Lawman's Redemption. Marilyn Pappano
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Название: Lawman's Redemption
Автор: Marilyn Pappano
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Зарубежные детективы
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His eyes turned cold and hard, as if they’d been chipped from a chunk of frozen sky. “I believed it because her mother swore it was true. I told you Sandra had a lot of affairs. She was convinced that one of her boyfriends was Les’s father, not me. That’s when I ended the marriage.”
“But Les uses your name. She believes you’re her father.”
“I know. Apparently, Sandra lied to one of us.” A scowl settled over his features. “I don’t think Les knows why I haven’t been around for fourteen years, and if she doesn’t, I’d rather not tell her.”
Of course not. What would it do to the mother-daughter relationship if he said, Hey, kid, you haven’t had a father in your life because your mother drove him away? Though judging from the way Les looked, Hallie wasn’t sure there was much of a mother-daughter relationship to damage.
“I didn’t lie to you, Hallie. When you asked me if I had any kids, I honestly thought the answer was no.” He reached back to rub his neck as if it ached. “Even now I don’t know…”
“But you’re going to let her stay.”
“For a while. What else can I do?”
He could put her on a southbound bus, or drag her onto an airplane, or simply call her mother and demand that she come and get her. He could even turn her over to social services. After all, a man had no obligations to his ex-wife’s child.
But if she was his child, too…
“I, uh…I can’t get off early today,” he went on, his gaze fixed somewhere around her hands, resting on the tabletop. “Reese is gone, and one of the deputies called in sick today, so we’re shorthanded. I was wondering…if maybe you could…” He drew a deep breath, then met her gaze. “You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?”
She smiled a bit. “There’s no shame in asking favors. Everyone needs help from time to time.”
“Not me.”
“Ha. You need help right now, and the reason is on her way back here.” She didn’t need to look to know that Les was returning from the bathroom. The central focus of virtually every diner’s attention was enough to tell her.
In a rush, Brady blurted out, “Will you keep an eye on her this afternoon?”
“See? That wasn’t so bad.” She watched as Les circled the next table, then pulled out her chair. “I’d be happy to.”
“Redneck goobers,” Les said as she sat down. “They should keep their looks to theirselves.”
“Aw, come on, Les,” Hallie gently chided. “If you didn’t want people to look at you, you wouldn’t dress in a manner guaranteed to make them look.”
The kid gave her a scornful look, then scanned the menu. “Jeez, did I forget to mention that I’m a vegetarian? And you bring me to a freakin’ steakhouse? Don’t you know what red meat does to your body? To say nothing of the fact that consuming animal flesh goes against the laws of nature.”
“Animals eat animals in the wild,” Brady muttered.
“Some of them even eat their young,” Hallie said with a teasing smile. “What kind of vegetarian are you? Vegan? Ovo, lacto or lacto-ovo?”
Les’s expression turned suspicious. “What do you know about vegetarians?”
“Honey, I live in California, where I used to give parties for hundreds of people with menus that allowed for every dietary restriction you could possibly think of.”
“I’m lacto-ovo. I eat ice cream. And cheese. And ranch dressing.”
“So you could have a salad, a baked potato, some veggies and dessert.”
“Yeah, I could.” Les looked from her to Brady. “Is she your girlfriend?”
Hallie looked at him, too, curious about the answer he would give.
His cheeks flushed just a little under his dark skin, and he answered with a frown, “We’re…friends.”
“Are you sleeping with her?”
His flush turned to a deep crimson blush, and he opened his mouth twice without getting any words out.
“If he is,” Hallie said, “it’s none of your business. In fact, if he isn’t, it’s none of your business.”
“I bet he isn’t. Sandra says he’s dreadfully lacking in social skills. She says he never had a clue how to make a woman happy.”
And Sandra was a deceitful, scheming, lying witch, Hallie thought snidely.
The waitress took their orders while dividing her surreptitious looks between the three of them, then returned almost immediately with drinks and salads. When the silence had dragged on interminably, Hallie nudged Brady under the table, then nodded slightly toward Les.
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