Rocky Mountain Baby (Roberts of Silver Springs Book 9)

by Nadia S. Lee

  Chapter Seventeen

  Molly let Charlie work his computer voodoo while she supported him silently. After all, this was his area, not hers, and the best thing she could do was not get in the way.

  On the second day, she brought some bread for sandwiches for lunch, then changed Emilia’s diapers and fed her the last of the formula. Time to restock, she thought. A baby’s basic needs wait for no one.

  “Charlie, I need to hit the store. Can you keep an eye on Emilia while I’m gone?”

  He looked up from the computer, stretching his neck. “Why don’t we go together? I need a break.”

  “Okay.”

  On their way to the store, Molly asked, “So. Did you find anything?”

  He shook his head. “No. Beatrice must’ve paid her with cash or something because I can’t find anything. I’m not even sure exactly how Beatrice knows about Georgie.” His eyes grew distant and Molly could tell that he was making assumptions, drawing connections, testing theories inside his head. “I do know that Georgie was having some serious money problems, but in the last day or two she’s gotten flush. Two big deposits made via ATM.”

  “Those are suspicious enough.”

  “Yeah. But they don’t tie into anything.”

  “Guess it was too much to hope that Beatrice would make the same mistake twice.” The woman might be evil, but nobody could accuse her of being stupid.

  “I’ll come up with something. Georgie’s my problem.” Charlie parked the car and opened the door for Molly, then got Emilia out.

  As they cut through the parking lot, Molly’s skin started crawling. She looked around and saw a few people hastily turning away, whispering to each other.

  What’s that about?

  It was the same inside the store. The owner had to clear his throat before he would speak to them, and the shoppers Molly and Charlie ran into openly stared, especially at him and Emilia.

  Finally, Molly had had enough. One too many people dared to gape as though Charlie and Emilia were some kind of exotic animals on display, and she walked right up to the guy. “What?”

  Danny Sanders raised both hands. He was nineteen and an apprentice mechanic. “Hey, Molly, don’t get mad.”

  “Why were you staring like that, then?”

  His eyes grew wide. “I wasn’t staring at your boobs!”

  “I never said you were. Now tell me.”

  He swallowed. “I was just wondering what Charlie’s got. Cuz a hot girl like you is dating him, even though he fathered a baby with another woman and all.”

  “What? Who told you that?”

  “I just, you know, heard. His ex told me when she stopped by the shop to ask for directions. Kind of a pretty girl…but I think you’re prettier.”

  Unbelievable. Both Georgie and Danny. “Does everybody know?”

  “Probably. I mean…it’s pretty juicy, right?” He grinned uncertainly.

  Molly shook her head. “For your informa—”

  A hand wrapped around her arm. “Molly.”

  She looked up at Charlie. “What?”

  “Don’t.”

  Danny took the moment to make his escape. “Now he’s gone!” she said, gesturing at the disappearing figure.

  “Beatrice wants you to be upset. If you react the way she wants, she’s winning.”

  Molly drew in a breath, shaky with anger and indignation. “It’s not fair. She’s hurting you, painting you as some horrible human being who abandoned his child…and the mother of his child. You and I know it’s all lies.”

  He gave her a wan smile. “It’s enough that you believe me.”

  “It isn’t enough. Not nearly.” Suddenly tears prickled her eyes, and she sniffled.

  He pulled her into his arms. “Hey, shhh… Don’t. I’m okay.”

  But she wasn’t. She wasn’t going to be okay until she undid this injustice.

  It was about time she volunteered her cousins to help out.

  * * *

  The greatest thing about being a Roberts was that when you needed help, all you had to do was call, and a pack of cousins and siblings would come to your aid.

  Molly gathered everyone in her living room, served them coffee, tea, juice and water and watched them solemnly.

  Bri finally said, “Is this about that horrid rumor?”

  Molly nodded.

  “Bad business, that Georgie woman,” Jack said.

  “Difficult to ignore a girl who flashes her charms and talks.” Spike made a yapping motion with his thumb and fingers.

