The linen closet was located next to the bathroom. When Everett opened the door on the following evening, it was like he was in the wrong apartment.
“Alyssa?” When he called her name, she emerged from the kitchen. “Where did all these towels come from?”
“I bought some new ones.”
“Why? There were already plenty of towels.”
“There were enough towels. For one person.” She gave him a pitying look. “Although some of them were past their best. Now you have enough towels for two adults and a baby, plus a few spares in case we have guests.”
He snorted. “If we have guests, we are going to need to get rid of the towels so they can stay in the linen closet. And why do we have those little fancy towels on the shelf over the bath?”
“They’re for decoration.”
He started to laugh. “We can’t move in this place because of all the baby stuff and Christmas decorations, but you decided what we really needed to make our lives easier was some decorative towels?”
“Just make sure you don’t use them.” She whisked past him with an armful of laundry. “Where do you keep your iron?”
An hour later, he was watching her arrange his shirts on hangers, while listening to a lecture about the correct way to fold socks. It was like entering a scary parallel universe.
“I get it. From now on, I will hang my work shirts in the same direction and color-code my T-shirts.” He gave her a smile. “Are you trying to domesticate me, Lyss?”
He’d seen this happen with enough colleagues. They moved in with a partner or got married, and the complaints started. She moves my stuff. I can’t just drop things on the floor anymore. She changes the sheets before they even look dirty. Then came the acceptance. It’s kind of nice to know where everything is. A clean washcloth every day is the way to go. Never going back to the old sniff-’em-and-see sock test.
If Everett was honest, he was enjoying this introduction to domesticity. He just couldn’t resist the temptation to tease her a little.
She bit her lip. “Was I coming on too strong? I just like things organized.”
He draped an arm around her shoulders. “You may just have met your biggest challenge.”
From the glint in her eye, it was possible he had just said the wrong thing.
A few minutes later, he heard an exclamation of annoyance from the kitchen. When he went in there, Alyssa pointed to the dishwasher. “It didn’t close properly. Again. So it hasn’t completed the cycle. We need to call the landlord or get someone to fix it.”
“Or I can get my tools and do it.”
She gave him an interested look. “You have tools?”
He waggled his eyebrows at her. “Many. I just don’t have anywhere to keep them in this itty-bitty space. Fortunately, there is a tool shed downstairs for the use of all tenants. I’ll go get them.”
When he returned, he pulled off his shirt. The job was simple and undemanding, but he’d seen the light in Alyssa’s eyes when she said “tools.” She’d always liked his muscles, and... Oh, hell. What was he thinking? Now he felt like a jerk.
“Can I watch?” She hoisted herself onto the counter.
Maybe not such a jerk...
He could see the problem immediately. Would it be wrong to exploit the situation by stringing it out a little? It wasn’t every day he got to feel like a blue-collar god in front of the woman of his dreams. Lying on the floor on his back, he spent some time explaining to Alyssa exactly what he was doing. She leaned over, listening intently. Damn, she looked beautiful when she was upside down.
Finally, Everett reached the point where he couldn’t keep procrastinating. He clipped the seal on the door back in place, put his tools back in their box and got to his feet. Alyssa slid from the counter, standing inches in front of him.
“I can’t believe we were together all that time and I never knew you could do things like that.”
The glowing look in her eyes embarrassed him. “It’s just a kitchen appliance. No big deal.”
“It is to me. I’ve paid hundreds of dollars for similar jobs,” she said. “You must be thirsty now. Let me get you some water.”
She went to the fridge and brought him a glass. As she handed it to him, her hand shook slightly and some of the icy liquid spilled down his chest. Everett sucked in a breath. Alyssa’s eyes widened as they dropped to his abs.
Totally worth removing the T-shirt.
“Oh, hey...let me get you a towel.” They both started to laugh. “Not a decorative one.”
Alyssa noticed that Everett was endlessly fascinated by Kennedy’s sense of humor.
“She’s only been on this planet for half a year, but she knows when something is funny,” he said to her. “Watch this.”
