His Badge, Her Baby...Their Family?

by Stella Bagwell

  She nodded with regret. “I’m sorry, Vince. Everything you were saying scared me so badly I had to say something to knock you off track. That night—I just didn’t think I was ready to be a lawman’s wife again.”

  “Nothing has changed since then, Geena. I’m still a lawman.”

  “Yes, something has changed,” she pointed out. “I have. Your work was never our problem, Vince. It was my problem. These past days without you have made me see that even though you’re not with someone physically, you still continue to love them.”

  He stroked her hair. “I never know when I might be called from the dinner table or our bed. And I never have any idea how long I might have to be gone.”

  “That’s not news to me, Vince. I understand it won’t always be easy to deal with your absence.”

  “It will be hard, Geena. Even harder than when we lived in Reno and I was only a deputy. I see the things Noelle has to deal with. I don’t want to ask that much of you. But I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m selfish and I love you. I want us to be together. As much as we can, for as long as we can.”

  She drew his face down to hers and kissed him with all the love that was in her.

  “Mmm. You think we have a bit more time before Emma wakes?” he murmured against her lips.

  Chuckling softly, she slipped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. “She’ll probably be asleep for another hour.”

  “Perfect.”

  Rolling onto his back, he pulled her on top of him. Geena grabbed his shoulders and was bending her head to kiss him once again when the faint sound of a cell phone interrupted the moment.

  Looking around, she tried to locate the origin of the sound, then quickly realized it was coming from a pocket on Vince’s jeans.

  “It’s your phone, Vince.”

  Groaning, he rested a forearm across his eyes. “I’m not going to answer it.”

  She scrambled to a sitting position on the side of the bed. “You are going to answer it! You might be needed.”

  Ignoring the ringing phone, he sat up and stared at her in disbelief. “I thought you needed me.”

  She bit back a groan of frustration. “I do. But there could be an emergency somewhere. It’s your job to take care of it.”

  “There are other detectives on the force besides me.”

  She couldn’t believe he was talking this way, but then maybe she could. For a few minutes this afternoon, they’d found paradise together. He didn’t want to leave that place any more than she did. But that didn’t mean they could shut the world away. They had to learn to live in it—together.

  Climbing from the bed, she fished the phone from his jeans and tossed it on the mattress next to him. “Think about it, Vince. That night I was brought to the hospital after my accident, I was lost and alone. And very scared. I was told a detective was coming to help me. What if you’d shouldered that job to someone else?”

  With a look of utter resignation, he reached for the phone. “Sometimes you make too much sense.”

  She cast him a loving smile. “You answer your call. I’ll be in the nursery checking on Emma.”

  After a quick trip to the bathroom, Geena pulled on a blue satin robe and walked across the tiny hallway to the nursery.

  Emma was still sound asleep, so Geena turned away from the crib and started out of the nursery, only to meet Vince walking through the door. He was fully dressed, his expression grim.

  “Sorry, Geena. I’ve got to go—Evan’s already at the scene. There’s been a shooting at a downtown bar. Two victims. One is in surgery. The other didn’t make it.”

  She drew in a deep breath and let it out. “Of course you must go. I’ll walk you to the door.”

  She watched with a mixture of love and fierce pride as he took a moment to press a kiss to Emma’s cheek. She couldn’t understand why it had taken her this long to understand that Vince’s job was very special. Not many men could deal with the rigors and stress, the danger and most of all the sacrifice it took to serve and protect the public. Yes, she was very proud. And the next time they were together, she would make sure she told him exactly how much.

  At the front door, he paused long enough to place a swift kiss on her lips. “This isn’t the way I wanted our day to end,” he said, his voice filled with disappointment.

  Smiling gently, she shook her head. “There will be other days, Vince.”

  “Yeah, other days,” he muttered, then opened the door and stepped onto the porch. “I’ll call you later.”

  She blew him a kiss. “Be safe, darling.”

