Read Single Dad Sheriff (Harlequin American Romance) Online

Authors: Lisa Childs

Tags: #Contemporary, #General, #Romance, #Fiction, #Love stories, #Single mothers, #Single fathers, #Sheriffs

Single Dad Sheriff (Harlequin American Romance) (9 page)

BOOK: Single Dad Sheriff (Harlequin American Romance)
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T
HE CLINK
of ceramic against wood drew Chance's attention from the computer screen as Eleanor placed a mug of steaming coffee on the corner of his desk. “You don't need to do that,” he reminded her.

“You look like you could use it,” the older woman said as she dropped into the chair across from him. “Did you have a late night?” Her eyes twinkled as if she already knew the answer to her question.

He had tossed and turned all night because Jessie had slept in a bed just a room away from his. Too close. Too beautiful. Too…desirable.

His chair creaked as he leaned back and sighed. “Jessie was right. This is a small town.”

“But not small-minded,” Eleanor assured him. “Whatever's going on between the two of you is your business. And hers.”

“And apparently everyone else's.”

Eleanor chuckled. “People might be curious. They might talk. But they don't judge.”

He laughed now. “There's nothing to judge.” Not that he hadn't been tempted. “I was just helping Jessie out with Tommy. He fell asleep at my house.”

“So she stayed, too?”

“In the bunk with him.” But he would have rather had her share his bed. Even now, as he thought about their kiss, about the softness of her lips, the sweetness of her mouth, his pulse raced.

“You didn't need to explain anything to me,” his secretary told him.

He grinned. “Yeah, I didn't. But I'm hoping that you can spread the word. I don't want tongues wagging about me and Jessie Phillips.”

Eleanor rose from the chair. “You know, it wouldn't be a bad thing if there was something for those tongues to wag about. Jessie's a wonderful mother, but a boy should have a man in his life, a father figure.”

“I'm looking for his father,” he said with another glance at his computer screen. Could it have really been this easy? Had he already found him? And why did finding Tommy's father, Jessie's high school sweetheart, fill him with this sick feeling, something almost as bitter and impalpable as jealousy?

“Even though you made that promise to Tommy, you really shouldn't go behind Jessie's back like this,” Eleanor said with the brutal honesty that Chance appreciated. “If she doesn't want Tommy to know who his father is, you shouldn't get involved.”

“She asked me—” He glanced up from the com
puter monitor and noticed the man leaning against the doorjamb. “Hey.”

“There was no one out front, so I just showed myself back here,” Trenton Sanders explained as he walked into the room.

Chance introduced his secretary to his lawyer and studied his old friend as the two of them shook hands. Either the big-city lawyer had protested too much about his hatred of small towns, or he kept visiting because he was worried about Chance. His gut tightened with dread. Oh, God, did he have bad news he hadn't wanted to deliver over the phone?

“That coffee smells great.” Trenton flashed his patented charming lawyer grin at Eleanor. “I'd love a cup, too.”

“You don't have to get his coffee, either,” Chance told his secretary, but she left with a smile and a promise to bring their visitor back a cup. “So what are you doing here?” His stomach knotted even more. “Don't tell me that Robyn changed her mind. She's not letting Matthew come for a visit.”

“No, that's not it,” Trenton assured him as he settled into the chair Eleanor had vacated.

“What is it that brought you up to the
boonies
again?” he asked, reminding his friend of his earlier comments about the town Chance wanted to call home.

“I'm beginning to understand what you hate about the city,” Trenton admitted. “About the buildings and concrete making you feel as if you can't breathe.”

Chance grinned. “You're starting to like it here.”

“I wouldn't go that far.” Trenton shuddered. “I just need to get out of the office and the courtroom every once in a while.”

“Yeah,” Chance said with heavy sarcasm. “That worked out well for you in the past.”

“Nearly got me killed in Afghanistan—would have, if not for you,” Trenton said. “I owe you.”

“No, you don't,” Chance argued as he always did. “You would have done the same for me. So I'm still going to pay you for representing me in this custody battle.”

The lawyer shrugged again. “Whatever. I'm not worried about the bill. I'm worried about winning.”

“Me, too.”

“So listen to your secretary,” Trenton said. “Don't get involved with this woman.”

