Safe In The Lawman's Arms

“Will do.”

Mike took his own cone to the far table where Malory and Katy waited, then slid into the chair opposite Malory. He was determined that this be short-term, but he found himself wondering what it would be like to keep Katy. If he had Malory here to help out—

No. He pushed the idea firmly aside. He’d thought this through already, and Malory was pregnant. That changed a lot of things, too. He’d been right before.

“This is really good.” Malory was already down to the cone, and she reached over and turned Katy’s ice cream to keep it from getting lopsided, then put it back into her hands again. “Eat fast, Katy,” she warned. “Or it will melt.”

Mike took a thoughtful bite of his cone, but the ice cream didn’t taste as good as it usually did to him. He didn’t know what his problem was. It wasn’t as though he’d known Malory before, or even as though he’d had plans to make something more of their relationship. But she’d held back an important detail that, while private, certainly factored into the job. And when he’d said that he preferred honesty, that was a blunt fact. He’d been lied to enough in his life, and he respected transparency.

“Look, Mike...” Malory said quietly once Katy was happily settled with her ice cream. “I’m sorry that I didn’t say anything earlier. I hope you understand. If it only affected me, I might have been more forthcoming, but I’m going to have a child to provide for.”

Mike nodded. “Yeah, I get it.”

Having Katy here was opening his eyes to a lot of things he’d never experienced—like the amount of worry that went into a child in his care.

“I didn’t think I’d be a single mom,” she admitted. “But life doesn’t always go according to plan.”

“You don’t have any support?” he asked. “What about the father?”

“Steve offered to pay for the abortion.”

Mike winced. “Ouch.”

What kind of a lowlife offered an abortion? He’d smack this Steve himself, given the chance.

“I could sue him for child support, true, but—” She sighed. “I’d just as well take care of my baby on my own and not have to deal with him.”

“What happened exactly?” he asked. This was moving very quickly toward the personal, and she’d already made it clear that she liked her privacy, so he added, “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“No, no, it’s fine.” She waved her hand through the air. “I was dating Steve for a couple of years. After he left me for my best friend, I found out I was pregnant. I never saw it coming—him leaving me, or the baby.”

“And you still told him?” He raised an eyebrow. That showed some strength right there, to give him the information at all after he’d dumped her so unceremoniously.

“It only seemed right to let him know that he had a child on the way,” she replied. “And, well, you know how he reacted. I suppose it’s just as well.”

“Is it?” he asked uncertainly. The thought of a man treating Malory that way boiled his blood, and he’d half hoped to see his own anger mirrored in her face, but all he saw there was resignation. Whoever this guy was, that kind of reaction to the news that he’d fathered a child was unforgivable in Mike’s eyes. A man stood up and took responsibility.

“My mom was on her own raising me, and she spent my entire childhood trying to rope in a husband.” She shook her head. “I swore I’d never do that. I might be a single mom, but I’m not going to make my mother’s mistake and think that some guy is going to rescue me. I’ll do this alone.”

Alone. So she’d already decided that she didn’t want a man in her life. Not that it should matter to him—

Mike nodded. “Fair enough.”

“And I wanted to thank you.” Her gaze met his earnestly. “You could have given me my walking papers, but you didn’t.”

“Well, I’m not that kind of guy,” he replied. It was more than that, though. Somehow, that information had sparked a protective instinct in him, and he wouldn’t have been able to fire her if he’d tried. “You’re here for Katy, and she really loves you already.”

Malory sucked in a breath and smiled, this time the sparkle hitting those brown eyes.

“And if you need help with anything—” Mike began.

“No.” Her tone was emphatic, and he bit back the last of his offer.

“No?” With no father around and no support network, he was surprised she’d turn down an offer of help.

She shook her head. “No. I’m serious. A job is enough. I can do this just fine by myself.”

Malory met his gaze evenly, her lips pressed into a thin line. She meant every word, he had no doubt.

“Okay,” he said with a nod. “I won’t intrude.”

She smiled. “Great. I think we’ll get along just fine.”

Mike took another bite of his cone. She was like no other woman he’d ever come across, but if she wanted her space, he could do that.

“Uh-oh, Nanny Mal.” Katy sighed, and they both looked over to find the top of her cone in her lap. She poked at the softened ice cream with one finger.

Malory took a pile of napkins and set to work cleaning up what she could. A smile turned up her lips as she looked into Katy’s forlorn little face. Then her honeyed hair fell down across her eyes, hiding them from his view.

She was certainly more appealing than Mrs. Doubtfire, he’d give her that.

* * *

THAT EVENING, MIKE sat downstairs, his feet up, emptying his brain with some sports on TV. Upstairs, the bathwater splashed in the tub, and soft voices carried down. There was something sweet about having women in the house, and he hated to admit that he liked the changes around here—the scent of perfume in the hallway, the pile of wet towels after Katy’s bath, the extra plates in the sink. It was funny how such mundane details could be comforting, too.

If the facts were different, he’d be tempted to keep this. His home would feel very empty once Katy—and therefore Malory—left, even though he was trying his best to keep his emotions back.

The phone rang and he pushed himself back up, reaching for the handset.

“Mike Cruise here.”

“Hello, Mr. Cruise, this is Elizabeth Nelson from the adoption agency. How are you?”

“I’m good.” He sank back into the couch and muted the TV. He’d been in contact with Ms. Nelson since the day Katy arrived, and he’d already filled out a large number of forms. “Thanks for getting back to me.”

“I’d love to come by and meet Katherine, if you’d be okay with that. We can start the process of finding her a family. How does that sound to you?”

“That sounds good,” he said quickly. “So how does this work, exactly?”

“Well, I come for a little home visit. Then we’ll make her file available to families who are looking for children. Sometimes these things take a long time. Sometimes they’re surprisingly quick. It’s all about finding the right match.” There was a pause. “But I have to be honest. Katherine is already three, and that will make finding a match a little more difficult. Most families are looking for infants.”

“Yeah, I get that,” he said.

“But that doesn’t make it impossible,” she hurried to add. “Your situation isn’t so rare. When there are deaths in a family or incarceration, there are often small children left behind without anyone to take them in. Another loving home is the best solution for everyone.”

A pang of guilt stabbed at Mike’s gut. Katy did have a family member, but Mike still wasn’t the best solution for the kid. “So the next step is a home visit?” he prompted.

“Yes, and I’d love to come by at your earliest convenience. I have next Tuesday afternoon open.”