He wants to serve and protect…

Still, Keri Mehler wants nothing to do with Sheriff Simon Teague. Keri has lost almost her entire family, her brother Carter is who knows where, and now she is sole guardian of her late sister’s ten-month-old girl. She doesn’t need her old crush coming around and stirring things up even more!

Everyone in Blue Falls, Texas, might find the cowboy sheriff charming, but Keri knows the truth. Simon was the reason her brother ran off for a life of trouble, and he’s the last person she would turn to for comfort. But the lawman seems determined to help her and her little niece. Keri is equally determined to keep Simon at arm’s length. She wants to hate him, but his charm may finally be getting to her, too.

“You want to be a cowgirl?

“If so, you’re going to have to learn how to ride a horse.” Simon began bouncing his leg as he held the baby firmly. Hannah laughed.

After a couple of minutes, he noticed Keri standing in the doorway.

“Look, Hannah, it’s your aunt Keri.”

A hint of a smile tugged at the edges of Keri’s mouth. Then, as if she realized what she’d done, her lips formed a humorless line.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked.

“Because once upon a time we were friends, and I’d like to be again.”

He braced himself for a hot and sharp response, but it didn’t come. Keri simply stood in the doorway for a few seconds then turned to head back to work.

He wasn’t about to examine why, but her response made him smile. Sure, they’d been friends before and the whole deal with her brother was long past due for resolution. But those weren’t the only reasons he was determined to place himself back in Keri Mehler’s life.

He was attracted to her, and no one was more surprised than him.

“So, what do you think, Hannah? Think I have a shot?”

Dear Reader,

I hope you’ve been enjoying The Teagues of Texas trilogy and falling in love with those handsome cowboy brothers. In The Cowboy Sheriff, oldest brother, Simon, finally finds the woman who will put his serial dating ways to rest forever—and she’s been under his nose the entire time.

I’m a big fan of stories where friends fall in love, and this one has a twist. Friends become enemies become lovers. Simon and Keri have a winding road to their happily-ever-after, but I think that makes it all that much sweeter.

I’d love to hear what you think of the Teague brothers and their stories. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter and my website at www.trishmilburn.com. Hope to hear from you soon.

Trish

The Cowboy Sheriff
Trish Milburn

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Trish Milburn wrote her first book in the fifth grade and has the cardboard-and-fabric-bound, handwritten and colored-pencil-illustrated copy to prove it. That “book” was called Land of the Misty Gems, and not surprisingly it was a romance. She’s always loved stories with happy endings, whether those stories come in the form of books, movies, TV programs or marriage to her own hero.

A print journalist by trade, she still does contract and freelance work in that field, balancing those duties with her dream-come-true career as a novelist. Before she published her first book, she was a finalist eight times in the prestigious Golden Heart contest sponsored by Romance Writers of America, winning twice. Other than reading, Trish enjoys traveling (by car or train—she’s a terra firma girl!), watching TV and movies, hiking, nature photography and visiting national parks.

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To Kim Law, Lara Hansen and Gretchen Stull—

my awesome brainstorming buddies.

Thanks for the titles.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter One

Simon Teague eyed the radar image on his computer and groaned.

“Colorful,” said Deputy Pete Kayne as he walked behind Simon with a fresh cup of coffee.

“Little too colorful.” The image showed too much blue and pink for his taste. If the snow and, worse, ice dipped down much farther, they were going to have a devil of a night.

“I heard on the way in that they think at least the ice will stay north.”

Simon grunted. It was bad enough when Dallas and Fort Worth got socked with winter weather. On the rare occasion that it ventured as far south as Austin, San Antonio and the Hill Country where they now sat, people tended to freak out as if the apocalypse had arrived. That led to wrecks, which led to his deputies and him spending miserable hours out in the cold.

He’d just clicked on the hourly forecast when the phone rang. He reached for the receiver as he scrolled through temperatures that should never cross the Red River into Texas.

“Sheriff’s Department.”

“May I speak to Sheriff Teague?”

“Speaking.” Simon minimized the computer screen and shifted his focus fully to the phone call.

“This is James Dial with the Dallas P.D.”

“Just saw you all are getting slammed up there.”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m calling,” Dial said, sounding serious.

A chill went down Simon’s back. This wasn’t going to be good.

Dial took a deep breath before continuing. “I just got back from a crash scene, two deaths. Next of kin for one of the deceased is listed as living in Blue Falls, but I’ve been unable to make contact. Probably better coming from someone local, anyway, though it’s going to be awful either way.”

Damn, of everything his job entailed, telling relatives someone they loved had died was the absolute worst. He’d rather break up a thousand bar fights, even take a few punches himself, than have to make one next-of-kin call.

“Who are you trying to contact?”

“Keri Mehler.”

A rush of cold washed through Simon. His first thought was of Carter, Keri’s brother and his once-upon-a-time best friend. But then the fact that Dial was calling from Dallas registered. Keri’s older sister and her family lived in Dallas.

“Sammi?”

“Samantha and Benjamin Spencer died at the scene when their SUV flipped and rolled several times.”

Simon gripped the phone harder. “The baby?” He’d last seen the little girl at the Fourth of July celebration as she crawled around on a blanket next to the lake while her parents, Keri and the rest of Blue Falls had waited for the fireworks to start. He swallowed hard at the idea that she’d been killed, too, before reaching her first birthday.

“Scared, but not a scratch on her,” Dial said. “It’s a miracle considering how bad that vehicle looked.”

Simon ran his fingers through his hair. How was he going to tell Keri, after everything she’d been through?

“I take it you know Ms. Mehler?”

“Yeah.” Had known her nearly all his life, had once been her friend. Had spent nearly as much time at her house when he was growing up as he had his own.

“Then you can make contact?”

Simon made an affirmative sound, then cleared his throat. “I’ll head over there now.”

“Until Ms. Mehler can come to pick her up, Hannah Spencer is being held in state care.”

Poor little girl. The image of her crying for her mother, a mother who’d never be able to hold her again, twisted Simon’s gut.

After he wrote down all the particulars, Simon hung up and ran his hand over his face. When he looked up, Pete and Anne Marie Wallace, the 9-1-1 dispatcher, were staring at him, both with tight, pinched looks of concern on their faces.

“Keri Mehler’s sister and brother-in-law died in a car accident tonight.”

Anne Marie gasped and lifted her hand to her mouth.

“Keri’s niece?” Pete asked.

“She’s fine.” Simon shook his head slowly. “God, I hate doing this.” He stood and walked toward the coatrack by the door.

“Want me to go with you?” Pete asked, not sounding particularly anxious but willing to help out nonetheless.

“No, you stay here in case the weather gets worse and the crap hits the fan. Don’t know how long I’ll be gone. Call in Jack or Connor if you need to.”

After slipping on his heavy ranch coat and tan Stetson, Simon stepped out into the cold night to deliver even colder news.