Abandoning her attempt to make a casserole, she came to sit on the rug beside him. Everett handed his car keys to the baby, who jangled and chewed them happily. When Everett tried to take them back, Kennedy appeared to be about to willingly hand them over. Then, at the last minute, she whipped them away again quickly, all the while watching his face with a mischievous grin.
“She’s teasing me.” He shook his head. “She’s so tiny, yet she knows that’s amusing.”
Watching them together brought Alyssa a level of joy she’d never dreamed of just a few weeks ago. They had become obsessed with Kennedy in such a short time and seeing her growing and learning new things every day deepened their family bond. Their little girl had been given a tough start, but when she was with them, she was their chubby-cheeked, doll-wristed darling. And she was loving life.
“This is what we wanted for her.”
As Everett nodded, Kennedy grabbed his finger and pulled it toward his mouth. “Hey, it’s not dinner time—Ouch!”
“What happened?”
“She bit me.” He withdrew his finger and held it up. “Look.” There was a faint red mark on the tip.
“Kennedy, do you have a tooth? You’re such a clever girl.”
“Clever?” Everett examined his finger. “She almost drew blood.”
Alyssa rolled her eyes but was too busy trying to get a look inside Kennedy’s mouth to take much notice. The baby, clearly deciding this was some sort of new game, determinedly clamped her jaw closed and refused to open her mouth.
She gestured to Everett. “Give her the keys again.”
He handed them over, so Kennedy grabbed them and waved them around gleefully. After a moment, she lifted them to her mouth and Alyssa pounced. “I can’t see any tooth.”
“I suppose you think I did this to myself?” Everett raised his finger again.
“Maybe you already had a mark?” Alyssa gave him a sympathetic glance. “Her gums are really hard. She can hurt when she tries.”
Just then, there was an unmistakable clunking noise from the direction of Kennedy’s mouth. “I’m probably imagining that,” Everett said.
Carefully, Alyssa slid her finger along the baby’s bottom gum. “There.” She took another peek inside. “It’s like a tiny grain of rice.”
“With a razor edge—” As Alyssa shoved him hard in the ribs, Everett toppled over. Lying on his side, he looked up at her with laughter in his eyes. “Is this how it’s going to be from now on? Two girls against one guy?”
“If you don’t stop being such a wuss, this is exactly how it will be,” she said. “I need to finish making this casserole. Do you think you will be able to change Kennedy’s diaper? I know you’re injured...”
He lunged for her, preparing to tickle her, but she ducked out of his way. Laughing, she got to her feet and headed for the kitchen.
Having reclaimed his keys, Everett carried Kennedy through to the changing table in the bedroom. Giving her a toy to distract her, he commenced the routine of removing her sweatpants. What he saw when he removed her used diaper had him reeling back in shock.
“Alyssa, I need you to get in here now.” He’d wanted it to be a forceful shout. It was more of a croak. He tried again. “Lyss!”
She came running, obviously summoned by the note of pure panic. Staring at the baby in horror, she clutched his arm. “What happened?”
“Nothing.” His hand shook as he raked his fingers through his hair. “I just undid her diaper and that’s what I found.”
Kennedy, who was lying in a diaper soaked in blood, grinned up at them and babbled delightedly. She didn’t seem to be in any pain.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with her, but we need to get her to the ER. Right now.” Thoughts of serious infant illnesses filled his mind, dragging him down into dark places. Kennedy looked fine, but the crimson mess in her diaper was telling a whole other story.
Whatever it took. They would get her through this. She was their little girl and the three of them were in this together.
“Wait.” Alyssa was way too calm for this situation. “Baby poop and pee often comes out the same color as the food that went in.”
“You think she drank a blood smoothie when we weren’t looking?”
“No, but she did have beet puree for her lunch.”
“Lyss.” He bent over with the force of his exhale. “You really think she’s okay?”
The scary moment receded, but the knee-knocking, heart-pounding reality was even more terrifying. Kennedy was so vulnerable, and the world was full of bad things just waiting to happen to her. The knowledge that he would be powerless to stop some of them was like a punch in the gut.
