LITMIR.BIZ

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did have a heart, after all. Patsy swallowed hard against the tears that threatened. It was enough lure to get her inside. “Thank you.”

      He closed the door, then went around to the driver’s side. When he was behind the wheel, he said, “There’s a milk shake in the holder there. You look as if you could use it.”

      Patsy shook her head, unwilling to be too indebted to this man who so clearly—and justifiably—disapproved of her. “No, thanks.”

      He rolled his eyes at her deliberate contrariness. “Suit yourself.”

      The drive into town was made in uncomfortable silence. She waited for another explosion of temper or a stern lecture, but instead he glanced over at Billy, who was belted into the seat with her, no doubt a bending of the rules he was so fond of enforcing. He hadn’t argued with her, though, or insisted she get his car seat and put him in the back.

      “Is he okay? Are you sure you don’t want to get him to a doctor?” he asked. “There’s a hospital in Garden City. I could run you over to the emergency room there.”

      “No,” she said in a rush. When he shot a sharp-eyed look at her, she explained, “He’ll be fine, once his fever goes down. He’s just tired and fussy. I think he’s getting a bit of a cold.”

      “Okay, if you’re sure.”

      “I am.”

      The same uneasy silence fell again. Billy squirmed in her lap. “Mama?”

      “Yes, baby.”

      Billy stared back at her with fever-bright eyes, then looked over at the man behind the wheel. “Who’s that?”

      “He’s a policeman. He’s helping us.”

      “Nice ’liceman,” Billy murmured approvingly and fell back asleep.

      Patsy glanced up just in time to catch a fleeting smile at the corners of Justin’s mouth.

      “At least the boy knows when someone’s on his side,” he commented.

      She regarded him doubtfully. “Are you on my side, Deputy…?”

      “Adams,” he supplied. “Justin Adams. And as long as you don’t break any laws, yes.” He gave her a sharp look. “So far you haven’t, at least not technically.”

      “Just because I got caught.”

      “Be grateful that my cousin has a forgiving nature. She won’t press charges.”

      “Is that the only reason you’re letting me off so easy?”

      “Yes,” he said curtly.

      Patsy studied him intently, then shook her head. Her opinion of the man had undergone several drastic shifts since he’d turned up with the juice and medicine. “I don’t think so. I think that under that by-the-book exterior beats the heart of a genuinely nice guy.”

      She was almost convinced he was a man she could trust. Even after he’d caught her stealing, even after she’d fled, he had thought first of her sick child. She could see, though, that the compliment made him uncomfortable. Maybe the leniency didn’t fit his own image of himself.

      “What’s wrong, Deputy? Afraid if word gets out, it’ll ruin your reputation?” she asked, daring to tease him, hoping to catch another glimpse of that potentially devastating smile again.

      “Something like that,” he conceded, unsmiling.

      Patsy felt an odd little shock of disappointment, then cursed herself. Was she so desperate for a friend that she was willing to trust this stranger who had the power to give her whereabouts away to her husband? He was clearly a man with a strong sense of right and wrong, a commitment to duty. He would be the worst possible choice for a friend. When it came to a choice between obligation and friendship, there would be no contest. He would choose obligation every time.

      She withdrew into silence once again.

      “Where are you two heading?” he asked eventually.

      The question seemed innocuous enough, no more than casual conversation, except the man was a cop. Patsy hesitated.

      He glanced her way and she cursed those reflective sunglasses that prevented her from getting a good look at his eyes.

      “Don’t you know?” he demanded. “What kind of mother leaves home with a sick baby if she doesn’t have to?”

      Her temper flared and she clutched Billy a little tighter. “He wasn’t sick when we left home.”

      “When was that?”

      “A few days ago,” she conceded.

      “And the baby’s father?”

      She’d known the question would come up sooner or later. She’d been praying for later, long enough to have manufactured a believable story. Forced to improvise quickly, she said only, “He’s not around.”

      “I see,” Justin said slowly, his expression thoughtful. “You know, if you don’t have a place to go, Los Piños isn’t a bad little town.”

      Startled by the suggestion, she stared. “You wouldn’t object? Under the circumstances, I was sure you’d want us as far from your town as possible.”

      He glanced over at her. “You ever stolen anything before?”

      “No.”

      “Why should I believe you?”

      “Because it’s the truth,” she said fiercely. “If it hadn’t been for Billy getting sick, I wouldn’t have done it this time. I would have come here, found a place for us to stay, gotten a job. We’re looking for a fresh start, Deputy Adams, not trouble and definitely not a handout.”

      Even from behind those damnable sunglasses, she could feel his penetrating gaze. It was enough to make a liar squirm. Patsy sat perfectly still and withstood it.

      “What’s your name?”

      “Patsy Gresham,” she said, resorting to her maiden name. If he checked the car tags, he’d know better, but if not, if luck was on her side, she could preserve the illusion for a little while at least.

      He nodded. “Okay, then, Patsy Gresham. I suppose having you stick around won’t be a problem. Just know I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”

      She could just imagine. He’d probably spread the word from one end of town to the other that Patsy Gresham couldn’t be trusted. What kind of life could she make for herself with a cloud of suspicion hanging over her head?

      “I won’t tell a soul about what happened today, if that’s what’s worrying you,” he said, his expression softening as if he’d read her mind and wanted to reassure her. “You’ll move into town with a clean slate.”

      “Why are you being so nice?”

      Once more, the suggestion that he was anything other than a tough, by-the-book lawman seemed to make him uncomfortable. “Damned if I know,” he said eventually. “Just don’t make me regret it.”

      If Patsy had her way, not only wouldn’t he regret it, he’d never set eyes on her again. Even in a town the size of Los Piños, it ought to be easy enough to disappear if she wanted to make it happen.

      Then she took another long look at the man beside her. Of course, Justin Adams struck her as the kind of stubborn, determined man who could find whomever he set out to find. She’d just have to make darned sure he never had any reason to hunt for her.

      * * *

      Justin was losing it. He knew because there was no way in hell under normal circumstances he would have let a criminal off the way he was letting Patsy Gresham go free, despite what Sharon Lynn wanted.

      What was it his cousin had asked? Was it the green eyes or the tears that did it? Neither, he had wanted to shout. Now he wasn’t

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