Chapter 2

CHAPTERTWO

Paige wasn’tsure what she expected to see once she ventured inside, but the twenty-by-twenty portrait of her father hanging in the entrance hallway wasn’t exactly the first thing she would have imagined. Yet, there he was, looking as handsome and taciturn as he did in the photos she had from his days in the Army. He’d aged, yeah, but he’d aged well. With his sandy brown hair now mostly gray and his alert blue eyes, he was what women would call a Silver Fox. Not for the first time, Paige lamented the fact she had not inherited his perfect bone structure.

“Our sheriff is a handsome devil, isn’t he?”

Paige jerked her head around. A woman with kind eyes but a don’t-mess-with-me expression pointed at the portrait. “He’s recently off the market, though. Blissfully happy, in fact.”

Tell me something I don’t know, Chica.

The woman glanced down at the girl beside Paige and then back up again. “Public restrooms are located next door in the visitor’s center.”

“Good to know,” Paige replied. “But I’m actually here because I found this child. She was hiding behind the cannon. She seems to have lost her mother.”

The other woman immediately sprang into action, opening the swinging gate that allowed visitors to pass into the main room of the building. She motioned for them to come through. “Oh, you poor dear. Don’t you worry. We are going to find your mommy.”

Paige ushered the child toward one of the empty desks in the squad room. Several men and one woman dressed in uniforms were seated in glass cubicles, tapping away at keyboards while others were on the phone. The mood seemed relaxed and jovial for a law enforcement office. Dramatically different from the frantic and loud tenor of the Chicago police station she took her class to visit every year.

“Deputy Lovell, can you help these two?” The woman waved over one of the uniformed men. Of course it had to be the same guy Paige crossed paths with on New Year’s Eve. She’d been in the shadows then, however. Not to mention showered and dressed in something other than her rattiest sweatshirt and stretched-out leggings. There was no possible way he would remember her.

But that didn’t mean her father wouldn’t recognize her if he walked in right now. He’d been following her on social media for years. Paige wasn’t exactly living her best life at the moment. She was in no condition to come face-to-face with her dad. As much as she hated to abandon the lost young girl, she needed to hightail it out of this building and this town, pronto.

Deputy Lovell greeted them both with a potently charming smile. His blue eyes softened as he took in the girl. She detected a slight limp in his gait, but otherwise, he appeared to be perfectly fit judging by the way his uniform accentuated his sculpted chest and thighs.

Was there a requirement that every guy who worked in the Sheriff’s department had to be eye-candy?

He sat down on a desk chair bringing him eye-level with the child. Points to him for not talking down to her. Most macho guys wouldn’t have bothered.

“Hello. My name is Hayden.” He had one of those smooth, bedroom voices that made Paige want to put on his handcuffs and reveal all her secrets to him.

Except she was done revealing her secrets to men.

“That’s a cute bunny you’ve got there. Does it have a name?”

If it did, the little girl wasn’t telling. Instead, she buried her face between the stuffed animal’s long ears.

“A secret, huh? How about your name,” the deputy asked. “Is that a secret, too?”

Still no response. At this rate, this interrogation would take all day. Paige had other pressing matters to take care of. Her bladder, for starters.

“Okay. Looks like you’ve got this under control.” She backpedaled toward the door. “I’ll just be on my way now.”

The rest of the room had other ideas, however. The girl nearly dropped her bunny when she latched onto Paige’s leg. Deputy Lovell’s chill demeanor evaporated. His gaze was suddenly laser-focused on her. The receptionist who had let them in moved to block the swinging exit gate. A charged silence fell over the room.

“Not until you’ve answered some questions,” the deputy said.

“I’ve already told you everything I know. I found her near the cannon. She was crying. I brought her here. End of story.”

She was beginning to lose feeling in her leg. The little girl was strong for her size.

“Still, I’m going to need you to fill out some paperwork.” The deputy’s voice wasn’t so sexy now. In fact, it was downright steely. The eyes of everyone else in the squad room were trained on her. She didn’t dare move a muscle for fear guns might be drawn.

“Paperwork? What kind of paperwork?”

“Let’s start with your name,” Deputy Lovell demanded.

Oh, no, no, no.No way was she telling these people who she was.

“Paige?”

Seconds from a clean getaway.