“I really do.” Alyssa stepped forward and deftly removed the disgusting diaper.
“I didn’t know parenthood would be like this. Good or bad, we’re responsible for everything that happens to her.”
She looked up from the task of cleaning up Kennedy. “It’s scary, isn’t it?”
He straightened, feeling the panic receding. “But worth it. Did you know how much you’d love her?”
Her eyes were bright as she shook her head. “I guess nothing could have prepared us for that. But at least, in future, we’ll be ready for the beet poop.”
Alyssa pursed her lips as she studied the new storage bins she’d purchased for Kennedy’s belongings.
“Patty Griffiths said she had brought the basics from Kennedy’s home. The truth is, someone must have gone to the Dodds’ house, grabbed handfuls of clothing and thrown them into those boxes. A lot of this stuff is way too small for her and we just don’t have room for it here.”
“What do you suggest?” Everett asked.
She was serving lunch: homemade tomato soup with chunks of cornbread. Everett had suggested covering the whole apartment in a plastic sheet before they attempted to feed the baby. Although, as long as they avoided beet puree, he was willing to give anything a try. While she waited, Kennedy was playing her favorite game of throwing her spoon on the floor.
“I think we need some information from Ray Torrington about our status. We have custody of Kennedy, but who are her trustees? It’s clear that she has been left a substantial amount of money. Who will ensure that it is invested wisely until she is old enough to take control of it herself? You and Casey have talked about the house that she owns. What will happen to it? It can’t be allowed to fall into ruin.” She carried bowls from the kitchen to the table. “We were so blindsided by the custody issue that we didn’t consider these other things.”
“You got all that from thinking about her clothes?”
“I got all that from thinking I’d like to go to the Dodds’ house and sort out Kennedy’s belongings. I need to get rid of all the things that are too small and make sure she has enough of everything in the right size.” She took the seat next to his. “You know me. I like to plan ahead.”
You know me.
The simple phrase hung in the air between them. She wasn’t the easiest person to get close to, but he knew her better than anyone. Even though he’d taken a peek into her heart, he’d stuck around. She’d told him about her father’s murder and how scared that made her that she’d lose someone else in a similar way. He knew how she’d struggled to connect to her mom, the woman who hadn’t wanted to stay alive once the man she loved was gone. He’d dried her tears and held her through the nightmares.
Their gazes remained locked together for too long. Alyssa was finding it difficult to breathe, difficult to do anything other than lean a little closer. As she did, Kennedy let out a demanding squawk, the message clear.
Hungry baby requires attention.
“Do you have protective clothing? I’m thinking a reinforced face shield would come in useful about now,” Everett said.
Alyssa pulled a face at him and placed a bowl of soup on the tray of Kennedy’s high chair.
“At least take the spoon away.”
“I’ve been reading up on this. It’s important for her to learn as early as possible—”
She broke off as Kennedy brought the spoon down into the center of the bowl. Red liquid sprayed upward in a jet, most of it landing directly on Alyssa. She gasped and tried to wipe the worst of her homemade tomato soup out of her hair and eyes. Everett jumped up to help.
“Get the spoon off her.” Through a soupy mist, Alyssa could see the baby preparing for a replay.
He lunged but missed by a split second. With baby-perfect timing, Kennedy picked up her bowl. “Oh, no you—” Crimson bloomed in the center of his chest as the bowl hit him then dropped to the floor. “If that was deliberate, the Cactus Creek Divas are going to want to give you a tryout in about sixteen years.”
“She’s six months old. It was a lucky shot. Can we have less talk of ladies’ softball and more cleaning?” Alyssa could feel soup running from her sweater into her jeans and underwear.
“I’ve been to murder scenes that are less gory. And as for you, young lady...” Kennedy fluttered her eyelashes at him, and he sighed. “You eat your cornbread.”
Everett pulled his sweatshirt over his head, then dropped it to the floor. He grabbed a few of Kennedy’s baby wipes and turned to Alyssa.
