The Sheriff and the Baby (13 page)

He drew back a little, breaking the kiss slowly.

“Mmm, that was nice,” she murmured, hoping he’d kiss her again, yet confused as to why she was feeling this way. Her hormones must be completely haywire.

He lifted her onto the counter and pulled her against him. Beth returned his passion, needing his closeness, needing his kisses and how they made her feel. Needing to feel alive. She reveled in the intimacy of their position, his hands drawing her hard against him.

Emotions were overwhelming her, making her head spin, but Matt suddenly tore his mouth from hers.

He stood for a moment, breathing deeply. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that,” he said gruffly and rested his forehead against hers, tracing a callused thumb across her bottom lip.

Her nerve endings tingled as he trailed his hand down her cheek and throat, his chest rising and falling as fast as hers. It thrilled her to know he was as affected by their kiss as she was.

“I have to get some fresh air,” he finally said and went back into the living room.

Before Beth had a chance to collect her scattered wits, Matt had put on his jacket and boots and stepped outside in the snow.

She heard the ax make contact with the firewood and wondered what she’d done wrong. Why had he lit out of there like that?

For a long time, Beth sat on the countertop, waiting for the strength to return to her legs. When it did, she slid off the counter and stumbled back to her room. She climbed into bed, pulled the covers over her head and resisted the urge to cry herself to sleep.

They ate breakfast in silence the following morning. Beth realized each wanted to discuss what had happened the night before, but neither was ready to broach the subject.

Finally Matt broke the silence. “Let’s take a drive,” he suggested. “It’s my niece Sasha’s birthday and I’ve gotta drop in on her. Then I wanted to show you something—a surprise.”

Beth felt herself blanch. “I can’t go out anywhere! I can’t risk anyone seeing me. Not now!”

“Relax. It’s only my family, and it’ll do you good to get some fresh air.”

Beth chewed on her lip, not at all comfortable with venturing into the outside world. He covered her hand and said, “You’ll be safe. We’re not going where anyone other than my family is likely to see you. Go put on some warm clothes and I’ll get Sarah ready. She’ll enjoy the outing as much as I’m hoping you will.”

“If you’re
sure
it’ll be safe…”

“It will be. I promise. I can’t let Sash down.”

“How do we transport Sarah?”

“Lucy brought a car safety seat that I can fit into my vehicle. She also brought over one of those baby slings. I’ll wear it and Sarah will be safe and snug.”

“Will your parents be there, too?”

“No, Mom and Pop travel a lot since they retired and handed over running the ranch full-time to Luke. They’re sailing around the Caribbean with some friends of theirs.”

Beth tried not to tell herself what a relief that was. Meeting Sarah O’Malley, having her know she’d named Sarah after her, could be seriously embarrassing.

“All right,” she finally agreed, reluctant and yet oddly excited, too.

M
ATT FOUND THAT
being cooped up in the cabin with Beth was testing his resolve. Taking a drive in the fresh mountain air would clear their heads, but still keep Beth safe by his side.

After fitting the baby seat in his truck, Matt left the engine running and the heaters going full blast. He went back inside, dressed Sarah in a snowsuit with built-in mittens and a hood and put on the baby sling. He adjusted the length of the straps and slipped it on, then lifted her into it. “Perfect, my little angel, just like you.” He walked into the living room where Beth was waiting.

Pleasure filled him when she grinned and said, “That’s adorable. She looks so contented.”

Matt wished Beth could look half as contented as he unfastened the sling, gently lifted Sarah from it and transferred her to the safety carrier, which would fit directly into the seat.

Satisfied that she was secure, he picked up the carrier and headed for the door. “Ready?” he asked and opened it for her.

B
ETH ZIPPED UP HER JACKET
and stepped outside into the crisp air. Overnight snow carpeted the landscape be
neath clear, sunny skies. The pines surrounding the cabin drooped heavily beneath their white burden.

“It’s so pretty,” she said, smiling as a pair of squirrels chattered noisily in the pines above them, chasing each other from branch to branch and sending showers of snow onto the driveway. “I haven’t really had a chance to appreciate this.”

Matt locked the front door and held her gloved hand to help her toward the car. “Is it any wonder I choose to live here?”

“None whatsoever,” she told him as she climbed in, then turned in her seat to watch as Matt fitted Sarah’s carrier neatly into its base, all accomplished without disturbing her sleep.

Beth settled back in her seat, taking in the scenery as Matt drove. It felt slightly surreal. She hadn’t been outside in the sunshine for almost a week, yet it seemed months.

The plows had already cleared the mountain road, and Matt went at a leisurely pace. As if reading her thoughts, he said, “I couldn’t imagine staying in that tiny cabin for weeks on end. I love the outdoors too much.”

