His Unexpected Family (3 page)

That was before he learned how to box.

His mother wasn’t the only person on his mind, however. Thoughts of Emily had been worming their way in there, too...images of her with Cora in her arms and that sparkle in her eye just before a smile slid onto her face. Greg knew all too well that mixing work with pleasure was a really bad idea, but somehow his thoughts of Emily were the most comfortable thoughts available to him, so he didn’t push them away.

Scanning a form and signing the bottom, he put the paper aside and flipped down to the next triplicate form waiting for his attention. Outside, thunder boomed and the room suddenly lit up with a flash of lightning. He glanced up again. The wind had shifted direction, blowing rain in through the open window, and he stood up to shut it.

There was a tap on the door, and as he flicked the lock on the window into place, his secretary, Joyce, poked her head in.

“Chief? There’s a Miss Shaw to see you. Do you have time?”

“Yes, definitely.”

He’d answered rather quickly, to his chagrin, and Joyce smothered a smile. He hated it when she thought she could read him like a book, and he gave her an annoyed look as she stepped back and pushed the door open.

“Come on in, Miss Shaw,” she said, and she gave Greg one more look of amused knowing. Emily stepped inside, Cora’s car seat in one hand, a blanket draped over it. Emily, on the other hand, was completely drenched. Her hair was slicked down against her head, and a trickle of water ran down her cheek. She wore a black pantsuit that was equally sodden.

“What happened to you?” he asked, coming toward her. “Joyce, would you go get some towels, please?”

“You bet, Chief.”

Emily shrugged and laughed self-consciously. “It was really coming down out there. I should have just waited in my car till it let up, but then I thought I could make it and—” she waved her hand “—it doesn’t matter.”

Greg laughed. “Well, it’s nice to see you. Cora looks dry.”

Emily looked down at Cora with a tender smile. “Warm and dry,” she agreed.

“Here.” Greg helped her to peel off the black suit jacket she wore, and he took his sport coat off the hanger on the back of his door. Draping it over her shoulders, she shivered involuntarily and looked up at him gratefully. “Have a seat.”

Emily sank into the chair across from his desk. He could see the tension in her face, along her jaw and around her eyes.

“I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“It’s a welcome break.” He gestured to the pile of paperwork. “So how are you?”

“I’m fine.” She gave him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, then she shrugged. “I’m not fine. Today was Jessica’s funeral.”

“That’s right. I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” He avoided the funerals. It was part of his attempt to compartmentalize the suffering he had to see in this line of work.

“No, it’s all right. Don’t worry about that.” She shook her head, dismissing it. “Steve was there.”

“Oh, how is he?”

“Steve is Steve.” She gave him a tight smile. “He wants me to give him custody of Cora.”

“I see.” Greg wasn’t entirely surprised to hear this. Custody was a complicated thing at the best of times, but it got worse when the children were so tiny. Everyone wanted to raise a baby. It was the kids who were old enough to have attitude and emotional issues that got shuffled around a lot.

“He was pretty pushy about it. Sara was... I don’t know how to describe her. She was pretty intense. I got the distinct impression that they expected me to hand Cora over, and they’d go home with her today.”

“Did they say that?”

“Not exactly.” Emily sighed and looked away for a moment. “I know I probably sound like a crazy person right now, but they kind of scared me.”

“No, you don’t sound crazy.”

“Thanks.” She gave him a grateful smile. “I just wanted to come by and pick your brain a little.”

“My pleasure.” He leaned back in his chair, and just then, the door opened again, and Joyce came in with a couple of towels from the women’s locker room.

“Thank you,” Emily said, taking one and shaking it out. She blotted her face and hair. Joyce slipped back out without a word.

Emily peeked down under the blanket at the sleeping baby and then let the towel fall to her lap. She looked at Greg silently for a long moment, worry creasing her brow. He let the silence stretch, waiting for her to speak.

“Greg, what happens in these cases?” she asked finally.

“You’re the guardian named in the will,” he said. “That makes you her legal guardian, and Steve can’t just bully you into changing that.”

She nodded. “Is that final?”

“Well...” He didn’t want to scare her, but he didn’t want to lie to her, either. “Nothing is ever entirely final, I suppose. Unless you adopt her.”

“Can Steve contest the will?” she asked.

“In theory. Do you think he’d go that far?”

