LITMIR.BIZ

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at Mara Copeland, dark hair wet from the rain that slid down her poncho, standing on his welcome mat.

      “Hey, Billy.”

      Even her voice pushed Billy deeper into his own personal twilight zone. It kept whatever greeting he had reserved for a normal visitor far behind his tongue.

      “I know it’s late and I have no business being here but, Billy, I think I need your help.”

      * * *

      BILLY DIDN’T MAKE her spell out her situation standing there on his doorstep. He’d regained his composure by the tail end of Mara’s plea. Though she could tell it was a struggle.

      “Come in,” he said, standing back and gesturing wide with his long arms. Mara had almost forgotten how tall he was. Even in the mostly dark space outside his door, she could still make out the appearance of a man who looked the same as he had almost two years before—tall, with broad shoulders and a lean body rather than overly muscled. Lithe, like a soccer player, and no doubt strong, an attractive mix that carried up and through to a hard chin and a prominent nose. His eyes, a wild, ever-moving green, just sweetened the entire pot that was Billy Reed. Mara had realized a long time ago that there wasn’t a part of the dark-haired man she didn’t find appealing.

      Which didn’t help what had happened back then.

      She hesitated at his invitation to come inside, knowing how meticulous he was with keeping the hardwood in his house clean. Which she clearly was not. The poncho might have kept the clothes underneath dry, but it still was shedding water like a dog would its fur in the summer. Not to mention she hadn’t had a hood to keep her long tangles of hair dry.

      “Don’t worry about it,” he said, guessing her thoughts. “It’s only water.”

      His smile, which she’d been afraid she’d broken by her arrival, came back. But only a fraction of it. The lack of its former affection stung. Then again, what had she expected?

      “Sorry to intrude,” she said, once they were both shut inside the house. Its warmth eased some of the nerves that had been dancing since she’d gotten into the car that morning, although not nearly enough to keep her stomach from fluttering. Although she’d known her destination since she’d buckled her seat belt, seeing the sheriff in person had stunned her, in a way. Like finding a memory she’d tried to forget suddenly within reach. She started to wonder if he had tried to forget her. “I would have called but I couldn’t find your number,” she lied.

      Billy stood back, giving her space. The small part of his smile that had surfaced was disintegrating. Mara’s stomach began to knot. She had a feeling that Billy’s politeness was sheer Southern reflex.

      And now he was starting to remember exactly who she was.

      She didn’t blame him or the mistrust that distorted his handsome face next.

      Though, that stung a bit, too.

      “You could have called the department,” he deadpanned. “You might not remember, what with you up and leaving so quickly, but I’m the sheriff. I’m sure if you asked for me they’d patch you right on through.”

      Mara kept the urge to flinch at bay. In her road trip across Alabama, back to the last place she’d ever thought she’d return—especially with Christmas only days away—a small part of her had hoped Billy would have somehow forgotten or forgiven what she’d done. That when and if they ever met again, he would smile that dimpled smile that used to make her go weak in the knees and they’d—what?—be friends? Her thoughts had always derailed at that question. They always seemed to when she thought of Billy.

      The little girl asleep and hidden beneath the poncho, held up by Mara’s arm, didn’t help matters.

      “I do remember that you’re the sheriff,” she said. “And, you’re right, I should have called there, but—” Mara had rehearsed a speech in the car explaining the exact reason she had driven back to Carpenter, back to his house, instead of just calling. Now, however, the words just wouldn’t come. All she could find were his eyes, ever searching for an answer. “Well,” she started again, trying to find a stronger voice. “It seemed too important to not talk about face-to-face.”

      Whatever reply Billy had been brewing behind those perfect lips seemed to stall out. His brows pulled together, his nostrils flared and then, just as quickly, his expression began to relax. He took a deep breath.

      “Fine,” he finally said. “But make it quick. I just got called out.”

      That was as warm as she’d bet the man was going to be, so she nodded. The simple movement shook water free from the bright yellow poncho covering her. She tried to give him an apologetic look.

      “I didn’t have an umbrella,” she explained.

      “You never did,” he said, also, she believed, on reflex. Like the nod, it was such a simple statement that Mara wondered if he’d even registered he’d said it at all. “Here, let me help with that.” Billy reached out and took the bag from her shoulder. Any mother might recognize it as a diaper bag, though it was designed to look like an oversized purse, but she could tell Billy Reed hadn’t caught on to it yet.

      Or the bulge beneath the poncho.

      She must have really thrown him for a loop.

      “Thanks. Do you have a bag or something I could put this poncho in?” She motioned to the very thing keeping their conversation from diving headlong into the foreign topic of kids.

      “Yeah, give me a sec.” He set her bag on the entryway bench and headed toward the kitchen. It gave Mara a moment to take two deep breaths before letting each out with a good shake.

      It had been two years since she’d seen Billy Reed. More than that since she’d met him in a bar, ready to do her best to help him take down the only family she’d had left. Now here she was, standing in his house, dripping on the hardwood.

      “This is all I have to put it in,” he said, coming back. His smile was still gone but at least he wasn’t stone-faced.

      “Oh, thanks,” Mara said to the Walmart bag he extended. She didn’t take it. “Actually, I’m going to need your help with this one. I don’t want to drop her.”

      And, just like that, Billy Reed must have finally looked at her—really looked at her—taking in the large bulge beneath the poncho. Wordlessly, he helped her pull it off. He stood there, eyes wide, as the dark-haired little girl came into view. She wiggled at the sudden light but, thankfully, stayed asleep. One little blessing that Mara would more than take.

      “This is Alexa,” Mara introduced her. She watched as his eyes widened. They swept over the little girl with attention she knew he was proud of. For a moment she forgot why she’d come. So many times over the last two years she’d thought about this meeting. Would it happen? What would he say? What would she say? However, Mara reminded herself that she hadn’t come back to Carpenter because she’d decided to. No, a man and his threats had made that decision for her. Mara cleared her throat. It was now or never. “Billy, meet your daughter.”

       Chapter Two

      Billy, bless him, didn’t say a thing for a good minute. Though his eyes ran the gamut of emotions.

      Mara took a tentative step toward him, arm still holding their daughter up, and opened her mouth to speak, but Billy’s phone went off in his pocket, ringing too loudly to ignore.

      He shook off the spell he’d fallen into, though when he spoke, his voice wasn’t as strong as it had been before.

      “Please, hold that thought. I have to take this,” he said, pulling his phone out. He didn’t look at the caller ID as he answered. “Reed.”

      Mara’s mouth closed as a woman’s voice filled the space between them. She didn’t stop for breath as she relayed whatever she needed to the

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