The Best Bride

Mandy looked scared again. “No.”

“The doctor is going to make her sleep for a little bit while he makes her feel better. There’s an infection inside and he’s going to take it out. But she’ll be fine.”

Mandy didn’t looked reassured. She bit her lower lip hard and tears filled her eyes. Travis felt like he’d taken a sucker punch to the gut. Apparently the kid didn’t know a soul in town, and if the grandparents weren’t local, finding them could take days. He didn’t even know if Abbott was Elizabeth’s maiden or married name.

He held out his arm, offering Mandy a hug, but letting her decide. She threw herself against him with the desperation of a drowning man clutching a raft. Her slight body shook with the tremors of her sobs. She smelled of sun and grass and little girl. So damn small to be facing this alone.

“Hush,” he murmured, stroking her hair. “I’m right here and everything’s going to be fine.”

* * *

It was nearly seven in the evening before Travis was able to take Mandy in to see her mother. The nurse had informed him children weren’t allowed on the ward, but he’d ignored her and marched past, carrying Mandy in his arms. He was the sheriff. What were they going to do? Arrest him?

He should have gone off-duty at four-thirty, but he couldn’t leave the kid on her own, and he didn’t want to take her to the local child services office before she’d seen her mother. It didn’t much matter, he thought as he walked down the hospital hallway. He hadn’t made any plans for the weekend.

Although Glenwood was far enough off the beaten track not to get much tourist trade even over Labor Day weekend, the last celebration of summer usually kept him and his deputies busy. There were fights at the park as too much beer was consumed, and the teenagers would get involved in illegal drag races down by the lake. Come Monday afternoon, the small jail would be filled with red-faced citizens who would work off their sentences doing community service.

The last door at the end of the hallway stood partially open. Travis knocked once and entered. He’d already warned Mandy that her mother would be hooked up to tubes, but it wasn’t as frightening as he’d feared. Elizabeth had an IV in each arm, but her color was good. Medium brown hair fanned out over the white pillow. The pale hospital gown set off her tan. For someone who had just had emergency surgery, she didn’t look half-bad. Hospital smells filled the room: antiseptic and pine-scented cleanser.

“We can only stay a minute,” he reminded Mandy in a quiet voice.

“I know. Is she sleeping?”

“Not anymore,” came the groggy response. Elizabeth opened her eyes and looked at him. She blinked. “Do I know you?”

“We haven’t been officially introduced,” he said, walking closer and setting Mandy on the ground. Before the little girl could jump onto the bed, he laid a hand on her shoulder. “Stand next to your mommy, but don’t bump against anything. I’m Travis Haynes. I stopped you for speeding.”

“That’s right.” Elizabeth looked away from him and smiled at her daughter. He remembered when he’d stopped her he’d thought if she ever really smiled it would be a killer, and he’d been right. Even fresh from surgery, the lady was a looker.

“Hi, sweets,” she said. “It’s good to see you.”

“Oh, Mommy.” Mandy stood as close to the bed as she could without actually touching it. She clutched her bear to her with one hand and with the other stroked her mother’s arm. “The nurse said you had something bad inside, but it’s gone now.”

“I feel much better.” Elizabeth touched Mandy’s hair and her face, then raised herself up on one elbow. She grimaced. Travis moved closer. She looked up at him. “I’m trying to get a hug here.”

He picked up Mandy and held her close to her mother. They clung to each other for a second. He could see the fierceness of Elizabeth Abbott’s love for her child in the way she squeezed her eyes tight and he heard it in her murmured words of encouragement.

“I’m fine,” she promised. “Everything is going to work out.”

He set Mandy on the ground and pulled a chair close to the bed. He sat down and pulled Mandy onto his lap. If Elizabeth was surprised by his daughter’s acceptance of him, she didn’t show it. But in the past couple of hours, he and the little girl had become friends.

Elizabeth settled back on the bed. She pushed a button and raised the head up until she was half reclining. “So you’re the sheriff.”

“That’s me. I’ve just been voted in for another term.”

Her brown eyes met and held his. The dark pain was gone and the lines around her mouth had relaxed. “Did I pass?” she asked.

“Pass what?”

She smiled. “Did I have a story you hadn’t heard before? I mean how many people speed because they have appendicitis?”

