Something about this situation seemed off. Jesse Easton was a volunteer at the library, and Isabelle knew she worked hard to make sure the old and infirm of the town were looked after; never hungry and always had a ride if they needed to go into one of the bigger towns such as Bear Bluff to the hospital there. In short, she was not the kind of woman who would lose her son and then accept him just turning up in her life again, especially with a baby, with no questions asked. But if she knew the answers to those questions, she was keeping them to herself.
“So, Cade, isn’t it? Where’s he been these last … two years? More? If you didn’t know anything about the baby, it has to be some time, or did he just not tell you?” Isabelle asked, sipping her coffee, knowing she needed to keep sharp. Sometimes it wasn’t what people said, it was how they said it, or their body language. However, Jesse looked calm, not as if her axe-wielding son had just walked back into her life with a stolen child.
No, this Cade couldn’t be a bad man, at least not really bad, Isabelle thought.
“He was working,” Jesse said, sipping her coffee and looking at Maisie, who had a fist in her mouth, and was kicking her legs and making sounds of joy.
“Doing what?” Isabelle asked.
“I can’t tell you,” Jesse said, looking directly at Isabelle. “But before you jump to any conclusions, he isn’t a criminal and he wasn’t in prison.”
“Then where? An oil rig? Working abroad.”
“Nothing like that.” She set her cup down. “I know it’s your job to investigate, but Cade is a good man, better than most. He’s come home, and if he chooses to stay, and I hope he does, then he will be welcome. Please, Sheriff, do not go looking for trouble where there isn’t any.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Isabelle said, although sometimes pressing people’s buttons and seeing the reaction was the best way to get information. People acted differently under stress.
“I know.” Jesse smiled reassuringly. This woman was one cool grandma.
“I have to ask questions. You do understand?” Isabelle touched Jesse’s hand briefly, showing her support.
“I know you have a job to do,” Jesse agreed.
“So I’d like to ask Cade a few questions. It would put my mind at rest if I could speak to Maisie’s mom, too.” Isabelle smiled, but knew it probably looked false. Jesse was being deliberately evasive, and Isabelle was going to find out why. “I just want to know everything is OK. Now, I can come over later and speak to Cade in your home, or I can ask him to come down to my office.”
“No. There’s no need for him to come and see you. I don’t want gossip starting.” Jesse looked out of the window. “I’ll go home now and get him up and fed. Give me an hour.”
“Thank you, Jesse,” Isabelle said. “I appreciate it. Just a quick chat. Nothing serious.” Tony came over with her breakfast and set it down, leaning against the back of her seat, ready to listen in to the conversation.
Jesse looked up at him, and then rose from her seat. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll see you later.”
“See you later, Jesse,” Isabelle said, and picked up her knife and fork. She would take her time over her breakfast, do her rounds, and then head over to see this mysterious Cade and find out exactly where he came by a baby.
Chapter Three – Cade
His head was fuzzy when he woke up. It took him a moment to figure out where he was. Home. That thought made him smile and he lay back, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. Then he realized Maisie was gone, and adrenaline shot through him, kick-starting his body into action. In one swift movement he was out of bed and dragging on his clothes, before going downstairs to the kitchen to find his mom.
She would have Maisie; they would be sitting at the kitchen table, the baby gurgling and smiling. He pictured it clearly in his mind, willing it to be true.
The kitchen was empty.
His heart rate quickened, he went from room to room. No one else was here. Dragging his hand through his hair, he looked around for any sign of a disturbance, any sign as to where everyone was. His gut felt heavy, the sense of dread pulling it down, and he wanted to go back to the bathroom, put his head down the toilet, and puke it up, get rid of it. He was overreacting, but what else could he do?
“Where are you?” He went back to the kitchen, feeling the coffee pot to see how warm it was, hoping to get some indication of how long the house had been empty. It was cold. No one had made coffee this morning.
But they had left a note. With a huge, ragged sigh, he relaxed. His mom had taken Maisie for a walk to let him sleep in.
