In His Sights (4 page)

Shea frowned. “He probably just overdid it.”

“Why was Chris in the hospital? If you don't mind my asking.”

“He was hurt on the job when he wrecked a surveillance van during a chase a couple of weeks ago. But that
was just the icing on the cake—there were already some underlying health issues going on with him, and he won't talk much about it.”

A chill traveled down her spine. “What sort of health issues?”

“I don't know much, but I'm really not at liberty to discuss what I
do
know. You'd have to ask Chris.” She gave Robyn an apologetic look.

“I'm sorry. It's none of my business.” She hesitated. “I guess I'm on edge, what with all the strange deaths we've had. Then you mention a man who by all appearances should be perfectly healthy yet is having problems, and the doctor in me goes on alert.”

“You don't think his symptoms are related to those other cases, do you?” her friend asked in alarm.

She hurried to reassure the other woman. “I don't think anything at this point. It was something that struck me, is all.”

“I'll mention it to Shane and have him keep an eye on Chris.” The other woman smiled again. “Who, by the way, you'll probably see tonight.”

“God,” Robyn groaned. “You're incorrigible.”

“I try.”

*   *   *

“Mommy?”

“Yes, sweetie?”

Robyn hustled her daughter into the car. It was fifteen minutes until seven, and she hated being late, even to a casual party.

“When can we have a puppy?”

Oh Lord, not this again. Give me strength.

“We've talked about this,” she said, sliding behind the wheel. “You know it will probably be this summer before we can get one.”

“But that's too long!” Maddy wailed. “I want one now!”

Keeping her cool after the week she'd endured, and dealing with this issue yet again, took every ounce of effort she had. “Madeline, we don't have time to care for a puppy just yet. Not with my hours and you being in school.”

Her daughter turned on the sniffles. “It's not fair. Amy got a puppy
and
her mommy and daddy work.”

“Well, I'm sure their situation is different.”

“It's not.” The scowling little face assumed a stubborn pout.

I will not yell. Cleansing breath—in and out.

“I'm not discussing this anymore at the moment,” she said firmly. “We're going to a party and we're going to have a good time.”

Maddy didn't answer, but instead turned her head and stared out the window. In fact, she didn't speak at all, despite Robyn's attempts to draw her into conversation. Suddenly Robyn wanted to turn the car around and go home, but she'd promised to be at the party. Once she made a commitment, she hated going back on it. But days like this made it hard to remember that.

Damn you, Greg. Why did you leave me to raise our daughter alone? Why did you give up on all three of us?

Knowing the answer didn't make the loneliness any easier to bear.

Quite a few cars were parked at Shea and Tommy's
when she arrived. It was a good thing they had a sizable piece of property on the river that was perfect for having friends over. Deciding that she and Maddy wouldn't stay long, she parked in a spot that seemed easy to get out of and she shut off the ignition.

She got out and met Maddy on the other side, but her daughter didn't reach for her hand as she usually did. Letting go of a quiet sigh, Robyn walked to the front porch, climbed the steps, and knocked. Happy sounds of talking and laughter drifted from inside, and for a moment it made her a bit sad, because at one time Robyn's house had sounded much the same.

Snap out of it!

The door opened to reveal Tommy standing there with a wide smile on his adorable face. He was so darned cute with his dancing crystal blue eyes and blond hair poking in every direction, Robyn wondered if Shea had to beat the women off him.

“Hey, stranger!” he called, pulling her inside. “Glad you could make it. You, too, Miss Maddy.”

Predictably, her daughter gave Tommy a smile, but withdrew a bit from the noisy scene. Edging close to Robyn, eyes wide, her upset about the puppy was clearly forgotten, for now.

“It's great to see you again,” she said, letting herself be enveloped in a strong hug.

“You, too.” He let her go and stood back, grinning. “Shea was so happy when you said you'd come. She tells me you work much too hard.”

“Well, I'm working on that.”

“Come on back to the deck—we have tons of food and whatever you want to drink.”

“Thanks.”

