The Lawman's Yuletide Baby

by Ruth Logan Herne

  He swallowed hard. “I just didn’t want you thinking we were plotting behind your back. Or Kate’s back.” Corinne’s mother-in-law had built a highly regarded event business in Grace Haven. She’d shared her expertise by helping with the festival for years.

  “Kate’s a smart woman. She saw the way things were trending from the beginning, and that’s why she volunteered to work with Lizzie and Maura.”

  “To keep an eye on them?”

  “That sounds far too sinister, even for a small town.” She crossed the decking and moved more chairs into place. “More like she wants to keep her finger on the pulse of the area. When you run an event center, it’s important to be on the inside informational loop. And I’m sure she wanted to keep me updated so I wouldn’t get clotheslined by whatever changes came about. Kate knows I’m busy, and she takes an understandable special interest in the benevolence fund.”

  Of course she did. She’d buried a son, and her husband had been chief of police for over twenty years. The Gallaghers appreciated law enforcement like few families could. They’d lived it for over two generations. “She’s protective of you.”

  “Sure she is.” She drew up more chairs. “They love me, and they love these kids. That’s pretty much how the family rolls. And they know being a single mom isn’t easy. But we’re doing okay.”

  After being raised in a single-parent house, he knew the truth of it, and it was never an easy gig to be top provider, rule maker and beloved parent to kids. “I’d say you’re doing great, Corinne.”

  “Well. Thank you.” She took the compliment lightly. Maybe too lightly. “It’s too early to start the grill, but if you call me from the truck, I’ll have it heated up when you guys get back.”

  “Sounds good.” He touched a long-nosed lighter to the kindling in the fire pit, waiting for the first flickers of success. “If you ever need anything...” He waited until she looked up, and when she did, there it was again. A tiny spark of connection when his eyes met hers. “Call me, okay? I’m right over there, and I’m happy to help.”

  “That’s a really nice offer.” Sincerity deepened her tone, while her expression stayed matter-of-fact. “The Penskis were gone a lot, so I’d only seen them twice since we moved in last year. And when the weather turns, it’s kind of desolate down here. Like Tee said, most folks use these as summer homes, so there aren’t too many neighbors during the winter. It will be nice to have you nearby.”

  He puffed on the kindling until a curl of smoke burst into tiny licks of flame. “I saw that little park at the end of the road by the turnoff. It’s got a small baseball field.”

  “A relic from times past, when neighborhoods got together to play ball. That’s Welch Grove Park.”

  “It’s quiet and I can practice ball with the kids there whenever they’re available.”

  “I played ball on that field when I was a girl.” She tapped the grill as if tapping home plate and took a batter’s stance.

  “You lived here?”

  “Off and on, with my grandparents.”

  She didn’t elaborate and it wasn’t his business to delve, but why hadn’t she been with her parents?

  Not his business, so he kept to baseball. “They had softball there?”

  “Hardball.”

  She’d surprised him again. “You played hardball?”

  “Seven years. When I got to high school girls could only play softball, and that’s a whole other game.” She moved a chair that didn’t need moving and shrugged. “I moved on to other things. That’s why I loved seeing Amy make the team when Drew Slade came back to town. A girl with that kind of talent shouldn’t be relegated to a minimal role in anything.”

  “If you’re good enough, you play.” It made sense to him, regardless of gender.

  “That’s something you and I can agree on.” She didn’t mention the festival controversy per se, but he understood the meaning behind the words.

  “Gabe.” Mack called his name from across the yards. “We need to know how you want some of the things set up.”

  “Coming.” He tipped his ball cap slightly. “One more load to get, and that should do it on our end. I’ll be happy to man the grill when we get back.”

  “I am delighted to accept the offer.”

  “Good.”

  He jogged back to his place.

