Sarah watched him go, relief flooding her body, mingled in with the gratitude over the fact that she’d befriended Jamie Crawford. A profiler with the FBI, Jamie had come to town two weeks ago to help Finn solve Teresa’s murder, and Sarah had immediately hit it off with the auburn-haired federal officer. She knew that Jamie would take care of Lucy in a heartbeat, even with Cole still recovering from the gunshot wound he’d incurred while saving Jamie from one of his ex-wife’s crazed lovers.
It floored her, the madness that had enveloped Serenade after Teresa’s death. Not only had Cole been a suspect, but Jamie had nearly been killed by a man who believed Cole had taken Teresa from him.
Damn that woman. Sarah had never been fond of Teresa in all the years she’d known her, and now she loathed her even more. If Teresa hadn’t gotten herself killed, Sarah wouldn’t be in this position right now.
But Teresa was dead, and now Sarah was framed for murder, stuck in a jail cell and separated from her child. Oh, and in close quarters with the man who’d broken her heart—might as well throw that tidbit on her growing list of Why My Life Is a Total Mess.
“Oh, my sweet girl. I’m sorry Mommy can’t take you home, but I promise you, Auntie Jamie will take good care of you.”
Finn’s heart ached as he watched Sarah cooing to her baby, as she held the child close to her breast and planted a gentle kiss atop Lucy’s head. They were in Finn’s office, since he hadn’t been able to stomach the thought of bringing the infant into Sarah’s cell. Sarah had spoken with the day care owner and arranged for Anna to pick up the child, and she hadn’t said a word to him as they’d waited, not even a thank-you.
Though he didn’t particularly blame her for not expressing any gratitude toward the man who’d arrested her.
But now she did speak, her eyes fixed on him as she asked, “When is Jamie getting here?”
“Any minute now.”
Satisfied, Sarah focused on the baby again, and Finn couldn’t help but notice the resemblance between mother and child. It was odd, considering that Lucy had been adopted, yet the baby had the same almond-shaped brown eyes as Sarah, the same creamy-white skin. Watching them together was almost mesmerizing, the way Sarah’s features softened as she gazed down at the baby, the way Lucy’s chubby little fingers wrapped around a lock of Sarah’s lustrous brown hair.
Finn forced himself to turn away, unable to fight the helpless feeling rolling around in his gut. He remembered a time when Sarah had looked at him with that same adoration. Before he’d broken her heart and ran as far away from her as he could, coward that he was.
But he’d grown up since then, and not a day went by that he didn’t regret his decision to leave Sarah. These past two weeks had opened his mind to the grave error he’d made. Watching Jamie fall in love with Cole Donovan had made him reassess his own empty life, made him realize that the only way to fill that gaping void was to win Sarah back.
Now any possibility of doing that had been squashed. Because, really, what the hell was he supposed to say to her?
Hey, I know I just arrested you, but how about getting back together?
Not likely.
“What happens when the lawyer comes?”
Sarah’s quiet voice jarred him from his thoughts.
“Can he get me out of here?” she continued, her voice quaking. “Will I be able to go home tonight?”
Pain lodged in his chest. He wanted so badly to reassure her, to tell her that she’d be holding her baby in her arms in no time, but the district attorney’s words buzzed in his head like an angry hornet. “You’ll need to stand in front of Judge Rollins for a bail hearing,” he said carefully.
Hope brightened her face. “And he’ll give me bail, right?”
“Most likely.” He glanced at the baby. “You’re a mother—I’m sure he’ll take that into consideration when he makes his ruling. But, Sarah …”
She peered at him sharply. “But what?”
“The hearing probably won’t be until Monday morning.”
Her breath came out in a shocked rush. “What are you talking about?”
“Rollins is in South Carolina for some golf tournament,” he admitted. “Unless your lawyer is a miracle worker, I don’t think the judge is going to hurry back for a bail hearing.”
The air in the small office turned as frigid as a snowy February morning. He almost winced under Sarah’s cold scowl. She was looking at him as if this was his fault, like he was the reason the judge was off on the fairway wielding a nine iron. Before she could yell at him—which she seemed to be preparing to do—a brisk knock rapped against the door, and then Jamie Crawford poked her head inside.
“Are you okay?” Jamie asked immediately, ignoring Finn as she hurried over to Sarah.
“I’m fine, now that you’re here,” Sarah said, sounding relieved.
Jamie wrapped one arm around Sarah’s shoulder, dwarfing the other woman with her height; at five-nine, Jamie loomed over Sarah’s five-foot frame. Then she turned to Finn with a fierce look. Wonderful. Two against one, and both females seemed to blame him for this mess.
“What is the matter with you?” Jamie asked, disbelief dripping from her words. “You know Sarah didn’t kill Teresa, Finn. I can’t believe you arrested her.”
“I had no choice.” He resisted the urge to rip out his own hair. “You both seem to be in denial over the fact that I’m the sheriff. On paper, I’m not supposed to answer to anyone, but that’s bull. This is politics, and the mayor and D.A. are pulling my damn strings.”
“The D.A. actually thinks he’s got a case?” Jamie demanded.
Finn nodded, then waited until Sarah shifted her attention to the baby before giving Jamie a pointed look. He does have a case, Finn communicated silently, and Jamie’s lavender eyes widened slightly as she received the transmission. As a federal agent, Jamie understood law enforcement procedures, and when her expression softened, flickering with sympathy, Finn knew she understood why he’d had to arrest Sarah.
“Okay.” Jamie squeezed Sarah’s arm, then moved to lean against the edge of the desk. “Okay. So what’s the next move? How do we get Sarah out of this?”
“All we can do is wait for the bail hearing,” he said grimly. “And if this goes to trial, Sarah’s attorney will build a defense for her. In the meantime, you and I will be busting our asses trying to find the real killer.”
Tension hung over the room, finally broken by a tiny wail of displeasure. Finn turned his head and noticed the baby’s cheeks had turned beet red. As Lucy began to cry, hiccupping between sobs, Sarah rocked her in her arms, but the gentle motions did nothing to soothe the suddenly cranky infant.
“You should take her home,” Sarah whispered, glancing over at Jamie.
It was clear that the last thing Sarah wanted to do was relinquish the child, and it nearly tore out Finn’s heart as he watched her hold Lucy in front of Jamie’s waiting hands. The baby’s cries only grew louder as she found herself in an unfamiliar pair of arms. Jamie rubbed the baby’s back and murmured a few words of comfort, which only seemed to further agitate the red-faced, squirming baby.
“Go,” Sarah choked out.
“Sarah—”
“Please, just go. There are diapers and bottles in the bag on Anna’s desk, and if you need more formula, you can stop by my house—the spare key is under the red flowerpot beside the porch.” Sarah seemed to be fighting