour, and Becky isn’t feeling well.” Drew turned. “I’m taking her home.”
“No.” Jane trotted around to block his way. “Tell her, or I will.”
“I don’t feel good.” Becky’s cheek felt hot against his neck.
Drew’s gaze collided with Jane’s. The news of who Jane was wasn’t going to go over well, not when Becky wasn’t feeling good. But he shrugged and set Becky down. “If you insist.”
Becky wailed and clung to Drew’s legs. Her face was red and sweaty, the portent of bad things to come.
Jane knelt to Becky’s level and spread her arms in welcome. “Becky, I’m your mama.”
Becky raised her green eyes to Drew’s. There was no disbelief. No longing. No shock. Just upset stomach.
“It’s true. This is your mother.” The words stuck to the roof of Drew’s mouth like one of Lola’s cupcakes.
Becky stared at Jane and her open arms. Burped. And vomited.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Augie and Rowena were taking a rare long weekend off.
To cover for them at the mortuary, Lola had rescheduled all her hair appointments at the retirement home’s beauty parlor. There was just one she couldn’t reschedule—Harriet Bloom’s. The woman had requested a special Friday appointment to coincide with a visit from her great-grandkids.
Lola was just ushering Harriet out the door when Drew appeared. His gaze connected with Lola’s and sent a familiar howdy-do that went straight to her heart and made her blood pump faster.
Harriet paused in the doorway and looked at Lola over her shoulder. “I almost forgot. Come watch Phantom of the Opera tomorrow morning. It’s at the movie theater. They beam these things in live from Broadway now.”
Broadway.
Lola felt homesick.
“And…” Harriet laughed, banging her handles on the doorframe as she wheeled her walker into the hallway. “Rumor has it Avery Blackstone is going to protest the sale of the downtown buildings tomorrow morning with signs, chanting, and everything. Should be quite the spectacle.”
Avery would hate being a spectacle.
Harriet left.
Drew handed Lola a small stack of photographs. “Wendy wanted me to drop off some pictures I took of the kids you made up for rehearsal.”
Lola flipped through the photos: Caden with his hair horns, Becky with her updo, soldiers and kids in the chorus. That night she’d felt like she had a future in Sunshine, like she was a part of the community.
“You’re not saying anything.” Drew’s gaze softened. “Are you okay?”
“I’m not sure what to say to you anymore, Sheriff.”
His eyes narrowed at the word sheriff but it took him a moment to speak. “You know, we had a pretty brutal winter with lots of snow late in the year.”
He’s trying to make small talk?
Lola should be packing up to get to the mortuary. The Larsons were supposed to come in and proof their grandfather’s headstone at nine thirty. It was nine now. But Drew’s retrospective weather report, or maybe just the sound of his deep voice, kept Lola’s high heels in place.
“A hard winter gives people cabin fever,” Drew went on. “The sun comes out, and suddenly you can do things you couldn’t before. For a couple of weeks during spring thaw, it’s like spring break for the entire town.” Drew paused and looked at Lola the way he had the night he’d found her dancing.
And then he kissed me.
She shivered.
“I call it spring-thaw madness. We’re in it now.” He blew out a small breath and shook his head. “My dad left my mom during spring thaw. Pris met a cowboy during spring thaw and eloped with him. And then there was me and Jane.”
“Quite a track record.” Or a series of coincidences. Although Drew�
��s cop sense wouldn’t lead him to believe in coincidences. He’d collect the evidence and…
Decide her hunt for Randy’s mistresses was a product of the spring thaw.
Decide their attraction was a product of the spring thaw.
Decide he never wanted to see her again come June.
Anger made her pulse pound this time. Lola shut off the fan and the low-playing radio. She loaded the photos, hair spray, and shampoo into her supply case and snapped it shut. She wheeled it toward the door and turned off the light.
Drew didn’t leave, standing in her way without taking his eyes off her.
“I suppose if you think about it hard enough,” Lola said, back straight enough to make a ballerina proud, “you’ll find a way to blame kissing me on spring thaw.”
