Читать книгу The Texas Cowboy's Triplets - Cathy Gillen Thacker - Страница 10

Chapter Two

As Kelly had hoped, the two three-year-old classes at the preschool were completely mesmerized by Dan McCabe’s talk on his work at the sheriff’s department. With the exception of little Shoshanna Johnson, who never really seemed to get involved in any class activity, they sat raptly gazing at him as Dan explained how law enforcement was there to help them. And how not to be afraid to approach one to ask for help if it was ever needed.

Kelly stared, too, for a completely different...extremely inappropriate...reason.

When he concluded his short but very informative talk, she stepped to the center of the student circle and, studiously ignoring the lawman’s sexy, virile presence, took charge once again. “Would anyone like to ask a question?” And get my mind off just how hot Dan McCabe looks in uniform?

To her relief, Brian Alderman’s hand promptly shot up. “Do you sleep at the station, like the firemen?”

“No.” Dan smiled kindly, the glance he directed at Kelly letting her know he realized just how, um, unusually attentive she had been during his speech.

“I live at my ranch,” he said, sending another deferential glance her way. Kelly told herself it was the heat of classroom making her sweat. She moved closer to the air-conditioning vent.

“With horses?” Paul Robertson inquired.

A slow smile tugged at the corners of Dan’s lips. “Six miniature goats and a dog, actually.”

The students appeared perplexed.

“I don’t think anyone has any goats as pets,” Kelly ventured.

So Dan brought out his cell phone and showed pictures. Kelly relaxed. Maybe, she thought, ignoring the melting sensation in her middle, she would get through this without making a besotted fool of herself yet.

It wasn’t that she was attracted to him, per se.

It was that he was so big and handsome and confident-looking, and exuded strength in a hundred different ways that was the problem. A fact he seemed to know darn well, judging by the pure masculine devilry in his smile.

“What are their names?” Sally Baker asked.

Dan put his phone away. “They don’t have any.”

Moans and cries of dismay followed. “If you have a pet, you have to name it,” Teddy Franklin pointed out.

“Point well-taken,” Dan said.

Kelly smiled. “Maybe we can think up suggestions later and send them to Deputy Dan.”

Excited suggestions followed, while in the middle of the group, Shoshanna Johnson sighed, burying her head in her knees.

“Any more questions?” Kelly said, trying not to worry over her new student’s continued lack of involvement.

Another hand shot up.

Uh-oh, Kelly thought, knowing where this was likely to go as Dan turned and called on her triplet daughter. Michelle squinted at him. “Are you married?”

Despite the fact they’d just gone from goats to his marital status, Dan somehow managed to keep a poker face. “No,” he said genially. “I’m not.”

“Are you going to be?” Kelly’s son Matthew asked out of turn.

Dan flashed a devastating smile. “I hope so.”

Kelly could imagine that. There were some men who were just meant to be surrounded by loved ones. Dan McCabe was one of them.

Michelle raised her hand again, and it was all Kelly could do not to groan aloud. “Well, then, can you marry our mommy?” Michelle asked plaintively. “Because she needs a husband.”

Michael—the most independent of Kelly’s triplets—frowned. Forgetting for a moment what he was supposed to be doing, he stood up and argued back stalwartly. “No, she doesn’t!”

Doing her best to stifle a self-conscious blush, Kelly interjected quickly in a desperate attempt to change the subject. “Actually, I have a question for Deputy Dan.” All eyes, including the handsome lawman’s, turned her way. She noted the amusement in his eyes. “Have you ever been called to help a kitten or puppy in trouble while on duty?”

Dan’s masculine confidence lit up the entire room. “Actually, I have.” He launched into a dramatic tale that quickly had all twenty-eight preschoolers captivated.

“Nice save,” he murmured twenty minutes later when Kelly walked him to the door.

The kids were busy attaching their Sheriff’s Star stickers to their clothing with teacher Cece Taylor’s help. Only Shoshanna—who was idly inspecting the goldfish in the tank—seemed uninvolved. “Sorry my triplets put you on the spot,” she murmured, embarrassed.

His eyes glinted with an indecipherable emotion. “Not a problem.”

But there was one. She wanted to ask him if he had come to the same conclusion she had. Aware this wasn’t the time to get into it detail, however, she said only, “About what we had talked about a few days ago. Did you notice anything?”

“I did.”

Hoping he might have some ideas about what she could do, Kelly asked, “Would it be all right if I phoned you later?”

He nodded briefly, his eyes taking in the thoughtful look Cece was giving them. “Thanks for inviting me to speak.” Hat still in hand, he strode off.

