Desperately Seeking Dad by Marta Perry Read Free Book Online

He smiled grimly at her perplexed look. “You’re forgetting—people in Bedford Creek already know you and Emilie came to see me. They’re probably speculating right this minute about where we are today. You can’t come back and pretend we don’t know each other, not in a small town.”
    â€œI’ll say I’m there on vacation. You told me Bedford Creek is a tourist town. My presence doesn’t have to have anything to do with you.”
    Obviously she hadn’t thought this far ahead. “Nobody would believe that. If you come back, we’ll have to keep up the illusion of friendship. And if we’re both going to be looking into what happened when Tina lived there, we’d better figure out a way to cooperate on this, or at least not step on each other’s toes.”
    He could see just how unpalatable she found that, and at some level it grated on his pride. He wasn’t that hard to take, was he? It wasn’t as if he were asking her to pretend a romantic interest in him.
    Her eyes met his, and he could read the determination there. “I suppose you’re right. You know a lot more about your town than I do. But I’m still coming. So that means we’re in this together, for as long as it takes.”

Chapter Four
    â€œN ow let me help you with that.” Kate Cavendish took the bundle of diapers from Anne’s arms before she could object. “Believe me, I remember how much you need to bring when you’re traveling with a baby.”
    â€œI can manage…”
    But Kate was already hustling up the front steps to The Willows, white curls glistening in the late winter sunshine. She propped the door open with an iron doorstop in the shape of a cat, then hurried inside. Anne lifted Emilie from the car seat.
    It was silly, she supposed, to be made uncomfortable by so much open friendliness, but she just wasn’t used to it. She could only hope Kate’s enthusiastic welcome wasn’t because the woman thought Anne was here to see Mitch.
    That was ridiculous. It wasn’t as if they’d returned together. She’d taken two days to organize this trip. Surely she could take a brief vacation in Bedford Creek without the whole town jumping to conclusions about why she was here.
    Kate was probably just delighted to have paying guests at this time of the year. No matter how many tourists might show up in the summer, early March was clearly a quiet time in Bedford Creek. She glanced up at the mountain ridge that cut off the sky. It was sere and brown, its leafless trees defining its bones. She shivered a little.
    â€œHere we go, sweetheart,” she said to Emilie. “We’ll just pop you in the crib while Mommy unloads the car, all right?”
    Emilie wiggled, her arms flailing in the pink snowsuit. After three hours in the car, she was only too ready to practice her new crawling skills. She wouldn’t be pleased at the crib, no matter how enticing Anne made it sound.
    As they reached the center hall of the Victorian, Kate hurried down the winding staircase. The colors of the stained-glass window on the landing tinged her hair, and a smile lit her bright-blue eyes at the sight of the baby.
    â€œOh, let me take her, please. I’d just love to hold her.” Kate held out her hands.
    Emilie leaned her head against Anne’s shoulder for a moment, considering, and then smiled, her chubby hands opening toward the woman. Emiliehad apparently decided anyone who looked like Mrs. Santa Claus had to be a friend.
    â€œYou little sweetheart.” Kate settled the baby on her hip with the ease of long practice. “We’re going to be great friends while you’re here, I can just tell.”
    â€œThank you, Kate.” Anne touched Emilie’s cheek lightly. “I appreciate the help. It will just take me a few minutes to unload.”
    â€œTake your time.” Kate carried the baby toward the wide archway into