Emily sighed. “I have no idea, but he was pretty focused on convincing me to give her up today at the funeral.”

A finger of irritation wormed through his stomach. He didn’t like the thought of someone trying to bully her, and it made him want to throw his weight around a little. Instead of voicing his feelings, he asked, “Did he threaten you?”

“No.” She laughed softly. “This is Steve we’re talking about. He got snide and condescending, but that was it. He’s my cousin, after all.”

Greg made a noncommittal sound. Yes, he remembered Steve well. He’d been both snide and condescending in high school, too. He’d never been cruel on the level of Richard Pike, but he’d made a couple of junior guys pretty miserable senior year, and Greg had taken it upon himself to stand up for them. Steve was a bully, and if there was one thing Greg could not abide, it was a bully.

“Do you want to raise Cora?” Greg asked, changing the subject.

“More than anything. I know this seems strange because I’m not exactly in a position to be taking children into my home, but I do. I’ve fallen in love with her. I don’t want to give her up.”

He nodded silently. Of course she didn’t. Who wouldn’t fall in love with that baby? The entire department here in Haggerston had fallen in love with her.

“Have you seen these sorts of cases before?” she asked, her full attention focused on his face.

He nodded slowly. “Yes, a few times.”

“What normally happens?”

“Well, normally, the parents have named the godparents in their will and nothing changes.”

She nodded, visibly relaxing. “Have you ever seen a will contested?”

Greg sighed. “It’s probably best not to worry about this sort of thing unless you have to.”

“Maybe so, but I’m worried now.” She didn’t look the least bit daunted. “What happens when the will gets contested?”

“It gets ugly,” he admitted. “Everyone loves the baby and wants to raise it. Everyone has a reason why the other people are a terrible choice. People say things they can’t take back and close-knit, loving families end up fractured. It can get really bad.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.” Her voice softened, and he had to lean forward with a creak of his chair to catch her words.

“That doesn’t mean that will happen to you,” he added. “You’re her legal guardian, okay? That hasn’t been contested.”

She nodded. “I know. Thanks.” She slipped his jacket off her shoulders and rose to her feet. “I appreciate this.”

Greg stood up, too, and he came around his desk, then sat on the edge of it. “I’m not a father,” he said. “But I deal with a lot of parents in this job.”

“Me, too.” She chuckled.

“Yeah, that’s true.” He shot her a grin. “Then you’ve probably been told the same things I’ve been told. Parents start worrying from birth. They worry about all sorts of worst-case scenarios, most of which never happen.”

“So don’t be silly?” she asked.

“Not at all.” He chuckled. “I was going to say that worrying is part of the package when you’re a parent. Maybe just realize that you’re not alone in your worries. Consider it more a welcome to the club.”

Emily’s warm gaze met his, and her eyes crinkled up into a smile. “That’s the sweetest thing I’ve heard all day.”

Greg felt a sudden wave of satisfaction. “Anytime.” He meant it more than she realized, he was sure.

Just then, Cora began to fuss, and Emily rocked the car seat gently. “I’d better get her home,” she said quietly. “I don’t have another bottle with me.”

“Take care.”

Emily turned toward the door and opened it.

“Oh, and Emily—”

She turned back, those deep brown eyes meeting his once more.

“Come by anytime, okay? I mean that.”

“Thanks.” She flashed him a smile. “I appreciate it.”

With that, she slipped out, and he listened to the sound of her heels clicking as she made her way through the station, the rhythm blending into the hustle and bustle of police activity. With a smile to himself, he turned back to his paperwork.

Chapter Four

A
couple of days later, on a warm summer evening, Emily sat on the couch across from her two friends, Nina and Beth. Beth sat with her legs tucked up underneath her, her pregnant belly protruding out in front of her. She was only about six months along, but she was all tummy, as she put it. She had a mop of curly mouse-brown hair and two swollen bare feet that were normally swathed in Birkenstocks. She rubbed her stomach absently, looking over at Cora, who lay nestled in Nina’s arms.

Nina sat next to Beth, looking down at the tiny infant with a wistful look on her face. Her blond hair was cut short in a pixie cut, and her makeup was impeccable. With legs a mile long, Nina had pretty much everything that Emily envied.

“She’s beautiful.” Beth looked over at Emily and shook her head in wonder. “I can’t believe that you have a baby.”

“Me, neither.” Emily grinned over at her. “You’re not far behind, you know.”

