Finding Family...and Forever?. Teresa Southwick

little man.”

      Not surprisingly, Emma heard no verbal response from the rear seat where Kyle was happily staring out the window of her midsize SUV. It had arrived from California, and Justin had approved the safety factor. He’d installed the baby’s car seat himself, even though all child-related equipment was in her sphere of expertise.

      It was kind of endearing how seriously Dr. Flint took his responsibilities as a father. That was another check mark in her employer’s “pro” column. Not that she was actively looking for “cons,” but it would help. In the few days since she’d become the solo nanny, her attraction to him hadn’t subsided.

      She drove down Main Street and turned left into the parking lot of the town’s biggest market, appropriately named The Grocery Store. There were smaller stores for gourmet olive oil, coffee, health foods and specialty items, but this was where Sylvia had suggested she go for the bulk of the shopping. There weren’t too many cars here on this weekday morning and that suited Emma just fine.

      She parked and turned off the ignition, then grabbed her purse and the diaper bag before exiting. After rounding the vehicle, she opened the rear passenger door and released the straps on the car seat to lift Kyle out. Propping him on her hip, she walked to the automatic doors with neat rows of shopping carts beside them. She released one then fished the cheerful animal-print seat liner out of the diaper bag and arranged it before lifting the baby in.

      “Can’t be too careful,” she told him. “There are enough germs in the world that I can’t protect you from, but this I can do.” She smiled at him and he grinned in response.

      “You’re in a good mood, big guy.” His answer was an unintelligible sound that she liked to think of as affirmative.

      Pushing the cart, she walked into the store and scanned the layout, preferring to pick up boxed and nonperishable items first. After that, she’d get things like milk and the cream Justin liked in his coffee.

      She watched Kyle scratch at a giraffe on the seat cover. “You seem like a naturally cheerful little soul to me. Did you get that disposition from your daddy?”

      She walked down the baby-products aisle and grabbed baby wipes and the largest package of disposable diapers, which she set on the very bottom of the cart. After that, she bypassed cleaning products and headed for cereal and canned goods. There was no one around and she chattered away to her little charge as she picked up canned tomatoes for a batch of marinara and some enchilada sauce for a recipe Justin liked.

      “So far, your dad seems like a pretty agreeable sort, too. I sure hope so, because if he ever finds out the whole truth, I could be in trouble.”

      Rounding the corner to turn down the next aisle, Emma was trying to take in everything around her and not paying attention to where she was going. In her peripheral vision she saw another shopper. Just in time to avoid a cart collision, she pulled up short and automatically apologized. Then she got a good look at the woman she’d almost hit and her heart stopped, skipped once then started to pound. There were very few shoppers in this store and of all the people to run in to...

      She was face-to-face with Michelle Crawford, her biological mother.

      “I’m really sorry,” she mumbled. “Not watching where I was going.”

      “No harm done. You’ve got pretty good reflexes.”

      Emma’s mind was racing as fast as her heart. Questions without answers rattled around in her head. Should she say something about their connection? In a place as public as a grocery store? Was there a perfect place to drop the bombshell of who she really was? Getting away as fast as possible seemed like the very best idea.

      She started to push her cart past the other woman. “Have a nice day.”

      “Hello, Kyle. How are you?”

      Emma looked at the baby, who was staring uncertainly, as if he sensed her tension. “How do you know him?”

      “The doctor brings him into the diner when Sylvia has the night off.” She looked more closely. “You must be the new nanny.”

      And so much more. “That’s right.”

      “Welcome to Blackwater Lake. I’m Michelle Crawford.”

      “Emma Robbins. Nice to meet you.”

      Emma took the hand the other woman held out, half expecting it would be a conduit to her thoughts. She braced for an aha moment that didn’t happen. It would have been too easy. She was simply a stranger, a newcomer to Blackwater Lake.

      Finally she pulled herself together and met her mother’s gaze. Emma was looking into brown eyes the same shade as her own. The two of them were the same height and their hair was a similar shade of brunette, although silver streaked the other woman’s.

      “I own the Grizzly Bear Diner. With my husband,” she added. Apparently she hadn’t seen Emma there. “Actually, Alan and I were co-owners with Harriet Marlow. She met a man on one of those internet dating sites and they had a phone relationship for a while because he’s from Phoenix. That went well, so he came all the way to Blackwater Lake to meet her in person. They fell in love and she decided Arizona was a good place to retire. So, my husband and I bought her out. She married him and moved away.”

      “Wow.” At least someone got their happily-ever-after.

      “Listen to me. Blathering on. Is that what kids call TMI?”

      Too much information. Emma hadn’t thought it possible that she could laugh but she did. “No. Finding love is always good information. I guess.”

      “Sounds like you have a bad story.”

      “Could be.”

      So far, Michelle hadn’t put her foot in her mouth, so Emma couldn’t say she’d inherited the tendency there. However, she did lean toward blathering in certain situations, although the one in progress didn’t appear to fall into that category because she wasn’t saying much.

      “Where are you from, Emma?”

      “Southern California.”

      Should she go with the partial story she’d told Justin? The truth, even half of it, was easiest to keep straight.

      But Michelle continued talking and saved her from having to respond. “Montana weather is really different from where you lived. It gets cold here in the mountains. It’s September and already heading in that direction. Are you ready for snow?”

      “I guess we’ll find out.”

      “If you need any winter-survival tips, just come over to the diner. Alan and I will be glad to help you out.”

      “Thanks. I wouldn’t want to be a bother.” Emma meant that more sincerely than this woman could possibly know.

      She waved a hand, dismissing the concern. “It’s no bother. You’ll find people here in Blackwater Lake are really friendly. Willing to help out their neighbors.”

      “That’s good to know.” Also reassuring to learn her biological mother seemed to be a really good person.

      Kyle chose that moment to join the conversation. Along with the stream of chatter, he started to wriggle in the cart, trying to pull his legs free and climb out.

      “Just where do you think you’re going, Mr. Kyle?” She laughed when he held out his arms. “I think that’s my cue to get a move on.”

      “Kids do let you know...”

      Emma was just starting to get comfortable, to shake off the urge to run. But Kyle came first and he was obviously getting restless. “It’s time to finish up the shopping.”

      “You’re not the only one. I’m due at the diner for the lunch rush. Alan will send out a search party if I’m late.”

      Because a member of his family had disappeared once? She couldn’t imagine what that must have felt like.

      “I’ve