“No, I don’t, and maybe I wanted it kept between us,” Newman replied.
“Just say it, pretty boy.”
“Someone better say something and fast, because I’m tired and that makes me mean.” Cubby yawned and looked so far removed from mean that Newman snorted.
“I’m adopted, Cubby.”
“Really, wow? You kept that quiet.”
“My father didn’t want anyone to know.”
“Not sure why. Being adopted is something to be proud of from where I’m sitting. Seems to me two sets of parents love you. One gave you away because they couldn’t care for you properly, and the second took you because they wanted a child to love.”
Newman liked the sound of that too.
“Always thought you were different. What’s keeping you, Buster? A man’s dying here!”
Newman laughed softly. He’d told two of his friends, and both had taken the news about his birth in their strides. Sharing was freeing, he realized.
“So I need to talk to Hope now, Newman. Her ex-boss wants answers, or she’s going to start screaming loud and long.”
This would be hard on her, Newman realized. Really hard. Hope was loyal, and she’d taken what had happened with Jay Herald hard. And now she was pregnant, which only added to the emotion she was carrying around inside her.Better to get this done and soon, he thought. He didn’t want her hearing anything from anyone else.
“Okay, let’s go.”
“I don’t believe I asked you to come.”
“Tough.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Hope was only doing a short shift at the bar, so when she was done, she met Mikey at the McBride house for another photography lesson. Tonight she and John were doing some more shots at sunset. Ethan was flying them into a location they’d found.
“Hey, Branna.”
Dressed in cutoffs and a loose cotton top, Branna McBride looked relaxed and beautiful. Rose was rested on one hip, dressed in a pink dress, her hair in two pigtails on top of her head.
“Hi, Hope.”
They were standing on the deck of the long, low log cabin Jake had built. Hope was tickling the little girl under the chin when Jake walked out with scruffy hair and worn clothes. He moved to stand at his wife’s back. It was instinctive, Hope realized. Their love had them gravitating to each other.
“Can I take a few shots of you three?”
“Sure,” Jake said.
“Mikey, come here.”
The boy ambled over, and soon she had him taking the pictures. He snapped off several, then she did a few. It really was a beautiful setting with the redwoods in the background.
“Can we see?”
“You show them, Mikey. I’m going to have a look around for a good location for your next lesson.”
She walked off the steps and slowly navigated the house, then wandered down to the barn. It was as she reached it that she heard cars. Cubby’s cruiser was followed by Newman’s Jeep.
Her first thought was to keep walking, but that would be rude as she’d seen them. And while she did rude, she tried not to do it too much here in her hometown.
“Hey, Sheriff.”