Bracing himself on the counter, he tried to let the wave of relief sweep over him, and the fear dissipate. He could not live his life like this. He was home; Maisie was safe.
But what if they knew where home was?
They couldn’t. His records were confidential. This same dread had followed him since the day his old undercover partner, Jenni, had turned up at his apartment with Maisie, the look of a haunted woman in her eyes. Her explanation had been brief; she had been set up. Accused of stealing evidence, she had been on the run for months. She didn’t name the threat, neither the person nor organization that were after her, but she had been scared enough to leave again in the middle of the night. With only a note of explanation as to why Maisie was better off with Cade.
In the months that followed, Cade had tried to find Jenni, but she was scared enough to vanish completely from the world. At night he sometimes woke up and wondered if she were already dead. Then, a couple of weeks ago, she sent him a message: to stop following her, because if they found him, they would take Maisie, and hurt her.
He couldn’t bear the thought of anything bad happening to the little girl who was blossoming before his eyes. So he had abandoned his search and come home. As a shifter, in a shifter town, he could be sure there would be plenty of people to watch over and protect her.
Yet even here, the thought that he would wake up one morning and find someone had taken Maisie in the night was not going to go away. The fear of losing Maisie cut him keenly. He had vowed to keep her safe, and he took that very seriously.
Cade straightened up. Coffee was what he needed. He concentrated on making a fresh pot, giving his brain something simple to focus on. Then he made some toast, and made a mental list of everything he needed to do today. Most of the list revolved around Maisie. A bed, stroller, diapers, and formula. All the things he had been running out of over the last couple of days as he had made his way home.
The route had been calculated and long, his training kicking in. He made absolutely sure he was not followed by using a very indirect route.
Overcautious, his bear told him. but Cade knew his bear was on side when it came to doing everything they could to keep Maisie safe.
His focus shifted to the front door. A key was inserted in the lock, the door opened, and his mom walked in. She looked surprised to see him up. “I expected you to sleep all day. Your dad wanted to say hello this morning but I sent him off to work.”
“I woke up and Maisie was gone.” He tried not to sound accusing.
“I left a note,” his mom offered brightly.
“I saw it, eventually.” He poured her a cup of coffee and noted the worry on her face; he had to start acting normally. Although he wasn’t sure what normal was anymore. He had left this small-town life behind to make a difference as an undercover cop. Going back to normal was going to be tough.
“How are you feeling this morning?” Jesse asked.
“Better. Thanks for letting me sleep in. Now I’m up and have had coffee, I figure I need to make the most of the day and go out and get the things I need. Maisie needs a bed of her own, and a stroller.”
“I spoke to Mrs. Cantrell, she said she has some things you are welcome to. Her granddaughter used to stay over with her, but the family moved away.” He watched his mom as she came up to him and passed Maisie over, who smiled at him and burped. Then his mom stood back and looked at them b
oth, her eyes flicking from one to the other.
“Are you OK?” he asked.
“Yes. I’m just looking for the resemblance. Maisie must be like her mom.”
He closed his eyes briefly, steeling himself for the lies he was going to have to tell. Then he opened them and looked at Maisie, and smiled. He had to keep her safe, he had promised.
“Yes, she looks like her mom.”
“Cade. Listen, I would rather hear nothing than hear lies. All I need to know is that her mom knows you have her and everything is OK.”
“Her mom knows.” He looked directly at his mom, knowing exactly why he loved her and why he had come home. She had always been his staunchest supporter. “She got herself into some trouble...”
“That’s what I wondered.” His mom took a deep breath. “Is that trouble following you? I know you can’t say a lot. I’m not asking you to. But we need to know.”
“As far as I know, no one knows where I am. But I can’t be sure,” he said. Should he say any more, when he had no specific threat aimed at him, only the words of a woman who abandoned her baby?
“Is that likely to happen?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t know the full story myself…” His voice trailed off and he looked away.