* * *

WAS THAT A SNOWFLAKE? Keri moved toward the bakery’s front window and pressed her face close to it. Sure enough, a few snowflakes drifted through the crisp night air. A girlish thrill zipped through her. She hadn’t seen snow in Blue Falls in more than a decade and only twice in her lifetime. Both times didn’t amount to much but still enough to scrape together the world’s smallest snowmen. When she’d been twelve, she’d managed to gather enough snow to make a little snow family—Mom, Dad, two kids and even a snow dog. Of course, they’d all been about the height of a saltshaker and had lasted less than a day, but they’d been fun nonetheless.

She shifted her gaze across the street. Most of Main Street was already closed up for the evening, with the exception of the Frothy Stein. It’d take more than a swipe from Old Man Winter to part the regulars from their whiskey and Shiner Bock.

She’d been imagining curling up in front of her fireplace with a big mug of hot chocolate and a book from her teetering to-be-read pile for the past hour. But first, she had to finish cleaning the bakery. At least Sunshine Monroe, her second in command, had finished the prep for the next morning’s baking before she’d had to leave to pick up her son from basketball practice.

Keri hummed along with the tune by Lady Antebellum as she returned to the mop and bucket of soapy water. After she made a couple of swipes, she was startled by knocking on the front door.

She froze when she saw Simon Teague standing on the other side of the glass. What the devil could he want? She pointed at the obvious sign hanging on the door. “We’re closed.”

He didn’t go away. And something about the solemn look on his face caused her heart to skip a beat. What kind of trouble had Carter gotten into this time? And why the hell did Simon feel he had to be the one to tell her? It still irked her every time she saw him in uniform. Sure, everyone else in town seemed to love him to pieces, but she couldn’t see past what he’d allowed to happen to her brother, his supposed best friend. Even Carter had told her to let it go, but she’d never been the kind to forgive and forget. Not wanting to be angry every time she saw him, she’d settled into a sort of detachment as if she barely knew him.

She propped the mop against the edge of the front counter and strode toward the door. Why had she fantasized about a cozy night at home? That was like screaming at Murphy and his damn law to come screw stuff up.

When she unlocked the door and opened it a fraction, the blast of cold air smacked her in the face.

“Little late for a doughnut, isn’t it?” she asked, not relinquishing her hold on the edge of the door.

He didn’t toss a snappy comeback her way or offer up one of the smiles that he had to know annoyed her. The fact he wasn’t acting normal worried her more than his unexpected appearance outside the bakery.

“Can I come in?”

She wanted to say “no” and ignore the very bad feeling pooling in her middle. Instead, she took a step back and opened the door wide enough for him to fit through. Once he was inside, she shut the door on the unholy cold and crossed her arms across her chest.

“Is it Carter?”

Simon had removed his hat and picked at the edge of the brim without looking. He shifted from one leg to the other then nodded at the tables to his right. “Let’s sit.”

“No, thanks. Just come on out with whatever it is you think my brother has done this time.”

Simon winced. If she hadn’t been watching him closely, she wouldn’t have noticed.

“It’s not Carter.”

“Then what?” She paused and reminded herself to not get so irritated. “I’ve still got work to do before I can go home. And I’d like to head out soon since it’s snowing.”

The discomfort tugging at the lines of his face sent another surge of worry through her, making her wish she’d ignored his presence out on the sidewalk. Instinct told her she didn’t want to hear whatever he’d come to tell her.

“A few minutes ago, I received a call from Dallas P.D. Sammi was in an accident.”

She went still, not even sure her lungs were pumping air.

“Is she okay?” The words came out in a ragged whisper.

Simon stood silent for a moment too long, a moment in which she grasped the terrible truth of what he was going to say next. Her mind screamed at her to flee. If she didn’t hear the words, they wouldn’t be true.

“I’m so sorry, Keri. She and Ben were both killed.”

She stared at Simon without really seeing him. He was no more than a hulking blur in a world suddenly gone very dark. It took so much effort to form a single word.

“Both?”

Simon took a step forward, and his footfalls on the floor sounded so much louder than they actually were, like the booming of cannons instead of the normal tread of boots. Keri retreated away from his outstretched hand. She couldn’t let him touch her. If he made contact, she’d know he was real, that what he’d said wasn’t just part of a horrendous nightmare. She could convince herself that she was really already at home, curled up in that chair in front of the fire asleep.

From somewhere beyond the disbelief, she managed to find the breath to utter another word. “Hannah?” As soon as she asked, she hated herself. She didn’t want to know, couldn’t imagine going on in a world where that precious little girl had died before seeing her first Christmas.

“She’s fine, no injuries.”

She collapsed into a chair and latched onto that one glimmer of good news among an ocean of bad. “Where is she?”

“In state custody until you can arrive.”

It took several seconds for the words to travel from her eardrum to the part of her brain that actually understood. Memories jerked her back more than a year, to when she and Sammi had sat on Keri’s front porch enjoying the pleasant October air.

“I have a favor to ask you,” Sammi had said as she ran a hand over her slight baby bump.

“Sure.”

“Ben and I are drawing up legal documents, and we want to name you as the baby’s guardian should anything happen to us.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to you. You’re both healthy as a horse.”

“You know things happen unexpectedly sometimes.” Like their parents dying within a year of each other, both from cancer. “Ben’s parents already love this child, but they can’t take on raising a baby.”

The Spencers were wonderful people, but they were already in their seventies. Ben was their only child, born after they’d given up on having children.

Oh, God, they’d just lost their only child. Something about the brutality of that pain hit Keri more than her own.

Simon bent down in front of her, but he didn’t say something asinine like, “Are you okay?” She almost wished he would so she could get angry and scream at him. She wanted to kill the messenger, do something that would fill the growing emptiness, show some emotion before her mind shut down and forgot how.

He didn’t touch her, but she got the impression he was there to catch her if she suddenly fell over. Normally, that would make her mad, Simon Teague thinking she needed saving. Really, anyone thinking she needed saving. But tonight wasn’t normal, was it?

They sat in silence, the only sounds the drone of the heating unit running and the whistle of the wind around the edge of the building. After what seemed like hours, Simon was the one to speak first.

“It’s too dangerous to drive up there tonight, but we can go in the morning.”

His words made no sense. Go where? Why would he be going anywhere with her?

“Keri?” When his hand came to rest atop hers in her lap, she jerked as if he’d hit her with a branding iron.

Keri snatched her hand away and felt tears burn her eyes. Hot, searing tears that would surely make her go blind. “No, you’re wrong. I don’t believe it.”

It was the way Simon sat without speaking, how his expression continued to convey sorrow that broke through her final denial. Her fight dissolved and her chin trembled, but she somehow held her tears back. If she fell apart, she’d never be able to find and reassemble all the pieces.

She pushed her chair back, away from him and the truth written all over his face. When she stood, her legs shook so much she expected to fall into a heap on the floor. She walked over and grabbed the mop and bucket of dirty water. As she carried them to the utility room and set about dumping the water down the drain and rinsing the mop, she sensed Simon in the doorway. She ignored him as she finished her work then headed for her coat and purse.

She flicked off the lights to the kitchen and made for the front door. Simon caught her arm halfway there.

“Where are you going?”

“To Dallas.”

“Not tonight.”

“Yes, tonight. My niece needs me.”

He increased the pressure on her arm enough to make her look up at him. “Yes, she does. But she needs you alive.”