  He trotted out to his truck, and Geena watched him drive away before she finally shut the door.

  No. This wasn’t the way she would’ve chosen for this day to end. But as far as she was concerned, it was a beautiful start to the rest of their lives.

  *

  A week and a half later, Geena walked into the Green Lizard Bar and Grill for the first time and peered around the old establishment. Through the dim lighting, she took in the planked wooden floors and long polished bar with red padded stools. Mariachi music was playing faintly in the background, while the smell of Mexican food permeated the air.

  She didn’t see Marcella sitting at the long bar, so her friend must have found a table. But where?

  “You don’t have to wait to be seated, miss. Just sit wherever you’d like.”

  Geena glanced around at a young waiter standing a few steps to her right. A tray of drinks was balanced on one hand and stack of menus was jammed beneath his opposite arm.

  “I’m looking for a friend,” Geena told him. “A pretty redhead. Do you happen to know where she’s sitting?”

  “Sure. Follow me. I was headed in that direction.”

  After they worked their way through a maze of round wooden tables filled with customers, the room made a jog to the left and opened up to another dining area that was slightly less crowded than the outer room.

  The waiter inclined his head to a table in the far corner, next to a window. “Is that her?”

  “Yes, thanks,” Geena said as she spotted the nurse.

  “Can I get you anything to drink?” the waiter inquired.

  “Coffee with cream would be great,” she told him.

  When Geena reached the table, Marcella rose to her feet and gave her a brief hug.

  “I’m so happy you agreed to meet me for a drink,” she said with a cheery smile. “Especially now that your teaching job has started and your time is limited.”

  “Well, it’s not like you sit around eating grapes and watching television all day,” Geena countered. “You work long shifts at the hospital and care for two boys. You got me beat.”

  Chuckling softly, Marcella reached for a tall glass of soda. “So we’re both superwomen. I’m sure you’d rather be picking up Emma now instead of meeting with me.”

  “I told Annie I’d be a little late this evening. She didn’t seem to mind.” Resting her forearms on the edge of the table, Geena looked at the nurse. “Okay, what are we doing here? We could’ve had coffee or something at my place.”

  Marcella wrinkled her nose. “Because I felt like you needed to be out and away from the house.”

  Confused by her friend’s remark, Geena shook her head. “Marcella, I’ve been working for a week and a half now. I’m out of the house every day.”

  “You’re simply too practical, Geena. I love coming here to the Green Lizard. I wanted you to enjoy it, too.”

  Geena was finding it impossible to enjoy much of anything. Not with Vince occupying her thoughts every waking minute of the day. After their beautiful day together touring the lake, she’d believed the past was truly behind them and their future together had started. When he’d driven off that evening, she’d been certain she would hear from him the next day. Now here it was ten days later without a call or visit or even a simple text. Her heart was breaking and she was wondering if she’d been worse than a fool for believing he’d actually wanted a future with he
r.

  “Okay. I’ll do my best to smile,” Geena told her.

  Her eyes squinting with concern, Marcella studied her. “Last night when we talked on the phone I could hear trouble in your voice. Is it Emma? Are you sure she’s okay?”

  “Perfect. Growing like a weed. She even smiled at me this morning. I realize she’s still too young to give me a real smile, but nevertheless it was so sweet.”

  Marcella looked visibly relieved. “All right, if it’s not Emma, then it must be your job. It’s not what you hoped it would be. Or someone on the staff is already giving you a hard time.”

  “I’m loving my new job. Everyone at school has been great. And my students seem eager to learn, at least for now. A few of them are talkative, but that’s only natural.”

  Marcella was about to make a reply when the waiter suddenly appeared with Geena’s coffee.

  “Would you ladies like something to eat?” he asked.

  “No, thanks,” Geena quickly answered.

  “Yes, we would,” Marcella told him. “Bring us some of those nasty good nachos. You know, the ones with everything piled on and all the calories taken out. My friend and I will share a plate.”

