A Daddy for Jacoby. Christyne Butler

tighter. Justin grabbed his burger and nodded to the boy’s half-eaten food. The kid started munching again, but the bear stayed right on his lap.

      A few minutes later, Gina came back to the table. Alone.

      “What’s going—” Justin read confusion on her face. “Where’s Zoe?”

      “The ladies’ room was empty.” Gina again kept her voice low as she turned away from the boy. “I checked with Ric, he’s working the front door. He didn’t see her leave. I even checked the parking lot. Nothing.”

      A sucker punch hit Justin square in the gut, harder than the one delivered less than a half hour earlier when Zoe had walked back into his life.

      She left? She walked away from her own son?

      He stared at the boy, who kept his eyes glued to his plate.

      “I think we should call Gage.”

      The mention of Gina’s brother—now his brother-in-law—caused a familiar ripple of unease. At best, he and the sheriff tolerated each other. Usually from a distance.

      “We need to search the place.” Justin slid to the end of the booth. “Maybe she just wanted to find a quiet spot to…I don’t know, to think, to pull herself together.”

      “Ric and a few others are looking for her.” Gina put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. “I’ll call my brother…just in case. You need to stay here.”

      Justin nodded.

      Gina left again. He eyed the food, but his appetite was gone. His wasn’t the only one. The boy had stopped eating, his gaze glued to the table. Justin knew he should say something, but his mind was a blank.

      Less than fifteen minutes later, Gina was back with her brother right on her heels, but she disappeared when Gage started talking.

      “So, what’s going on?” Gage said. “Who’s the little guy?”

      The boy shrank into the corner of the booth, his eyes locked on the newcomer. Despite being the sheriff of Destiny for the last decade, Gage rarely wore a uniform. Fully recovered from a gunshot wound that had him in the hospital a few months ago and at just over six feet tall, he could be pretty imposing even in jeans, his trademark leather jacket and Stetson.

      Justin rose from the booth. His height matched his brother-in-law’s and blocked the boy’s view. “His name is Jacoby Ellis,” he said, keeping his voice low. “And I’m told—not that I’m a hundred-percent sure—he’s my son.”

      The widening of Gage’s eyes and the bracketing of his hands on his hips were his only reaction to the news.

      Justin fought against mimicking Gage’s body posture and kept his hands loose at his side. “His mother showed up, introduced us and grabbed a bite to eat. The last I knew she was headed to the bathroom.”

      “How long ago was that?”

      “Twenty minutes. Maybe a little bit more.”

      Gage nodded. “The mother’s name?”

      “Zoe Ellis.”

      Gina reappeared at her brother’s shoulder. “Racy’s here. She suggested we go to her office. It’s more private and this place is filling up with customers.”

      Justin nodded and turned around, but Gina was already there. She grabbed Jacoby’s pillowcase and got him out of the booth. Justin and Gage followed. Racy’s golden retriever greeted them when they opened the office door.

      “Oh, it’s okay.” Gina squatted next to the boy when he shrank back, bumping into Justin’s legs. “This is Jack and he’s the sweetest pup. Here, let him smell your hand.”

      Jacoby stretched out his fingers. Jack proceeded to sniff them, then immediately moved in to offer a few quick licks to the boy’s face.

      Justin reached for the dog’s collar, but stopped when the sound of the child’s laughter filled the air.

      Followed by a gasp from Justin’s sister.

      He looked up to see Racy’s gaze flying between him and Jacoby. “Sis, what’s wrong?”

      Racy turned toward her desk and rummaged in one of the drawers. Justin and Gage went to her, while Gina settled the boy and the dog on the leather couch against the far wall.

      “Honey, what are you looking for?” Gage asked.

      Racy pulled out a manila envelope from the last drawer. “This,” she said, dumping the contents on her desk.

      Photographs, black-and-white and colored, likely decades old, scalloped edges on some and rounded corners on others. She flipped through the images until she pulled out a small one.

      “Thank goodness I had these stored here instead of at the house. They would’ve been lost in the fire. Here’s your proof.”

      “Proof?” Justin asked.

      “Gina told me about your surprise visitor and that precious little boy.” Her gaze lingered on the occupants on the couch. “As soon as you all walked in the door, I knew.”

      “Knew what?”

      “Look at this picture.” She shoved the photograph into his hands. “That’s you. First grade.”

      It was him. But it was also Jacoby. The image could’ve been of the same person. The dark hair and eyes, the square line of the jaw even at such a young age. They even wore the same colored T-shirt, red.

      “Maybe you better fill us in completely,” Gage said, taking out a small notebook. “If his mother has taken off, we’ll need everything you know to try and find her.”

      “I think I’ll head out now.”

      Justin turned to see Gina at the door. The boy was reading a book he must’ve pulled from his pillowcase. One hand turned the pages; the other was busy scratching the neck of a very content Jack.

      “No, stay.”

      Gina’s elegant brows rose at his tone.

      “Please,” Justin quickly added. “The kid seems—he seems at ease with you.”

      Her fingers tightened on the doorknob and Justin thought she was going to leave anyway. But she gave him a quick nod and moved back to the couch.

      Justin turned back to the sheriff and his sister. They both stared at him. He ignored the unspoken questions in their gazes and told them what had happened in the last hour. Then he described how he had met Zoe eight years ago.

      “I didn’t believe her at first. Maybe I didn’t want to. Hell…me? A father?” Justin winced and waved the photograph in the air. “But seeing this…”

      “Okay, let’s see if the boy can help us out,” Gage said.

      He couldn’t. Or wouldn’t.

      After answering a few questions that revealed the name of his elementary school, a town in Colorado and that his mom’s car was tan and a piece of junk, Jacoby clammed up, refusing to answer any more.

      “It’s not much, but I’ll start with finding out exactly where Templeton, Colorado, is.” Gage rose from where he’d knelt by the couch. He motioned for Justin and Racy to join him back at Racy’s desk. “I’m heading to the office to make an official report. Now, what are we going to do with this little guy tonight? Or the next couple of nights? It’ll probably take until Monday or Tuesday before we get anywhere.”

      “Why can’t he stay with Justin?” Gina asked from across the room.

      Justin turned, her question yet another sucker punch to his gut. At this rate, his insides would be black and blue. “Are you serious?”

      “You are his father.”

      “We don’t know that—”

      Both