Vivian removed the gravy from the stovetop. “I think you could do a lot worse than a handsome lawman. I mean, think of the stories you’ll tell your grandchildren. He literally rescued you like a knight in shining armor.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “You’ve been watching too many movies. Reed and I are just friends.”
“Downplay it all you want, but I’ve seen the way Reed looks at you. Mark my words there’s something there.”
A knock came from the front door and Vivi waggled her eyebrows. “That’s for you.”
Emma pointed a finger at her sister-in-law as she moved toward the living room. “Behave.”
Sadie trailed behind her to the door, tail wagging. Emma swiped her hands on her jeans as a few butterflies fluttered in her stomach. “Don’t be silly,” she muttered to the dog. “It’s just Reed. We spent hours with him this afternoon hanging the lights and talking about the case.”
Reed turned on the stoop when she opened the door, his lips tipped up into a smile, and those traitorous butterflies took flight. He’d changed out of his uniform into a denim button-down shirt the same shade as his eyes. It molded over his broad shoulders. “Hey.”
Her throat tightened painfully, but she managed to choke out a greeting. His boots thumped on the tile entryway and the scent of his soap, warm and piney, wafted in her direction.
Sadie barked. Reed patted her on the head. “No treats yet, girl. I didn’t have time to go to the store.”
He lifted a mysterious tinfoil-covered object in his other hand. “I brought my Aunt Bessie’s apple pie. She makes extras for me and I keep them in the freezer. If we pop it in the oven now, it’ll be ready in time for dessert.”
“That’s perfect.”
Emma escorted him into the kitchen. She busied herself with turning on the oven and setting the pie inside while Reed greeted Vivian and Lily. The next few minutes were a rush of final preparations, pouring iced tea into the glasses and grabbing extra napkins. Then they all gathered around the table and Emma said grace.
“Everything looks delicious.” Reed picked up his fork. “Thank you for the invitation.”
“After all you’ve done, I think we owe you a couple of home-cooked meals,” Vivian said with a smile. “Emma tells me you’re from Heyworth. How long—”
Sadie barked. Then she growled, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end.
Reed shot out of the chair. His hand flew to the gun holstered at his waist. “Stay here.” Within three strides, he was at the back door. “Lock this behind me.”
He disappeared into the night. Emma flicked the lock before grabbing a knife from a block on the counter. She ushered Vivian and Lily into the large walk-in pantry, shutting the door behind them and planting herself in front of it.
“Stay,” she ordered Sadie. “Guard.”
The dog stood next to Emma. Moments ticked by, the tension building with every passing breath. Where was Reed? Was he okay? Emma whispered out a prayer for his safety.
Sadie’s ears perked as a scraping sound came from the back door. A shadowy figure appeared. The new motion detection spotlight they’d installed clicked on, but from this angle Emma couldn’t see through the panes of glass in the door. She tightened her hold on the knife.
“Emma, it’s me.”
She let out a sigh of relief and hurried to unlock the back door for Reed.
“I checked around the house, but it’s secure,” he said. “None of the other motion detection lights went on.” Reed’s gaze dropped to Sadie. “Is it possible she was barking at an animal? I spotted some tracks that looked like opossums.”
“It is. Sadie’s well trained, but she’s used to living in the city.”
Then again, it could be more than that. Reed didn’t say so, but he didn’t have to. Emma instinctively understood that someone could’ve been out there, hidden in the woods just beyond the house.
The pantry door squeaked open and Vivian poked her head out. “Is it safe?”
“Yes.” Emma took another breath to slow her racing heart. She set the knife down in the sink. “Turns out Sadie was probably scared of some opossums.”
Vivian let out a bark of laughter. “Well...nothing like a little excitement to go with dinner.”
Lily gave a screech of displeasure and leaned toward the table.
“Right, you are, Lily,” Reed said. “I’m starving, too. Let’s eat.”
Emma didn’t think she could stand to put a bite of food in her mouth. Her stomach was aching. But she joined them at the table anyway.
“Vivian, did Emma ever tell you about the time she attempted to make Uncle Jeb some eggs?” Reed’s mouth curled up and he made a point to stare at the kitchen ceiling. “I’m certain they’re still baked into the paint.”
They all laughed, the tension easing. From there, dinner was a series of stories punctuated by Lily banging on her high chair for more food.
When they were all stuffed, Vivian rose from her chair and started to clear the table. Emma got up to help her, waving Reed back down into his seat. “It’ll only take a few minutes. Rest.”
Emma rinsed off the dishes and stuck them into the dishwasher before pulling the pie out of the oven. She carried it to the table, her footsteps faltering.
Reed had removed Lily from her high chair. Her head rested against Reed’s chest and her tiny hand played with a button on his shirt. He was murmuring something to her, his deep voice soothing but too low to hear the actual words. Sadie lay at his feet.
Something inside Emma’s chest twisted, perilously close to her heart. Lily had never known her father. Seeing the little girl cuddled