As she followed Tommy, a small hand slipped into hers and she smiled. No matter how pissed Maddy might be about something, when she wasn't sure about something, she wanted to stick close to her mom.

On the way, Tommy introduced her to several firefighters and a few police officers, plus various other people, all of them jovial and friendly. There was no way she'd remember all their names, though, so she just rolled with it and proudly thanked them when they complimented her on her pretty angel.

As they stepped onto the deck, Tommy called, “Hey, baby! Look who's here!”

Shea turned and then rushed forward to hug her and Maddy as Tommy disappeared to visit with some of his friends. “You made it!”

“Told you I would.” She smiled at her friend.

“So you did.” Shea turned her attention to Maddy. “Hi there, honey. I'm so glad you could come.”

“Me, too.” The little girl ducked her head shyly.

“Come on, fix a couple of plates. There's plenty of burgers and hot dogs, juice and soda. And some stronger stuff for the grown-ups.”

“Just one beer for me,” Robyn said. “I'm not on call tonight, but I've got no designated driver.”

“No problem.”

Robyn headed for the long folding tables filled with food, fixing a burger for herself and a plain hot dog for
Maddy. Then she allowed her daughter one root beer, her favorite soda, and chose a light beer for herself. She found a table with a couple of empty seats and led Maddy over, checking to make sure she was handling her plate and drink okay.

Then she seated herself across from one of the biggest men she'd ever seen, a bear of a man with short, spiky brown hair bleached blond at the tips. Next to him was a pretty woman with long blond hair holding a squirming baby on her lap. They were wearing matching wedding bands.

“Sweetheart,” he said in a low, baritone voice, “why don't you let me hold him so you can eat?”

“No, I've got him. We're fine.” Her eyes softened as she gazed back at her husband, and he kissed her gently.

There was such love between them, Robyn's throat threatened to close. She had loved Greg, and he had felt the same way, too. They had been close. But had he ever looked at
her
like that? As though she was his entire world, the moon and stars?

“Oh, hello,” the woman greeted her, expression friendly. “I'm Kat Paxton, and this is my husband, Howard.”

Howard? That big, sexy hunk of man didn't look like any Howard
she'd
ever seen. But hey, who cared?

“Nice to meet you both. And who's this?” She nodded to the baby.

“This is Ben,” Howard said, the pride in his voice evident. “He's named after my dad.”

“He's so cute. I think he looks like you,” she told Howard, who immediately puffed out his chest and smirked at his wife.

“See? Told you.” He grinned at Robyn. “Thank you.”

“I'll never hear the end of it.” Kat rolled her eyes, then smiled at Robyn. “I don't think we've met before, have we?”

“Oh! Sorry. I'm Robyn Lassiter, and this is my daughter, Maddy.”

“It's great to meet you. And hello, Maddy.”

“Hi.” A pause. Then, in a small voice, she said, “I know you.”

Kat eyed the little girl and seemed to come to a sudden realization. “Hey, I know you, too. You're in Mrs. Manning's room.”

“Uh-huh.”

Noting the confusion that was no doubt showing on Robyn's face, Kat explained. “I'm one of the first-grade teachers at Mendenhall Elementary. Maddy's not in my class, so I didn't recognize her at first.”

Relief immediately deflated the tension that had started to knot her shoulders. “That's great! Come to think of it, I may have seen you at Back to School night and just forgot.”

Kat nodded. “It's possible. So, how do you know Tommy and Shea?”

“I'm a doctor at Sterling, and I've known Shea for a couple of years, since Maddy and I moved to town. She's one of the first people I met, and she made me feel welcome right away.”

“That's our Shea. She's a sweetheart.”

“What do you do?” Robyn asked Howard politely.

“I'm the captain at Fire Station Five. Most of my team is wandering around here somewhere.”

“I admire what you do. You guys have a dangerous job.”

He shrugged. “It can be, but it's also rewarding when we're able to help people. I'm sure you feel the same way at the hospital.”

“All the time. I live for the moments when I have good news to share with anxious families.”

