When the Bough Breaks (Rose Gardner Investigations #6) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,7
baby was in danger.
Joe gave me a sympathetic look. “All the more reason for me to take part in the investigation. Don’t be borrowin’ trouble until we know more.”
But Joe seemed to forget that trouble dogged my footsteps like I was the Pied Piper.
Chapter 3
“I hate that I’m leavin’ you alone,” Joe said, his brow furrowed.
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “I’m feelin’ tired from all the excitement anyway.”
“Are you sure?” He cast a glance toward me. “You can still call Neely Kate.”
“Nah. Muffy and I will have a nice quiet night at home. But I want you to let me know when you get home. Even if you have to wake me up.” When he hesitated, I added, “Please. Otherwise I’ll just worry about you.”
“Okay,” he said, “but I’ll likely be home long before you’re in bed.”
For some reason, that filled me with relief. Heavens knew I’d been nesting lately. I’d cleaned out the linen closet a couple of days before. Maybe needing to have the baby’s daddy close was part of it. “Good,” I said softly. “I like havin’ you around.”
He flashed me a grin, and neither one of us said anything more until he pulled my truck into the parking space next to his car. He put the truck in park and turned to me with a worried expression. “What are you gonna do for dinner?”
“I just had that coleslaw,” I said. “I’ll figure something out. Don’t worry about us.” I placed my hand on my swollen belly. “We’ll be fine.”
Joe put his hand next to mine, then leaned down and said quietly, “Take care of Mommy until I get home. And while I’m excited to meet you, little man, I’d appreciate it if you’d hold off for a few hours.”
I snorted. He’d insisted the baby was a boy because he’d heard that boy’s heart rates ran faster than girls, and since he’d come to almost every doctor’s visit, he’d heard it enough times to draw his own conclusion. He was so confident that he’d bet me twenty dollars he was right. I’d abstained from making any kind of counter bet. “I think you’re safe there.”
He straightened and smiled. “You never know.” He opened the door, then looked back at Muffy, who was sitting in Mikey’s car seat. “I’m countin’ on your guard dog abilities, Muff. Will you watch over your momma?”
She looked right at him and let out a tiny bark.
“You trained her to do that,” I said with a laugh.
“I’ll never tell,” he said, sliding out of the driver’s side door. “But it’s amazing what she’ll do for a piece of a hot dog.”
“You spoil her,” I complained as I scooted into the driver’s position on the bench seat.
“I just show her how much I love her.” He grabbed the seat belt and handed it to me. Once I was buckled in, he turned serious. “I worry about you bein’ out there all alone.”
“I’ve been alone for months. I’ll be fine.”
He nodded, but it looked like he wanted to say something—something he’d clearly decided to swallow instead, because he shut the door without another word.
I watched him walk over to his car, then backed out of the parking spot and headed home.
I’d told Joe I was tired, but I was also restless. After putting my purse in the house, I grabbed two apples and let Muffy out through the kitchen door. We walked out to the barn to say hello to the two rescue horses that Margi, the local vet’s sister, had moved in. The tan one, a mare named Buttercup, walked over, leaning her head over the fence. I handed her one of the apples and rubbed over her nose. “Did you have a good day, Buttercup? Did Margi come out to see you?”
Margi had coerced me to let her keep horses in my unused barn and pasture, and in exchange, she’d paid to have the barn fitted to house them as well as fix the broken fencing. It had taken her longer to get the money for the repairs than she’d expected, but the barn and pasture had been ready to go by early March. Buttercup had moved in a week later.
The horse had come to the farm impossibly thin and skittish, her body covered in sores. Margi had told me she’d been neglected by her previous owner, but it was nothing some good steady meals and a lot of love wouldn’t fix. And since I’d grown up knowing what it felt like to