She pivoted as best as one could with a child attached to one’s leg and locked eyes with her father. His expression was one of surprised disbelief. Then his mouth relaxed into a broad smile.

“It is you.” He said it as though he was trying to convince himself she wasn’t an apparition. “You’re here.”

This was too much. She didn’t have the bandwidth for a reunion with her dad right now. Not until she found a restroom, at least. Paige glanced down into the worried eyes of the little girl. Gently, she pulled the fingers from her leg, pointing to a chair as she did so.

“Sit here and don’t move until I come back.”

The frightened, abandoned look on the child’s face threatened to rip what remained of Paige’s heart to shreds. There was no way she could desert her. She wouldn’t. Even if it meant she had to make nice with her father.

“I’m not going to leave you. I promise.” She brushed a kiss onto the girl’s forehead and turned toward the receptionist. “The restroom is at the visitor’s center, correct?”

The woman nodded as she silently pushed the gate open, only to snap it closed once again when the sheriff cleared his throat. He stepped in front of Paige.

“Restroom’s down the hall.” The wonder she’d heard in his voice moments earlier was long gone. He was in full, aloof sheriff mode now.

Great.

Paige nodded as she hurried in the direction he indicated. Locking the door behind her, she tried not to focus on the fact she’d already lost the upper hand in this little father-daughter reunion. Or the fact she’d just promised a child she’d never seen before that she wouldn’t leave her.

* * *

“I swear.I only took my eyes off her for thirty seconds. I was texting the clubhouse to check your tee time.”

Tanner Gillette slowed his panicked jog to a racewalk so he could level a death glare at the man huffing and puffing beside him. Sonny Amoroso, Tanner’s caddy for the past seven years, nodded contritely. The man rarely made excuses and always owned up to his mistakes. It was the reason Tanner paid him so well. That and he was damn good at reading a golf course.

Looking after slippery four-year-old girls, however, wasn’t exactly in the caddy’s wheelhouse. Sonny’s own three kids lived with his ex-wives. Tanner suspected everyone was probably better off that way.

“Take a pass through the art gallery,” he instructed the caddy. “I’ll check the bookstore. They’ve got a lot of colorful children’s books in the window. They would be tempting to a little kid. Meet me right back here.”

Sonny nodded and hustled off.

Bells tinkled overhead when Tanner pulled open the door to the Whale of a Tale Bookstore. Two women looked up from the counter where they were arguing over how to solve that day’s Wordle puzzle.

“Well, hello.” One of the women greeted him with a wide smile. “What brings you in on this fine day?”

“I’m looking for a little girl.” He gestured with his hands. “About yay high. Black hair. Light brown skin. Probably carrying a stuffed bunny. She was wearing—”

Shit. What was she wearing? Almeda, his housekeeper, was the one who got her dressed each day. Tanner was already at physical therapy when the kid woke up this morning. Soon after, Almeda got an urgent call from her daughter in Charlotte. She was in labor—four weeks early. Almeda had no choice but to leave the little girl with Sonny. His caddy had the brilliant idea she’d enjoy a walk around the downtown while they waited for Tanner to finish PT.

“It’s nobody’s fault,” he mumbled to himself as he zigzagged among the stacks of books.

No sign of her.

He raced back to the front of the store where the two women stared at him with matching perplexed expressions.

“Is everything okay, sir?” the other women asked.

Hell, no he wanted to shout. Nothing had been okay since Tristan fucked everything up by dying. Except Tanner was finally getting a handle on the pain of that loss. He was back at the top of his game. Ranked number one in the world thanks to his recent victory at the Players. He was poised to win the cup. Either in spite of or in honor of his brother. He hadn’t decided that part yet.

Except fate had other plans. Screwing up his life again by dropping a mute little girl off at his country club five days ago with nothing but a stuffed rabbit, a suitcase and a note from her mother begging him to keep her safe until she could return. He didn’t recognize the name on the note. But he damn sure recognized his name listed as the father on the child’s birth certificate.

Black spots danced before his eyes foreshadowing an impending panic attack. Tanner hadn’t had one in months. They’d been a frequent occurrence after Tristan’s death though, keeping him off the tour. He was all too familiar with what happened next. He needed to get out of the store before he passed out and everyone discovered his weakness. With a half-hearted wave at the women, he rushed out the door.

Tanner gulped in a few lungfuls of the ocean air, blowing them back out slowly in an effort to get his heart rate back under control.