  “Nice choice. I’ll bring them out in just a few minutes.”

  As soon as the waiter moved away, Geena rolled her eyes. “Marcella, I don’t have time to eat! Besides, I’m not hungry. In fact, as soon as I down this coffee, I need to go.”

  “You’re not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on with you. I can see that you haven’t been eating enough. You look thin. Do you still have plenty of milk for Emma?”

  With a smile of resignation, Geena shook her head. “Yes, I have more than enough milk for Emma. You never quit being a nurse, do you?”

  Marcella smiled back at her. “Not totally.”

  Sighing, Geena picked up her coffee and took a sip. “I can’t hide anything from you. So I might as well admit it—these past few days I’ve been miserable and confused. And I don’t know what to do.”

  Concerned, Marcella leaned forward. “About what? Don’t tell me that creep who signed away his rights to Emma is making noises about being a father now! If he is, don’t worry for one second. I know a great lawyer. He handled Peter’s adoption for me. He’s married to Sassy Calhoun, in fact.”

  A faint smile touched Geena’s lips. “Seems like everyone you know is connected to the Calhouns.”

  “They’re a prominent family. They have connections to lots of folks around town, including that hunky ex of yours.”

  Geena sipped her coffee again, then returned the cup to its saucer. “Well, you needn’t worry about Brad reappearing in my life. He’s out of the picture forever.” She looked hopelessly at Marcella, then shrugged. “I think I made a mistake—about Vince. Or maybe he made a mistake with me. I—don’t understand what’s happened. I—” She broke off, embarrassed that she was close to shedding tears.

  Reaching across the table, Marcella patted the top of her hand. “Maybe you’d better start from the beginning. Has something happened between you two?”

  Geena swallowed at the painful lump in her throat. “It has and it hasn’t. I’ve been a fool in all kinds of ways!”

  She went on to tell Marcella about her date with Vince and the wonderful day they’d spent together touring the lake. She left out the fact that their day had ended with them having sex. But Geena figured her friend could read between the lines without Geena having to spill the details.

  “So when he left to go join Evan at the scene of the homicide, he promised to call,” Geena explained. “Everything seemed okay. I mean, he wasn’t too happy about being called away, but he appeared to be happy with me. The next day I expected to hear from him. But that never happened. After a couple more days went by without him contacting me, I called him.”

  Frowning, Marcella replied, “Don’t tell me. It went to his voice mail and he’s never returned your calls.”

  Geena stared at her friend. “You say that like—like you think he was using me. And now he’s thrown me away! Again! Is that what you’re thinking?”

  “No! I might not be the greatest judge of character, but I’d bet my whole bank account that Vince Parcell is not a user.”

  “Then why won’t he call? Or better yet, he knows where I live, why hasn’t he come to see me? I realize his job keeps him tied up, but not to the point where he can’t use the phone!”

  “He’s tied up, all right. But not in the way you’re thinking,” Marcella told her. “He’s running scared. He jumped in with both feet and now they’ve turned cold.”

  For the past ten days Geena had gone over and over everything that had happened that day. Especially, the lovemaking. And in spite of the silent treatment he’d been giving her these past few days, she still had to believe he’d touched her with love. She had to trust that everything he’d said to her had come from his heart.

  “So what am I supposed to do? And don’t tell me to forget him! I’ve spent the past six years trying to do that and it didn’t work, except for when I had amnesia.”

  “Tell me this, Geena. Do you want a life with Vince?”

  Geena didn’t have to think about her friend’s question. “More than anything. We made mistakes the first time around. But I’m not afraid to try again. Because I love him. I’ll always love him.”

  Marcella gave her a meaningful smile. “You don’t need me, or a counselor, or anyone else to tell you what to do. You need to go to him. Right now. Tonight. And make it clear that you’re not about to let him drop you again.”

  Geena thoughtfully chewed on her bottom lip. “That option has been going through my mind. But what if he refuses to see me, or he won’t listen?”

