Small-Town Face-Off

“You could have called the department,” he deadpanned. “You might not remember, what with you up and leaving so quickly, but I’m the sheriff. I’m sure if you asked for me they’d patch you right on through.”

Mara kept the urge to flinch at bay. In her road trip across Alabama, back to the last place she’d ever thought she’d return—especially with Christmas only days away—a small part of her had hoped Billy would have somehow forgotten or forgiven what she’d done. That when and if they ever met again, he would smile that dimpled smile that used to make her go weak in the knees and they’d—what?—be friends? Her thoughts had always derailed at that question. They always seemed to when she thought of Billy.

The little girl asleep and hidden beneath the poncho, held up by Mara’s arm, didn’t help matters.

“I do remember that you’re the sheriff,” she said. “And, you’re right, I should have called there, but—” Mara had rehearsed a speech in the car explaining the exact reason she had driven back to Carpenter, back to his house, instead of just calling. Now, however, the words just wouldn’t come. All she could find were his eyes, ever searching for an answer. “Well,” she started again, trying to find a stronger voice. “It seemed too important to not talk about face-to-face.”

Whatever reply Billy had been brewing behind those perfect lips seemed to stall out. His brows pulled together, his nostrils flared and then, just as quickly, his expression began to relax. He took a deep breath.

“Fine,” he finally said. “But make it quick. I just got called out.”

That was as warm as she’d bet the man was going to be, so she nodded. The simple movement shook water free from the bright yellow poncho covering her. She tried to give him an apologetic look.

“I didn’t have an umbrella,” she explained.

“You never did,” he said, also, she believed, on reflex. Like the nod, it was such a simple statement that Mara wondered if he’d even registered he’d said it at all. “Here, let me help with that.” Billy reached out and took the bag from her shoulder. Any mother might recognize it as a diaper bag, though it was designed to look like an oversized purse, but she could tell Billy Reed hadn’t caught on to it yet.

Or the bulge beneath the poncho.

She must have really thrown him for a loop.

“Thanks. Do you have a bag or something I could put this poncho in?” She motioned to the very thing keeping their conversation from diving headlong into the foreign topic of kids.

“Yeah, give me a sec.” He set her bag on the entryway bench and headed toward the kitchen. It gave Mara a moment to take two deep breaths before letting each out with a good shake.

It had been two years since she’d seen Billy Reed. More than that since she’d met him in a bar, ready to do her best to help him take down the only family she’d had left. Now here she was, standing in his house, dripping on the hardwood.

“This is all I have to put it in,” he said, coming back. His smile was still gone but at least he wasn’t stone-faced.

“Oh, thanks,” Mara said to the Walmart bag he extended. She didn’t take it. “Actually, I’m going to need your help with this one. I don’t want to drop her.”

And, just like that, Billy Reed must have finally looked at her—really looked at her—taking in the large bulge beneath the poncho. Wordlessly, he helped her pull it off. He stood there, eyes wide, as the dark-haired little girl came into view. She wiggled at the sudden light but, thankfully, stayed asleep. One little blessing that Mara would more than take.

“This is Alexa,” Mara introduced her. She watched as his eyes widened. They swept over the little girl with attention she knew he was proud of. For a moment she forgot why she’d come. So many times over the last two years she’d thought about this meeting. Would it happen? What would he say? What would she say? However, Mara reminded herself that she hadn’t come back to Carpenter because she’d decided to. No, a man and his threats had made that decision for her. Mara cleared her throat. It was now or never. “Billy, meet your daughter.”

Chapter Two (#ue00c3d5a-749d-5567-b688-d8d0c6731699)

Billy, bless him, didn’t say a thing for a good minute. Though his eyes ran the gamut of emotions.

Mara took a tentative step toward him, arm still holding their daughter up, and opened her mouth to speak, but Billy’s phone went off in his pocket, ringing too loudly to ignore.

He shook off the spell he’d fallen into, though when he spoke, his voice wasn’t as strong as it had been before.

“Please, hold that thought. I have to take this,” he said, pulling his phone out. He didn’t look at the caller ID as he answered. “Reed.”

Mara’s mouth closed as a woman’s voice filled the space between them. She didn’t stop for breath as she relayed whatever she needed to the man. Slowly his attention split and refocused on the new information. His brow furrowed and his eyes took on a look Mara knew all too well.

