How To Steal The Lawman's Heart

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“Right. So he probably doesn’t use paint and clay at work.”

Robyn giggled. “That would be silly.”

“It certainly would. Policemen know about criminals breaking the law and looking for excuses to escape punishment.”

Robyn nodded. “I heard him tell Officer Roberts that Peter Richards keeps making messes for his parents to clean up. Daddy said one day Peter’s going to make a mess no one can fix. He said Peter’s parents should stop making excuses for him. Daddy said Peter—”

Carmen raised her hand and the little girl stopped her recitation of overheard and misunderstood conversation. “I think your daddy was talking about criminals and not art. And he certainly didn’t mean you.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Okay.” Robyn smiled, her eyes bright with hope.

Carmen took the blob of paint and string and clay from the little girl and turned it this way and that, studying it from all angles. Try as she might, she couldn’t figure out what it was supposed to be. It didn’t look a thing like her sample. Of course, she couldn’t admit that or Robyn would be crushed.

“I think we can totally make this work. If you’re willing.”

Robyn nodded.

“Then let’s get busy.”

Twenty minutes later, Robyn stared at her project with what could be described only as awed disbelief. “Did I really make that?”

“You did. All by yourself.” If Robyn hadn’t been so insecure, Carmen would have trashed the first project and started from scratch. Instead, after diagnosing the problem, she had quickly returned the clay to the child’s hands. Although Carmen added instruction and encouragement, she made sure that Robyn did all the work. Now the glow of pride on the child’s face was truly earned.

“I can’t wait to show it to Daddy. He’s going to love it.”

“He will. Now let’s let it dry for a while.”

The little girl started out the door. She hesitated, then ran back, giving Carmen a tight hug. The feel of the little girl’s arms warmed Carmen’s heart. She could start to care for this motherless child quite easily. And wouldn’t that be a mess no amount of paper towels could clean up.

Chapter Six (#ulink_65188f52-a2bf-587b-965a-d8dee230c67d)

Trent checked his watch as he stepped into the youth center. It was half past six, but he hadn’t been able to get away any sooner. The accident had been one of the worst he’d seen. The elderly driver of a sedan had suffered a fatal heart attack and swerved into a lane of oncoming traffic, cutting off an 18-wheeler. The result was a ten-car pileup with dozens of injuries, some requiring hospitalization.

There was still work to be done, but he’d left it in the capable hands of his sergeant. As a single father, Trent couldn’t stay at the office all night. Even if he didn’t have family obligations, working the case day and night wouldn’t be good. If he was too tired, he might make careless mistakes. The best thing for everyone was for him to let the second shift take over.

It was at times like this, times of great tragedy and devastation, that he missed Anna more than ever. She’d been the perfect cop’s wife. She’d been supportive, listening as he unburdened himself of the horrors that far too often were part of his job. Unlike most women, she hadn’t expected him to be strong and stoic day and night. Anna had known there was a flesh-and-blood man beneath the uniform. There’d been no one to fill that role since her death. After seven long years, he’d come to accept that there never would be.

As he walked through the hall, he noticed that most of the younger children were gone, although he could hear the sounds of a basketball game. Those boys would play ball day and night if given the chance.

When he’d realized he wasn’t going to be finished by four, he’d called ahead, letting a volunteer know he would be arriving late, so his girls wouldn’t worry. No doubt Alyssa would be even more irritated with him for having to stay at the center so long. He hoped today wasn’t indicative of the summer months to come.

He had to come up with a better solution. He couldn’t leave his daughters here all day and he wasn’t willing to leave them home alone. Even the best of kids got into trouble when they weren’t supervised. Unfortunately, his housekeeper had left two days ago to help her daughter, who was having a difficult pregnancy. He didn’t expect her to come back from Tennessee before September.

Sighing, Trent reached for the clipboard to sign out his daughters and nodded at the young man standing behind the desk. He was glad to see that the female volunteer from earlier had been replaced with this guy, who nearly matched his own six-foot-three-inch height. Although Sweet Briar was a small town, it had its share of crime. Most of it was petty and nonviolent, but with the influx of newcomers and vacationers, it never hurt to be careful.

He heard the pounding of small feet moments before his younger daughter burst into the lobby, a smile on her face. She stopped in front of him, a plastic bag clutched in her hands. “Daddy. Wait until you see what I made today in art.”

“What is it?”

“Close your eyes,” she commanded, and he quickly complied, even though he was so tired he could sleep standing up. He heard the whisper of the bag being opened. “Okay, now you can look.”

“Wow,” he exclaimed, seriously impressed by the three-dimensional flower in her hand. Over the years he’d become used to finger-painted pictures and cotton ball snowmen glued to construction paper. He’d always made suitable noises about how wonderful each project had been and then taped it to the refrigerator.

But this project was really good.

“Did you make this?”

“Yep. I did it all by myself. Well, the teacher helped a little bit.”

“It’s excellent.”

“I didn’t think I could do it, but I did. At first she was telling me what to do, but when I didn’t understand, she made her own project and showed me how. She said that only my hands could touch my flower. At least when I was making it. You can touch it now.”

Smart woman. He wondered which of the volunteers had worked with her. He’d find out and make a point to thank her tomorrow. Now he just wanted to go home and grab some dinner.

“She’s really nice, Daddy. And pretty.”

He managed not to grimace. Was his daughter matchmaking again? From the time Robyn turned three and realized her friends had daddies and mommies, she’d been on a mission to find herself a mommy. Her taste had been less than discriminating. She’d tried to marry him off to her kindergarten teacher, which would have been funny except Harriet Bowman had been his kindergarten teacher. And she’d been pretty old then.