  He’d hurried over there to clear the air over Thursday’s meeting. She’d lost an important battle, one that meant she’d be facing angry vendors at the upcoming holiday festival. The out-of-town vendors had paid a significant fee to contract their space on the grounds of the historic Gallagher farm at the edge of town. They weren’t expecting to have local buses transporting their shoppers downtown every fifteen minutes. There would be backlash, mostly directed at Corinne because she headed the committee. It wasn’t her fault, and he felt bad about that. He’d sided with the local businesses from a practical angle. Putting Corinne in the crosshairs hadn’t been the intention, but it was a probable outcome.

  Would she hold a grudge?

  He hoped not, but her guarded nature didn’t make her an easy read.

  “Coach, I can’t wait for you to see how many fish there are in the lake! Grandpa showed me so many hot spots, it’s amazing! Do you like perch and bass?” Tee grabbed his hand in an excited grip as he crossed the yard.

  He loved both. He nodded as the old weight redescended.

  “Then maybe we can go fishing sometime together,” Tee exclaimed. “I can ask Mom, I bet she won’t mind, and I won’t be noisy. I know not to be noisy on the boat, because Grandpa threatened to toss me overboard if I scared the fish. And I love eating fish, so why would I scare them?”

  She talked at light speed, like Gracie had.

  Her hands danced in the air, alive with excitement.

  Her eyes so blue.

  Gracie’s had been a lighter shade of blue, tinged green, but with that same kind of sparkle and joy.

  Gone.

  His heart choked.

  So did his voice, because he couldn’t form a word around the massive lump clogging his throat.

  He’d thought it would get better in time, and it had, but when he was around Tee Gallagher and her crew of funny, adolescent girlfriends, all he could think of was how sweetly Gracie would have fit into their crowd. Laughing, dancing, climbing...

  “Come with me.” Susie MacIntosh thrust her arm through his and propelled him into the house. “Focus on the simple and the mundane.”

  Susie had known him all those years ago, years before they both moved upstate to Grace Haven.

  “You’ve got to forgive yourself, Gabe. God doesn’t want you to spend your life beating yourself up. He wants you whole and happy again.”

  Susie’s opinion was similar to the reverend’s talk last Sunday.

  And maybe it would have worked out that way, if Elise had been okay. But she wasn’t all right, ever again. Then she was gone, too.

  “We make choices, Gabe. All of us. You, me, Mack. Elise.”

  He couldn’t listen to this, because there was no way he could lay any of this on Elise. He’d left the door of the SUV slightly open. He must have. He was the last person in it. He’d pulled into his buddy’s driveway and parked. Then he’d gotten Gracie out of her car seat and walked into the broad backyard of Jim Clayton, another state trooper.

  He was the designated driver, so he grabbed some cold iced tea and talked NFL prospects, waiting for the four o’clock kickoff in Jim’s man cave–style barn toward the back of the property.

  And then came the scream.

  Nine years later, he still heard the scream.

  Elise’s voice, screaming his name, screaming for help, and Gracie Lynn, their beautiful little girl, lying so still in the grueling heat of the SUV.

  Her death was rule
d accidental, but he knew better. He was her father. She was his responsibility, and he’d failed her over football stats and arguments about team superiority. All while his baby girl lay perishing in the unyielding temperatures of an SUV parked beneath a brilliant September sun.

  No, there were no second chances for stupid fathers.

  God was big enough to forgive because he was God.

  But Gabe was a mere man, and there was no way on this earth he could forgive himself. And that was that.

  Chapter Three

  The group of young movers crossed from Gabe’s yard into hers when the final load had been brought and distributed, but Corinne’s heart went into overdrive as the tall, square-shouldered policeman followed in their wake. Gabe Cutler, chatting with “Mack” MacIntosh, another local trooper.

  “Mom, we’re going to check out the cove, okay?” Callan and five of his teammates got to her first.

  “No swimming,” she reminded them. “It’s too cold for that.”

  “No swimming. But we might throw Tee into the water, just because she’s a pest.”