She wanted to ignore him, but a voice deep inside her acknowledged he was right. She couldn’t be so reckless, not for her own sake but for Hannah’s.

“Go home, Keri. Pull together whatever you need. I’ll pick you up first thing in the morning.”

“I can drive myself.”

“Not in that little car of yours. The roads are really bad in Dallas.”

She let her breath out in a long, shaky sigh. “I said I wouldn’t go tonight.”

“I heard you. Your car won’t be any more capable tomorrow. And I don’t want you behind the wheel that far, anyway.”

Damn it, why couldn’t he just leave? He’d done his duty. She glared at him, holding on to her frustration so she didn’t have to think about the other emotions grasping at her like claws. Not seeing any other alternative, she said, “Fine,” then headed toward the door.

She waited for him to step outside so she could lock up. Before she could flee to her little Honda, he stepped into her path.

“Promise me you won’t go anywhere tonight.”

“I’m just going home.” She pushed past him so he couldn’t see the tears building and threatening to spill down her cheeks.

When she sank into the driver’s seat of her car, she had to bite her lip to keep it from trembling. She blinked hard to clear her eyes, swiping at an errant tear. She couldn’t start crying or she might never stop.

She started the car and began the short drive to her house, the house she’d grown up in, where the three Mehler siblings had done homework and had parties and chased their shepherd mix, Trigger, trying to lasso him as if he was a wild horse.

“Oh, Sammi,” she said, choking on the words.

A glance in her rearview mirror revealed that Simon was following her, making sure she didn’t hightail it straight to Dallas. She gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles popped. Ironic that he was the one concerned about her lying.

She pulled into her driveway and walked inside without even looking in his direction. As soon as she closed the door and turned on the light, she heard him drive away.

And then all the memories filling the house rushed her. Their mom making strudel in the kitchen, their dad watching UT football games in the living room, Carter and Simon snickering about whatever boys snicker about, Sammi and her playing one on one in the driveway.

Sammi talking on the phone with friends.

Sammi getting ready for her prom date with Brad Fisher.

Sammi packing to leave for college.

Keri clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle a cry and slid down the door to the floor.

She had no idea how long she sat there, not crying but merely staring into space and trying to remember every moment of Sammi’s life. How could she be gone? Keri held out hope that this was all just a dream, one that felt way too real.

At some point, she struggled to her feet and started roaming from one room to another, trailing her hand over family photos, an afghan made by her mother, the blue faux granite countertops Keri had installed the previous year. When she ended up at the room she’d shared with Sammi, she couldn’t step inside. Since she now slept in the master bedroom, she didn’t come in here often. Now she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to enter the room again.

She closed the door on the past and went back downstairs to her own room. For a long time, she’d avoided moving into the master suite she’d always thought of as her parents’ domain. Only after she’d totally redone the bedroom and adjoining bathroom and gotten different furniture had she been able to call it hers and not feel as though she was invading their space.

Tonight it offered no comfort as she strode in and sank onto the side of her bed. Though she was tired, she knew herself well enough to know she wasn’t going to sleep a wink. If not for the crippling ice in Dallas, she’d be on the road. And to hell with Simon Teague’s concerns.

She spent the hours of the night packing, calling Sunshine to make arrangements for the operation of the bakery while she was gone and drinking countless cups of coffee. She even tried to go to bed only to discover she’d been right in the first place. She couldn’t sleep despite how her mind wanted to power down.

By the time dawn revealed the snow hadn’t amounted to more than the equivalent of a heavy frost, she was sitting next to her bags in the living room. She heard Simon’s department-issue SUV as soon as it turned onto her street. She had the front door locked and was down the steps before he pulled into her driveway.

He handed her a thermal mug of coffee, and she took it without a word. What was there to say? She could think of a dozen people with whom she’d rather be riding, but she didn’t want to put anyone else in danger on slick roads. She desperately wished she didn’t have to make the trip at all.

For a couple of hours, they made good time. But around Hico, they ran into the southern edge of the ice storm’s path. Simon had to slow down more with each mile they traveled until it felt as if they were barely moving. At this pace, it was going to take forever to reach Dallas and Hannah.

Keri found herself leaning forward and gripping the edge of her seat. Layers of ice bent tree limbs and caused power lines to swoop. Smoke poured out of chimneys, and she wondered if that was because the electricity and thus the heat were out. She hoped wherever Hannah was, she was warm and safe.

“Hard to believe something so pretty can be so dangerous,” Simon said.

They’d been quiet so long that the sound of his voice startled her. She couldn’t decide if the strained silence or talking to him was worse.

“Yeah.” That solitary word was all she could muster.

As the miles slowly ticked by, she glanced at Simon’s profile. He looked tense, and she wondered how much effort it was taking him to creep along at such an agonizing pace and to keep the SUV from sliding off into a ditch.

She bit her lip and stared out her side window, trying to bar the image of Ben and Sammi’s vehicle spinning out of control. Why had they been out in the storm, anyway? A surge of anger made her want to pound her fists into something hard and immovable. Sammi was smart, so why had she made such a stupid move? Why had she gotten herself killed?

Keri realized she might never get the answers to those questions, and that left her feeling even more bereft.

Their progress was so slow that she’d swear she could swim through taffy faster. By the time they reached the outskirts of Dallas, she was a ball of knotted muscles and blistering fatigue. Once in the city, the streets got marginally better. The sun was out and actually melting a bit of the accumulated ice.

When Simon finally pulled into a parking lot outside of a Dallas P.D. precinct, she let some of her tense muscles relax. They’d made it. But then she wasn’t sure if she had the strength to haul herself to her feet and inside.

“Keri?”

For some reason, the sound of Simon’s deep voice surprised her again.

“What?”

He looked across the vehicle at her. “Have you been able to reach Carter?”

She gripped the door handle so hard she was in danger of ripping it off. “No.” She refrained from reminding Simon that were it not for him, her brother might be with her now. She spurred her tired body into movement and got out of the SUV before Simon could ask any more questions she didn’t want to answer.

She’d tried Carter the night before only to discover the last number she had for him no longer worked. He was out there somewhere unaware that his oldest sister had died.

And it was all Simon Teague’s fault.

Chapter Two

Simon watched Keri as she and Ben’s parents handled the heartbreaking details of being next of kin. Her actions and responses were mechanical, like an autopilot program without a shred of emotion. He’d known her nearly their entire lives and felt he’d never known her less.

Keri Mehler had always been one part girl, one part ball of fire. Didn’t matter if she was making moves on the basketball court in high school, yanking her younger brother into line or telling Simon to take a soaring nosedive off the nearest bridge, she always did everything full out. But now? Now the fire was nowhere to be found, replaced by a detachment as cold as the ice that coated the world outside.

Would he be any different if he ever lost Nathan or Ryan?

But Keri’s new reality was even worse. She’d lost almost her entire family. All she had left was a brother who was God only knew where and a baby who’d lived a miracle and a tragedy in the same moment. A baby who would grow up looking to Keri to be her mother.

The door on the opposite side of the room opened and a woman who was probably with Child Protective Services walked in holding a sleeping Hannah. Keri stared without moving for so long that tension and awkwardness began to rob the room of air. The woman with Hannah in her arms shifted her gaze to him.