“Hold still.” He gripped her chin and tilted her face up to his. “You have soup on your eyelashes.”
In all those empty years, when she had fantasized about Everett Colton’s muscular chest, he had murmured many different words as he leaned close. Some had been romantic. Some erotic. Some had featured heart-stopping accounts of what he would like to do to her once he got her into the bedroom. You have soup on your eyelashes? No. Not once had her overactive imagination featured him uttering that phrase.
Still got you weak at the knees, didn’t it?
Gently, he wiped the soup from her eyes, then moved on to the rest of her face. Alyssa held still. His touch ignited so many memories; she could stay like this all day.
“You go get a shower while I clean up here.” Now those words had featured in some of her Everett-related fantasies... Heat bloomed in her cheeks as she opened her eyes and blinked at him.
He studied her face. “You okay, Lyss?”
“Yeah.” Just picturing you naked. “I’ll, uh...” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder toward the bathroom.
“Hey. So the spoon thing went wrong. Look at her.” They turned to look at Kennedy, who was tearing chunks off her cornbread. For each one that went into her mouth, two more were carefully dropped onto the floor. Everett turned Alyssa back to face him. “You’re doing a great job.”
He dropped a light kiss onto the tip of her nose.
It meant nothing to him. Just the same sort of kiss he’d give Kennedy.
That was what she told herself as she headed to the bathroom. The problem was she now had heat in her lower regions that had nothing to do with soup.
Luckily, Alyssa’s clothes had arrived from Phoenix on the previous day. Although it meant they had to cram yet more items into the already overcrowded, overdecorated apartment, she at least had plenty of outfit changes. With Kennedy around, it was a bonus.
When she emerged after her shower, she was wearing tight-fitting jeans tucked into boots and a cornflower-blue sweater that highlighted every curve and reminded Everett that he was a red-blooded male. Not that he’d needed prompts lately. After four years of wondering if there might be something wrong with him, his sexual urges had been back in working order.
Working order? You mean “overdrive.”
Which meant he had a problem. He’d pretty much already figured it out, but there was no ignoring it now. He was a one-woman man. And that woman was right across the room from him, swinging Kennedy up into her arms and laughing about her being a tomato-soup monster.
Alyssa had already made it clear she couldn’t contemplate a future with a man whose job put him in danger. That left Everett with a stark choice. He could have a half life with Alyssa, sharing responsibility for Kennedy, caring for her and watching her grow up, while keeping his true feelings buried. Or he could give up the job he loved. Just as he was in line for a promotion.
Having just gone through one major upheaval, he was probably not in the right frame of mind for a second life-changing decision. With Alyssa looking so tempting, he was having trouble making up his mind about leaving the room.
“I’ll go clean up and then we can pay Ray Torrington a visit.”
“Should I call his office first?” Alyssa asked.
“Trust me.” He grinned. “Years of law-enforcement training have taught me it’s best to just turn up.”
Forty minutes later, Ray Torrington rose from behind the desk as his receptionist showed them into his office. He looked down at Kennedy, who was asleep in her stroller. “You agreed to the terms of the will. You can’t just return her like an unwanted gift.”
Although they weren’t touching, Everett felt every line of Alyssa’s trim figure stiffen. Since he was instantly equally tense, he understood her response perfectly. “We have no intention of parting with our daughter, Mr. Torrington.”
“Oh.” He looked sheepish. “I just... Won’t you sit down?”
They sat in the same chairs they’d used at their last visit and, although it had only been days earlier, Everett couldn’t help reflecting on how much his life had changed in that short time. He watched as Alyssa tucked the baby’s blanket more tightly around her. She was a natural mom. It had taken him longer to adjust but he liked to think he was getting there.
“There are some things we want to ask you about the will.” He fixed his gaze on the lawyer’s face. Some people just made him suspicious. Ray Torrington was one of them. “Specifically, what arrangements were made for Kennedy’s financial future?”
“I’m not sure I understand the question.” The lawyer had “shifty” written all over him; he showed an his inability to make eye contact and made nervous hand gestures.
