In Bed With the Badge by Marie Ferrarella Read Free Book Online

had family, or rather, a parent. His father, who lived in a retirement community. “In Arizona. Kind of a killer commute.”
    Riley stopped listening when he mentioned Arizona. “Let me see what I can do,” she said, taking out her cell phone.
    When she pressed a button on the keypad, he asked, “Who are you calling?”
    Riley held up her hand, silently asking him to hold his thought until she got off the phone.
    “Brenda? Hi, it’s Riley. Look, I know that this is really short notice and I hate to impose on you, but my partner needs someone to watch his little girl—Six,” she said in response to the question her stepbrother’s wife asked her. “Her mother’s dead and—” Again Riley paused, this time not for a question but to listen while Brenda expressed her sympathy for both her partner and his daughter. The next sentence had her smiling broadly. “Thanks, Brenda, you’re a doll. We’ll be overas soon as we can.” With that, she slipped the cell phone closed again.
    “Over where?” Wyatt pressed the second she ended the call.
    “Brenda is one of the chief’s daughters-in-law. She’s married to Dax and she just said to bring Lisa over. Brenda works out of her house a lot so she can raise her own kids,” Riley explained, then added, in case Wyatt needed further convincing, “She used to be a teacher. And she’s great with kids. This way, you can appease the lieutenant and get back to work, and you get a little breathing space to calmly figure out how to proceed.”
    “Calmly,” Sam echoed, shaking his head. His mouth curved in a smile he definitely didn’t feel. “Too late. The ship has sailed on that one.”
    It might be better if he just took the day off after all. She took out her phone again. “Want me to call Brenda back and say you’ve changed your mind about bringing Lisa over?”
    No, Riley was right. He should get back to work and he needed time to think. “What I really want is for you to turn the clock back six years and make sure you kick me in the pants when I suggest going to Malone’s for a drink.” Malone’s was the bar where he had first met Andrea. She had been there with her friends, celebrating a major courtroom win. She’d gone home with him that night.
    Riley filled in the blanks herself, surmising that he had to be referring to approximately the time when Lisa had been conceived.
    “Much as that’s a very tempting offer, Wyatt, I first haveto point out that you mean seven years ago, not six. Nine months after conception, remember?” she prodded. “And second, magic and/or time travel are not part of my job description or, by any stretch of the imagination, my résumé.”
    Riley waited for her partner’s response, but there was none. His eyes almost glazed over. She suspected that fatherhood bursting upon him like an exploding land mine was to blame.
    She waved her hand in front of his eyes. “Earth to Wyatt, earth to Wyatt.”
    Catching her by the wrist, Sam pushed her hand back down. “What?”
    “Do you or don’t you want to take your daughter to Brenda’s house?” she asked.
    Sam supposed that solved the problem today but what about tomorrow? And all the tomorrows to come, what of them? He couldn’t think about that now. They’d just have to work themselves out somehow. He had to believe that.
    She was still watching him, waiting. “That would be good,” he finally told her.
    She crossed back into the living room. “Lisa, honey, your father and I are going to take you to this nice lady’s house. Her name’s Brenda. Brenda Cavanaugh.”
    Lisa slowly slid off the sofa, never taking her eyes from the man Carole had told her was her father. “To stay?” she asked hesitantly. “Don’t you want me?”
    Riley thought she saw the little girl’s lower lip tremble as she asked the last question. Her heart twisted a little in sympathy.
    “Of course he wants you,” Riley said before Wyatthad a chance to answer. “But he works, honey. As a police