The Baby Assignment. Christy Barritt
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one beautiful woman.
The years between them had only made Macy look more appealing. He hadn’t thought that was possible. To Tanner she’d always been knock-him-over gorgeous. Easily the most good-looking woman in the room—and one of the most humble as well.
Seeing her with Addie in her arms brought back images of what had once been his dreams of a future with Macy. Those dreams had died a quick and painful death.
He’d assumed their paths would never cross again, given he was in law enforcement and she’d moved to a new state and worked as a psychologist. Their ties had been severed.
Until now.
But sitting next to her on the couch, smelling the sweet aroma of her perfume, and seeing those flecks of emotions in her eyes had taken him back in time. Taken him back to when they’d been in love. When she’d offered hopeful grins and gentle touches and the promise of forever.
He shoved those thoughts aside.
The only thing he needed to think about was this assignment.
Saul had made it clear that this investigation was their first priority. Tanner wasn’t usually in the bodyguard business, but he’d do whatever necessary to see this through to completion.
This was just the most bizarre case he’d ever encountered. And it had him more on edge than almost any other investigation he’d worked before. What was going on with baby Addie? Was she a part of a baby smuggling ring?
If so, did smugglers really go so far as to send trained gunmen to kidnap babies? Did they really kill people just to sell a child on the black market? It seemed so unlikely.
Yet what other reason could there be for Addie to be such a commodity?
Macy had mentioned a custody dispute. The actions of the last day would be extreme, even in that scenario.
So what else did this leave?
“I’m sorry about your partner.” Macy’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.
“Thank you.”
She continued to observe him from her seat on the couch. “You’re nervous.”
He paused and realized that even though there was a crossword puzzle on her lap, her attention had been on him. She’d always been a watcher this way, perfectly content to stand back and observe life going on around her. It wasn’t that she didn’t play an active part. It was just that she liked trying to figure people out.
She could still read him, the same way Tanner could still read her. The fact made him more uncomfortable than he liked to admit. Could Macy see how much she’d hurt him? Could she sense that he hadn’t had a serious relationship since then, that his heart still hadn’t quite recovered?
You’re nervous, she’d said.
He stopped pacing and stood in front of her, unease still jostling inside him. “The stakes are high.”
“You didn’t get into this position with the FBI by not being great at what you do,” Macy said with a frown. “I know you can handle it. It’s what you’ve always lived for.”
Was there a touch of bitterness to her voice? Why? She was the one who’d left him without a good explanation. He didn’t feel like this was the time or place to address their past. Not when people’s lives were on the line.
“Macy, I thought those other agents could handle things today also, and look what happened. I don’t want to scare you, and maybe I’m speaking too honestly, but I’ve always been able to speak my mind with you.”
Something flickered through her intelligent brown eyes. “Please do. I prefer the truth.”
He took off his hat for just long enough to run a hand through his hair. “Something about all of this just doesn’t make sense to me.”
She readjusted her legs beneath her. “You can’t pinpoint what?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. I can’t imagine someone’s motive for going through all this trouble, though.”
“Can you tell me again about what happened when the baby was dropped off at your office?”
“A woman came by in a cab,” Tanner started. “She acted panicked. She told us the baby’s name was Addie, and they were both in trouble. She didn’t want her baby to be harmed.”
“Didn’t you try to stop her from leaving?” Macy asked.
“Of course. But she left the baby with a guard outside the parking lot. He didn’t have time to do anything except hold the baby and call for help.”
Macy nodded thoughtfully. “Why didn’t you call Social Services? Isn’t that the norm in a case like this?”
“We decided to check everything out first. We didn’t want to put an innocent foster family in danger, in case there was any truth in this woman’s words.”
“I’m surprised the mom didn’t leave Addie with someone in her family.” She glanced at the baby sleeping in the portable crib in the corner.
“Families aren’t always safe places,” Tanner said. “Who knows what the mom’s history with her own family is?”
“That’s true. There are some wounds so deep that even time can’t heal them, not matter what we might want to believe.”
Was that statement pointed to him? Because she was the one who’d walked away. He tightened his jaw and pushed the thought aside. “You’re right. There are things that we’ll never move past.”
She owed him more than a goodbye letter, especially after everything they’d shared. But she’d left, leaving him with no answers. So he’d poured himself into his work.
Ever since Tanner was a child, he’d wanted to bring justice to bad guys and help those in need. Taking that away from him would be like taking water from a dehydrated man: he wouldn’t survive.
The memories brought a wave of melancholy. This was going to be a long assignment, being here with Macy. Filling his time reliving memories both good and bad. He ran a hand over his face.
Just then, Addie stirred in the corner crib, and Macy went to retrieve her. She picked up the baby and began talking in low tones.
Tanner’s gut clenched. She looked like such a natural. He and Macy should have been able to have this kind of life together. Sure, they’d been too young. But they could have made it work—if Macy hadn’t decided to walk out and altered their futures forever.
The first opportunity Macy had, she’d scurried off to her bedroom. She’d insisted on taking Addie and keeping her crib in her room. She’d given Tanner a terse good-night and then closed the door.
Macy needed time to process, and she needed to be away from Tanner to do so. Just as always, the man sent her emotions into a tailspin. She couldn’t handle that right now. She already had enough on her plate without adding a serving of regrets.
She leaned against the door in her room and tried to rein in her thoughts. Why would someone leave her baby at the FBI field office? What did Macy have to do with any of this? Why was her name in the baby’s diaper bag?
Macy had never seen Addie before today. She found it hard to believe that she was linked with this in any way, except that she’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time today. Those gunmen had followed Tanner to her office.
But there was one thing Tanner had said that did create a connection—if a minor one. The fingerprints of the man who’d been shot in the office matched that of a felon from Oklahoma.
Macy had just moved here from Oklahoma six months ago.
She shook her