Passion's Law

by Ruth Langan

  Over her head he said to Heather, “I’m really sorry about that scene back there. I was scared out of my mind when I found my car empty. I was terrified that someone had snatched her.”

  “Apology accepted. I don’t blame you for being half-mad with fear. I would be, too.” She paused. “Why did you bring her with you?”

  “Because the neighbor who usually sits for her had to fly out to be with her daughter, who’s about to have a baby. And the girl who was supposed to replace her didn’t show. I had no option.”

  “Where’s Brittany’s mother?”

  “She’s dead.”

  It was the last thing Heather had expected to hear. For the space of a moment she was too stunned to speak. Then she touched a hand to his arm. “Oh, Thad. I’m sorry.”

  “It was three years ago. Brittany was only a year old. She doesn’t even remember her mother.”

  “And you’ve been taking care of Brittany alone?”

  “Yeah.” He turned toward the car. “Thanks for rescuing her. But I think we’d better go home now.”

  Heather surprised even herself by saying, “If you have something more to do here, I could take care of her.”

  “You?” He turned back, staring at her as though she’d just announced she was an ax murderer.

  She looked slightly embarrassed. “I don’t know much about very young children. But we seemed to be getting along just fine before you came storming in.”

  “What about your own work?”

  She shrugged. “Uncle Joe said we were through for the day. And since I have nothing else planned…” Her voice trailed off.

  He was studying her so closely she felt the heat rise to her cheeks.

  “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “Of course I am.”

  He considered for a moment longer. Then he said to Brittany, “Would you like to stay with Heather for a while, honey?”

  The little girl clapped her hands in delight, then held out her arms.

  For a moment it was a toss-up as to which of them was more shocked—Thad or Heather.

  Thad reluctantly handed her over to Heather and the little girl wrapped her chubby arms around her neck. “Can I have more berries?”

  “If your daddy says so.” Heather glanced over at him.

  It took Thad a minute to compose himself. It gave him the oddest feeling to see his daughter in the arms of this woman.

  When he didn’t answer, Heather said, “Thad, is it okay?”

  He blinked. “Is what okay?”

  “If Brittany has more strawberries?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “Good.” She arched a brow. “Is something wrong?”

  He shook his head. “No. Nothing’s wrong. And, Heather?”

  She turned to look at him, and he was struck by the two pair of eyes watching him. One pair soft sky-blue, the other the same midnight-blue as his own.

  “Thanks. I really appreciate this.”

  She laughed. “Maybe you’d better not thank me yet. You’d be wise to wait and see if I’m up to the task.”

  It was after five o’clock when Thad finally wrote up his report and headed toward the house. Along the way he stopped at his car and tossed his suit jacket and tie into the back seat. Then, rolling the sleeves of his white shirt, he crossed the yard and paused at the kitchen.

  Inez directed him to the courtyard, where he found Heather seated in a rocker with Brittany on her lap. Both were asleep. The little girl’s head was resting in the crook of Heather’s bent arm. A children’s storybook had dropped to the floor at their feet. On a table beside them was a sweating glass of lemonade. Since all the ice had melted, Thad decided they’d both been sleeping for some time.

  He knelt in front of them, feeling such a welling of love and peace in his heart. A far cry from what he’d felt when he’d first discovered his daughter missing from his car. He’d never known such icy terror in all his life.

  He supposed it went with the territory. As a police detective, he was forced to deal with the dregs of humanity. He knew, more than most, just what unspeakable things man could do to man.

  But as a father, he would do anything, pay any price, even at the cost of his own life, to spare his child even the smallest pain. There had been a few moments when he’d been almost blind with fear.

  The relief he’d felt when he saw his daughter calmly eating had been the most overwhelming feeling he’d ever experienced.

  He studied the woman holding his daughter in the circle of her arms. Her head was bent to one side, her lips pressed to Brittany’s forehead. A diamond and emerald tennis bracelet winking at her wrist was almost hidden by Brittany’s long black curls. The slacks she was wearing had probably cost what he earned in a day. Yet she seemed oblivious to the fact that they would be sweaty and wrinkled when she relinquished her hold on his little girl. The same was true of her silk blouse. It bore the evidence of berry stains and tiny hand smudges. Yet, if the smile on her face was any indication, she didn’t seem to mind in the least.

  As he watched the way the woman and child were breathing in a slow, steady rhythm, he felt the strangest ache around his heart.

  At that moment Heather awoke. For the space of a single moment she looked confused. Then she glanced over at the little girl in her arms and smiled at him.

  “I was reading her a story.”

  “Yeah.” Needing something to do, he pretended that he’d been retrieving the book. He looked at the cover. “Goldilocks and the Three Bears?”

  Heather chuckled. “It was the only one I could find in Teddy’s room that was suitable for a little girl.”

  At the sound of their voices Brittany stretched and yawned, then reached out her arms toward her father.

  He picked her up and hugged her to his chest. “Did you have fun with Heather?”

  “Uh-huh.” She hugged him back, then said, “She was reading me a story, Daddy. It was called Ravenlocks and the Three Bears.”

  He glanced over her head to Heather. “Ravenlocks?”