“She’s been fed and changed,” she said. “And we have some supplies for you—diapers, wipes, food. Car seat, too.”

He nodded then glanced at Keri again. He didn’t think he’d ever seen anything sadder, emptier. It was as though everything that made her who she was had simply disappeared as if it’d never existed.

Not wanting the woman or anyone with Dallas P.D. to think Keri wasn’t fit to care for Hannah, he started toward the little girl. Keri moved in the same instant, crossing the room to take the only part of Sammi that remained. Though she ran her fingertips across Hannah’s cheek, Keri’s expression didn’t change.

The other woman placed a hand on Keri’s shoulder. “I’m very sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you,” Keri said, her voice as hollow as an empty bucket. She pulled Hannah closer and walked out of the room.

The lady from CPS gave Simon a worried look. “Is she going to be okay?”

He nodded. “Eventually. Just a shock.”

“I can imagine. Does she have help?”

He hesitated a moment. “A brother, friends.” Of course the brother was so off the radar that he didn’t even know his oldest sister was dead yet. But Simon was banking on Keri snapping out of her dazed state and giving her niece all the love and care she could muster. She’d never do anything less. Sammi wouldn’t have named Keri guardian if she hadn’t believed her sister could handle the responsibility.

By the time he reached the corridor, Keri was already at the door to the parking lot. He grabbed the car seat sitting on the floor and followed her.

Without speaking, they worked together to get first the car seat and then Hannah settled into the back of the Tahoe before she froze. As they snapped the seat belt into place, Hannah’s eyes opened. She blinked her bright blue eyes a few times before letting out a wail that would wake the comatose.

Keri jerked back and stared at her niece. Simon was worried he’d been wrong about her being able to care for Hannah, but then something seemed to register in her mind. She dug in the diaper bag until she found a pacifier, a very girly pink one with a flower design on the end.

“Look what I found,” she said to Hannah as she waved the pacifier in front of the little girl’s grasping hands. She allowed Hannah to snatch the pacifier and shove it into her mouth.

Keri smoothed Hannah’s wispy blond hair with a gentleness he didn’t know she possessed. His breath caught midway through an exhalation. Why had that simple gesture moved something inside him, something way too darn close to his heart?

He shook his head and made his way to the driver’s seat. “We better get to the hotel before the streets get slick again.” No way was he driving on frozen roads with a baby in the car, one who’d already cheated death once.

They all were due some sleep. He’d slept like crap the night before, and he doubted that sorrow and anger had let Keri sleep, either.

And it was the God’s honest truth that he needed to get away from her for a few minutes to let the wildly inappropriate and unexpected sliver of attraction he’d felt toward her fade away. To let his common sense make a reappearance and remind him that what he was feeling was no more than sorrow for her loss, for all her losses.

Even the one for which she still blamed him.

* * *

KERI WANTED TO RUN AWAY. Maybe if she moved fast enough, she could outrun the past. And if she headed in the right direction, maybe she could bring Sammi back. Her mom. Her dad. Life before Carter went down the wrong path.

Her jaw clenched at that thought, especially considering who was sitting next to her. She stared out the side window at the frozen landscape instead of at Simon Teague. If she looked at him now, it would only add to the pain ripping her to shreds inside. She felt like wailing but that would wake up Hannah, who’d fallen back to sleep as Simon eased the car along the dark and largely deserted streets. Ice hung heavy from trees and the edges of the buildings they passed, and she had no doubt that black ice lurked on the dark surfaces of the streets where what had melted during the day had refrozen.

People with any sense weren’t out in these kinds of conditions. But then most people didn’t have to pick up their orphaned niece and make arrangements for their sister’s funeral.

She swallowed the jagged, lemon-size lump in her throat, pushed away the need to fall completely apart. She didn’t have that luxury. Hannah needed her. Plus, Simon was the last person she wanted seeing her turn into a blubbering mess.

The only reason she was allowing him to chauffeur her around was the complete and utter lack of options. Though it had galled her to accept his help, she’d convinced herself he was just doing his job, ensuring the safety of the citizens of Blue Falls. And despite the haze of pain, she had enough sense to know she shouldn’t be driving on icy roads in her current state.

The Spencers had offered to let her stay with them, probably more because they didn’t want to be parted from Hannah than anything, but Keri couldn’t face being trapped inside four walls with that kind of deep sorrow. She had enough of her own to carry without exposing herself to even more. She couldn’t crack, and witnessing that kind of raw loss might just do the cracking.

Some people looked to fate as a shining beacon of hope. She knew better. Fate was a cruel, heartless bitch who did nothing but take.

Just as she was thinking fate was probably getting extra giggles out of the fact that Keri had been left with no one better than Simon Teague to turn to, he pulled into the parking lot for the hotel.

As he switched off the engine, she hopped out of the car, eager to have some space between them. She had Hannah unbuckled and the carrier removed from the car seat base by the time Simon reached the back of the SUV for their bags. She had to give him credit for one thing—he wasn’t forcing her to talk. This streak of silence had to be some sort of record for him.

Normally, he’d talk to anyone about anything. Didn’t matter if it was politics with the morning coffee crowd at the Primrose Café or feigning lovesickness amongst the members of the local Red Hat Society. She’d even seen him wink at Girl Scouts selling cookies, making them giggle and hide their faces in embarrassment. Though she doubted even he could find an opening for teasing or flirting in their current situation.

As she carefully placed her feet one in front of the other on the icy parking lot, Simon hurried up next to her.

“I can carry her.”

“I’m okay.” She shifted the carrier to her side and gripped the handle firmly.

Simon strode ahead then held the hotel’s door open for her. She mumbled a thank-you without meeting his eyes, then stepped into the warmth of the lobby. She scanned the grouping of cushy chairs next to a faux fireplace and a rack full of tourist brochures as Simon headed for the registration desk.

Hannah woke and began to fuss. Did she know her mother was gone? Would her crying get worse the longer Sammi didn’t make an appearance?

Keri shook her head. She couldn’t think about that now, couldn’t think about anything more than the next few minutes. By the time she dug Hannah’s bottle out of the diaper bag, Simon had them all checked into the hotel.

He nodded to his right, then headed down the corridor. “I got you a room at the end of the hall with mine next door,” he said.

What he didn’t say made her pause for a moment. Was he positioning himself as a shield between a potentially cranky baby and the rest of the guests on the floor? That seemed even more likely when she realized that there wasn’t a room across the hall from hers, just the doorway to the stairs leading to the upper floors.

Simon used one of the key cards to open her door and waited for her to enter the room before carrying in her bags. After he placed them in the corner, he turned toward her and extended the key.

“Would you like something to eat?” he asked.

“No. I’m not hungry.” That wasn’t exactly true. Her stomach had been grumbling like a bear for several hours, but she didn’t think food and the spinning in her middle could coexist for long.

Keri took the key card to her room, but Simon made no move to leave. When she looked up, she realized she hadn’t been this close to him in years. They crossed paths, of course. Hard not to in a town the size of Blue Falls. But they weren’t exactly dance partners at the music hall. She’d forgotten just how blue his eyes were, a striking blue-gray.

