Chapter 3
“Tell me something about you that I don’t already know.” Adam stared at Prudence. His gaze dipped to her lips and an emotion she wasn’t quite prepared to identify passed behind his piercing pale blue eyes.
“I was in the same grade as one of your brothers,” she said, clearing her throat to ease the sudden dryness.
“Which one?” he asked.
“Fallon,” she supplied.
“That explains why I don’t recognize you,” he said like her answer satisfied one of the great questions of the universe. “He’s six years younger than I am.”
“I’ve walked right past you in the streets.” She tried to hide the hurt in her voice.
“I must have been preoccupied,” he said.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said.
He stared at her like she was speaking Greek.
“Pretend like you should have noticed me.” She had no idea where that statement came from, but it sure felt good to get it off her chest. Countless folks walked right by her on the rare occasions she was in town without so much as a courtesy nod.
As much as she didn’t want or need to be the center of attention, her life could be lonely when she was in between jobs.
She’d considered getting a dog for company, but she had to be away from home too much looking after other people’s pets. It wouldn’t be fair to an animal.
“Believe me when I say that I’m not trying to offend you.
” His chest puffed out a little bit and his back straightened.
She had no idea if he even realized he was doing it.
But when he crossed his arms over his chest, effectively blocking out anything and everything, she realized she’d put him in a defensive mood.
Since she was here and the baby in her arms needed as many allies as possible, Prudence added, “I wasn’t saying that just about you.
Most people walk right past without saying a word.
I usually prefer not to be noticed.” The thought of all those eyes on her sent a shiver racing down her back and made it difficult to breathe.
Relax. Breathe. Repeat. Her mantra had gotten her through some packed rooms and tight spaces without losing her mind. Why did she suddenly want to be noticed?
Adam started to open his mouth to speak but then seemed to think better of it. “Do you live in town?”
“Yes,” she answered.
“Alone?” He glanced at her wedding ring finger.
“Yes.” She held it up to make it easier for him to see there was no diamond, no band, and no tan line.
Part of her wondered where her new bravado was coming from.
The old Prudence would have withered under Adam’s attention.
This Prudence sat with her back a little straighter and held her chin up a little higher.
“Boyfriend? Roommate?” he continued.
“Neither. And, no, this angel doesn’t belong to me.” She had to admit the baby felt better in her arms than she expected. Natural? That might be pushing it.
“You said you own a pet-sitting business. Right?” he asked.
“Yes. Some folks don’t want to bother their neighbors, or they need full-time care for their animals.
I mostly work with dogs, but I do have a few cat clients.
Henry is an old-timer and he enjoys having company around.
We leave the TV on for him set to Animal Planet, not that he’s spoiled or anything.
But I do cook him fresh meat at night since he has a sensitive stomach.
” And that was the most words she’d said to any one person outside of necessity or work in longer than she could remember.
Had she gotten too comfortable in her own company?
“Do your folks live in town?” he asked.
She shook her head but decided not to elaborate.
“Siblings?” he continued, unfazed by the fact she’d gone quiet.
“When will the sheriff be here?” She checked the clock as her stomach reminded her dinner time was long past. It was dark outside and getting late.
“Soon, I imagine. Although, I don’t have to tell you getting in and out of Firebrand Ranch is never a quick endeavor,” he said.
“This is my first time to be here, so…” Prudence decided to stop right there before she came across as pitying herself.
Not being involved in extracurriculars had been her choice back in school.
Reading had always been her favorite thing to do and she’d spent plenty of summers with her nose firmly planted in a book.
So much so, the high school English teacher took note and tagged Prudence as an office aid, which worked perfectly for someone who didn’t like to sit in boring study hall anyway.
While Prudence jotted down random thoughts from time to time, she never seriously considered trying to write a book despite the occasional pull. Her journal was another story. Whereas some folks had a cell phone glued to their hands, Prudence had her leather-bound notebook as a constant companion.
Speaking of which, it wasn’t like her to leave the house without it. She made a mental note to find her purse first thing once the baby’s parents were located. And on that note, she asked, “I wonder why the sheriff said no children were reported missing.”