  Bekah grimaced. “She’s been playing the victim, but I don’t believe her. Charlie wouldn’t do something like that.”

  Emma nodded. “My take exactly. But she said the evidence is there.”

  “I’m sure she’s being paid by Beatrice to lie,” Molly said.

  “Got any proof?” Sam asked.

  Molly shook her head. “But it makes sense. She was angry with him, blaming him for her overseas accounts becoming public and all.”

  “That’s gotta be it. That would give her a reason to want to hurt him, even if it’s a petty one.” Emma’s gaze swept over the group. “I hear that she may have to sell everything off to pay the IRS penalties. Might even become homeless.”

  “No way!” Spike said. “That woman’s too well connected to pay like the rest of us.”

  “Hard to fight the government,” Bri said, and Bekah nodded.

  “Even if she doesn’t go to jail, she’s going to have to pay back taxes and stuff,” Sam said. “The penalty’s gotta be pretty sizable and likely to leave her in a bad financial shape. And since she can’t prove Charlie’s the one who exposed her, she’s going to use an underhanded tactic to get him.”

  “So why not do a paternity test? That would exonerate him,” Ally said.

  “Takes too long, and Beatrice may come up with another way to hurt him,” Molly said. “Besides, I don’t need a DNA test to be certain. He said he didn’t do anything with anybody to make a baby, and I believe him.”

  “So do I,” Sam agreed. “I’ve known him for years, and he isn’t that kind of guy.”

  “Gotta put myself on Team Charlie, too. I never got any weird vibe from him,” Mike said.

  “I want to prove that Georgie’s lying and Beatrice is behind this,” Molly said.

  “How? I doubt Georgie’s going to just blurt out a confession,” Bekah said.

  “Get her drunk, maybe?” Ally suggested.

  Spike shook his head. “The woman looks like she can hold her liquor.”

  Sam looked at Molly. “Do you have a way to prove she’s lying?”

  “I’m going to have to bluff,” Molly said.

  Mike grimaced. “I love you and support you, cousin, but you’re a terrible liar. Best stay off the poker table.”

  “I know, I know.” Molly spread her arms wide. “But this isn’t just a game of poker. This is my life! This is my man we’re talking about. I’m going to do everything I can to protect our future, just like he protected me.”

  Everyone fell silent. They knew how Charlie had helped her out. Finally, Jack leaned forward. “Tell us what we need to do.”

  She shot him a grateful smile. “Okay. Here’s my plan…”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Molly nursed a virgin daiquiri at Theo’s sports bar while waiting for Spike and Jack to come through. Sam had wanted to help, but he’d actually get in the way. Even he’d had to admit that.

  She mentally went over what she needed to say a few times. Mike was absolutely right about Molly being a horrible liar, but everything depended on her giving an Oscar-worthy performance.

  A few people at the bar stole glances at her, probably thinking the same thing Danny had. It was awful, but she consoled herself with the knowledge that all this would pass soon enough. Her jaw hurt every time her gaze landed on Beatrice laughing with another woman, but the old bat’s presence was required for this.

  You can do it.

  Molly finished the rest of h
er drink. As she set the glass back on the counter, Georgie walked in with Spike. The woman was dressed to show off her assets, and was giggling at something Spike had said.

  Drawing a deep breath, Molly stood up to confront them. This was it.

  “I can’t believe you have the gall to show up here with that woman!” she said to Spike.

  He looked around theatrically. “What?”

  “What does Amy think about this?”

  “Nothing. Georgie and I just ran into each other in town, and I told her Theo’s bar was a good place if you want a hot meal and good cocktails.”

  Molly swiveled her head toward Georgie. “How dare you worm your way into my life? You think I don’t know why you’re doing this?”

  The other woman frowned as she looked Molly up and down. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “I know all about your side deal with Beatrice.”

  “Side deal? And who’s this Beatrice, anyway?”