She swallowed against the memory from when they were fourteen and she’d finally acknowledged to herself that he was passably cute. Not that she’d ever in a million years admit that to anyone else, least of all Simon. She’d rather run through a cactus patch naked.

It’d been one of those sticky hot days. After a baseball game in which Simon and Carter’s team had trounced a team from Fredericksburg, they’d had a party at her house. Pizza, sodas and cold slices of watermelon. And a surreptitious game of spin the bottle. She’d just taken her turn and landed on Simon when her mother had figured out what they were doing and put a stop to it. His lips remained a mystery.

At the time she’d been secretly disappointed, though she’d feigned relief. Two years later, she’d counted herself lucky.

And yet she couldn’t deny his eyes were just as enticing now as they’d been across that empty bottle.

Simon broke eye contact first, snapping her back to the present. He shifted his gaze to where she’d placed Hannah and her carrier on the bed.

“If you need anything, just call or knock on my door,” he said.

“We’re fine.” She tried to sound stronger than she felt, but she just ended up sounding like a wasp set on stinging. Still, she kept going. “You don’t even have to stay. We’ll ride back with Sunshine after…” She swallowed hard. “After the funeral.” Keri strode toward the door and held it open for him. She had no room in her cluttered and bruised thoughts for memories of a stupid, juvenile crush. Had no idea why that particular memory had chosen this of all moments to float to the surface.

This time, Simon didn’t hesitate. He walked out the door without another word. She closed her door before he could even slip the key into his. As if on cue, Hannah began to cry.

* * *

THREE HOURS LATER, SIMON returned to the hotel with two barbecue dinners. He heard Hannah’s cries as soon as he turned into their corridor. Sounded like his plan of putting them at the end of the hallway wasn’t going quite as planned.

He had to knock twice before Keri came to the door, a red-faced and teary Hannah propped on her hip. Keri looked as if she was at the end of her rope. Without even asking for an invitation, he edged his way into the room and closed the door behind him.

After setting the bag of food on the little round table, he held out his arms. “Let me have her.”

“I’ve got her.”

“Keri.” He waited until she met his eyes, refusing to give in to her inherent stubbornness and determination to do everything on her own. “Let me give you a break.”

She hesitated a moment before shifting Hannah toward him. Even after he had a firm hold on the child, she didn’t let go.

“I won’t drop her,” he said gently. It felt odd to speak to her that way, so unlike their friendly teasing from years ago or the thinly veiled animosity of more recent years.

Finally, she let go and sank onto the edge of the bed.

“I can’t get her to calm down. What if she never stops crying?”

“She will.” Eventually, Hannah would get used to seeing Keri’s face instead of her mother’s. A profound sadness welled within him at the thought that someday, maybe not that far in the future, Hannah would forget her parents entirely.

He bounced Hannah softly in his arms as he watched Keri close her eyes and run her hands through her hair. The way the strands were sticking out, it wasn’t the first time her hair had gotten that treatment tonight.

When Keri opened her eyes again, he nodded toward the bag on the table. “You need to eat.”

“I just want to sleep. It feels like ages since I slept.”

“Food first. You haven’t eaten all day.”

She gave him an odd look, as though she couldn’t believe he’d noticed. That or she really hadn’t realized she’d had nothing but a couple of bottles of water since before he’d arrived at the bakery with the horrible news about the accident. Whatever she was thinking, she heaved herself off the bed and over to the table. She sank into one of the chairs and opened the box.

He turned his attention to Hannah and bopped her nose gently with his index finger. “Now there, little missy. Let’s see if we can figure out something to do besides crying.” He carried her over to where he’d tossed a second bag into the chair opposite Keri and pulled out a stuffed bunny he’d found at the Walmart next to the barbecue place. “Look at what I found,” he said in that goofy, higher pitched voice that adults seemed predisposed to use around babies. He wiggled it in front of Hannah, using one of its floppy ears to tickle her nose.

Hannah let out another cry, albeit a bit halfhearted, then a sniffle before it all was replaced with a smile as she grabbed the bunny.

“Where did that come from?” Keri asked before shoving a fry in her mouth.

“I’m guessing China.” He consulted the tag on the rabbit’s fuzzy behind. “Yep, China.”

He glanced over at Keri and saw an all-too-familiar annoyance on her face. This time, he didn’t mind it. Anything was better than the terrible blankness. They weren’t friends anymore, but that didn’t mean he wanted to see her that damaged.

“So, what shall we call this guy?” he asked Hannah as he placed her on the bed and he lay on his side next to her. Though her face was still flushed and tear-stained, she’d done a complete one-eighty. Now she giggled and flapped the bunny’s ears up and down, making it look as if it was going to take off in flight.

Keri shoved her chair away from the table. “She needs to eat, too. I tried to feed her earlier, but she wouldn’t stop crying long enough.”

Simon put up a hand to stop her. “You keep eating. I’ll feed her.”

Keri gave him a raised eyebrow. “You know how to feed a baby?”

“Can’t be that hard. Plus, I’ve got to get in some practice. Going to have a new niece of my own soon. And I plan to be her favorite uncle.”

Keri snorted, and it sounded so much like the normal her that he felt some hope she would get through this. “If the kid’s smart, she’ll pick Ryan for that.”

Simon shifted his attention to Hannah, who was now jabbering with her new best friend. “Can you believe that, Hannah? You’ll vouch for me, won’t you?”

Hannah gave him a wide grin that melted his heart. She really was a cute little thing. It broke his melted heart to think of all she’d lost without even knowing it.

He managed to keep Keri eating and Hannah from crying over the next few minutes as he fed the little girl. When Hannah had eaten the last of her green beans and applesauce, he noticed Keri was leaning on one of her hands with her eyes closed.

“You need to get some sleep.”

She opened her eyes slowly as though it was difficult to force her eyelids into compliance. “I’ll sleep when she does.”

“I’ll take care of her.” She opened her mouth to protest further. “Listen. I know you don’t like this, but for right now let’s put away everything else. Think of it as me doing my job if it makes you feel better, but you need to rest. You can’t keep going like this. You’re no good to yourself, no good to Hannah if you’re toast.”

She pressed her lips together as if she was holding in something she wanted to say. He could imagine what that might be—that the last person she wanted to accept help from was him. Or something much worse. He’d certainly heard that before.

But she didn’t say anything. She just stood, grabbed her bag and headed for the bathroom.

He stared at the closed door for several seconds before he returned his attention to Hannah. “You’ve got to promise me something, okay?” He doubted she understood him, but she at least seemed to be paying attention. “We’ve got to be quiet so your aunt Keri can get some sleep.” As if she somehow had understood, she curled onto her side with the bunny in her arms.

Simon smiled at her. “You’re going to be a heartbreaker someday. Keri will have to tote a shotgun to keep the boys away from you.” Boys like he’d been.

He scrounged in the diaper bag and found a freshly made bottle, then scooped Hannah into his arms. He’d kill for a recliner right now, but the uncomfortable-looking chair at the table would have to do. He pulled it into the corner next to the door and sat with Hannah in his arms.

When Keri came out of the bathroom sporting loose gray pajama pants and a red Oktoberfest T-shirt, she stopped and looked at him. “Give her here. She can go to bed with me.”