“Doesn’t mean she wasn’t brought across state lines or not reported for some reason or another,” he said, catching onto the implication.
“What if her family is out there, somewhere in a ditch or worse?” She couldn’t help but wonder. Her mind had a habit of snapping to the worse possible scenario.
“A baby her age wouldn’t exactly be able to unstrap herself from a car seat and walk through the woods on her own,” he reasoned. “There is probably a logical explanation.”
“I just wish I could remember how I found her,” she said, drawing a blank on the entire day. “I don’t even remember going to check on Henry, but that has to be the reason I’m here.”
“About that…does your head hurt when you move it?” A look of concern darkened his otherwise perfect features. He had the kind of sturdy chin and chiseled jawline that ladies drooled over in magazines.
“No.” Prudence glanced at his ring finger, confirming what she already knew. He was single.
She redirected her gaze to the baby. More than a smidge of satisfaction filled her that the bundle in her arms was soundly, sweetly sleeping. Content. When was the last time Prudence had felt the same way?
Too long, a little voice in the back of her mind pointed out.
Adam’s phone buzzed. He grabbed it and checked the screen. Her stomach picked that moment to growl louder than a hungry bear’s. She picked up the glass of water and downed its contents as embarrassment heated her cheeks.
“Sheriff Lawler is out front.” He made eye contact like he was looking for approval.
She nodded and smiled before he disappeared down the hallway.
When he returned, a man nearly as tall as Adam, who she recognized as the sheriff, entered the expansive kitchen.
Height was where the similarities ended.
Lawler was about as fair-skinned as they came, with ginger hair in a military cut.
He had a hawk-like nose and compassionate honey-brown eyes along with a smattering of freckles across his face.
He wore jeans, boots, and a tan shirt with the word Sheriff embroidered on the right front pocket.
“Ms. Owens,” Lawler said.
“Please, call me Prudence,” she said with that new boldness she felt.
“Okay, Prudence. How are you feeling?” He gave her a once-over like he was checking for blood stains or injuries.
“I’m not hurting anywhere,” she confessed.
“Can you tell me everything that happened in your own words?” Lawler asked as Adam motioned toward a chair on the opposite side of the table.
“While you two go over her story, I’m going to heat up dinner,” Adam said.
Prudence’s stomach groaned and she gave an awkward smile before turning to the sheriff, who’d taken a seat. “I’m afraid it won’t take long to tell you my side of the story.”
“Oh?” Lawler said.
“Like Adam said on the phone, I don’t remember much of what happened today. All I know is that I have this sweet baby and no idea where she came from or why I have her,” she admitted. “I have a dog-sitting job for the Fritzes while they’re on vacation. You know Henry, right?”
“He’s a sweetheart,” he agreed with a quick nod and a concerned look.
“I don’t remember anything but that I’m supposed to be looking after him,” Prudence said, her shoulders deflating. She couldn’t get over the fact it didn’t seem like anyone had reported the baby missing. “I was hoping you could tell us who this girl belongs to.”
“Tell him about the note,” Adam said from across the room.
Whatever he was heating up smelled amazing.
Or, maybe she was just that hungry. Either way, the minute she handed over the kiddo to her parents, Prudence was going to find something to eat.
At this point, she’d take just about anything for how starved she was.
“I found a piece of paper with a name on it,” she glanced over at the island where they’d left the slip. “Adam Firebrand.”
Lawler cocked an eyebrow at the revelation.
“Do you have any idea why that would happen?” Lawler asked Adam.
He shook his head. “I haven’t been in a relationship in a long time and the last one ended with me on one knee and a door in my face.”
He’d pretty much sworn off relationships at that point.
He was thirty-eight years old and single.
And the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with had walked out easier than buttering toast. There was about as much fanfare, as well.
No returned calls. Yes, he’d gone there.
He’d gone down the path of needing a better explanation than the one she gave. I just don’t feel the same way anymore.
He’d left more texts than he cared to admit while nursing a broken heart. She’d made it clear. She was done. He should accept the fact. Did he, though? No.