The Cop's Missing Child. Karen Whiddon

part before Carlos. Unlike Ryan, she hadn’t been fortunate enough to be adopted. Due to poor health and a variety of childhood diseases, she hadn’t even been shuttled from foster home to foster home. Instead, she’d spent her childhood in an orphanage, venturing out into the world alone as soon as she turned eighteen. She’d met Carlos shortly after that, and the whirlwind courtship and marriage had seemed exactly what she’d needed.

      Ah, the naivete of youth. Emily checked her watch. She had ten minutes left before she had to return to work.

      Tapping her watch face and shaking her head at her friend, she ate a couple more bites of her fish before blotting her mouth with her napkin.

      “I’ve got to go, or I’ll be late,” she said, tossing her payment on the table.

      “What about him?” Still eating, Jayne jerked her head in Mac Riordan’s direction. “You told him you’d talk to him. And since you can’t get out the door without going past him …”

      Though she already knew the time, Emily made a big show of checking her watch once more. “I hope he can make this quick and painless.”

      Still, despite her misgivings, her mouth went dry the closer she got to him. Mac stood as she approached, placing his money on the counter and falling into step with her as they headed out the door. Though her heartbeat immediately started racing, she kept her face expressionless and waited until they’d emerged into the bright spring sunshine before speaking.

      “All right,” she told him. “I work down the street, and I have five minutes left on my lunch break. What do you want?”

      Instead of answering, he took her arm. Immediately, she tensed, causing him to drop his hand. He shot her a look but didn’t comment on her defensive body language.

      “Let’s walk and talk,” he said.

      Without responding, she set off at a brisk pace for the vet clinic. She hated the way she felt hyperaware of him, hated the way a single glance at him made her insides go all weak and warm.

      When they’d covered half the distance without him telling her what he wanted, she finally stopped and turned to face him. “Why do you need to talk to me?” Though she spoke in a soft voice, she made sure a thread of steel ran through it. “I don’t know you, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

      “You mentioned a threatening letter,” he began.

      “I never said it was threatening.” Despite the alarm bells clanging inside her head, she still felt an insistent tug of attraction.

      “Cut out letters? Come on. Why else would you ask if I mailed it to you?” he said in a reasonable tone. “I’m new in town, and we’ve never met before today, so that’s the only way your question makes sense.”

      Put that way, he sort of had a point. But his supposed concern didn’t excuse his odd behavior. At one time, she would have allowed herself to feel flattered. Now she could only feel threatened. “Look, you’ve been following me. First on the walking path, then you came into the restaurant and made a public scene.”

      Now he tilted his head. “That was not a scene. I have nothing to hide. Do you?”

      She shuddered, unable to conceal her reaction. “If that’s not creepy, stalkerish behavior, I don’t know what it is. So I’ll ask you one more time, what do you want?”

      “To help you.”

      “Of course you do.” Unable to rein in her sarcastic response, she crossed her arms. “Out of the goodness of your heart, right? You don’t even know me. And I sure as hell don’t know you.”

      “Cop instincts, I guess. I used to be a detective in the Albany Police Department. Your sheriff’s department can vouch for me.”

      Wearily, she nodded. Jayne had said something of the sort. “You still haven’t told me what you want.”

      “I’d like to offer my services,” he said, his gaze steady.

      “No, thanks.” She shook her head.

      “For a fee, if that will make you feel better. If you need protection, I can help.”

      Dumbfounded despite herself, Emily looked away. Whatever she’d expected him to say, it hadn’t been this. The idea of having help of some kind—any kind—felt so seductive that she nearly swayed with relief.

      But she didn’t … because she knew better. Despite his movie-star good looks and the tug of sexual attraction she felt when she looked at him, she couldn’t afford to trust him. She couldn’t allow herself the luxury of letting her guard down. The sins of her husband’s past were too numerous.

      “Look, I appreciate your offer.” Softening her voice, she tried to appear as if she meant it. “In reality, I had a couple of blind dates with a guy who liked me way more than I liked him. I’m pretty sure that’s all this is.”

      Devilishly handsome, he studied her. With his hawklike features and his too-sharp blue eyes, everything about him spoke of inherent strength. Ah, but she knew better than most how appearances could be deceiving.

      “Give me his name, and I’ll talk to him,” he said. “If it is him, I’ll make sure he doesn’t bother you again.”

      She recoiled, unable to help herself. Her late husband had been such a man, promising to take care of her, keeping her shielded from the rest of the world. At first, she’d found this charming. It wasn’t until later that she’d realized she’d been slowly suffocating.

      And when she’d found out her entire marriage, her entire life had all been nothing but a pack of lies, she’d known she shouldn’t have been surprised. But she was. And hurt and betrayed. She’d vowed she’d never be so blind again.

      This was why, even though this man’s rugged profile made her want to melt inside, she wanted to play it safe and send him away—with a smile, if possible.

      Because the last thing she needed was to make another enemy. God knows she had made enough of those already, thanks to Carlos.

       Chapter 2

      Careful not to flash a confident smile, Mac waited for Emily to accept his offer. Though he’d never been anyone’s bodyguard, he felt he’d do a superb job. Being a former cop had its advantages.

      “No, thank you,” she said instead and then turned and hurried inside Tearmann’s Animal Clinic, leaving him standing alone on the sidewalk. Scratching his head, he grimaced, wondering why he’d even thought this would be easy. Years of experience should have taught him that nothing ever was.

      Turning, he headed back toward the parking lot where he’d left his pickup truck. The other day he’d been talking to his friend and former partner Joe, who still worked for the Albany P.D. Joe had speculated that someone like Emily Gilley was a chameleon. She could change everything about herself to suit the place and the occasion. Now that he’d met her, Mac thought Joe might be dead-on accurate about this.

      He’d have to regroup and replan. His quarry was nervous and wary—and rightfully so. He’d been watching her from a distance ever since he’d arrived in Anniversary. Despite the time he’d put in learning about her and her routine, he’d yet to catch a glimpse of Ryan, the boy she passed off as her son.

      This, he vowed silently, would become his number one priority.

      Heart pounding and hands shaking, Emily walked over to the front desk, summoning a smile for Sally, the gum-chewing redhead who covered the reception area every day while Emily had lunch.

      “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Are you all right?” Sally asked, tilting her head and peering at Emily with concern.

      “I’m fine,” Emily lied, managing a limp smile. “It’s kind of hot outside, and I think I got kind of dehydrated, that’s all.”

      Immediately, the older woman’s frown