How To Steal The Lawman's Heart

He allowed her to drag him by the hand until they entered a large room filled with tables. There was only one person in the room.

“Here she is.”

Trent’s gaze followed his daughter’s outstretched hand. The woman had her back to them. And uninterested as he was, he had to admit that she had a nice figure. Petite and dressed in jeans that hugged her curvy body and a T-shirt that revealed a tiny waist, the woman was cleaning paintbrushes in the sink. Humming softly to herself, she didn’t hear them approach.

“Miss Shields. Daddy came to say hi to you. Don’t you think he’s handsome in his uniform?”

The woman—the last woman on earth he ever wanted to see—turned. What he was sure started as a smile when she heard his daughter’s voice turned into a look of utter dismay. Had he not suddenly been filled with rage, the swift change of expressions would have been comical.

She had her nerve. First she’d returned to this town—his town. He could understand her need to attend her mother’s funeral, but the service and burial were over. Clearly, she felt no need to be with her family if she’d spent even part of the day here. So why hadn’t she left town? He didn’t know, but he was going to find out. And then he was going to make sure she knew she wasn’t welcome in Sweet Briar.

Robyn was oblivious to the tension. His little girl exhibited quite a bit of strength as she tugged his arm and led him in the woman’s direction. He didn’t want to talk to her any more than she wanted to talk to him, but he didn’t want to hurt Robyn’s feelings. Besides, he needed to know when she was leaving.

“Chief.” She nervously clasped and unclasped her hands. Then she dropped her arms to her sides. Before he could speak, she folded her arms over her perfect breasts. As if suddenly aware that she looked defensive standing that way, she let her hands fall to her sides again.

“Miss Shields. I had no idea you’d still be in town.” He managed to convey his dissatisfaction with her presence without raising his voice.

Alyssa, who’d been leaning against the door and sighing loudly at regular intervals, suddenly stepped into the room. Robyn might be too young to read body language or pick up on tones of voice, but Alyssa was a pro. Her interest piqued, she moved closer and looked from him to Carmen Shields. Great.

Carmen’s brown eyes darted from him to his daughters and back. “I’m staying for a while.”

Her voice was calm. Almost pleasant. But the years he’d spent in law enforcement had him noticing the way her pulse pounded at her throat, a clear indication of just how nervous she was. Good. He didn’t want her to be comfortable.

What was it about Carmen Shields? He hadn’t noticed a woman since Anna’s death. So why was the room suddenly so hot? And why was the blood suddenly pounding in his veins? The awareness he felt made him even angrier.

“How long is a while?” His voice wasn’t pleasant and she flinched. He squelched the guilt that whispered in his ear to be nice.

“Are you asking as chief of police, or is this personal?”

His jaw tightened. Silence as a tactic generally worked.

She shrugged. “I’m staying two weeks.”

“That’s a long time. Don’t you have to get back to your home?” He knew from her driver’s license that she lived in New York City. The wild child had found a place fast enough to suit her.

“No.”

“Goody. Then you can come to our house for dinner tonight. Right, Daddy?” Robyn asked, looking pleased.

The look of shock on Carmen Shields’s face was priceless. He would have laughed if he didn’t know he was wearing a similar expression.

“No,” they spoke at the same time.

“Why not?” Robyn asked, looking between them.

“That’s very nice of you, but I have plans. Thanks for thinking of me.” Carmen glanced around the room as if searching for something to do with her hands, which were once again fluttering. Finding nothing left undone, she returned her attention to Trent and the girls. “Well, it’s time for me to leave. I really enjoyed working with you, Robyn. I hope all of you have a nice evening.”