“Yes. They wanted twists.”
“How do they even know what those are?”
His baffled expression would be her undoing. How had this man ended up with girls? “I was showing them my old pictures and they saw one when I was about four or five. They thought they were cute so I did them. I did them tight so they should last you a couple of days before you have to wash their hair or put another style in.”
“Wow, thank you.”
“No, problem.” Emotions swirled in the air like static electricity. It was time for him to leave before she capitulated to the feelings. “I can take Rebekah to the car while you grab Rachel.”
He nodded and picked the oldest twin up. She bent down and picked up Bekah and followed him to the car. Her heart stopped then picked up the pace as Bekah leaned into her neck and wrapped her arm tightly around Michelle. The urge to snuggle the sweet girl tugged at her. She blinked rapidly, amazed at the emotions running rampant.
When she put Bekah in the car seat, it was all she could do to keep her hands steady. Why, oh, why did she think watching the little girls was a good idea? She should have said no. Come up with any excuse to prevent her from getting emotionally involved.
Michelle waved as Guy backed out of the driveway. She turned and dropped her hand, letting her arms fall to her side. Her very empty arms.
The urge to cry overwhelmed her. She closed her eyes as tears beat against her eyelids. She shouldn’t have gotten involved. Because now, her heart was wound tightly around those little girls’ fingers. Her throat began to ache, the tension building with every step toward her room. She sat down on her bed, noticing a stray photo album. It was open to a photo of her in her mother’s lap, both of them with huge grins on their faces.
The ache intensified as a tear fell onto the picture, running its way down the plastic covering. “What did I do?” she cried as tears fell freely.
Though the cry echoed the torment of letting Guy’s twins in her heart, she couldn’t help but remember a cry of the past. When she had laid on an exam table wondering what she had done.
THE QUIET NIGHT GREETED him as Guy watched his daughters sleeping in their toddler beds. They always looked so innocent while they slept. Traces of their mischief were hidden in their peaceful slumber. He smiled as Bekah turned, a thumb in her mouth.
No matter how much he tried, she refused to stop sucking her thumb. Nana Baker had tried using cayenne pepper on her thumb, but it didn’t work. Bekah was used to the spices from when he cooked.
Guy leaned against the doorjamb, feeling sleep crash over him in waves. He needed to hit the sack but couldn’t. His mind was a whirl of thoughts. To think, Michelle had actually seemed to enjoy spending time with his girls. They looked adorable with their hair twisted.
Guy just couldn’t reconcile the girl from his past with the woman of his future. He gulped. He didn’t mean a future with her, more like she was in his life by proximity. Oh yeah, it was time to rest.
His thoughts were becoming jumbled and his heartbeat was erratic as he pictured Michelle’s beautiful face. The gorgeous hazel eyes that flashed fire when angry or turned to liquid amber when concerned. As he padded down the hall, he was barely aware of fingering the love knot ring in his pocket.
MONDAY MORNING CAME too soon, but for the first time in a while, Guy didn’t feel sluggish. Maybe Evan had been right. He just needed a guy’s night out. With a wave good-bye, he backed out of Nana Baker’s driveway. It was time to track down leads on John Davenport.
Mr. Davenport no longer held a valid Indiana driver’s license, so it was safe to assume he was no longer a resident. Guy had made some calls to a contact back in Virginia, hoping his friend could locate him. If he was in the U.S., his license would pop up somewhere. With any luck, Davenport’s name wouldn’t be a common one. And if so, his birth date should eradicate any duplicates.
He strolled through the Sheriff’s department, waving and nodding a greeting to his deputies. He slowed down as he drew closer to his office.
Holly looked up from her desk outside his office. “Good morning, Sheriff.” Her voice carried its normal chipper tone.
“Morning, Holly.”
“How was your weekend?” She swiveled in her chair, following his movements as he made his way to the doorway of his office.
He stopped and faced her. “It was pretty good. Hung out with some friends.”
“That’s always a blessing.” She twirled her pen. “You know I could always watch your girls if you need to take a break. I’m sure Samantha would love the company.”
Guy nodded but doubted he would take her up on the offer. He didn’t like to mix his business and personal life. “I appreciate it. I’ll be making some calls, so hold any incoming ones unless it’s an emergency.”
“Sure thing, Sheriff.”
He closed his door and made his way to his chair. Should he have a conversation with Holly? It seemed presumptuous to assume she was being overly friendly because she was interested in him. Maybe she was just a friendly person. Wouldn’t anyone offer to babysit? He had never seen a mean bone present in his über friendly secretary. You’re just blowing things out of proportion, man.
Guy picked up his desk phone and checked his watch. Daniel would either be awake or getting ready to sleep depending on what shift he’d been assigned to. Taking a gamble, Guy dialed his friend’s number.
“It’s the G-man. How’ve you been?”
“Hey, Dan, I’m settling in nicely.”
“Good to hear. How are the girls?”
“Loving life. They fit right in.”
“Awesome. I know