“Not in there, either?” Sonny asked when he arrived at Tanner’s side.

Tanner could only manage a shake of his head in response. He peered around the square for what felt like the hundredth time until his gaze landed on the sheriff’s office at the end of the block. When he looked over at Sonny, the caddy nodded in defeat.

They hurried up the steps. As soon as they entered the foyer, Tanner spied the little girl sitting in the squad room, surrounded by a group of deputies staring questioningly at Sheriff Hollister.

“Whitney,” Tanner managed to gasp before he bent at the knees and heaved out several deep breaths to calm his racing heart.

She’s safe.

Sonny patted his back. “Thank, God,” he murmured.

“She’s fine, Tanner,” Sheriff Hollister assured him.

Tanner pushed through the swinging gate and rushed toward Whitney. He had to see for himself. Squatting down on his haunches to get a closer look, he ignored the child’s slight recoil. Somehow, he’d become the bad guy in this scenario and that pissed him off even more than the situation. But he would never take it out on an innocent child.

“Whitney, you can’t just run away like that.” He did his best to keep his tone even and soft despite the fact that he still felt like he was going to pass out. “You had us all scared.”

Of course, she didn’t respond. It had been five days, and the child hadn’t uttered one word. If he didn’t hear her crying out for her mother in her sleep at night, he’d worry there was something wrong with her. Alden Bryant, the town’s pediatrician, diagnosed it as selective mutism. She’ll talk when she’s ready, the doctor reassured Tanner.

Dammit, that wasn’t good enough. He needed her to talk now. He needed to know where her mother had seemingly vanished to. He needed to know why she’d left Whitney with him. Because he was for damn sure not the little girl’s father. That was the only thing he knew for certain right now.

“I apologize for any disruption to your day,” Tanner announced to the room as he got to his feet.

The stilted silence continued. Everyone’s attention was still focused on the sheriff. Perhaps they were annoyed their boss hadn’t shared with them the gossip about Whitney and her supposed relationship to Tanner. Too bad. Tanner had done everything he could to keep the circumstances under wraps. His reputation, not to mention his family, had suffered enough these last eighteen months. None of them needed another scandal.

Thanks to his military service, Sheriff Hollister had connections throughout the country. He was working with his sources trying to locate Whitney’s mother. But the search was slow going. And he doubted they’d locate the woman before tomorrow when Tanner needed to head to Charleston for a tournament.

“Almeda’s daughter went into labor,” he announced by way of explanation. “We’re doing the best we can.”

Sheriff Hollister nodded. “The option of Child Protective Services is still on the table.”

“No!” Tanner replied sharply.

“No!” A female voice shouted just as vehemently at the same time.

A bedraggled woman emerged from behind the sheriff. Strands of her dishwater blonde hair had escaped her ponytail holder, some sticking to her pink cheeks, while others brushed her broad shoulders. She was tall enough to look Tanner in the eye. And she was doing just that. He thought he saw recognition flare in her pale blue eyes—eerily similar to Sheriff Hollister’s—before she notched her chin up and shuttered her expression.

“You can’t put this child into the system,” she said.

The sheriff let out a resigned sigh. “Paige, this isn’t your concern. Why don’t you wait in my office.”

You could hear a pin drop in the room, the silence was so tense. Tanner noticed everyone else’s gazes were ping-ponging between whoever Paige was and the sheriff.

“I will not.”

She stomped past the sheriff and over to where Whitney sat wide-eyed, taking in the proceedings. Apparently sensing this woman was her champion, Whitney launched herself into Paige’s arms.

“I promised her I’d help her find her mom,” Paige declared. “And that’s what I’m going to do.”

“Well, what the hell do you think I’m trying to do?” Tanner snapped.

Paige’s surprised gaze collided with his. Whitney pressed herself against the woman.

“Enough!” Sheriff Hollister commanded. “Let’s take this discussion into my office.”

No one moved.

“Now!”

The deputies returned to whatever it was they were doing. The receptionist answered a ringing phone. Paige remained still as a statue until she tore her eyes away from Tanner’s and trudged down the hall, Whitney’s bunny slapping her in the back as they went. Tanner and Sonny followed.