  Brittany answered. “Uh-huh. And she said the bears are cousins of my teddy bear. They’re really nice bears, Daddy. And tonight I’m going to leave some honey on the table for them, in case they want to visit our house.”

  Thad couldn’t keep the laughter from his voice. “You’re leaving honey out for the bears? Are you sure you want them to visit?”

  “Only if they’re polite. Heather said polite bears always say please and thank you.”

  “Heather is absolutely right.” He stepped back as Heather got to her feet. “Well, since Brittany and I don’t want to be outdone by the bears, we’d like to say thank you, too.” He held out his hand. “I really appreciate this, Heather.”

  She accepted his handshake and absorbed the jolt to her system. There was no denying that his touch always had this effect on her.

  As he started across the courtyard she called, “What will you do with Brittany tomorrow?”

  He shrugged. “I’ll start making some phone calls as soon as I get home. There are several day-care centers in town.”

  “I…wouldn’t mind taking her for the next couple of days.”

  He shot her a look of surprise. “What about your work?”

  “Uncle Joe said there wouldn’t be much for me to do for the next couple of days.”

  “Yeah. Well, I’m sure you’d rather be riding or shopping or…”

  She was already shaking her head. “Really, Thad. We had such a good time together. I never realized just how much fun it could be. Why not let her come with you and let me take care of her? That way you can see her often during the day and decide whether or not I’m doing a good job. Isn’t that better than leaving her with strangers?”

  “You’re serious, aren’t you?” He studied her for the longest time before nodding his head. “Okay. Let’s give it a try. But if you decide you’ve had enough, I’ll expect you to be honest with me.” He held out his hand. “Is it a deal?”

  “De
al.” This time she was ready for the jolt.

  As he walked away she realized she was still vibrating from his touch. And wishing for more.

  She ran across the courtyard and called, “Bye, Brittany. See you tomorrow.” Under her breath she added, “And your big bad doting daddy, too.”

  Eight

  “I’m not happy with these sensors. They’re not picking up the right signals. Let’s try moving them to the right.” Thad motioned to a workman standing on a ladder, then turned with a look of annoyance at the interruption.

  When he caught sight of Brittany being towed in a wagon by Heather, his frown turned into a wide smile.

  The little girl climbed out and raced toward her father, who scooped her up in his arms and was rewarded with wet kisses.

  “Umm.” He kissed her cheeks. “Now that’s the nicest thing that’s happened to me all day. What are you and Heather doing in the stable?”

  “Heather said I could pet a horse.” She looked up at him. “Have you ever petted a horse, Daddy?”

  “Not in a very long time.”

  “Then you have to come with us. Hurry, Daddy, put me down. I don’t want the horse to think I’m a baby.”

  Thad grinned as he set her on her feet.

  “Come on, Daddy.” She caught his hand.

  He glanced over her head at Heather, who joined them. “I hope we’re not heading toward Diablo’s stall.”

  “I told you I was reckless, not foolish.” With a laugh she led them to a stall and opened the door to lead them inside. “Brittany, this is Lucy.”

  “Why did you name her Lucy?” the little girl asked, holding back at the sight of the big creature.

  “Because she’s a redhead.”

  Heather and Thad exchanged grins as they realized that the joke was lost on someone so young.

  Heather lifted Brittany up and brought her closer to the mare. It stood perfectly still, as though sensing the little girl’s fear.

  “Ooh. She’s soft.” Brittany laughed with delight when her fingers came in contact with the soft muzzle. “Feel, Daddy.”

  Thad obligingly placed his hand alongside that of his daughter. “Yeah. She sure is soft, honey.”

  Her fears forgotten, Brittany asked, “Can I sit on her back, Heather?”

  “I’ll leave that up to your father.”

  Seeing his concern, Heather said in an aside, “Lucy’s as gentle as they come. All she’ll do is stand there. I give you my word.”

  He nodded. “Okay, honey. Here goes.” He took her from Heather and placed her on the mare’s back.

  As promised, the old horse stood perfectly still.

  Brittany was enchanted. “When I get big can I ride her?”

  “Would you like that?” Thad asked.

  “Uh-huh.” Brittany’s eyes were wide with excitement. “Heather said she rides horses. And when I get big, I want to ride them, too.”

  Thad lifted her into his arms and pressed his lips to her cheek. “I hope you’re going to wait a few years for that.”

  “For what, Daddy?”

  “For getting bigger.”

  Brittany looked at him in surprise. “Why?”

  “Because I really like having you just the way you are.” He handed her over to Heather. “Thanks for letting me pet the horse. But now I’d better get back to work.”

  As the two walked back to the wagon Thad heard his daughter saying solemnly, “When I grow up, I’m going to be a policeman just like Daddy.”

  Heather’s reply was carried on the breeze. “That’s a fine thing to be. What would we do without policemen to keep us safe?”

  “But I want to ride horses like you, too,” the little girl added.

  “Maybe you could be a mounted policeman. Then you’d get to ride horses all day while you work.”