“I know you would have done your best, Cade. For Maisie and her mom. You and Maisie are home now, we can keep her safe,” his mom said. She came over to him and hugged him. “I’m thankful for that at least. But you do have a bit of a problem.”
“What?” he asked.
“The sheriff. Isabelle Malone. She’s coming over to ask you about Maisie.”
“What!” His arms tightened around Maisie. “Why?”
“She saw me in the café. I think Tony, you remember him always into people’s business, had already said something to her, and she asked about Maisie. I told her she’s yours.” His mom locked eyes with him, and he knew he wouldn’t need to lie, she knew. After all the years of discipline while working undercover, he had not been able to hide the truth from her. “Get your story straight.”
“Is the sheriff one of us?” he asked.
“A shifter? Yes.”
“Then I’ll tell her Maisie’s mom, Jenni, was my mate.”
“Was she?” his mom asked. “It won’t matter either way. But I suppose if she was your mate it would explain why you took her baby on as your own.”
He shook his head. “No, she wasn’t. She wasn’t a shifter and she had no idea I was.”
“I see. She must have trusted you.”
“I hope she was right to. I feel I let her down, by not keeping them together. I should have been able to help her,” he said bitterly. “We worked undercover together a couple of years ago. Then we both moved on to new jobs. I didn’t know she was in trouble, not until she showed up on my doorstep with Maisie. All she told me was that she had been set up.”
“It wasn’t your fault. I know you feel responsible, but you cannot carry that kind of baggage around with you. Not if you want to make a happy life here with Maisie.” His mom’s face was fierce.
“I know. I just need a bit of time.” He was relieved not to have to lie to the most important people in his life.
“I’ll explain it to your dad. He’ll understand. But I don’t think the sheriff needs to know any of this. Tell her Maisie is your child, that her mom ran off. Tell her you were working undercover together and things got complicated, and Jenni couldn’t cope.”
It sounded plausible, unless Isabelle wanted proof, like a birth certificate. He didn’t even know where Maisie was born. “Are you sure? About lying to the sheriff. I didn’t come back here to get you into trouble.”
“It’s OK. If we can convince her, she’ll drop it, I’m sure. Now, I bought some baby food. I hope she likes rice; it’s got applesauce in it too. Once you’re settled I’ll make up some batches of fresh mushy food and freeze it for her.” His mom hugged him once again and then said, “You should go shower.”
“Thanks, Mom.” He kissed her cheek, and she hugged him tightly in the way that said everything would be OK. He only hoped she was right.
But he couldn’t help feeling like a teenage punk again, not a six-foot-five muscle-bound bear shifter who should not have had to come home to protect Maisie. Yet as he looked at his mom with his ward, he knew that coming home had not just been about security, it had been about giving Maisie the stability of a family, a loving family.
He left the room, thinking about Jenni, who was going to miss out on watching her daughter grow up. Before he took over caring for Maisie, he would never have believed he could feel so fiercely protective over another human being, especially one who was not even his own flesh and blood.
It was this intense feeling that had made him put everything else in his life aside to make sure she was safe.
Chapter Four – Isabelle
Isabelle walked up to the front door, a strange feeling creeping over her. Always one to trust her instincts, she took a step back, looking along the street to see if there was anyone lurking there. No one. Still she could not shake the sensation that something was off. Shrugging, she headed back to the front door and lifted her hand to knock … the door opened before she had the chance to.
“Hello, Jesse. Hello, Maisie,” she said.
“Hi, Sheriff, won’t you come in? Cade is just getting out of the shower.” Jesse stood back to allow her to pass, although she seemed reluctant. Isabelle decided to keep her guard up; the Eastons were a good family, but not all bad people were obvious. For all Isabelle knew they might be secret serial killers.
“Can I get you some coffee?” Jesse asked, heading to the kitchen.
Isabelle followed. “Yes, please.” It would give her more of an excuse to hang around, even though she had already drunk enough coffee this morning to keep her awake for the rest of the day and half of the night.