“Three months.” Beth leaned her head back against the couch. “I’m going to be the size of a house!”

“But a cute house.” Nina shot Beth a teasing look. “Oh, stop worrying. You’ll be fine. You’re blissfully married to Howard. He’ll love you, anyway.”

Emily looked over at her two best friends. They’d been there for each other since their idealistic days when Beth was a feminist with a loudspeaker, and Nina was plotting her financial empire. Emily had been the boring one—taking early childhood education and going to bed at sensible hours. In the meantime, life had unfurled in that way it always seemed to, in the very last way any of them expected.

Nina looked up with a glint in her eye. “What about this Chief Taylor, Em?”

“What about him?” Emily pasted on her most innocent look.

“Well, you’ve dropped his name often enough,” Beth pointed out.

“There’s nothing to tell.” Emily shrugged. “He was the one who dropped Cora off, so it stands to reason that we’d talk from time to time.”

Nina and Beth exchanged a look.

“Actually, it doesn’t stand to reason at all,” Nina quipped with a grin.

“He knew my cousin, so we’re acquainted with some of the same people.” There was no use trying to explain this to Nina and Beth when they had that look on their faces. She laughed and shook her head.

“So what’s he like?” Beth asked.

“Nice,” Emily said.

“Cute?” Nina prodded.

“Yeah, he’s a good-looking guy.” Emily tried to keep her tone neutral.

“Huh.” Beth nodded. “And you manage to keep conversation going between the two of you.”

“Oh, stop it.” Emily laughed. “He’s the chief of police and nothing more. In fact, if anything, he seems really uncomfortable and serious around me. So don’t be getting your hopes up.”

“You sure?” Nina pressed. “We’re a little worried about how long you’ve stayed single.”

“Look who’s talking!” Emily laughed.

“This baby needs a change.” Nina lifted Cora out of her lap and deposited her with Emily. Just then, the phone rang.

“Would you mind getting that?” Emily asked.

Beth leaned over to grab the handset and picked it up.

“Hello?”

Cora kicked her legs happily as Emily set to work on the diaper.

“Just a minute.” Beth pushed herself out of her seat and brought the phone to Emily.

“A lawyer?” she whispered, passing the handset over.

Emily felt her heart speed up as she took the phone from her friend’s hand. Beth took over with Cora as Emily answered the phone.

“This is Emily Shaw.”

“Hello, Miss Shaw, this is Paul Hanson.”

“Mr. Hanson. How are you?” It was her lawyer who had been dealing with the paperwork for her guardianship.

“I’m sorry to call so late, but I thought you’d want to know.”

“What’s going on?” Emily’s voice sounded breathless in her own ears.

“Someone is contesting your guardianship.” His voice was quiet and professional. “A Mr. Steven Shaw.”

“My cousin...”

“He’s filed the paperwork.”

“What does this mean?”

“That’s up to you, really,” he replied. “Do you want to fight this?”

Emily looked over at her friends, sadness welling up inside of her. “I’d better give you a call back,” she said, trying to control the tremor in her voice. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“Absolutely. Call me tomorrow morning, if you can, so I know how you want to proceed.”

“Thank you.”

As she hung up the phone, Beth and Nina looked at her mutely, their eyes betraying their apprehension.

“Well...” Emily said, the tears welling up in her eyes. “Steve is contesting my right to raise Cora.”

“Oh, Em,” Beth breathed.

Oh, God, is this it? Is this my brush with motherhood?

“What will you do?” Nina asked.

Beth just stood there, a hand protectively over her belly and tears misting her eyes. “Let’s pray.”

They didn’t pray together often. It wasn’t their style; but tonight it felt right. Standing there with her two best friends, the three women bowed their heads.

* * *

Nate’s Steak was a local joint that had been thriving for the past thirty-five years. Nate retired and left the place to his son, Mike, who didn’t change a thing. The wings came in three flavors: hot, really hot and honey garlic, and the steaks were grilled to perfection. There was a reason why the officers at Haggerston made this their favorite meet-up place.

The sun was setting over the town when Greg parked in front of Nate’s Steak and stepped out into the warm evening air. The smell of grilling meat met the sweet scent of hydrangeas that hung in baskets along the downtown streets. Greg looked around the parking lot and spotted three cruisers and a few pickup trucks he recognized from some nearby ranches. He’d be in good company tonight.

