Rodeo Sheriff. Mary Sullivan

Evan and patted the sofa beside herself.

      Madeline merely stared.

      “We be friends,” Tori said. “I brought games. We can play.”

      The tiniest of smiles hovered on Evan’s lips. Madeline rested her head on Honey’s shoulder and stayed where she was.

      Tori frowned, not used to resistance.

      Honey frowned, too. If Tori couldn’t break through Madeline’s shell, who could?

       Chapter Two

      Numb.

      Honey thought Cole was numb.

      If only.

      Cole wished to hell he was truly numb all the way through to his core. He wished he never had to feel another emotion in his life again. Then he wouldn’t have to be this raw, pain-ravaged creature.

      This aching, furious, grief-stricken man with every nerve exposed and crawling.

      His reactions might be slow, but numb? No.

      Sandy. His baby sister was gone. Her bright-burning presence would no longer illuminate this world. A shining star of a woman had been snuffed out too early.

      He couldn’t wrap his head it. He couldn’t accept that he would never see her again.

      Never.

      Dennis Engle, her husband, had been a good guy. Cole had liked and respected the man. Gone too young, too.

      Cole’s parents were still alive, but he hoped never to see them again in his lifetime.

      His family had been reduced to those two orphans on the sofa.

      He wasn’t up to this. He’d faced every challenge life had ever thrown at him and had survived. But this?

      God.

      How—?

      God.

      There were no words.

      Numb?

      A bitter laugh burst out of him. If freaking only.

      No anesthetic in this world could kill his pain.

      He dredged up every trace of strength he had left inside his hollowed-out shell of a soul.

      As sheriff, he knew everyone in town. Tanya was good people. He phoned her. She answered on the third ring.

      He told her why he was calling. “You wouldn’t start for at least a week, but I need—I need—”

      “To get things settled and planned,” she said. “I understand. I’ll see you in an hour, Cole.”

      He ended the call.

      What now?

      What was he supposed to ask her and the other women?

      Studying the children, he tried to imagine what they would need on a day-to-day basis while he was at work.

      Discipline? Strong, but loving.

      Education? Age appropriate and not overwhelming.

      Fun? God, yes.

      Affection? Hell, yeah. Plenty of it. As much as their little hearts could hold.

      He wanted things settled. Now.

      Despite the sun streaming through Honey’s windows, he shivered.

      He’d never felt so alone.

      How was he supposed to raise those children on his own?

      * * *

      HONEY LED HER friend to her bedroom, where Rachel took off Beth’s tiny sweater and hat.

      “Spill,” Rachel ordered. “What’s going on?”

      Honey patted Madeline’s back. “Evan and Madeline are Cole’s nephew and niece.” She glanced at Madeline, who continued to hide behind Honey’s hair. “Isn’t that nice?”

      Rachel must have caught Honey’s warning look that said we’ll talk later, because she murmured, “I see.”

      “Cole is interviewing caregivers for the children today. If Tanya Mayhall agreed, she should be here soon.”

      Rachel stared at Madeline with a worried frown and pointed discreetly. Honey glanced down. A wide frill decorated the neckline of Honey’s white blouse. Madeline had a small piece of it in her mouth, sucking on it. “Oh... I—”

      Honey covered her lips with her fingers and fought tears.

      “It will be okay,” Rachel said, too loudly. “Tanya’s a great woman. She loves children.”

      “Yes.” Honey cleared a sudden huskiness out of her throat.

      Rachel nodded toward the child, whose hands still grasped bunches of Honey’s hair.

      “She likes being held by you.”

      Honey nodded and gave a rundown on the other two women she’d also suggested.

      “All perfect candidates. I would trust my children with any of them.”

      “I hope he can do a good job of interviewing,” Honey said. “Cole’s even worse than usual because of this.”

      Puzzled, Rachel asked, “Worse than usual? How so?”

      “You know Cole. So quiet.”

      “Quiet? What do you mean?”

      “He’s like one of those monks who makes a vow of silence.”

      Rachel frowned and lifted Beth into her arms. “I’ve never noticed that. He chats away whenever we meet, always asking about the children and curious about how Travis’s herd is doing.”

      “Um, is he like that with Travis, too?”

      “They’ve become great friends. He’s like that with everyone. Haven’t you ever seen him in the diner when he goes in for breakfast?”

      “With the hours I keep at the bar, I usually sleep through Vy’s breakfast hours.”

      “Oh, right, of course. Anyway, he does the rounds before sitting down to have breakfast.”

      Curious. Cole had always been quiet with her, and she didn’t know why.

      He might share a conversation with someone on a bar stool beside him, but he certainly didn’t talk to her. She’d assumed it was because she was so busy and he didn’t want to intrude. Looked like she was wrong.

      Come on, Honey, you’ve seen him chatting with the townspeople. You knew he avoided you outside the bar.

      She’d kind of ignored that.

      It hurt that Cole wasn’t friendly with her—only a little, but even so. What on earth did Cole have against Honey that he was talkative with the rest of the town, but not with her?

      Then he shows up here today with children, trusting me to take care of them. Cole, who the heck are you?

      “Come on,” Rachel said, leaving the bedroom. “Let’s go see what we can do for him.”

      When they returned to the living room, Rachel put Beth down on the short end of the L-shaped sofa and surrounded her with pillows.

      She approached Cole, who accepted a long hug.

      Honey watched him wrap his strong arms around her friend and close his eyes, dipping his chin onto Rachel’s hair.

      Downstairs in the bar, he’d stepped away from Honey’s attempt at sympathy.

      Tori spoke up, breaking into her thoughts. “Can we build a fort, Honey?” She pointed to Madeline. “Would she like it?”

      Honey’s