  Tee pretended innocence, but Corinne knew the truth. Tee was a hoot, but she could be a pain in the neck to her big brother, and no way did she want the twelve-year-old hanging out with fourteen- and fifteen-year-old boys. “I’m keeping Tee here to help me. You guys did all the heavy lifting. We’re doing food.”

  “Mom.” Tee folded her arms and scowled. “Girls don’t have to stay home and cook while the brave hunter goes in search of food anymore. We can actually do things, just like they can. It’s called the new millennium.” She hooked her thumb toward the teenage ballplayers, heading for the cove up the beach. “I could have helped move things. And I should be able to go to the cove. I’m twelve.”

  “I know how old you are. I was present at your birth, remember?”

  But Tee saw nothing amusing in her reply. “We’ve got food ready, and everything’s done. Why can’t I go?”

  What could she say? That she wasn’t sure the boys’ conversations would be okay for Tee’s ears? And that Callan deserved some time away from his nosy little sister?

  The boys were good kids, but they were hormone-struck teens, and she wasn’t ready to have to deal with Tee and crushes and heartbreaks. Why had the idea of kids spaced so close together appealed to her a dozen years ago?

  Oh, that’s right.

  Because she didn’t know any better.

  Tee huffed into the house as Gabe, Susie and Mack climbed the short steps on one side while the boys raced across the short stretch of open beach. “They did a great job today.”

  “I’m so glad.” She opened the grill, judged it ready and pointed out the grilling tools hanging from a head-high two-by-four. “Tools of the trade. And the meat is in the cooler. Where’s Tucker?”

  “I put him in the house. He’ll need to get a feel for his boundaries, so for now he’s napping on the floor. Or staring at us through the sliding glass doors, which seems to be more accurate at the moment.”

  They all turned. The black, brown and white dog peered at them through the glass, tongue lolling, hoping they’d notice.

  “That’s a tough face to ignore,” noted Mack.

  “And he knows it. But better safe than sorry.” He moved toward the cooler. “I’ll save him a hot dog. Tucker forgives anything if there’s a hot dog involved.”

  “I wonder if there’s a similar system that works on kids,” Corinne mused. “It’s definitely cheaper than a cell phone, which is our current argument of the day.”

  “Tee doesn’t let things go, does she?”

  “No. And I hate being the bad guy 24/7, but that’s kind of how things shake down.”

  Understanding marked his gaze. “My mom said that, too. She raised me on her own, and she always said the hardest part was being the tough one, all the time. No respite. But it worked out in the end.”

  “That’s my hope and prayer, right there. That they grow up to have full and happy lives. Like you did.”

  His face drew down slightly as he began laying the meat on the hot grill surface. She started to chat with Susie as the hamburgers, hot dogs and Italian sausage sent meat-scented smoke their way.

  Corinne breathed deeply, loving the scents of a cookout on the lake. Susie turned a pale shade of gray-green and looked dreadful.

  Pregnant.

  Corinne had dealt with morning sickness both personally and on a professional level. She took Susie’s hand and led her toward the house. “I’m going to show Susie around inside. You guys okay?”

  “Just fine.”

  “Yup.” Mack lifted a cold bottle of iced tea their way. “See you in a few.”

  She got Susie inside to the bathroom just in time, then gave her a cool, damp washcloth to lay across her forehead. “Sit down and breathe easy, and it will pass.”

  “I’m so embarrassed.” Susie’s mouth scrunched up below the wet cloth. “Corinne, you don’t even know me.”

  “No time like the present.” Corinne laughed. “But I’ve seen this particular malady often enough because I’m a nurse in the crisis pregnancy unit. How far along are you?”

  “Eighteen weeks. But we’ve kept it pretty quiet because pregnancy hasn’t gone well with us.”

  “Susie, I’m sorry.”

  Susie shrugged beneath the cool cloth, but her chin quivered. “I’m with a new doctor and she’s determined. And I’ve never been sick like this before.”

