His Case, Her Baby

by Cassidy, Carla

  It had been a happy one. Sure, there had been chaos and noise much of the time, but there had also been plenty of love and security, two necessities that Peyton hadn’t known in her childhood.

  A narrow dirt road took him past a large pond and to a grove of trees where a small cottage was visible amid the large, lush trees.

  This house and the surrounding land had once belonged to a neighbor, but big Jim Grayson had bought him out. Through the years this little cottage had served many uses—a guesthouse for visiting relatives, a romantic getaway for the harried parents of five kids, and as home for one or the other of those kids as they became adults.

  Even though it felt late as Tom pulled up in front of the cottage, a glance at the clock let him know it was just after ten. A single light burned in the front window, letting him know that Jacob was still awake.

  Of all his brothers, Tom had always been closest to Jacob. It had just worked out that the two eldest were close, and Caleb and Benjamin were close, and they had all spoiled Brittany rotten.

  A surge of irritation filled him as he thought of his wayward sister. This wasn’t the first time she’d just up and disappeared. Six months earlier she’d gone to Las Vegas to marry a man she’d only known for three months. Thankfully, she’d come to her senses before the wedding could take place, but she’d hidden out for two weeks rather than face her brothers.

  But what weighed on his heart more than anything at the moment was the fact that he’d made love to Peyton when he’d known deep in his soul that it was the wrong thing to do. Worse than that, he wanted to do it again.

  He knocked once and heard his brother yell for him to come in. He walked in to see Jacob in the recliner in the small living room. As always, the sight of Jacob sent a small shock through Tom.

  His black hair had become long and shaggy, emphasizing the lean angles of his face. His jaw held the growth of several days of whiskers, giving him the aura of a man who didn’t care.

  “Grab a beer if you want,” Jacob said as he lifted a bottle of his own to his lips.

  Tom went into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge, then returned to the living room and sank down on the sofa.

  “Heard you’ve had a tough week,” Jacob said.

  “Yeah, it’s been rough,” Tom agreed. “Did Benjamin fill you in?”

  “Yeah. Missing baby, pretty single mother, a murdered woman and our missing sister. I think Benjamin has told me everything except what he had to eat for lunch on Tuesday,” Jacob said dryly.

  “If you’d get out of that chair and out of this cabin, Benjamin wouldn’t have to keep updating you with what’s going on in town and with the family,” Tom replied.

  Jacob said nothing but instead tipped his bottle to his lips and took a deep drink. He’d been doing that a lot lately. He’d come home thin, his eyes shadowed with secrets he refused to share with anyone. But Tom knew that Jacob wouldn’t talk about what had put the darkness in his eyes until he was good and ready.

  For the next few minutes the two talked about the kidnapping and murder. “Likely suspects?” Jacob asked.

  “That’s the problem. There aren’t many. Buck Harmon spent some time with India but insists he was playing pool in the back room at Harley’s when she was murdered. Johnny Boyd confirmed it, but those two are thick as thieves, so who knows if it’s the truth or not. Caleb is checking out some of the people from India’s past, and Peyton came up with the name of an old boyfriend, but it looks like this murder isn’t going to be an easy solve.”

  “Some of them never get solved,” Jacob said darkly. He finished his beer and set the bottle on the table next to his chair. “So tell me about the woman.”

  “What woman?” Tom asked.

  “Benjamin told me he thought there was something going on between you and the mother of the baby.”

  Tom frowned. Although this was what he’d come to talk about, he found himself reluctant now to discuss his crazy feelings for Peyton.

  “She’s an amazing woman, strong and bright and sexy. But, I have no interest in pursuing anything with her.”

  “You haven’t had any interest in pursuing anyone since Julie left you,” Jacob observed.

  “I tried it once, and I have no intention of trying it again,” Tom replied.

  “You’re in a box of your own making, Tom. You’ve convinced yourself that you failed, and that’s not reality. If anyone should try it again, it should be you.”

