Branded by the Sheriff. Delores Fossen

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СКАЧАТЬ Egan Caldwell,” the Ranger introduced himself first to Beck and then to Faith.

      “Sheriff Beck Tanner.”

      “Marita Dodd,” the nanny supplied. Unlike the little girl, this woman’s dark eyes showed stress, concern and even some fear. She was petite, barely five feet tall, and a hundred pounds, tops, but even with her demure size and sugar-white hair, she had an air of authority about her. “Aubrey’s obviously got her second wind. Unlike the rest of us.”

      “Ms. Matthews,” the Ranger said to Faith. “Could I have word with you?” He didn’t add the word alone, but his tone certainly implied it.

      “Of course.” After another kiss on the cheek, Faith passed the child back to the nanny, and she and Sgt. Caldwell went to the other side of the reception area to have a whispered conversation.

      Beck watched Faith’s expression to see if she was about to get bad news, but if her brother had been caught or was dead, then why hadn’t the Ranger told Beck as well? After all, Beck was assisting with the case.

      “I really have to go the ladies’ room,” Marita Dodd said. That brought Beck’s attention back to her.

      “Down the hall, last room on the right,” Beck instructed.

      But Marita didn’t go. She glanced at Aubrey, then at Faith, and finally thrust Aubrey in his direction. “Would you mind holding her a minute?”

      Beck was sure his mouth dropped open. But if Marita noticed his stunned response, she didn’t react. Aubrey reacted though. The little girl went right to him. Straight into his arms.

      And then she did something else that stunned Beck.

      Aubrey grinned and planted a warm, sloppy kiss on his cheek.

      That rendered him speechless and cut his breath. Man. That baby kiss and giggle packed a punch. In that flash of a moment, he got it. He understood the whole parent thing and why men wanted to be fathers.

      He got it, and he tried to push it aside.

      This was the last child on earth to whom he should have an emotional response.

      Aubrey babbled something he didn’t understand and cocked her head to the side as if waiting for him to reply. She kept those doe eyes on him.

      “I don’t know,” Beck finally answered.

      That caused her to smile again, and she aimed her tiny fingers at the Ranger vehicle parked just outside the window. “Tar,” she said as if that explained everything.

      “Car?” Beck questioned, not sure what he was supposed to say.

      “Tar,” she repeated. Then added, “Bye-bye.”

      Another smile. Another kiss that left his cheek wet and smelling like baby’s breath. And she wound her plump arms around his neck. The child obviously wasn’t aware that he was a stranger at odds with her mother.

      Beck was having a hard time remembering that, too.

      Well, he was until he heard Faith storming his way. Her footsteps slapped against the hardwood floor. “Aubrey,” she said, taking the child from his arms.

      While Beck understood Faith’s displeasure at having him hold her baby, Aubrey showed some displeasure, too.

      “No, no, no,” Aubrey protested and reached for Beck again. She waggled her fingers at him, a gesture that Beck thought might mean “come here.”

      “This won’t take but another minute,” the Ranger interjected. He obviously wasn’t finished talking to Faith.

      Faith huffed. Aubrey continued to struggle to get back to Beck, and she clamped her small but persistent hand onto the front of his shirt. They were still in the middle of the little battle when the phone rang. The deputy, Corey, answered it, but immediately passed the phone to Beck.

      “It’s your brother,” Corey announced.

      Great. This was not a conversation Beck wanted to have tonight.

      Faith practically snapped to attention, and despite Aubrey’s protest, she carried the child back across the room and resumed her conversation with the Ranger.

      “Pete,” Beck greeted his brother. “What can I do for you?”

      “You can tell me if what I heard is true,” Pete stated. “Is Faith Matthews back in town?”

      Because he was going to need it, Beck took a deep breath. “She’s here.”

      With that, Faith angled her eyes in his direction. Hearing his brother’s voice and seeing Faith was a much-needed reminder of the past.

      “Why did she come back?” Pete didn’t ask in anger. There was more dread in his voice than anything else.

      “She’s the new assistant district attorney. I didn’t tell you sooner because I didn’t think she was coming until next month. It wasn’t my decision to hire her. It was the DA’s.”

      “It’s for sure? The DA actually hired her?”

      “Yeah. It’s for sure.”

      “Then I’ll have a chat with him,” Pete insisted.

      Beck had already had that chat, and the DA wouldn’t budge. Pete wouldn’t, either. His brother would talk and argue with the DA, too, but in the end the results would be the same—Faith would still be the new ADA.

      “In the meantime, you do whatever it takes to get Faith Matthews away from here,” Pete continued. “I don’t want her upsetting Nicole.”

      Nicole, Pete’s wife of nearly a dozen years. This would definitely upset her. Nicole was what his grandmother would have called high-strung. An argument would give Nicole a migraine. A fender bender would send her running to her therapist over in Austin.

      This would devastate her.

      “There’s a lot to be resolved,” Beck told his brother.

      “What does that mean?”

      Heck, he was just going to say it even though he knew Faith would overhear it. “It means Faith might change her mind about staying.”

      Yeah, that earned him a glare from her. He hadn’t expected anything less. But then she glared at whatever the Ranger said, too. Her glare was followed by a look of extreme shock. Wide eyes. Drained color from her cheeks. Her mouth trembled, and he wasn’t thinking this was a fear reaction. More like anger.

      “I’ll call you back in the morning,” Beck continued with his brother. “In the meantime, get some sleep.”

      “Right.” With that final remark, Pete hung up.

      Beck hung up, too, and braced himself for the next round of battle he was about to have with Faith. But when he saw her expression, he rethought that battle. No more shock. Something had taken the fight right out of her.

      Sgt. СКАЧАТЬ