“When we came in here the other day, you read us the part of the will that dealt with custody of Kennedy. That was, of course, important. But Sean and Delilah must have made other provisions. You said that there was one beneficiary. If Kennedy is that person, she is too young to manage her own finances. Delilah was a skilled accountant. She would have known the best way to provide for her child’s future as she was growing up. I would assume that the Dodds named a trustee, or trustees, to care for their daughter’s estate until she was old enough to do it herself.”
As Everett was talking, Ray moved restlessly in his seat. Was it possible the lawyer had been hoping to defraud Kennedy? Everett wouldn’t put it past him. A glance in Alyssa’s direction told him she was thinking the exact same thing.
“Mr. Torrington, is there a legal mechanism by which we can get an order to see the whole will?”
Everett had never heard that tone in her voice before. It was like ice tinkling in a glass. Motherhood had clearly aroused new and dangerous protective instincts in her.
“That won’t be necessary, Miss Bartholomew.” Ray’s shoulders slumped. “I will provide you with a full copy, including the information you require. I am one of Kennedy Dodd’s trustees.” The next words came out on something resembling a snarl. “Agent Colton here is the other one.”
“That’s kind of an important piece of information. You must have forgotten to mention it to us when we met before.” There were few things Everett disliked more than a crooked lawyer. Ray was going to pay for this blatant attempt to cheat Kennedy. In a few days, agents from the FBI fraud team would be crawling all over his paperwork like ants.
“I assumed the custody issue would be your first priority and that everything else could wait.” Ray tented his fingers beneath his chin and leaned back in his seat. A nasty grin crossed his face. “It may soon be unimportant, anyway.”
“Why is that?”
“Sean’s sister, Georgia Dodd, is contesting the will. She is hoping to inherit her brother and sister-in-law’s estate and gain custody of her niece.”
It was like going back in time. Ten-year-old Alyssa had experienced this same uncertainty over her future. It had been worse back then, of course. Her dad had been dead, and her mom had been unable to cope with her grief.
The parallels with Kennedy’s situation hit her again. Thankfully, the little girl was too young to know what was going on.
Even so, as she walked to the car at Everett’s side, fear wrapped around her like a prickly old rug. Just as she was learning to love Kennedy and her new family, it could all be snatched away.
A strong hand gripped her elbow. “Let’s get into the car. The forecast is for snow and, although it’s rare in this area, and only likely to be a few flakes, the temperature is dropping.”
Turning her head to look at him, she registered the look of concern on his face. “A white Christmas in southern Arizona? We don’t get many of those.” Her attempt at a smile wasn’t a complete failure.
“You wanted it to be perfect for Kennedy.” Her smile faded and he shook his head. “Georgia is in prison, Alyssa. No court will let her near Kennedy. Not this Christmas. Not any time in the future.”
Working together, they got the sleeping baby out of her stroller and into the car seat. In a short time, they’d perfected the routine. While Everett stowed the stroller in the trunk, Alyssa covered Kennedy with a blanket. Within minutes, they were ready to go.
“Do you still want to go to the Dodds’ house?” Everett asked.
What she really wanted to do was drive as fast as they could back to his apartment, run inside, lock the door and never come out again. Just the three of them. She would protect that with everything she had. It was a thought so fierce it rocked her back in her seat.
They hadn’t planned this new life, but they were making it their own, and it was working. Better than that. It was good. Georgia wasn’t going to take it away from them.
“Yes.” She gave a determined nod. “Why should we change our plans for her? Georgia has no control over our lives.”
He gave her an approving glance. “There’s just one thing that bothers me. How much do you think Kennedy remembers about her time there?”
“I hadn’t thought about it.” She frowned. “Do you think taking her back there might bring back memories of Sean and Delilah?”
“I don’t know how much a six-month-old child can remember. Even if she recognizes the house, will she associate it with her parents? Does she have any sense of missing them?” Everett mused. “We’ve been focused on her physical care, but we may also need to think about the emotional trauma she has been through.”