  “That’s funny coming from a guy who’s locked himself inside this house and refuses to leave, doesn’t even want anyone to know he’s here.”

  “I have my reasons.”

  “You sure you don’t want to talk about them?” Tom asked.

  “Positive.” There was a definite edge to Jacob’s voice that warned Tom from pushing. “You know, someday you might want to let yourself talk about Julie and Kelly. You never really gave yourself any time to grieve.”

  “That’s ridiculous, of course I grieved. Besides, there’s nothing to talk about. Kelly died, Julie left and that’s the end of the story,” Tom replied.

  For the next hour the two talked about safe subjects—the hot weather, the ranch and the new veterinarian who had set up practice in town.

  “He was out here the other day to look at one of the horses who got into some brambles,” Jacob said. “Benjamin seemed impressed with him.”

  “I haven’t met him yet,” Tom said.

  “I’m surprised. From what Benjamin said, he and his wife and family have been in town a couple of months now.”

  “A couple of months? I didn’t realize it had been that long. Maybe it’s time I had a visit with the new vet in town. Did Benjamin mention where they’re from?”

  “No. Why? You’ve got that sheriff look in your eyes,” Jacob said.

  Tom shrugged. “Just a thought. One of our theories is that India came here to be close to a married lover. She moved here two months ago, and from what you’ve just told me, it might have been around the same time that the new vet showed up here in town.”

  “Sounds like you’re grasping at straws,” Jacob observed.

  “I am,” Tom admitted, “but at the moment straws are all I have left.” He released a weary sigh. “Not only do I have a murder to solve, but I don’t know if Peyton is out of danger yet. Until I find out who killed India, I won’t know what the connection is with Peyton, and that worries me.”

  Jacob raked a hand through his thick, unruly hair and gave Tom a half grin. “Then I guess it’s your job to make sure she stays safe.”

  “I guess so,” Tom agreed.

  Minutes later, when he was back in his car and headed home, he wondered how in the hell he was going to keep Peyton safe and keep his distance.

  Chapter 9

  It had been three days since Tom had come to dinner, three days since they had made love, and Peyton realized he had no intention of sharing any relationship with her other than a professional one.

  He’d called several times each day asking if she needed anything, reminding her that he didn’t think it was a good idea for her to go out and about, but he’d been cool and distant each time.

  She couldn’t help but be disappointed. Despite everything, she’d hoped for more.

  Still, she tried not to sit around and mope, even though her heart had been bruised a little. Monday she cleaned the house from top to bottom and played with Lilly.

  Although she tried not to think about Tom, thoughts of him refused to leave her head. She’d thought he cared about her, beyond their roles of sheriff and victim. It had been in his touch when he held her hand, it had been in his eyes when he’d looked at her. There had been something there, something strictly male and female that had nothing to do with their roles in the drama.

  Still, she couldn’t make him acknowledge it or embrace it. He’d wished her well and sent her on her way—alone, as she’d been for most of her life.

  Tuesday was a longer day. With little to do, she wandered the hous
e and finally sat at the kitchen table and made lessons plans for the fall.

  Today, Wednesday, had been the longest day of all. Cabin fever hit hard. How long could she stay cooped up in the house worried about some threat that might or might not exist? How long was she willing to keep her life on hold?

  By evening she’d decided she wasn’t willing to put off her life any longer. She wanted to get out of the house. She wanted to go to the park and breathe in some fresh air, sit and maybe visit with whoever might also be there.

  With India’s death, some of the fear for Lilly’s safety had vanished. She believed Tom’s theory, that India had moved to Black Rock to be near a lover. Peyton thought it was possible that India had stolen Lilly in the deluded belief that she’d present her lover with a ready-made family. Once she’d actually taken Lilly she must have panicked and instead of keeping her had taken her to her cousin’s house.

  Crazy love, that’s what India had apparently felt for her lover. And Peyton believed it was that crazy love that had gotten her killed.