He shook his head. “She’s not sleepy yet. We’re just going to sit over here and get to know each other a little better.”

Keri propped her hands on her hips. “And how am I supposed to sleep with you two engaging in baby talk in the corner?”

He met her stare. “Trust me, you’re going to be out in less than five minutes.”

If the situation had been any different, he would have laughed at the familiar fight he saw swirling just beyond the surface. Instead, she threw up her hands in an “I give up” gesture and headed for the bed. Once she’d curled beneath the comforter, she turned off the light next to the bed, leaving only the bathroom light to illuminate the room.

He glanced at the clock as Hannah continued to talk in baby language to her bunny. He’d overestimated how long it would take Keri to fall asleep. Two minutes after her head hit the pillow, she succumbed to fatigue.

That’s when his own hit him. He slid down farther in the chair and pulled Hannah against his chest, banking on the bottle, quiet and lowered lighting putting her out, too. Once she was deeply asleep, he’d ease her into bed next to Keri and make his way to his own bed for some much-needed z’s.

Hannah stilled, and the only sound was that of her sucking on her bottle. Eventually, even that stopped. Somewhere in his mind, Simon realized he’d closed his own eyes and was perilously close to sleep. He had to get up. Maybe he could rest just another minute.

Chapter Three

Keri woke disoriented, unsure where she was. The bed didn’t feel right, too hard with sheets not cool and smooth like her own. She blinked at the light filtering into the room. What the heck? She didn’t sleep with lights on, not even a nightlight.

With another blink, reality slammed into her and tears sprang to her eyes. Sammi was gone.

She squeezed her eyes shut against the tears and the memories of the past couple of days. Simon delivering the news, the stressful drive to Dallas, the huge pit in her stomach as she’d met with a blurry cast of police, court and Child Protective Services representatives, and funeral officials. Then the hours of trying to get Hannah to stop crying.

Hannah.

She sat up and spotted her niece across the room, curled up and sleeping in Simon Teague’s arms. She didn’t know whether to be thankful or annoyed. By the sound of his breathing, he’d gone to sleep, too. Though how he could sleep with his big frame in that atrocious chair, she had no idea. Normally, she would love the idea of him being knotted into kinks when he woke up, but she couldn’t muster her normal animosity toward him. Especially when he held Hannah so firmly and safely, ensuring she wouldn’t tumble onto the floor.

She took the opportunity to really look at him, those long legs and strong arms, the handsome face with angular lines, the blond hair that was always lighter in the summer but now had darkened to its winter color that was more like straw. She’d never thought a man holding a baby could be sexy, but he somehow managed to pull it off.

Or maybe despite everything, she had to admit that there was a good reason Sheriff Simon Teague could charm any woman from the grandmothers manning the Hospital Auxiliary booth at Blue Falls Hospital to her niece. He was sexy as hell.

She had to get him out of her room before she forgot that he wasn’t her favorite person. That he was the one who’d let Carter ruin his life.

Focusing on that old anger, she slid from the bed and strode quietly over to where he sat. As she reached for Hannah, his eyes opened.

“Is something wrong?” he asked, sounding way too concerned for her liking.

“I need to take her before you drop her.”

He glanced down at Hannah snuggled against him, her little chest rising and falling in contented sleep. For the briefest, craziest moment, Keri envied her niece.

Instead of handing Hannah over, he pulled his legs beneath him and stood, careful not to jostle Hannah too much. “You want her in the bed or the carrier?”

She gave up trying to extricate her niece from him. “The bed.” She flicked back the covers and watched as he eased Hannah onto the bed. Thankfully, she didn’t wake up. Rather, she curled onto her side and hugged the bunny close.

Though she risked waking Hannah, Keri couldn’t resist dropping a kiss onto her baby-soft cheek as she tucked the covers around her. When she turned away from the bed, Simon was rotating and stretching his arms.

“They go to sleep?”

“Yeah, got the pins and needles thing going.”

Why was she engaging him in conversation? She wanted him out of the room, out of Dallas, back out of her life.

And yet, she wasn’t so blind and callous not to recognize what he’d done for her. She’d gotten some much-needed sleep all because he was willing to help and be uncomfortable, not something he had to do. It didn’t make everything okay between them, but she was one to give credit where credit was due.

“Thank you,” she managed, something she couldn’t have imagined saying to Simon again only two days ago.

“No problem. She’s a sweet kid.” He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but instead he shifted and headed toward the door. “See you in the morning.”

She nodded and followed him. This time, she didn’t shut the door behind him quite so quickly. If pressed, she’d say it was because she didn’t want to risk waking Hannah. Under no circumstances would she admit that his actions in the past twenty-four hours had softened her view of him.

One day of helpfulness didn’t make up for not telling the truth when it mattered most.

* * *

SIMON HAD TO ADMIT IT was way better waking up in a bed than a crappy chair, even if the bed wasn’t his own. The kinks he’d felt after holding Hannah for hours were gone, but he’d have no problem sleeping for another couple of days.

He lay staring at the ceiling and listening. No crying. He wondered if Keri and Hannah were still sleeping or had headed down to the lobby before the complimentary breakfast was over. At that thought, his stomach growled. He’d managed to eat a few bites of his barbecue dinner while he waited for Hannah to get tired but had left the rest behind in Keri’s room when he’d retired to his own. Maybe he could nuke the rest of the sandwich.

Unwilling to get up quite yet, he reached for his cell phone on the nightstand and dialed his office.

“Sheriff’s Department,” Connor Murphy, one of his deputies, said on the other end of the line.

“It’s me. How’s it going down there?”

“Fine. Snow’s pretty much all gone now. How’s Keri?”

“Been better.” Though she was holding up better than a lot of people would. But then she’d always been a tough cookie. He remembered how Clark Furst had teased her when she’d started developing breasts and how he’d gotten her fist to his jaw as a result. Sammi had been an athlete, too, but she’d had more feminine tendencies than Keri.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his calloused hand over his face. Still didn’t seem real that Sammi was dead.

“You headed back today?” Connor asked.

“Not sure yet.” Depended on when the funeral was. If it was quick, there was no point in driving back to Blue Falls only to have to turn around. “I’ll call in later once I know more. Listen, I need you to run some checks for me. Try to locate Keri’s brother. If I know Carter, there will be a ticket or arrest somewhere that’ll point us in the right direction.”

“Will do. I’ll let you know when I find something.”

Once Simon hung up, he dragged himself to the edge of the bed and stretched his back and shoulders. That’s when he noticed the sheet of paper tucked under the door. Thinking it was the hotel bill, he retrieved it. But it wasn’t a computer printout. He opened the piece of hotel stationery.

Sunshine came to pick us up early this morning. Thanks for your help.

Keri.

He knew she was going through a horrible time, but something about the note made him angry. He stared at her writing and it hit him. She couldn’t get away from him fast enough. Even after all these years, she still couldn’t forgive him.

Well, that was partly his fault, wasn’t it? She thought he hadn’t told the truth in the aftermath of Carter’s first arrest, and he hadn’t. Only her idea of the truth and what had really happened weren’t the same thing. Not that it mattered anymore.

