The Lawman's Convenient Bride. Christine Rimmer
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leaned toward her sister across the table. “I have zero reason to call that man.” She kept her voice low in order not to share her private business with every customer in the place.
Elise fiddled with her ginormous engagement diamond. She did that a lot, usually while smiling dreamily. She and Jed Walsh, the famous thriller writer, were getting married at the end of June. And actually, she was looking more thoughtful than dreamy right at the moment. “He’s the baby’s uncle, right? And he really wants to help. You said so yourself.”
“There’s nothing to help with. I’m so completely on top of this whole situation. You guys threw me three showers. There’s nothing left to buy. The baby could come tomorrow. I’m ready to go. I mean, I have three birth coaches, present company included.”
Elise gave a little snort. “You are so efficient I can’t stand it. I get it. You’ve got this. It’s all under control.”
“As a matter of fact, it is. And I do.”
“Kids do need family, though.”
“Handled. We’re Bravos. There are too many of us to count.”
“Seth Yancy is your baby’s family, too—and I can’t believe I even have to remind you of that.”
Jody stared into her steaming cup of rooibos tea. “Okay, Leesie. I get it. And I know you’re right.” She took a thoughtful sip. “I’ll...reach out to him.”
“You do realize you shudder when you say that?”
“I find him intimidating, okay? And the way he looks at me.” She couldn’t suppress another shiver. “Like I need a good talking-to, you know? Like I wasn’t brought up properly and my moral compass is all out of whack.”
Loyal to the core, Elise jumped right to Jody’s defense. “Well, that’s just rude. Maybe I should have a word with him.”
Jody snorted a laugh. “Don’t you dare—and really, he’s not that bad. He was upset that I hadn’t told him about the baby. And he was curt with me at Nick’s funeral, but that’s understandable. Nobody’s at their best after losing a brother out of nowhere in a tractor accident.”
“So. You’ll give him a chance, then?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I will.” But not until later. She had it all together this time around. She didn’t need Seth Yancy’s help.
True, he had a right to know his niece. And he would. After Marybeth was born, she would give him a call.
Elise said, “A week from Saturday Jed has to fly to New York for some publicity thing. He wants me to go.”
“Can you afford to be away? Don’t we have two parties that weekend?” Jody used the word we loosely. Her part would be minimal. Bloom would provide floral centerpieces for both events.
“They’re just small dinner parties. Danielle can run them.” Danielle was Elise’s second in command at Bravo Catering.
“So go.”
“I don’t know. I want to be here for you, in case you need me.”
Jody groaned. “Oh, please. I’m in perfect health. The baby is doing great, and I’m not due till the end of May. And if anything happened—which it won’t—Nellie and Clara are a phone call away.” Nell Bravo and Clara Ames were their other two sisters.
Elise fiddled with her ring some more. “I would be gone for four days, Saturday through Tuesday.”
“Not a problem.”
“It seems like a long time.”
“Elise. Stop worrying.”
“I’m trying.”
“I’ve had no cramping, no spotting, not a single sign that the baby might be early.”
“And besides, first babies usually come late, right?”
“Right.” Jody tried not to look guilty.
Okay, so she had a few secrets. And somehow, she’d never gotten around to sharing them with her sisters, or anyone else in the family, for that matter—well, except for her mother. Somehow, Willow Bravo, of all people, had figured it out and shown up on her doorstep when Jody was six months along. As far as Jody knew, though, her mother had never told another soul.
And, no, Jody wasn’t ashamed that she’d given her first baby up for adoption. All things considered, her choice had been the right one. And no one was going to judge her, anyway. She really ought to stop lying by omission and tell Elise and the rest of them the real reason she’d suddenly decided to spend several months in Sacramento at the age of eighteen.
But come on. It was thirteen years ago, which definitely put it into the category of old news. And she just didn’t feel up to going into it now.
Kind of like she didn’t feel up to reaching out to Seth Yancy...
On second thought, maybe there had been a little damage to her moral compass, after all.
“Jody?” Elise was watching her through suddenly worried eyes. “You okay?”
Jody pulled it together. “I am just fine. And you’re going to New York with Jed.”
* * *
The following Tuesday, Jody stood at the design station at Bloom. She was shaving the corners off a cube of floral foam when in walked the sheriff. Again.
Jody put down her knife with care. “Hello, Seth.”
He took off his aviator sunglasses and his County Mounty hat and came right for her. “You never called.” He set the hat on the counter and the glasses beside it.
Careful not to let anything spill on his hat, she brushed the shaved bits of foam from her hands. “There was no reason to call you. Everything is fine.”
“You’re sure?” He regarded her solemnly, with bleak concentration, as though if he stared hard enough, he could see inside her head and discover all the ways she wasn’t taking proper care of herself.
Jody had a burning need to let out a long, exasperated sigh. Somehow, she quelled that. “I’m sure.”
“Should you be on your feet so much?”
She was suddenly glad for the deep counter between them. He couldn’t look down and see her slightly swollen ankles—which were nothing out of the ordinary for a woman in her third trimester. “Honestly. I’m taking excellent care of myself.”
He sent a suspicious glance around the shop. “Those tubs of flowers outside are heavy. You should have help carrying them in at night.”
She had a good answer for that one. “And I do have help. Plenty of it.”
“How so?”
What? He had to have specifics as to her employees and the hours they worked? Fine. She would give him specifics. “I hired an extra assistant. I already have one who comes in to work with me on Saturday, runs the shop on Sunday by herself and picks up the slack whenever I need her. The new one comes in at two and stays through closing, Monday through Friday. And when the baby’s born, she’ll be here full-time for as long as I need her, and my original assistant will be working more, too.” Was that enough information to end this interrogation?
Apparently not. “You were here on your own a week ago when we talked.” It came out as an accusation with How could you be so irresponsible? implied at the end of it.
No way I have to explain myself to you. But then she went ahead and did it anyway. “The new girl called in sick that day. But she hasn’t missed a day since. And if she can’t make it, and the other clerk is busy, I have more people I can call.”
“What about when you open up in the morning?”
“What about it?”
“Who