The Lawman's Nanny Op
“You’re afraid.”
Caleb stepped closer to her—so close Portia could smell the dizzyingly familiar scent of him.
His words gave the tense feeling inside her a name. Fear.
“It’s creepy to think that somebody could possess this much hatred toward me.”
Caleb reached out and touched her chin. “It could be kids looking for a little excitement. If that’s the case, somebody will talk to somebody else and eventually I’ll hear about it.”
“I hope you’re right,” she said, wishing he’d pull her into his arms and hold her, take away the chill that refused to leave.
And for just a minute she thought she saw in his eyes the desire to do just that.
Dear Reader,
I love a good reunion story where two people who got it wrong the first time around have an opportunity to try to get it right. I especially like stories about high school sweethearts who meet years later and still have the magic between them.
In my family we have one of those stories. Several years after the death of my father-in-law, my mother-in-law reconnected with her first love. They hadn’t seen each other since they had been teenagers, but the magic was still there.
At the ages of eighty-four and eighty-eight, they married and have had five beautiful years together so far.
It’s been ten years since the hero and heroine of this book were high school sweethearts, and a crime has brought them back together again. There is still some magic between them, but the only question is, will it be a killer or their pride that might ruin any second chance at happiness?
Hope you enjoy!
Carla Cassidy
CARLA CASSIDY
The Lawman’s Nanny Op
Books by Carla Cassidy
Silhouette Romantic Suspense
*
Man on a Mission
#1077
Born of Passion
#1094
*
Once Forbidden…
#1115
*
To Wed and Protect
#1126
*
Out of Exile
#1149
Secrets of a Pregnant Princess
#1166
**
Last Seen…
#1233
**
Dead Certain
#1250
**
Trace Evidence
#1261
**
Manhunt
#1294
†
Protecting the Princess
#1345
†
Defending the Rancher’s Daughter
#1376
†
The Bodyguard’s Promise
#1419
†
The Bodyguard’s Return
#1447
†
Safety in Numbers
#1463
†
Snowbound with the Bodyguard
#1521
†
Natural-Born Protector
#1527
A Hero of Her Own
#1548
†
The Rancher Bodyguard
#1551
5 Minutes to Marriage
#1576
The Cowboy’s Secret Twins
#1584
††
His Case, Her Baby
#1600
††
The Lawman’s Nanny Op
#1615
CARLA CASSIDY
is an award-winning author who has written more than fifty novels for Silhouette Books. In 1995, she won Best Silhouette Romance from
RT Book Reviews
for
Anything for Danny.
In 1998, she also won a Career Achievement Award for Best Innovative Series from
RT Book Reviews.
Carla believes the only thing better than curling up with a good book to read is sitting down at the computer with a good story to write. She’s looking forward to writing many more books and bringing hours of pleasure to readers.
To Ann and Bruno,
for finding love again after all these years.
Contents
Chapter 1
F
our cartons of crayons, a ream of construction paper, ten glue sticks and a dozen boxes of tissues. Portia Perez smiled to herself as she pulled up in front of the discount store.
Her best friend Layla West would think it was pathetic that Portia’s shopping list didn’t include a pair of three-inch red heels and something skimpy and sparkly, but Layla had never spent eight hours a day entertaining twelve little kids.
As the owner and operator of Portia’s Playpen, a day-care facility, Portia would much rather have enough crayons and glue sticks than shiny high heels any day.
As she got out of her car, the hot, early-morning August air felt like a slap in her face. There were times she didn’t think the sun shone any brighter in any other town on earth than it did in August in Black Rock, Kansas.
The concrete pavement beneath her sandals already radiated with heat and she reminded herself to add a couple of tubes of sunscreen to her shopping list.
She was almost to the store when she saw the first flyer. It hung on a light pole and as she glanced at it she froze. Her own face stared back at her.
“What the heck?” She moved closer to read it and as she did her heart banged hard in her chest and all her breath whooshed out of her body.
