The Lawman's Convenient Bride. Christine Rimmer

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СКАЧАТЬ said, “A week from Saturday Jed has to fly to New York for some publicity thing. He wants me to go.”

      “Can you afford to be away? Don’t we have two parties that weekend?” Jody used the word we loosely. Her part would be minimal. Bloom would provide floral centerpieces for both events.

      “They’re just small dinner parties. Danielle can run them.” Danielle was Elise’s second in command at Bravo Catering.

      “So go.”

      “I don’t know. I want to be here for you, in case you need me.”

      Jody groaned. “Oh, please. I’m in perfect health. The baby is doing great, and I’m not due till the end of May. And if anything happened—which it won’t—Nellie and Clara are a phone call away.” Nell Bravo and Clara Ames were their other two sisters.

      Elise fiddled with her ring some more. “I would be gone for four days, Saturday through Tuesday.”

      “Not a problem.”

      “It seems like a long time.”

      “Elise. Stop worrying.”

      “I’m trying.”

      “I’ve had no cramping, no spotting, not a single sign that the baby might be early.”

      “And besides, first babies usually come late, right?”

      “Right.” Jody tried not to look guilty.

      Okay, so she had a few secrets. And somehow, she’d never gotten around to sharing them with her sisters, or anyone else in the family, for that matter—well, except for her mother. Somehow, Willow Bravo, of all people, had figured it out and shown up on her doorstep when Jody was six months along. As far as Jody knew, though, her mother had never told another soul.

      And, no, Jody wasn’t ashamed that she’d given her first baby up for adoption. All things considered, her choice had been the right one. And no one was going to judge her, anyway. She really ought to stop lying by omission and tell Elise and the rest of them the real reason she’d suddenly decided to spend several months in Sacramento at the age of eighteen.

      But come on. It was thirteen years ago, which definitely put it into the category of old news. And she just didn’t feel up to going into it now.

      Kind of like she didn’t feel up to reaching out to Seth Yancy...

      On second thought, maybe there had been a little damage to her moral compass, after all.

      “Jody?” Elise was watching her through suddenly worried eyes. “You okay?”

      Jody pulled it together. “I am just fine. And you’re going to New York with Jed.”

      * * *

      The following Tuesday, Jody stood at the design station at Bloom. She was shaving the corners off a cube of floral foam when in walked the sheriff. Again.

      Jody put down her knife with care. “Hello, Seth.”

      He took off his aviator sunglasses and his County Mounty hat and came right for her. “You never called.” He set the hat on the counter and the glasses beside it.

      Careful not to let anything spill on his hat, she brushed the shaved bits of foam from her hands. “There was no reason to call you. Everything is fine.”

      “You’re sure?” He regarded her solemnly, with bleak concentration, as though if he stared hard enough, he could see inside her head and discover all the ways she wasn’t taking proper care of herself.

      Jody had a burning need to let out a long, exasperated sigh. Somehow, she quelled that. “I’m sure.”

      “Should you be on your feet so much?”

      She was suddenly glad for the deep counter between them. He couldn’t look down and see her slightly swollen ankles—which were nothing out of the ordinary for a woman in her third trimester. “Honestly. I’m taking excellent care of myself.”

      He sent a suspicious glance around the shop. “Those tubs of flowers outside are heavy. You should have help carrying them in at night.”

      She had a good answer for that one. “And I do have help. Plenty of it.”

      “How so?”

      What? He had to have specifics as to her employees and the hours they worked? Fine. She would give him specifics. “I hired an extra assistant. I already have one who comes in to work with me on Saturday, runs the shop on Sunday by herself and picks up the slack whenever I need her. The new one comes in at two and stays through closing, Monday through Friday. And when the baby’s born, she’ll be here full-time for as long as I need her, and my original assistant will be working more, too.” Was that enough information to end this interrogation?

      Apparently not. “You were here on your own a week ago when we talked.” It came out as an accusation with How could you be so irresponsible? implied at the end of it.

      No way I have to explain myself to you. But then she went ahead and did it anyway. “The new girl called in sick that day. But she hasn’t missed a day since. And if she can’t make it, and the other clerk is busy, I have more people I can call.”

      “What about when you open up in the morning?”

      “What about it?”

      “Who carries all those tubs of flowers outside then?”

      Seriously. Was this in any way his business? No. But if she told him to butt out, he might just decide to stick around and explain in detail all the reasons he had a right to cross-examine her. And what she really wanted was for him to go away. “For weeks now, my sister Elise or one of her clerks has been helping me open up every morning that I’m here on my own.”

      “I’d be happy to come by and pitch in.”

      “I... Thank you. I’ll remember that.”

      “You still have my card with my numbers?”

      Where had she put that? “I do. Yes. Of course.”

      “Jody.” He gave her that laser-eyed stare again. “Did you lose my card?”

      “No. Of course not.”

      “Show it to me.”

      She stood very still and reminded herself sternly that she was not going to start yelling at him. “I don’t have it handy. Sorry.”

      The sheriff was not pleased. He pulled out a cell phone and punched some numbers into it. Her cell, in the pocket of her bib apron, blooped. “I’ve sent you my numbers. Again.”

      “Thanks.” She knew she didn’t sound the least appreciative, and by then, she didn’t even care.

      He took another of his cards from his breast pocket, grabbed a pen from the jar on the corner of the counter and wrote down all his private numbers all over again. “Just to make sure you don’t lose them this time.” He held СКАЧАТЬ