The Lawman's Convenient Family

As he let himself inside, he was stunned by the vision he saw, and his steps stalled. A twenty-something blonde wearing a long, colorful gypsy skirt and a soft green blouse sat on the overstuffed sofa, flanked by Eddie and Cassie. The kids were smiling as she sang a lively tune, her voice soft and melodic, her facial expression animated.

She seemed familiar, but then, Adam had an affinity for blondes.

He remained in the doorway, lulled by the sounds of the stringed instrument and the voice of an angel.

But it was Jim Hoffman’s voice that drew him back to earth. “Adam, I’m glad you’re here.”

Oh. Yeah. He had a purpose, which didn’t include being lured by a pretty musician.

“Am I late?” Adam asked.

“No, not really. But the kids have been waiting for you since breakfast. I told them you wouldn’t let them down. That is, unless an emergency came along.”

He continued to stand in the reception area, watching the kids. They seemed to be so caught up in the song that they didn’t know he’d arrived. Neither did the singer.

Adam nodded his head toward the woman with the golden voice. “Who’s that?”

“Julie Chapman. She’s a new volunteer. She’s also a music therapist—and a good one, apparently. The kids are enthralled.”

So was Adam. Back in the day, when he’d been in foster care and in trouble more times than not, one of his social workers had placed him in therapy, but he’d been resistant. He’d never warmed up to the shrink, who’d probably been an intern. Either way, he’d refused to play games like Parcheesi with him. And back then he damn sure wasn’t going to let anyone into his head, so he’d clammed up until the rookie counselor finally threw in the towel.

But Adam hadn’t realized therapy might consist of music—and a pretty blonde guitarist with an amazing voice.

“Julie’s going to be a nice addition to our program,” Jim said. “Don’t you think?”

Adam nodded in agreement. He was certainly impressed by the way she’d enchanted the kids.

“Julie plays several instruments,” Jim added, “including the piano. She majored in music while in college, and she’s involved in her church choir.”

Now, there was a game changer. Adam made a point of avoiding the good-girl type because he’d come to learn that they usually expected far more from him than a good time and a few laughs. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t watch them from afar. There was something about Julie he found appealing. In fact, she reminded him of Lisa, the sexy flight attendant he’d danced with at the gala. Funny how the two women, who couldn’t possibly be more different from each other, struck him as similar.

The office telephone rang, and Jim excused himself. “I need to get that. Donna is in the back office. She’s on hold with someone from tech support, so she’s tied up at the moment.”

As Jim crossed the room to his desk, Julie looked up and spotted Adam. Her lips parted, as if his arrival—or maybe his appearance—caught her by surprise. So much so, that she missed a couple of strums on the guitar and momentarily stopped singing. But she quickly recovered and turned her attention back to the children.

Adam didn’t think anything of it. Women, even those who weren’t his type, often found him attractive, which made his dating life easy. It also kept him busy. But from day one, he always made sure he and his dates were on the same page and that they realized he wasn’t the kind of man who’d ever settle down.

When the catchy tune ended, Cassie reached out and touched Julie’s guitar with her index finger, the first move Adam had seen her make without her brother’s prompting. It might not seem like much to anyone else, but he saw it as a sign that the timid little girl wasn’t nearly as frightened as she’d been on Saturday night when he and the Hoffmans had brought her here.

When he’d told the kids that he had to leave and that they’d be staying at Kidville, big ol’ tears welled in her eyes, and her little lip quivered. Which is why he’d been eager to return this morning and let both kids know that he hadn’t abandoned them. Hell, even the dog had gotten spooked and run off before the Hoffmans had showed up.

Adam waited a beat before crossing the room and addressing the two siblings. “Hey, Eddie. Cassie. I’m back, just like I promised.”

The boy practically jumped up from his seat, his lips parted, his eyes wide. “Cool. But what about your other promise? What happened to my dog? Did you find him?”

“Yes, I did.” Adam glanced first at Jim, then back to Eddie. “She’s a little skittish, but she’s doing okay.”

“She?” Eddie scrunched his brow and frowned. “Are you sure it’s a girl dog?”

“Yep. I figured that out when I gave her a bath. That’s not a problem, is it?”

Eddie shrugged a scrawny shoulder. “Only because I named her Spike. Now I have to think up something girly.”

Adam glanced at Cassie, who didn’t offer up a suggestion. In fact, she didn’t utter a word.

“So where is she now?” Eddie asked.

A grin tugged at Adam’s lips, and he slowly shook his head. “She’s at my place temporarily.” He’d actually be tempted to keep her, although he wasn’t home much. “But don’t worry. I’ll find the perfect place for her. And who knows, maybe when you have a house with a yard, you can take her to live with you.”

The little boy tensed, his smile faded and his eyes grew wide in near panic. “Are you going to take us back to Brady?”

“No way.” Adam shook his head definitively. “You’re much better off here. Don’t you think?”

Eddie’s expression softened and he nodded. Then he glanced at his sister and back to Adam. “Cassie likes it here, too.”

Adam studied the fair-haired girl who’d let her brother do all the talking on Saturday night. Something told him she still hadn’t spoken. But he suspected she was coming around. At least, Julie and her music seemed to have gotten through to her.

And speaking of Julie, he’d better introduce himself. “I’m Adam Santiago. I volunteer here, too.”

“It’s...” She licked her glossed lips, pink and plump. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Before Adam could say anything else, Jim ended his phone call and joined them.

“Why don’t we go for a walk with the kids?” Jim suggested. “We can take them to the schoolhouse and introduce them to their teacher.”

“Can I go, too?” Julie asked.

“By all means,” Jim said. “I’m sure the kids will like that.”

Julie turned to the children. “I saw the school and the playground when I first got here, and it looks like you’ll have a lot of fun during recess. I’d love to see the inside of the classroom.”

Eddie shot a look at Jim, then at Adam, and back to Jim again. “Okay, but can Cassie come with me—and stay with me? She doesn’t like to be alone.”

“You bet,” Jim said. “We only have a single classroom and one teacher right now, although we’re planning to expand in the future. So our school is a little different from the one you’re used to.”

“I had a class and a teacher once,” Eddie said, “but it was a long time ago. And Cassie never did.”

That wasn’t surprising. From what Adam had gathered during his investigation of Brady Thatcher, the guy hadn’t played any kind of paternal role with the kids. Hell, he hadn’t even noticed they were gone until Adam showed up at his door and told him.

It was a real shame, too. If the kids had gone to school, a teacher might have picked up on their abuse and neglect sooner.

The telephone rang again, and Jim straightened. “Oh, for Pete’s sake. I’m never going to get these kids to school.”

“Go ahead and take that call,” Adam said. “I’ll walk with them to their classroom and introduce them to their teacher.”

Julie, who’d just put her guitar into its case, looked up and smiled. “I’m ready to go with you.”

As they exited the admin office and walked along the wooden sidewalk toward the school, a light breeze kicked up, stirring the air around them, as well as a few strands of Julie’s long blond hair and a whiff of her scent—something citrusy.