The Lawman's Convenient Family. Judy Duarte

and he introduced Julie first to his wife Donna, the attractive redhead, then to Lyla Kincaid, the social worker assigned to the children’s case.

      They shook hands, and Julie said, “It’s nice to meet you.”

      “Same here.” Ms. Kincaid smiled, then turned to the children. “I’ll see you in a few days. In the meantime, I’m glad you feel safe and comfortable here.”

      Jim walked the older woman to the door, while Donna introduced Julie to the children—six-year-old Eddie and his five-year-old sister, Cassie.

      They looked thin and pale. Cassie bore a bruise on her forehead, as well as a split lip. No wonder Adam had rescued them. Whether he’d been the hottie dressed as Zorro or not, he’d turned out to be a real-life hero.

      “Mr. Adam isn’t here yet,” Jim told the children. “But I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

      Donna placed one hand on the boy’s shoulder and the other on his sister’s. “Eddie and Cassie are nervous about going to meet their teacher this morning. So I thought it might be best if we waited for Mr. Adam to get here. They might feel better about going with him to the schoolhouse.”

      If Adam was the one who’d found them and rescued them from an abusive situation, they’d probably bonded.

      “When is Mr. Adam coming?” Eddie asked. “I want to talk to him. To see if he did what he promised to do.”

      “He’ll be here soon,” Donna said. “And I’m sure he did exactly what he told you he’d do. He always keeps his word.”

      If Adam and Zorro were one and the same, as Julie had begun to believe, then maybe she’d been wrong to assume he was a ladies’ man and a charmer.

      She wasn’t sure what he’d promised the children—or why Eddie seemed so anxious to talk to him. But maybe, while they waited for him to arrive, she could help.

      “If you’ll come over here and sit with me,” Julie told the children, as she took a seat on the sofa, “I have something I’d like to show you.”

      Neither child spoke, but they made their way to the sofa and sat beside her, watching intently as she unzipped her guitar case, withdrew the instrument and strummed a few chords.

      She’d worn her hair long this morning, so she tucked the strands hanging forward behind her ears. Then she began to strum the chords of a silly song she hoped they’d find appealing.

      As she played and sang, lulling the children the way she used to calm her daddy whenever he was stressed or anxious, she did her best to focus on the kids. Yet her eyes continued to drift toward the door, waiting for Adam’s grand entrance. And to see if he was the gorgeous hunk who’d lured her onto the dance floor on Saturday night, then left her both charmed and hoping that he’d return—just as he’d promised.

      Adam arrived at the Kidville gate about fifteen minutes later than he’d planned and used the code Jim had given him when he first began volunteering. After parking the Bronco, he headed for the hotel. He liked the Old West vibe of the place, although he preferred to hear the happy sounds of children at play. Apparently, school had already started.

      Still, as he neared the admin office, he heard another sound—music. The guitar strums and a soft, melodic voice grew louder with each step he took.

      As he let himself inside, he was stunned by the vision he saw, and his steps stalled. A twenty-something blonde wearing a long, colorful gypsy skirt and a soft green blouse sat on the overstuffed sofa, flanked by Eddie and Cassie. The kids were smiling as she sang a lively tune, her voice soft and melodic, her facial expression animated.

      She seemed familiar, but then, Adam had an affinity for blondes.

      He remained in the doorway, lulled by the sounds of the stringed instrument and the voice of an angel.

      But it was Jim Hoffman’s voice that drew him back to earth. “Adam, I’m glad you’re here.”

      Oh. Yeah. He had a purpose, which didn’t include being lured by a pretty musician.

      “Am I late?” Adam asked.

      “No, not really. But the kids have been waiting for you since breakfast. I told them you wouldn’t let them down. That is, unless an emergency came along.”

      He continued to stand in the reception area, watching the kids. They seemed to be so caught up in the song that they didn’t know he’d arrived. Neither did the singer.

      Adam nodded his head toward the woman with the golden voice. “Who’s that?”

      “Julie Chapman. She’s a new volunteer. She’s also a music therapist—and a good one, apparently. The kids are enthralled.”

      So was Adam. Back in the day, when he’d been in foster care and in trouble more times than not, one of his social workers had placed him in therapy, but he’d been resistant. He’d never warmed up to the shrink, who’d probably been an intern. Either way, he’d refused to play games like Parcheesi with him. And back then he damn sure wasn’t going to let anyone into his head, so he’d clammed up until the rookie counselor finally threw in the towel.

      But Adam hadn’t realized therapy might consist of music—and a pretty blonde guitarist with an amazing voice.

      “Julie’s going to be a nice addition to our program,” Jim said. “Don’t you think?”

      Adam nodded in agreement. He was certainly impressed by the way she’d enchanted the kids.

      “Julie plays several instruments,” Jim added, “including the piano. She majored in music while in college, and she’s involved in her church choir.”

      Now, there was a game changer. Adam made a point of avoiding the good-girl type because he’d come to learn that they usually expected far more from him than a good time and a few laughs. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t watch them from afar. There was something about Julie he found appealing. In fact, she reminded him of Lisa, the sexy flight attendant he’d danced with at the gala. Funny how the two women, who couldn’t possibly be more different from each other, struck him as similar.

      The office telephone rang, and Jim excused himself. “I need to get that. Donna is in the back office. She’s on hold with someone from tech support, so she’s tied up at the moment.”

      As Jim crossed the room to his desk, Julie looked up and spotted Adam. Her lips parted, as if his arrival—or maybe his appearance—caught her by surprise. So much so, that she missed a couple of strums on the guitar and momentarily stopped singing. But she quickly recovered and turned her attention back to the children.

      Adam didn’t think anything of it. Women, even those who weren’t his type, often found him attractive, which made his dating life easy. It also kept him busy. But from day one, he always made sure he and his dates were on the same page and that they realized he wasn’t the kind of man who’d ever settle down.

      When the catchy tune ended, Cassie reached out and touched Julie’s guitar with her index finger, the first move Adam had seen her make without her brother’s prompting. It might not seem like much to anyone else, but he saw it as a sign that the timid little girl wasn’t nearly as frightened as she’d been on Saturday night when he and the Hoffmans had brought her here.

      When he’d told the kids that he had to leave and that they’d be staying at Kidville, big ol’ tears welled in her eyes, and her little lip quivered. Which is why he’d been eager to return this morning and let both kids know that he hadn’t abandoned them. Hell, even the dog had gotten spooked and run off before the Hoffmans had showed up.

      Adam waited a beat before crossing the room and addressing the two siblings. “Hey, Eddie. Cassie. I’m back, just like I promised.”

      The boy practically jumped up from his seat, his lips parted, his eyes wide. “Cool. But what about your other promise? What happened to my dog? Did you find him?”

      “Yes,