Kelly returned to the kids in the classroom. Aware it was time for outdoor play, she and her fellow teacher escorted the children to the playground. Cece’s glance followed Dan, who was getting into his squad car.

“Don’t,” the fifty-five-year-old educator said.

“What?” Kelly asked, even though she already knew.

Cece harrumphed. “Every single woman in town has a secret thing for him.” She raised a hand in frustration. “I mean, why not, the man practically took out an ad in the paper when he moved back here, saying Wife and Kids Wanted Immediately.”

She turned to look Kelly in the eye, as much substitute mother now as friend. “But he’s never going to follow through on that wish. If he were, he certainly would have chosen one of the thirty or so women he’s taken out for dinner—or should I say an interview—in the last couple of years. One of my nieces, included.”

Kelly knew Dan’s reputation with the ladies. He was both gallant to the core and a heartbreaker. “I’m not looking for a husband. Been there, done that.”

Cece studied her, accepting that. “Even as a lover, he’d be a bad bet.”

“Not looking for that, either,” Kelly said.

Even though the sinfully sexy lawman stirred her senses the way no man ever had, or likely ever would.

* * *

UNFORTUNATELY, KELLY’S ATTEMPTS to connect with Dan, once her kids were in bed asleep that evening, went to voice mail. Finally, around nine thirty, she was about to give up waiting for a return call when she heard a vehicle pull into her driveway.

She looked out to see Dan emerging from a silver pickup truck that had seen better days. He was clad in jeans, an untucked denim shirt and boots.

Her heart skittering in her chest, she stepped onto the porch of her one-and-a-half-story bungalow before he could ring the bell.

“Sorry it’s late,” he said. As he neared, she caught a whiff of soap and mint. “My shift ended a little later than I expected.”

“You didn’t have to come by.” Or shower before getting here, either.

He shrugged, affable as ever. His glance drifted over her. “Conversations like this usually go better in person, don’t you think?”

He had a point. Even if this was, oddly enough, beginning to feel a little like the beginning of that date with her that he’d been wanting.

Catching a couple coming down the block with their two dogs, she said, “Why don’t you come in?”

He followed her inside.

Aware there was less of a chance of them being overheard if they moved to the rear of the house, she led him toward the kitchen, where she had the makings of the next day’s school lunches spread out over the kitchen island.

Catching his hungry look, she asked, “Have you eaten?”

“I’ll grab something on my way home.”

It would be rude not to offer. Especially since he had just done her a pretty big favor with nothing asked in return. “I think we can do better than that.” She smiled. “If you are interested in a sandwich that is.”

“Actually, if it’s not too much trouble, a sandwich would be great.”

She layered shaved ham and provolone on wheat, added lettuce and tomato. Then brought out the Dijon and mayo. He chose both, then sat down on the other side of the island. “I’m guessing you are concerned about the thin little girl with red hair.”

So he had spotted the issue, too. “Shoshanna Johnson. She moved here a couple of months ago.”

Ever observant, he guessed, “And is still feeling a little down about being uprooted to Laramie County, I take it?”

Kelly added cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks and cucumber wedges to the divided lunch containers. She closed them with a snap and slid them into insulated lunch sacks. “That’s what the other teachers think.”

“But you don’t buy that?”

Kelly knew what it was like to be a little kid of a single mom and an only child, at that, who was sad or worried. It really cut deep. But, not wanting to divulge that, she merely said, “Well, a move is always scary and unsettling, especially at that age, but...the preschool is a cozy, safe place, and she’s been welcomed by the other kids. The staff has gone out of their way to make her feel comfortable, too.” Their hands brushed as she handed him a bottle of sparkling water.

Dan made no effort to move away. “Yet she remains isolated.”

“Yes.” Hand still tingling, Kelly slid the lunches into the fridge.

Dan surveyed Kelly thoughtfully. “Are there any learning difficulties?”

“No.” Because that would have explained a lot, too. “She’s able to pay attention, color within the lines, answer questions and follow directions when she wants to.”

“And yet...she just usually doesn’t want to?”

“That’s just it.” Kelly handed Dan a package of chips. “Some days she does. She’ll come to school with a smile on her face and participate. And other days, it’s like she’s deeply worried about something, and she remains withdrawn the entire time.”

He continued devouring his sandwich. “Any signs of abuse or neglect?”

Deciding it was silly to stand there when he was sitting, Kelly came around the island and took the stool next to him. “None that I can see.”

He swiveled so they were facing each other. “Have you talked to her parents?”

Kelly sighed. “Shoshanna’s dad died almost a year ago, rather suddenly I understand. I’ve asked her mom to come in for a parent-teacher conference, but Sharon Johnson keeps rescheduling. Work issues at the auto dealership where she works as the new financial manager, she says.”