“Me, too,” she agreed. “I’m looking forward to the day when I can go for some long walks in the snow. I think Sarah would love that.”

At the bottom of the road, he made a left and headed away from Spruce Lake.

“I’ve never been this way before,” she remarked after they’d gone about two miles.

Matt glanced over at her, a dark eyebrow raised. “It’s the way to South Ridge.”

Beth could feel herself blushing and reached to turn down the heater. She’d forgotten her earlier lie about having been in South Ridge to visit a client. Matt chuckled.

“You didn’t believe a word of what I said back at the hospital, did you?”

“Sweetheart, the only thing I knew for sure was that you’d had a baby and you were hiding something. Pretty much everything else was distinctly fishy.”

Beth crossed her arms. “Frankly, I’m impressed at how creative I was.”

He grinned across at her. “Creative…but not particularly convincing.”

The valley opened up a little wider and hills rose gently toward the snowcapped mountains on either side.

Eventually the valley widened until there were several miles of undulating valley floor between the foothills. Matt turned off the main road and drove over a cattle grate. The name Two Elk was emblazoned in wrought iron above it.

A half mile farther on, he pulled up in front of a substantial ranch-style house. Even before he’d gotten out of the car, the door was flung open and three young girls came racing toward them.

“Uncle Matt! Uncle Matt!” they all squealed in unison.

Beth opened her door and climbed out, delighted by their obvious affection for their uncle. The girls were so involved in greeting Matt, they didn’t notice her. She was about to get Sarah out, but Matt beat her to it. “I’ve got her,” he said and lifted Sarah’s car seat out of its base.

Beth collected the bag of baby paraphernalia and went around to join Matt. The three girls still hadn’t acknowledged her as they were now scrabbling to get a look inside the carrier. “Let me see! Let me see!” demanded the youngest, who Beth guessed to be three or four.

“Patience, Celeste,” Matt said. “Let’s get Sarah out of the cold first.” He turned to Beth and slid his arm about her
waist, drawing her against the shelter of his body. “Girls, I’d like you to meet my friend Beth.”

The girls all chimed, “Hi,” and smiled at Beth, then went back to peeking at Sarah. Beth couldn’t help laughing at their enthusiasm as Matt, his arm still encircling her waist, drew Beth along with him.

They mounted the four steps onto the porch and the door was flung open yet again. Luke stepped out, a wide grin on his face. “Hello, Beth,” he said, clasping her shoulders and bending to place a kiss of welcome on her cheek. He held her away from him, looked knowingly at Matt, then back at Beth. “I’m glad to see my brother tracked you down,” he said and ushered them all inside.

Anything else he had to say was drowned out by the girls’ squealing and demands to hold Sarah.

Matt put the baby carrier on the living-room sofa and asked Beth, “Do you mind? I’ll make sure they don’t kill her with kindness.”

He looked so endearing trying to fend off the girls while he waited for Beth’s answer.

“Of course they can,” she said and bent to pick up Sarah. She was lying awake and gazing out at the sea of faces.

“Me first!” the youngest cried.

“No, me!” the oldest yelled. “It’s
my
birthday!”

Beth glanced at the middle girl who seemed the least interested in Sarah, although her eyes still shone with excitement.

“By the way, I don’t think you’ve all been properly introduced to Beth,” Luke boomed above the racket. “The little dynamo is Celeste. This is Daisy—” he rested his hand on the middle girl’s shoulder “—and the birthday girl is Sasha.”

“Since I haven’t brought a gift to celebrate your birthday,
Sasha, perhaps I can make up for it by letting you hold Sarah first,” Beth offered.

This brought howls of anger from Celeste, who immediately threw herself on the floor and started screaming. Sasha paid no attention to her sister whatsoever and stepped over her to grab Sarah.

Matt interrupted Sasha and said, “Whoa, there! How about if you sit down, Sash? Don’t want you dropping her.”

Touched by Matt’s concern, Beth smiled at him and then waited until Sasha was settled on the sofa to put Sarah in the girl’s arms.

Sasha sighed with gratitude. Daisy frowned, muttering, “Babies are dumb, anyway,” and stalked out of the room. Celeste continued to make a commotion on the floor.

Matt bent down to pick her up and swung her in the air. The sobs of anguish soon turned to shrieks of delight as he spun her around above his head.

“You know you’re supposed to ignore her when she carries on like that,” Luke admonished him. Matt shrugged and went on spinning Celeste around.

Luke turned to Beth and raised his eyebrows. “Can I get you a drink?” he asked, then walked into the adjoining kitchen, indicating Beth should follow.

She found herself in a large country-style kitchen that looked out at the mountains rising in the distance behind the house.

“Juice okay?” Luke asked.

“Yes, thanks.”