“At least she wasn’t in the house the night they died. It sounds like the events leading to their deaths were so harrowing they could have imprinted themselves into the mind of even such a young child,” Alyssa said. “If we take her into the house and she shows any sign of being troubled, we can always leave. I only want to drop off these clothes that are too small and pick up some larger ones.”
They drove through Cactus Creek in silence. Once the town had been left behind, they were on a long stretch of straight, narrow highway with craggy hills rising on either side. Before long, a sign indicated the turn for the Old West Fairway.
“The Fairway is an exclusive golf club, established in the canyon basin about eighty years ago,” Everett said. “My dad and most of his hospital colleagues are members. In recent years, a number of luxury houses have been built on the edge of the canyon with views over the course.”
“Luxury houses?” Alyssa raised her eyebrows. “Casey described the Dodds’ home as ‘a neat property.’”
“I think you’ll find my brother was understating the case.” There was a wry twist to his lips as he drove past the entrance to the golf club and along a private road.
Intrigued, Alyssa watched the scenery roll past for a few minutes. When they reached a set of ornamental gates, Everett used the electronic fob Ray Torrington had given him. The gates slid open and they entered a different world.
“Is this...?” Alyssa turned wide eyes in Everett’s direction.
“Kennedy’s home? Yes. This is Paradise Palms.”
“But it’s a mansion.” As Everett halted the car in front of the house, she leaned forward to get a closer look. The brick-built, two-story property was centered on a courtyard with a mosaic-tiled fountain in front.
“Six bedrooms and seven bathrooms,” Everett said. “All of the entertaining rooms have access to the outdoors and views of the canyon. When Sean and Delilah bought the place there was an infinity pool, a golf simulator, a basketball court and a fitness center with a steam room. They added a games room, a home theater and an outdoor kitchen.”
“If you lost touch with Sean, how do you know all this?” Alyssa asked as they got out of the car.
“I told you how competitive we were with each other. There was no way Sean was going to let this slip by me. He sent me an email with details of the house and a one-sentence message.” Everett looked up at the beautiful property with a slight smile on his face. “It said ‘Enjoy your two-bedroom apartment, G-man.’”
“G-man?” She lifted Kennedy, who stirred slightly in her sleep, from the vehicle.
“It’s a slang term, meaning ‘government man.’ It refers to employees of the US government, specifically FBI agents. Sean always used it in a derogatory way.”
“Well, at least your two-bedroom apartment was paid for with honest, hard-earned cash.” There was a touch of heat in her voice as she thought of the way in which Sean had earned his money. How dare he sneer at Everett? “If this was purchased with laundered money, shouldn’t have been forfeited to the government?”
“If you look at Sean’s accounts, I’m sure you’d find this place was purchased honestly, too.”
She snorted. “Delilah must have been mightily creative if she pulled that off.”
He took Kennedy from her and placed the little girl in her stroller. “She was. Her role in the family business was to make sure the financial side of things was legal. She couldn’t have foreseen what was going to happen, but she made sure her daughter’s future was secure. What matters now is that we protect Kennedy’s inheritance.”
His words gave her a sudden chill. “She is already in danger. I don’t know why, but Ray Torrington tried to trick us by not informing us of the true details of the will. Now Georgia is attempting to have the will overturned. Those are the two sources that we know of. What if neither of them is responsible for the threats we’ve been getting?”
“I’ve already thought about that. In my job, you make enemies.” He took her hand and placed it next to his on the handle of the stroller. “But Kennedy has us to take care of her. Together, we’ll make sure nothing bad happens.” From his pocket, he withdrew the bunch of keys Ray had given him. “Are you ready?”
She placed her fingers over his, feeling the strength and warmth of his hand. Were there any certainties in life? Sean and Delilah had stepped outside the law in an attempt to buy happiness and had died horribly. Alyssa’s own method was to turn her back on anything that might bring her hurt. The result had been four years of misery.
Looking up at the beautiful house, the scene of so much drama, she wondered if the best way was to let fate take its course.
“Let’s do this.”