Patricia Johns - His Unexpected Family

Emily’s home sprawled just south of the small community of Haggerston. A bungalow-style rancher, it had a large yard hemmed in by a log fence. The effect was quite rustic, and he liked it. The well-maintained yard sported flower beds arranged naturally, as if little patches of flowers and leafy plants had just decided to push up around a rock or a tree, although in Montana, that sort of natural sprouting rarely happened without a good deal of loving care. Her front door had a woven twig wreath hanging on it, and he imagined that come the holiday season, it would be festooned with berries and holly. Her windows were covered with shuttered blinds that were open at the moment, letting the summer light in and keeping prying eyes out. As a police officer, he approved of her use of privacy.

In the trunk, Greg had several bags and boxes of baby things he’d picked up from the station, and he carried them to her front door before ringing the bell. He didn’t hear anything for a few moments, and he was about to ring again when he heard the sound of footfalls. Her peephole darkened for a moment. Then the lock scraped, and she pulled the door open.

Emily stood in the doorway, her hair still damp from a shower, wearing a pair of jeans and a loose, pink blouse that brought out the color in her cheeks. Her hair had left wet patches on her shoulders, and her face was makeup free. She looked fresh, albeit a little tired, the warm June breeze tugging at some wisps of hair around her face that were drying faster than the rest.

“Hi.” She angled her head to gesture him inside. “Wow, that’s a lot of boxes.”

He looked at the pile next to the door and nodded his agreement.

“I’ve been assured that all of it is absolutely necessary,” he said. “I took their word for it.”

She smiled, her eyes meeting his with a sparkle of amusement. “I hope this isn’t too far out of your way.”

“We’ve all taken a personal interest in Cora.” He gave Emily a shrug. “And you’re her new mom.”

“Well...” A glimmer of something crossed her face, and she made a concerted effort to mask it. “I’m hoping, at least. I’ve heard that these things can be a bit complicated.”

Greg nodded. It was true, and he wasn’t one to give false reassurances. Custody cases could be incredibly complicated, and no one could say what would happen with this one. Instead of answering her, he put his attention into bringing the rest of the boxes inside, piling them neatly inside the door.

“How is everything going with Cora?” he asked instead.

“Surprisingly well, considering how little I slept last night.” She gave him a wry smile. He had to admit, she looked pretty good for not having slept, but then, he probably wasn’t noticing the same things she was. Emily Shaw seemed like the kind of woman who could look pretty good wearing a paper bag.

“Well, this is it.” He nodded toward the boxes. “This should help get you started.”

“Are you on the clock?” she asked.

“Not officially, ma’am.”

“Did you want to come in for a cup of iced tea or something?”

Greg cleared his throat. He hadn’t come over to shoot the breeze, but he had to admit that the prospect of an iced tea on a hot day with some beautiful company appealed.

“Unless you’re busy—” She blushed.

“Well, I suppose a few minutes wouldn’t hurt.”

Emily rewarded him with a brilliant smile and angled her head into the house.

“Come to the kitchen. We’ll be more comfortable there.”

Greg followed Emily through a cool, spacious living room into the kitchen. It was lined with bright windows opening up onto a large veranda out back. The kitchen was a cook’s dream, with polished black appliances, a gorgeous amount of counter space and an island in the middle with a selection of stainless-steel pots hanging above.

Next to a small kitchen table by a window sat a little bassinet, baby Cora nestled under a light knitted blanket, snoring softly. Emily peeked in on her, pausing for a moment on her way to the refrigerator.

“So you were friends with Steve, were you?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder.

“Friends might be a strong word. I knew him.” Greg perched on the edge of a stool by the counter, grateful for a topic of conversation that didn’t involve anything too personal. “What’s he up to now?”

“He got married about ten years ago,” Emily said. “His wife, Sara, and he have three little girls. They’re very sweet. Always dressed alike.”

“The girls or Steve and his wife?” Greg allowed a smile to twitch at the corners of his lips.

“The girls.” She laughed.

“What’s he up to? We lost touch when he left for college.”

“He’s an accountant,” she replied. “He’s doing pretty well for himself. They live in Billings.”

That sounded like Steve. He’d always been the number-crunching sort, acing math classes and taking on the role of class treasurer. Greg would have guessed that he’d end up with a comfortable lifestyle, and Billings was a logical place to land. There had always been something about Steve that Greg hadn’t liked, though—a cockiness that rubbed him the wrong way.

Emily poured them each a glass of iced tea, and he took a sip of the sweet brew.

“Did you know Jessica?” she asked.

Greg shook his head. “I think I knew that Steve had a younger sister, but—” He paused. “No, I didn’t know her.”

“I’m not sure why she chose me.” A blush rose in Emily’s cheeks.

“You said you didn’t know she was pregnant. Did her brother know?” Greg’s gut told him that there was a lot more to this story, but just because a family’s story was deep and complicated didn’t mean that there was anything criminal going on. Heck, his family had pretty deep and complicated things going on, too.

Emily was silent for a moment, then shrugged. “Not that he said. This is all pretty strange.”

He nodded slowly. “So you’d lost touch, and all of a sudden there’s a baby in the picture?”

“Pretty much.” She let out a sigh. “It feels like a dream right now.”

“It’ll be an adjustment.” He heard the cop-sound in his own voice. It came out naturally, especially when he felt uncomfortable, and this beautiful kindergarten teacher definitely made him uncomfortable.

“So how long have you been in law enforcement?”

“I joined right out of high school. My dad was a cop, too.”

“I didn’t realize that. I don’t think I knew your dad.”

“He was before your time.” Greg shrugged. The story of his police-chief father wasn’t one he intended to tell.

“You’ve done well for yourself. You’re police chief here, you’re well respected—”

“Thanks. You’ve done well, too.” He looked around at the rancher.

“Oh, this wasn’t on a teacher’s salary.” She laughed softly. “My grandparents left me an inheritance, and my parents kicked in a graduation gift, which meant I could just afford the mortgage payments.”

“You’ve got family behind you, and that’s a good thing.”

“Everything is easier with family,” she agreed, taking a long sip of iced tea from her glass. “So what about you? Do you have a lot of family around here?”

“Not a lot. We moved out here for my dad’s job when I was young, so most of the family is back east.”

She nodded thoughtfully, but remained silent.

“Are you doing this alone?” he asked.

A little hiccup-y cry came from the bassinet, and she slid off the stool and went to pick up the baby. Cora wriggled in Emily’s arms for a few moments before settling against her neck. Glancing at her watch, Emily walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle, his question apparently forgotten.