Betrayed Birthright. Liz Shoaf

      Abby’s mouth fell open, then snapped shut. “Trevor Johnson, I can’t believe you just tried to blackmail me. Sheriff Galloway has a very good reason for being here, and it’s none of your business.” She pointed a finger at the front door. “Now, march right into the living room and prepare for your lesson.”

      Trevor’s shoulders slumped as he slowly trudged into the house.

      Abby’s cheeks were pink with frustration and Noah’s mouth stretched into a wide grin. “The kid’s a terror. A few weeks ago I had him doing community service—picking up trash—for a minor infraction.”

      She waved a hand through the air and talked fast. “I don’t want to know what that boy’s been up to. I better get inside before he destroys my house.”

      Noah laughed out loud and it felt amazing. He gave her a small salute. “I’m sure you can handle it.”

      The woman disappeared into the house, and Noah scanned the front yard while pulling his smartphone out of his pocket. He typed a text instructing Cooper to bring his laptop to Ms. Mayfield’s house and added a note to swing by his house and pick him up a change of clothes, but then he changed his mind and cleared the text. Instead, he told Cooper to come to Ms. Mayfield’s and plan to stay for an hour or so. He’d go home, take a shower, make sure things were well on the home front and pick up his laptop. Cooper texted back and said he was on his way.

      Noah slid his phone back into his pocket and checked the surrounding area again. He wouldn’t have insisted on staying close to Ms. Mayfield if the break-in had been a normal grab and run. His intuition—one that had served him well during his tenure at the FBI—was screaming that trouble had followed her from North Carolina and the situation was more complicated than either of them imagined.

      Hearing mangled piano notes filter out the front door, he opted to stay outside and sat down on the porch swing to await the arrival of his deputy. He pulled his phone out again. He’d check in with his grandfather, Houston, and make sure he was available to take care of Dylan in case Noah found himself tied up longer than expected.

      For the first time in a long while, he was excited about work. Moving to Blessing had been the right thing to do, but truth be told, he missed being in the FBI. The big cases. The camaraderie between agents. He missed it all, but Dylan was safe in Blessing, and his son was the most important thing in his life.

      * * *

      Abby waved at Mrs. Johnson as she picked up Trevor after his piano lesson. Going back inside the house, she closed the door and released a deep sigh. Her dog sat on the floor, his eyes tracking every move she made. “Mercy, Bates. That was a long hour. That child is a terror. As much as I’d love to have a houseful of children, I think I might pass if I thought I’d get one like Trevor.”

      Bates canted his head to the side and Abby chuckled. “I know. We take what God grants us, and we’re to be happy about it, but I’m still going to say a prayer for Mrs. Johnson. She’s been blessed with such a...unique child.”

      Abby glanced around the foyer. She rubbed both arms as the previous night flashed through her mind. She still couldn’t believe whoever was after her in North Carolina had followed her to Texas. She hadn’t tried to hide or cover her tracks. She and Grammy had hoped it was someone local to North Carolina and the move would get rid of the problem. The worst part of the situation was that Abby couldn’t think of a soul who would do something like this to her.

      The police in North Carolina had interviewed everyone she knew and come up empty. The entire thing was scary and frustrating. She headed into the kitchen and gave Deputy Cooper a curt nod. He had a pained expression on his face as he took a sip of coffee, no doubt from Trevor’s less-than-sterling piano skills, but she didn’t feel sorry for him. He had opted to sit out the piano lesson in the relative safety of the kitchen after Noah fled the scene and left his deputy to babysit. The repairman had come, fixed the glass pane and left. She didn’t understand why Cooper was still there. As she had learned in North Carolina, the police didn’t offer personal bodyguard protection for a mere break-in.

      Cooper stuck his nose back into the newspaper in his hands, and she picked up the landline to call her grandmother. She needed to hear a familiar voice.

      “Hello.”

      “Grammy? It’s Abby.”

      “Girl, I’ve been worried sick. It’s about time you called.”

      Abby closed her eyes as her grandmother’s loving voice washed over her. “Sheriff Galloway left his deputy here with me and I had a piano lesson, but everything’s fine.” The handset was wireless and she stepped into the foyer, lowering her voice. “Grammy, you’re not going to believe this. Sheriff Galloway is the FBI agent who saved the life of New York’s mayor.”

      Silence.

      “Grammy?”

      “I remember reading about him in the newspaper. It was a big deal back then. He cut the head off the mafia beast in New York. They still bring it up in the news periodically. Everyone claims he’s an ace investigator, that he never gives up or backs down until he has his man. Wonder how he ended up becoming the sheriff in Blessing?”

      Uneasiness scaled down Abby’s spine. Grammy made an effort to sound normal, but Abby sensed that something was amiss.

      “Grammy, is something wrong? Is everything okay?”

      A nervous chuckle filled her ear.

      “Of course it is.”

      Maybe Abby was imagining things. “Well, if anything happens, call me immediately.”

      “Same with you, sweetie. I better go now. The bridge group is meeting for lunch.”

      “Okay. And, Grammy?”

      “Yes?”

      “As soon as this is over, we’re moving you to Blessing. My house is large enough for both of us.” Her grandmother was fast approaching her mideighties, and Abby had been trying to encourage her to move in with her for several years now. Her grandmother always insisted she needed her own space, but Abby knew the older woman was secretly hoping Abby would start dating and eventually get married and have a house filled with her own family.

      “I’m coming to Blessing, but we’ll talk about whether I’m moving in with you later.”

      “Okay. Love you.”

      “Love you, too.”

      * * *

      Feeling better after a shower and change of clothes, and after lining up Grandfather Houston to take care of Dylan in case he was tied up for a few days, Noah knocked on Ms. Mayfield’s front door. A warning bark echoed through the house and Noah felt better knowing she had the dog.

      But not better enough to leave her alone in the house. He couldn’t justify spending city money on personal protection, so he’d called the mayor and taken a week’s vacation. Hopefully, Cooper could handle anything that came up at the station.

      He didn’t examine his motives too closely. Ms. Mayfield was a resident in his jurisdiction and he would do everything in his power to protect her. At least, that’s what he told himself.

      He grinned when Cooper opened the door with his hand on his holster.

      His deputy blew out a deep breath. “I sure am glad to see you, Sheriff.”

      “Piano lesson that bad, was it?”

      His deputy rolled his eyes. “Ms. Mayfield must have a ton of patience.”

      Itching to get to work, he waved Cooper out the door, onto the front porch. “Listen, I put in for a week’s vacation so I can work on Ms. Mayfield’s problem. There’s more here than a mere break-in. Her life may be in jeopardy. I’m putting you in charge at the station.”

      Cooper’s eyes widened and his chest puffed out. “I won’t let you down, sir.”

      Noah