Portia Perez—Baby Beater and Child Abuser. If You Love Your Kids, Don’t Use Her Day Care.
The words swam before her eyes, for a moment making her nauseated.
She yanked it from the pole and then looked down Main Street, stunned to see more flyers on other poles. Shopping forgotten, she hurried down the street, taking down the flyers as she fought against the angry tears that threatened to erupt.
Who would do this to her? Who would be so cruel? This wasn’t just cruel; it was criminal. Somebody was trying to destroy her business, her very livelihood.
It took her fifteen minutes to take down all the flyers she saw in the immediate area. She held them in a trembling hand and stared across the street at the sheriff’s office.
She needed to report this. It was slander at its worst. Surely Sheriff Tom Grayson would do something, find the person responsible.
Who could be behind this? Her head whirled as she marched across the street and into the sheriff’s office. The minute she opened the door and stepped inside the tension that already coiled tightly in her stomach increased as she saw who sat behind one of the desks.
Deputy Caleb Grayson.
For almost ten years of her life Portia had gone out of her way to avoid any real interaction with the man. In a town the size of Black Rock they’d had occasions to run into each other, but any conversation had been polite and impersonal.
It amazed her that after all these years just the sight of him created a faint twinge in her heart. But she couldn’t think about that now. She had more important things on her mind than an old heartbreak.
“Portia,” he said in obvious surprise and stood from the desk.
“Is Tom in?” she asked.
“No, it’s his day off. What’s up?” He stepped closer to her, close enough that she could smell the scent of his cologne, a familiar scent that would always remind her of high school prom and things she’d never wanted to think about again.
“This is what’s up…up all over town.” She handed him one of the flyers.
He frowned as he read it aloud. “Portia Perez neglects and abuses your children that you put in her care. Portia’s Playpen is a place of pain for little ones without a voice. Don’t let this woman watch your kids.” He whistled low beneath his breath and looked at her once again. “You’ve apparently made somebody very mad.”
“You have to do something,” she exclaimed. “They’re everywhere, each one more slanderous than the next.”
“Did you see who posted them?” he asked.
“No, but it’s…it’s all lies.” Once again she felt the pressure of tears welling up, but the last person in the world she would cry in front of was Caleb Grayson. “I want whoever did this arrested.”
“Unfortunately this is more of a civil matter than a criminal one,” he replied. “I’ll ask around, see if anyone saw somebody putting them up, but there’s really nothing more I can do.”
It wasn’t what she wanted to hear. In fact his apparent lackadaisical attitude about the whole thing irritated her. She wanted him outraged on her behalf. She wanted him out beating the streets to find the guilty and she wanted that person lynched at high noon in the hot sun.
More than anything she wished Caleb wasn’t so darned handsome. She wished that his shirt didn’t stretch so neatly over his broad shoulders, that his slacks didn’t hug the length of his long legs and that that lock of his dark brown hair on his forehead didn’t look as if it were begging for female fingers to gently push it back into place.
“You’ll call me if you find out who did this?” she asked curtly.
“Yeah, but I wouldn’t wait by the phone if I were you. These were probably put up sometime in the middle of the night and I doubt that anyone saw who hung them.”
“So that’s it?” she asked, not attempting to mask her anger.
Caleb shrugged. “Sorry, there’s not much else I can give you.”
Portia whirled around on her heel and left the office without another word. Still stunned by the flyers, irritated that she had to have any dealings with Caleb Grayson, she stalked across the street and down the block to Black Rock Realty.
Even though it was early, Layla would be in and Portia needed to talk to somebody who would be properly outraged and lend support. Her best friend since childhood would do just that.
As she entered the office Layla looked up from her desk with a smile. “Hey, girl, what are you doing in town so early? Most Saturdays you aren’t even dressed until noon.”
“I came to pick up some supplies. Take a look at these.” Portia threw the flyers on the desk then flopped down in the chair facing her friend.
Layla scanned a flyer then looked up at Portia, her green eyes wide. “Where did you get these?”