move. Only it was not a move. It was an act of desperation. “Please.”
He put his hand on hers and held her in place before him so that he could gaze directly into her eyes. “I won’t, Josie. I will do everything in my power to protect you and Nathan and to keep you together, always.”
“Always,” she murmured. She had no reason to believe the man, but she did.
“Hey, Bingo!”
Josie’s heart skipped, but it wasn’t because of Adam’s promise. Or his nearness.
At least, she told herself those weren’t the reasons.
She’d just been startled. She had been in the kitchen so long she hadn’t heard Bingo beeping for her to come out and collect her mail. Now he’d had to climb down off his scooter and come inside to deliver the mail.
Talk about reasons to get the anthill buzzing!
“You know everyone, Bingo,” called out a woman Josie did not recognize—not Elvie or one of the commuters—which only drove home Adam’s point about how quickly all sorts of folks would be talking about him…and Nathan…and Ophelia. “Maybe you can help us out here. Remember the second Burdett boy?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah. The Stray Dawg!”
Adam flinched.
Josie hesitated only a moment before putting her hand on Adam’s sleeve and giving a squeeze.
“What do you know about him?” the strange woman asked again.
“Who’s asking?”
“Josie was…where is that girl?”
“I’m still in the kitchen.” She nabbed the pie pan with one slice missing and headed for the door, leaving Adam to finish clearing away the crumbs of the pie she had dropped.
“Hey, Sweetie Pie.” Bingo waved to her with the stack of mail in his hand. “Interesting y’all should bring up that Burdett now. Didn’t your sister spend some time with that Stray Dawg last time she were in town, Josie?”
“I, uh…” Josie would not lie but she couldn’t bring herself to jog the memories of people who might unknowingly threaten her relationship with Nathan.
“That’s how I remember it.” Bingo placed the mail down on the counter. “Not long after his mama’s death. The pair of them tore around on that motorcycle of his, then they both up and disappeared.”
“That’s right,” someone muttered.
“How could we forget that?” came another comment.
Bingo paused long enough to stretch his legs, being extra-careful of his bum knees. “Until that Ophelia came back to give Josie her baby…”
Grrr-eeee. It went so quiet in the room they could hear Bingo’s joints creak.
Everyone in the room turned at once to look at Nathan.
Josie plopped the pie pan on the counter in front of Jed.
“Go get him,” Adam whispered.
She did not need a second urging.
In a couple of steps she had the baby in her arms. “Oh, y’all, what imaginations.”
Not a lie. Just an observation. An observation intended to distract from the truth. And it left Josie feeling guilty and uncomfortable.
“Now excuse me.” She slipped into the kitchen without further explanation.
Adam met her with his hands open to accept Nathan.
Josie hesitated for a moment.
“You are going to have to trust me sometime, Josie. I am this baby’s father and I am not going to just go away. If we hope to raise him together, we have to trust each other.”
“To everything there is a season,” she murmured back at him.
“Josie, hon? What’s going on?” From the sound of Jed’s voice, he had come around the counter and was headed for the door.
Adam looked at her.
“What will you do with him?” she asked.
“Take him to your house for now.”
“You can’t take him on your motorcycle!”
He smiled. “I’ll walk. I can slip through the back alleys and side streets.”
She pressed her lips together. She was about to let this man she had only just met, a man with the only claim to her son—until his father learned about the connection—just walk away with him.
“Sweetie Pie?”
What choice did she have?
“Go,” she said. She gave her son a kiss on
He put his hand on hers and held her in place before him so that he could gaze directly into her eyes. “I won’t, Josie. I will do everything in my power to protect you and Nathan and to keep you together, always.”
“Always,” she murmured. She had no reason to believe the man, but she did.
“Hey, Bingo!”
Josie’s heart skipped, but it wasn’t because of Adam’s promise. Or his nearness.
At least, she told herself those weren’t the reasons.
She’d just been startled. She had been in the kitchen so long she hadn’t heard Bingo beeping for her to come out and collect her mail. Now he’d had to climb down off his scooter and come inside to deliver the mail.
Talk about reasons to get the anthill buzzing!
“You know everyone, Bingo,” called out a woman Josie did not recognize—not Elvie or one of the commuters—which only drove home Adam’s point about how quickly all sorts of folks would be talking about him…and Nathan…and Ophelia. “Maybe you can help us out here. Remember the second Burdett boy?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah. The Stray Dawg!”
Adam flinched.
Josie hesitated only a moment before putting her hand on Adam’s sleeve and giving a squeeze.
“What do you know about him?” the strange woman asked again.
“Who’s asking?”
“Josie was…where is that girl?”
“I’m still in the kitchen.” She nabbed the pie pan with one slice missing and headed for the door, leaving Adam to finish clearing away the crumbs of the pie she had dropped.
“Hey, Sweetie Pie.” Bingo waved to her with the stack of mail in his hand. “Interesting y’all should bring up that Burdett now. Didn’t your sister spend some time with that Stray Dawg last time she were in town, Josie?”
“I, uh…” Josie would not lie but she couldn’t bring herself to jog the memories of people who might unknowingly threaten her relationship with Nathan.
“That’s how I remember it.” Bingo placed the mail down on the counter. “Not long after his mama’s death. The pair of them tore around on that motorcycle of his, then they both up and disappeared.”
“That’s right,” someone muttered.
“How could we forget that?” came another comment.
Bingo paused long enough to stretch his legs, being extra-careful of his bum knees. “Until that Ophelia came back to give Josie her baby…”
Grrr-eeee. It went so quiet in the room they could hear Bingo’s joints creak.
Everyone in the room turned at once to look at Nathan.
Josie plopped the pie pan on the counter in front of Jed.
“Go get him,” Adam whispered.
She did not need a second urging.
In a couple of steps she had the baby in her arms. “Oh, y’all, what imaginations.”
Not a lie. Just an observation. An observation intended to distract from the truth. And it left Josie feeling guilty and uncomfortable.
“Now excuse me.” She slipped into the kitchen without further explanation.
Adam met her with his hands open to accept Nathan.
Josie hesitated for a moment.
“You are going to have to trust me sometime, Josie. I am this baby’s father and I am not going to just go away. If we hope to raise him together, we have to trust each other.”
“To everything there is a season,” she murmured back at him.
“Josie, hon? What’s going on?” From the sound of Jed’s voice, he had come around the counter and was headed for the door.
Adam looked at her.
“What will you do with him?” she asked.
“Take him to your house for now.”
“You can’t take him on your motorcycle!”
He smiled. “I’ll walk. I can slip through the back alleys and side streets.”
She pressed her lips together. She was about to let this man she had only just met, a man with the only claim to her son—until his father learned about the connection—just walk away with him.
“Sweetie Pie?”
What choice did she have?
“Go,” she said. She gave her son a kiss on
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