  “A well-set pregnancy makes its presence known.”

  “Is that true?” Susie sat up and whisked the damp cloth from her forehead. “Because the doctor said that, too.”

  “It is in my experience. And I’m putting you on my prayer list right now because this would be so exciting.” She reached over and pressed Susie’s hand lightly. “A new baby coming to visit the lake next spring.” A baby...so sweet, so special, such an amazing blessing. And so very difficult for some. She saw that on her hospital unit. She’d dealt with the mercurial highs and lows of crisis pregnancy.

  She’d wanted a house full of kids. She’d wanted to chase babies and toddlers and push strollers long after Tee was running and climbing and shrugging off any offers of help. Her dream had been thwarted by a felon’s bullet, but she had two beautiful children, and that was something to be grateful for.

  She spotted movement on the deck. “Susie, pretend you’re looking at something.”

  “Which I am, of course.” Susie picked up a book from the table as Mack came to the sliding screen door separating them from the broad wooden deck.

  “How we doing in there?”

  “We’ve finished the grand tour and Susie’s checking out a book I recommended.”

  “Great.” He smiled through the screen at his wife. “Gabe says we’ve got about five minutes until everything’s done.”

  “I’ll bring out the rest of the stuff. Susie, feel free to borrow that and tell me what you think.”

  “Thank you, Corinne.”

  “Tee?” Corinne called upstairs from the first floor. “Can you help me with food?” Long seconds of silence ensued before she heard Tee’s footsteps on the floor above.

  Shouts from up the beach indicated the boys’ return. Corinne carried a hot potato salad out to the deck. Tee followed with a cold pasta salad, and dragged her feet every inch of the way, right up until the boys made it to the deck.

  Then everything changed.

  Tee raised her chin.

  Her eyes sparkled.

  Shoulders back, she was the epitome of charm once the deck was filled with five young baseball players.

  Corinne wanted to smack a hand to her head, because if Tee was crushing on one of Callan’s friends, the result could be gut-wrenching for brother and sister.

  Callan loved Tee. He’d
given her that name as a toddler. She was his “Tee-Tee,” and the name stuck.

  But they were stepping into uncharted waters now.

  And while Corinne didn’t have to do too many weekend shifts anymore, the idea of teens with too much time on their hands was worrisome. Time alone and internet access, texting, unlimited phone use...

  She wanted normal for these two, but how could she strike that balance, keep them safe and allow them to grow in current times?

  “She’s got a thing for Brandon.”

  Gabe’s soft voice made her turn. “You think?” Brandon was the team’s center fielder.

  “Oh, yeah. She’s being subtle around him and a little too loud with the other boys, as if trying to gain his attention. And he’s oblivious.”

  Corinne glanced behind her and agreed. “Can I lock her away? At least until sophomore year of college?”

  He laughed softly as he removed meat from the grill. “I think that’s an excellent idea. And this road is out of the way enough that the boys won’t be visiting down here, unless they’re coming to see Callan.”

  “Which they do on a regular basis.”

  He exaggerated a wince. “That means team dynamics are about to change. We’ll go from total dedication to the game to split attention because of G-I-R-L-S. There goes our guaranteed spot in the state playoffs.”

  She couldn’t help it. She laughed. “We’re not that bad, are we?”

  “At that age?” He raised the tongs and indicated the boys and one lovestruck tween. “No contest.”

  He was right. There was nothing like the bittersweet moments of young romance to mess with a kid’s head.

  She dreaded it, not because she didn’t want the kids to grow up. That was normal. But the older they got, the less she could fix for them, and affairs of the heart were not easily mended.

  She sighed because she knew the truth in that. Broken romances were mended only by time, faith and experience. “No one asked my opinion on this particular timeline, but if asked, I’d have put it off another year. Or two.”

  “And yet, no one offers options,” Mack said as he came up alongside them. “We deal with what comes our way, the good and the bad.”