  “You’ll figure that out when the time comes.”

  Coming to a sudden decision, Geena jumped to her feet and gathered up her handbag. “You’re right. I’m not some meek little ’fraidy cat. See you later.”

  She turned away from the table just as the waiter was arriving with the plate of nachos.

  “Aren’t you going to eat with your friend?” he asked.

  “Sorry, not this time,” she told him, then gestured back to Marcella. “And she’ll pay for my coffee.”

  *

  At the same time Geena was leaving the Green Lizard, Vince and Evan were returning to Carson City after a trip to the Sagebrush Lounge. For once their job had been an enjoyable one. Being able to reunite the owner with his beloved Rottweiler had made the trip more than worthwhile.

  “Did you see the look on that guy’s face when we jumped the dog out of the vehicle?” Evan asked. “It was priceless. You’d have thought we were returning his kid.”

  “I’m just glad we were able to track down the dog. And the booze. Even though half of it was already gone.”

  Evan shrugged as he negotiated the SUV over the narrow two-lane highway. “At least we got the thieves behind bars. And the owner’s insurance should pay off on the missing beer and whiskey. So all is well with that case. Now on to the next one.” He shook his head. “Right now I’m so tired I don’t remember what’s stacked on our desks.”

  “Yeah, on to the next case,” Vince mumbled. He was scrunched down in the seat, his eyes half-closed against the ball of sun slipping behind the mountain peaks of Sierra Nevada. “I don’t want to remember what’s on my desk.”

  The police scanner on the dash rarely went for a minute without the dispatcher relaying some sort of message. More often than not, the calls were for the need of a deputy. When a request for a detective came over the speaker, Evan and Vince went on instant alert.

  But tonight, Vince was finding it very nearly impossible to listen to the radio or his partner’s voice. For the past ten days he’d been so confused and torn, he’d been walking around in a damned daze. Every cell in his body was aching to be with Geena again. He wanted to see her smile, hear her voice, feel her loving arms wrapped around him. But his common sense continued to tell him to stay away.

&nb
sp; “Hey, that address isn’t far from where Geena lives,” Evan spoke up. “I heard the dispatcher calling for Cooper and Graves to head to the scene. But maybe we should go by there.”

  Trying to shake away the miserable fog in his head, Vince glanced over at his partner. “What are you saying?”

  Evan frowned. “I swear I think your hearing is going, Vince. I’ve had to repeat myself to you all day.”

  “Forget my hearing! What about Cooper and Graves?” he asked of the pair of deputies, who also worked in tandem with Evan and Vince.

  “They’ve been called to investigate a stabbing. The address isn’t far from Geena’s place. I realize you haven’t been talking with her. But I thought you might want to drive by. Just to make sure she’s okay.”

  Feeling as though he’d just had a bucket of ice water thrown in his face, Vince sat straight up.

  I was told a detective was coming to help me. What if you’d shouldered that job to someone else?

  Geena’s words had been haunting him for days now. Mostly because he knew she was right. People in need depended on him, or someone like him, to show up, to put things right, to help them make sense of a tragedy.

  “I do—want to drive by.”

  “If I was a gambling man, I’d bet you’d like to stop and see her. And Emma.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Vince barked at him. “So keep your mouth shut.”

  Evan let out a taunting chuckle. “And what if I don’t? What are you going to do about it? I’m driving. You can’t bust me in the mouth or we’d both end up in the bottom of that ravine over there with the lizards and the snakes.”

  Vince heaved out a heavy breath. “Sometimes I’d like to knock your head off.”

  “Not any more than I’d like to kick you in the ass!”

  “Evan, you don’t understand. I ruined Geena’s life once. I can’t do it again.”

  “What makes you think you’d ruin it?”

  “As if you have to ask! You already know what happened. We had a great day together. I thought—well, I’d never seen Geena happier. For a while that day I could see a real future for us. Everything was perfect. And then I was called away.”