This was Work Billy and she’d come at a bad time. That much was clear.

“Okay, thanks,” he said when the woman had finished. “I’ll be there in twenty.”

Mara’s stomach fell as Billy ended the call. She didn’t know what she had expected of the man she’d left with no more than a note on his pillow and no hint whatsoever that she was pregnant with his child. But his taking a work call hadn’t been on the list of possibilities. She straightened her back. Alexa squeezed her little arms around Mara’s neck in her sleep. The slight movement wasn’t missed by Billy. He looked at his daughter before his eyes cut back to her.

“You have a world of explaining to do,” he started, voice low. He had finally landed on an emotion. Anger. “First you just up and leave, then you don’t talk to me for two years, and now you’re saying that—” He stopped his voice from going any louder. Without breaking eye contact he reached for the raincoat on the wall next to them. “A body has just been found and I need to try and get to the crime scene before this rain messes everything up. If it hasn’t already.” He slid into the coat. “I’m sorry.” He ran his finger across the brim of his hat. “It’s been a long day and I didn’t expect to see you.” His eyes trailed down to Alexa before meeting Mara’s again. His expression softened, if only a little. “I would ask you along, but I don’t think a crime scene in the rain is a good place to have this talk.”

“I’ll agree to that,” Mara said. Before she could add anything the sheriff’s expression changed again. It became alert, ready.

“Wait, you said you needed my help?” he asked. The angles of his face seemed to go tight. While Mara had no doubt he was ready to listen to her with all of his attention, he was also still thinking about the crime scene. The sound of pounding rain probably wasn’t helping.

“I can wait until you’re done,” she said. The urgency that had driven her from their home that morning had ebbed considerably, especially now that she was there, standing in Billy’s house. Maybe she had been foolish to leave so suddenly and come running back to Carpenter.

And its sheriff.

“Are you sure?” She could see his resolve splitting. She nodded.

“I can go check in to the hotel off Miller Street, if you think it will be a bit.”

“Why don’t you just wait here? It’s not like you don’t know your way around.” Heat rushed up to Mara’s cheeks at the comment. She doubted he’d meant to stir up old memories. He was just stating a fact. She did know her way around, having spent countless hours there trying to plan a way to stop her father. A pursuit that had had unexpected outcomes.

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to intr—”

“Mara.” Billy’s voice took on a low edge. “Stay.”

An easy command for any smart woman to follow from Billy Reed.

Alexa stirred in her arms.

“Okay,” she relented. It would be nice not to have to run Alexa back out into the bad weather. Plus, she doubted after the information she’d just hit him with, Billy would leave his house until he had the whole story. She couldn’t blame him. “I’ll wait until you get back.”

An expression she didn’t quite understand flashed across Billy’s face, but when he spoke his voice was normal, considering everything.

“Help yourself to any food in the fridge,” he said. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Mara thanked him and moved out of his way as he went out into the storm. The Billy she’d known years before hadn’t changed. Justice and protecting those within his jurisdiction still prevailed.

“Well, Alexa,” Mara said once she’d heard his Tahoe leave. “This is the Reed family home.”

A little uncertainly, Mara slipped off her shoes and padded through the entryway and into the living room. Surprisingly, or maybe not, nothing seemed to have changed since the last time she’d been in the house. The old dark hardwood grounded a room that had been the heart of the Reed family for two generations. Sure, some of the furniture had changed—the black leather couch certainly hadn’t been Billy’s mother’s choice, and neither had the plasma flat-screen—but the cozy feel of a house well loved and well lived-in hadn’t diminished one bit.

Mara kept on her tour with a growing smile. From the living room she went to the kitchen, the dining room and the open office. She was looking for clues that might tell her what had happened to Billy since she’d left Carpenter. The family pictures of the Reeds still dotted the walls, including some new additions and marriages, while other pictures specific only to Billy also popped up occasionally. Mara stopped and smiled at one in particular that caught her eye.

Standing in front of a crowd of Riker County residents was the dark-haired man, moments after he’d been officially elected sheriff.

The old affection began to break through an emotional dam she’d spent years building. Then, just as quickly, she was back to that morning, when she’d stood on her front porch across from the stranger who had threatened her life and the life of her child. If anyone could deal with the mystery man it was the Riker County sheriff.

Alexa moved in her arms. This time she woke up.

The cold that had started to spread in the pit of Mara’s stomach turned to warmth.