Two years ago Robyn had tried to set him up with her friend Juliet’s mother, despite the fact that the woman was happily married. It had taken some doing, but he’d gotten Robyn to understand that mommies couldn’t be shared by two daddies. Since then, she’d been on the prowl for single women to fill the role of mommy. He hoped she hadn’t embarrassed the volunteer by asking her to marry him like she’d done last summer with a ticket taker at the zoo.

He’d tried explaining that he needed to find his own wife. Robyn was unimpressed with his efforts, although she hadn’t used those words. She’d simply told him that since he couldn’t do it on his own, she’d help. The same way he’d helped her learn how to tie her shoes. As if finding a woman who would make his heart sing was as easy as making two loops and knotting them.

“Don’t you want to say hi to her?”

Not if Robyn had made the woman believe he was looking for a wife. No one could take Anna’s place. It wouldn’t be right to let a woman believe there was room in his heart for someone else when there wasn’t. “Sure. I’ll make a point to do just that the next time she’s here.”

Robyn grabbed his hand and tugged it. “Silly Daddy. She’s here now.”

“Really?” Spending the entire day here went above and beyond the call of duty. Perhaps she’d left early and come back to help with the older kids tonight.

“Yep.”

He let Robyn pull him farther into the building, past Alyssa, who had her arms crossed over her chest. It was rapidly becoming her regular pose. If the scowl on her face was any indication, tonight was not going to be the restful night he’d hoped for.

“Where are you guys going? I’m ready to go home.”

“I want Daddy to say hi to my art teacher.”

Alyssa rolled her eyes. She’d also tried to convince Robyn to stop shopping for a mommy. Her less than subtle efforts had been as unsuccessful as his more diplomatic methods. “Do you have to do it now? It’s not like this is our last day here. And besides, he’s already met her.” Despite her complaining, Alyssa trailed along.

“So? They didn’t get to talk before. Now they can. He can even ask her for a date, since she’s not married.”

Trent groaned. He could only imagine what Robyn had shared about him to get that bit of information.

He allowed her to drag him by the hand until they entered a large room filled with tables. There was only one person in the room.

“Here she is.”

Trent’s gaze followed his daughter’s outstretched hand. The woman had her back to them. And uninterested as he was, he had to admit that she had a nice figure. Petite and dressed in jeans that hugged her curvy body and a T-shirt that revealed a tiny waist, the woman was cleaning paintbrushes in the sink. Humming softly to herself, she didn’t hear them approach.

“Miss Shields. Daddy came to say hi to you. Don’t you think he’s handsome in his uniform?”

The woman—the last woman on earth he ever wanted to see—turned. What he was sure started as a smile when she heard his daughter’s voice turned into a look of utter dismay. Had he not suddenly been filled with rage, the swift change of expressions would have been comical.

She had her nerve. First she’d returned to this town—his town. He could understand her need to attend her mother’s funeral, but the service and burial were over. Clearly, she felt no need to be with her family if she’d spent even part of the day here. So why hadn’t she left town? He didn’t know, but he was going to find out. And then he was going to make sure she knew she wasn’t welcome in Sweet Briar.

Robyn was oblivious to the tension. His little girl exhibited quite a bit of strength as she tugged his arm and led him in the woman’s direction. He didn’t want to talk to her any more than she wanted to talk to him, but he didn’t want to hurt Robyn’s feelings. Besides, he needed to know when she was leaving.

“Chief.” She nervously clasped and unclasped her hands. Then she dropped her arms to her sides. Before he could speak, she folded her arms over her perfect breasts. As if suddenly aware that she looked defensive standing that way, she let her hands fall to her sides again.

“Miss Shields. I had no idea you’d still be in town.” He managed to convey his dissatisfaction with her presence without raising his voice.

Alyssa, who’d been leaning against the door and sighing loudly at regular intervals, suddenly stepped into the room. Robyn might be too young to read body language or pick up on tones of voice, but Alyssa was a pro. Her interest piqued, she moved closer and looked from him to Carmen Shields. Great.

Carmen’s brown eyes darted from him to his daughters and back. “I’m staying for a while.”

Her voice was calm. Almost pleasant. But the years he’d spent in law enforcement had him noticing the way her pulse pounded at her throat, a clear indication of just how nervous she was. Good. He didn’t want her to be comfortable.

What was it about Carmen Shields? He hadn’t noticed a woman since Anna’s death. So why was the room suddenly so hot? And why was the blood suddenly pounding in his veins? The awareness he felt made him even angrier.

“How long is a while?” His voice wasn’t pleasant and she flinched. He squelched the guilt that whispered in his ear to be nice.

“Are you asking as chief of police, or is this personal?”

His jaw tightened. Silence as a tactic generally worked.

She shrugged. “I’m staying two weeks.”

“That’s a long time. Don’t you have to get back to your home?” He knew from her driver’s license that she lived in New York City. The wild child had found a place fast enough to suit her.

“No.”

“Goody. Then you can come to our house for dinner tonight. Right, Daddy?” Robyn asked, looking pleased.

The look of shock on Carmen Shields’s face was priceless. He would have laughed if he didn’t know he was wearing a similar expression.

“No,” they spoke at the same time.

“Why not?” Robyn asked, looking between them.

“That’s very nice of you, but I have plans. Thanks for thinking of me.” Carmen glanced around the room as if searching for something to do with her hands, which were once again fluttering. Finding nothing left undone, she returned her attention to Trent and the girls. “Well, it’s time for me to leave. I really enjoyed working with you, Robyn. I hope all of you have a nice evening.”