As Greg stepped inside, he was met with the hum of voices, the clink of knives and forks against dishes and the general hubbub from the kitchen. Scanning the few tables, he nodded to the people he knew, then headed toward the back of the restaurant where the other officers were.

“Hi, Chief,” Benny called, and the others looked up in welcome.

“Hi.” Greg pulled up a chair. “What’s good tonight?”

“Does it matter?” Nancy asked with a laugh. She was a muscular officer with a steady gaze and a gorgeous smile. Her hair was pulled back in a low-maintenance ponytail, but she was out of uniform, sporting jeans and a T-shirt from Graceland.

“You want the regular, Chief?” Mike called from the counter. Greg gave a thumbs-up and Mike disappeared into the kitchen. He ordered the same thing every time he came by: hot wings and an herbal tea.

“Couldn’t get enough of us, Nancy?” Greg joked.

“Just can’t stay away.” Her tone was dry. “Actually, this beat grocery shopping.”

“And reruns on TV,” Benny added. Nancy gave a shrug of agreement. A jukebox started playing a honky-tonk tune, and Benny tapped the table in time to the music.

“How about you, Chief?” Nancy asked. “Long day?”

Greg nodded, then frowned. “Actually, I’ve been thinking about that 11-80 the other day—the one with the baby.”

“How’s Sweet pea doing?” Benny asked with a grin. They’d nicknamed her Sweet pea that night when Greg brought her back to the station, and Benny had settled in with a bottle of formula and held her for a solid hour.

“She’s doing great.” Greg could feel the smile coming to his face. “She is very well cared for.”

Emily Shaw had been on his mind more often than he cared to admit, but his concern for the case was more than the beautiful kindergarten teacher with her quick smile.

“So what’s not sitting right with you, Chief?” Nancy leaned forward.

“What did we find in the victim’s car?” Greg asked. “The accident happened outside of Haggerston, so we’re assuming she was on her way here. She had family here, after all.”

“That’s right.” Benny nodded. “Emily Shaw, for one.”

Greg nodded. Emily topped his list, too, especially since Jessica Shaw had thought enough of her to name her godmother, but even Emily seemed surprised by the honor. Something felt wrong.

“But what did she have with her? A diaper bag and a purse with a toothbrush inside. She was two hours from Billings, where she lived. Does that seem right?”

“Two hours there and another two back...” Benny shrugged. “Could have been a day trip.”

“What do you think, Nancy?”

“As a woman?”

“Yes, as a woman.”

Nancy gave him a smug look. “So now I’m a woman, am I? I’m just one of the guys when I beat you at push-ups.”

Greg shook his head and laughed. “Don’t rub it in. What do you think?”

“No woman travels two hours one way with a newborn and only brings a toothbrush and a diaper bag. No extra clothes for the baby or anything.” Nancy shrugged. “Something feels off with that.”

“Who does that?” Greg asked.

“A distressed woman,” Nancy replied. “That packing didn’t show any forethought. She was upset about something.”

Greg nodded. “That’s what I was thinking, too.”

“Or a woman who might not make great decisions at the best of times,” Benny said.

Greg gave a smile of thanks to the server as his wings and tea arrived. The wings were plump and saucy, and the little dish of blue cheese dressing on the side was overflowing onto the wings. Crunching on a carrot stick, he looked across the table at Benny and Nancy thoughtfully.

“So was she running away from something?”

“Or someone?” Benny took a sip of his cola and shrugged.

Greg shook his head and picked up a wing. “Wish it made more sense.”

“Is the family suspicious?” Benny inquired.

Greg shook his head. “Not that anyone has mentioned, formally or otherwise.”

He sank his teeth into one of the wings, the spicy sauce making his mouth water. For a few minutes he put his attention into his food, and when he’d sucked the third bone clean, Nancy suddenly said, “If the victim thought someone had tried to kill her, she would have mentioned it, don’t you think? She was alert.”

“But in shock,” Benny pointed out.

Nancy nodded and gave a shrug. “Something isn’t adding up.”

“It might be nothing criminal at all,” Greg agreed, “but something is nagging at me with this case.”

“
Is
it a case right now, Chief?” Benny asked.

“I’m not saying that I think this was murder.” Greg frowned thoughtfully. “I’m going to need a little more information, though, before I formally close the case.”