Cathy Mcdavid - A Baby For The Deputy

“What about the girls?” Frankie asked, more to herself than anyone else. “I can’t just leave them, and I don’t want to take them. For obvious reasons.”

All eyes fell to Dolores, who gave an expansive huff.

“Thank you,” Frankie said, taking the huff as agreement to help.

“We’re not excluding you.” Mel at least sounded apologetic for all of them taking terrible advantage of Dolores.

“Meet you at the house,” Dolores said. “And tell your father to leave me the car. He can catch a ride with one of you three.”

Frankie called after her. “Bring the leftover barbecued beef home. Everything else can be stored in the restaurant cooler.”

Dolores stopped midstep. “Anything else?”

“Um...no.”

Aaron gave Dolores a lot of credit. She was coping very well with a difficult and awkward turn of events no one had seen coming. She also wasn’t protesting when Mel and her sisters took advantage of her generosity. He hoped they let Dolores know how much they appreciated her.

One by one, people were leaving. He supposed he should hit the road as well−−except his legs disobeyed his brain and took him in the direction of Mel. She’d already had a rough time tonight and appeared to have a rougher time in store.

When he neared, she actually brightened as if glad to see him.

“Call me if you need anything,” he said in a low voice. “I don’t care how late it is.”

“Thanks for staying. You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to.” Glancing around first to make sure they weren’t being watched—everyone’s attention remained elsewhere—he brushed her hand. “I’m here for you, Mel.”

When he would have walked away, she quickly touched his arm. “That means a lot to me.”

More stolen moments. They were fast becoming not enough.

Outside, the parking lot was considerably less full than earlier. As Aaron crossed it, raised voices drew his attention. In the back row, Samantha stood beside her junkyard truck, its hood raised. Ray was with her, and the two of them argued bitterly.

Aaron hesitated, reminding himself yet again that this was none of his business. If only the law-enforcement officer in him didn’t view the situation differently.

Uttering a low groan of frustration, he changed direction. Mel would probably be mad at him for interfering, but Aaron didn’t feel he had any other choice. Here was a powder keg on the verge of exploding if ever he saw one.

* * *

“IS THERE A PROBLEM?” Aaron asked.

Samantha’s laser-beam glance said butt out.

Ray, on the other hand, responded with relief. “Aaron. Samantha’s radiator is leaking and her truck won’t start. I offered to help.”

What Ray left out, but Aaron had picked up on, was that Samantha refused any assistance.

Aaron inspected the engine, Samantha peering over his shoulder. “I’m assuming you didn’t drop by Conroy’s.”

“I would if I had the money,” she snapped.

Luckily, Aaron had refilled his water jug the previous night. “My vehicle’s parked over there. Be right back.”

“I’ll pay for the repairs.” Ray reached in his pocket for his wallet.

“You got forty thousand dollars in there?” Samantha asked. “Because I figure that’s my share. Two hundred thousand dollars split five ways.”

Aaron wasn’t surprised Samantha knew the amount Ray had won. He’d chosen not to remain anonymous, an option given to winners. As a result, an article had appeared in the local paper, and he’d been interviewed by several TV stations, during which he’d stated his plans for the money. Links to both had made the social media rounds.

In five minutes of online searching, Samantha would have found out everything. Which indicated she’d known about Ray and her sisters or someone else did and told her. Her mother, for instance?

That still didn’t explain why she felt entitled to a share of the winnings. Perhaps Mel had been close to the truth when she accused Samantha of scamming her father. If not that, then something else. Aaron hadn’t trusted Samantha from the moment they’d met.

He also didn’t believe her motives were entirely bad or selfish. She struck him more like a scared kid. He knew from both professional and personal experience fear could drive a person to behave in ways they normally wouldn’t.

“I’ll give you what’s left of the money,” Ray said to her.

“How much is that?”

“Let’s start with the truck repairs.”

By the time Aaron returned with the water jug, Mel and her sisters were flying across the parking lot, bags and containers jostling at their sides. Aaron couldn’t help thinking here came the disaster Ray had attempted to head off.

“What’s going on?” Frankie demanded, out of breath.

Samantha responded as she had before by going stonily silent.

“Nothing.” Ray moved toward the young woman as if to shield her.

It didn’t go unnoticed, judging by Mel’s widening eyes and Ronnie’s narrowing ones.

“You should have told us.” Tears roughened Frankie’s voice. “We had a right to know.”

“Not here,” Ray said. “We’ll talk at home.”

That triggered a loud debate among all the Hartmans. Aaron heard the words “betrayal” and “lied to” uttered more than once.

“Excuse me.” He squeezed past Mel with the heavy water jug. Ray had already removed the radiator cap. Using his pocket flashlight, Aaron verified that the radiator was once again bone dry.

Mel appeared beside him. “You’re helping her?”

“I’m assisting a stranded motorist by filling her radiator with water. Not taking sides.”

“Sorry. This is tough.” She swallowed and looked around. “As you can see, we’re all a bit rattled.”

“Go slow. Try not to make judgments or rush to conclusions. Give your dad and Samantha each a chance to tell their story.”

Mel glanced over at the others, several feet away, and lowered her voice. “I’m not sure who to be angrier at.”

“What you’re feeling is natural. But it’s important you keep listening no matter what.”

“You sound like you’ve been through this before.”

“I worked on the Phoenix police force for eleven years and responded to my share of domestic dispute calls.”

“Is that what we’re having? A domestic dispute?”

He bent, unscrewed the cap on the water jug and lifted it up to the truck. “You’re a family with a problem.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” She watched him as he filled the radiator.

Finishing, he set the jug down and called to Samantha. “Jump in there and give it a try.”

The young woman fled to the truck cab as if she couldn’t get away from the Hartmans fast enough and shoved the key into the ignition. The engine sputtered twice, then started.

“She really does need to get that radiator leak fixed,” Aaron said to Ray.

“I’ll make sure of it.”

Aaron wasn’t the least bit disappointed this gathering was over. His part in it, anyway. Soon, he’d be home and telling Kaylee another story about her mother.

“You two are on a first-name basis?” Mel asked.

“I met her yesterday when her truck broke down on the side of the road.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“There was nothing to tell at the time.”

“You’re right, you’re right. I’m sorry.” She scrubbed her face with her hands and groaned. “What a mess. I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

“I’ve been subjected to far worse.”

“On those domestic dispute calls?”

He was glad to see her mouth curve in the beginnings of a smile and leaned closer. “How you feeling? Stomach still bothering you?”

“Frankly, I forgot about it in all the, um, excitement, shall we say.”