  “Please. Drop the act. It’s her MO to pay people to spread false rumors. You aren’t the first patsy she’s used, and you won’t be the last. And you know what she’s going to do when you get caught? Throw you under the bus. Why do you think she’s still walking around free, smelling like a rose and having fun”—Molly jerked her thumb in Beatrice’s direction—“while the people she’s used are rotting in jail?”

  Georgie followed Molly’s gesture and blanched at the mention of jail.

  Something else occurred to Molly. “Besides, you’ve already admitted to child abandonment, so I don’t even need anything else to get the sheriff to toss you in jail.”

  “What?”

  “You left your daughter outside Charlie’s house. At night. In October. The baby could’ve died.”

  Georgie gasped. “I didn’t abandon her. I left her with…her daddy.”

  “Really? Then why didn’t you ring and hand the child over rather than leaving her outside?” Molly crossed her arms. “The more I think about it, the stranger it becomes. You ditch a baby you don’t want with a nice guy you used to date in college, then a few weeks later you suddenly appear, stirring up trouble, but never making a move to take the baby back. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were following somebody’s else’s script.” She pulled out her phone. “I have the sheriff’s number. I’m going to call him right now and ask what we should do with a woman who’d endanger a helpless baby.”

  “No, don’t!” Georgie cried. “Fine, what do you want to hear? I had to leave her. I had no money, and her dad is a cheating, lying scumbag who’s married and has no desire to divorce his wife to be with me!” Her face flushed, she pointed her finger at Beatrice. “That woman called me a few days ago, told me she saw me at Charlie’s house while walking outside and threatened to turn me in to the police unless I helped her out. When she sweetened the offer with money, I told her I wanted cash, handed to me in person. These days, I trust nobody.”

  “That’s a lie!” Beatrice screeched from her booth.

  “No, it’s not, you horrible old crone! Why do you think I insisted on meeting you in person? So I could record our conversation. You think I’m stupid enough to let you have something to blackmail me with for life?”

  Molly’s eyes widened. “You recorded her…?”

  “Liar!” Beatrice screamed.

  “Why would I lie? I have nothing to lose.”

  “I’m going to make you pay for this, you guttersnipe! You’ll rot in jail till Judgment Day.”

  “I don’t know,” Sam said loudly. “Not reporting a crime? Using it to blackmail someone? Not exactly kosher in the eyes of the law.”

  “Think I’ve heard about enough of this.” A man who had been sitting in a corner, chair tilted back against the wall and hat pulled down over his eyes, pushed to his feet. It was Wayne, out of uniform for once. “Good God, ladies. If you’re going to confess to a crime, you should do it someplace more private, or at least with your attorneys present.” He started forward. “Both of you are going to need to come with me.”

  “I most certainly will not!” Beatrice said.

  “You don’t want me to handcuff you in front of all these people, do you?”

  “You wouldn’t dare!”

  Wayne gave her a long, level look, and Beatrice finally broke eye contact. As he escorted her and Georgie out, a restive wave went through the crowd. Molly noticed that people were realizing their error. Disgust and regret twisted their faces, and they shook their heads as they watched the spectacle play out. Murmurs started to rise.

  “How could she?”

  “Always knew Beatrice was proud, but this is going too far.”

  “Goodness.”

  Suddenly people started parting like the Red Sea as Charlie cut through the bar. Without a word, he pulled Molly to him and kissed her on the mouth. “You crazy girl. What were you thinking? When Jack texted me, I thought he was drunk.”

  “I’m perfectly sane,” Molly said. “I was bluffing for my love.”

  She watched as he drew in a few deep breaths. What was he thinking? Was he upset that she had aired everything in public? “I can explain,” she said. “I wanted people to know they were wrong about you.”

  “Why?” he whispered. “I don’t care about all that. This could’ve turned out badly.”

  “I don’t care. You’re mine and I love you.”

  His gaze softened. “You keep saying that before I can. You know it’s the man’s job to say ‘I love you’ first, right?”

  She snorted. “Best get a move on, then.”

  A small smile curled his lips. “I love you, Molly Roberts.”

