Sawyer

“Right,” he grumbled. “But it was a nice perk that you got that information.”

Cassidy swallowed hard. “Only by accident, because I overheard your phone conversation with your boss.”

“Worked in your favor, didn’t it.” Not a question. He spoke it as gospel.

And it was something she couldn’t argue with.

She had alerted her brother about the investigation into his possible involvement with money laundering. Not intentionally but only because she’d questioned Bennie about it. She hadn’t wanted to believe he was involved in something so awful. However, Sawyer was certain that Bennie had used that info to cover his tracks so he couldn’t be arrested.

Maybe he had.

But when she’d slept with Sawyer, she certainly hadn’t known that was going to happen. An investigation had been the last thing on her mind.

Sawyer pulled into the parking lot of the hospital, and he made more of those glances around before he got out and ushered her inside and to the E.R. The first sound she heard was a baby crying, and they followed that sound to an examining room, where she spotted a dark-haired man holding the baby.

Cassidy actually dropped back a step. This guy had a deputy’s badge clipped to his belt, but with his desperado stubble and hard eyes, he looked more outlaw than lawman.

“Hope you have better luck with her than I have,” the man said over the baby’s cries. “She won’t hush. Won’t take her bottle, either.” And he eased the baby into Sawyer’s arms.

Despite everything that had just happened, Sawyer looked amused. Well, for a split second he did.

“Your wife’s due any day now,” Sawyer said to the man. “Better get used to it.”

The deputy grumbled something Cassidy didn’t catch and put the baby’s bottle on the table next to Sawyer.

“This is Mason, my cousin,” Sawyer told her. “And this is Cassidy O’Neal.”

Mason made a sound deep in his throat that she figured was disapproval. It was possible Sawyer had spilled all about their brief affair, and even if he hadn’t, she was sure her reputation preceded her. Most people thought she was a spoiled heiress. She was rich but worked plenty hard to manage the real estate investment business that her late parents had left her and her brother.

With his attention on the baby, Sawyer dropped into the chair and studied the baby’s face. No doubt trying to decide if she was his. At least the baby stopped crying, and she looked up at Sawyer, examining him with the same intensity with which he was examining her.

“She’s what...about a week or two old?” Sawyer asked no one in particular. “Any reports of a missing newborn?”

Mason shook his head. “None in this area. There was a newborn boy taken in San Antonio, but that was a custody dispute.” He checked the time. “I’ll see what’s keeping Dr. Michelson. He said he’ll examine Cassidy, but if she’s hurt, you’re to take her over to one of the E.R. docs right away,” he added.

“I’m not hurt,” she insisted.

“Then I’ll let the doc know that,” Mason answered. “Right now, he’s dealing with Social Services. They’re supposed to come and get the baby.”

Sawyer’s head whipped up, as if he might challenge that, but he didn’t. Cassidy thought she might challenge it, too. She’d been in the Social Services system briefly when her parents died, but she had been sixteen. And could fend for herself. Plus, a huge inheritance had helped pave the way to her emancipation, but it cut her to the core to realize this baby could be handed over to strangers while the truth was sorted out.

And speaking of sorting, Sawyer looked to be doing just that. He took out his phone and scrolled through the numbers. Since that wasn’t easy to do with the baby in his arms, Cassidy took the child, easing her into the crook of her arm. It didn’t exactly feel natural since she didn’t have much experience with babies, but it didn’t feel wrong, either.

Not the best time for her biological clock to start ticking.

Sawyer clicked on one of the numbers, waited. “Laurie,” he said when the woman obviously answered.

Cassidy felt an emotion of a different kind. A punch of jealousy, and she would have laughed at herself for feeling it, but laughter at this point would no doubt make Sawyer think she was insane. Maybe she was, for still feeling attracted to a man who clearly hated her.

“Yeah, I’d like to catch up, too,” he added a moment later, “but maybe some other time.” Sawyer paused, his forehead bunching up. “Uh, did you recently have a baby?”

Unlike in the truck, Cassidy couldn’t hear what the woman said, but judging from Sawyer’s reaction it wasn’t good. “Sorry to have bothered you,” he added a moment later and ended the call.

“Well?” Cassidy asked when he didn’t say anything to her.

However, all she got from Sawyer was another shoulder lift. “It’s not Laurie’s baby.”

Which meant it wasn’t Sawyer’s.

“Then, who is she?” Cassidy looked down at the baby. So precious and little. She touched her finger to the baby’s hand, and the little girl grabbed on to it. “And why hasn’t someone reported her missing?”

“I don’t know, but if she were mine,” he said under his breath, “I’d definitely be missing her.”

She had to do a mental double take at that. Sawyer was the ultimate bad boy, the reason she’d been attracted to him in the first place. But this was a side of him that she’d never seen, and he suddenly looked uncomfortable that he’d let her get a glimpse of it.

“Is there anyone else that you could have gotten pregnant?” she came out and asked.

“Other than Laurie or you,” he said, stating the obvious. “There’s one other woman. I barely knew her. It was a hookup-at-a-party kind of thing. I’m not sure how to get in touch with her.”

“With your FBI resources, you should—” But she stopped. Rethought that. “You don’t remember her name.”

Sawyer scrubbed his hand over his face. “No. But I doubt she remembers mine, either. And if you think I’m proud of that, I’m not.”

He stood, as if ready to take the baby from her, but then they heard footsteps. Clearly, they were both still on edge because Sawyer stepped protectively in front of her and the baby. But it wasn’t a threat.

Well, not a real one anyway.

It was Mason.

“Just got off the phone with Gage,” he said.

“Did they find Bennie?” Cassidy immediately asked.

Mason shook his head. “They’re still looking. The doc’s still working on the papers for Social Services, and then he’ll examine you.” Mason turned his attention to Sawyer. “But Gage found out the dead woman, April Warrick, was a con artist with a mile-long rap sheet.”

“Any kidnapping charges on it?” Sawyer wanted to know.

“None.” Mason shifted his attention to the baby. “But April gave birth about ten days ago. She had a girl. We don’t know much more than that, but she was a criminal informant for the San Antonio P.D. Nate’s looking into it now and should be calling you any minute.”

“Nate and Gage are Mason’s brothers,” Sawyer explained to her, but she could tell his mind was on other things.

Mason reached for the baby. “Why don’t I go ahead and take her to the hospital nursery. It could take a while for Social Services to get here.”

“No,” Cassidy jumped to say. It was crazy, but she wanted to keep the baby with her as long as possible.

Mason looked at Sawyer, obviously waiting for his say in the matter, and Sawyer finally nodded. “After the doc’s checked out Cassidy, I’ll bring the baby to the nursery and then head to the sheriff’s office so we can write our reports.”

Mason didn’t question that, though it probably did seem strange to him. He made a sound that could have meant anything and strolled away.