The Deputy's Baby. Tyler Snell Anne

      Suzy gave her a smile. It was fleeting after she glanced at the men in the room. Her shoulders pushed back even more. She gave a curt nod. “Thanks, Cass.”

      And then Cassie was alone in the hallway.

      She contemplated staying there for a while or maybe finding a place to hide from the responsibility she’d just accepted. Or, rather, the man she’d just agreed to saddle herself with. Instead she patted her stomach and walked back to the bull pen to find Henry at his desk.

      He looked surprised to see her. So much so, it almost was offensive.

      “I’m ready when you are,” she greeted, trying to stay as friendly as she normally was. And no more or less than that. If she was going to work with Henry Ward, she might as well embrace it. “We can take my car, since you don’t have a cruiser yet. If that’s okay with you.”

      Henry looked like he was about to say something but thought better of it.

      “Sounds good to me,” he said, standing. He scooped up the plastic bag with the ring and slipped it into his pocket. Then that smile was back. The one that had wholly captivated Cassie months before. The one that had pulled her from an almost-blind date and convinced her to play pool for hours with a man she didn’t know.

      The one that had led her back to his bed.

      A warmth began to move up Cassie’s neck to her cheeks. She turned on her heel to try to hide the blush, resigned not to speak to him again until she had better control. However, two steps out the front door and into the heat, she couldn’t help herself.

      “You lied to Suzy,” she accused, still sure in her words. “Why?”

      She felt his gaze turn completely on her as he fell into step next to her.

      “What do you mean?”

      “You said there was a chance that the ring wasn’t Calvin’s.” She spelled out her thoughts. “But you lied. You’re positive it is. Why tell Suzy differently? And how are you so sure?”

      She turned to the man now. Cassie knew he was good at reading people, one of the few things she did know about him. She wanted him to see she wasn’t backing down.

      Cool gray eyes searched her expression. Two unbelievably soft lips turned up into a small smile. If she hadn’t been walking for two, her knees might have decided to give out because of it.

      “We haven’t seen each other in months and now we’re essentially partnered up to tour the county we both work for and the first thing you say when we’re alone is that I’m lying.” He said the last part deadpan. It wasn’t a denial. “I didn’t think this was how any of our conversations would start.”

      “There’s a lot of things I’d like to say instead,” she admitted, growing hot in temper and not because of former steamy memories. “But this is important. I’ve learned through years of being here that if the past reaches out to you, then sometimes bad, bad things follow. I’d like to not be blindsided twice in two days. That goes double for the department. What happened to Billy...” She shook her head. “I’d just rather be prepared.”

      Henry sobered. They were halfway through the side guest parking lot before he answered.

      Cassie could feel the sweat already trying to form down her back.

      “I know this ring because it used to be mine. I’d know it anywhere, anytime. But after I gave it to Calvin, I never expected to see it again.”

      “Because he died?” Cassie felt regret at not spending the morning learning more about the man next to her. Now that she had a real last name, she could have at the very least searched the internet for information. She had no idea who Calvin was, why he died, or anything else about Henry before yesterday. Instead of the last puzzle piece being just out of her reach, she felt like she was left holding only one while the rest of the picture was gone. It wasn’t a good feeling.