He crumpled the paper into a tight ball and tossed it across the room into the trash can.

He’d done his duty. If he were smart, he’d just head home.

But then he wasn’t the Teague brother most accused of being smart, was he?

* * *

SHE SHOULDN’T HAVE BROUGHT Hannah. As Keri sat in the front pew two days later, staring at the open caskets of her sister and brother-in-law, she kept hoping Hannah wouldn’t notice her parents. She didn’t want her to have nightmares, not like the ones Keri feared she’d have after this dreadfully long day was over.

Hannah still clung to the bunny Simon had given her, despite the fact Keri had bought her half a dozen other new toys. Keri tried not to be irritated, especially since the bunny was keeping her niece occupied as she sat on Keri’s lap.

The sounds of the sermon and accompanying songs barely registered. She couldn’t seem to focus on anything other than the sound of Ben’s mother crying in the next pew over. Keri fought against her own tears, afraid they’d make Hannah cry, too. And right now, she couldn’t handle another hours-long wailing session like the one they’d gone through at the hotel.

Simon had been her savior then, but she didn’t want him to come to the rescue again. Didn’t want him doing things that might tempt her to let go of her bitterness toward him. She needed something in her life to stay the same.

He’d shown up here. She’d seen him as she’d carried Hannah in through the lobby. Their eyes had only met for an instant, and she hated the way she felt guilty for running out on him at the hotel. There was no reason to feel guilty. She’d left him a note, after all.

Truth was, right now he wasn’t the one she was mad at. Carter should be here with her, helping shoulder the burden of the sorrow and sudden responsibility for another human being. After Simon had asked her about him, she’d tried his number half a dozen more times as if she could magically make it be not disconnected anymore. The last time she’d had to restrain herself from throwing her cell phone against the wall.

Sunshine must have sensed her agitation because she reached over and clasped her hand. Keri squeezed back, thankful for her friend’s strength beside her. They’d been friends almost from the moment Sunshine had walked into the bakery three years before and proclaimed she could make the best cinnamon rolls in Texas. She hadn’t been wrong.

The rest of the funeral passed at the rate of a glacier’s advance. When it was time to sing the last hymn, Keri stood on shaky legs. Hannah squirmed in her arms, threatening to make Keri teeter off balance on her heels.

“Shh, honey,” she whispered in the little girl’s ear. Thankfully, Hannah complied.

Somehow she held herself together as the parade of mourners passed by and offered their condolences. Several felt the need to pat Hannah’s back or smooth her hair. She grew fidgety from all the attention, no doubt mostly from people she didn’t know. Keri was on the verge of whisking her from the room when Sunshine extended her arms.

“Let me take her.”

Keri clasped Hannah closer for a moment, afraid of letting Hannah out of her sight.

“We’ll just be out in the lobby.”

Hannah had been around Sunshine a lot the past couple of days and occasionally before that when Sammi had brought her to Blue Falls for visits. So she went to the other woman without any fuss, especially when her eyes lit on Brett, Sunshine’s sixteen-year-old son. She’d glommed onto him like she had Simon. Already a little flirt at ten months old. Brett took it all in stride and gave her loads of attention.

Keri placed a tender kiss atop Hannah’s head before Sunshine carried her toward the lobby.

She turned slowly back toward the front of the room, just in time to see Simon step away from Sammi’s coffin. No hint of his normal carefree self was visible. In fact, his eyes were suspiciously bright. He had been friends with Sammi, after all. She didn’t have it in her to be cold to him today.

His gaze met hers and he hesitated for the briefest moment before walking her way. He didn’t touch her like so many others had. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he said instead.

He sounded so detached, so official, like a cop in a police drama on TV. A surge of anger rose in her until she realized this was likely how he coped with these types of situations. In his position as sheriff, he’d no doubt had to tell lots of families about the deaths of loved ones. How did he do it? Why would he want to be in the position to have to?

“Thanks.” She lowered her gaze and noticed the suit he was wearing. Black and well cut. If this were any other day, she might have turned and admired how he looked in it from behind as he walked away. But it wasn’t any other day. Plus, she still had more people waiting to express their condolences. Across the aisle, the Spencers were in the same boat.

Turned out Simon wasn’t the only Teague in attendance. The whole clan filed by in a flurry of hugs and kind words. She held her breath, just trying to get through it all. It wasn’t until Merline Teague, Simon’s mom, stepped up to her that she felt she might finally lose the battle against her tears. Merline had this kind way about her that made everyone feel as if she was their second mom.

Though she’d dreaded all the touches all day, Keri suddenly needed a hug more than she needed her next breath. Merline opened her arms and Keri stepped into them.

“I’m so sorry, sweetie,” Merline said. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask, okay?”

Keri nodded against Merline’s shoulder, remembering how the older woman had said something very similar when Keri’s mom had died. Keri had never held what Simon did against his mother because Merline was a gem of a friend, neighbor and loyal customer.

When Keri stepped back, Merline held her hands a bit longer. “I know you are a very independent young woman, but we all need help sometimes. It’s not a sign of weakness. Just keep that in mind.”

Keri nodded because that was all she could manage without sobbing. Merline offered her a sympathetic smile that somehow gave her the strength she’d been searching for all day. After Merline took her leave, Keri only had to speak to a couple more mourners until she and the Spencers were the only people left in the room. Even the funeral home staff had stepped out to give them time to say their final goodbyes.

She sank onto the pew and examined her chewed nails and torn cuticles as the Spencers walked forward toward Ben’s coffin. Keri couldn’t approach Sammi’s yet, not when anyone else was here to watch her. She had to be alone with her sister, one last time.

Holding in the burning need to sob uncontrollably was the hardest thing she’d ever done, made harder by the sounds of Ben’s parents’ grief. Just when she thought they might never leave, she detected movement. Still, she didn’t look up, couldn’t meet their eyes. The Spencers must have sensed that because they didn’t stop next to her. Ben’s dad squeezed her on the shoulder as they passed, leaving her alone to do what had to be done.

Keri didn’t know how long she sat in the pew unable to move. Only the thought of the Spencers waiting to bury their son prompted her to stand, though the few steps it took to reach Sammi’s coffin stretched out like miles. When she looked down at her sister, she couldn’t decide if Sammi looked peaceful or as fake as a mannequin. Didn’t matter. However she looked, this was all that was left of Samantha Jane Mehler Spencer.

Keri’s chin trembled and tears finally spilled from her eyes. “Why did you have to leave?”

She wanted to be able to hug her sister one last time, to tell her how much she loved her. But she couldn’t bring herself to touch the shell that had once been Sammi. She didn’t want to know how cold and lifeless it was. She wanted to remember how warm and full of life her sister had been, how much she’d loved being a wife and mother.

With a trembling hand, Keri reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a locket that held photos of their parents. She tucked it into the nook beneath Sammi’s crossed hands, careful not to touch her.

“Here’s Mom and Dad to keep you company until you can find them.” So many tears flowed now that she could barely see her sister’s face. Unwilling to appear sad and weepy in front of Hannah, she turned toward Ben for a moment and wiped away the evidence of her grief. “You take care of her, okay?” It might look crazy, talking to two people who were no longer there, but she needed to say the words, to make herself feel as if she still had some control, some power over how things should turn out. And as much as Ben had loved her sister in life, she had no doubt he’d be right by her side in the afterlife.

