The Cop's Missing Child

“Of course you do.” Unable to rein in her sarcastic response, she crossed her arms. “Out of the goodness of your heart, right? You don’t even know me. And I sure as hell don’t know you.”

“Cop instincts, I guess. I used to be a detective in the Albany Police Department. Your sheriff’s department can vouch for me.”

Wearily, she nodded. Jayne had said something of the sort. “You still haven’t told me what you want.”

“I’d like to offer my services,” he said, his gaze steady.

“No, thanks.” She shook her head.

“For a fee, if that will make you feel better. If you need protection, I can help.”

Dumbfounded despite herself, Emily looked away. Whatever she’d expected him to say, it hadn’t been this. The idea of having help of some kind—any kind—felt so seductive that she nearly swayed with relief.

But she didn’t … because she knew better. Despite his movie-star good looks and the tug of sexual attraction she felt when she looked at him, she couldn’t afford to trust him. She couldn’t allow herself the luxury of letting her guard down. The sins of her husband’s past were too numerous.

“Look, I appreciate your offer.” Softening her voice, she tried to appear as if she meant it. “In reality, I had a couple of blind dates with a guy who liked me way more than I liked him. I’m pretty sure that’s all this is.”

Devilishly handsome, he studied her. With his hawklike features and his too-sharp blue eyes, everything about him spoke of inherent strength. Ah, but she knew better than most how appearances could be deceiving.

“Give me his name, and I’ll talk to him,” he said. “If it is him, I’ll make sure he doesn’t bother you again.”

She recoiled, unable to help herself. Her late husband had been such a man, promising to take care of her, keeping her shielded from the rest of the world. At first, she’d found this charming. It wasn’t until later that she’d realized she’d been slowly suffocating.

And when she’d found out her entire marriage, her entire life had all been nothing but a pack of lies, she’d known she shouldn’t have been surprised. But she was. And hurt and betrayed. She’d vowed she’d never be so blind again.

This was why, even though this man’s rugged profile made her want to melt inside, she wanted to play it safe and send him away—with a smile, if possible.

Because the last thing she needed was to make another enemy. God knows she had made enough of those already, thanks to Carlos.

Chapter 2

Careful not to flash a confident smile, Mac waited for Emily to accept his offer. Though he’d never been anyone’s bodyguard, he felt he’d do a superb job. Being a former cop had its advantages.

“No, thank you,” she said instead and then turned and hurried inside Tearmann’s Animal Clinic, leaving him standing alone on the sidewalk. Scratching his head, he grimaced, wondering why he’d even thought this would be easy. Years of experience should have taught him that nothing ever was.

Turning, he headed back toward the parking lot where he’d left his pickup truck. The other day he’d been talking to his friend and former partner Joe, who still worked for the Albany P.D. Joe had speculated that someone like Emily Gilley was a chameleon. She could change everything about herself to suit the place and the occasion. Now that he’d met her, Mac thought Joe might be dead-on accurate about this.

He’d have to regroup and replan. His quarry was nervous and wary—and rightfully so. He’d been watching her from a distance ever since he’d arrived in Anniversary. Despite the time he’d put in learning about her and her routine, he’d yet to catch a glimpse of Ryan, the boy she passed off as her son.

This, he vowed silently, would become his number one priority.

Heart pounding and hands shaking, Emily walked over to the front desk, summoning a smile for Sally, the gum-chewing redhead who covered the reception area every day while Emily had lunch.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Are you all right?” Sally asked, tilting her head and peering at Emily with concern.

“I’m fine,” Emily lied, managing a limp smile. “It’s kind of hot outside, and I think I got kind of dehydrated, that’s all.”

Immediately, the older woman’s frown cleared. “I’ll bring you a bottle of water from the back.” She hurried off, leaving a trail of strong perfume in her wake.

As soon as she was gone, Emily sank down in her chair. She fought against instinct—the urge to run away, to quit her job, drive home immediately, pack her and Ryan’s things and get the hell out of Texas. She wanted to run … again … away from anything she perceived as a threat … away from him.

She took a few deep breaths. Sally returned, bearing the promised water. As Emily opened her mouth to speak, the phone rang. Waving her thanks to Sally, Emily answered, keeping her voice steady and professionally polite.