  Thad turned and watched as Heather pulled the wagon across the meadow toward the big house. She always seemed to know just the right thing to say to his daughter. None of the million and one questions typically asked in a day seemed foolish or trivial. And she spent so much time with Brittany. Time to listen. Time to talk. And like this little visit to the stable, time to indulge her slightest whim, or satisfy her every curiosity.

  He’d never seen his daughter as happy as she’d been these past few days. Maybe that was why his heart was feeling so much lighter lately.

  He frowned. Of course that was the reason. He much preferred believing that to the alternative—that his happiness was in direct proportion to the amount of time he was spending in the company of his daughter’s pretty baby-sitter.

  It had been a particularly frustrating day for Thad. He’d been called to the station early, which meant waking his little daughter from a sound sleep and dressing her while she was barely awake. By the time they’d arrived at the ranch, he was grateful to turn his daughter over to the care of Heather, who managed, with a few simple words, to soothe the little girl’s unhappiness while calmly fixing a breakfast of fruit, cereal and juice. By the time Thad had seen Brittany at lunchtime, she’d been laughing and chatting as though she hadn’t a care in the world.

  That went a long way toward making the rest of the day tolerable. But it couldn’t ease Thad’s uneasiness over the lax security around the ranch. Despite the security monitors and the trained professionals who’d been hired to see to the safety of those who lived here, he had some real reservations about the effectiveness of men and equipment.

  Men, even those well paid, tended to get careless. And machines were often affected by weather conditions, or even something as simple as a weak battery.

  He frowned as he went over a mental checklist of things he still wanted to look over. He had a friend who had left the police force in San Francisco to form his own private security business. Thad intended to phone him with a list of questions. It never hurt to pick the brains of the best in the business.

  Preoccupied, he was walking some distance from the pool when he saw the tiny head bobbing in the water. For one brief moment his heart simply stopped beating. Then he flew into action, racing to the edge, prepared to dive in. Just then he caught sight of Heather standing a foot away from Brittany, urging her to paddle toward her.

  When a shadow fell over them she looked up to see Thad scowling at her.

  Brittany called, “Look, Daddy. I’m swimming.” She splashed through the water until she reached the safety of Heather’s arms, where she was caught and held firmly.

  Thad’s tone was vibrating with a fear so palpable, it had him by the throat. He swallowed it back, preferring to deal in anger. “You’re teaching my daughter to swim without checking with me?”

  “Sorry.” Heather brushed water from her eyes. “You weren’t around to ask. And since this was an emergency, I thought I’d better see to it right away. Especially when I realized that she has no fear of water.”

  Thad’s scowl deepened. “What are you talking about?”

  “Brittany and I were walking and she ran ahead, right up to the edge of the pool.” She touched a hand to her heart. “Thad, she didn’t even slow down. She just took a tumble right in.”

  She kept her arms around the laughing, splashing little girl as she added, “If you think you were afraid the day she was missing from your car, you have some idea how my heart was pounding when I jumped in after her.”

  She glanced down at the little girl in her arms. “Come on, honey. That’s enough for today.”

  She waded through the water to the edge and handed Brittany up to her father. It was then that he realized the little girl was wearing only her underwear.

  “Her clothes are in the dryer along with mine,” Heather explained when she caught the look of surprise on his face.

  She pulled herself up to the side of the pool and Thad couldn’t help but note the tank suit that fit her like a second skin. His anger took a definite second place to a newer emotion.

  He reached down and helped her to her feet, his hands lingering on hers a moment longer than necessary before
he turned away and handed her a towel.

  “Thanks.” She dried herself and draped the towel around her shoulders while she found a second towel for Brittany. Soon the little girl was bundled snugly and carried in her father’s arms toward the house, with Heather walking beside them.

  “I know you’re not happy about this, Thad. But I think you’ll agree that it was in Brittany’s best interest to teach her water safety as quickly as possible. I decided it was necessary for Brittany to know how to save her own life by rolling to her back and floating until someone manages to haul her out of the water.”

  He couldn’t hide his skepticism. “You really think you can teach a four-year-old such a thing?”

  She nodded. “When I was in college I worked at a children’s camp. That was the first thing everyone had to learn. No matter how young. We even taught mothers with infants all about water safety.”

  When they stepped into the house she left him in the kitchen and returned with Brittany’s clothes, which were now dry. He watched as she smoothly dressed the little girl before handing her a snack of fruit and a cup of juice.

  “What camp did you work at?” He couldn’t tear his gaze from her as she slipped into a terry robe, cinching the waist.

  He’d heard of several exclusive camps in California costing thousands of dollars a week for the children of the rich and privileged. He could imagine Heather in such a place. She’d fit right in.

  “It’s a camp for families from the inner city who never get to swim in an Olympic-sized pool, or ride a horse, or walk a country road.”

  “You worked as a counselor at a camp for the underprivileged?”

  “Yeah.” She smiled, remembering. “I really loved it. Those are some of my happiest memories. You should see how those families open up to one another when they’re taken out of their usual environment and have a chance to just relax and play together.”

  She turned away and stepped into canvas slippers, completely missing the stunned look on his face.

  She was, he realized, a constant surprise. Every day he learned something new about her. But so much of it didn’t add up. She was, in fact, becoming more of a puzzle all the time.