“You were eavesdropping?”

Unrepentant, his friend nodded. “Good thing, too. You didn't tell me anything about her.”

“There's nothing…” But Chance couldn't finish the lie.

Trenton sighed. “I take it she's the redhead I saw you with?”

He nodded.

“And she's got a kid she's been keeping away from his father?”

Chance sighed now. “Yeah…”

“If Robyn or her lawyer found that out, do you know how it would look in court—that you're involved with a woman who's doing the exact same thing as your ex?”

“We're not involved,” he said again.

Trenton relaxed in his chair. “Good, because it would be crazy for you to get into a relationship with a woman just like your ex.”

“Yeah, it would be crazy.” Even though Jessie was nothing like Robyn, he couldn't fall for her—not when both their lives were unsettled. But he worried that it might already be too late.

Chapter Nine

“So how was he?” Belinda asked, peering over the rim of her wineglass.

“Fine,” Jessie replied. “He's so sweet-natured that he got over being mad at me very quickly.” And because she'd felt so bad, she hadn't punished Tommy for running away. He was spending the night at Christopher's this Friday.

“Sweet-natured?” Her cousin gave an unladylike snort of derision. “Well, a guy's temper definitely improves once you give him what he wants.”

Jessie sighed. “I hope it's what he wants.”

“He hasn't called you again?”

“Called me?” Jessie had only had a sip of her wine, not enough to be this confused, but she still pushed the glass toward the center of the coffee table, where a pizza box sat. “I just walked him down to the Johnsons' before you got here.”

Belinda threw back her blond hair and erupted with laughter. “You're talking about Tommy!”

“Of course. Who were you talking about?”

Her cousin wiped tears from her green eyes. “I was talking about Sheriff Drayton.” She lifted the wine bottle from the table and topped off Jessie's glass with
the sweet red that she'd sworn would complement their sausage and peppers pizza. “And I want you to talk about him, too. Details, please. I'm living vicariously through you, you know.”

Jessie laughed now. “Then you're living a pretty boring life.”

“So he was a disappointment?”

Jessie took the wineglass from her cousin's hand. “I think you've had enough of that tonight.” Bee had definitely had more than a sip.

“My first glass,” Belinda reminded her. “C'mon, quit being stingy with the details. Everybody in Forest Glen knows you spent the night at the sheriff's.”

Jessie shook her head, swinging her ponytail back and forth. “It wasn't like that and you know it. I was at your house when I called him and found out my son was with him. Tommy fell asleep over there. I stayed until he woke up. That's all that happened.”

Her cousin studied her through eyes narrowed in skepticism. “Really?”

Unable to lie to her face, Jessie turned away and nodded. “Really.”

“What the hell's the matter with you?” Belinda said, lightly smacking Jessie's shoulder. “The man's gorgeous and interested.”

She couldn't deny that he was gorgeous. “He's not interested in me,” she told herself as well as her cousin. “He has a lot going on right now. And so do I.”

“You could have a lot going on with him,” Belinda persisted. “I saw the way you looked at him at the town council meeting. I don't blame you. Every woman in Forest Glen, myself included, looks at him like that. But I've never seen you do that with anyone else. Ever
since you had Tommy, you've lived only for him and have never been interested in anything—or anyone—for yourself.”

“That's not true,” Jessie said defensively. “Raising a child alone takes time and energy, that's all.” It didn't need to be that way. Even though Keith hadn't wanted her to be pregnant, he might have accepted his son if he'd known about him. And he probably would now, once Chance found him and he met Tommy and realized how special the little boy was.

“You need more in your life than your child,” Belinda argued. “Trust me.”

Maybe her cousin was right, because once she told Keith about Tommy, she'd have to give him visitation rights—unless he was so angry that he sued her for full custody of their son—and then she would have time on her own. “I won't worry about that now,” she said, talking to herself again.

“But you have an opportunity now,” Belinda said. “Because he looks at you the same way you look at him.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.” Jessie shook her head, in denial of her cousin's claim and her own feelings. “
You
don't know what you're talking about.”

“But I do recognize that look,” Belinda admitted. “It's all about the attraction and fascination and the fear of falling in love.”

“You don't understand,” Jessie said.

“No, I don't. Because even though I got burned, I'd go for it again,” she admitted.