  “I love you, too, Charlie Hackman.”

  Cheers and good-natured hollers went up, and Theo, the owner of the bar, stepped forward. “Next round’s on the house!” He slapped Charlie on the back. “I knew you were good.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  As her cousins and her brother and their significant others gathered around, Molly took Charlie’s hand and grinned.

  Family, friends and the man of your dreams?

  Life couldn’t get any better.

  * * *

  Charlie showed up at Bri and Bekah’s B&B with a case of ice-cold sparkling cider, Emilia strapped to his front. The Thanksgiving feast was about to start, and Molly had arrived hours before to help with the side dishes.

  He smiled fondly at the thought of her. Life had settled down some after Georgie had gone back to Vegas and Beatrice had been disgraced. Although she’d tried to downplay her money troubles, they were really impossible to hide. She’d had to get rid of her Cadillac, and there was a “for sale” sign in front of her house.

  Well…“settling down” wasn’t actually the right phrase for how Charlie’s life was at the moment. Because dating Molly? There was no settling down about it. She shone like the brightest star in his life, and she definitely kept him on his toes with her unfolding plans for business and joie de vivre.

  Charlie wouldn’t have it any other way.

  The main dining hall was huge, decked out with all the Thanksgiving decorations—pumpkins, pine cones, wreathes and candles. It was a Roberts tradition to have a feast here, where there was enough space to accommodate the large and ever-growing family.

  Everyone was already there, and Zach noticed him first. “Hey, Charlie!” he called out cheerfully. “Just in time for the turkey and ham.”

  “Emma outdid herself with the pies this year,” Molly said, coming over from the kitchen to give him a quick kiss. “Best pumpkin pies in Colorado.”

  “Ooooh yeah! I did some cool stuff to the recipe. Pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.”

  “Yeah, it totally is. I helped her make it,” Cooper, Emma’s boyfriend, said.

  Anthony chuckled. “You mean you ate everything she made while groaning with appreciation.”

  “Hey, having a discerning critic around is very important.”

  “Critic, ha!” Zach snorted then laughed.

  Hunter a
ppeared, carrying out a huge turkey, with Rex right behind him with the ham. Amy, Emma, Molly, Erin, Bri and Bekah brought out all the side dishes, including macaroni and cheese, Charlie’s favorite.

  Once everyone was seated, Ralph, the head of the Roberts family, began, “We have so much to be grateful for this year. We’re together and happy. Many of us found true love. We’ve had a truly blessed year.”

  “Hear, hear!” Cheers went up.

  Once the room had quieted somewhat, Steve steepled his hands and turned to Lina. “Now, dear… Do you have anything to share with us?”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, Ms. I Eat Donuts with Pickles!” Molly called out.

  “Oh, all right.” Lina flushed. “I’m pregnant! I was saving the announcement for Christmas, but…”

  Sam kissed her on the forehead. “Sweetheart, you were too obvious.”

  “Guess so.”

  Patty clapped. “Now that she’s finally admitted it, I can tell everyone I’m going to be a grandma!”

  “You still could’ve told everyone,” Bob said.

  “Well. I didn’t want to steal her thunder.”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Hopefully, you’ll be the happiest grandmother in the whole world,” Bob said.

  “And why not? I love babies.”

  “Who doesn’t?” Ralph stood up and reached for the craving knife and fork. “Now… Who’s hungry?”

  Chapter Nineteen

  –Two and a half years later

  Kicking the door to the house closed, Charlie called out, “I bring thee fresh donuts from Sprinkles!”

  “Finally!” Molly said, gushing as she eyed the box of donuts and kissed him. The way she devoured his mouth made him feel like a medieval overlord who’d just plowed through a field of barbarians to reach Sprinkles and come back to his fair lady with the victory prize.

  “Jelly. Mommy likes it,” Emilia said, her diction surprisingly good for her age, as they all sat down at the table.

  “Exactly, my princess.” Molly wrapped her small hand around the lid of a pickle jar, then gave up. “Honey, can you do it?”