She took a deep, slow breath and turned back to Sammi. Gripping the edge of the coffin to keep herself upright, she took her last look at the sister she’d played with, fought with, competed against and emulated.

“I’ll take good care of Hannah, I promise.” She hesitated, knowing she had to leave but desperately hating the finality of it. With another deep breath, she released her hold on the coffin. “Goodbye, Sammi.”

She turned and headed down the center aisle. Despite all the people waiting for her in the lobby, she’d never felt more alone.

* * *

FOR A WEEK, SIMON KEPT his distance. Instead of allowing himself to walk into the Mehlerhaus Bakery on the pretense of buying a slice of coffee cake, he kept to the opposite side of Main Street. Keri had made her feelings toward him clear with that note under the door. She’d accepted his help only because she hadn’t had a choice.

Now she was back home where her friends could lend a hand and he could go back to being persona non grata.

Still, he wished he could bring her news of Carter. But other than one there-and-back border crossing to Mexico, he’d come up blank so far.

Despite the fact the falling out between Keri and Simon was partially his fault, it still bothered him. Today more so than it had a week ago. Truth was, he was tired of that wall between him and someone who’d once been his friend. As a general rule, he got along with people. Keri’s obvious dislike for him was a burr that just kept digging deeper into his skin.

He replayed how she’d looked the day of the funeral, empty and alone. And he’d unexpectedly wanted to make that loneliness go away.

He didn’t realize he’d stopped on the sidewalk and was staring at the bakery until Justine Ware stepped out of her real estate office behind him.

“How’s she doing?” she asked as she nodded toward the bakery.

“Don’t know. Haven’t seen her since the funeral.”

Justine hugged herself against the chill. “It’s just so sad. I can’t believe Sammi is gone.”

He made a sound of agreement.

“I haven’t gone over there since she came back,” Justine continued. “Don’t know what to say.”

“Not much you can say. Just something she has to get through.”

Justine’s cell rang, prompting her to pull it from her pants pocket. “Sorry, need to take this. Business is slow this time of year, so I pounce on every opportunity I get.”

He nodded as she hurried back inside saying, “Blue Falls Realty” into the phone.

He should head on to work, but he kept standing there watching as the morning crowd went in and out of the bakery’s front door. He really would like a piece of coffee cake. Keri made the best cake of any type in town, though he only ever got a piece when someone brought it into the office. As he entered the crosswalk, he told himself he’d order his cake and a cup of coffee, blend into the crowd, take a quick glance to see how she was doing. Then he’d be off to his day of dealing with law and order.

The moment he stepped into the bakery, he inhaled the heavenly scents of baking bread and wafts of cinnamon. Looked like the rest of the crowd was enjoying its yeasty contact high, as well.

Sunshine was pulling a tray of bread loaves from the oven in the back while Keri handled the in-store crowd’s orders and the phone. The bakery was always busy in the morning, but this crowd seemed extra large. He wondered if the colder weather had everyone craving hot coffee and carbs, or if the residents of Blue Falls were turning out in force to give Keri extra business as a means of condolence. As Justine said, what could you say in this type of situation? Maybe it was as simple as “I’d like a cinnamon roll and a large cup of coffee.”

It all gave him a warm feeling until he saw Jo Baker, queen of the local gossips. His jaw tensed as Jo craned her neck to see beyond the people in front of her, no doubt hungry for a look at Keri, more interested in a morsel of gossip than a pastry. He tensed when it was Jo’s turn at the counter.

“What can I get you?” Keri asked, a bit more clipped than usual.

“Oh, I don’t know.” Jo made a show of examining the offerings in the glass-fronted display case. “How are you doing? So sorry about your sister. Where’s that sweet little girl? I’d love to see how much she’s grown.”

Simon resisted the urge to throttle the woman. “Come on, Jolene,” he said, using her full name because he knew how much she hated it. “Some of us are hungry.”

Keri’s gaze lifted to his, and for the briefest moment he thought he saw gratitude there.

Jo placed her order, gave Keri her money and strode toward the door, giving him a squinty-eyed glare in the process.

As he moved up another spot in line, he heard Hannah start crying somewhere in the back. Keri looked over her shoulder, caught between the throng of customers and her unhappy niece. Before he really thought about what he was doing, he headed for the room that served as Keri’s office.

Hannah stood on shaky legs gripping the side of a playpen, her face red and streaked with tears.

“Hey there,” he said as he crossed the small space. “What’s all this fussing for?” He bent over and playfully poked her nose.

She sucked in a breath then paused, unsure whether to keep crying now that someone was paying her some attention. When she looked as if she might start crying again, he reached into the playpen and lifted her high in the air. “Now there, no more crying. You’re too pretty to be scrunching your face up like that.” He wiggled her in the air, causing her to giggle. He smiled at the sound, surprised how much he liked it.

He’d missed out on his nephew, Evan, at this age, but he was so going to spoil his new niece rotten.

Sunshine popped her head into the office. “Thank you. It’s been nuts all morning.”

“No problem. Hannah and I are already best buds, aren’t we?”

Hannah picked at the top button on his shirt, and he wondered why it seemed to fascinate her.

Sunshine disappeared when the phone rang again, and he seated himself in the cushy chair across from Keri’s desk.

“So, how’s your day going?” he asked.

Hannah paused and gave him a grin that revealed a few tiny teeth.

“Are you flirting with me?”

As if she understood, Hannah giggled again.

He found a copy of The Poky Little Puppy on the desk, a copy that looked old enough to have been Keri’s when she was little. After he read the book to Hannah, he placed her on his knee, one of her little legs on each side.

“So, you want to be a cowgirl? If so, you’re going to have to learn how to ride a horse.” He began bouncing his leg as he held her firmly at the waist. She laughed as if it was the funniest thing she’d ever experienced.

After a couple of minutes, he noticed Keri standing in the doorway.

“Look, Hannah, it’s your aunt Keri.” He changed his voice to a higher pitch. “Look, Aunt Keri. I’m a cowgirl.”

A hint of a smile tugged at the edges of Keri’s mouth and he found himself willing it to spread, to smooth away the lines of fatigue and sorrow. Then, as if she realized what she’d done, her lips formed a humorless line.

“Why are you doing this?” she asked.

He considered his answer for a moment before speaking. But then the truth made itself as clear as water. “Because once upon a time we were friends, and I’d like to be again.”

He braced himself for a hot and sharp response, something about that ship having sailed, but it didn’t come. Keri simply stood in the doorway for a few seconds, then turned to head back to work.

He wasn’t about to examine why, but her response made him smile. Despite what he’d told her, he couldn’t really explain this need to help her. Sure, they’d been friends before and the whole deal with Carter was long past due for resolution. But something deep inside told him those weren’t the only reasons he was determined to place himself back in Keri Mehler’s life.

He feared it might have a bit more to do with her long, slim body and chocolate-brown eyes. He was attracted to her, and no one was more surprised than him.

“So, what do you think, Hannah? Think I have a shot?”

Hannah smiled wide again, and he took that as a good sign.