“It?”

“Love.”

Jessie shook her head. “Chance Drayton is not falling for me.”

“Not yet,” Belinda replied. “But I think he could—if you gave him the
chance
.” She winked at the play on his name.

“He doesn't want that,” Jessie insisted. “He is
not
interested in me.” Not beyond that kiss they'd shared—the one that had haunted her nearly every moment since she'd spent the night at his house.

“Sure…” Belinda giggled. “He's not interested.”

“That's right!”

“What about you?” the other woman persisted. “Do you want…Chance?”

The phone rang and saved Jessie from having to make any more denials. Anxious to escape her cousin's teasing, she grabbed up the cordless without checking to see who was calling. “Hello?”

“Jessie?”

Her pulse quickened, but she steadied her voice, not wanting to broadcast her reaction to the sheriff's call to her nosy cousin. “Yes?”

“It's Chance,” he needlessly identified himself. “I'm sorry I haven't phoned earlier.”

“I figured you would when you found out something.” Her heart constricted. She hadn't doubted Chance would find Tommy's dad; she just hadn't believed he'd do it so quickly and that she would have to deal with the consequences of the choices she'd made so soon. “You found him?”

“I'm not calling about Keith.”

She glanced out the window toward the Johnsons' house. “Is it Tommy?” She hadn't just walked him down the sidewalk; she'd gone inside and had watched him
carry his bag up to Christopher's room. Had he run away from the Johnsons?

Maybe she should have told him that she'd asked Chance to find his father. But she hadn't wanted to build up his hopes, only to have them dashed if it wasn't possible to locate Keith. There was always the possibility something horrible had happened to him in the past eight years. As she'd told Chance, she hadn't searched for her ex-boyfriend at all—not on the online social networks or in obituaries, either. She had no idea where Keith was or what might have become of him. Or if he would want anything to do with the son he'd never known about…

“No, I'm calling about Matthew.”

“Did his mother cancel the visit?” she asked, her heart hurting for Chance now. He would be so disappointed if he had to wait any longer to see his son.

Belinda rose from the couch and stepped in front of Jessie to mouth, “Is it him?”

She shook her head and mouthed back, “Not now.”

Chance released a shuddery sigh. “No. He's coming as planned. Tomorrow.”

“That's great,” she said with relief. But Chance stayed ominously silent. “Isn't it great?”

“I hope it is.”

“It will be.”

“I want everything to be perfect,” he said.

“Did we forget something?” she asked, mentally reviewing all they'd done. “Don't you think he'll have everything he needs?”

“I don't know,” Chance said. “I don't know my son anymore. It might be uncomfortable with just the two
of us. Could you and Tommy be here…when he gets dropped off?”

She caught herself from shouting out the
yes
she longed to utter. “I want to meet Matthew,” she said. But most of all she wanted to see Chance's face when he saw his boy again, wanted to be there for him if he needed support or comfort. “But we can't be there when he gets dropped off.”

“No? You have other plans.”

“No,” she admitted. “It should be just the two of you then and probably for the first few days. You need to reconnect, and Tommy and I would just be in the way.”

“You wouldn't—”

“You two need some time alone to get to know each other again,” she pointed out. As Chance had told her after they'd kissed, they each needed to focus on their child. She didn't want to distract him from that.

She could hear his sigh through the phone. “You're right. Of course you're right. It's just that…”

“You want everything to be perfect, and it will be,” she assured him, “if it's just the two of you.”

“Thanks.” He sighed again. “Thanks for everything.” He clicked off before she could say anything else. But she wouldn't be able to forget that he called.

And apparently neither would her cousin. Belinda stood in front of her, gaze focused on Jessie's face.

“You don't understand what that was about,” she began, trying to forestall more false assumptions.

“There are no secrets in Forest Glen,” Belinda reminded her. “I know that his son is coming to visit him.”

“Then you know why I can't be there. After all this
time that they haven't seen each other, it should be just the two of them for a while.”

“But it's not going to be just the two of them,” Belinda pointed out. “His ex-wife will probably be there, too, dropping off their son.”

Jessie shrugged as if it didn't matter to her that Chance would once again be seeing the woman whom he'd once loved enough to marry, with whom he'd had a child. If seeing each other again brought back their old feelings, it was none of her business. “So what if she is?”