“The need to kiss you does seem like madness,” he murmured, staring at her lips.
She’d never wanted to kiss someone as much as she wanted to kiss Drew right now, if only to prove it had everything to do with chemistry and nothing to do with the season.
But he wasn’t done with his hypotheses. “As does your need to have proof that your husband strayed because he didn’t love you. I’m sure he did in his own way.”
She tried to push past him.
Drew caught her arm. “What is love, Lola, but an acceptance of someone for who they are and what they can give you emotionally? Let the rest go, Lola. The perfume, the bracelet.”
“Would I be good enough for you then?” Lola wanted the words back as soon as she uttered them.
His eyes widened. “You’ve always been good enough for me.”
“But not for Sunshine or your custody battle.” Lola was aware of people moving up and down the hall, of their voices and their laughter. “And my grandmother’s ring? The one that was stolen from me?”
His gaze was filled with regret. “Don’t hold on too tight to things you’ve lost. Or you might find yourself stuck in a place where no one can find you.” Drew walked away.
Lola stood in the midst of the hall for a good minute more, gripping the case handle so tight her bones ached.
A lot of people in town thought she was a disgrace for bringing up her husband’s indiscretions. She tried hard not to care, tried hard not to take it personally or let it keep her up at night. But what Drew thought of her did matter, did hurt, did leave her sleepless. He wanted her to move on, to be the bigger person.
Could she let questions about Randy go unanswered? Could she pretend knowing the truth about her marriage wasn’t important to her?
* * *
“Why does this mama want to see me?” Becky placed her cowboy boots on the back of the cruiser’s front seat and pushed. “She didn’t come to my last birthday. Or Christmas.”
Drew’s boundaries were being pushed as hard as his seatback. “Jane wants you to like her.”
Drew had been sure Jane would give up her quest for motherhood after Becky got sick on her yesterday but she’d texted last night asking for a time to meet again. He’d picked Becky up after school and taken her home to clean up and get a light snack. He’d talked about Jane in a distant way, and for some reason, Becky started referring to her as “this mama,” as if she had more than one.
Could that be the result of all the talk and jokes about marriage to Wendy?
“Do you like this mama?” Becky pumped the seatbacks as if they were failed brakes. “I like people you like. Ms. Adams. Ms. Williams. Granny Susie.”
“I used to like Jane.” Was that what he’d say about Lola one day? His chest ached. He admired Lola’s honesty but that didn’t change his obligation to protect Becky.
“I like everybody I know.” Becky pumped the seats again. “I s’pose I’ll hate somebody someday.”
“I s’pose.” Uncomfortable with Jane’s visitation, he’d called Rupert last night, needing the advice of his lawyer.
“Stick out the week, Sheriff,” Rupert had said. “Haven’t you ever done anything hard in your life?”
Drew had, but nothing this hard, nothing that had felt as if half his heart were going to be ripped out of his chest if he wasn’t careful.
In the back seat, Becky flexed her leg muscles again. “Mia hates Caden because he tried to kiss her at recess.”
“She’ll get over that.” But could Drew get over Jane wanting to be back in their lives?
The schools and the park came into view, along with Jane sitting on the swing. Maddie Robertson pushed a stroller along the sidewalk. Over by the junior high, the Bodine boys sat on a bench, bookending a girl Drew didn’t immediately recognize.
“Can I like this mama once?”
“You can like her more than once.” It killed Drew to say it. He parked and turned to face his daughter. “I love you, Sunshine. Nothing will ever change that. You’re always going to live with me no matter what this mama says.”
Becky stared out the window with a worried expression on her face. “I promise not to throw up on her.”
“I know, sweetheart.” Drew patted her boot. “Let’s take a ride on the merry-go-round and see what this mama has to say.”
As soon as he opened the car door, he heard Jane sing.
“Blue jean baby…” Jane’s sultry voice carried across the grass, hitting the opening notes to “Tiny Dancer” with power and full-on country soul. She walked toward the cruiser, continuing to sing.
Drew’s stomach clenched into a tight ball. Nashville had been blind to Jane’s talent. Did she want to use Becky or Drew to get their attention? Contestants on those singing shows always had some kind of sappy life story.
