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He looked up at that moment and saw the odd look on her face. His eyebrows went up.
“What?” she asked.
“That expression,” he said, smoothing his big hand over the soft fur of the puppy. “What were you thinking?”
She grimaced. Well, he’d asked. “What a wonderful father you’d make,” she confessed and flushed a little, because it sounded very personal.
He just looked at her, his eyes dark and soft, his expression puzzling. “I love kids,” he said after a minute. He shrugged. “Debby was determined to be the best in her field, so kids were sort of out of the question.”
“I see.” She saw a lot more than she was willing to admit, so she smiled and asked if he’d like to have a cup of coffee.
“I would,” he said with a long sigh. “I’m feeling pretty empty. Here’s your baby back, Lucy. She’s a sweet girl. Like you.”
Lucy beamed. “Thanks, Sheriff Banks.” She took the puppy back and cuddled it close. “We got cats, too. Lots of cats!”
“I’ve got cats of my own, out in the barn. We call them the mouser brigade. They keep the mice away, for sure.”
“I got a cat of my own. He sleeps with me. He’s named Patrick.”
He smiled. The child fascinated him. He hadn’t had much to do with children, except in tragic circumstances that went with his job. Lucy was far and away the most interesting child he’d come across.
Hannah came into the kitchen to help put cookies on the tray with the coffee and cream and sugar.
“Thanks, Hannah,” Abby said, and she started to lift the tray.
“My job,” Cody said, taking it from her with a gentle smile.
The smile hit her in the chest, confused and delighted her. She flushed again and cleared her throat. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” He led the way into the living room and put the tray down on the coffee table.
THEYDRANKTHEcoffee and nibbled on the cookies without speaking for a few minutes, while Lucy cuddled her puppy nearby and sipped her hot chocolate.
“Homemade cookies,” Cody sighed. “I haven’t had a homemade cookie since my mother died.”
Abby laughed. “Hannah’s a terrific cook.”
“So are you, Aunt Abby,” Lucy piped in. “She can make French pastries,” she told the sheriff. “And homemade bread!”
Cody groaned. “I love homemade bread. We used to have a baker here that made it, but he moved to California three years ago.”
“I’ll bake you a loaf of your very own,” Abby promised.
He smiled at her. “That would be nice of you.”
“I’m mostly nice,” she said.
His eyebrows arched. “Mostly?”
She glanced at her niece. “Lucy, would you give the puppy a little water? She’s panting.”
“It’s warm in here,” Lucy said, nodding. She jumped up. “I’ll be right back.”
“I had to go see the principal at Lucy’s school in Denver,” Abby told him, “just after the little girl was assaulted. The boys had made a comment to Lucy that she didn’t even understand. She told it to me and I went marching up to the school. The principal got an earful, and I sent a registered letter to the president of the school board as well.” She pursed her lips. “I added the name and address of my attorney at the bottom. I had all sorts of apologies and promises, but in the meantime our cousin Butler died and we moved here.” She shook her head. “It’s so different here,” she added. “I was too young to appreciate it when we moved away, but since I’ve been back, I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Lucy loves her teacher and her school, and she’s made many new friends.”
He nodded. “It’s unique as a community. More like a family, really, a big, spread-out family. Debby hated it here. She only visited when she had to.” His mouth twisted. “I always thought she fell in love with the uniform instead of me.” He looked up to see if she understood the remark.
She smiled. “We all know about the uniform and how it attracts women. It’s that you law enforcement types are usually pretty muscular, because you have to be, and the uniform shows it off. But more than one officer has lost his job for giving in to that hero worship.”