“So maybe you should be, too,” Belinda suggested. “Stake your claim, you know.”

Incredulous, Jessie laughed. “I have no claim to stake.”

“That's what you think.”

 

J
ESSIE WAS RIGHT
. He needed to do this alone, and he'd never felt more alone than he did now. He paced the length of his front porch, waiting for Robyn's lawyer to drop off his son for their weeklong visit. A week wasn't going to be enough time to make up for all they'd lost. That was why he wanted full custody—not out of spite, but because he'd vowed to devote himself to being Matthew's father. While Robyn was always at the hospital, too busy to even drive their son up for his visit, Chance didn't need to be in the sheriff's office 24/7. All he needed was his cell, and Mrs. Applegate's driver's license, to maintain law and order in quiet, crime-free Forest Glen.

The purr of a powerful engine drew Chance's attention to the street as Trenton pulled his sports car into the driveway. Now he regretted any ribbing he'd given his
friend for being a high-priced lawyer. Trenton deserved every dollar and then some of his fee. Chance hadn't expected him to show up today for support. But as well as being a good friend, the big-city lawyer seemed to be curiously drawn to the country.

Chance had expected Jessie might come despite what she'd told him last night on the phone. Pushing aside his friend's warning against getting involved with her, he'd called her in a moment of weakness. He'd needed her comfort and support. But she'd refused—with good reason.

Still, he was relieved that Trenton had shown up. But the passenger's door opened before the driver's and a boy stepped out of the low-slung car. Trenton had driven him instead? Chance's breath caught. It couldn't be Matthew. He couldn't have gotten so tall—not in the little over a year that they hadn't seen each other. His legs trembling slightly, Chance descended the porch steps to the walkway. “Matthew?”

The kid's eyes widened, and his dark head bobbed in a brief nod. He stared back at Chance, as if unable to believe what he was seeing, too.

Did Chance look different to him? Had he aged so much during his last deployment that his son didn't recognize him? He wouldn't have put it past Robyn to have wiped out all trace of Chance from their lives: the pictures, and the letters and e-mails he'd sent from Afghanistan.

“Hey, kid,” Chance greeted him, his voice choked with the emotion overwhelming him. “I'm your dad.”

“I know.” The boy spoke quietly, his voice quavering slightly.

“Of course he remembers you,” Trenton assured
Chance, as if the lawyer represented the kid now. “He remembers everything about you.”

Tears stung Chance's eyes. Maybe he was rushing things, but he couldn't stop himself from reaching out for his son. Instead of drawing back in resentment, as he'd feared, Matthew threw his arms around Chance's waist and clung to him.

Just as Tommy had cried in the tree house, Matthew cried now. Silently. Tears streaked down his face while his slight shoulders shook with the sobs he was too proud to release.

“I remember everything about you,” Chance told him. “Everything from the minute you were born—two weeks early because you were too impatient to wait for your due date. I remember when you took your first step, around the coffee table. You fell against it and had to get five stitches above your eyebrow.”

Matthew pulled back and wiped his face on his sleeve. Then he touched the faint scar above his dark brow. “You remember that?”

Chance nodded. “Everything.”

“Everything that happened while you lived with us,” Matthew said, “before you went away. You don't know what happened after you left.”

Chance shook his head, his heart hurting from the loss they had both suffered. “I'm sorry. I didn't want to leave you, but I felt like I needed to go.”

“To protect me and all those other people,” Matthew said with a quick glance at Trenton.

His friend had no doubt spent the three-hour drive from Chicago telling Matthew all kinds of war stories—stories Chance would have preferred his son never had
to hear. “I thought your mom's lawyer was bringing you up,” he said.

Matthew shook his head. “I didn't want to ride with her. She's not very nice. So I begged Mom to let me ride with Mr. Sanders.”

“That was very nice of your mother to agree.” And nothing short of a miracle, given how Robyn felt about him and his friends; unlike Matthew, she hadn't understood why they'd actually wanted their guard deployed. She hadn't understood that they'd wanted to do their part in defending their country. “But I don't care how you got here,” Chance admitted. “I'm just so glad you're here.” He pulled his son in for another hug.

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