After she completed that booking—a morning spay—some clients came in: the Jones family with their three pugs. After that, a steady stream of phone calls and customers kept her busy. Somehow the afternoon flew by without her once thinking about Mac Riordan and the danger of his beautiful, casual smile.

Finally, the last appointment left and Emily locked the front door. She rushed through her normal closing duties, straightening the waiting room magazines and making sure the front door glass was smudge free. If she hurried, she’d make it to Mim’s Day Care where her son attended the after school program half an hour before closing time, and she and Ryan could swing by the grocery store and pick up the boxes of macaroni and cheese she’d been promising to make him, along with his beloved hot dogs, for supper.

The next morning, Emily woke with a renewed sense of purpose. She refused to allow herself to be run out of town. She just had to figure out the best way to fight. Sure, Mac Riordan was handsome and a charmer, but Carlos had been the same. She knew how to deal with men like him, even if it meant pushing away the simmering attraction she felt for him.

Feeling strong, she went to wake Ryan.

She sat down on the edge of his rumpled bed and watched him sleep, her heart bursting with love. As usual, seconds after she touched his shoulder, her son opened his eyes wide and held out his arms from a hug. Her throat clogged and her eyes filled as she wrapped her arms around him, breathing in the shampoo scent in his clean hair.

“I love you, mama,” he murmured, his voice full of sleep and sounding younger than his five years.

She cleared her throat, smiling mistily. “I love you too, Ryan.”

As she poured him cereal, a good compromise between the sugary one he’d wanted and the totally healthy one she had chosen, she found herself taking comfort in the familiar routine. No matter what kind of day she had at work, sharing her mornings with Ryan and looking forward to the evening ahead kept her motivated to have a positive day.

After breakfast, she followed him to his room to check out his clothing choices. Once she’d approved those, which happened more and more often these days, she grabbed the car key, buckled her son in his car seat and left.

“Have a good day.” Leaning down to kiss her squirming son’s cheek, she breathed in the apple juice and soap scent of him and wished the knot in her chest would ease.

“I will.” Ryan shifted from one foot to the other, clearly eager to hurry inside his kindergarten classroom but equally loathe to abandon his mother.

“Go on, then.” She gave him a tiny push, smiling as he tore off without another glance at her.

Looking at her watch as she left the elementary school, she waved at Mrs. Parsons, the assistant principal who always took morning duty at the front door, before hurrying to her car. The small gray Honda had been old when she’d purchased it, but it was clean, dent-free and it ran well, which was all she cared about. Every day she had to get Ryan to school and then pick him up from day care after. That, combined with her job and weekly trips to the grocery store, didn’t seem to be more than the little car could handle.

Now though, she had one more errand she wanted to run before she had to be at work. Emily planned to pay a visit to the sheriff’s office. One thing she’d learned being married to Carlos had been that the squeaky wheel got the grease. If she didn’t push, she knew they’d ignore her worries over the anonymous letter. They had no idea of her life story and the reason she took such things seriously, and if she had her way, they never would. That said, she had no intention of ending up one of those horrific stories you see on the evening news.

She’d make sure the Anniversary Police Department viewed her threatening letter as … well, as threatening as she did.

Already in her office, Renee Beauchamp looked up as Emily approached. Though her brown eyes appeared bright, the faint dark circles under told a different story.

“Good morning,” Emily said firmly, stepping into the sheriff’s office uninvited and taking a seat in one of the two chrome-and-cloth chairs facing the desk. “I’d like a moment of your time.”

Renee nodded, her expression showing nothing but professional interest. “What can I do for you, Ms.

Gilley?”

“I’m here to find out what you’ve learned about the letter.” Another trick Emily had learned was to state things as though they were fact, rather than ask questions. This conveyed both a sense of confidence and of purpose.

“Nothing, actually.” Renee steepled her fingers on the desk in front of her. “We’ve had very little to go on, and since there was no specific threat—”

“Oh, but there was,” Emily interrupted firmly. Pulling her copy from her purse, she read the relevant line. “I know what you’ve done. You’ve stolen what is mine and you’ll pay for what you did. Tell the truth, or risk everything.”

Nodding, Renee leaned forward. “While I appreciate and understand your concern, the letter is too vague. If, for example, it read ‘I’m going to plant a bomb in your garage’ or something, we’d have cause to act. But the wording ‘you’ll pay’ conveys nothing.”