Dan opened the bag of chips and offered her one. “Think she’s avoiding you?”

Kelly took one and munched on it. “Maybe,” she said as the salty deliciousness melted on her tongue. “But maybe she’s just settling in, too.”

He finished his sandwich, stood and carried his plate to the sink. He looked ready for action.

His brow furrowed. “What would you like me to do?” he asked gruffly.

Besides kiss me?

Flushing, Kelly said, “Be...discreet.”

* * *

HER REQUEST SUDDENLY had a slightly shady ring to it. One he had heard before. “Discreet,” Dan repeated. “As in operating outside the normal rules and regulations?”

She inclined her head. “You have connections. As well as a background as a detective.”

Also something he had heard before.

He tensed. “Which means I could do what...in your view?”

She shrugged, the ends of her silky hair brushing her shoulders. “Ask around. Maybe do a clandestine background check...”

Dan’s gut tightened.

There were times in his life when he kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. This was one of them. “That’s not allowed, Kelly.”

She met his level gaze with an indignant one of her own. “Maybe not in an official capacity as a sheriff’s deputy,” she theorized.

“In any capacity,” he corrected sternly, stepping nearer. The fragrance of her hair and skin sent his senses into overdrive. “Unless I want to file a report and go through official procedure.” He paused to let his words sink in. “In which case I’d be duty bound to report anything the least bit suspect that I found.”

Kelly’s face suddenly reflected the concern he felt. Color flushed her cheeks. “Let’s forget it,” Kelly interjected quickly, looking sorry she’d ever started down this path. And while that comforted him, he was still worried that she’d been all too willing to bypass ethics. And worse, had wanted him to do so, too.

A long silence fell.

Her worry returned.

He waited until she looked at him. “As I mentioned the other day, if you are this concerned, why don’t you just talk to a social worker?”

She scoffed. “Who, if approached, would be forced to open up an official investigation?”

He edged closer, taking in the agitated gleam in her amber eyes and the stormy set of her luscious lips. “And I wouldn’t be?”

Calmly, he corrected her mistaken view of Laramie County Department of Child and Family Services. “You can trust social services here, Kelly.”

“No.” She rubbed the toe of her sneaker across the oak floor beneath them. “You can’t.” She bit her lip and glared at him mutinously. “You can’t trust them anywhere.”

Okay, so she was ticked off at him. “How do you know?” he challenged.

She released a short, bitter laugh. “Because I spent years in and out of the system.”

He paused. “You were a foster child?”

A brief, terse nod. “Off and on, my entire childhood.”

She stalked out of the kitchen. He followed, keeping a respectful distance. “What happened?”

She spun around, shoving her hands into the pockets of her knee-length shorts. “It’s a long story.”

And obviously a very painful one.

He put a consoling arm about her shoulders. When she didn’t continue, he prodded gently, “If you want me to understand where you’re coming from, never mind help you, you’re going to have to tell me a little more.”

She stepped back slightly, so they were no longer touching, and ran her hands through her hair. “My mom was a registered nurse who suffered from cyclical depression. She also developed an addiction to prescription medicines.”

Regret pinched the corners of her mouth.

Swallowing, she shook her head, recalling, “So, whenever things spiraled out of control, she would end up in the hospital, or rehab, and I would end up in the system.”

No wonder she mistrusted DCFS. “That must have been really tough on you.”

“It was.” Moisture glimmered in her eyes. “My mom always got better when she underwent treatment, but then she would have to prove that she could take care of me again. And that would take weeks and months of both of us living under the microscope.” Kelly sighed. “And then by the time I was finally allowed to be back with her, the stress of maintaining her sobriety would send her spiraling again.” Kelly compressed her lips miserably. “I’d have to hide it and pretend nothing was wrong. I knew if I didn’t I’d be taken away from her again. And it was awful.”

Dan pushed aside the need to pull her into his arms and asked gently instead, “Where is she now?”

“She died of an accidental overdose five years ago.”

This time he did reach for her. “I’m sorry, Kelly.”

Standing stiff as a board in his arms, Kelly nodded.

He let her go, stepped back. “Do any of your coworkers know this?”

“No.” She met his gaze and didn’t look away. “The only reason I’m telling you is so you’ll help me make sure that Shoshanna isn’t grappling with a similar heartache.”

He took her hand in his and turned it palm up. “You really believe something is going on with that little girl?”

Compassion lit her pretty amber eyes. “I really do, or I wouldn’t have come to you.”

“Then,” Dan decided, just as seriously, “there is only one thing we can do.”