When the Bough Breaks (Rose Gardner Investigations #6) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,5

house and Joe’s hold on my wrist tightened.

“You can’t go in there, Rose.”

I knew he was right, but I needed someone I trusted to tell me that my niece and nephew were okay. I’d spent months fretting about not being able to see them. This was different. Part of me feared something had happened to them, or that maybe they were sicker than Mike was saying. “I can’t, but you can.”

“Mike’s not gonna let me in, and even if he did, I’m not gonna risk comin’ down with the flu and infectin’ you and the baby.”

I knew he was right, but it still felt wrong.

“How about we see if Jed and Neely Kate have plans for tonight?” Joe said, tugging me toward the truck. “We can invite them over for dinner. It might be our last chance before the baby comes.”

“If I ever have the baby,” I grumbled.

“You’ll have the baby,” he said in a teasing voice, but he cast a glance back at the house as he led me to the passenger side. His gaze found mine, all teasing gone. “But on the way back to the farmhouse, you’re gonna make a call to Mike’s parents and ask them a few questions because, just like you, I know something’s goin’ on and I plan to do a little diggin’.”

“Thank you,” I said, relieved he was taking this seriously.

He frowned. “Those are Violet’s kids, and I promised her I’d make sure they were always protected. Always safe. I won’t let her down. We’ll make sure they’re okay. I promise.”

I was counting on it.

He got in the truck, and as we drove away, I placed the call and put the phone on speaker. Mike’s mom answered.

“Hi,” I said, “this is Rose.” When she didn’t respond, I added, “Violet’s sister.”

“I know who you are,” she said curtly.

Joe’s eyebrows rose.

“I’m just callin’ to check on Ashley and Mikey,” I said. “I dropped by Mike’s to pick them up like we’d arranged, but he said they have the flu.”

“Oh dear,” she said, her voice softening. “I hadn’t heard.”

“Mike didn’t look well himself, and I’m kind of worried. If you happen to check on them, can you let me know that they’re all okay? I’d be more than happy to make some soup or drop off some juice.”

“Don’t you have more important things to worry about?” she said, her snippy tone returning. “Like havin’ your illegitimate child?”

I gasped, and Joe whipped the truck over to the side of the road and snatched the phone from my hand. “Excuse me?”

“Who is this?” she asked.

“It’s Joe Simmons. The baby’s father.”

“Like that makes it any better,” she snapped. “Gallivanting from one woman to another. Even Violet had her sights set on you for a time.” She tsked. “There’s a reason Mike keeps those children from you, Rose. You’re a terrible influence. Perhaps you should consider that.” Then she hung up.

Joe and I stared at each other for several seconds before he said, “Rose, she’s just one old woman whose opinion doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.”

But it wasn’t just one old woman. Plenty of them felt that way, something I’d discovered firsthand last month. Neely Kate and Maeve had hosted a baby shower for me, and Maeve had invited the Garden Club. They’d shown up, but they’d looked down their noses at my bare ring finger.

The others had been content to emanate quiet disapproval, but Miss Mildred had taken it upon herself to try to force a literal shotgun wedding. She’d tricked Joe and Jonah into coming to the shower, then stuck a bridal veil on top of my head and held a gun on the minister, telling him it was his ordained duty to make sure our baby wasn’t doomed to hell. Joe had talked her down, telling her he’d be sure to make an honest woman out of me someday, although hopefully not at gunpoint. Jonah convinced her to hand over the gun—which, thankfully, hadn’t been loaded—but Officer Ernie, responding to a 911 call about a hostage situation, showed up just in time to witness the exchange. He tackled Jonah to the ground, knocking over the refreshment table, and the diaper-shaped cake flew into the air and landed directly on Ernie’s butt. It took a while for the dust to settle, but we finally convinced Ernie that Jonah was innocent, Mildred’s plan wasn’t truly criminal, and he had no just cause to arrest Neely Kate for attempted murder for baking the cake that had assaulted