The Heartbreak Sheriff. Elle Kennedy

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ bail hearing,” he said carefully.

      Hope brightened her face. “And he’ll give me bail, right?”

      “Most likely.” He glanced at the baby. “You’re a mother—I’m sure he’ll take that into consideration when he makes his ruling. But, Sarah …”

      She peered at him sharply. “But what?”

      “The hearing probably won’t be until Monday morning.”

      Her breath came out in a shocked rush. “What are you talking about?”

      “Rollins is in South Carolina for some golf tournament,” he admitted. “Unless your lawyer is a miracle worker, I don’t think the judge is going to hurry back for a bail hearing.”

      The air in the small office turned as frigid as a snowy February morning. He almost winced under Sarah’s cold scowl. She was looking at him as if this was his fault, like he was the reason the judge was off on the fairway wielding a nine iron. Before she could yell at him—which she seemed to be preparing to do—a brisk knock rapped against the door, and then Jamie Crawford poked her head inside.

      “Are you okay?” Jamie asked immediately, ignoring Finn as she hurried over to Sarah.

      “I’m fine, now that you’re here,” Sarah said, sounding relieved.

      Jamie wrapped one arm around Sarah’s shoulder, dwarfing the other woman with her height; at five-nine, Jamie loomed over Sarah’s five-foot frame. Then she turned to Finn with a fierce look. Wonderful. Two against one, and both females seemed to blame him for this mess.

      “What is the matter with you?” Jamie asked, disbelief dripping from her words. “You know Sarah didn’t kill Teresa, Finn. I can’t believe you arrested her.”

      “I had no choice.” He resisted the urge to rip out his own hair. “You both seem to be in denial over the fact that I’m the sheriff. On paper, I’m not supposed to answer to anyone, but that’s bull. This is politics, and the mayor and D.A. are pulling my damn strings.”

      “The D.A. actually thinks he’s got a case?” Jamie demanded.

      Finn nodded, then waited until Sarah shifted her attention to the baby before giving Jamie a pointed look. He does have a case, Finn communicated silently, and Jamie’s lavender eyes widened slightly as she received the transmission. As a federal agent, Jamie understood law enforcement procedures, and when her expression softened, flickering with sympathy, Finn knew she understood why he’d had to arrest Sarah.

      “Okay.” Jamie squeezed Sarah’s arm, then moved to lean against the edge of the desk. “Okay. So what’s the next move? How do we get Sarah out of this?”

      “All we can do is wait for the bail hearing,” he said grimly. “And if this goes to trial, Sarah’s attorney will build a defense for her. In the meantime, you and I will be busting our asses trying to find the real killer.”

      Tension hung over the room, finally broken by a tiny wail of displeasure. Finn turned his head and noticed the baby’s cheeks had turned beet red. As Lucy began to cry, hiccupping between sobs, Sarah rocked her in her arms, but the gentle motions did nothing to soothe the suddenly cranky infant.

      “You should take her home,” Sarah whispered, glancing over at Jamie.

      It was clear that the last thing Sarah wanted to do was relinquish the child, and it nearly tore out Finn’s heart as he watched her hold Lucy in front of Jamie’s waiting hands. The baby’s cries only grew louder as she found herself in an unfamiliar pair of arms. Jamie rubbed the baby’s back and murmured a few words of comfort, which only seemed to further agitate the red-faced, squirming baby.

      “Go,” Sarah choked out.

      “Sarah—”

      “Please, just go. There are diapers and bottles in the bag on Anna’s desk, and if you need more formula, you can stop by my house—the spare key is under the red flowerpot beside the porch.” Sarah seemed to be fighting tears. “Did you get the car seat?”

      “Yeah, I stopped by the gallery like Finn asked and took it from your car.”

      “Then you’re all set.” Sarah gave a bright smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

      “Sarah … I’ll take good care of her,” Jamie murmured. “I promise.”

      “I know.”

      As Lucy continued to wail, Sarah moved closer to brush her lips over the baby’s forehead. “Be good for Jamie,” she said softly.

      Holding the crying infant, Jamie walked to the door, pausing only to shoot Finn a look that said, Fix this. Now. She left the office, and they could hear her footsteps in the bull pen. Lucy’s distressed cries grew muffled and then eventually faded as Jamie left the station with the baby.

      Sarah stared at the door for an impossibly long time, before finally turning to Finn.

      His stomach clenched at her lifeless expression. She looked as though someone had ripped the one thing she cared about right out of her arms, which, in fact, was what had just happened.

      “Sweetheart,” he started, the old endearment slipping from his mouth before he could stop it.

      The dull shine to her eyes exploded into a smoldering burst of anger. “Don’t you dare call me that.”

      The vehemence in her voice had him stepping back, stricken.

      “And don’t you dare pretend you’re going to help me get out of this,” she continued, her cheeks flushed with fury. “You got me into this. I don’t care what the evidence says, or what the D.A. thinks, you know I didn’t kill anyone!”

      “And I’m going to help you prove that,” he said hoarsely.

      “Don’t bother,” she snapped. “You’ve already proven that you’re incapable of standing by me when things get a little too tough for your liking. So, frankly, I don’t want or need your help, Patrick.” She was breathing heavily now. “Now take me back to my cell.”

      “Damn it, Sarah—”

      “Take me. Back. To my cell.”

       Chapter 3

      Sarah woke up the next morning feeling downright disoriented. When she stuck out her arm to fumble for the alarm clock, she felt nothing but cold air. When she instinctively turned to the right to glance over at Lucy’s crib, she found herself staring at a cement wall.

      She shot up into a sitting position, shoving strands of hair from her eyes as she realized she wasn’t in her cozy bedroom—she was in a jail cell.

      She still wore the turtleneck and jeans she’d had on yesterday, which she’d opted to sleep in because the alternative had been too humiliating to accept. The light blue prison-issued jumpsuit was still where she’d left it—on the floor next to the metal bars. The very thought of putting on that garment had brought a wave of nausea to her belly. She might be stuck in jail, but no way would she allow Finn and his deputies to dress СКАЧАТЬ