She made small talk with the Paxtons for a while, and eventually caught herself scanning the deck and backyard. She wasn't consciously aware of what, or who, she was searching for. Not until she caught sight of a familiar figure sauntering out of the house onto the deck.

Her breath hitched and her heart beat a little faster at the sight of the tall, lean figure standing a few feet away. This time, she really took the opportunity to study Chris Ford as she hadn't the other day. At a bit over six feet, brown hair streaked with blond falling into big, warm brown eyes, and a face that reminded her of Henry Cavill, the man was stunning.

He had on a pair of snug jeans that cupped his ass like a glove, and as he turned more fully in her direction she noted they did the same to his package in the front. He also wore a fitted black T-shirt that showed off a deliciously muscled chest and arms, not to mention the flat stomach.

When his gaze landed on her and Maddy sitting at the table, his eyes widened a fraction. Then his mouth curved into a broad smile that lit his face, and he started toward them.

“Well, if it isn't my beautiful neighbors,” he said. Stopping next to them, he held out a hand. “Robyn, it's good to see you again.”

“It's good to see you, too.” She was surprised the
statement came out so calmly when inside she was quivering like a sixteen-year-old. If she'd been expecting him to simply flirt with her and ignore Maddy, as a lot of guys would have, she was surprised and pleased. He crouched next to Maddy's chair and spoke to the little girl at eye level.

“Hey, Maddy. Remember me?”

Setting down her hot dog, she studied him for a few seconds. Recognition dawned and she practically squealed. “Chris! Are you better now? Mommy never took your temp-ra-ture and I was worried that you were still sick.”

Tentatively, he reached out and stroked a hand over her hair. A shadow crossed his face, there and gone. “I'm feeling okay, sweetheart. Say, I'll be at your school on Tuesday for the crime program with Valor. Isn't that great?”

Interesting, how he'd avoided getting into his health. He wasn't telling the whole truth; she was sure of it.

“Yeah! Mrs. Paxton will be there, too. She's one of the teachers,” Maddy informed him, pointing to Kat.

“That's good.” He nodded to the Paxtons. “Kat, Howard. How's it going?”

“Going good,” Howard said. “Can't complain.”

“Beautiful wife and baby, what's to complain about?” He smiled, but Robyn caught the wistful look on his face as he studied Ben.

Her heart warmed a fraction.

Chris gestured to the table. “Mind if I pull up a seat?”

Howard stood and stretched. “Actually, take one of our chairs. We're going to make the rounds inside before we have to go home and put Ben to bed.”

“Oh, all right. It was good to see you guys again.”

“You too, man. Take care.”

Chris and Howard shook hands, and then Chris hugged Kat and kissed the baby on the cheek.

After they were gone, Chris took a vacant chair and rested his arms on the table, clasping his hands as he studied her. “I was surprised to see you here. But glad,” he hurried to add.

“I have a confession to make—I wasn't surprised to see
you
at all.”

He looked confused. “Really? How did you know I'd be here?”

“I work with Shea at the hospital. She's a friend of mine, and when she mentioned the party I remembered her twin brother is Shane Ford, a detective like you, with the same last name. I put the pieces together and she confirmed you're their cousin.”

He smiled. “Sounds like you could be a detective yourself. Small world, huh?”

“Isn't it?”

“I'm guessing you're single?” he asked, glancing at her empty ring finger.

“For a while now.” She didn't offer more and he didn't push. “You?”

“Never been married.” Appearing pleased with the direction things were moving, he leaned toward her a bit. “So, what do you like to do when you're not saving lives and being a mom?”

“You mean, just for myself, for
fun
?” she said, teasing. “I'm not sure I remember what free time
is
.”

“Well, according to your vague recollections, give it
your best shot.” His brown eyes were dancing with humor.

“Let's see . . . I love to go boating, fishing. I prefer a quiet lake cabin over the beach. I love steaks, seafood, Italian food. I enjoy reading. Dancing.”

“Wouldn't you know? I love those things, too.”

“Oh, really?”

“I never lie about having fun.”