Deputy Lovell opened the door to a conference room beside the sheriff’s office. They all filed in silently. Paige sank down into one of the conference chairs with Whitney still clinging to her. Sonny took the seat across from them. Tanner was too keyed up to settle into a chair. He leaned a shoulder against the wall instead. If the sheriff wanted him to sit, he was going to have to shoot him.

The receptionist came into the room, some crayons and a coloring book in her hand.

“Whitney, honey, we’ve got some donuts in the break room,” she said. “They’ve got sprinkles on them. Why don’t you come with me, and we’ll go get ourselves one.”

Whitney snuggled in closer against Paige. Her protector smoothed the child’s hair down with her hand before gifting her with a soothing smile and nodding. Whitney unfurled herself from Paige and, without protest, left the room with the receptionist.

What the hell kind of magical powers was this woman wielding? And why was there something vaguely familiar about that smile of hers? One that had Tanner suddenly focusing in on her very full, very lush lips.

“Paige found Whitney in the square earlier,” the sheriff explained, interrupting Tanner’s wayward thoughts.

Tanner pulled his gaze away from the vexing woman to focus on the sheriff who was leaning against the opposite wall mirroring his pose.

“Whitney was crying and uncommunicative, so Paige brought her here,” Sheriff Hollister continued. He turned his attention to Paige. “Whitney was delivered to Mr. Gillette’s club last week with a note from her mother asking him to care for her until she returns.”

Paige’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

The three men in the room nodded. Tanner was grateful to the sheriff for leaving out the part about his name being on Whitney’s birth certificate. He was waiting on the results of the paternity test Alden performed a few days ago to clear up that little misconception.

“That’s awful,” Paige said. “I hope she’s not in some kind of trouble.”

Oh, she was in trouble, all right.He was pretty sure abandoning one’s child was a felony. He didn’t bother pointing that out to Paige, though. She was clearly on the side of Team Mum.

“We are doing our best to locate her.” The sheriff pressed his back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest before leveling a flinty look at Paige. “In the meantime, Mr. Gillette is doing his best to care for Whitney.”

She had the nerve to chuckle. “Clearly, he’s doing a bang-up job.”

Tanner pulled away from the wall. He didn’t have time for this woman’s snark. “Sheriff, if that’s all, I have a tee time for a practice round I need to get to.”

“And who is going to watch Whitney?” Paige demanded.

“Paige,” the sheriff admonished her.

“Our housekeeper has a friend who is going to come stay with her for the week,” Tanner managed to grind out through his tight jaw. What the hell was it to this woman, anyway?

“For the week?!” Paige jerked from her chair. “Do you even know this—” she made air quotes with her fingers “friend? Have you run a background check on her? Does she know CPR? You’re just going to leave a perfect stranger with a kid who is clearly already traumatized?”

Sheriff Hollister shoved away from the wall to stand between Tanner and the annoying shrew. “That’s enough, Paige.”

Tanner was clenching his teeth so hard he feared he might have cracked one. How dare she make him feel guilty for his choices? Whitney landed in his lap during the busiest stretch of the golf season. The first of the tour’s four majors loomed before him. He had no choice but to leave her with someone until they located her mother and sorted this ridiculous mess out.

Besides, he had no idea what to do with a four-year-old. Kids weren’t his thing. Sure, he enjoyed being around his nephews, but only for a few hours at a time. With his golf game peaking, Tanner wasn’t the least bit interested in fatherhood. Especially instant fatherhood.

Paige should be grateful he refused to use the nuclear option of Child Protective Services. Even he knew it would exacerbate Whitney’s issues. Fortunately, Tanner was a wealthy man. He could afford to provide Whitney with whatever care she needed. It just wouldn’t be him caring for her. He had a cup to win.

“We’re going to be late,” Tanner snapped. “Let’s go, Sonny.”

His caddy followed him out the door. Paige moved as if to follow them, but the sheriff blocked her path, thankfully. Tanner stepped into the break room where Whitney was quietly coloring under the watchful eye of the sheriff’s receptionist.

“Time to go, Whit.”

Her eyes darted past him into the hallway, presumably looking for Paige. Something sharp slammed into his ribs at the crestfallen expression on the little girl’s face. She quietly stacked the crayons on top of the coloring book and picked up her bunny. With a wave to the receptionist, she followed Sonny out of the building. Tanner ought to be thankful that Whitney was such a sweetheart. Instead, he was seething at Paige for making him second guess his decisions.