“Your parents died when you were young.It makes sense that they hadn’t told you yet, if that were the case, but what about your grandmother?”He nodded towards the photo on the shelf.“Did she ever say anything that struck you as off?”
“Not that I can remember.”
“What about people around town?Everybody in Indigo Falls seems to know about everyone else’s business.Is there anyone we can ask?”
“I don’t think we always lived here.”She nibbled at her lower lip, drawing him closer.“We moved here from…I don’t know where.It could have been Cobalt City.Oh God, Zac.I mean, Sheriff.What if it’s true?”
“Hey now.”He caught her shoulder.Her skin was warm and velvety, but there was tension underneath.He gave her a comforting squeeze.“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.Let’s keep it simple and start at the beginning.What about your birth certificate?Do you have a copy of it?”
She wrapped her arms around her waist.“I don’t think I’ve ever seen it, but it must be around here somewhere.”
“Okay, that’s one thing to look for.Are there any other papers you can go through?Any safety deposit boxes or the like?”
“I looked through my grandmother’s things after she died, but I wasn’t searching for anything like this.I was taking care of issues regarding the house, the shop and insurance.The idea of adoption never…” Her hands lifted in a helpless motion.
“It’s all right.You can do that today.”He rubbed her arm.“Do you have someone who can watch over the shop?”
“The shop?”
“It might be better if you took some time off.”
“Right.”She massaged her temple.“Laura might be able to put in a few extra hours.”
“Ask if she can take the whole shift.”
She nodded, her energy focusing.When she picked up the phone, he retrieved the folder.Her gaze went to it like a laser beam.She was afraid of what they might find in there.It was clear on her face.
“Let’s go to your place,” he suggested.
She blinked, her eyes going wide like a deer’s.
“I’m going to do background checks at the station and see if either of your so-called sisters have records.”He lifted the folder as if it were a grenade.“This will help me know where to start and what to double-check, but if you don’t want me to see this information, I’ll understand.”
“No, you can look at it,” she said in a rush.“I want your eyes on it too.”
“Okay.Then it would be best to do it in private.”
Nervous again, she splayed her hands against her thighs.“All right.”She collected her things from her desk but acted lost as she surveyed the room.It might appear the same, but things had changed.“I’m ready,” she whispered.
She didn’t look ready.
Zac’s protective instincts were roaring.She’d given him her trust, and he didn’t take that lightly.He waited as she locked up, and his gaze settled on the coffee shop next door.He’d wanted to get rid of that last hundred feet that had separated them, and now it was gone.She’d found a way to attach them at the hip, and she’d be hard-pressed to get rid of him until they figured this mystery out.
He touched the small of her back to guide her to his cruiser.As far as assignments went, it was the best undercover roll he’d ever been given.It would allow him to get close to her, to talk with her and touch her.Protect her.
Boyfriend, he could definitely pull off.
Maxie was adrift.The only reason she ever left her shop this early was to make deliveries, but there were no flowers in her hands, and they felt empty.She curled her fingers around the strap of her purse for something to hold on to.
She’d held on to the sheriff enough for one day, but his hand was warm against her lower back.Warm and steady and male.
She concentrated on the steadiness because it was the one emotion out of millions that she wasn’t feeling.Two sisters?Identical?Her family wasn’t hers?Too much was coming at her too fast, and none of it she wanted to hear.
“Let me get that for you,” Sheriff Ford said as he opened the door of his police car.
This was not how she’d pictured riding off into the sunset with him, but she got into the cruiser anyway.He got in next to her, and the space seemed to shrink.
Inside her head, Maxie understood that, physically, she’d been closer to him.She’d lain unconscious in his lap for longer than she knew, but she was alert and back to herself now—and more self-conscious and aware of him than ever.His shoulders were so wide his arm nearly brushed against hers as he reached for the microphone on the console.