He produced a glass pitcher of orange juice from the fridge, poured two glasses and gave one to Beth. He leaned back against the counter and studied her. Beth refused to flinch under his scrutiny. Finally he said, “My brother was like a lost bull calf when you took off from the hospital
without a word. Turned the whole family upside down, I can tell you.”

Warmth infused her at the knowledge that Matt had been searching for her so diligently, and she felt a surge of gratitude that he’d found her. With trembling fingers, she raised the glass to her lips.

At that moment, Sasha burst into the room brandishing a fifty-dollar bill. “Look what I got from Uncle Matt, Dad!” she announced and danced around the room.

“Matt!” Luke yelled in the direction of the living room. Sasha raced out the back door and waved the bill at Daisy, who was perched on the corral railing.

Matt poked his head around the kitchen doorway, glanced back to where Celeste was sitting on the sofa holding Sarah, then grinned at Beth, giving her a wink. “Hey, how often does a guy’s niece turn twelve?” he asked. “Also it helped bribe her into letting Celeste have a turn with Sarah,” he whispered.

Beth and Luke exchanged grins when he’d returned to the living room. “He’s incorrigible,” Luke said. “He always gives them money for their birthdays. I figure it’s because he hasn’t got enough imagination to buy them suitable gifts.”

“I heard that!” Matt called out.

Beth laughed. She was enjoying the friendly banter and all the chaos of Luke’s family. This was how a family should be, she thought. Full of fun and love and noise. A tiny pain dug at her in the region of her heart. She’d never had a family like this…and probably never would. Instead, there’d just be Sarah and her. She made a silent vow that Sarah’s life would be filled with as much love as this family possessed—if not as much noise.

The back door banged and Sasha came inside, closely followed by Daisy, bringing with her the chill of the snow-
covered ground. Matt reappeared in the kitchen doorway, his attention half on what Celeste was up to in the living room and half on what was going on in the kitchen.

Daisy glared at her uncle as though it was somehow his fault that it wasn’t her birthday and therefore she wasn’t getting any money. Matt pulled out his wallet and withdrew two crisp new ten-dollar bills. “Happy unbirthday, Daisy,” he said and handed her one. Her face lit up and she dashed into the living room. “Thanks, Uncle Matt!”

Luke shook his head. “You’re pathetic,” he said with a smile, then turned to stir a pot of soup on the stove.

Matt went back to supervise the cuddling of Sarah. Beth moved to gaze out at the mountains.

“My brother’s stuck on you,” Luke said.

Beth glanced back at him, trying to control the flush of pleasure she felt creeping up her face.

Luke folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the kitchen counter again. “The question is, what d’you think of him?”

“W-well, I hardly know him. I haven’t really formed an opinion.”

“Hogwash!” Luke snorted. “I saw the way you were looking at him just now.”

Beth started to deny what he thought he’d seen in her eyes but Luke held up his hand. He fixed her with a glare. “I don’t want you breaking his heart. He’s a good man. He paid your hospital bill so you wouldn’t be facing charges.”

Beth felt the breath whoosh from her lungs. “H-he
what?
”

“He didn’t tell you?”

Beth could only shake her head. Matt had paid her hospital bill?
All
of it? She felt sick to her stomach that her dishonesty had led to this.

“I have no idea why you lit outta there without paying your bill and without letting anyone know where you were going, Beth, but if you’ve got some kind of problem, I suggest you share it with the rest of the family. We’ll see if we can’t find a solution to it. Together.”

Although she was initially taken aback by his harsh tone, Beth knew Luke had Matt’s best interests at heart. If only her problems were that easy to solve.

Stunned by Luke’s revelation about Matt’s paying her hospital bill, she was saved from having to respond by more excited squealing from the living room.

“I think everyone else has arrived by the sound of it,” Luke said and escorted her out of the kitchen.

The scene that greeted her was nothing short of pandemonium. The room seemed full of adults and children laughing and greeting one another and pushing forward to take a look at Sarah. She recognized Becky and waved to her over the noise and children.

Becky stepped nimbly toward her, carrying a baby on her hip. She kissed Beth on the cheek, her green eyes alight with speculation. “I didn’t expect to see you here!” she cried. “So Matt found you, after all.”

Before Beth could answer, the baby held out a chubby hand to Beth and gave her a toothy smile. Beth was captivated, envisioning Sarah at this age. “This is Lily, I assume? She’s gorgeous!”

“Thank you. Fortunately, she takes after me,” Becky said as she caught hold of a slightly less muscular version of Matt and drew him over. “Beth, I’d like you to meet my husband, Will.”

Will shook her hand warmly and said, “I’m the thorn in Matt’s side.” He spoke with total candor. “And I’m delighted to meet you at last, Beth.” Deep dimples creased
his cheeks and his eyes glittered as he gestured a young boy toward him. “This is our son, Nick.”