“It’s a first,” he said, stretching his legs out in front of him. “I’m a man of my word. You won’t be getting a ticket from me.”

Mandy shifted against his chest and yawned. It had been a long afternoon and evening for her. They’d gone to the cafeteria about six o’clock, but the kid hadn’t been able to eat much. She’d fretted about her mother and beat him at checkers while they waited. Her slight weight reminded him of his oldest nephew. Drew would play video games in Travis’s arms until he fell asleep and then have to be carried to bed.

“Thank you for looking after her,” Elizabeth said. “You didn’t have to stay and baby-sit.”

“It was easy.” He glanced down and watched Mandy’s eyes close. “I filled out most of the forms for the hospital, but they’re going to have a few questions. Do you want me to call your ex?”

She paled visibly. “What? Why?”

“To take care of Mandy until you’re better.”

“No!” She sounded upset. She raised her arm and stared at the IV taped in place on the back of her hand. “No.” Her voice was calmer now, as if she had herself under control. “I’m not, that is, I wasn’t ever married. There’s no ex-husband.”

“All right,” he said, even though her claim made no sense. Mandy had talked about her father. Travis reminded himself this was the nineties and women didn’t have to get married to have babies. He looked closely at Elizabeth. Somehow she didn’t strike him as the type to have a child on her own. Still, she must have; Mandy was proof. Why would anyone lie about something like that? “Any next of kin nearby?”

She shook her head. “My parents live in Florida. Right now, however, they’re cruising somewhere in the Orient. I can’t…” She trailed off. “I can’t call them. What am I going to do?” She shifted and winced. “I have to—”

“Shh.” He pointed at the sleeping child. “You don’t have to do anything tonight,” he said softly. “You’ve just had emergency surgery and I’m not even supposed to be visiting. I thought this might be a problem, so I’ve already called and spoken with a friend of mine. Her name is Rebecca Chambers and she runs the local child services office. It’s a county facility, but a great place.”

“Rebecca?”

“Rebecca Chambers. She’s the director. There are only about twenty kids there. It’s on the other side of town, near the school. I’ve spent some time there volunteering. Mandy will be fine.”

Elizabeth stared up at him. Her good humor had faded, and she looked tired and drawn. “You want to put my daughter in a home?” She blinked frantically, but tears spilled over onto her cheeks.

“Hey,” he said, standing up and depositing a sleeping Mandy in the chair. He hovered awkwardly by the bed. “Don’t cry. It’s just for a couple of days. If you want me to call someone, I will. Just give me a name.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Everything is falling apart. It was going so well and now I don’t know what to do or where to turn. I— There’s no one to call.” She looked up at him. “Can’t she stay here, with me?”

“In the hospital? No. They didn’t even want her to visit you, let alone spend the night. You’re in no position to take care of her, Elizabeth. I know the home sounds bad, but it’s not.”

“You’re right. I don’t have another choice.” She covered her face with her hands. “It just makes me feel like I’m an awful mother. It’s not the place I’m worried about, I’ve been there. I’m going to work there.” She wiped her cheeks with her fingers. “I’m Rebecca’s new assistant. I moved us here to take the job. I’m supposed to start Tuesday. What’s she going to think about me? I’m dumping my kid on her doorstep, and I’m going to miss my first day of work.”

The sobs began in earnest. He hesitated about five seconds, then perched on the edge of the bed. Careful not to tangle the IV lines, he patted her shoulder. She clutched at his arm, all the while muttering how stupid she must look to him. The sheet slipped to her waist. He tried not to stare, but couldn’t help noticing the shape of her breasts under her hospital gown.

Travis told himself he was at best behaving unethically, and at the worst acting like a pervert. He had no business noticing Elizabeth’s body. She’d just had surgery for God’s sake. But he did notice, and admire, all the while calling himself names.

“I’m sure Rebecca will understand,” he said. “It’s not as if you planned this.”

“I know, but Mandy will be there all alone. I wish—”

“Do all the women in your family leak this much?”

“What?” She blinked and looked up at him. Her dark lashes stood up in spikes, her nose was red and her cheeks blotchy. She was a mess. It brought out his knight-in-shining-armor side and he resisted getting involved. He knew what would happen then. Better for both of them if he just backed off.

“Between you and Mandy, I think we could have floated a ship today.”