“He won’t be a minute,” Jesse said, baby still in her arms.
“Can you manage while holding Maisie?” Isabelle asked.
“She doesn’t like being set down,” Jesse said. “She’s not used to the strange house yet.”
“Here, let me…” Isabelle held out her arms, and after a moment of hesitation, Jesse let her take the baby. “Hi there.” She had an ulterior motive of course. While Jesse made the coffee, Isabelle took the time to inspect Maisie, feeling her weight, seeing that she was well fed, and there were no other obvious injuries. Isabelle wanted to reassure herself that the child was not being systematically abused.
Looking into the trusting eyes of the infant, she was certain Maisie was well looked after and loved. Apart from one that one small burn. Isabelle smiled at Maisie, and wondered if she had got it wrong. Maybe Cade was the good guy here, and it was Maisie’s mom who had hurt her and he had brought her here to keep her safe. As sheriff, she would like to help him do that, or maybe encourage him to press formal charges against the mother. In short, she wanted answers. Isabelle had learned long ago that the more information you had, the easier it was to deal with issues before they became problems.
Still, anger bubbled up inside of her. Someone had hurt this poor defenseless child. And if she found out it was Cade, she would have him before a judge in no time and Maisie put into care. Nothing gave another person the right to hurt a defenseless child.
“Jesse. Has Cade told you any more about where he has been and who Maisie’s mom was?”
Jesse turned to look at her, and then turned away to stir the coffee as she spoke. Avoiding eye contact: so she was about to lie.
“Who her mom is. She’s still alive.” Jesse placed a mug of coffee down next to her, and smiled sadly at Maisie. “Her mom left her, just dumped her on Cade and then disappeared.”
“So Cade has been solely responsible for Maisie? Her whole life?”
“Yes.” Jesse avoided her eyes again.
“Jesse, you have to tell me the truth.” If that was the truth, it meant Cade had to be responsible for the burn mark. If it wa
s a lie, then what was the truth, what were they trying to hide?
“It’s just so sad. That a woman could leave their child like that.” Jesse turned back to her and for the first time she purposefully made eye contact. “You are one of us. I’ve seen you out on the mountain, as a bear, right?”
“Yes. That’s why I came here to Tawny Valley. It’s always easier to have a shifter as sheriff if a large number of the population are the same.”
“Then you’ll understand we don’t want a lot of questions about Maisie and her parentage. No DNA tests, or anything.”
“I understand, but I’m a sheriff first, shifter second.” She rubbed the back of her neck, trying to get rid of the tingling there. Something about this house was causing her to feel wrong. Off her game. Damn, she hoped whoever Maisie’s mom was, she hadn’t come to some terrible end and was now buried in the back yard.
“Of course. I’m just afraid this might expose us,” Jesse said, her voice hushed as if someone might be listening.
“There are different channels of investigation I can use if we need DNA tests,” Isabelle said. Shifters had integrated into every facet of the human world, unseen and unnoticed, yet able to help each other when they needed to, while still protecting their secret.
“I see.” Jesse paused.
“Now, I really ought to see Cade and get on my way.” She leaned forward and passed Maisie back to Jesse, then picked up her coffee and drank it. “I can go and find him.” She placed her cup down and before Jesse had a chance to stop her, Isabelle was out of the kitchen and heading towards the stairs. She took them two at a time, the sense of dread growing in her mind, her body tingling as adrenaline kicked in.
Something was off here, she had to try to focus. Had Jesse drugged her coffee? Was she about to become Cade’s next victim? Shaking off the muzzy feeling, she passed the open bathroom door, taking in the steamed-up mirror—so he had been having a shower. Stopping, she listened, trying to figure out where he was. However, a different sense kicked in, she didn’t need to hear where he was, or see where he was. Instead she was drawn irrevocably towards a closed door.
One Bear and a Baby: BBW Bear Shifter Baby Paranormal Romance (Who's the Daddy? Book 1) Page 2