Maddie’s steps slowed as she brought the stroller to a halt. The Bodine twins stopped flirting with the girl Drew now recognized as Jami Iverson.
“Who’s that singing?” Becky asked, twisting in her car seat. Jane was approaching from behind her.
Drew unbuckled Becky’s seat. “That’s her.”
“This mama?” His daughter scrambled out and stood in front of Drew, awestruck by that throaty voice. She reached for his hand.
Jane looked like she’d been roughing it. Her clothes were wrinkled. Her hair was a limp and rumpled mess. But that voice…She sounded as if she’d slept in a five-star hotel. She came to a stop in front of Becky and sang another verse.
And then the chorus.
And then another verse.
And…
Maddie had moved on. The Bodine boys were back to double-teaming Jami.
Drew raised his hand in a cutting motion across his throat.
With a slight frown, Jane took the hint and stopped singing. She smiled at Becky broadly as if Jane were a judge on one of those singing competition shows. “Hi, baby girl.”
“Hi,” Becky whispered, spellbound. “Did you just make that song up?”
“No.” Stopping a few feet away on the grass, Jane stuck her hands in her back pockets. “That’s a classic song about life on the road. I think, anyway.”
“Life on the road,” Becky echoed, fairly trembling with excitement. She let go of Drew’s hand and stepped toward the grass.
Becky was worshipping Jane. His temples throbbed, and reflexively, he reached for Becky’s shoulders, keeping her on the sidewalk. “We’re going to ride on the merry-go-round.”
Jane hadn’t looked at him since he’d cut her song short. “Does your stomach feel well enough for a spin, baby girl?”
With a nod, Becky marched forward, and Drew’s hands fell to his sides.
For a moment, he couldn’t move. His baby was walking away, chattering with Jane as if she’d known her all her life.
He forced his feet to move. He forced air in and out of his lungs. He forced himself to listen in case Jane revealed the real reason she wanted custody.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lola was in Rowena’s office at the mortuary when the call came in.
“My mother-in-law died last night,” Kevin said on the other end of the line. “Can I talk to Augie or Rowena?”
Holy gone too
soon.
Lola had just seen Marcia toting a stack of romances at the retirement home yesterday. Lola grabbed a pencil and the pickup paperwork. “They’re in Denver at their daughter’s college graduation. They won’t be back until Sunday night.”
The mayor relayed the message to Barbara.
“I don’t care,” Lola heard his wife say. “We need to have a plan.”
“It’s settled,” Kevin said in an even voice. “We’re coming in.”
Inwardly Lola cringed. Kevin and Barbara were Sunshine royalty. Serving them was above her pay grade. Not to mention Barbara didn’t like her. “I know this is a difficult time but I have to ask. What is Marcia’s location and has she been declared dead by a doctor?”
On the other end of the line, Lola heard a door open and close.
Kevin lowered his voice. “Obviously, this is unexpected. Barbara’s demanding an autopsy, so there’s no immediate need for a hearse.”
“Then you can wait for Augie and Rowena. I can schedule an appointment for Monday.” Lola tried not to sound relieved.
She heard a door open again.
“Kevin,” Barbara wailed. “You left me alone.”
“We’ll be there within the hour.” Kevin hung up.
Needless to say, Lola quaked in her heels.
The Barbara Hadley who strutted around town and intimidated people into submission wasn’t the Barbara Hadley who showed up at the mortuary. Her blond hair was frizzed, and her clothes were rumpled, as if she’d pulled on what she’d worn the day before. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, completely devoid of makeup. There was moisture on her upper lip, and her green silk blouse had sweat stains beneath her arms.
“I found her.” Barbara clutched Lola’s hand, only to immediately release it. “I call her every morning, and this morning she didn’t answer.” Her voice was high-pitched, very un-Barbara-like. “She lives in a little house on our property, and when I went over to check, she was…”
“It’s okay.” Kevin had his arm around his wife’s shoulders but rather than lean into him, Barbara held herself stiffly.
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