  But Peyton couldn’t remain locked up in her house until her killer was caught. What if the killer was never caught? At some point she had to start living again.

  It was just after seven when Peyton called Tom. “I’m sorry to bother you,” she said when he answered. “But I just wanted to let you know that I’m taking Lilly to the park for a little while. It’s a beautiful evening, and if I have to stay in this house another minute I think I’ll scream.”

  There was a moment of silence. “I’ll meet you there,” he finally said.

  “Oh, Tom, I don’t want you to have to babysit me,” she protested.

  “It’s not a problem.”

  “But what would the taxpayers say if they knew you were spending time sitting in a park instead of doing your job.”

  “Keeping you safe is my job. I’ll see you there in ten minutes.” He hung up.

  Peyton loaded up a stroller, several bottles of water for herself and a bottle of formula for Lilly and fought a deep-seated guilt that she was taking him away from his work because she had a touch of cabin fever.

  The evening was still warm, but not as stifling hot as it had been earlier in the day. Many times as she’d driven by the park she’d seen mothers and children enjoying the shaded benches and playground equipment. She just wanted to hold Lilly and enjoy the beautiful evening.

  The park was located two blocks from the sheriff’s office, and as she turned into the parking lot she saw Tom’s car already there.

  He got out of his car and approached hers and she tried not to notice how handsome he looked in the evening sun.

  He looked toward the park, where two women sat on the benches and several children were enjoying the playground equipment.

  “See those women?” he asked as she got out of her car.

  “That’s Dawn Washington and Rachel Cook, two of Black Rock’s most upstanding citizens. I’ve known them both for most of my life. If you want to meet good people, I’ll introduce you to them. Then I’ll go hang out in the car.”

  “Tom, I’ll be fine here with them. I’ll introduce myself. There’s no point in you staying here with me. I’ll visit with the women and when they leave I’ll leave. Nobody is going to try to do anything to me or to Lilly as long as there are other people around. Please, I’d feel better about this whole thing if you’d just go back to the office.”

  He jammed his hands in his pockets and gazed at the park, then looked at her once again. “You’ll leave as they do and go directly home?”

  “I promise,” she agreed.

  “And you’ll call me as soon as you get home?”

  She nodded and he stepped back from her. “Then I guess you’ll be okay.” He raised a hand and waved at one of the two women, who waved back. “You’ll make friends with them easily,” he said to Peyton. “And don’t forget to call me when you get home.”

  She watched as he got into his car. In the best case scenario she would have been sharing the evening in the park with him. They would be sharing dreams, making plans for their future and laughing with Lilly.

  “Foolish thoughts,” she muttered as she unloaded the stroller, then got Lilly settled in and pushed her toward the two women seated on one of the benches.

  “Look at that sweet baby girl,” one of them said with a friendly smile.

  “Her name is Lilly, and I’m Peyton.”

  “Hi, Peyton. I’m Dawn, and this is Rachel. Nice to meet you.”

  Rachel, an attractive blonde looked at Peyton curiously. “Aren’t you the woman whose baby was kidnapped?”

  Peyton nodded.

  “Oh, honey, sit right down here,” Dawn exclaimed and made a place between the two for Peyton to sit. “You must have been terrified.”

  “It was the worst experience I’ve ever been through,” Peyton replied. “Thank goodness Sheriff Grayson managed to find Lilly and return her to me safe and sound.”

  For the next few minutes they spoke about mothers’ fears and shared personal information about themselves. Dawn was married and had two little boys who were at the moment climbing on the jungle gym. Rachel was also married and the mother of a five-year-old girl who was on the swings.

  With Tom’s ringing endorsement of the women in her ears it was easier for Peyton to let down her guard just a little bit.

  Dawn worked as a secretary in the mayor’s office, and Rachel was a stay-at-home mom with a passion for making beaded jewelry.

  For Peyton it was delightful to sit and chat with the two women, who were friendly and open and wonderfully ordinary. Rachel was planning a jewelry party in her home and took Peyton’s phone number, promising an invite and the opportunity to meet more of the women of Black Rock.

  “There’s Caleb, making the evening rounds,” Dawn said as the deputy’s car rolled slowly by the park.

  “Those Grayson men definitely got the luck of the hunk genes,” Rachel exclaimed. “If I were single I’m not sure which one of their bones I’d jump.”

  Tom’s name jumped right into Peyton’s head. “They were all nice while investigating Lilly’s kidnapping,” she said.

  “They’re hot, they’re nice and they all seem to have an aversion to marriage,” Dawn said.

  “Sheriff Grayson was married, remember?” Rachel said. “Poor man lost his little girl then his wife left him. I think it broke him completely.”

  These words pierced through Peyton’s heart. Was it possible that a tragedy like that could break a person so completely he could never love again? Would never seek that kind of happiness again?

  If she’d never gotten Lilly back, would that trauma have made her never think about having another child? Would she have never loved anyone that much again?

  She liked to think that wasn’t the case, that her capacity to love was bigger than anything life could throw her way.

  “Well, guess it’s time to pack it in,” Dawn said. Twilight had fallen, painting the park in violet shadows portending the imminent arrival of night.

  She stood from the bench. “Shawn, David, let’s go. It’s going to take an hour to get the dirt off you before bedtime.”

  The little boys hollered protests but got off the equipment and headed to their mom as Rachel called for her daughter, Melissa.

  “We’re here most evenings,” Rachel said. “Feel free to join us anytime. Maybe we can do lunch sometime before school starts.”

  “That would be great,” Peyton agreed. As the others began the walk toward their cars, Peyton also got ready to go.

  It didn’t take long for the other two women to load up their cars while Peyton tried to unfasten the strap holding Lilly in place in the stroller.

  It was stuck. She waved goodbye as the others pulled out of the lot and then knelt down to tug on the strap fastener.

  “Did you have a good time at the park, Lilly?” She smiled at the baby and leaned down and kissed her cheek, then sighed in relief as she finally managed to get the strap unfastened.
<
br />   “I think with all this fresh air we should both sleep like babies tonight.” She unlocked the back door and placed Lilly in her car seat.

  As she fastened her in, Lilly reached out and grabbed her nose and cooed. Peyton laughed and kissed the little hand. “We’ll go home and you can have a nice bottle and I’ll have a glass of wine. How does that sound?”

  Lilly laughed, as if delighted by the plan. As Peyton closed the car door and folded up the stroller to put it in the trunk, she smiled at thoughts of the two women she’d met. They’d been nice, and wonderfully normal.

  She thought of Kathy—or India—who had fooled her so completely. Part of the problem, Peyton now recognized, was that she’d isolated herself in the two months after making the move to Black Rock.

  She should have been out making lots of friends, she should have had those friends and neighbors to support her when Lilly had been taken. Maybe that’s why Tom had become so important, because he’d been the only thing she’d had to hang on to.

  She opened the trunk and leaned over to place the stroller inside. As she raised up, something crashed down hard on her back. Her purse fell to the ground, and for a moment she thought that somehow the trunk lid had fallen on her, but she heard the scuffle of footsteps and felt somebody’s hot breath on her neck. At the same time a vicious punch in her side sucked her breath away.

  She crumbled to the ground, gasping for air. Get up, an inner voice screamed inside her head. You have to get up and protect Lilly.

  Even as the thought exploded in her brain, a foot connected with her ribs and a crashing pain sent stars flying in her head.

  She grabbed the fender and attempted to pull herself up and got her first look at her assailant. She couldn’t tell anything about him other than he was tall and wore a ski mask that obscured not only his hair color but also any other identifying feature.

  “Bitch,” he hissed, his voice nothing more than a guttural snarl as he kicked her again…and again.

  She tried to scream, but she had no air and she realized he was going to kill her if she didn’t move, if she didn’t somehow get up.